Even though the whole world had changed, the ninja world was now in a mess. Still, Shanks felt he could sail just fine in this new world.
The ninja world might seem small, but in reality, it was anything but.
Aside from the Land of Water, the main lands of the other four great nations made up the biggest landmass of the ninja world.
And according to the intel from Gato, merchants were mostly active on the open seas, where there were fewer ninjas. Of course, most of those merchants had now turned into pirates.
In short, the seas were already in complete chaos. But with the news about the "former site of the Divine Tree" spreading, in the next few months, the turmoil should shift from the sea to the Land of Wind.
"I don't need to get involved in this mess. The five great ninja villages will probably send reinforcements to the Land of Wind. It looks like an alliance between the five nations is inevitable.
On top of that, smaller nations won't be able to handle the pressure of the pirate era. The weaker ones will probably push for the formation of a world government."
"What a headache."
Just thinking about all this made Shanks' head hurt. As expected, politics wasn't for him. Being a simple-minded pirate captain was much better.
Besides, this kind of massive shift in the times wasn't something he could interfere with.
In any case, Shanks figured someone else would have a bigger headache than him—like a certain devoted son who wanted to split a mountain to save his mother.
One thing he was absolutely sure of, though, was that Madara had started to doubt Black Zetsu's identity.
"But what exactly does Madara want me to investigate? Something about the Uchiha clan… Could it be Izuna?"
Thinking about it, the only person in the Uchiha clan that Madara would care about that much was Izuna.
Izuna did die at Tobirama's hands, but whether it was a fair battle or some kind of scheme—that was still uncertain.
And with Tobirama's suspicious actions afterward, it was hard not to question if something was off.
Why did Tobirama research so many forbidden techniques? And he even created Edo Tensei, a jutsu that summons the dead back to the world of the living.
No matter what, Tobirama was one of the sharpest minds of the Sengoku era. Intelligence-wise, he was definitely above Hashirama and Madara.
Madara only realized there was something strange about history because of Black Zetsu. But Tobirama? He must have figured it out long ago.
"Now that I think about it, Tobirama never got along with the Uchiha clan, but he still took an Uchiha as his student. That does seem suspicious."
Shanks nodded, convinced by his own reasoning. If the problem lay in Konohagakure, then he really needed to find time to visit the village.
His suspicions weren't unfounded, and this was definitely a logical train of thought.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Land…
A few days ago, after witnessing the battle between Shanks and several of the ninja world's strongest fighters at the edge of the battlefield, Ross Jess had taken his crew to the Land to seek refuge.
Well, calling it refuge was fair enough.
After all, they weren't qualified to take part in the ninja world's battles yet.
In a tavern, Ross took a big gulp of his drink. Just being able to witness that battle—even from a distance, only feeling the shockwaves from the battlefield—was enough for him.
"If I could reach the level of the Four Emperors one day, that'd be amazing! Hahaha!"
"That's the Four Emperors' Shanks, who has a bounty of 1.5 billion! Boss, even if we get the power of a Devil Fruit, there's no guarantee we could ever reach that level."
One of the crew members pulled out the latest bounty poster, showing that Shanks' bounty had reached a terrifying 1.5 billion.
That previous 500 million bounty was just from the Land of Water, but this time, it wasn't just one country putting a price on his head.
But for pirates, a bounty like this was more of a testament to Shanks' strength. After all, no fool would actually go after him just for that 1.5 billion.
Regular bounty hunters wouldn't stand a chance, and neither would ninjas.
And even if someone did manage to claim that 1.5 billion bounty, chances are, the next moment, they'd have a 2 billion bounty on their own head.
At a certain point, a bounty stops being about the money—it's a measure of power.
"The gap between us isn't that big, really."
Ross Jess pulled out his own bounty poster. Seven thousand—already pretty impressive.
"If I get a Devil Fruit power, I should at least be worth seventy million, right?"
The tavern was rowdy, and Ross Jess' big talk didn't catch anyone's attention. With so many pirates on the rise lately, people in the tavern had heard plenty of delusional boasts like his.
Some had even claimed that getting a Devil Fruit would let them take down the Four Emperors' Shanks in an instant—only to get beaten up by some passing pirate.
Shanks' name wasn't something just anyone could throw around.
At least for now, he was the gold standard for all pirates of this new era. Some pirates wouldn't tolerate even the slightest insult to his name.
"Seventy million? Captain, Dark's bounty is already at one hundred million. If you get a Devil Fruit, yours should be at least two hundred million."
"Three hundred million!"
