To be honest, Master Genichi held a highly respected position among the sages, and his strength and character were outstanding. In fact, it was only because of his presence back then that Fukuda Kiyomu eventually calmed down.
You could say Master Genichi had never asked anyone for help in hundreds of years. His deep foresight and steady nature had always been the strongest support for all the sages.
If Shanks hadn't appeared, Master Genichi could have continued to lead the sages even in the Boruto era, keeping them hidden in the shadows of history.
Until the Otsutsuki clan forced the Sage of Six Paths, buried deep in the world's will, to fully emerge—then gather all the sages' strength to break the shackles he had placed on them.
It might sound far-fetched, but Master Genichi had the ability to make it happen. At least from the wisdom he had shown so far, he absolutely had the means to use the Otsutsuki clan to free the sages from the Sage of Six Paths' restraints.
But right now, Master Genichi had no choice. He wasn't ready—or rather, even if he was, it wouldn't matter.
The immense benefit before him was something he couldn't give up. Even if it meant dying, he would still fight for it.
If he was afraid, then he wouldn't be the Master Genichi who had led the sages for centuries and earned their deep respect.
For the sky-high possibility, for the true ascension that would break the world's limits, Master Genichi was willing to make his life the stepping stone for those who would come after, so they could climb to even greater heights.
He had caught a glimpse of the greater power born from the fall of a sage—the true ascension of the sages.
Shanks had the resolve to be the stepping stone for others. How could Master Genichi back down?
Yet, seeing the man who had made up his mind, even kneeling before him, Fukuda Kiyomu felt a tight heaviness in his chest.
"Help you this time? That means I'll have to risk my life for you?"
"Since I've seen it, I know what it is. You'll die, Genichi!"
Fukuda Kiyomu clenched his fists so hard that cracks formed in the air around them. He was struggling to hold back his fury.
But when he heard Fukuda's words, Master Genichi froze for a moment.
"But… haven't you already been ready to die for a long time? And even if you can see how strong Shanks is, you wouldn't back down, right?"
"Is that the same thing, you idiot?!"
Hearing this, Fukuda Kiyomu grabbed Master Genichi off the ground in a burst of anger.
"You think I'd sacrifice myself for those fools? They don't even have the ability to face me. What use are those weaklings?
And even if we succeed, so what? Even if they have a once-in-a-millennium talent, so what?
Even if they could use the power of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, using the strength of commoners to reach a level equal to the heavens, do you really think they'd be able to push further after seeing Shanks' true power, relying only on their own strength?"
"…"
Fukuda's words left Master Genichi silent. He was speaking the truth—but deep down, Master Genichi still hoped such a person could exist.
"I understand. From the beginning, the Earthly Sage Kingdom has already set the limit for all sages.
By borrowing more power, they can push the strength of the sages to a higher level, becoming as strong as the heavens themselves—but in this process, the strength they gather doesn't truly come from within.
So they'll be held back.
And even if someone becomes a Jinchuriki of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, breaking free from it is even harder.
However…"
"From the very start, I already knew the Earthly Sage Kingdom would eventually collapse."
When Master Genichi said this, his voice grew quiet.
In that moment, the once young genius—the warrior with grand ambitions who wanted to break the shackles of the Six Paths for all immortals—seemed to have aged all at once.
An air of frailty and the weariness of old age poured off him.
The only reason he had held on this long was because, after centuries of effort, he had seen that even these so-called lofty immortals were nothing more than chickens and ducks locked inside a cage.
What was even sadder was that the lock on this cage was one they had placed on themselves.
Bang!
Fukuda Kiyomu let go, and Master Genichi's frail body fell to the ground. He sat there, and the previously furious Fukuda Kiyomu also sat down.
Both were old now—one thin and bony, the other big and broad—but both undeniably aged.
"All the other immortals want me dead, because I'm the only madman to appear in thousands of years.
Locked up long enough, someone is bound to go mad. But what they don't know is that you, Genichi, are even more insane than I am."
"So… you're just giving up?"
