The raging lightning, together with the other elemental chakra, swept across the entire forest.
For any ninja watching, this scale of attack was terrifying beyond measure. Even Sandai Tsuchikata found it unbelievable to see chakra this dense.
There was always a gap between ordinary chakra and Senjutsu chakra, but not this extreme. And this overwhelming amount of chakra was already enough to make Sandai Tsuchikata falter.
Keep in mind, Sandai Tsuchikata was already among the strongest of the sages. That made it clear just how outrageous the chakra Rikudou Sennin's clone could use was.
Yet, even as the attack came down, Master Genichi showed no fear. The outcome of this fight had been set from the very beginning.
After all, what stood before him was only a clone of Rikudou Sennin.
"Zzz!!"
The fierce lightning was caught in Master Genichi's hand. In the next instant, it vanished completely, along with the mental energy Rikudou Sennin had imbued into it, erased in an instant.
"Borrowed power? Even the spirit within it feels strange."
Master Genichi couldn't help but admire it. Even this method alone was already beyond his full understanding.
To directly borrow the world's natural chakra and overlay one's own spirit onto it—and even that spiritual energy itself was layered again through another channel.
There was no trace of Rikudou Sennin's true will in it, only a plain, ordinary spiritual force.
It felt as if…
"Spiritual energy pulled straight out of the cycle of reincarnation."
"So, Rikudou Sennin's true achievement is the so-called Six Paths, a reincarnation system created in exchange with us sages, is that it?"
"That's right."
Rikudou Sennin's body re-formed in the air.
Without using any Ninjutsu, he simply waved his hands, and a sharp spike shot up from the ground beneath Master Genichi. Then, pressing his hands together, Rikudou Sennin made the air around them compress all at once.
Even without mixing willpower into the attack, it was already enough, since a strike that works in just a moment is all that's needed.
But Rikudou Sennin wasn't really fighting Genichi directly.
This place was far away from the Red Line in the New World. If Rikudou Sennin's clone wanted to use his true power, he could have done it.
But there was no need.
"So that's how it is?"
Master Genichi nodded and instantly neutralized Rikudou Sennin's attack.
Through Rikudou Sennin, he had already grasped the main point.
At Genichi's level, many things within the Sage system could already be connected and understood.
The reason he made a move against Rikudou Sennin was to see his true strength, though the clone hadn't used it.
Even so, through this method, Master Genichi had already learned a lot.
"Looks like I lost."
"Shanks once said that if we didn't go down the wrong path, we'd still have the power to fight him.
Even though Fukuda Kiyomu's strength rose, I clearly lowered his limit as well."
With a wave of his hand, all the chakra in the forest scattered instantly. A faint force of world will radiated from him.
This was what it meant to stand at a height equal to the heavens.
Before reaching this level, chakra like this could still hurt them. But after reaching it, chakra without a strong will behind it simply couldn't exist before them.
It was the same as a clash of willpower—like how Conqueror's Haki kicks out anyone whose spirit is too weak.
Master Genichi's method worked the same way. Or rather, Rikudou Sennin was just being overly cautious.
Still, Master Genichi understood the gap between them and admitted defeat.
That gap wasn't in power, but in technique. Rikudou Sennin's skill had reached a level beyond imagination.
"What Shanks said might not be completely right.
But one thing is certain—he doesn't lie. It's just that he's more skilled in his own way of fighting."
"And since you've reached this height, I believe you can also see what lies within yourselves."
Rikudou Sennin didn't say it directly, but as the most powerful Sage who suppressed the ninja world for thousands of years, he too… was an outsider.
Even within the ninja world's sages, there was something Rikudou Sennin wanted.
Otherwise, why would he make Ashura and Indra follow the paths of Fukuda Kiyomu and Genichi? Because those two carried the world's most original power.
"What we carry? That kind of power isn't something we can control at all."
"But by helping me like this, aren't you afraid I might turn on you?"
Master Genichi spoke. Just using that power for him was already a big favor.
But that was a favor he could never repay.
Because from the very start, they were not on the same side as Rikudou Sennin.
The moment they broke free from the contract, the ancient pact lost its effect, and their deal with him was already over.
"Compared to you all, I find Shanks more dangerous.
Your existence, at least, can hold Shanks back. I don't know what happened, but his power is far too great."
Rikudou Sennin spoke.
At this moment, even his clone didn't know the exact situation on the Red Soil Continent.
The things reported in the newspapers didn't show any real problems.
For example, the matter of Shanks being suppressed by the Will of the World—his clone could barely sense anything about it.
But from the very start, when Shanks broke into Rikudou Sennin's "house," Rikudou Sennin had already realized how dangerous Shanks was.
Shanks' real threat wasn't his ambition or anything like that. It was that his power was simply too great—and even he himself didn't know how strong he truly was.
But the "victims" could clearly see just how unreasonable Shanks was.
This time, the reason he was suppressed by the Will of the World was because he went too far ahead, taking steps the Will of the World couldn't keep up with. In the end, it had no choice but to forcefully suppress Shanks.
And the reason Rikudou Sennin was helping the Earthly Sage Kingdom wasn't only to restrain Shanks' power. There was also another, even more important reason.
That was because the Earthly Sage Kingdom really did have a way to limit Shanks' strength.
What the Earthly Sage Kingdom represented was the most original will of the ninja world. In truth, Shanks' appearance had the power to completely change the ninja world.
But instead of letting Shanks change the world, why did the ninja world directly create a New World deep inside it?
It was because the original will of the ninja world, belonging to those sages, was still strong enough.
But that kind of power, Master Genichi could no longer use. Nobody could. Even Rikudou Sennin could only see it, not use it.
