Shisui forced himself to respond. He wasn't sure what was happening, but from the looks of it, Konohagakure's direction now aligned with the current state of the ninja world.
"This must be Nara Shikaku's decision. After the entire leadership of Konohagakure was replaced, only the Nara clan had the ability to step up and take charge."
Then, Shisui continued,
"But doing this also brings danger to Konohagakure."
Having large roots is naturally beneficial for a big tree, but as the root system grows stronger, new trunks can sprout from it.
The same roots won't just grow a single tree.
"That's where you're wrong, Shisui."
"As an outsider, you only see the crisis Konoha is facing, but in reality, the ninja world has even greater dangers. That's why Konoha is taking risks. To be precise, this isn't even a real risk. Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, probably only Nara Shikaku could come up with something like this."
Shanks watched the "new recruits" at the training camp and spoke with a smile.
His intelligence wasn't anything special, but his perspective was far beyond that of the people in the ninja world. Many things could be traced back to history if you knew where to look.
What Nara Shikaku was doing now had already broken the long-standing norm of the ninja world—the idea of fighting for the so-called "village."
"A crisis? Captain, are you talking about yourself?"
"Not me, but the era that started because of me."
"When I let go of revenge, my personal will no longer mattered. But when I became one of the Four Emperors and left three vacant positions in the ninja world…"
"I was telling the world that if I could do it, then so could they."
"The man who ushers in a new era is just the guide, not the one who holds it back."
Shanks explained with a smile. With his current strength, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could dominate this era.
But what's the point of domination? To become another Senju Hashirama? Another Uchiha Madara?
That's ridiculous. From the beginning, Shanks never wanted to be the so-called "strongest."
Back when he thought he was in the world of pirates, the thing he wanted most was to see the ocean and meet the great figures of his time.
Do you understand what it means to witness the rise of heroes in the present day?
Even now, knowing this world is the ninja world, does it really matter when there are so many powerful figures?
Since I have opened a new era for the ninja world, let me see how far all of you can go.
In the era I have paved the way for, let's see where you all end up.
Feeling the aura coming from Shanks, Shisui was momentarily stunned. He couldn't sense it clearly, but he understood one thing—the seemingly carefree captain before him had a presence unmatched by anyone else in the ninja world.
This was a man who had broken free from the constraints of his time, a man so powerful that even Shisui couldn't grasp his full strength.
"And that's why…"
"If they want to survive in this era, these villages and nations must change. They, who were once shackles themselves, now have no choice but to remove those chains."
Otherwise, the pirates of the new era will destroy the entire ninja world."
"Of course, that's not really my problem. After all, I have no personal grudge against the ninja villages."
Shanks shrugged. He really couldn't take responsibility for any of this. As far as he was concerned, anything related to the ninja villages had nothing to do with him.
Everyone assumed he had a grudge against Konoha because of his connection to the Uzumaki clan. Some even believed that the Third Hokage's death and Danzo's downfall were partially due to the Uzumaki clan.
But Shanks insisted he had nothing to do with the Uzumaki clan. He had even lost the abilities of their bloodline.
Not that anyone would believe him if he said that. So Shanks just went along with it—fine, let them think whatever they want.
"With your kind of mindset, Captain, of course, you wouldn't care about personal grudges. But others might not think the same way."
Shisui sighed. He believed Shanks' words, but that didn't mean others would.
"Danzo has reportedly defected, and some of the Root ninjas have followed him."
Shisui reminded him. Shanks might not care, but Danzo certainly would.
Konohagakure ended up like this, and to be honest, most people would put at least half the blame on Shanks.
But Danzo? He would put all the blame on Shanks. Shisui didn't believe for a second that Danzo wouldn't try to get revenge.
His words were meant as a warning to Shanks.
A man like Shanks wouldn't stoop to petty tricks, but the ninja world wasn't full of people like him. In fact, there were far more people like Danzo.
"Danzo, huh? If that guy isn't wiped out by this era, then sooner or later, he'll have to stand before me fair and square."
"If he doesn't even have the right to stand before me, then he's not worth worrying about."
Shanks responded casually, but his eyes were more focused on the training field.
"The flames of justice are starting to burn in the ninja world too… It doesn't even feel like the ninja world anymore, does it?"
That was what Shanks found so ridiculous.
This was supposed to be the ninja world, yet under these influences, it was looking more and more like the pirate world.
Just look—there was even a Marine-like organization taking shape.
The ninja world used to be about wars between villages, built on bonds and friendships.
But now? The massive concept of "justice" was beginning to replace those old ideals.
Once "justice" grew big enough, the borders between villages would start to fade.
This wasn't just about breaking down the barriers between ninja clans and ordinary shinobi—it was about shattering the very chains that had defined the ninja era.
"So… this is justice?"
Shisui couldn't see, but as he listened to the voices of the "soldiers" in the training field, he couldn't help but smile.
This kind of "flame" was the true Will of Fire—not for the sake of the village, but to protect more people.
"That's right. This is justice!"
Shanks grinned, feeling good about it.
Even as a pirate, he knew full well that "justice" was something meant to go against people like him.
But at this moment, the two of them were witnessing something incredible—the birth of something new.
And in truth, that was exactly what was happening.
Both Shanks and Shisui knew that things could change. Shisui, especially, understood that firsthand.
"Justice can change too, right, Captain?"
"It can. But for now, what we're seeing is the purest form of justice."
"The new era… doesn't look too bad, does it?"
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