The news naturally passed through many hands.
The former Daimyo of the Land of Thunder, Jinshi Shigekazu, that strong old man, was also one of the key figures here.
Of course, Mifune rushing out to challenge Shanks really did anger Shigekazu.
Especially when he saw Shanks, a young man about the same age as his own son, but covered in wounds. The man once seen as the strongest had lost all his light, leaving only a lonely figure.
No matter how you put it, those nobles and samurai who had the power of Devil Fruits owed Shanks a great deal. The only reason these "elders" had made it this far was because Shanks, their junior, was carrying the weight for them—carrying a burden that never should have been his.
Of course, after Shanks left, the old man fell into endless guilt.
He even woke up at night just to slap himself a few times.
"Forget it. Since things have come this far, it's time to hand the family head position to the younger generation."
Jinshi Shigekazu added a few more lines to the letter, then placed the family head's token inside the envelope as well.
He then handed the envelope to a ninja from Kumogakure.
"There haven't been any negative reports about Shanks, right?"
Jinshi Shigekazu asked.
"No. The people here are either elites from the Land of Iron or nobles who work closely with our Kumogakure. There are no spies."
The Kumogakure ninja answered. Ironically, if spies were to appear, they would most likely come from Kumogakure itself.
After all, the samurai of the Land of Iron and these nobles were all die-hard loyalists of Shanks.
There's no need to even mention the samurai. As for the nobles—
Shanks' status was plain for all to see. No matter what, Shanks was one of them. And it was only because of Shanks that they now had such power.
If you really had to draw faction lines, they all belonged to Shanks' side. The only reason they hadn't openly cut ties with the World Government was because of their family backgrounds.
But in truth, this silence was already the loudest statement.
The best part about this world was that Shanks' appearance wasn't seen as a revolution, but as reform.
Shanks' status was that of a World Noble. Even if he pushed a "revolution," the World Government could only treat it as reform.
The reason was simple. The order of the ninja world had already sunk deep roots. With Shanks' identity there as a shield, no matter what happened, that identity would always stand in the way.
That's why, even though the situation in the ninja world looked chaotic, it hadn't yet reached the point where both sides would fight to the death.
Even the common people didn't have a clear stance against pirates.
It wasn't really the fault of the common people. The ones holding back were the World Government and the World Nobles. Because if things ever went to extremes, they would be the first to destroy themselves.
For ordinary people, it was hard to see that clearly. But the World Nobles knew it very well. The sages too. To them, the common people were just numbers—numbers to be used.
As for nobles, that was completely different.
The rules of the world were much looser for those who made them.
Three days later, in the hospital at the rear camp of East Blue, Hatsujuro looked at the envelope in his hand and quietly put the letter away.
Then Hatsujuro turned his eyes to Naruto beside him. When he had first arrived on the battlefield, Naruto had collapsed right next to him.
Back then, Hatsujuro thought Naruto was just a small fry. But after several battles, he realized this boy from the Uzumaki clan was ridiculously strong.
"Naruto, aren't you worried about Sasuke?"
"Sasuke's really strong, he'll be fine.
Besides, he can't get close to the Revolutionary Army anyway. If he fights Haku, at most he'll just get his legs broken and thrown back here."
Naruto was wrapped head to toe in bandages, lying in a hospital bed, unable to move.
But judging from his voice, his energy was still there.
"Yeah, the war is pretty much over.
Orochimaru retreated with the remnants of his forces, and soon, we'll be heading to the New World."
"So Naruto, where are you planning to go next?"
Hatsujuro asked curiously. Naruto was now the ruler of the Land of Waves, and building ties with that country was necessary for him as the new clan head.
Besides, Naruto was basically the only Uzumaki serving in the World Government.
The envelope his grandfather gave him didn't hold much information, but as one of the most gifted of his generation, Hatsujuro had already figured out the general picture.
The family was preparing to branch out, meaning they were ready to set foot in the New World. And since the clan head position had been passed down to him, it meant part of their clan had already chosen to stand against the World Government.
"As for what's next?"
Naruto was also thinking. In his current condition, he couldn't keep fighting on the frontlines. This time, his injuries were too severe—it would take a while before he could battle again.
