From the start, Tsunade hadn't planned to say anything.
The Five Great Nations had already worked things out among themselves. And as for the complicated ties between Konohagakure and the nobles of the Land of Fire, Nara Shikaku and Kurotsuchi had already taken care of all the arrangements.
As Hokage, she didn't need to do anything.
Tsunade had long gotten used to this setup.
That calm, composed style of the old Hokages—this is how a Hokage should be.
So Tsunade didn't feel involved in the meeting at all. She went straight to her seat, took a couple of sips of sake, and started dozing off.
Suddenly, someone called her name, and she immediately jumped to her feet like a reflex.
"Huh... what?"
Seeing Tsunade with drool still hanging from the corner of her mouth, everyone who was about to speak ended up holding their words back.
"Wh-what is it?"
Tsunade rubbed her eyes in confusion and finally noticed everyone staring at her—and one person still standing: Raikage.
Sitting behind her, Kitsuchi and Nara Shikaku both looked serious, but the corners of their mouths were twitching—they were clearly holding back hard.
They had told Tsunade she didn't need to do anything, and she really did nothing at all. Could she be any more laid-back?
And seriously, in such an important setting, Hokage-sama, could you at least try to show some respect?
"Huh? Raikage, why are you still standing? Sit down, go ahead."
When she saw no one responding, Tsunade sat back down and got ready to lie down again.
At this point, someone else was clearly fed up.
Terumi Mei honestly couldn't believe how ridiculous Tsunade was. They were all women, but some of them had to manage their villages, take care of diplomacy, expand their military presence, and constantly maintain their own strength.
And yet, some people didn't have to do a thing.
"How could someone be this dumb? Did all her brains go somewhere else?"
Terumi Mei muttered through gritted teeth.
She didn't say it loud, but the room was dead silent, so Tsunade heard her loud and clear.
Tsunade frowned slightly when she heard it.
Then, without saying a word—
She straightened up and deliberately rested her two "big brains" right on the table, then lazily propped her chin up with one hand while staring at Terumi Mei with a puzzled look.
There was no emotion in her eyes.
People say if no one's jealous of you, you're probably not good at anything. Well, Terumi Mei, if you've got it, then bring it. Can you even?
"..."
Faced with such a blatantly provoking move, Terumi Mei's forehead veins started popping.
"Tsunade, don't push it!!"
"What did I do? I didn't do anything."
Tsunade shrugged, totally used to slacking off. Don't come to her with problems.
"Okay, okay, calm down, Mizukage-sama, take it easy. Raikage-sama, please sit, sit. Let's all talk this out calmly!"
At that moment, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire stepped forward with a big smile.
Since Tsunade wouldn't lift a finger, he had no choice but to step in. Even if there were conflicting interests on both sides, Tsunade making a fool of herself was a blow to the Land of Fire's image too.
"About why Uzumaki Naruto is the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools, I hope everyone can understand.
As far as I know, the Uzumaki clan only has four people left now."
"Besides Shanks, there's one more.
And that's Nagato, the leader of the Revolutionary Army. I think we all know what kind of group that is—it's taken in many rogue ninjas and secretly overthrown several countries."
"To maintain peace and justice under the World Government, the Revolutionary Army is one of our targets too."
"So we're handling Nagato the same way we did with Shanks—just keeping his noble status as a member of the Uzumaki clan."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire spoke slowly. Honestly, everyone knew the truth—there were only four members of the Uzumaki clan left.
Three of them had red hair, and none of them were good people. That left just one blond. You think they don't realize this is basically NTR?
There's nothing they can do about it.
"As for the other one—Uzumaki Karin."
"Her wanted poster is still here. In my opinion, Karin isn't fit to be the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools either."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire smiled as he spoke.
The revival of the Land of Whirlpools meant taking back some land from the Land of Fire. It wasn't much, but still, it was something.
Now it was under Konohagakure's control, and since they were all part of the same group, it was considered an internal matter.
