"No. The Second Kaikage must be you—and only you. I hope you'll continue to grow stronger, so that the title of Kaikage becomes truly worthy of you."
Fukurokuju suddenly placed both hands firmly on Uzui Tengen's shoulders and spoke with solemn sincerity.
He was clearly dead serious.
Uzui Tengen looked into his eyes and fell silent.
"Why must it be him?"
Uchiha Madara sneered. "His strength is decent at best. But that's about it. If you don't have anyone stronger... then maybe Hashirama and I would make better Kaikage candidates."
"Madara!!!"
Senju Hashirama couldn't take it anymore. He immediately slapped a hand over Madara's mouth.
Madara's face darkened. He casually knocked the hand away, let out a cold snort, and turned his head aside, saying nothing more.
"Lord Uchiha Madara. Lord Senju Hashirama."
Fukurokuju released Uzui Tengen and looked at them seriously.
"I must remind you both: within the World Government, strength alone does not determine everything."
"Your power is indeed tremendous—but not tremendous enough to make either of you Kaikage the moment you walk in the door."
Uchiha Madara furrowed his brows, seemingly ready to speak again—
—but Senju Hashirama grabbed his arm just in time and held him back.
Instead, Hashirama voiced what Madara was clearly about to say, but in a far more polite tone: "Then may I ask—what position will we hold in Umigakure?"
Uzui Tengen and the others silently nodded to themselves.
That was a fair question.
"Hehehehe… We've anticipated this," Fukurokuju replied unhurriedly, chuckling.
"Given your unique identities and immense strength, we've referred to the traditions of the Shinobi World and decided to implement a system of 'Five Kage-Level Titles.'"
"'Kage-level titles'…"
Hashirama and Madara's brows rose in perfect synch.
"That's right," Fukurokuju continued patiently. "Going forward, the five strongest shinobi in Umigakure will each be granted a personalized Kage-level title. For example, we've already designated Lord Senju Hashirama as Mokukage, and Lord Uchiha Madara as Hokage."
Everyone listened intently.
"Those holding Kage-level titles will be on equal rank with the Five Envoys," Fukurokuju explained. "However, they won't be burdened with daily administrative duties and are free to act independently. The only requirement is to return and report when a mission arises. In exceptional circumstances, they also have command authority over all jōnin and lower ranks."
"However, if a jōnin recognized as possessing Kage-level strength is approved by both the Kaikage and the Five Envoys to issue a formal challenge, then the current title-holder must return to the village to accept. If they win, all is well—but if they lose, they must relinquish their title."
After finishing his explanation, Fukurokuju turned to Madara with a smile.
"Well? Are you satisfied with this arrangement?"
Madara and Hashirama looked at each other.
And then—
Hashirama suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter, tears shooting from his eyes in a comically exaggerated fashion.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Madara—you actually became Hokage one day!!!"
"…"
Uchiha Madara's face immediately darkened in exasperation.
"Hmph."
...
Half a month after—
Sakazuki, fully recovered from his injuries, stepped out of the Dimensional Gate once again, returning to the familiar city of Rōran.
Perched atop his shoulder was a red-furred monkey, about 50 centimeters tall, sporting four thick tails behind him like a plush toy.
It was none other than Son Gokū, the Four-Tails!
No one knew exactly how Sakazuki had convinced him to postpone his trip to the Starfish World's "Little Garden."
Regardless, Son Gokū didn't appear to be under any form of coercion.
He actually seemed to enjoy Sakazuki's company, often letting out hearty, carefree laughter.
He appeared to have completely forgotten about his previous jinchūriki, Rōshi—
And so—
In the underground palace of Rōran City,
A general of the Army Headquarters and a Tailed Beast began a long-term garrison.
Another half-month passed.
Crocodile, who had spent over a month in the Titan World's world hospital,
Finally recovered thanks to a cost-no-object application of medical resources and received discharge clearance from Director Marco.
He immediately donned the new suit and Justice coat that had been prepared for him.
Then, under the watchful eyes of countless awestruck staff, he turned into a gust of wind and sand and vanished from the hospital.
He had heard that Shukaku had already returned to the Starfish World,
So he planned to stop by Arabasta for a look.
They had promised to be comrades, after all...
Five days later, Guren was also discharged without issue.
Waiting for her outside were Akame, Tsunade, and twelve of the Partas Royal Guards.
Because Esdeath had been explicitly ordered by Imu never to leave the Ark of Noah without permission again—
Having already suffered the consequences once, Esdeath no longer dared to defy those orders.
