Orochimaru had ambition, courage, and intelligence. Even though he realized he had once again been used by Shanks, his personal grudges didn't matter in the face of a greater cause.
This was about the big picture. It wasn't that Orochimaru was particularly righteous—it was just that he was smart enough to see where the real interests of this era lay.
Sages could never truly stand on the same side as ordinary people or ninja. And right now, Orochimaru himself had already caught the attention of the sages.
He had his pride. Bowing down to the sages? That was impossible for him.
But fighting against the sages? He wasn't sure he could do that either.
The simplest proof? Jiraiya had mastered Sage Mode, and the power he wielded was enough to make Orochimaru feel threatened. That alone was a reminder—sages were not weak.
The foundation of their strength was incredibly deep.
That was why Orochimaru couldn't make a move against Shanks right now.
This was a basic political decision. Orochimaru might be ruthless and cunning, but he knew when to act and when to hold back.
Another reason was his trust in Shanks' character. Shanks also had his own sense of pride.
Orochimaru could be deceitful, could go back on his word—but Shanks would never do something like that. That's why standing on the same side as Shanks, Orochimaru could trust him completely and put everything in his hands.
That was the difference between them.
"Shanks really is something else. He's pushing us down this path, huh?"
Hiruko sighed in admiration. He didn't feel particularly emotional about it, but he could see where things were going.
Shanks wasn't just pushing them onto this path—he was paving the way for them too.
Right now, Orochimaru might be a notorious pirate, even part of the so-called "evil side," but in the face of this grand shift, he was being forced onto the side of justice.
As long as the Fourth Great Ninja War happened and they won in the end, Orochimaru would undoubtedly become one of the heroes of the ninja world.
His name would be passed down for thousands of years to come. That was what it meant to stand for something greater.
Who in the past ninja wars had ever reached this level? The vision, the scale—it was on a completely different level.
"This is what makes Shanks so remarkable. Whether we like it or not, we have no choice now. From here on, we have to give it everything we've got."
"Kabuto, use Edo Tensei to bring these Revolutionary Army corpses back to life and let them move freely."
"Kidomaru, return to the Hidden Sound Village and have everyone start digging. We need to prepare for large-scale revivals of the strongest ninja in history—gather all the bodies we can find."
"Kimimaro, get the others ready. Take these pirates deeper into the New World. We don't have much time left—we need to prepare for battle.
The great war of the ninja world is about to begin."
Orochimaru wasted no time in giving orders. His mind might have been clouded before, but now, he had the vision to grasp the bigger picture.
"How much time do we have?"
Hiruko asked. The timing of the war was crucial for the development of his Devil Fruit abilities.
"No idea. Keep an eye on the ninja world. The sages appearing—that's just the beginning.
If there aren't enough of them, they won't be a real threat to Shanks or the Revolutionary Army. The true danger is the era itself."
"As soon as sages appear, the power of the ancient nobles will rise significantly. That means the Five Great Nations, along with any other nations that have sages, will begin to reorganize.
Once their combined strength is fully mobilized, it will crush the entire Pirate Era. That's when the real war will begin."
Orochimaru spoke. This war would be unlike any that had come before. It could last far longer than anyone expected.
And the real war would only begin when the Five Great Nations truly united—when the World Government was officially formed.
The interests of the Five Great Nations might not always align, but above them all—and above the ancient nobles—stood the sages.
A sage's interests go beyond national borders. That's why, under their political influence, the creation of the World Government was inevitable.
In the end, the World Government exists to serve the interests of sages.
Of course, at that time, the ninja villages stood with the World Government as well. They were part of the old order, and as long as that order was restored…
Sages could continue to stay hidden in the shadows of history, while ninjas and nobles would remain the ruling class of this era.
That was the direction the times were heading.
But what caught Orochimaru's attention wasn't any of that. Instead, he thought of another, more unsettling possibility.
"Orochimaru, is there something else you're worried about?"
"Yes."
Orochimaru nodded and looked at Hiruko.
"Shanks and the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Nagato, are both from the Uzumaki clan. Shanks' plan definitely isn't that simple—it's very likely something he started working on decades ago."
"After the Uzumaki clan was wiped out… after the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed…
Shanks may have already been preparing for this long ago. The Revolutionary Army and Shanks—there's a good chance they're working together."
"They're both Uzumaki, and their goals are nearly the same. This plan might have been in motion far longer than we ever imagined.
It's even possible… that this started before the Uzumaki clan was wiped out. If there was any reason for a ninja clan to be completely eradicated, I think… this might be it."
Orochimaru speculated.
And this time, he really wasn't just dragging the Third Hokage's name through the mud.
After all, Orochimaru had been the Third Hokage's student. The Third was indecisive, weak-willed, and lacked firm judgment—that was true.
But something as big as the Uzumaki clan's destruction… unless he was completely brain-dead, there was no way he would have just ignored it.
Even if he didn't personally intervene, the Land of Whirlpools being destroyed shouldn't have led to the entire Uzumaki clan being wiped out.
Look at how many Uzumaki were left in the end—out of an entire nation, only four people survived.
"So… this plan might have actually been proposed by the Uzumaki clan themselves. Or maybe… they had already been preparing for it long ago."
"It's very possible.
A ninja clan capable of founding a nation is terrifying. And the Uzumaki were also part of the ancient noble class.
They likely already understood the state of the world, and there was no way they didn't know about the sages.
A nation and a clan with that much power and history—how could they have been wiped out?
Either it was an accident and the Third Hokage really was an idiot, or… they were destroyed by an unstoppable force, one so powerful that Konoha couldn't even step in to help the Land of Whirlpools."
