Even Jiraiya himself didn't fully understand the Toad Sage's intentions. He only knew that the information he held had to be revealed at the right moment—so that everyone in the shinobi world could understand.
And that moment was now.
The remaining people on the battlefield were all elite members of various ninja villages. These so-called elites were either incredibly strong, highly intelligent, or both.
Kirigakure was the first village to make contact with the Blade-less Pirates, and through them, they had learned about Shanks.
As more and more pirates gathered in the Land of Waves and the Land of Water, Kirigakure felt the threat of Shanks growing stronger.
So when they heard from Orochimaru that Shanks was likely heading their way, Terumi Mei immediately felt the pressure.
The people of Kumogakure couldn't pretend they weren't worried either. They didn't know much, but they did know one thing—Shanks had taken down over thirty thousand pirates with ease.
None of them in Kumogakure could pull off something like that.
Defeating someone and killing them were two entirely different things.
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure and Iwagakure, Chiyo and Oonoki, after hearing Shikaku's analysis, found Shanks even more terrifying—not just because of his overwhelming strength, but also because his intelligence and strategy were on a completely different level from theirs.
"Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama."
Seeing Jiraiya and Tsunade approach, Shikaku greeted them.
Jiraiya nodded at the people of Konohagakure before turning his attention to the others present.
"Everyone, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku saw part of the ninja world's future a few months ago through Shanks' power. If you all want to know, now is about the right time."
Jiraiya spoke to the crowd. His words surprised them—he had already known about Shanks.
Kakashi, however, wasn't surprised at all. He had known since the Land of Waves incident. But as for what the Great Toad Sage had seen in the future, Kakashi had no idea.
"The Great Toad Sage saw part of the ninja world's future?"
To the others, this seemed beyond their understanding.
But then, Terumi Mei suddenly thought of something.
It wasn't impossible to believe—it was just that they had never seriously considered such a thing before.
For example, Shanks' Observation Haki. Zabuza had mentioned that Shanks' Observation Haki allowed him to foresee the future to some extent.
But no one took it seriously. Any story about Shanks coming from the mouths of pirates always seemed exaggerated.
"Gyuki, does the Great Toad Sage really have this ability?"
Killer Bee asked the Eight-Tails directly. Since Gyuki had lived for a long time, he knew a lot.
"It seems he does. The Great Toad Sage can see parts of fate while dreaming."
At that moment, Terumi Mei spoke up.
"Is it similar to Shanks' Observation Haki?"
Hearing her question, everyone turned to her.
She then explained.
"Zabuza mentioned this before—Shanks has mastered three types of Haki.
The first is Conqueror's Haki, which can overwhelm opponents with sheer presence, even affecting the environment. Ordinary people facing Shanks' Conqueror's Haki wouldn't even have the strength to draw their swords.
The second is Observation Haki, which is similar to sensory ninjutsu but much stronger. It can even allow the user to predict their opponent's next move.
When trained to a high level, Observation Haki can let the user see glimpses of the future.
And the third is Armament Haki, the best counter against Logia-type Devil Fruit users. It allows the user to inflict real damage on them."
Terumi Mei briefly introduced Shanks' Haki. Among everyone here, aside from Kakashi, she knew the most about Shanks, thanks to Zabuza.
Of course, even Zabuza only knew the basics—he had no idea about Shanks' true strength.
"That's right, but Shanks' power may be far greater than any of you realize."
Jiraiya let out a deep sigh. Even the sages of the three great lands couldn't fully understand Shanks—he was far from simple.
"Everyone, we should start preparing. Since Shanks is already on his way, we need to discuss how to deal with what's coming."
Jiraiya's words snapped everyone back to reality. He then turned and walked toward Konohagakure.
If they were going to discuss the next steps, this wasn't the place to do it. At the very least, they needed to clean up the village first.
Behind him, the Konohagakure ninja followed.
Danzo was among them, but for his safety, the surrounding shinobi had sealed the chakra of the village elders.
Konohagakure had suffered a major blow. If any of the elders lost control and their chakra went out of control, it would be a huge problem.
As they watched the Konohagakure group leave, the others exchanged glances.
Jiraiya's message was clear—he wanted everyone to stand together.
But looking at Konohagakure's current state, something about it just felt... off.
With the current state of Konohagakure, it's hardly qualified to take the lead in such a collaboration, right?
"Everyone, do you really think your presence here is just a coincidence?"
Shikaku looked at the group with a calm smile. Whether they liked it or not, their only choices now were to cooperate—or face Shanks alone.
"The arrival of a new era means the era of pirates will clash with the era of ninjas. Do you really think Shanks will just stand behind the pirates?"
"Devil Fruits will drive countless pirates to seek power, and Shanks, as the pioneer of this new era, will prove to the world that pirates have the strength to challenge the old era."
"..."
Hearing Shikaku's words, Raikage's assistant, Mabui, quickly caught on.
"Are you saying that Shanks gathered all of us here to prove to the world that he has the power to challenge the Five Great Ninja Villages?"
"I never said that. But tell me, do you think it's better to cooperate, or to return to your villages now and wait for Shanks to come knocking one by one?"
After speaking, Shikaku followed the main force of Konohagakure.
If Shanks was really heading for the Land of Fire, then there was only one thing to do.
Prove to the world the power of pirates!
Let every pirate and every ninja witness the strength of the new era.
Only by showing the world undeniable power can the ambitions of this new era truly be ignited.
It's just like World War II—who would have thought that a "Little Boy" and a "Fat Man" could bring the war to an abrupt end?
