Naruto: The Legend of Red Haired Shanks

This strike represented Jigen's true will and belief. His pure spiritual force fused into his Armament Haki, strengthening it even further. 

The pitch-black Armament Haki slowly changed color, turning crimson, then gradually shifting to a golden hue. 

Brilliant golden Armament Haki—its sheer quality was beyond terrifying. The power had evolved to its absolute peak. 

This was no longer just skill. It was raw, overwhelming strength. 

And this was exactly why Jigen acknowledged Shanks—because Shanks had truly found the right path. 

The Otsutsuki clan had an unbelievably deep history. 

But looking at what kind of beings they were, it was clear—they were nothing more than mindless monsters. 

Of course, that included Jigen himself. But at least he knew he wasn't very smart. And because of that self-awareness, he was already more intelligent than the rest of the Otsutsuki clan. 

That was why Jigen looked down on them.

After eating so many Chakra Fruits, his power should have grown much more than this. 

Jigen might not be self-aware about others, but he knew himself well. In the past, he would have stood no chance against the Sage of Six Paths. 

As for why Jigen never trained in the ninja world's Sage Mode? Simple—he had his pride. 

"I'd rather starve to death or reach the end of my lifespan than train in Sage Mode." 

After all, the Sage of Six Paths was Kaguya's son, and in Jigen's eyes, Kaguya was nothing more than a lowly servant. 

He had been ambushed and seriously injured by a mere servant—how could he then turn around and learn the techniques of her son just to fight her? 

Did Kaguya even deserve that kind of respect? No way. Jigen would rather die than acknowledge her as someone worth taking seriously. 

It was exactly this kind of stubborn arrogance, combined with his twisted way of thinking, that allowed Jigen to roam the ninja world for a thousand years without really doing anything. 

His attitude had even messed with the world's perception of him—so much so that the Will of the Ninja World no longer saw him as an outside invader. 

But now, Jigen was finally unleashing everything he had built up over the years. 

A thousand, nearly ten thousand years of accumulation—no matter how slow, this level of power was bound to be terrifying. Enlightenment? 

Jigen had no need for something like enlightenment to unlock his potential or awaken his power. His endless years of accumulation were his greatest strength. 

"Buzz!!!" 

The sky shattered like glass, the sound of its collapse spreading outward. 

Beyond the battlefield, storm clouds churned, and lightning rained down from the heavens. 

There was no overwhelming pressure, but in that moment, the remaining power of the Dragon Veins converged toward him. 

"A powerful will and unshakable belief… the force of a new era… The ninja world is truly about to change. 

The order of thousands of years… is really about to be overturned." 

The space around Jiraiya cracked like fragile glass. A surge of pure, unstoppable life energy erupted from deep within him—a true evolution of life itself. 

In the darkness, a tiny flame flickered, struggling to stay alight. 

It seemed like it could be extinguished at any moment, yet it continued to burn, never fading. And then, within the fire, a pair of hands emerged. 

"Clap!" 

Jiraiya slammed his palms together, steadied his stance, and struck a bizarre pose right in front of Jigen. 

The next moment— 

Boom!! 

Flames engulfed his entire body. His long hair turned into flowing white fire, swaying in the air. 

At the same time, Jiraiya locked eyes with Jigen once more. 

In that instant, he understood—Jigen was no simple opponent. There was no way it would be that easy. 

This kind of terrifying power… even Shanks didn't have it. Shanks hadn't built up this level of accumulation yet. 

The stronger Jiraiya became, the more he understood the differences between true powerhouses. 

Shanks' strength didn't come from years of building up power—it came from burning through everything he had. In Shanks, there was an endless future, the future of the ninja world, the future of this entire world. 

That was why Shanks could rely on his unbreakable will to push his power beyond its limits, endlessly overextending himself. 

And that overextension—it had no visible ceiling. At least, Jiraiya couldn't see where Shanks' limit was. 

But Jigen was different. Jigen wasn't burning through his own power. 

The strength in him had been built up piece by piece, bit by bit, over countless years. 

Layer upon layer, through the weight of time, it had been refined and solidified. 

The man standing before him was an unimaginably terrifying existence. 

