Shinobi World Continent.
The seaside at the southernmost tip of the Land of Fire.
It still looked like a frozen wasteland, with icebergs standing everywhere, snow blanketing the ground, and bitter cold filling the air.
The only change was that the terrifying Blizzard had vanished without a trace.
Yet it had left behind a nearly hundred-meter-tall Wood Human statue, completely encased in ice.
It looked exactly like Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.
Its deep gaze seemed to be fixed on the northern sky.
Perhaps because that was the direction of Konoha.
Behind it lay a vast strait that showed no signs of thawing either.
The lifelike ice sculptures of waves on its surface gleamed crystal-clear under the sunlight, beautiful beyond compare.
And right beneath the feet of that gigantic Wood Human statue.
The two men who had just fought fiercely were sitting at opposite ends of a wooden table.
They were Hashirama Senju and Kuzan.
Even seated, Kuzan was far larger and taller than Hashirama Senju.
After all, one was "only" 1.85 meters tall, while the other stood nearly three meters.
"So this is the World Government."
Hashirama Senju murmured as he watched the virtual image in midair slowly fade into darkness.
What he had just watched was the latest version of the World Government's "promotional film."
What was the World Government?
What administrative departments and military forces did the World Government have under its banner?
What was Sea Star Homeworld, where the World Government was based, roughly like?
How were the other worlds conquered by the World Government developing now?
And so on. Through that "promotional film," Hashirama Senju had gained a basic understanding of these questions.
It also laid a solid foundation for the conversation to come.
Most importantly, Hashirama Senju now understood.
The World Government's goal was