Without seeing it firsthand, who would believe it?
No one here was a fool.
"A mere Four Emperors might be able to deal with ordinary ninjas or civilians, but does that guy really think we, the top warriors of the ninja world, are just a bunch of weaklings?"
Raikage wasn't going to take this insult. He was the Raikage—why should he fear Shanks?
"Raikage-sama's strength is well-known, but I'm more interested in the prophecy from the Sage of Mount Myoboku."
Terumi Mei spoke in a gentle tone. Since Raikage needed a way to back down, she had no problem giving him some face.
"Mizukage, you have a point. I suppose I should check out the Sage's prophecy too."
"Tch, what's so special about a sage's prophecy? Isn't it just about Shanks? Let me—"
Before Killer Bee could finish his sentence, Raikage grabbed him and dragged him along.
Seeing this, Oonoki and Chiyo followed as well.
"Oonoki, what do you think of Shanks' strength?"
Chiyo was an old veteran, having lived through the Warring States era and seen many powerful figures. Compared to Raikage and Mizukage, she and Oonoki had a clearer frame of reference for Shanks' strength.
"I just hope... he's not on the level of Hashirama or Uchiha Madara. If that guy has that kind of power, along with intelligence beyond ours, then what chance do we have?"
"I'm afraid your hopes will be in vain. Even the sages of the sacred lands have prophesied about Shanks. His strength may have already surpassed Uchiha Madara and even Hashirama at their peaks. That guy... even if we all joined forces, we might still not be a match for him."
"If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do. Against a monster like that..."
Just thinking about it made Oonoki break into a cold sweat.
He still remembered facing Uchiha Madara back then—just one look from Madara had given him nightmares for days.
Monsters like that weren't something normal people could deal with.
Before long, the key figures from every village had gathered at the Hokage building.
The others had already started handling post-war matters, including the ninjas from the other villages.
At a time like this, at least show some apology and help Konohagakure clean up the mess, even though it technically has nothing to do with them.
But since they might become allies in the future, it's better to start building a good relationship now.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage building, Jiraiya unrolled a scroll filled with scattered and fragmented information. This was intel gathered by the Toad Sage, who used Shanks' power to see glimpses of the future that Shanks had witnessed.
"Jiraiya, can you tell us now? The most important thing right now is just how strong Shanks really is. Is his power on the same level as the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara?"
Oonoki was most concerned about Shanks' strength.
"That's unclear. But one thing is certain—Shanks does not possess Sage Mode."
Jiraiya shared what was probably the only good news. Because everything else was bad news.
"He doesn't have Sage Mode? Then he shouldn't be as strong as the First Hokage, right?"
Oonoki let out a sigh of relief.
"But Shanks has mastered another power that rivals Sage Mode—Conqueror's Haki.
The essence of Conqueror's Haki is a power that goes against the natural order of life. Sage Mode is a fusion of natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy—the highest level of power a living being in the ninja world can achieve."
Jiraiya explained the concept of Sage Mode to everyone. Of course, while the idea itself was simple, trying to master it was as good as signing a death sentence.
"But Shanks didn't rely on any sacred land's teachings. He trained on his own to reach the level of Sage Mode. Yet, at the moment of ultimate evolution, Shanks forcefully cut off his Sage power. From that moment on, he awakened Conqueror's Haki—an energy that defies life itself."
"This power suppresses all living beings and affects anything that contains physical, natural, or spiritual energy. It is Shanks' unique ability."
After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Oonoki nodded.
"Oh, that's a relief… As long as it's not Sage Mode, that's fine, hahaha."
"Oonoki, it's really hot today."
Chiyo wiped the sweat from her forehead, and both elders exchanged awkward smiles.
Right now, they just wanted to ask—was there still space next to the Third Hokage? If not, maybe they could go ahead and dig their own graves too.
No need to trouble anyone with bringing their bodies back.
"One good news, one bad news… There's got to be another good news next, right?"
Oonoki asked again.
"Uh… no. It's all bad news."
Jiraiya pointed at the scroll.
"This is a prophecy about the power of Devil Fruits, and now we know for a fact that Devil Fruits are real."
"And this fragment here states that even the highest ruling power in the world, the Five Elders, must show Shanks respect."
"As for who the Five Elders are, I think that's something for the future to reveal."
Hearing this, everyone immediately understood—this was something that would happen down the line.
"The highest ruling power… the Five Elders."
"Doesn't that mean us—the Five Great Nations?"
They quickly realized that if the nations of the world truly united, then as the Five Great Nations, they would become the central authority of a 'World Government.'
And the Five Elders… were probably the top figures from each ninja village.
"That's probably true. If we keep fighting on our own in the coming era, we might not be able to handle it."
"We have to remember, our enemies aren't just the ones coming from the sea. There are also countless ordinary people chasing after power."
Terumi Mei spoke. No matter how you looked at it, getting all the nations to work together was the best solution.
But cooperation wasn't that simple. The lack of trust between nations was a huge obstacle.
"Hmph, uniting all the countries? That's impossible."
"Shanks alone may not have the power to do it. But the power of this new era… might make it possible."
Shikaku, the strategist of Konohagakure, was also present.
He didn't even need to think too hard about it—sooner or later, the nations would unite. In fact, the sooner they did, the better they could protect themselves.
At this moment, even Shikaku couldn't help but marvel at how ridiculous Shanks was. If he had existed during the Warring States, even Hashirama and Madara might have been overshadowed by him.
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