After Jiraiya changed into new pants, a charcoal fire was already burning on the deck, filling the air with the delicious aroma of grilled fish. Jiraiya swallowed hungrily.
"I was actually thinking about making a contract with that fish. A creature that big would make a great summon."
Jiraiya sighed, taking the grilled fish Naruto handed him.
"Jiraiya-sensei, these fish are just regular sea monsters. They don't have the ability to communicate."
"There are a lot of creatures like this in the ocean now—some are even bigger than ships."
"Yeah, it's probably because of the influence of the Dragon Vein in the sea. Marine creatures are getting larger, and some of the chakra-wielding sea beasts have become even more troublesome."
Kakashi nodded. They had all received intelligence on the New World.
The major ninja villages knew about it too, but for them, venturing into the open sea was too dangerous—it was too easy to get isolated and picked off.
That's why, compared to other places, the Land of Wind was still the safest.
"Huh? No wonder that thing didn't understand what I was trying to say.
So that's why."
Not everyone could see the flow of chakra within a living body. Jiraiya was the same—he could do it in Sage Mode, but there was no need for that now.
"The ocean has really changed… It feels completely different from before."
Back at sea again, Jiraiya couldn't shake the feeling of unfamiliarity. It was nothing like it had been just a few months ago.
It was hard to put this feeling into words. The only way to describe it was that ever since Shanks appeared, the changes in the ninja world had been happening too fast—though still within reason.
But in a way, it felt like jumping straight from the 20th century into the 21st, skipping the era of bulky cell phones and diving right into the smartphone age.
The foundation was still the same, but the way things worked had completely changed.
"Yeah, the sea we know is nothing like before," Kakashi sighed. After spending months at sea, he could clearly feel the shift.
Before, it didn't seem like a big deal. When the Great Pirate Era began, merchants on the seas actually became more active.
In the Land of Waves, you could even see commoners from different countries arriving with trading fleets.
In the midst of such chaotic times, this kind of strange prosperity emerging just felt... unnatural.
"But Jiraiya-sama, you must be here because you have something important to tell us, right?" Kakashi asked.
Jiraiya nodded.
"Before coming here, I made a trip to Kirigakure. On the surface, it looks like there's nothing unusual about the village, but you can clearly tell...
There are a lot of pirates hiding in Kirigakure. Terumi Mei is a highly capable Kage—being able to rebuild Kirigakure's strength under these circumstances is impressive."
Jiraiya praised her efforts. Kirigakure had practically fallen apart, completely out of sync with Konoha.
As for Sunagakure, at least they had Gaara and a few others. But this generation... Kirigakure was truly lacking in strong individuals.
Still, Terumi Mei was a skilled Kage. If nothing else, Kirigakure had the highest number of Devil Fruit users.
Terumi Mei might not be good at much else, but her Kekkei Genkai was powerful, and she had many different types. That meant she could create even more strong Devil Fruits.
"Kirigakure, huh? The Land of Water's territory includes this entire sea region.
East Blue is known for having the most pirates out of the four major seas. The Land of Waves is under Zabuza's protection, and the Sea Country is under Shanks' protection.
A lot of people only became pirates after arriving in East Blue. And as for Kirigakure, they've been recruiting some of those pirates into their village."
Kakashi nodded. East Blue was turning into a pirate sanctuary. Aside from the lunatics in the New World, East Blue had the largest number of powerful pirates.
This place… it had become a pirate haven, and none of the major ninja villages dared to interfere.
No one dared to make a move against the Land of Waves or the Sea Country.
Especially the Sea Country. They had a past contract with the Land of Water, hiring its ninjas for protection.
But when the Land of Water started running low on manpower, they simply abandoned the deal.
Now, with the Sea Country siding with Shanks, the Land of Water had no way to do anything about it.
Of course, Kakashi refused to believe that the pirates in this region weren't somehow connected to the Land of Water.
The Daimyo might be easier to deal with, but Terumi Mei… there was no doubt she had her own people planted here.
"So, Jiraiya-sama, why did you go to Kirigakure? What was the reason?" Kakashi asked.
"It's something big—it's about the formation of the World Government.
Because of the increasing threat, many smaller nations are being harassed by pirates and have turned to the Five Great Nations for protection.
