"Konohagakure, huh? Yeah, we should definitely be more careful."
Even though Konohagakure had taken a major hit in terms of strength, with the new era coming, they still had plenty of powerful people.
The old sages didn't see anything wrong with what Ichidai Kiyomu had done. Right now, Konohagakure was the only village they needed to watch closely.
"Orochimaru also came from Konohagakure. And now, we're hearing that his power might be even greater than we thought."
Five people from the Kiyosu family ganged up on Orochimaru, and even then, one of them died. They barely managed to escape, and it took a lot of effort.
Also, Jiraiya has now become a top-tier sage.
Jiraiya comes from the Mount Myoboku line, and if he's really reached that level, it likely means he's inherited something from the Sage of Six Paths.
When the Sage of Six Paths was mentioned, the other sages clearly reacted a little strangely.
That was one of the reasons Ichidai Kiyomu had been so shocked the first time he saw Jiraiya—because if Jiraiya had become a top sage, then the legacy of Mount Myoboku might already be in his hands.
"It doesn't matter what kind of power Jiraiya got. What matters is the Sage of Six Paths behind Mount Myoboku.
The Sage holds the power of reincarnation in the ninja world. And now that we're slowly breaking the old contracts, there's a real chance the Sage might return."
"Did you find something out?"
Ichidai Kiyomu sat down. Since the old guys were bringing this up, it meant he needed to start paying attention.
"We didn't find anything… but that's exactly why we're worried."
"It's been over a thousand years. No matter how unusual a sage is, they shouldn't be able to live this long.
But since it's the Sage of Six Paths we're talking about, even if he did die, he might still have the power to come back."
Sages had studied all kinds of secret techniques.
Take something like the Reanimation Jutsu—of course the sages had looked into it. In fact, their research had gone even deeper. They could bring back normal people completely.
As for bringing back a sage? That was possible too, though it came at a cost.
"Also, Fujiumi, who went after the ruler of the Land of the Sea, was killed."
And he wasn't just killed normally. A special method was used—his spiritual energy and lingering will were completely erased.
"Was that also done by someone from Konohagakure?"
"We don't know. But at this point, we should be careful. If there's no urgent reason, it's best not to go out. We should wait until things become clearer."
A group of old sages said this.
Even among the sages, there were different factions.
This group of sages focused on the nation. They wanted to grow stronger using more stable methods and protect their own positions and power.
But the sages in the New World were much more aggressive. Of course, different paths didn't always mean conflict.
Still, in the New World, the leader of those sages was Fukuda Ichidai Kiyomu.
Even though many of them had grudges with her, it was exactly because of Fukuda Ichidai Kiyomu that those sages ended up going into the New World.
"Right now, the situation in the New World is still unclear. Fukuda Ichidai Kiyomu hasn't really made a move against Shanks yet. And over here, the world government we're building still needs time to become stable."
"Once the world government is fully in place, we can use the push from the world's will to grow stronger again."
"So we need more people. We need to gather more strength—stacking up the will of the common people to build a true kingdom of sages at the top of the world government."
During this time, nothing major must happen in the ninja world.
At this point, the sages seemed a bit helpless. Their plan was too big, so they had to keep it hidden.
And when needed, someone had to step up and make sacrifices to buy more time.
The world government was created for the sake of the sages.
Its rise would draw the attention of the world's will. Once that happened, the massive force of that will would come down and push things forward.
The weak at the bottom would be the ones sacrificed in this process. The more who were lost, the stronger the feedback would be—and the less burden the sages would have to carry.
The sages were strong enough to become Jinchuriki themselves. So as for commoners, of course they could be sacrificed too.
"The creation of Ninja Doctrine wasn't useless. Even though we're still far from the level of the Sage of Six Paths, using his old theory to gather the will of the people is still something we can do."
"If that's the case, then we can't make a move on Konohagakure."
"Of course. But at the same time, don't let them stay too relaxed for too long either.
Right now, our focus should be on the New World and the Revolutionary Army. Their leader is from the Uzumaki clan. If they really manage to overthrow a nation, the world government will fall apart."
A few of the sages spoke up. They didn't care much about civilians getting hurt, but they couldn't allow a nation to collapse.
The world government had just been formed, and for the first time, these old men were finally enjoying the feeling of growing stronger again.
Some of them even believed that, given enough time, they might make another breakthrough in life itself.
So now was not the time for problems, especially not from the Revolutionary Army. As a group trying to take down nations, they were too well hidden.
