In the Teigu World, Imu also looked displeased.
He hadn't expected the Odette Space Pirates' captain to retreat so decisively and without hesitation.
That move had just made things complicated—and far less predictable.
It wasn't hard to imagine that in the future, there would be even more space pirates—or even full fleets from other major powers—showing up.
As such, the World Government would now have to remain constantly vigilant against all threats emerging from their home universe.
But… that was a problem for later.
Right now, the World Government still had one massive issue to deal with:
The demon army of the Ninja World.
At present, the situation on that front was as follows:
The White Zetsu Army in the Land of Iron had been decimated by the Tailed Beast Bomb of the Eight-Tails, thanks to A, who had arrived with Killer Bee.
The remaining White Zetsu were captured alive, per the orders of the Other Worlds Strategic Committee, and handed over to the Umi Shinobi, led by Uzui Tengen, for transport back to Rōran.
At the same time, Mifune, the Third Raikage, A, Killer Bee, and others had gathered a force of nearly ten thousand warriors from the Land of Iron and Kumogakure.
They were now en route to the Land of Swamps to support Sunagakure, targeting the demon forces directly.
Meanwhile, Ōnoki had recovered from his injuries with the help of medical-nin.
Under the command of the current First Kaikage, Fukurokuju, he now led 3,000 Iwagakure ninja out of the village.
But the closest to the Land of Swamps—and the fastest to arrive—were the joint Konoha–Iwagakure ninja forces originally battling the 'Ghost Army' in the Land of Bears, led by Jiraiya, Uchiha Fugaku, Kitsuchi, and others.
Following Esdeath's takeover of the battlefield, they had been immediately redeployed by Fukurokuju to rush to the Land of Swamps and assist Rasa, Chiyo, and the rest of the Suna-nin.
Of all the reinforcement forces, the most distant were likely the Kirigakure shinobi army that had departed alongside Kuzan.
In short, the various shinobi forces across the world had begun to realign their positions,
redirecting their march toward the Land of Swamps.
At the same time—
Just as Sakazuki, stationed in Roran, was preparing to lead the Army Headquarters units into deployment,
he suddenly received a notice from High Command:
"Prepare yourself. In one hour, the Dimensional Gate will shift from underground to the surface.
It will simultaneously be upgraded to a medium-sized Dimensional Gate. Your main battle corps will be fully deployed from the Titan World into the Shinobi World!"
Sakazuki's pupils shrank to pinpoints—as did Shiryu's, standing behind him.
...
The World of Titans, Canberra Continent.
A main combat legion from the military and an auxiliary corps composed of individuals from other worlds had been stationed here long-term.
The so-called main combat legion referred to a large-scale unit personally commanded by a General from Army Headquarters.
Each main combat legion was composed of the General's personal division and five frontline combat divisions, with a total force of around 60,000 personnel.
After five years of warfare and relentless training, they had universally mastered various schools of Breathing Techniques.
Building upon that foundation, every soldier also chose to train in one of several exceptional martial arts, such as Eight Impact Fist, Fish-Man Karate, or Red Leg Kicks.
In addition, almost everyone had learned at least one or two of the Six Powers techniques.
Any one of them, if placed in the ninja world, would easily be considered an elite taijutsu user.
Meanwhile, Kuzan led a naval fleet guarding several major port cities along the coastline.
Adding to that the much larger auxiliary legions, one could say that every inch of air across the Canberra Continent was saturated with a dreadful killing aura. Heavily armed soldiers, tanks, cannons, rail systems, fortresses, and squadrons of fighter jets and airships flying overhead could be seen everywhere.
...
Canberra Continent.
Headquarters of the Other Worlds Strategic Committee.
"Demons!!!"
The Konoha delegation, gathered once more, turned pale with shock and disbelief upon hearing what Staff Officer Rodlin had just said.
Demons? Since when did the Shinobi World have demons?
But when Rodlin took out a visual Den-Den Mushi and displayed the demon army rampaging through the Land of Swamps, even Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato were stunned speechless.
"Then shouldn't we return immediately?"
Minato was the first to ask in urgency.
However, Rodlin shook his head with a smile.
"No. According to the agreed itinerary, you will now proceed to the Demon Slayer World to attend a speech by Princess Otohime, where you'll gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the World Government and the Interworld Community.. After that, you'll visit the island of Wano on Starfish to tour Umigakure, and get a glimpse of the future living environment for the major shinobi clans."
"That doesn't sound very urgent. Compared to that, it seems like the Shinobi World needs us more right now."
Hyūga Masato spoke in a low voice.
The others nodded one after another, showing their agreement with Hyūga Masato.
"The problem is, even if you return, there's nothing you can do."
Rodlin replied helplessly, "According to our current intel, your ninjutsu has no effect on these demons. That includes all our conventional firearms and heavy weaponry as well."
"Ninjutsu is useless?"
That claim left everyone bewildered—especially someone like Orochimaru, a scientific madman who had mastered a vast arsenal of ninjutsu and secret arts.
At this moment, he desperately wanted to get his hands on a demon for dissection and research!
And yet… the World Government's homeworld of Starfish also held an irresistible allure for him.
What to do?
Orochimaru's mind was caught in a painful dilemma.
"If ninjutsu and heat-based weapons are ineffective, doesn't that make these demons invincible?"
Nara Shikaku suddenly spoke up, frowning.
He didn't believe any enemy was truly unbeatable. There had to be some condition they were missing.
"Yes, it's strange, but our Ability Users seem to be able to deal normal damage to the demons." Rodlin spread his hands and smiled.
"Ability users—yes, those who've eaten the secret treasure known as a 'Devil Fruit', gaining a power akin to a kekkei genkai."
Orochimaru couldn't help but respond immediately. Ever since he learned about the existence of 'Devil Fruits', he had been filled with curiosity.
Chief of Staff Rodlin nodded. "Yes. Once you arrive on Starfish, we'll arrange for a few Devil Fruits for you to examine. In fact, each of you will eventually have the chance to gain a Devil Fruit power of your own."
"Is that so... how wonderful."
Orochimaru smiled as he slowly extended his tongue, licking his purplish lips in a circle.
His decision was made—he would head to Starfish first.
Once he joined the World Government's research department, there would definitely be a chance to dissect a demon.
"Devil Fruit… the name alone sounds demonic. Is that the connection?"
Nara Shikaku muttered thoughtfully, voicing what others might have been wondering.
Rodlin quickly waved his hand and explained, "No, we don't have demons on Starfish. The Devil Fruits have nothing to do with demons either. It's simply a term that became common over a long period of time."
"I see."
Hearing this, Shikaku no longer pressed the issue.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that if Devil Fruit abilities could harm demons, there must be some hidden connection between the two.
But that would have to be investigated another time.
From the looks of it, the World Government clearly had no intention of letting them return to the Shinobi World for now.
"Please rest assured, the safety of the Shinobi World is the full responsibility of the World Government," Rodlin added calmly. "After all, the Shinobi World is now the property of the World Government."
With that, Rodlin stepped aside and gestured with a polite smile. "This way, please. I will now escort you to the base where the 'Demon Slayer Dimensional Gate' is located."
The Konoha group exchanged uncertain glances, then silently nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile—
Back in the very Shinobi World they were so worried about…
Led by Rasa, Chiyo, and Pakura, the Sunagakure shinobi were struggling to hold off the advance of the demon horde.
Just as Rodlin had said, their conventional ninjutsu had almost no effect on the terrifying demons—aside from basic physical reactions like being knocked back or forced to fall. They simply couldn't inflict real damage.
And to make matters worse, these demons were generally stronger than even White Zetsu, making them all the more difficult to stop.
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