"Want to make a bet?"
This group of "pirates" fresh out of the gambling den quickly shifted their attention. Even though their captain hadn't actually gotten a Devil Fruit yet, they still had confidence in him.
Ross saw his crew getting all fired up again. He smiled, downed his drink in one go, pulled out a cigar from his coat, and bit down on it as he walked over to sit in a corner.
"The pirates of this new era… what do you think?"
"Change always brings problems, but sometimes, sacrifices have to be made."
The black-haired young man sitting in the corner spoke calmly. As he talked, his hand unconsciously moved to the backpack beside him.
Everything comes at a price.
That was the Will of Fire that Shisui had inherited. Sometimes, for the sake of the many, a few had to be sacrificed.
And Shisui had done exactly that.
Back when he realized what was about to happen in Konohagakure, he made his decision. He would be the first to sacrifice himself—but his sacrifice wasn't meaningless.
Of course, those eyes of his… they were the final price he paid for Konohagakure.
After losing both his eyes, Shisui had finally jumped into the Naka River, choosing to end his own life.
But jumping into the river and actually dying were two different things.
In the end, Shisui survived. Through a series of coincidences, he ended up meeting Ross Jess and his crew, learning about the changes in the ninja world.
"This sacrifice… everyone has to bear it, even ordinary people."
Shisui spoke again. As someone who had already been sacrificed once, he no longer felt bound by the so-called "Will of Fire."
Or rather, after all these years, he had finally understood what the Will of Fire truly meant.
And to be honest, his bloodline was about as close to Konohagakure's legacy as it got.
As a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, Shisui naturally received his teachings. And Uchiha Kagami was an Uchiha recognized by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Because of this connection, you could even say that Shisui's position in Konohagakure is more "legitimate" than someone like Danzo.
And that's exactly the case.
Shisui truly inherited the "Will of Fire," and because of his mentor-like friendship with Uchiha Itachi, he also influenced Itachi.
Later, Itachi defected from the village. But even then, he remained loyal to Konohagakure, protecting it from the shadows.
Even Naruto was later influenced by Itachi in some ways. Despite Itachi being labeled a "rogue ninja," Naruto never saw him as someone who had betrayed the village.
And if you trace it all back, it leads to Shisui.
Go even further, and you end up at Uchiha Kagami and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
In other words, even after all these years, Tobirama's plans from before his death are still shaping Konohagakure today. They even influenced Itachi.
"I don't really get all this reasoning of yours, but from the way you put it, the chaos in the ninja world seems kind of inevitable."
Ross Jess shook his head to himself.
What he did understand was that Shisui didn't hate pirates, nor did he think the current disorder was necessarily wrong.
"Even though I lost my eyes, that doesn't mean I can't see the way things are, Captain Ross."
Shisui smiled. Right now, he could see not only the lessons Uchiha Kagami had passed down to him but even glimpses of everything the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had done.
"So, what do you think? Should we go on this trip?"
Ross's expression grew a bit more serious.
He was just a small-time figure. In front of ninjas, he had no power to resist.
He wasn't like Zabuza. He wasn't like Dark. And he was definitely nothing like Shanks, the kind of man who could shake the entire ninja world by himself.
Ross knew very well that every step he took had to be careful. One wrong move, and there'd be no turning back.
"Let's hope we meet again in the New World."
Shisui didn't answer Ross's question because he already knew Ross's decision.
Like they always said—sometimes, sacrifices had to be made. And sometimes, risks had to be taken.
Hearing Shisui's words, Ross grinned.
"You're going after that guy, aren't you?"
"Sooner or later, I, Captain Ross Jess, will stand before him too—fair and square."
With a cigar in his mouth, Ross leaned back in his chair and let out a long puff of smoke.
Just then, someone else entered the tavern. A girl.
The people sitting near the entrance froze the moment they saw her.
The once lively tavern gradually fell silent.
"Hey, kid, minors aren't allowed to drink here, you know that?"
The bartender at the counter spoke up.
But when he got a clear look at her, he stopped mid-sentence.
"R-Red hair…?"
That unmistakable shade of red—it was the signature of the Uzumaki clan.
"This girl… could she be from the Uzumaki clan?"
"The royal Uzumaki clan... the same last name as Four Emperors Shanks, and the same red hair?"
Everyone stared blankly at Karin. As Shanks' reputation grew, countless rumors about the Uzumaki clan spread across the ninja world.
The Uzumaki clan... a royal bloodline. The name Uzumaki became known as the name of the strong, the name of those who could shake the world—Uzumaki!
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