Chapter 89: A Fateful Encounter

"I… I…" 

Mitsume Ryuuya was completely stunned. How could he dare? This was Four Emperors Shanks. 

But before he could respond, another voice spoke. 

"I just wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of man could change an entire era." 

Shisui stepped forward from the distance. 

Shanks' Observation Haki had already covered the entire town, and in this place, the only person worth his attention was the young man standing before him—one who had lost both of his eyes. 

Hearing Shisui's words, Shanks grinned. 

"What's so special about a pirate? If you really want to see something, why not sail the seas and witness the great figures of this era?" 

"That's exactly what I intend to do." 

Shisui's reply made Shanks pause for a moment—he understood what Shisui was implying. 

"Sticking with me is going to be dangerous." 

"A person can't just run away every time they see danger, can they?" 

Shisui didn't answer Shanks directly, but his words carried his pride. 

He had never once feared danger. 

A man who should have died long ago had chosen to return to the ninja world—not to hide, but to witness this new era with his own eyes. 

And now, the time had come. 

"Hahaha!!" 

"If you don't mind having a drunk like me around, then come with me to the New World. Let's see for ourselves the dawn of this new age in the ninja world." 

Shanks extended his fist, and a smile appeared on Shisui's face. 

Their fists bumped together. 

"This blind man will be counting on you from now on, Captain." 

"Being blind doesn't mean you can't see. By the way, what's your name?" 

"Shisui. Uchiha Shisui." 

Hearing that name, Shanks was momentarily taken aback. 

"I thought you were dead." 

"Jumping off a cliff and dying aren't the same thing, Captain Shanks." 

The two continued chatting as they disappeared down the street. 

Though it was their first meeting, it felt as if they were long-lost comrades. 

Shisui had always been an idealist—he carried on the Will of Fire, passed down since Tobirama's time. 

But after his "suicide," he had truly gained clarity. 

Both his will and his wisdom had surpassed who he once was. 

Because of that, he had seen the inevitable downfall of Konohagakure. 

Or rather, the fate of the entire ninja world. 

Konohagakure had never lacked geniuses—Nara Shikaku was one of them. 

Shikaku's intelligence far exceeded Shisui's. 

But their beliefs were different. 

One had already abandoned everything. 

The other had not.

The other man, however, was a strategist burdened with the fate of three clans. 

Because of the responsibilities of the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, Shikaku's focus never went beyond Konohagakure. There was no way he could abandon everything his clans had built just to chase after some vague ideal. 

That was the difference between Shisui and Shikaku. 

And after Shisui had his "awakening," what he saw was the inevitable downfall of the entire ninja world. He even caught a glimpse of the shadow lurking behind it all. 

But against such a fate, even Shisui was powerless. 

Many people fall into this kind of paradox—the smarter someone is, the more they realize how much they don't know. 

A fool who doesn't even understand that one plus one equals two won't even think to ask how much two plus two is. 

On the other hand, the wiser someone is, the more aware they become of their own ignorance. 

So, after leaping off that cliff, Shisui "died." 

Generations of knowledge had given him the ability to see the whole picture, and from what he saw, changing the ninja world was nothing more than a hopeless fantasy. 

But then, a group of pirates barged into Shisui's life. 

It was through them that he first heard the name Shanks. 

Changing the ninja world? A ridiculous idea. 

But what Shanks was doing left even Shisui speechless—because this guy wasn't just trying to change the rules; he was flipping the entire table. 

Fine. So the game was unwinnable? Then nobody plays. Reset everything from scratch. 

Shanks' version of a "reset" was completely different from Shisui's. 

To put it simply, before Shanks showed up, the ninja world had already been reset multiple times. 

Their idea of a reset was, this game is unplayable now—delete the save file and start over. 

Shanks' way was, I'm rolling out a massive update. Your old saves? Still playable, but parts of them will be wiped out as the world changes. 

From a gamer's perspective, there were two reactions. 

One group was the old-school ninjas—the top players of the old era. They had grinded for years, finally becoming the big bosses of the server. 

And now? Someone suddenly announces a game update. 

How do you think those ninjas felt about Shanks? They wanted him dead, plain and simple. 

And the pirates? The game had just gotten a fresh update, complete with premium content. Of course, they were all in—betting everything they had. 

