Right now, the World Government has opened the path to becoming World Nobles. This path is based on the Earthly Sage Kingdom, whose basic rules are recognized by the will of the world itself.
But gaining this identity is not easy, and building a nation is just as hard.
In this situation, Kumogakure cannot afford to tie itself to a single tree. Morality is irrelevant here—why shouldn't I try to take everything?
Besides, when it comes to the New World that the sages of the Earthly Sage Kingdom value so much, it's not like they won't have a chance to get involved.
After the sages appeared, even though the ninja world was still divided between ninjas and sages, the truth was that the sages' power could completely crush the ninjas.
The two sides hadn't broken out into open war and instead chose cooperation. One reason was Shanks' presence, giving them a common enemy.
Another reason was that some of the fools had already died. Under normal conditions, even if the strength was unbalanced, as long as a large-scale war didn't break out, there wouldn't be mass killings.
But now, with news of the New World, the people of Kumogakure had no choice but to carefully consider what to do next.
Yes, they had joined the World Government. But with Shanks, they could also make their move.
So what they wanted now was to hear clearly—what exactly was the New World?
"The details, I don't know.
But there are some things I can tell you. The Red Continent is a gathering place of Dragon Veins. Even though the Dragon Vein has already erupted, a lot of its remnants still remain."
"For example, the Grail Stone mines found before in the Land of Wind also exist in the Red Continent."
"Of course, those things aren't the most important part."
More importantly, Shanks said… the Red Line is only a gate to the New World. Even the sages haven't crossed it yet.
What's behind that gate, I don't know. Even Shanks wouldn't say anything about it."
Yahiko was telling the truth. After all, when Shanks came back that time, his face was pretty serious.
They themselves didn't have the ability to explore the inside of the Red Line. But since Shanks said that, it meant what's inside must be something shocking—so much that even Shanks had to personally block the Earthly Sage Kingdom's advance.
After all, knowing Shanks' nature, whether it was the Earthly Sage Kingdom or any other power entering, it wouldn't affect him at all.
Because Shanks always treated everyone the same. Even though he carried the title of "pirate," his presence and pride were terrifying.
For something to make Shanks personally step out and block the Earthly Sage Kingdom's advance, the Earthly Sage Kingdom's strength alone probably wasn't enough.
This was Yahiko's recognition of Shanks. And the group in front of Yahiko knew Shanks no less than he did.
Even if Yahiko gave only a little information, they wouldn't give up. The intel looked small, but it was all true.
And from that information, others could already draw many things.
Combined with the way the Earthly Sage Kingdom's attitude had shifted, it was hard not to overthink.
Before, everyone held back their doubts because of the pressure from the Earthly Sage Kingdom and the tempting conditions they offered.
But now, Shanks had also thrown out an olive branch, and things weren't so clear anymore.
Mabui thought for a long time.
"Why choose us?"
"Because only you qualify.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, the strongest is Konohagakure. But even Konoha doesn't have that kind of boldness. The only one left is Kumogakure Village, which has been steadily growing its strength.
You have the identity of the World Government, and you have the guts. Of course, we in the Revolutionary Army also qualify.
But since the Red Line is the gate to the New World, it will definitely be covered by the World Government's power, so we have no choice but to give it up."
"I see. Then it looks like we of the Land of Iron can't sit this out either."
The samurai leader of the Land of Iron, Mifune, spoke calmly. For the Land of Iron's samurai, this was not something they could let go of.
"Mifune, won't you think it over a bit more?"
The former Daimyo of the Land of Thunder looked at Mifune, surprised he had decided so quickly.
"It's just a gamble. We samurai of the Land of Iron have waited too long for this moment.
Though Shanks was born a ninja, from the time he first rose up he never used ninjutsu. As someone who walked the path of the sword alone, Shanks holds an even higher place in the hearts of us samurai."
"The so-called 'strongest in the world' isn't even enough to describe him in our eyes. That man holds more than just strength.
No matter what the truth behind all this really is, if Shanks needs us, we samurai of the Land of Iron will gladly answer."
Mifune smiled. The reason he decided so quickly wasn't because he was clever.
It wasn't even because of some strong resolve.
It was entirely because of Shanks—the man who broke their limits in swordsmanship.
The Land of Iron was more grateful to Shanks than any other power or group, and more thankful for his existence.