So, the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations, along with the leaders of various smaller nations, have come together to discuss forming a World Government."
"The highest position in the World Government will be held by the five Kage, who will be known as the Five Elders.
The current plan is for the Five Elders to have both the status of a Kage and the rank of world nobility, granting them all the privileges that come with it."
"All the privileges?"
Kakashi immediately caught the key point—noble power? That wasn't something ninjas usually cared about. In fact, they had the ability to eliminate the nobles entirely.
But now, things seemed different.
"Did something happen?"
Kakashi asked seriously. It had to be something big; otherwise, the so-called World Government wouldn't allow nobles to get involved.
"There are some... very serious matters at play. I can't say too much yet, as things are still being arranged. But above the world nobles, there are others."
"They are incredibly powerful and have always worked to protect the nobles' power and interests. They themselves are part of the nobility."
"So for now, both sides have reached a compromise. The ninja villages will have greater military strength, while the world nobles will also have a role in this new system.
This is the plan they've come up with. Take a look."
Jiraiya pulled out a stack of documents. Even the traditional intelligence scrolls had been replaced with something new.
And it had to be said—when the strategists of the Five Great Ninja Villages and the brightest minds among the nobles worked together, they were capable of coming up with something significant.
"A world Marine force will be established to fight against pirates, and the Marine ranks will be restructured.
Jōnin will be classified as Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, and Commodore.
Chūnin will be ranked as Captain, Commander, and Lieutenant Commander.
Genin will be divided into Lieutenant, Sub-Lieutenant, Ensign, and Warrant Officer.
Ordinary Marines will be regular soldiers."
As Kakashi looked at the document, something clicked in his mind, and his brows furrowed.
On the surface, this seemed like a detailed reclassification of ninja ranks. But in reality, it was a way to distribute noble power among the ninja.
The lowest-ranked Marines would be the ones getting the worst deal.
Meanwhile, as long as a ninja graduated from the academy, they would be in charge of leading those ordinary Marines into battle against pirates.
"A lot of people have agreed to this, haven't they?"
Kakashi looked up at Jiraiya. Jiraiya took a bite of fish, pausing for a moment.
"That's right. Most people have agreed."
Jiraiya nodded. And when he said "most people," that included many within Konohagakure. In fact, around ninety percent of the ninjas supported this plan.
There was no other choice—the offer was too tempting.
Power was something everyone wanted, after all. And beyond that, there was another major factor—this system would allow certain ninja clans to move beyond the villages.
Rather than staying in the village and living in constant fear, why not take this chance to step out into the world?
The arrival of this new era didn't just awaken ambition among ordinary people—it also stirred up the ambitions of certain ninja clans.
If Kirigakure Village could expand its influence, why couldn't the ninja clans do the same? Of course, for now, tensions hadn't erupted. The ninja villages and clans were still fighting for the sake of stability in the ninja world.
On the surface, it looked like both sides were compromising, but in reality, they were tying themselves even more closely together.
At least in the short term, conflicts between the ninjas and nobles would be kept under control. This was one of the changes brought by the sages.
"This is turning into a problem."
"It's not a small problem. The World Government will take at least three or four months to be fully established. Until then, the New World is likely to be unstable. So for now, it's best to avoid entering the New World."
"For now, we just need to keep a close eye on the other ninja villages."
Jiraiya said. Before coming here, Shikaku had already briefed him on many things. From the start, Shikaku had been preparing for this moment.
The establishment of the World Government would inevitably suppress the power of ninjas. On the surface, it might look like both sides were making compromises, but over time, the world's nobles would become true aristocrats.
To put it simply, Shikaku saw this more clearly than anyone else. And since he was born into a ninja clan, he wasn't interested in short-term benefits.
Under this system, Shikaku had naturally made his own plans—starting with arrangements for the lowest ranks of the Marines.
Ninjas wouldn't serve as enforcers for these nobles. As for power? That could still be negotiated once the sages revealed themselves.
But if the sages were gone… then things would be uncertain.
Of course, Shikaku didn't explain all of this to Jiraiya.
"Kumogakure has already made contact with the Land of Snow and has begun developing weapons. They even have plans to build a sea railway in the North Sea.