"You're full of crap!"
Raikage slammed the table again at the Daimyo's words.
"How do you know Karin's a pirate? Does anyone here actually have proof that Uzumaki Karin is a pirate?"
"If I remember right, Uzumaki Karin was a ninja from the Land of Grass. She went missing after the fall of Konohagakure.
A young girl like that—how could she possibly be a pirate?"
Raikage didn't care at all. He was just here to stir things up.
And people already saw him as someone with no filter or brain, so even if he was just causing trouble, no one could really stop him.
Once he spoke up, the Daimyo of the Land of Thunder smiled too.
"He's right.
Karin disappeared from Konohagakure—shouldn't that be Konohagakure's fault? Shouldn't that be the Land of Fire's responsibility?"
"I just don't believe a kid like her would willingly become a pirate."
"I think the same. Her eyes are so clear, so full of longing for freedom.
She must have been forced by those pirates."
Now that someone had broken the silence, others started to chime in too.
Evidence?
Of course they needed evidence. If there wasn't any proof Karin was a pirate, they'd never allow Naruto to show up here.
But come on—can't you guys actually look at Karin's wanted poster and see whose hat she's wearing?
And now suddenly everyone's changed their tune.
Right—she's wearing Shanks' hat?
Doesn't that make her the rightful heir to the Land of Whirlpools? That hat is a relic from the last ruler of the Land of Whirlpools. Isn't that proof enough?
Watching all these people lie through their teeth, Tsunade just flopped down and went back to sleep.
The rest didn't hold back either—they jumped right into the debate.
To be honest, after the world nobles reshuffled the Daimyo positions, the five great nations' Daimyo suddenly got a lot sharper.
If you say Karin isn't worthy, are you also denying Shanks' identity as a world noble and the former ruler of the Land of Whirlpools?
If you don't accept that, are you saying the Land of Fire thinks they can go against the world government?
Forget arguing—people were already calling for a vote to kick the Land of Fire out.
The other four great nations agreed right away, but the Land of Fire voted against it and shut the proposal down.
Then the arguing started again.
They were going on about how Karin was Shanks' pirate heir and how dangerous she was.
But someone just asked, "How do you even know that? Did you ask Shanks? Did you ask Karin? If you're so sure, why not bring Shanks here and ask him yourself?"
Watching the five great nations bicker like kids, Gato and Doto Kazahana were left speechless.
Luckily, after about an hour, the matter was finally settled.
They forcibly made Karin the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools, and her bounty was removed.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire sat down with a face like he was constipated, looking at the still-sleeping Tsunade and at Shikaku and Jilu standing behind her.
The Daimyo let out a long sigh.
Forget it. No need to get mad. Konohagakure isn't easy to deal with anyway. Just let it go—for now. After all, they still have someone like Jiraiya guarding the place.
Of course, the people in the meeting didn't feel like the hour was a waste. At the very least, they now understood what the noble status of the Land of Whirlpools and Shanks actually meant.
The only one who looked worried was Jilu.
He was a key figure in the Revolutionary Army, someone known for being extremely smart.
Honestly, if Jilu had gone to Nagato's side earlier, Nagato probably wouldn't be this panicked now.
This is someone on the same level as Nara Shikaku.
So Jilu instantly figured out what the world government was really doing with this move.
"Whether it's Shanks or the Revolutionary Army, both of their leaders come from the Uzumaki clan.
Now, even in a situation like this, the world government still keeps Shanks and Nagato's noble status. That one decision alone is enough to block a lot of things that could happen in the future."
Jilu didn't show much emotion on the outside, but in his mind, there was a lot to think about.
The ones who will be affected most by the arrival of this new era are the regular people.
The reason people can feel the whole world is shaking is because of the instability at the very bottom—among the common folk.
And once those people gain power, there's no doubt they'll push back against the system.
That's the real reason the world government was created—to maintain stability. But whose stability is it really?