The other pirates might hesitate, but Orochimaru? He went all in with both hands. 

As for Shisui? Everything Nara Shikaku had figured out, Shisui could see just as clearly. 

The deadlock that had trapped the ninja world for generations—Shanks had shattered it with sheer power, forcing a new era into existence. 

From the very start, the only person Shisui recognized was the man already standing at the forefront of this new age. 

And feeling the confidence and pride in Shisui, Shanks instantly felt a connection with him. 

Meanwhile, Ross was crying in the corner. The Shisui he had been longing to meet had barely spoken to him before boarding Shanks' ship without a second thought. 

After Shanks and Shisui left, the people in the tavern also stepped outside. 

No one paid any attention to the ninja, Mitsume Ryuuya, who lay collapsed on the ground. 

The only one who spared him a glance was a man who had seemed like just another background character. He was a local thug, and having the chance to work for a ninja had made him feel important. 

But now, looking at Mitsume Ryuuya, who was sobbing uncontrollably, the man felt a hint of disdain. 

So this was what a so-called ninja really was? Nothing special. 

"Who is that red-haired man?" he muttered. "Even the ninjas were too afraid to touch him." 

Grabbing a bottle from a nearby drinker, he took a sip, finally soothing his dry throat. 

"Someone like you shouldn't even be thinking about it," the man next to him scoffed, pulling out a wanted poster. 

"That man… he's the strongest in this new era."

"Four Emperors... Shanks!" 

"His bounty... 1... 1.5 billion?!" 

"That man is the only Four Emperors left in the world right now. The other three seats are still empty. 

And Shanks, as the only Four Emperors, might as well be called the Pirate King." 

The tavern guests went back inside. Matters of such powerful people had nothing to do with small-time folks like them. 

"Pirate... King?" 

The man outside, holding a bottle of liquor, stared at the wanted poster in his hand. He was lost in thought, especially when he recalled those ninjas—who didn't even have the courage to make a move against Shanks. 

This is the Pirate King… 

Ordinary people didn't even have the right to challenge a man like him. 

"The strongest man of the new era?" 

"If a drunk man like him can become the strongest man of the new era, then maybe I, Higgs, can too." 

"If you can be the Pirate King, then why can't I be the Mountain Bandit King?" 

The man turned and walked into the tavern, heading straight to the bar. He sat down in the same seat Shanks had been in. 

He slapped the wanted poster onto the table. 

"If Shanks can do it, then I, Higgs, can too. There's nothing wrong with the ninja world having a Mountain Bandit King." 

"Higgs, isn't it good enough just staying in town?" 

"I've had enough of that. I want to be one of the strongest in the New World. If Shanks can sit in this seat, so can I!" 

The bartender poured the last of his drink into Higgs' bottle, then sealed it with a wooden cork. 

"That'll be ten silver taels." 

Hearing that, Higgs awkwardly reached for his money. 

But seeing his hesitation, the bartender pulled the bottle back. 

"Come back and get this bottle when you bring me your own wanted poster." 

Hearing that, Higgs put his money away and looked at the bartender. 

"Alright, keep it here. When I become the Mountain Bandit King, I'll come back for it." 

With that, Higgs turned and left. 

Shanks' figure remained in his mind. 

Those "ninjas," those so-called big shots, were nothing in front of the true powerhouses of this new era. 

People need dreams. 

And Higgs was already far stronger than those ninjas who were scared out of their minds by Shanks. 

The title of Mountain Bandit King—he was claiming it for himself! 

No one in the tavern laughed at his ambition. 

In this new era, those who set sail were all warriors of their time. 

Even the smallest of people, once they stepped into the sea with their dreams and ambitions, became as vast as the ocean itself. 

This was the new era. 

The era that man had created. 

Meanwhile, on the other side—once Shanks realized the young man in front of him was Shisui, things became much simpler. 

"You want to enter the Uchiha clan's territory?" 

"Before Kagami passed away, he told me about a place. That place might have what you're looking for, Captain." 

Shisui said. 

"And now is the best time, so we need to move fast." 

"Are we leaving now?" 

Since Shisui had already made up his mind, Shanks had no intention of delaying things. If they waited until Konohagakure recovered, sneaking in again wouldn't be so easy. 

"We leave now. When Gato and his people arrive, they can back us up." 

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