A Thousand Years of War: The Cruelty of Four- and Five-Year-Old Children Being Forced onto the Battlefield

Newgate's eyes suddenly sharpened.

He knew that what he was about to say would determine the future fate of the Whitebeard Pirates.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than before. "I don't know. But you said before that the cells transplanted into me seemed to come from a powerful being in your world. So—you are not native to this sea, are you?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the movements of several Uchiha elders in the side hall paused for a moment.

Fugaku's hand, which was holding the teacup, froze in mid-air. For Setsuna, the fingertips that had been turning the scroll tightened slightly, and he silently lowered his eyes, listening to the Yaoyu and Yakumi.

No matter how much time has passed, whenever that past event is mentioned, the humiliation of being uprooted from one's homeland still throbs like an old wound reopening.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Uchiha Clan did indeed flee Konoha in a sorry state, like a broken-backed dog.

Even though they destroyed nearly a third of Konoha before they fled, it couldn't change the fact that they were driven out of their homeland and the Ninja World where they had lived for thousands of years.

Even now, the Uchiha Clan's strength is enough to instantly suppress any ninja village in the Ninja World!

Including Konoha Hidden Leaf Village).

However, the humiliation of the past has not been washed away, and it is a hatred that the entire Uchiha Clan can never forget.

Uchiha Fugaku and others also asked Natsu when he would be able to return to the Ninja World.

However, Natsu could only shake her head helplessly.

The reason is simple: to this day, the system still hasn't awarded any rewards for returning to the Ninja World.

The Ninja World and the One Piece World are two completely different worlds, and even someone as strong as Natsu does not have the ability to return to the Ninja World.

Seeing the expressions on Fugaku and the others' faces, a hint of doubt flashed across Newgate's and his companions' faces.

Natsu a long time before speaking.

His voice wasn't loud, but it steadily pressed down on the silence of the side hall. Every word was like a stone carved from the depths of memory, sharp and heavy, landing before everyone.

"The Uchiha Clan does not belong to this sea."

We once lived on another land—a land not as vast as this sea, but home to many powerful ninjas.

The Uchiha were the most powerful ninja clan in that land, and were hailed as the number one clan in the Ninja World.

Even our archenemy Senju Clan, could not stand against the Uchiha alone. They were forced to form an alliance with the Uzumaki Clan and several smaller, relatively powerful ninja clans in order to barely put up a fight."

"On that land, hatred permeated everyone's consciousness."

Ninjas were used as tools. Those mortals who called themselves nobles used their reputation and power passed down for thousands of years as weapons to constantly incite hatred between ninja clans.

With constant warfare, even four- or five-year-old children had to pick up Kunai and rush to the battlefield.

Blood soaked every corner of that land—this war lasted for a full thousand years.

"A thousand years?!" Ace suddenly raised his head, his voice changing tone.

Marco's pupils contracted slightly, and Newgate's hands, accustomed to holding Murakumogiri, unconsciously tightened their grip on the fabric at his knees.

What does a thousand years mean?

The entire World Government has only existed for eight hundred years.

The world from which the Uchiha Clan originated had been at war for a full thousand years.

"Hey, hey, hey, Natsu! You're not kidding, are you? Four or five-year-old kids going to the battlefield? Does that kind of world really exist?" Ace's voice was full of disbelief, even carrying a hint of anger that he himself didn't realize.

He grew up in the bandit's den in Dadan, and had seen children starving to death in the slums and the ruins left by pirates after massacring villages. But even in the darkest corner of this sea, he had never heard of letting four or five-year-old children pick up knives and kill people.

This cruel world is simply hell!

Even with the chaos and conflict caused by pirates, and the fact that many civilians had suffered from pirate raids and massacres, the presence of the Navy had kept most of the region stable.

But now Natsu tells him that there is a place that has been ravaged by war for a thousand years, and even four- or five-year-old children are forced to participate in the war!

Marco and Newgate, standing to the side, also wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

Fugaku and the others remained silent.

Some of them had personally experienced the end of the Ninja World War, while others had grown up listening to stories from the Sengoku period. As for Setsuna — Setsuna simply lowered her head, her fingertips that had been turning the scroll had stopped at some point.

He didn't tell anyone that when he was five years old, he had used a Kunai, still stained with the blood of its previous owner, to stab a child even younger than himself through the throat.

When that child fell, there was no fear or pleading in his eyes, only a deep-seated hatred that was completely out of character for his age.

Ten years of war, from pain to numbness, from numbness to madness. The war turned every child into a beast.

Even though countless civilians will still be robbed here, at least with the World Government and the Navy present, those pirates cannot act recklessly.

Furthermore, powerful pirates, such as the Whitebeard Pirates, would also protect the islands they occupied.

Although a considerable number of people still live in dire straits, it is now a paradise on earth compared to the Ninja World of the past!

If the Uchiha Clan is already in this state, imagine what other smaller ninja clans are like!

Uchiha Natsu looked at everyone in silence for a moment, and after Newgate and the other two had slowly digested it, he continued, "Until one day decades ago, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan, who were sworn enemies, each gave birth to a genius."

The future Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha... Madara! The future God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju!

Upon hearing the name Hashirama Senju, Newgate's expression shifted slightly as he asked, "Is he the owner of the cell you transplanted into me?"

"That's right." Hearing Newgate's question, Natsu did not deny it but nodded and said, "Hashirama Senju was the strongest ninja in the Ninja World back then. His strength should be about the same as Rocks at his peak. Madara Uchiha was our Uchiha Clan's ancestor. His strength was slightly weaker than Hashirama Senju.

This is precisely why the balance of power in the war Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan, which had lasted for over a thousand years, was suddenly disrupted. Even when the Uchiha Clan was able to defeat the Senju Clan, they could not simultaneously defeat the combined forces of the Uzumaki Clan and Senju Clan.

Unlike Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, either of them possessed the immense power to destroy an entire top-tier ninja clan.

Madara Uchiha was weaker than Hashirama Senju, which ultimately led to the Uchiha Clan's defeat in their final war against the Senju Clan.

"So you came here?" Newgate's brow remained furrowed.