"I'll probably head to the South Blue. A lot of Konohagakure's ninjas are stationed there, and I'll also make a trip to the Land of Wind."
"You're not going back to the Land of Waves?"
"..."
Hatsujuro's words made Naruto fall silent. Becoming the ruler of the Land of Waves was something he had never expected. Now that the role was suddenly his, the burden on his shoulders felt heavy in a way he couldn't describe.
To be honest, Naruto knew his own abilities.
If he went back to the Land of Waves, he could keep it safe. If he didn't, the World Government would definitely send troops there.
But if that happened, the Land of Waves would slip out of his control.
Naruto was no longer the same hot-headed boy who only charged forward without thinking. He had grown a lot.
It wasn't that being under the wings of powerhouses like Shanks and Nagato made him blind to the bigger picture.
On the contrary, it was exactly because of those two that Naruto saw a much wider sky.
"I don't need to go back. As long as I can be like big brother Shanks, the Land of Waves will always be the Land of Waves."
Naruto smiled. Instead of returning to do something he wasn't good at, he would rather keep doing what he was good at out here.
As long as he was strong enough, the Land of Waves would remain a place no one dared to mess with.
Hearing Naruto's words, Hatsujuro didn't ask further. This was Naruto's path. And as for his own path as the new head of the Shishi family, that too was still unclear.
But there was one thing he knew for sure—if he wanted to reclaim a place in the circle of world nobles, the only way forward was through the military.
Hatsujuro didn't know where his grandfather was, nor what his next step should be.
As one of the most talented among the younger generation of world nobles, the battlefield had already shown him the cruelty of this world, and his old arrogance was long gone.
Still, that depended on who he was compared to.
Against the geniuses of the battlefield, Hatsujuro was nothing special. But compared to other world nobles, he was still the pride of heaven.
"Then I'll head to the South Blue too, next!"
Hatsujuro thought for a moment and spoke up.
At this time in East Blue, the battle was more or less over. Orochimaru had pulled his people back, and the Marines didn't bother chasing anymore.
Truth is, Orochimaru had wanted to run a long time ago. Suigetsu and Jugo had slipped away even earlier.
The problem was, every fight between the two sides had been way too intense, and the pirates' retreat paths and movements were completely locked down by the Marines.
Even Haku started wondering if there was a traitor among their higher-ups.
After checking everyone, the one with the most suspicion turned out to be Orochimaru, which left Haku completely confused.
He investigated for so long but still couldn't figure out what was going on.
The only thing certain was that the White Zetsu on the battlefield were crazy strong. Just from fighting nonstop, the White Zetsu in East Blue had grown to a ridiculous level.
They had even started secretly picking up all kinds of tactics and tricks. There's no other place like the battlefield that could give them such chances to learn.
And their natural advantage let them avoid everyone's investigation.
Normally, something like this wouldn't happen. No one should underestimate Haku's brains or the Marines' sages either.
But East Blue was abnormal from the start, because the Land of Thunder and Kumogakure had already announced that some of the White Zetsu who passed through the Land of Waves had been tampered with by Gato.
That's what triggered their awakening.
In truth, this was a small matter, so small the Marines couldn't even be bothered to care. At most, they'd just send someone to take a look when it happened.
So after Kumogakure and the Land of Thunder confirmed it, the World Government casually put out a news report and treated it as solved.
Haku always paid attention to news, and because of that, he never suspected the White Zetsu.
And he was certain that even though the report looked full of holes, it was probably true.
Exactly because it looked so sloppy, it fit Gato's style. Most likely Gato tried some shady move and ended up screwing himself over.
Haku knew Gato well. If you said Gato was scared of death, he really was.
But if you said he was timid, that wasn't true—he was daring as hell.
So Haku never doubted the moves from Kumogakure and the Land of Thunder.
But the pirates' retreat? They just couldn't pull it off. The White Zetsu weren't brainless either—they kept stalling for time.
Only now did both sides really pull out of the main battlefield, with just a few pursuit squads popping up every now and then.