Just like the sages themselves.
They knew their own strengths. They didn't see themselves as fools — even if they always operated in the shadows, they believed they were the wisest of all.
But all of this had nothing to do with Ichidai Kiyomu. He was still young, and didn't need to exhaust himself like the old ones.
"I'll leave that thinking to you sages. As for Danzo's body — if you're free, bring him back in a month.
I've got other things to do, so I'm heading out."
"Ichidai Kiyomu, wait a moment."
From the main seat, an old man with a big build and a kind, peaceful face spoke gently.
Ichidai Kiyomu stopped walking when he heard the voice.
"Master Genichi, is there something else?"
"I just want to ask… back when the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, was there a sage present?"
Master Genichi's tone was calm and kind, his soft smile giving nothing away about what he was really thinking.
Ichidai Kiyomu thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No. The only sage involved was Teuchi."
"But as you know, Teuchi never really got along with the rest of us. He's always had his own thing going on."
Among the sages of the Land of Fire, Ichiraku was definitely an odd one.
In truth, he didn't really fit in with their group — but he was still a real sage.
More importantly, his power was strong, and his natural talent was even higher than Ichidai Kiyomu's.
From Ichidai Kiyomu's point of view, these old sages who always smiled with squinted eyes and acted all gentle were seriously weird.
Ichiraku was like that. And so was MasterGenichi.
"I see. Thanks."
MasterGenichi nodded slightly and watched Ichidai Kiyomu leave.
"Who could it have been?"
He couldn't figure it out either.
"Most of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans have already been wiped out.
Only a few people are left from the families of Indra and Asura. If the reincarnations of Indra and Asura show up in this era, then it can only be among these six."
MasterGenichi looked over the intel in his hand.
"There are only three people left in the Uchiha clan now."
"Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke."
Among the Uzumaki clan, there are also Revolutionary Army leader Nagato, the current ruler of the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Karin, and Konohagakure's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto."
Master Genichi's biggest concern wasn't Indra and Ashura, but Rikudou Sennin.
Once these two clans are finished, if Rikudou Sennin is still alive, he will definitely show up.
The Sage's inheritance was also a result of a deal made with Rikudou Sennin. Since Indra and Ashura are Rikudou Sennin's children, they naturally also have the power of reincarnation.
"Master Genichi, doesn't the Uzumaki clan have four people? Isn't Shanks also from the Uzumaki clan?"
Someone next to him reminded him.
Master Genichi gave the person a glance and shook his head.
As the creator of the "Immortal Kingdom" plan and the strongest immortal of this era, Master Genichi had already seen the most terrifying side of the world's will when he sacrificed himself to the World Government.
Shanks might be Rikudou Sennin? Don't joke around.
Even if Rikudou Sennin really shows up, who's the father and who's the son might be a whole different story.
Although he had never met Rikudou Sennin, Master Genichi could still glimpse some things from the inheritance and records.
Rikudou Sennin was truly an invincible warrior, the real deal, a versatile fighter.
From secret techniques to crafting techniques, to sealing techniques, Taijutsu, Senjutsu, and life techniques.
All of them were perfect.
But what Master Genichi saw was that there was another monster in this world. That guy wasn't perfect—he was exceptional.
You have to understand, a lot of times, there are no "fair game" rules.
You, Rikudou Sennin, might be a versatile fighter, but if I have one thing better than you, I can use that to crush you.
If some obscure skill is stronger than Rikudou Sennin's, it's one thing, but Shanks?
Master Genichi wasn't mistaken. That guy was definitely on a whole different level, with top-tier physical and intellectual abilities.
"Right, I forgot about Shanks."
Master Genichi nodded gently and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Fortunately, he was the first to become a Jinchuriki. At that time, he acted quickly, sealing off part of the spiritual channels, preventing other immortals from seeing that terrifying scene. If they had, many might have had their hearts shattered.
"By the way, Master Genichi, who is this empty seat next to you reserved for?"
"Well... it's for a friend of mine. He hasn't arrived yet, but he should be here soon."
Master Genichi replied with a smile.
"An immortal who can be called a friend by Master Genichi? This should be interesting."
"If we're lucky, we'll get to see him."
Master Genichi nodded gently in response.
If we're unlucky, we might not even be able to gather the body.
If we need someone to blame, it can only be the immortals of the ninja world who forgot the name of the person known as the strongest. Looking at things now, it's clear that title was well-deserved.
"Shanks, huh? We definitely need to pay more attention to him."
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