Fukuda Kiyomu questioned. It wasn't that he looked down on Genichi—Genichi was the only one he truly respected.
"I gave up from the very beginning.
But rather than giving up, it's more like I saw the outcome of failure in advance."
"The rules of the Earthly Sage Kingdom are fine—just like the rules of the Sage of Six Paths—but over time, we've gradually broken free of those restraints.
And the future of the Earthly Sage Kingdom? Once its rules are broken, the whole thing will be in danger of collapsing."
"And this… is the last strength I've left for them.
I've done everything I can. The only thing in this world capable of collapsing the Earthly Sage Kingdom… is the will of the New World."
Master Genichi spoke calmly, looking like a man already dead.
He knew those immortals weren't worthy—not of his sacrifice, nor of Fukuda Kiyomu's.
This generation of immortals was still fine, but what about the future? The future would inevitably breed many rotten ones.
Because the way the Earthly Sage Kingdom was built meant that once the path upward was opened, filth from below would slowly infect the entire nation.
And when that happened, once the rules were disturbed and the Earthly Sage Kingdom was no longer recognized by the world's will, collapse would be near.
"But the collapse… can only start from the bottom. And once the will of the New World appears at its foundation—
The collapsing Earthly Sage Kingdom will erupt with even greater power. Immortals will die, but under the influence of the New World's will, it will, through this collapse, reach a higher level."
"I just hope… that in the future, someone can reach that level!"
The light was gone from Master Genichi's eyes.
He had foreseen his own failure—not losing to himself, but to the future.
The fall of the Earthly Sage Kingdom was inevitable, and so was defeat. He had seen too far ahead, and planned too far ahead.
"So… you're ready to sacrifice all the immortals of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, and even the entire nation itself, just for the chance that… in the end, a few will emerge who can break through the limits?"
Fukuda Kiyomu asked.
He admitted that Genichi had failed—and failed completely.
But the man before him was still the Genichi he knew—far-sighted, frighteningly intelligent… and also… utterly ruthless.
"Our sacrifice isn't for them.
"Because… they will also be sacrificed. The entire Land of Earthly Sage Kingdom will collapse…"
"But if we can reach the power beyond this world, then the sacrifice and collapse of the Land of Earthly Sage Kingdom could allow a very small number of immortals to reach a higher level—breaking free from the limits of this world."
Genichi's voice sent a chill down Fukuda Kiyomu's spine.
The entire Land of Earthly Sage Kingdom collapsing…
By then, it wouldn't just be immortals who died.
It would be millions—tens of millions—within the Land of Earthly Sage Kingdom.
The whole world would turn into a living hell, and from that collapse, even stronger immortals would be born.
But the cost… was too terrifying.
So terrifying that Fukuda Kiyomu felt his heart turn cold.
It was exactly because of this that Genichi seemed like a man already dead—because the future they had seen was too far, too distant.
And Fukuda Kiyomu was the same.
Reality was far more frightening and harder to accept than anything they had imagined.
Even knowing the final outcome would be failure, they still had to try.
From the very first step they took, they were doomed to fail. But Genichi still wanted to pull Fukuda Kiyomu along to face Shanks.
For the sake of the entire Land of Earthly Sage Kingdom… for that ending that was destined to fail.
And their sacrifice and persistence might not even achieve that failed result.
Such a pitiful ending—and such a helpless one.
"From the very beginning, we were destined to lose.
Because we were bound…"
"It's not because the immortals are useless, nor because of anything else… It's because I'm not as good as Shanks."
Genichi spoke with helplessness. He knew that what he was doing was shameless—at least from Fukuda Kiyomu's point of view.
He was making the man in front of him sacrifice himself for a humiliating ending and humiliating deeds.
"What kind of nonsense are you saying?!"
"I'm telling the truth.
I'm bound—bound by my identity as an immortal… But Shanks has the courage to embrace everything. That's why I'm destined to lose.
Still, I brought this on myself."
At that moment, Genichi understood—but even so, he couldn't choose another path.
"So even if you won't help—"
"I'm not the kind of man who fears death."
"If we already know how this gamble will end, then we just have to kill Shanks, the dealer.
