Shanks.
At this moment, his name resurfaced in everyone's minds.
All of this—everything that had happened—was part of his plan.
It wasn't through raw power.
It wasn't through schemes or deception.
It was through openly and boldly manipulating everyone in the palm of his hand.
And that… was the most frustrating part.
Even Nara Shikaku, who had already figured out the whole truth, couldn't help but feel shaken.
Shanks' methods had gone beyond ordinary strategy.
This kind of method… it's like rewriting history itself. Terrifying.
"Poneglyph...? I see, I see... No wonder Shanks' methods are so overwhelming. If he didn't have such a powerful way to do things, he wouldn't be able to uncover the truth hidden in history."
Thanks to Orochimaru's information, Nara Shikaku was shocked to realize how much of history they didn't know. Was the so-called Poneglyph Shanks' real goal all along?
As someone who thinks things through, Nara Shikaku naturally didn't believe Orochimaru's actions would bring disaster.
To be honest, things in Konohagakure were already bad enough, so his tolerance for chaos had grown over time.
"Kakashi, you're not worried at all?"
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Kakashi remained as calm as ever.
"I don't know what Shanks is after, but with a man like him, whatever he's planning, it's definitely not about destroying Konohagakure or wiping out the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even if he wants to create a new era, he wouldn't do it that way."
Kakashi disagreed with the others. War wasn't the answer. A new era couldn't be built on war.
"It won't be war, but something even more terrifying.
The ninja world will no longer be peaceful. The existence of Devil Fruits won't just change ordinary people—it will change everything."
"At first, people might not think much of it. But once Devil Fruits reach a certain number, ninjas will have no choice but to develop new jutsu. Only by constantly innovating jutsu can they keep up with the creation of more Devil Fruits."
"The more Devil Fruits there are, the more ability users will emerge. These users will act as a counterbalance to ninjas, and the power of this new era will keep growing stronger."
"At the same time, this power will also push old-era ninjas to become stronger, forcing them to develop even more jutsu."
"In the end, the world's power will reach a new balance. Shanks isn't here to start a war—he's here to truly bring about a new era."
Nara Shikaku explained. He could see further than anyone else, and in that moment, he understood the entire situation.
But even if he understood it, there was nothing he could do. Facing Shanks' overwhelming influence, knowing the truth didn't change the fact that they couldn't resist it.
Seal off all information? No way. That was impossible. Sooner or later, these secrets would spread across the entire ninja world.
That's why Shikaku didn't bother hiding anything from the others.
Chiyo and Oonoki, standing near Kakashi, heard everything clearly.
"So you're saying Shanks is forcing us to keep developing new jutsu?"
Oonoki frowned. He didn't like the feeling of being played like this. But Shikaku wanted to tell him to get used to it—because this wouldn't be the last time.
"You could refuse to research it, but that doesn't mean others will do the same."
Shikaku glanced at the people from Kumogakure and Kirigakure in the distance.
The answer was obvious. Don't want to join in? That's not an option. You can sit back and do nothing, but if others don't, then you're just waiting for your own downfall.
It was just like the current situation. If everyone trusted Konohagakure, they wouldn't have ended up here in the first place.
Oonoki and Chiyo both understood what Shikaku meant. In the face of such an overwhelming force, even if they wanted to resist, there was nothing they could do.
"No matter what, Shanks has ninja blood in him. He was born a ninja—he won't betray his own kind. But if you're left behind by the times, that's not his problem."
Shikaku sighed. Shanks' approach was already the gentlest one possible, yet even this would shake the entire ninja world to its core.
But when he thought about what Shanks was trying to do—the price of creating a new era—he had to admit that no one in the history of the ninja world had ever achieved something like this.
A single man, using his own wisdom, controlling the balance of the entire ninja world, and within that balance, creating a brand-new era.
This was something no one in history had ever been able to do.
And on top of that, when Shikaku thought about everything Shanks had done, he knew one thing for sure—his actions were undeniably for the greater good.
As the head of the Nara clan, Shikaku respected Shanks' ideals, but that was all. From his perspective, everything Shanks did came at a cost that the ninja had to bear.
Standing on the opposing side, Shikaku had no choice but to use his intelligence to counter Shanks.
At this moment, the expressions of those present varied. Some pirates quietly left the battlefield, unwilling to risk getting caught in whatever was about to happen.
A few of them, upon seeing Zabuza lying on the ground, immediately realized what was going on.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had no intention of lingering any longer. He had repaid his debt to Shanks.
