On February 6, 1904, a combined fleet under the command of Admiral Heihachiro Togo attempted an attack from Saseho Port to wipe out Russian Port Arthur. But the Russian fleet remained secluded in Port Arthur which was protected so the combined fleet could not enter. The combined fleet was at its wits’ end with plans and they decided to blockade Port Arthur by sinking vessels at the entrance of the port. Saneyuki was asked to give a letter to Ariazuna by Takeo Hirose, his best friend since naval academy. Hirose noticed that Sugino was not there right before escaping from flying bullets. Hirose desperately looked for him inside the ship but unavoidably gave up and got in the ship but... Since Port Arthur Blockade Operation ended in failure, the combined fleet had a dark atmosphere. Saneyuki was forced to form a new plan soon after Hirose died.