Chapter 130: The World Itself Is Medicine, and It's All Bitter

The changes in the Land of Wind marked a turning point for this new era. 

It made the world truly wake up. 

And as the Five Great Nations' forces moved into the Land of Wind, the pirates there were driven out. 

Pirates were already weaker than ninjas. Without Shanks backing them, they simply couldn't compete. 

As long as the villages put in some effort, the pirates in the Land of Wind would be wiped out soon enough. 

But power and ambition would always push pirates forward, and the navigational compasses they got from the black market had now become their new guiding light. 

As for the Land of Wind's military and ninjas, they had no such worries. 

At this moment, in Sunagakure, the Land of Wind… 

Representatives of the Five Great Nations sat around a table: Granny Chiyo from Sunagakure, Ao from Kirigakure in the Land of Water, Mabui—Raikage's secretary—from Kumogakure in the Land of Thunder, Kitsuchi from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, and… Kakashi. 

"This gathering came about suddenly. Even just two months ago, I thought the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was exaggerated. 

Shanks? How could someone like him require the Five Kage to deal with? 

But now, it's clear—Shanks' power is something we all need to handle together." 

"More importantly, though, it's not just about Shanks' strength—it's about everything he represents. 

In my opinion, the Five Kage of the Five Great Nations might not even be enough to face Shanks. 

What's needed isn't just the Five Kage… but the complete unity of the Five Great Nations." 

Granny Chiyo let out a long sigh. 

At her age, she still had to step up and take charge. 

Right now, even she was starting to feel powerless.

"Chiyo-senpai, just be straight with us. This time… it's not just about our village, is it?" 

Mabui from Kumogakure spoke up. 

In the Land of Thunder, many civilians had already fled to Kumogakure to complain about their suffering. 

Considering how hard it was to reach Kumogakure, it was a mystery how these civilians even managed to get there. 

At the same time, their pleas represented not just the will of the people but also that of the Daimyo and the entire Land of Thunder. 

"This incident has caused huge losses for the Land of Wind. The Daimyo has already ordered an expansion of the military, and the people are demanding the removal of the pirates." 

The chaos had now fully engulfed the ninja world—this wasn't just a period of unrest; it was an era where everyone was affected. 

Pirates came from the lowest class, and their revolution was an upward climb. They wouldn't spare any class in their rise. 

And with the explosion of the Dragon Vein in the Land of Wind, people had realized that the pirates had the power to destroy an entire country. 

Though no one could understand why these pirates weren't after fame or fortune—why they only wanted destruction. 

But then again, they were pirates. If people could understand their way of thinking, that would be the real surprise. 

"Right now, the pirates have become the common enemy. Whether it's civilians, nobles, or even within our own ninja villages, many voices are calling for their complete elimination." 

"This war is nothing like the past wars between ninjas." 

In the past, ninjas barely cared about civilians. No matter what, they had their own sense of pride. 

While ninja wars often involved civilians, they were never the actual targets. 

But pirates were different. They came from the civilian class, so naturally, they faced opposition from both the common people and the nobles. 

And even among ninjas, there were plenty who wanted them gone. 

Well, saying "plenty" would be putting it mildly—99% of ninjas probably wished for their deaths. 

Even someone like Chiyo felt that way. 

The only ninja who seemed to approve of the current situation was Jiraiya—the only one who supported Shanks. 

"We're in the same boat. The chaos caused by the pirates has already begun. Civilians are filing endless petitions, and the Daimyo has increased military spending. 

On top of that, the samurai from the Land of Iron have already contacted the Daimyo of the Land of Water." 

Ao spoke. The Land of Water and Kirigakure had weakened, but now, the Land of Water's Daimyo was standing taller than before. 

Especially after the incident where Zabuza robbed Kirigakure—something the Daimyo would probably never let them live down. 

"Kakashi, what's the situation in Konohagakure?" 

Everyone turned to Kakashi. He was the only one here who was injured, still wrapped in bandages, looking like he had been caught in quite an explosion. 

"The Land of Fire has always had a big military budget. After this incident, the Daimyo increased it to two billion to train a standing army for the country. 

On top of that, he also gave Konohagakure some extra funding." 

Kakashi explained. As for how much, he didn't bother to mention. 

But the nobles of the Land of Fire were quite generous. Ever since Shanks appeared in their territory and the Inuzuka and Aburame clans took it upon themselves to protect the Daimyo… 

The nobles had come to fully trust Konohagakure's ninjas. They had no hesitation when it came to financial support. 