"Orochimaru, do you think just because you invoked Shanks' name, you can leave here safely?"
Danzo's voice rang out in anger from within the barrier. He couldn't accept this—Orochimaru had secretly aligned himself with such a powerful force, and he had been completely unaware. Worse, he had even unknowingly sheltered Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konohagakure.
As Orochimaru's supposed ally, Danzo now realized he had been completely abandoned. But even so, he wasn't about to let Orochimaru go.
"What's wrong? Are you planning to make a move against me?"
Orochimaru was utterly unfazed. As one of the Legendary Sannin, he had every right to be.
Besides, among those present, who could actually kill him? Not everyone had access to the Reaper Death Seal.
Danzo wasn't bold enough to attack Orochimaru outright. But then, something occurred to him.
"Orochimaru, Sarutobi didn't chase after you. What happened to him?"
"My teacher? He's dead, of course."
Orochimaru spoke without hesitation, his gaze sweeping over everyone as he delivered the shocking news.
The Third Hokage was dead?
Dead at his own hands?
Orochimaru knew exactly what Danzo was thinking, but he remained fearless. Among everyone here, only Jiraiya and Tsunade would be willing to avenge the Third Hokage.
At that moment, Jiraiya and Tsunade felt a chill in their hearts.
Jiraiya couldn't believe that Orochimaru had actually killed the Third.
"Orochimaru, you—"
"Jiraiya, are you doubting me?"
Orochimaru locked eyes with his former comrade.
"The old man used the Reaper Death Seal. He completely took away the souls of my arms. He died by his own hands, and by the hands of Konohagakure's past."
"His death wasn't my doing."
"Kabuto, let's go."
Orochimaru had no interest in arguing with them any longer. In the end, Jiraiya didn't make a move against him.
As ruthless as Orochimaru was, he had his own principles. Even if he returned to Konohagakure to cause trouble, even if he crippled the Third Hokage, he wouldn't have killed him.
Ironically, Jiraiya and Tsunade seemed to bear more resentment toward the village than Orochimaru did—one had lost a student, the other had lost family because of Konohagakure.
As for Orochimaru, he was a lone wolf. He had no reason to care about Konohagakure at all.
"Are we... just letting him go?"
"What else can we do? Rather than dealing with Orochimaru, we should focus on what comes next."
As they watched the massive snake burrow back underground, different thoughts filled the minds of those present.
At that moment, Kakashi and his group arrived near Danzo's faction. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, along with ninja from Iwagakure and Sunagakure, surrounded Danzo and his men.
"Kakashi, Shikaku, Chouza... what do you think you're doing?"
"Danzo-sama, we're just here to protect you. Please, don't leave the battlefield so easily."
Kakashi gripped his sword tightly, his entire body radiating killing intent—not just toward Danzo, but also toward Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and the Root ninjas who were still capable of fighting.
"Hmm, looks like it's time for us to leave as well."
Zabuza got up from the ground. The matter was settled, and he had no intention of getting involved any further.
"Raikage-sama, Killer Bee-sama..."
"See you in the New World."
Captain Dark bid farewell to Raikage and Killer Bee. Now that they had the information they needed, it was time for them to go.
The gathered ninjas simply watched the pirates leave. No one made a move, even though they knew these pirates would one day become their enemies.
But with the pressure from Raikage and Mizukage looming over them, no one dared to act recklessly.
That wouldn't be the case for long, though.
"Those gamblers sure are decisive."
Standing on top of the giant slug, Tsunade watched the pirates depart, speaking with a sigh.
"Since when did that bastard Orochimaru start gambling? And judging by Jiraiya's reaction, he clearly knows something too. Am I the only one left in the dark?"
"Katsuyu, do you know anything about this?"
"Of course I do. But since you never meddle in these kinds of things, I didn't think it was necessary to tell you."
The giant slug responded. Tsunade had been down for so long, and the slug itself had always been indifferent to such matters.
"Ah, but a high-stakes game like the New World just wouldn't be complete without a gambler like me."
If even Orochimaru was getting involved, how could she, the so-called "big fat sheep," not join in?
At that moment, Tsunade leaped into the air, landing directly on the head of a large toad in the distance.
Jiraiya said nothing. Their years of working together had given them an unspoken understanding.
He simply nodded and pulled out a massive scroll from his back. This scroll represented the Three Holy Lands.
"This is the prophecy from the Toad Sage about Shanks. Now that everyone is here, it's time for the entire shinobi world to see it."
Jiraiya spoke, knowing it was finally time to let the shinobi world witness what the New World truly was.
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