Mifune looked at the sword in his hand. He was old, but his blade had only grown sharper.
The samurai, who should have long been buried and forgotten by time, once again shone in this era with the light of their blades. His old body wasn't so dull either. Like the young ones, he too wanted to go to the New World, to see that man with his own eyes.
"So that's how it is?"
"For you samurai, Shanks' presence really is something different."
At that moment, the Daimyo also understood Mifune's thoughts, and at the same time, he realized his own.
What he wanted was even greater power. Since he had already dared to betray the World Government, why not take an even bolder step?
Even though it was clear that the higher realms might not be places ordinary people like them could reach, in this era, who could say for sure?
The one that needed the most time to make a decision turned out to be Kumogakure Village.
After all, right now Raikage A and Killer Bee were both away, and half of Kumogakure's main force was out as well.
Although Killer Bee was originally sent out just to draw attention, the person used as a decoy still had to have some status.
But Kumogakure didn't hesitate for too long. By the next day, they had already made their decision.
Before leaving, A had already given full decision-making power to Dodai and Mabui, so they were under no real pressure now.
With both the Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki away, even if someone came checking, it wouldn't trace back to Kumogakure. At worst, it would fall on Dodai and Mabui, and the two of them could just take the blame as traitors.
Someone had to take the fall—either them, or A and Killer Bee. For the act of selling out the Raikage and Killer Bee, the whole of Kumogakure felt no problem at all.
Only White Zetsu and Konan, who were beside Yahiko, found it hard to believe.
At that moment, White Zetsu once again felt a kind of helplessness when it came to intelligence.
Not long after everyone left Kumogakure, Mabui received new intel in her hands.
"Did White Zetsu break free of control?"
"It's suspected they awakened self-awareness and can't be controlled anymore. Similar cases have already appeared in several places."
The intel from the Land of Waves said that Gato had led everyone in the Land of Waves to leave. Now, people suspected it was his doing.
Hearing this, Mabui and Dodai exchanged a glance.
It couldn't be Gato. Gato worked under Shanks, and Shanks would never use such methods.
Besides, White Zetsu waking up wasn't that big a deal. It could be settled easily.
From the reports, the White Zetsu had no real organization or discipline. Even regular Marines could handle such disturbances. It wasn't a serious problem.
But given their numbers, they really could become a serious problem.
So Mabui thought it might be best to cooperate with the flow. Whether it was the work of the revolutionaries or some other power, it didn't matter.
"Understood. Spread word about a link between White Zetsu and Gato. Just make sure people stay cautious and keep the chaos from spreading too much."
"Gato once ruled the Land of Waves, and with such a huge black market under him, it wouldn't be strange if some White Zetsu scattered across the world because of it."
Mabui thought it over. It looked like Gato had no choice but to take the blame for this one.
The more chaotic things became, the better it was for them.
Besides, it was hard not to suspect that Gato wanted a share in the New World too. For that coward to rally everyone in the Land of Waves, who knew what reason he had?
In any case, Gato surely had more intel than they did.
And with his methods, he even took the Marines from the Land of Waves with him. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to carry this blame.
At this point, for any small issue, just pushing the blame onto Gato worked fine.
Did Gato have any objections? Of course not—he was still out at sea, being hunted.
And with Gato gone, who now had control over the Land of Waves? Naturally, the Land of Fire.
To be precise, the Land of Fire was already preparing to give Naruto an official status.
The title of Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools was still in Karin's hands. That couldn't be helped. With Naruto's blond hair, he couldn't take that position anyway.
But the Land of Waves was different. Gato ran away, right? Doesn't matter if it was on purpose or not, just stick the crime on him.
They even went ahead and rewrote Gato's identity, layering fake backgrounds on him. In the end, they "discovered" that Gato's ancestors were actually connected to the Uzumaki clan.
Since there was a connection, and with Gato gone while the Uzumaki clan had almost no people left, the Land of Waves naturally had to be handed over to Naruto.
A few days later, still hiding on a ship, Gato saw this piece of news and broke down crying in the bathroom.
"Lord Gato, is the paper too hard?"
"No, it's just… I miss home."
Gato sobbed while crumpling the newspaper in his hands. He tried it—it really was hard.
His tears only flowed harder.
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