[Polu-purupuru, Polu-purupuru]
As Oven watched the Gate of the Underworld, the Den-Den Mushi in his coat pocket began ringing. Without giving it much thought, he pulled it out and placed it in his palm to answer.
"Hello?"
"Lieutenant General Oven, accelerate your advance. You must completely encircle the 'Gate of the Underworld' before tomorrow morning and eliminate all newly emerged devils. After that, leave the rest to the shinobi—they'll seal the exit using barrier techniques!"
"Yes, understood. I'll see to it personally!"
After hearing Lieutenant General Onigumo's orders, Charlotte Oven responded affirmatively, then asked curiously, "What kind of barrier technique? And who's in charge of the sealing?"
"The Second Hokage of Konohagakure suggested having the Uchiha Clan use their 'Uchiha Flame Formation' as the innermost barrier. He said it can draw on underground flames as an energy source to maintain long-term stability. On the outer perimeter, four so-called 'Kage-level' shinobi will stand ready to deploy the 'Four Crimson Ray Formation' as a contingency."
The Den-Den Mushi mimicked Onigumo's face and tone as it relayed the message.
At the same time, on the other end, Dalmatian had also received a call from Lieutenant General Doberman. The content wasn't much different from what Onigumo had said.
"Uh… are those barrier techniques really going to work?"
Charlotte Oven sounded skeptical.
"Lieutenant General Aramaki couldn't break through the 'Uchiha Flame Formation' head-on. According to the Second Hokage, the 'Four Crimson Ray Formation' has an even stronger defense."
"Uh… Lieutenant General Aramaki. Alright, I get it."
Charlotte Oven stopped questioning it.
"Looks like the Shinobi World's barrier techniques are actually useful. They can be used for both containment and defense."
Charlotte Oven thought the military should start recruiting shinobi proficient in barrier techniques.
That way, they'd be ready for sudden air raids or overwhelming enemies at any time.
...
Pure Land – Shinobi Sect Main Hall
"Well then, Brother. I'm heading out."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura gazed at Hagoromo, who sat calmly on a meditation mat.
"Mm. Thank you for this—be careful out there. The World Government is, after all, an organization that rules over many worlds. Its foundations are deeper than anyone can imagine, and no one knows how many strange tricks it's hiding!"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo slowly stood up.
He, too, was preparing to head for the Shinobi World to inspect the 'Gate of the Underworld' with his own eyes.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura nodded, saying nothing more.
Everything that needed to be said had been discussed many times before.
He turned and walked out of the main hall, ready to board the same underworld ship as the recently returned Willy Tybur, heading toward the Starfish Underworld.
Originally, he had planned to bring Gol D. Roger to exchange for Senju Hashirama.
But Roger had unexpectedly refused to return to the Starfish Underworld.
He simply didn't want to serve under the World Government anymore.
He hadn't wanted to in life—and even less so in death.
He'd rather stay here, drinking and sparring with his newfound friend Uchiha Madara, laughing loud and long.
He was also looking forward to meeting the so-called 'big idiot' that Madara kept talking about—Senju Hashirama.
Even so, Ōtsutsuki Hamura could see that Roger's feelings about this Shinobi World Pure Land were deeply complicated.
After all, all three of his crewmates had died here—or rather, had been killed by his own hand.
Normally, Roger should have harbored hatred toward him.
But during their conversations, Roger had only smiled bitterly and said he understood—it was they who had invaded first, so being killed in return wasn't something he had the right to complain about.
Compared to that, he still hated the World Government more.
Even if, from what he'd heard, it had changed a lot by now.
If there was anything he still cared about, it was only his wife and son.
He didn't know how they were doing… or if that bastard Garp had looked after them properly.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, however, had no idea who Garp was—nor did he care to find out.
...
After sailing through the endless currents of the River Styx while venturing deeper into Hell for approximately two days, the vessel finally carried Willy Tybur, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, Uchiha Kagami, along with more than a dozen shinobi and over a hundred Eldian soldiers, slowly into the Starfish Underworld through the mouth of the Eastern Styx River.
But when Ōtsutsuki Hamura led the group off the ship, he found to his surprise that no one was waiting on the shore to receive them.
Several of the shinobi frowned, visibly displeased.
They thought the World Government was slighting Hamura-sama.
Just as Mu, the Second Tsuchikage, was about to step forward to question Willy Tybur—
A thick mass of black mist suddenly began forming in the distance, appearing out of thin air.
This immediately drew the shinobi's attention. Uchiha Kagami and the others quickly moved into defensive positions.
Only Ōtsutsuki Hamura remained still, frowning slightly as he stared at the ever-thickening black fog.
Before their eyes, the mist gathered into a massive gate over 10 meters tall.
As the darkness inside the gate gradually thinned, the edges took on a rectangular outline, and the scene within became clear: it was a colossal palace, entirely constructed from black crystal.
Lining the staircase at the palace's entrance stood giant figures clad in black Justice coats.
Each one of them—every single one—was a Titan from the Nine Titans of past generations.
...
Under the lead of Willy Tybur—
Ōtsutsuki Hamura was the first to step through the mysterious Space Gate.
With a single step, he crossed an immense distance.
From the mouth of the Eastern Styx, he arrived directly in the Citadel, appearing in the plaza before the Palace.
Behind him, Uchiha Kagami, Mu, and the other shinobi followed in an orderly line, their gazes immediately drawn to the scene before them.
