Chapter 56: The Eyes of God and the Pulse of the People
The midday sun hung high over Uzushiogakure, casting a brilliant gold across the reconstruction. Rimon stood atop the central balcony of the Research Tower, his eyes scanning the bustling streets. Through the Sovereign System, he could see the village not just as a collection of buildings, but as a living organism of data, chakra, and potential.
But even with the Intermediate Armament humming in his veins and his Kagura-Haki expanding his awareness, there was one presence that felt like a localized black hole in his perception.
Rimon turned his gaze toward a shaded pavilion near the training grounds. There, resting in a small, hand-carved wooden cradle while the older kids trained nearby, was a one-year-old child with a shock of deep red hair.
Nagato.
Rimon leaned against the stone railing, his expression unreadable. To anyone else, the boy was just another miracle of survival—the son of Ise and Fuso, two of the village's finest medics who were currently buried deep in the Research Hospital working with Chopper. But Rimon knew. He saw the Rinnegan—the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths—rippling in the sockets of a child who couldn't even walk yet.
Madara's plan, Rimon thought, his grip tightening. The most powerful dojutsu in history, planted in an Uzumaki child because only our vitality could house it. In the original timeline, his parents died to Konoha shinobi in Amegakure, triggering his awakening. But I pulled the whole family back to the island before the Rain front swallowed them.
Ise and Fuso were alive, safely tucked away in the medical wing. The trauma that was meant to forge "Pain" had been intercepted by Rimon's arrival.
But Nagato is only one-third of the tragedy, Rimon mused, his mind wandering to the borders of the Land of Rain. If I have Nagato, I need the others. Yahiko and Konan. Their parents are likely still alive in the outskirts of the Rain, unaware that the war is about to turn their homes into a graveyard.
Rimon made a silent vow. He would send a retrieval team—perhaps disguised as a trade caravan—to bring those families to Uzushio before the "Sannin" encounter ever happened. If he could gather the three orphans and their families now, the "Akatsuki" would never be a tool for Obito. They would be the spearhead of the Whirlpool.
The Pulse of Progress
Rimon forced his gaze away from the future and looked back at the present. The Resonance of the Straw Hat Spirit was in full effect. The air was thick with the smell of sawdust, ozone, and Sanji's cooking.
Down in the residential district, Franky was leading a crew of Uzumaki builders. They weren't using traditional timber; they were using the Battle-Steel alloyed in Dako's forge with the new Vortex Tools Rimon had provided through the System.
"Alright, you beautiful red-heads!" Franky shouted, his metallic hair clicking into a pompadour. "The foundations are set! Now, we lay the Vortex Engine pipes! This city is going to have running hot water and chakra-lights by the time I'm done! SU-PER!"
Rimon watched as the builders—men who had lost everything only days ago—laughed alongside the cyborg. They were learning that a village didn't have to be a fortress of shadows; it could be a marvel of light.
The Medical Miracle
In the hospital wing, the atmosphere was different—quiet, focused, and intense. Ise and Fuso were working side-by-side with Chopper, their eyes wide as they scrolled through the Advanced Medical Database.
"The cellular structure..." Ise whispered, adjusting his glasses. "We've been treating the symptoms, but this database shows the source of the chakra-decay."
"Doctor Chopper," Fuso said, her voice filled with reverence as she watched the small reindeer mix a glowing blue serum. "This 'Reindeer-Alchemy'... it could save the clan's longevity."
Nearby, Young Mito sat on a stool. She wasn't looking at books. She was looking at a wounded shinobi's leg. Guided by Chopper's instructions, she placed her tiny hands on the skin. She didn't use a jutsu; she simply "felt" the cells. The wound knit together in seconds. Mito clapped her hands, her silver-red eyes shining. She was the first of the Medic-Sages.
The Shadow of the Messenger
The peace was interrupted by a sharp, piercing cry from the sky. Rimon's Kagura-Haki instantly locked onto it. A hawk, its feathers dark and eyes sharp, was descending toward the Tower. Tied to its leg was a scroll sealed with the mark of the Fire Shadow.
Rimon reached out, and the bird landed on his arm. He unrolled the scroll, his eyes moving over Hiruzen Sarutobi's elegant calligraphy.
> To the Patriarch of the Uzumaki,
> Konoha mourns the tragedy of your island. We have heard rumors of your survival against the three nations. In the interest of our ancient pact, an envoy led by the Nara Clan will arrive at your shores within four days. They come to offer aid, and to escort the Senju heir, Nawaki, back to his home.
> We regret to inform you that Tsunade cannot be permitted to leave the Rain Front. Her presence there is the only thing preventing a total collapse of our medical lines. The Leaf requires her service in the war.
>
Rimon's eyes darkened. Politics. Hiruzen was holding Tsunade hostage at the front, using the war as an excuse to keep his most powerful pieces on the board while trying to reclaim Nawaki. He wanted to maintain the image of Konoha as the "protector" while Uzushio was supposed to be the "beggar."
"Escort Nawaki back?" Rimon muttered, looking down at the training grounds.
He saw Nawaki standing tall, his wood-style regulated by the Verdant Crown seal. The boy was laughing with Luffy, finally free from the fear of his own power. He saw Kushina guarding Nagato's cradle, her red hair fluttering in the sea breeze.
Rimon sat at a stone table and summoned the Sovereign's Ink from the System. He began to write with a pressure that cracked the surface of the table.
"The Whirlpool is not a branch of the Leaf. We are the Ocean. And the Ocean does not take orders from the Forest. Nawaki will stay as long as he wants. He is learning what it means to be a true Uzumaki-Senju. As for Tsunade—if the Leaf cannot protect its own front without chaining a woman to a graveyard, then the Leaf is weaker than I thought. Send your envoy. But tell them to bring their respect, or don't bother landing."
Rimon sealed the scroll and sent the hawk back.