In fact, two billion wasn't even a huge amount for them. Even some smaller wealthy nations could afford that sum. 

Let alone the nobles of the Five Great Nations. 

Of course, no ninja village could ever come up with that much money. 

"..."

When Kakashi said that, everyone fell silent. 

Two billion? Just like that? Are all these nobles this rich? 

Maybe they had asked for too little. 

"I heard that the lord of the Land of Snow has been staying in Konohagakure for a while now?" 

Mabui suddenly brought this up. As Kumogakure's intelligence expert, she was more than capable of seeing the bigger picture. 

Compared to her, Kitsuchi and Ao were clearly not as sharp. 

"The Land of Snow has weak defenses and a declining economy. Seeking protection from the Land of Fire is nothing unusual. 

It's just like how the Land of Water once took a job from the Land of the Sea, isn't it?" 

Kakashi spoke casually, barely opening his eyes. He didn't seem to care about what Mabui had said. But the others—especially Kitsuchi—were clearly unsettled. 

The Land of Earth had been secretly taking over smaller nations for years. Now, the Land of Fire wasn't even hiding its moves anymore. 

The Land of Snow was far from the Land of Fire. If they needed protection, why didn't they go to the Land of Water or the Land of Thunder? Why come all the way to the Land of Fire? 

The conversation at the table started shifting in a different direction. 

Meanwhile, in the hospital of Sunagakure, Naruto stood by the window, his body wrapped in bandages. 

Outside, the streets were full of wounded people—civilians, ninjas, the elderly, children… 

The only sounds in the hospital district were the cries of the injured. Other than that, there was silence. 

"Jiraiya-sensei… is this really the right path?" 

Naruto gazed out the window, feeling completely lost. 

He used to believe in everything pirates stood for. From Zabuza and Kin, he had heard stories about Shanks. 

He knew there were men like Shanks in this world. 

But now, he was seeing something else—people suffering because of pirates. 

He knew this wasn't Shanks' fault. But in their eyes, Naruto saw hatred. 

Ordinary people… hating pirates. 

That hatred was growing inside them. 

"The path is made by those who walk it. If you can keep walking forward, then it's the right path." 

Jiraiya stood behind Naruto, also looking outside. 

"Naruto, what do you see?" 

For someone as young as Naruto, this scene must have been a shock. But… this was the real world. 

"So many injured people. People who lost their homes. Ordinary people caught in the chaos of pirates. 

If Shanks didn't exist… would they have been spared?" 

"Is that what you think?" 

Jiraiya didn't say much, and his expression didn't change. 

"You're right. If Shanks wasn't here, they wouldn't be suffering like this." 

"But Naruto, what you see is people—not the world itself." 

Jiraiya shook his head. 

People and the world were not the same thing. 

Jiraiya had traveled to too many places and seen too much. 

There was a time when he, too, could only see people, but not the world. 

"The world?" 

"Yes, the world." 

Jiraiya handed Naruto the medicine. Naruto obediently took it, had a sip, and immediately scrunched up his face. 

"So bitter!" 

"Jiraiya-sensei, this isn't the same medicine I had yesterday." 

"That's because you were sick with something else yesterday. This is for today's illness, kid!" 

Jiraiya took the bowl from Naruto and set it aside. This wasn't medicine at all—Naruto's body didn't need medicine in the first place. 

"My illness today? But I don't—" 

Naruto was about to protest but stopped, remembering Jiraiya's words. 

"Is life… bitter?" 

"No, medicine is bitter. When you're sick, you have to take medicine." 

"…" 

"I still don't get it." 

Naruto shook his head. 

Jiraiya didn't expect Naruto to understand. These hardships—Jiraiya would bear them alone. 

Over the past few decades, he had lost too much. This was the price he had to pay. 

"The world is sick, Naruto." 

"When people get sick, they take medicine. But when the world is sick, it devours people. 

That's the reality of this world." 

Jiraiya's words sent a chill through Naruto's heart, making him feel a kind of malice he had never sensed before. 

"Then… what about Shanks?" 

"He's a bitter medicine—far more bitter than what you just tasted." 

A sharp light flickered in Jiraiya's eyes. Shanks was a rare figure in the ninja world—someone like him was the only one who could change its fate. 

"Let's go. Time to head out!" 

"Where are we going?" 

"The underground prison in the Land of Wind. You've seen people—now it's time to see the world, Naruto!" 

With his hands behind his head, Jiraiya strolled out of the hospital in Sunagakure with a carefree look. 

Seeing this, Naruto quickly ran after him. 

"Jiraiya-sensei, wait for me!!"