Everything here seemed shrouded in black.
The stone tiles of the plaza were black, the palace buildings were black, even the steps shimmered with a glow of black crystal.
Yet the sky remained crimson like fire, while the giants stationed around were clad mainly in purple.
'A Space Gate… I wonder whose technique this is,' Hamura thought to himself, glancing at the dissipating black mist behind him.
But one thing he was certain of—the previous King of the Dead had possessed no such power.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen in battle to him and his elder brother.
It seemed his brother had been right all along—this World Government's foundations ran unfathomably deep.
And yet…
Only Ōtsutsuki Hamura would be allowed to accompany Willy Tybur into the main hall for an audience with Enma.
Uchiha Kagami and the others were instead to follow Annie Leonhart to wait in a side chamber.
Before long, Willy Tybur and Hamura began ascending the tiers of black crystal steps under the watchful eyes of the giant guards.
Once they reached the main gate of the Palace, Willy came to a stop and stepped aside respectfully. With a formal tone, he gestured toward the entrance.
"From here, please proceed on your own. Lady Enma has been waiting for some time."
"Understood," Hamura replied with a nod.
[Step. Step. Step.]
The interior of the hall was spacious, empty save for a few massive supporting columns.
Still, Hamura could clearly hear the sound of each step he took.
After walking down a corridor over ten meters wide and nearly a hundred meters long—
Suddenly—
A vast hall opened up before him.
At its center stood a massive round table.
On the jet-black surface was emblazoned a white symbol—five circles surrounding a cross—and the words WORLD GOVT.
On either side of the table sat a throne-like white chair.
Hamura noticed that the one facing him bore the spiral symbol adorned with nine black tomoe.
It was the very same emblem as their Shinobi Sect—identical to the one on the back of his robes.
From that alone, it was clear—the other side was approaching these talks with true sincerity.
This brought a faint smile to Ōtsutsuki Hamura's face.
A moment later—
His gaze met that of Enma, who stood atop the stairs clad in a resplendent kimono of violet and gold.
"Welcome, Lord Hamura, to the Underworld under the jurisdiction of the World Government. I am Nerona Enma, the 'Warrior Goddess of the Underworld' and one of the Six Elders. By the command of Lord Imu, I am tasked with overseeing this dialogue. I look forward to your guidance."
Enma descended the steps with a soft smile, her every movement fluid and poised.
She finally stopped beside her designated seat, lifting a hand in polite invitation and smiling warmly.
"Shall we take a seat and begin?"
"Of course."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura responded with composure and took his seat. Once Enma was seated as well, he asked: "Then, where shall we begin?"
"Naturally, with the Shinobi World's integration into the World Government—including matters concerning the Underworld."
Enma's smile faded as she adopted a more solemn demeanor.
Truthfully, under normal circumstances, such discussions would be handled by the World Government of the Human Realm.
But the Shinobi World was a special case.
The only individuals truly capable of making decisions—and deserving of the World Government's full attention—resided in the Pure Land.
So even though the World Government had already subdued most of the Shinobi World—the great daimyōs of the Five Nations, along with the smaller territorial lords, had all been swept aside—it was still necessary to sit down at the table and negotiate like this.
And unlike the prior meeting in Rōran with the people of Konohagakure—
That encounter had been little more than a unilateral announcement.
This time, however, what was unfolding between Ōtsutsuki Hamura and Enma was a genuine conversation between equals.
After all, Ōtsutsuki Hamura and his brother Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had defeated the King of the Dead at the height of his power.
"Integration."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura understood the meaning of the word. Willy Tybur had explained it to him beforehand.
"But the daimyōs of the Five Great Nations have all been wiped out by your hands. Who's supposed to lead this integration?"
His tone was calm, but Enma could sense the discontent beneath it.
"That's because, based on our investigations, we do not consider those former daimyōs to have been qualified leaders. Compared to them, we'd much prefer to work with the shinobi."
Just as Enma finished speaking—
A swirl of purple energy opened into a hollow space in front of Hamura.
From it, two thick documents floated gently down and landed on the table before him.
Hamura frowned slightly, thinking to himself, Is this space manipulation one of their techniques?
"These two documents are titled Proposal for the Integration of the Shinobi World into the World Government and Proposal for the Establishment of a Shinobi Education System. Please, take a look."
Enma gestured lightly as she spoke.
"Alright. Give me a moment."
Hamura picked up the Proposal for the Integration of the Shinobi World into the World Government first.
As he flipped through the pages, silence once again filled the hall. Enma waited patiently.
But as Hamura read on, his expression gradually grew serious.
"So the Shinobi World's administration is to be handed over to the Rōran government, making it the primary entity for integration into the World Government. The currency will be unified to Belly. The laws of the World Government will take precedence. And all shinobi will be placed under the management of Umigakure?"
In essence, it was still the same structure the Shinobi World had always used.
Only now, all the minor and major nations and villages were to be erased.
In their place, Rōran would serve as the administrative center, while Umigakure handled the military affairs.
However, unlike the old relationship between daimyōs and shinobi villages, Umigakure was part of the World Government's military. Rōran had no authority to command or interfere.
"I have no issues with the earlier sections. But the part about placing all shinobi under Umigakure's control is unacceptable."
Enma didn't seem the least bit offended. She smiled and said: "That's perfectly fine. We can take our time discussing it. What are your thoughts?"
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