"And that 'unstoppable force' was probably the strongest power of this era…
Or maybe the Uzumaki clan threatened the interests of those at the top, which is why they were eliminated."
Orochimaru's words made everyone around him suddenly see things in a new light.
Now that they thought about it, the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools finally had a reasonable explanation.
Was the Third Hokage an idiot? Maybe a little. But no normal person would completely abandon their allies like that.
Which left only one explanation—he didn't dare.
He didn't dare to help.
"The Uzumaki clan betrayed the ancient nobles… and the sages?"
"But… why?"
"They had no reason to betray their own people."
"No, the Uzumaki clan had a reason.
Because they discovered an even greater power. At first, they might have wanted to keep it for themselves, but somehow… the secret got out."
"That's why they were surrounded. At the same time, the Uzumaki clan had already prepared their counterattack.
Those people couldn't gain the power of the Dragon Vein and never discovered what the Uzumaki clan was hiding, so they left."
"And after that came the history we all know... the first Reverse Sage of the ninja world appeared!"
Orochimaru frowned. At that moment, everything clicked together.
The fall of the Land of Whirlpools, the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, Shanks' 'Reverse Sage' mode, and now, Shanks taking the lead—using Orochimaru to draw out all the sages and launch this war against them.
Everything was connected.
There were still a few gaps to fill, but overall, the events in the ninja world finally had a reasonable explanation.
Everything happening now had likely been planned decades ago.
Think about it—was the Third Hokage really an idiot? Yes.
But nobody actually thought he was. In reality, he wasn't. But when it came to the Land of Whirlpools, he definitely was.
Now, ask yourself—would any normal person resist the power and instinctual transformation that Sage Mode brings? No.
Was Shanks a normal person? Yes, and not just that—he was a genius, the kind that only appears once in thousands of years. A genius doesn't think like a normal person, and that's normal.
Shanks might have seemed carefree most of the time, but he was still a normal person. And a normal person shouldn't have been able to develop something like 'Reverse Sage Mode.'
So, at this moment, the answer was clear.
The 'Reverse Sage' was the Uzumaki clan's rebellion against the sages, their resistance against this world and this era. It was their revenge against the sages.
But was Shanks actually a normal person? No, not at all! At least, the 'pirate version' of Shanks wasn't.
But nobody else knew that.
And now, everything made sense.
As if guided by fate, everything had already been set in motion. This war had been brewing for decades.
"I see now! What a terrifying world..."
"So this is the truth behind this world? The reality of this era?"
"The Uzumaki clan, the Reverse Sage, their war against the sages... So it had already begun long ago."
The people around Orochimaru weren't just feeling the weight of this truth—they were feeling something even more overwhelming.
Because after seeing this reality, they realized that the world they once knew, no matter how cruel, was just that—cruel.
But now, with Orochimaru's explanation, they saw a world that was far more terrifying.
Orochimaru was certain of one thing. He knew he wasn't as smart as Shanks, but in this world, no one understood Shanks better than he did.
From his early research on Devil Fruits to publicly revealing their creation method in Konohagakure, to the events in the Land of Wind—
Shanks sometimes didn't even need to talk to Orochimaru, yet Orochimaru understood. Because in this ninja world, only he had this kind of connection with Shanks.
It was the silent recognition between the strong. Shanks didn't need to say much, and Orochimaru could already grasp what he was thinking.
Likewise, Shanks understood Orochimaru just as well. Orochimaru knew that even if he said nothing, Shanks could still predict his actions.
"From the moment I appeared, Shanks had already acknowledged me. It's a strange feeling.
No wonder—this was originally the Uzumaki clan's battle, but now, I've become a part of it too."
"So this is his way of recognizing me... Shanks, that arrogant bastard."
Orochimaru stopped thinking about it. Originally, this was just a matter between Shanks and the Revolutionary Army, but now, Shanks had even sent someone to inform him personally.
It was irritating, but why did he feel a bit happy about it?
What? You're saying Orochimaru was just overthinking it?
Would Shanks really need to send people just for a simple Edo Tensei? Probably not. This was clearly a message for Orochimaru.
It was just an excuse to come over, deliver the news, and get paid. That way, they'd be even.
"Sages… really terrifying."
"So this is what Shanks called the Poneglyph—the true history."
And… it's not just the Uzumaki clan. The Uchiha clan's destruction probably wasn't simple either."
"Heh… Uchiha Fugaku wasn't weak at all. Yet the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out in a single night, without a sound."
Hiruko shook his head with a bitter smile, feeling a sense of sadness.
Fugaku had the Mangekyou. That guy was insanely strong.
Uchiha Itachi wiped out the whole Uchiha clan? Who would believe that?
Hiruko wasn't just mourning the Uchiha clan—he was also mourning himself. Looking back, he realized how narrow his perspective had been.
Not long after Kakuzu left, most of the Beasts Pirates scattered across the world. A massive storm was brewing in the New World.
At the same time, a few well-informed people started hearing whispers about what really happened to the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki clan.
Of course, only a tiny fraction of people knew.
And even those who knew had to keep their mouths shut—because the time wasn't right. But when they learned the truth, they also saw the terrifying side of this world.
Meanwhile, after Kakuzu returned to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, Nagato—being an Uzumaki himself—wasn't as calculating as Orochimaru.
The only thing on his mind was: Destroy the Sages!!
To free this world, they had to take even more extreme measures.
The Revolutionary Army needed people. A lot of people.
"Tobi, call Zetsu over. I need his secret technique."
Nagato's face was dark. He hadn't expected things to come to this.
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