"If all shinobi are to be placed under the World Government, then this is no longer about joining or cooperation—it's a unilateral occupation. Oppression. This clause must be amended."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura spoke righteously, his expression stern.
"Mhm, mhm. Then how would your side prefer to revise it?" Enma nodded, asking with curiosity.
"Well…"
Ōtsutsuki Hamura hesitated, his mind spinning rapidly.
He was debating whether or not the former shinobi villages should be preserved.
Especially the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
As for the smaller villages—he didn't particularly care if they disappeared.
The problem was that in their previous clash with the World Government, it had already been proven that these villages were utterly incapable of resistance.
Was it because the shinobi themselves were weak?
Or because ninjutsu had become ineffective?
No—Ōtsutsuki Hamura didn't think the shinobi were weak. Nor did he believe there was anything wrong with ninjutsu.
The reason for their swift defeat, in his view, was because the shinobi's strength was too scattered, their intelligence networks too poor, and they lacked any coordinated use of their various techniques. They had completely failed to leverage their own advantages.
Thus, the existing structure of the Five Great Shinobi Villages no longer seemed suitable.
In contrast, the World Government's concept of governing all shinobi through a single Umigakure was clearly more effective.
But this shouldn't be something done by the World Government!
Ōtsutsuki Hamura made up his mind.
"We will rebuild the Shinobi Sect in the Shinobi World. It will oversee and manage all shinobi."
"After joining the World Government, if your side requires assistance from shinobi, you may submit a request to the Shinobi Sect. The Sect will then dispatch a team accordingly."
But Enma immediately shook her head. "No. We have no objection to the establishment of the Shinobi Sect—but not all shinobi can be placed under its authority."
"After all, since the World Government has established Umigakure, it naturally needs its own shinobi forces."
"And let me remind you, the Shinobi World was on the losing side of the war. Even the recent demonic invasion was handled entirely by our army. Otherwise, I'm sure you can imagine what the Shinobi World would look like right now."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura said coldly, "The losing side? The King of the Dead died at our hands. Not to mention the nearly 100,000 prisoners we're holding in the Pure Land. You are the ones who lost."
"The King of the Dead was never part of the World Government. And those captives aren't ours. How could you call that a defeat on our side?"
Enma fired back without hesitation.
For a moment—
As their words clashed sharply, the atmosphere within the chamber grew increasingly tense.
Just as Ōtsutsuki Hamura was about to speak again, Enma chuckled and said: "Besides, once the Shinobi World joins us, the World Government will be obligated to protect it. If any disasters or crises occur in the future, we'll be the first to respond. Don't you agree?"
Hearing the veiled implications behind his words, Ōtsutsuki Hamura's expression shifted. "What kind of crisis could possibly befall the Shinobi World? It's been peaceful for the last thousand years!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Enma raised her brows in mock surprise.
"But I heard from Lord Imu that in roughly twenty-three years, the Shinobi World will begin to face a wave of powerful enemies… also bearing the name Ōtsutsuki. Much like how, a thousand years ago, a woman named Ōtsutsuki Kaguya descended upon the land…"
[Bang!]
Ōtsutsuki Hamura shot to his feet, face darkening, eyes locked on the smiling Enma across the round table.
"How do you even know about this? And that prophecy—what exactly is…"
"True or false?" Enma shot back.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura fell silent. But in doing so, he was tacitly admitting it.
To be honest, he was a little shaken.
The World Government actually knew about his mother?
Then… what else did they know?!
As for the prophecy, he was only half-convinced.
"Lord Imu is the founder and ruler of the World Government, and also the 'Dragon God' from the Starfish—a being of absolute supremacy."
"The Dimensional Gate, which we use to conquer the myriad worlds, is under Lord Imu's control. During our past campaigns, it has provided us with highly detailed intelligence on each world—even secrets that the native populations themselves don't know."
"That's why we've been able to outmatch your Shinobi World in intelligence—and why we were able to seize the Underworld with such ease."
After hearing Enma's words, Ōtsutsuki Hamura spoke in shock, "That Lord Imu foresaw the death of the King of the Dead at our hands?!"