Haku only returned to the ship after stepping in for Itachi and forcing Sasuke back.
"Looks like Sasuke's gotten a lot stronger."
"Orochimaru might not be a good guy, but that guy always keeps his word. If he gave Sasuke a Devil Fruit, it won't be anything weak."
Kakuzu muttered.
Itachi had clearly set things up well for his younger brother, using every favor and connection he could, yet Orochimaru jumped in and snatched it away.
Normally, something like that wouldn't matter much. But with Orochimaru and Itachi, it was obvious Orochimaru did it on purpose just to spite people.
"So, Haku, how was it? You didn't kill Sasuke, right?"
Deidara greeted Haku cheerfully, smiling brightly as he spoke without a hint of restraint.
Deidara's personality didn't quite fit with the revolutionaries. But during his time with the pirate alliance, he'd already blended in well with the pirates.
"No, Sasuke's tough to deal with, but…"
Haku looked at Kakuzu and Kisame, who seemed to be waiting for him, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Did something happen?"
"There's big news in the New World. We don't have the full details yet, but it's pretty much confirmed."
It wasn't confirmed yet because the World Government and the black market intel groups hadn't fully released the information.
When Haku arrived at the meeting room of the biggest pirate ship, even "Itachi," who hadn't shown up here for a long time, was present.
Also present were big pirates like Ross Jess, Kagero, and the One-Eyed Ghost Dragon.
Orochimaru looked grim as he stared at the wanted poster on the table. It was the bounty notice of the Golden Lion.
"Captain Jigen of the Golden Lion Pirates, said to have the strongest Armament Haki. Suspected to be a noble from an ancient kingdom tied to the Land of Wind's Grail Stone incident.
He can unleash power far beyond his own."
"His Devil Fruit ability is unclear, but it gives him flight and the power to control non-living objects."
"Back then, in the Land of Wind, he rescued captured pirates and even fought Jiraiya."
"After that, he became the ruler of the West Sea, bringing nearly all the major pirates there under his command.
Bounty: 1.5 billion."
Orochimaru's tone was heavy.
1.5 billion… after everything he's done, his bounty is only 1.5 billion.
Less than mine.
But more importantly… this guy actually showed up in the Land of Wind. If it had been in the past, fine. But now, from Orochimaru's view, it was clear that the Golden Lion had been watching him and Shanks in the Land of Wind all along.
From that moment, he had already been planning.
The more he thought about it, the brighter Orochimaru's eyes became, and the haze in his mind was forcefully crushed down.
At that moment, the serpent's mind was crystal clear. He wasn't raging—he was clear-headed.
"Looks like a Devil Fruit awakening. The Golden Lion's first strike… and that early on, he had already awakened."
Haku spoke, and his words made everyone freeze for a moment.
"Back then… he had already awakened?"
"..."
The more they thought about it, the more dangerous the Golden Lion seemed. After all, back then, even they didn't know Devil Fruits could awaken.
Yet he already had.
They didn't know much about the Golden Lion because he didn't belong to any group, nor had he shown any big ambitions.
But right now, he appeared out of nowhere, just like Shanks once had.
This time, he had truly shown himself before everyone, and he stood in this world as one of the Four Emperors.
Faced with his appearance, everyone fell silent.
By the next sunrise, news birds carrying the latest papers were everywhere over the sea, and even in the ninja world, crows carried the news around.
In a short time, people all over the world stopped in shock.
The paper showed no battle scenes, no pictures of Shanks—only a massive gorge cut into the Red Line with a single slash.
And the river that flowed backward that day above the gorge.
"Shanks was wounded, and admitted himself that soon, a second Four Emperors will rise—the Golden Lion!"
"Shocking!! The last island of the New World."
"The strongest Armament Haki, Golden Lion, shaking the throne of the strongest!"
"..."
Countless messages spread across the entire ninja world. From pirates to Marines, from nobles to commoners, everyone was stunned.
But after that silence, the whole world burst into a frenzy.
That position of the strongest was finally shaken…
At that moment, the skies above the ninja world were filled with the name Golden Lion. Following the previous supreme ruler, the name Golden Lion echoed through the entire ninja world.
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