Let's be honest: under this so-called peace, the ones who benefit most aren't the people. In the end, it's all to protect the interests of those at the top.
"Even though things haven't really changed much yet…
If a large-scale change does happen—if the lower class rises up or if the pirate alliance strikes back—it will shake the world government hard."
"Right now, the only ones who can give power to the lower class are Nagato and Shanks… but the world government still gave them noble status.
If something like that happens, their identities will definitely be used against them. They'll become the targets of social backlash."
"Just because of that, Shanks and Nagato won't really be seen as qualified leaders."
Jilu immediately realized how bad this move could be for the Revolutionary Army. It might seem unimportant now, but it's clearly a strategic play by the world government.
Sometimes it's those kinds of moves that are the scariest.
At least in Jilu's eyes, this kind of manipulation could change the whole power balance of the world.
Just reshaping the image of Shanks and Nagato was enough to mess with the global structure.
"What a pain. The ninja world really isn't what it used to be."
Jilu couldn't help but sigh. With these kinds of political games, can you even say this is the same world where everything used to be handled in small villages?
The kind of "politics" they used to talk about wasn't even as serious as kids playing pretend.
But now, with the arrival of a new era, the whole structure of the world has been shaken up. These people are now playing politics on a national scale, aiming for ideological goals.
Of course, Chiriku didn't understand this, and neither did the other Daimyo.
But with this new era, the real conflict is no longer between countries.
It has turned into a clash between ideologies, born from class struggles.
The truth is, people just haven't realized it yet. All the major changes and conflicts in the world are being shaped by these ideological divides.
It's pretty wild, but once the influence grows, this kind of thing is bound to happen.
Even Shanks didn't think of this stuff. But honestly, it didn't matter. With the brains of these pirates, do you really expect to talk to them about ideology or class conflict?
Their heads are full of seawater. It'd be a miracle if they understood anything.
Still, after thinking for a long time, Chiriku finally came up with a solution.
"Looks like we'll have to ask Nagato to get in touch with Orochimaru.
Right now, the only one who can really break the deadlock is Orochimaru. He has the status, and he's already been officially labeled by the world government.
If something big happens, we really will need Orochimaru to step up."
At this point in the ninja world, besides the Revolutionary Army and Shanks who can take on the role of a leader, the only other choice is Orochimaru.
He's strong enough, has plenty of experience, and his background... even if you dig into his past as a ninja, he was still just a regular civilian ninja.
That identity is already locked in.
You could say that in today's world government, ninjas are basically the "new nobles." But Orochimaru doesn't count. He hasn't been a ninja for a long time.
Of course, Chiriku didn't know that the Revolutionary Army had already teamed up with Orochimaru, and that Orochimaru was ready to go to war with the sages.
All in all, Orochimaru didn't fully understand all the twists and turns in this whole thing either. But somehow, he had ended up exactly where he needed to be, without a single step off track.
At that same moment, far away, the three sages of the Three Great Sacred Grounds were using secret techniques to watch the meeting.
The Three Great Sacred Grounds are different from those naturally born sages. They usually don't interfere with each other. In fact, among the sages, the Sacred Grounds still carry some respect and aren't easily targeted.
"Old Toad, see anything?"
"Not clearly. But it looks like the sages' plan worked. The founding of the world government has brought the old powers back together, now going head-to-head with the new era's will."
The Great Toad Sage said. He couldn't see things clearly either, and the White Snake Sage understood even less.
"It did work. The life force in the ninja world is growing fast. There's something going on like the Dragon Vein phenomenon spreading across the land."
"The world's will must have noticed the founding of the world government."
Slug Sage said calmly.
Her clones were spread across the ninja world, so she could clearly sense the changes happening everywhere.
It was the most effective way.
But still...
Looking at Slug Sage, who wasn't much smaller than herself, the White Snake Sage couldn't help but wonder — just how big is the real body of the slug?
"Bigger than an island."
Slug Sage replied gently.
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