Raikage previously had dealings with Dark. Kumogakure has been quiet for a while now, which likely means they've extended their influence into the New World. That's something we need to keep an eye on."
"Another issue is the samurai of the Land of Iron. They've formed a bounty hunter organization in the North Sea region, and it's growing stronger. They've even started working with the old black-market bounty hunters."
Jiraiya shared this intel with Kakashi—these were major developments happening recently.
This was information from the inland regions.
Even though things seemed calm in the ninja world, in reality, everyone was making moves.
Every nation was preparing in its own way.
"So, what do I need to do next? Did Shikaku say anything about that?"
"Huh? No, he didn't."
"But he did say… since you're the future Hokage, I should stop by after going to Kirigakure and pass on this information to you, so you understand what's going on in the ninja world right now."
Jiraiya answered directly. The situation in the ninja world was changing rapidly, and Kakashi needed to stay informed.
Kakashi's role was clear—he had to step up when the time came. How exactly he would do that was still unknown.
But if things really escalated into direct conflict with the nobles, Kakashi would be leading the charge, and there would be no avoiding bloodshed.
These reports were also a reminder—other nations were something he had to watch closely as well.
"Any changes in the Land of Earth or the Land of Wind?"
"The Land of Wind? Pretty much the same.
But recently, that kid Gaara entered one of the Three Great Sacred Lands."
Jiraiya said.
"Gaara?"
Hearing Gaara's name, Naruto and Sasuke were both surprised. That guy had actually entered one of the Three Great Sacred Lands.
"Yeah. The Land of Wind needs someone to step up, and Gaara is the best choice. The elite from every village can train in the Sacred Lands.
As for the Land of Earth, there haven't been any big moves. It's about the same as the Land of Wind. Oonoki is getting old and focusing on training his successor."
Jiraiya found it strange. Other villages didn't seem to be struggling as much as Konoha.
Konoha had gone through so much, yet when looking at the big picture, it still had more capable people than any other village. It was almost ridiculous.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth were both in a transition phase. The Land of Water was in even worse shape—Kirigakure was practically falling apart.
Only Konoha and Kumogakure were still thriving.
That's why the creation of the World Government had become inevitable. In this new era, the ninja villages were starting to seem powerless.
"I understand."
Kakashi nodded. He had a clear picture of the overall situation now. He also knew what Konoha was planning.
For now, all he had to do was wait for the right moment.
The current situation is still unclear, so we can only wait for now.
"Jiraiya-sensei, when can I start training in the Three Great Sacred Lands?"
Naruto asked eagerly, but Jiraiya just shoved his half-eaten fish into Naruto's mouth.
"Wait until you improve your Observation Haki first. What's the rush?
Your time hasn't come yet!"
Jiraiya brushed Naruto off with a few words—the same thing he had told Sasuke. Otherwise, who knew what these two would do after being provoked by Gaara?
...
Late at night, Kakashi came up to the deck again. Jiraiya stood beside him and spoke seriously.
"The movements of the Five Great Ninja Villages and the Five Great Nations are just minor matters. The real storm of this era revolves around that man."
"I know. So, does the power once held by the ancient nobility also have something to do with Shanks?"
"It's somewhat related. Up ahead, even bigger events are bound to unfold in the New World.
Shikaku's advice is for you all to stay out of it."
Jiraiya said this, trying to shift attention away from Shanks and back to the Five Great Nations.
"And what about you, Jiraiya-sama?"
"I'm heading to the New World. So from now on, Naruto is your responsibility."
With that, Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and soared into the night sky.
He had no idea what was about to happen in the New World, but...
Something terrifying was definitely coming.
It was only after returning from the Land of Fire that Jiraiya suddenly realized he had forgotten something—information about the "Otsutsuki Clan."
So now, all he could do was pin his hopes on the New World.
"Hopefully, I can get some clues from Shanks..."
A sense of unease loomed in Jiraiya's heart.
The New World... was in chaos.
The "Golden Lion," who had lived for thousands of years, maybe even longer...
The many sages buried by history...
The vast dragon veins hidden from the world...
All of this was beyond what Jiraiya could handle alone.
"I hope... everything will be okay."
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