She had sealed herself in the Gravity Compression Chamber to train relentlessly.
She was utterly disgusted with her own weakness!
Especially after facing that woman named Stussy—
Who somehow possessed a power that left her completely helpless.
Whether it was her frost or her slashes—
They would shrink drastically the moment they neared Stussy.
Even in close combat, Esdeath's swordsmanship failed to gain any edge against Stussy's hand-to-hand techniques.
Stussy's control over both types of Haki was currently far superior to Esdeath's—
And on top of that, she possessed the Teigu granted to her by Imu: Blood Collection: Absordex.
All of this only further frayed Esdeath's nerves!
...
Back to Guren—
She didn't return to the Ark of Noah alongside Akame and Tsunade.
Instead, she expressed her desire to visit the Starfish World on her own for a bit of sightseeing.
And to see the Ancient Dragon, Black Marlin, and the others again—
Two months later—
In the Shinobi World—within Ryūchidō—
Amidst a vast, pale-white expanse,
The earth was now littered with one skeletal mound after another.
Apart from the bloodstains smeared across the surface,
Not much else had changed.
The packs of snakes that had previously been tearing each other apart had now completely vanished.
They'd been subdued by Kukulkan—
And ordered to enter the Oimo Gate Space, to wait.
Kukulkan himself now sat quietly on the ground,
Coiled beside a snake nearly 10 meters long, covered in black scales from head to tail—
Waiting for Lord Imu to awaken.
[BOOM!!!]
At that very instant—
Kukulkan felt a deafening thunderclap explode above his head.
However—
This was merely the result of the aura released the moment Imu opened his eyes.
The sheer intensity of his presence instantly formed a visible, violent gale in the air.
His piercing gaze remained fixed on the white-glowing mark that had appeared on the back of his right hand.
It was the five-ringed cross—
The symbol of the World Government!
Now—
It was time to witness a miracle!
Imu, slightly euphoric, activated the mark on his hand, which began to emit a radiant white light.
At the same time, the entire space of Ryūchidō began to twist—
As if it were liquid.
Even Kukulkan and the countless ghastly white piles of bones across the land began to distort violently.
All Kukulkan felt was the world spinning wildly before his eyes.
Then he realized—
His own body and the twisting environment around him were being drawn like flowing water into the glowing white seal on Imu's hand.
And at last—
Ryūchidō vanished.
Imu now stood in a pitch-black space, as if suspended in the dark void of the universe,
Devoid of even a single starlight.
Only the faint blue glow of the surrounding ROOM technique provided a trace of illumination.
Moments later, Imu stepped into a gate that had formed out of thin air before him—
Leaving this space in absolute stillness and total darkness.
Meanwhile—
Having reappeared somewhere high above the Shinobi World,
Imu kept his eyes gleaming with excitement, still focused on the now-dimmed five-ringed cross on the back of his right hand.
"At last... a personal dimension of my own."
But that surge of excitement was immediately suppressed by Imu.
His eyes and demeanor swiftly returned to their usual cold indifference.
Sure enough, about two seconds later—
A figure clad in the same white robes, with nine black orbs revolving behind his back, silently appeared in the air, 20 meters away.
In that instant, Imu's sharp golden eyes locked across the space with a pair of purple ripple-patterned eyes. Neither yielded, both emanating equal intensity and hostility.
Ultimately, it was Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo who chose to avert his gaze first, offering a faint smile.
"You must be the ruler of the World Government—Lord Imu, correct?"
"I am the guardian of this Shinobi World, the sovereign of the Pure Land—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. It's an honor to meet you."
Imu didn't press the confrontation. However, his gaze still carried a detached superiority, as if regarding all living beings from an absolute height—as though such a perspective were only natural.
"I am both Imu, and not Imu. As for you... I have known you for a long time."
Imu stood above the vast sea of clouds, sunlight from the scorching sky beaming down upon his head, while fierce high-altitude winds howled around him.
"You've come this time for the matter of Ryūchidō, haven't you?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone left no room for doubt.
Imu had never expected the disappearance of Ryūchidō to be hidden from the Sage of Six Paths.
Not because the latter could constantly sense spatial shifts in the Shinobi World—
But rather because, as the ruler of the Pure Land, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo would naturally notice when a major source of souls suddenly vanished.
Now that Imu had forcibly severed Ryūchidō from the Shinobi World's main spatial body, the soul connection was cut off as well—this, inevitably, had alerted Hagoromo.
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