Since Terumi Mei has spoken up, that clearly shows her stance.
And to be honest, among the other Kage here, aside from Tsunade—who has no plans to act or interfere—everyone else understands there are benefits to be gained from this.
And there's quite a lot to gain.
After all, Moryo is something the sages dug up from historical records. And after what happened with the Golden Lion, everyone knows this world is full of all sorts of strange and mysterious things.
There are even many things that even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't fully understand.
The growth of a world takes a very long process. During this time, its power slowly stabilizes. Before that happens, some forces are left behind—or rather, discarded.
Not because they were weak, but because they weren't developed yet.
That's the limit of the times.
Just like gunpowder—it can be used for fireworks, but it can also become a weapon. It's the same idea.
"Since it's for the stability of the World Government and the allied nations, I'll support it too."
Raikage also spoke up. His gaze didn't shift at all. He didn't understand all the twists and turns behind it, but he had the guts to stand firm.
For a ninja village that chases military strength and power, doing something like this came with no moral burden.
"In that case, I can also send people to go along."
"I'll do the same. As one of the Five Elders, it's my duty to fight for the peace of all nations."
Oonoki and Chiyo immediately made their decisions. Only Tsunade was still hesitating. But even she knew that her hesitation meant nothing.
"Kakashi, you take the lead this time.
After this is settled, head back to the village to rest for a bit. We'll be going to the New World's Red Line after this."
"Right, Fleet Admiral Chiriku?"
Tsunade directly brought up Chiriku. After all, Chiriku was the Marine Fleet Admiral.
This meeting wasn't as light as it looked.
The sages were strong, but they didn't hold power. Chiriku, however, was the Marine Fleet Admiral. And the Five Elders were the real representatives of the World Government.
To make them decide on something, enough benefits had to be put on the table.
And the sages just happened to have enough to offer.
They held profits that everyone longed for, and on top of that, they had the strength to protect those profits.
"Fleet Admiral Chiriku, the coming military plans will still need to be arranged by you."
Hearing Tsunade's words, Master Genichi also gave a nod to Chiriku.
Genichi didn't know Chiriku deeply, but just from this short time, he already saw that this Marine Fleet Admiral was a man of top-level wisdom.
Most importantly, Chiriku could handle all the military planning in a steady way. And even with a war this big, he didn't only prepare for the battlefield, but also for everything else outside it.
When it came to war, Chiriku's mind was definitely sharper than Master Genichi's.
In other areas too, Genichi believed Chiriku could see things clearly.
Right now, Chiriku fell silent.
Because he had already seen through it.
The sages stepping back, the world nobles stepping back—this was step by step pushing the ninja clans and ninja villages to stand side by side with the World Government and the world nobles.
But to be fair, the sages really meant what they said. Under their influence, even the world nobles didn't try to play tricks.
The ninja clans, ninja villages, and powerful shinobi… these people were indeed given fair treatment and rightful power in the World Government.
What really pushed the Five Elders to make decisions wasn't their own position or authority, but the ninja villages and clans standing behind them.
Everything the Five Elders had, the ninja clans could one day have as well.
That was the condition given by the World Government and the world nobles. And this bold promise was enough to win the ninja clans over.
"The situation in the Land of Demons doesn't need this much force."
"The most important thing now is keeping the allied nations stable. The impact caused by Golden Lion will be huge. In a short time, there will be a flood of pirates and movement of people."
Chiriku already knew what was coming. As Marine Fleet Admiral, he could only do his best to prepare for it.
"As for the search for the Poneglyph, the Guardians of the World can handle it. The sages should know a lot about history anyway.
Besides that, all reinforcements to the New World will be sent out within two months."
Chiriku spoke up. Two months of recovery time was already cutting it close.
Since the war began, the number of Marine deaths under the World Government had already passed one hundred thousand.
That's a terrifying number. If you put that figure into the context of the ninja world wars, it would scare people to death.
But out at sea, those lives just sank quietly into the ocean without a sound.
A war of this scale also brought countless smaller battles. Under such pressure, it wasn't strange at all for some people to break down.
Even some ninjas from Konohagakure couldn't handle the strain of this war and had to retreat from the frontlines to recover.
"As for the strategy regarding the Red Line, we'll talk about that later."
Chiriku glanced at the group. Besides the "Buster Call" on the Land of Demons, the policy toward the Red Line was also something everyone cared about.
At his words, the others nodded. This was something they could only discuss privately for now, and later, more nobles and other ninja clans would join in.
But what came after had nothing to do with the sages anymore, and Master Genichi didn't say anything further.
The Golden Lion's appearance not only made him pay attention to certain "historical issues" in the ninja world, but also forced him to notice himself.
After all, he himself was a "remnant of history." But for some reason, Master Genichi couldn't see him clearly.
Not being able to see himself didn't mean he couldn't see the road ahead.
After the war in East Blue ended and the rushed meeting wrapped up, Master Genichi left with the sages.
The Five Elders also returned to their villages.
The Marines left behind were put entirely under Chiriku's command, and he began handling the postwar arrangements.
Just looking at all of it was enough to give Chiriku a headache.
"Sometimes being too smart isn't a good thing. If you could stay foolish your whole life and never see anything clearly, maybe that wouldn't be so bad."
"The worst pain is when you can clearly see what should be done, when you can see that the next step forward is the abyss, and yet you still can't stop it.