"Wrong!"
Enma shook her head, her expression serious. "Not foresaw—foreknew. Perhaps you're unaware, but in our world, there's a power known as Observation Haki."
"At higher levels, this ability grants brief glimpses into the future—just a few seconds ahead. But Lord Imu has refined this power to a level beyond imagination."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura thought silently to himself: So that uncanny foresight of the King of the Dead… it was actual precognition. No wonder he was so troublesome. But even then, it didn't seem anywhere near the level needed to see across a millennium. And yet this Imu…
At that moment, the layers of mystery surrounding Imu made him feel an overwhelming sense of dread.
A gate capable of crossing countless worlds. The ability to foresee events centuries in advance. A being who had existed for nearly a thousand years—seemingly immortal.
At the very least, Imu couldn't be any weaker than his elder brother… and perhaps even rivaled his mother.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura didn't question why Imu hadn't personally stepped in to destroy the King of the Dead.
After all, Enma had already said it:
Imu had long foreseen the King of the Dead dying at their hands.
So of course… Imu had simply waited for it to unfold—then effortlessly took control.
Some people, even when they possess enough power to resolve a situation directly, still prefer to remain in the shadows—waiting for the perfect moment to strike and kill in one blow.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura knew this very well, because at their core, he and his elder brother were exactly that kind of people.
Moreover, his brother had sustained significant injuries during the battle with the King of the Dead.
That was precisely why Ōtsutsuki Hamura did not want things to escalate to the point where they had to face Imu directly.
"So… twenty-three years from now, more members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan will truly descend upon the Shinobi World?"
"That is certain," Enma replied. "And Lord Imu described them as formidable enemies. Now do you understand? The Shinobi World needs the World Government's protection—especially with the presence of the 'Gate of the Underworld' right in front of us."
As she spoke, Enma gestured for him to sit, her voice graceful and melodious.
"As for the 'Underworld'—I suppose you aren't yet fully aware of how truly terrifying its dangers are."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura sat back down. "I'm all ears. Please enlighten me."
"Very well. First, you need to understand: the Underworld is the domain of devils. It has seven levels, each ruled by a highest-ranking devils lord. The ones currently appearing in the Shinobi World are only from the first level."
Enma proceeded to share everything she had heard from Imu.
She spoke of how Lilith and Nahamah were not actually the highest-ranking devils. She also relayed information about Lucifero, Astaroth, and Beelzebub.
The more Ōtsutsuki Hamura listened, the heavier his heart grew.
He couldn't help but believe that Imu truly possessed the ability to foresee massive amounts of intelligence across worlds.
Because the information on the devils was complete—even their ability attributes were known in detail.
He even began to wonder—could Imu draw what these demons looked like?
And if that were the case… then he, his brother, and even his mother had likely been "seen through" completely by Imu.
The truths, the lies—all of it.
At that moment, Ōtsutsuki Hamura felt fear.
...
"You understand now, don't you? The greatest threat facing the ninja world right now isn't the World Government—it's that 'Gate of the Underworld.'"
"There's no possibility for devils and humans to coexist peacefully. They are the embodiment of all the world's darkness and malice."
Enma finished speaking.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura fell into deep thought.
In fact, before coming here, he had discussed the "Gate of the Underworld" with his elder brother.
At the time, his thinking had been:
Since the two highest-ranking devils had already been dealt with, and the remaining devils—even the higher-ranking ones—didn't seem capable of stirring up too much trouble...
Then there was no rush to seal it. It could be left open as training opponents for the ninja.
This way, although the civil wars among the ninja had ended, they would still have to face constant battles against devils.
That would not only help maintain unity across the ninja world, but also ensure the continued development of ninjutsu, chakra cultivation, and so on.
Most importantly, the death rate among ninjas would remain at a steady level, which would keep the chakra absorption of the 'Gedo Statue' on the moon unaffected.
Once enough chakra had been gathered in the future, they could then find a way to extract the Ten-Tails and let it become the God Tree again, bearing chakra fruit.
But now, it seemed the danger posed by the "Gate of the Underworld" was far worse than expected, and it had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
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