It was exactly that most original power that forced the New World into the depths of the world, making it rebuild itself all over again.
Of course, Shanks himself was part of the reason too. But Shanks took a reformist path—he could have used brute force directly against the ninja world.
In the end, though, that guy used brute force in the wrong place, even kicking down Rikudou Sennin's own door.
"Borrowing our power is just to hold back Shanks?"
Even Master Genichi was surprised. Had Shanks really forced even Rikudou Sennin to this point?
"You should understand that man's power. Even if I fought him with everything I have, there's no chance I could win.
The so-called Four Emperors only exist because Shanks' heart is big enough. Otherwise, the New World would have only one emperor."
"But maybe it's exactly because that guy's heart is too big that even the world itself can't keep up with his pace."
Rikudou Sennin couldn't help but complain. It wasn't clear if Shanks really had that much generosity or if he just had good luck.
If what Shanks wanted wasn't the Four Emperors but only his own unmatched strength, then this era wouldn't have changed so much.
But from the beginning, that wasn't what Shanks had in mind. His heart was too big, and because of that, the Will of the World left too much room for him.
Leaving more room wasn't really the problem.
The problem was that Shanks was too strong. His strength directly raised the ceiling of the Four Emperors, and in the end, pulled the entire will of the ninja world along with it.
Eventually, a New World was built to carry the power of the Four Emperors—and at the same time, it had to restrain Shanks' growth.
Normally, there's no such thing as ruined fields, only exhausted oxen.
But when it came to a monster like Shanks, the result was that the Will of the World kept changing again and again, breaking through again and again, until it finally went crazy—slamming Shanks down and grinding him against the ground.
"He really is impossible to deal with.
But since I already went down the wrong path, all I can do now is keep going to the very end."
Master Genichi sighed.
But to them, there was never really a "wrong path." There was only another road that looked easier to walk, one that didn't demand such a heavy price.
But now, who could call him, Genichi, stupid? After all, he was already a man close to death.
"But still, this power might not be impossible to use."
Genichi shook his head. He knew how strong that original power in the ninja world really was, and so did the Sage of Six Paths.
After hearing Genichi's words, the Sage stayed silent for a while. What Genichi said sent a chill down his spine, a cold feeling creeping over him.
"In this world, if anyone can awaken that power, it's Shanks."
The Sage of Six Paths spoke, fully understanding what Genichi meant.
"The will of the Earthly Sage Kingdom descends into the real world, merging will and reality into one, creating a holy land for that primal power."
"When that holy land collapses, that power will burst out."
Genichi spoke calmly. He didn't mind saying it.
To them, everyone could be sacrificed.
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent after hearing this. That feeling—yes, this was the ruthless resolve of an ancient sage. That familiar feeling.
"In that case, I wish you success."
The Sage spoke and took his leave. The next moment, his clone vanished.
Genichi also turned and walked away.
Two days later, the World Government held another meeting, and this time, it was about the Red Line.
"The original holy land, Mary Geoise.
The home of the World Nobles, built at the highest point of the Red Line?"
When the nobles attending the meeting heard this news, they were all shocked.
Not just the nobles—Marines, ninjas, bounty hunters, and merchants were all stunned as well.
The true big plan of the World Government was revealed: to build a holy land at the very top of the Red Line, and only the World Nobles could live there.
In that instant, almost everyone's heart began to burn with excitement.
Just this simple piece of news was enough for most people to realize a lot.
Building a holy land wasn't strange. There were already three holy lands in the ninja world, so the World Government making one for the World Nobles sounded normal too, right?
It looked normal.
But building it at the very top of the Red Line? That wasn't normal at all. You had to remember, right now, the Red Line was still in Shanks' hands.
And now, the World Government was moving troops to the edge of the Red Line in the New World. On top of that, some clans had just learned about the Red Line and were ready to grab a piece of it.
At this critical moment, the World Government suddenly pulled a big move.
Fine, everyone wants a piece of the cake? Then I'll be the one to cut it.
They were going to build a holy land on the Red Line, and it would only allow World Nobles to live there. As for how to become a World Noble?
Of course, there was a way—join the Marines, or make a huge contribution to the World Government.
In short, this was as good as saying: we, the World Government, are going to war with the pirates in the New World. And as for how the spoils will be divided after the war—I'll tell you upfront.
In short, the benefits they were throwing out were massive—so big that everyone would be tempted.
And the reason behind it made sense: to deal with the Golden Lion.
Shanks alone couldn't control the entire Red Line, but the appearance of the Golden Lion forced the World Government to act.
So the reasoning was clear: use the biggest reward to make everyone fight with everything they've got.
But as Genichi looked at the newspaper in his hand, the killing intent in him only grew stronger.
Because everything is being sacrificed. The passage for the World Nobles has already been opened, and the creation of the Holy Land is a must.
"The gathered primal will… the real world merging with that primal will.
When all the World Nobles gather together, when the Holy Land collapses from the Red Line, when the nobles and sages die, that power will appear."
"What I want isn't just to restrain Shanks, but… to surpass Shanks."
"I'll give up everything for this, chasing the ultimate form of power, even if the whole world is destroyed."
Genichi's eyes were cold. This time, it wasn't about sacrificing sages or the common people under the World Government. This time…
The power of the Earthly Sage Kingdom will merge with the Holy Land. When the Holy Land falls and everything shatters, that will be the moment the strongest sage appears.
To outsiders, this looks like Genichi's way of dealing with the current world crisis.
But in truth, all of this is for the sages' ultimate goal. From the very beginning, it was all for that one purpose.
The only difference is, before, Genichi wasn't confident. But now… he is sure.
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