One person's strength will always be limited. Against the tide of an era, individual power is so small."
Chiriku shook his head. His strength wasn't weak, but even so, in this great era, his power couldn't stir even the smallest wave.
Of course, that didn't mean a single person's power was always that small. But look at those few people—are they even human? They can't be called human anymore.
Shanks or the Golden Lion—if either of them showed up on the East Blue battlefield, they could instantly shift the entire situation.
And even if they weren't on the battlefield, the whole world would still be shaken by their presence. That kind of influence didn't actually come from strength alone.
"If this era hadn't arrived, no matter how strong Shanks became, he wouldn't have this much influence. Strength itself isn't what matters."
"Without Shanks, the Golden Lion would always just be the Golden Lion. But with Shanks, the Golden Lion becomes one of the Four Emperors.
Only then can the world be thrown into such chaos."
Chiriku looked down at the ninja world map on the table. The Land of Demons was already quite large.
This country…
"A single country, and the World Government can decide to wipe it out just like that. Truly something else."
Chiriku chuckled. The destruction of countries wasn't something new, but for something that massive, in their eyes it was nothing more than a few casual words.
They wouldn't even blink.
With just one "Buster Call," if the Land of Demons still managed to survive, that would really be strange.
A Buster Call was "justice," meant to wipe out the monsters and spirits. But if the Land of Demons was destroyed by those very monsters, that was considered normal too.
If none of the Five Great Ninja Villages had done something like this, Chiriku would start questioning their character.
But this quiet change made Chiriku feel both sad and shocked.
When did life become so cheap?
"As I thought, bonds, ties, friendship… that's where life's true value lies. As for everything else, to us it's just a string of numbers."
Chiriku's muttering seemed to be coming to an end as he turned to look at the White Zetsu beside him.
At this moment, the White Zetsu next to Chiriku was already prepared to strike at any time.
Chiriku of course noticed it.
"You should know my strength.
After learning for so long, you must have picked up quite a bit. If Master Genichi hadn't come and taken over command, I really wouldn't have discovered you."
"But like I said, to us, your existence is nothing more than numbers… or something tied to money.
I don't know how Kumogakure Village did their checks, but their intel must be off."
Chiriku laughed. He had only just realized the White Zetsu beside him had awakened.
These White Zetsu hid themselves too well, and their identities were far too easy to cover up.
Now, the White Zetsu beside Chiriku stopped hiding who he was.
"Aren't you going to try to stop us?"
"Why should I? Just because I'm the Marine Fleet Admiral?"
Chiriku shook his head.
"I don't need to stop you. But if you insist, it's not impossible either.
No one will notice a string of numbers. Two months' time is enough for me to let you reach out to White Zetsu across the ninja world."
"Two months later, when the Marines pull their main forces out of the ninja world, the sages will definitely be gone too.
By then, only a handful of ninja and Marines will be stationed here. That will be your best chance."
Everything Chiriku had said was meant for himself and the White Zetsu to hear.
Just as others could lay out what the Land of Demons would soon face, Chiriku could set something big in motion for the ninja world as well.
And he was sure no one could trace it back to him, because White Zetsu were nothing but numbers, and no one would bother to look into how those numbers were spread out.
"Master Genichi… is the same kind of person as me.
Someone who would throw away his life for what he believes in."
Chiriku sighed. They might be the same type of person, but they stood on completely different sides.
He didn't want civilians to turn into those numbers. As for the path the White Zetsu should really take, Chiriku had already pointed it out.
But the march of an era isn't something easy to reject. Even knowing it's wrong, people will still push forward on the wrong path.
The White Zetsu were no exception.
Meanwhile, Master Genichi had already intercepted the "Sandai Tsuchikata" on his way back to the Land of Thunder.
On a small forest path, Master Genichi stood quietly in the distance, looking like he carried deep anger. The once splendid monk robes on his body had lost all color.
"I am the ruler of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, Genichi!"
His voice drifted over with the sound of rustling grass and trees, cold and chilling, yet carrying undeniable authority.
The Rikudou Sennin beside the Sandai Tsuchikata also released his transformation technique.
That face, identical to the one in the portrait, was revealed.
"I am Rikudou Sennin, Otsutsuki Hagoromo!"
Rikudou Sennin raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers to form the "Seal of Confrontation."
This was the tradition of Ninshu, a sign that the fight had begun.
Sandai Tsuchikata silently stepped back, leaving the battlefield to Master Genichi and the clone of Rikudou Sennin.
"To see the legendary Rikudou Sennin before I die… not bad at all."
Master Genichi spoke calmly. In the next instant, the air in front of Rikudou Sennin shattered, and his figure vanished the moment it broke apart.
At the same time, under the terrifying pressure of chakra from above, twisted chakra poured down from the sky, taking on all kinds of shapes as it hit the ground.
"Chakra. Divine Mode."
"Wind, Water, Fire, Earth!"
Four elemental powers floated around Rikudou Sennin's body.
The ultimate chakra attack, with no Ninjutsu conversion at all. This was the peak of what Rikudou Sennin's clone could unleash, the only Sage technique it was capable of using.
The next moment, Rikudou Sennin pointed into the distance.
"Lightning, come!"
Crack!
Thunder roared down from the sky, and the whole forest was drowned in blinding lightning.
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