If those people are all going to die, then let them give their all in this battle. At least let me see if they're worthy."
Fukuda Kiyomu walked toward the door. He seemed to have made up his mind, but… he didn't dare meet Genichi's eyes.
Genichi also kept his head down—he didn't want to look at Fukuda Kiyomu.
Firelight spilled in from outside the door, casting a long shadow behind Fukuda Kiyomu. On the two old men's shoulders lay nothing but the helplessness of old age.
"Master Genichi!!"
A sage ran over in a hurry, and Genichi got up and went to the door.
"Master Genichi, Ashura and Indra have appeared. They are the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Uzumaki Nagato, and the Revolutionary Army officer, Uchiha Itachi.
Some of our troops have already been attacked. Should we send reinforcements back?"
"So it's the Revolutionary Army? I knew it wasn't Shisui. Indra's power couldn't possibly be that strong."
Genichi nodded.
"Alright, I'll take care of it."
For Genichi and Fukuda Kiyomu, this was just a small matter, nothing worth worrying about.
"I'm heading out too. You handle the rest."
"Let's hope… nothing else goes wrong."
Fukuda Kiyomu said coldly.
Right now, if we talk about accidents, the biggest one would be the Sage of Six Paths. In fact, if he showed up, it might even be a good thing.
After all, this war was one that he and Genichi would have to risk their lives for.
And honestly, risking their lives for that bunch of useless people was a bit ridiculous.
Fukuda Kiyomu strode away. Behind him, Master Genichi said nothing, but his expression changed instantly, a flash of cold ruthlessness in his eyes.
He was harsh on himself, and just as harsh on others.
Meanwhile, on the Red Line in the New World, Shanks, Shisui, and Jiraiya were eating barbecue while looking at the moon.
"By the way, are you sure there's no problem now?"
"No problem. I was only meant to be a source in the first place. Now that the New World's will has spread to all parts of the shinobi world, we just need to wait for the Dragon Vein to fully erupt."
"But after thousands of years of buildup, it's probably not going to stabilize anytime soon."
Shanks took a bite of grilled meat, while Jiraiya kept looking at the moon through a telescope.
"Shanks, is it true the Hyuga clan has a branch on the moon?"
"Yeah. They're the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother. They're not as strong as the Uzumaki, Uchiha, or Senju clans, but they're still pretty powerful.
And living on the moon isn't a problem. Just using a bit of Grail Stone, they can create a livable area there."
Shanks said. This kind of thing used to sound strange, but now with the Grail Stone explanation, and knowing that Sky Island exists, it didn't seem so strange anymore.
"Still, the moon did look a bit odd just now. The sages have plenty of secret techniques, after all."
Jiraiya put away his telescope, unable to figure it out.
"But Jiraiya-sama, is it really okay for you to be following us?"
Shisui couldn't help but ask. Jiraiya didn't seem nervous at all, even though he was a sage.
"Huh? It's fine. I'm only representing myself, not the Three Great Holy Land or Konohagakure.
Also…"
Jiraiya pulled out a bunch of things from a scroll.
"Even though we don't have proof yet, there's definitely bad blood between ninjas and sages. And my teacher's death was very suspicious.
On top of that, with what happened to the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans, me taking action isn't a problem. At least this time, it's not."
Jiraiya said. He might not have the full picture, but he wasn't completely clueless about politics.
In this fight, he only wanted to see if he could force certain things to come out.
As for the rest, Jiraiya didn't think much about it—Shanks was here anyway.
And with Shisui here, Shanks believed nothing would go wrong in the details.
Shisui looked at the confident Shanks and Jiraiya—one was the strongest man, the other an immortal insider. Things were solid.
The three of them kept eating grilled meat under the moon.
Sometimes, trust between comrades is just that plain and simple…
Of course, it's still built on their strength and wisdom—but that's when they're apart.
At this moment, up on the moon, pairs of white eyes were watching the ninja world.
"The fight between the branch family and the main family ends here…"
"It's time to head to the ninja world!"
---
You can read 50 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu