"Alright, why worry about it? Just leave the rest to Shikaku."
Asuma didn't care much about it—no need to overthink things.
As for Chiriku, he could only let it go for now. After all, if the guy's with the World Government, it wouldn't be right to make a move inside the village.
Around noon, Ichidai Kiyomu came out of the Hokage building, looking serious.
Konohagakure responded fast.
And the fact that all the major clans were able to come to a decision this quickly meant the World Government didn't get a single advantage out of it.
In fact, they now owed Konohagakure a favor.
"Tough bunch. But Konohagakure being the first village to face off against Shanks and still showing this kind of strength and confidence… yeah, that makes sense."
Ichidai Kiyomu sighed.
He wasn't exactly a Shanks fan, but Master Genichi and a bunch of the old-timers had always hyped up the path Shanks took.
It was hard to say before, but now there's no doubt—Shanks really is insanely strong, and the Sage-style path he follows is absolutely the real deal.
So the sages have also been studying Devil Fruits, and they've already noticed something strange about them.
But before they could figure it out, all of Shanks' information was made public.
And the info that got revealed was way more than anyone expected.
The part about "White Zetsu" was linked to the tailed beasts, and those are connected to the Sage of Six Paths—this completely changed how the sages saw Shanks.
In their eyes, Shanks was just some rogue who picked things up along the way. Sure, they had to admit he was crazy strong, but still—just a wild outsider.
But once the information about "White Zetsu" came out, the sages realized Shanks was anything but a clueless outsider. This guy might actually know more about the Sage of Six Paths and the whole sage system than they did.
They couldn't deny it—after all, the origin of the tailed beasts goes back to the Sage himself.
Still, some of the old guys felt a bit embarrassed. They'd been researching this stuff for centuries—some of them pushing three hundred years—only to find out they might've been wasting their time.
It really shows the gap between people. And Shanks isn't even human.
Aside from that, another big issue was the "awakening" of Devil Fruits.
This topic involves a lot, but for the sages, it's easy to grasp.
It's about moving up to a higher level of life.
From the beginning, Devil Fruits were seeds of ultimate power.
At first, sages thought Devil Fruits were just another way to evolve Ninjutsu—letting regular people use special powers.
But with awakenings, Devil Fruits clearly touch on the will of the world.
Then they took a closer look.
At the root, Devil Fruits come from the God Tree, which isn't from this world and is rejected by the world's will.
That's true—but the thing is, the world's will rejects the God Tree, not humans.
And when you think about it like that, isn't this just the reverse of what sages do? They use things like dragon veins or Conqueror's Haki to pull the will of the world downward so they can ascend.
It's basically the same principle.
The moment someone eats a Devil Fruit, they gain the right to touch the world's will.
This is the highest step in life—eating a Devil Fruit and using it to build a stronger link between your own will and the will of the world.
That's how they develop their powers and eventually reach a full awakening of their Devil Fruit. At that point, their life steps into a whole new level.
It's not the fruit that's powerful—it's the person who uses it. That's the core truth.
At this moment, the sages of the ninja world completely acknowledged Shanks' position—he was someone on the same level as the Sage of Six Paths.
That said, the path Shanks chose was totally different from theirs.
There are always differences between sages, but Shanks is what you'd call a "reverse sage."
Even so, his position now is ridiculously high. Because while pirates and regular ninjas may not understand these things, the sages see everything clearly.
"Looks like it's been handled."
Danzo noticed Ichidai Kiyomu walk out and followed him.
"Konohagakure moved fast. Everything's already prepared.
Next, we'll see how the other villages respond. With this many people entering the Marines, they'll need to reorganize a bit too."
"This is the plan Konohagakure is proposing."
Ichidai Kiyomu showed the plan to Danzo.
"They want Chiriku to be the Marine Fleet Admiral?"
When Danzo saw Chiriku's name, he frowned.
"That guy's a real handful. If we actually let him take over, we might be in trouble."
Even Danzo found Chiriku tricky—not just because of his strength, but also because he was sharp and strategic.
"Then do you have a better idea?"
Ichidai Kiyomu asked coldly.
Even though they were colleagues, his status was still slightly higher. Normally, Ichidai Kiyomu wouldn't mock someone like that.
But he just didn't like Danzo. Acting like he knew everything when he clearly didn't—what good would that do?
Don't want Konohagakure to handle it? Then what, let you do it?
"..."
Danzo went silent.
What could he say? He had no solution.
It had only been a few months since he stepped back, and now he was already out of touch.
He used to play mind games inside the village—but now?
No one plays that anymore.
Once Shanks showed up, the game shifted to the national level, at least.
And right now, this isn't just about nations anymore. The entire ninja world has been pulled in. If the World Government falls, he—as one of its Jinchuriki—will go down with it.
And not just him.
There are over thirty Jinchuriki tied to the World Government's will.
If the World Government collapses, all thirty of those "sages" will be wiped out on the spot. The entire Earthly Sage Kingdom project will be over before it even starts.
Still dreaming of ascending together? Keep dreaming.
Looking at the prosperous Konohagakure, Danzo actually felt a bit scornful.
Why should he care what Chiriku does? He's a sage now. Thanks to Shanks, he's seen how much bigger the world really is.
"If that's the case, then let Chiriku be the one to help stabilize the situation."
Danzo smiled. The gloom on his face faded, replaced by an oddly carefree look.
Konohagakure? Hokage?
Compared to the Earthly Immortal Kingdom, what do those even mean anymore?
After watching Ichidai Kiyomu and Danzo leave, Shikaku in the Hokage building let out a sigh of relief.
Good thing they reacted fast these past few days.
"Looks like the World Government is really taking Shanks seriously. Didn't expect those high-and-mighty types to actually be afraid of someone."
"Go tell Chiriku to get ready—he'll be heading to the City of Water soon to take up the role of Marine Fleet Admiral."
"And tell the major clans to prepare as well. Konohagakure won't be able to protect all of them when the time comes. They'll have to rely on themselves."
"Yes, Lord Shikaku."
The nearby Anbu ninja immediately took off.
Shikaku exhaled again. With this, things inside Konohagakure actually got a lot simpler.
As for the clan issue...
To be honest, any one of Konohagakure's clans could stand on their own if they were in another village.
But in Konohagakure, it's like they're all held back somehow—their true power never really shows.
So now, by letting the clans go out into the world, whatever they achieve will be up to them.
Even the Nara clan is no exception.
Shikaku had already placed all his hopes on his son, Shikamaru.
Meanwhile, Chiriku had already left the village and was waiting for Danzo on the road.
What was once a busy road now had only one person left—Chiriku.
And standing across from him were Ichidai Kiyomu and Danzo, whose face was hidden behind a mask.
Chiriku calmly looked at Danzo.
"It's been a while, Danzo."
"So I've been found, huh?"
Danzo removed his mask. There was no point in hiding anymore.
"How could I not notice you? Back then, I spent a lot of effort just to leave Konohagakure.
Otherwise, I'm sure you would've come after me too—and things wouldn't have ended well."
Chiriku gave a cold laugh, his killing intent plain to see.
Seeing Chiriku like that, Danzo also smiled.
"Chiriku, are you planning to fight me?"
Danzo's eyes were full of disdain. Chiriku's strength was decent, but now Danzo was no slouch either.
"With your elite Jonin level strength, I doubt you could beat me, Chiriku."
Danzo crossed his hands. Blue markings appeared under his eyes, and natural energy began gathering around him. A terrifying wave of power burst from his body—this time, he wasn't hiding his strength at all.
To enter Sage Mode instantly and control such overwhelming power—Danzo had fully mastered the terrifying force of natural energy.
This kind of power… was truly frightening!
It was once something only the First Hokage could use. But now Danzo had not only mastered it, he was even more skilled than the First Hokage ever was.
"Danzo… someone's going to die,"
Ichidai Kiyomu warned.
He didn't know exactly how strong Chiriku was, but his instincts told him that this future Marine Fleet Admiral was likely very powerful.
"If someone dies, then we'll just find another Marine Fleet Admiral."
As Danzo finished speaking, his figure vanished.
At the same time, Ichidai Kiyomu moved far away—he wanted no part in what was coming.
"Such overwhelming power… so this is what it means to be a sage?"
Wind swirled around Danzo's body, and a white wind blade formed in his right hand. The dense, violent natural energy tore up the ground beneath him.
This was Sage Power—this was Senjutsu!!
That intense strength he had never experienced before… this was the power Danzo had been chasing all along.
"Die!"
The wind blade in Danzo's hand shot straight toward Chiriku. Twisting natural energy ripped through the air, and the shockwave alone tore rocks from the earth and sent them flying.
But in the next moment—
A golden light burst out from Chiriku's body.
An even more terrifying and overwhelming power came crashing down.
"Great Buddha!! Descend!"
Chiriku's voice boomed like thunder as golden light radiated from him. His eyes were filled with power and dominance.
A Zoan-type Devil Fruit — the Human-Human Fruit, Great Buddha form.
In that instant, a divine being seemed to appear. A golden figure rose from the dust, and its voice of authority echoed in every direction.
"Die!!"
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