On 1 April 1943, "Naka" was assigned to the new 14th Cruiser Division under Rear Admiral Kenzo Ito with , arriving at Truk on 30 April 1943. For the next several months, "Naka" was assigned to make troop transport runs around the Marshall Islands and Nauru. On 21 October 1943, "Naka" and "Isuzu" embarked Army troops at Shanghai. The convoy was intercepted by the submarine in the East China Sea on 23 October 1943, which fired 10 torpedoes, failing to damage either cruiser. On 3 November 1943, convoy was attacked north of Kavieng by 13th Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. "Naka" suffered a near-miss, and arrived at Rabaul on 5 November 1943, the same day as the Carrier Raid on Rabaul. "Naka" was slightly damaged by near-misses from dive bombers from the aircraft carriers and . On 23 November 1943, "Naka" departed Ponape with troop reinforcements for Tarawa, but the island fell to the Americans before the reinforcements could be landed.