At that moment, a report from the Land of Wind surfaced in Jiraiya's mind—stories of an ancient nation that had developed the Greyl Stone, a relic capable of extending life. 

"Is he from that lost ancient kingdom? If that's the case, then it makes sense why he knows so much." 

Jiraiya thought to himself. No matter what, Jigen's identity was extremely important, and the secrets of the ninja world seemed to be piling up more and more. 

But with Jigen's arrogance and his completely different way of thinking, he didn't even understand Jiraiya's question. 

"Me?" 

"I already said, I am the captain of the Sky Pirates! I am the one who will defeat Shanks and become the world's strongest pirate!!" 

Jigen gritted his teeth and roared. 

Jiraiya's power surged even further. His blade stopped just in front of Jiraiya. 

But there was no way Jigen would stop here. 

If he couldn't even defeat the man in front of him, how could he challenge Shanks? How could he make Shanks submit? 

After accumulating power for so many years, there was no way he would lose to a mere mortal. 

"Pirates are the true rulers of this world." 

"The era of sages ended long ago. You stubborn old relics are just in the way!!" 

Veins bulged as Jigen's body erupted with power, his frame growing taller by several inches. 

His once lean build became noticeably stronger. He was pushing his body past its limits—but that didn't matter. 

"I will win!!" 

He kept pushing his limits, and in that moment, Jigen truly went insane. 

As his body unleashed more power, his strength became more terrifying. 

His only weakness was his human body—it couldn't handle this level of power. But he didn't care. He was determined to win using this mortal body. 

That was his pride. Using an Otsutsuki body? He found that disgraceful. Defeating Shanks with anything less than his own strength would be an insult. 

"Die!!" 

His power exploded again, his body growing nearly half its original size. Blood dripped from his skin, his muscles straining to contain his energy. He was already at his breaking point. 

But it was enough!! 

*Crack!!* 

A golden blade finally reached Jiraiya. 

On the other side, Jigen, looking like a monstrous beast from ancient times, charged forward with his golden body, colliding with the blade. 

At that moment, the silence in the sky shattered completely. 

Jigen's golden Armament Haki was destroyed. Jiraiya's summoned flames vanished. 

The massive sand pillars that had shot into the sky crumbled in an instant. 

The fleet that had already distanced itself from the battlefield saw the terrifying scene and felt their hearts clench. 

In the distant sky, two figures entangled in battle crashed down into the sand dunes below. 

"I-Is it over?" 

"Did Jiraiya-sama win?" 

"I don't know… but we shouldn't act rashly." 

Everyone who witnessed the fight was shaken. Was this really the kind of battle that belonged in the ninja world? 

Even Killer Bee, who had once fought Shanks directly, felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. 

Beside him, Guy had already prepared himself to open the Eight Inner Gates at any moment.

"Bee, between that pirate and Shanks, who's stronger?" 

Guy's face was serious. He could already sense that something was off about Jigen. 

"He can't beat Shanks. Shanks could kill him. 

But his power… it can cause massive destruction. It's terrifying in a different way from Shanks." 

Killer Bee answered. Their fighting styles were completely different—Jigen specialized in large-scale attacks, while Shanks focused on overwhelming single-target strikes that were nearly unstoppable. 

There was no way to block Shanks. 

One slash from him wasn't just an attack—it was a test of will. If your will wasn't strong enough, you'd take the full force of the hit. Even if it was strong enough, that didn't mean you'd survive. 

But Jigen was different. If you blocked his attack and turned around, you'd realize your family was gone. 

If this battle took place in a ninja village, that's exactly what would happen. 

One slash from Jigen, and every child left in the village would be an orphan. 

Hearing Killer Bee's words, Guy felt a little more confident. 

If the pirate won, then even if it cost him his life, he might still be able to take Jigen down. 

With the Six Powers of the pirates combined with his Eight Inner Gates, he wouldn't survive… but at least he could protect the others. 

"If you're planning to risk your life, get in line behind me." 

Killer Bee suddenly spoke. 

Guy was caught off guard. 

Killer Bee tapped his sunglasses with his finger. 

"Jinchuriki have sharp senses. You could say it's our version of Observation Haki. 

I still have a backup plan. If I can't stop him, then you can step in." 

His tone was light, but the soldiers around them could feel the weight of the moment. 

"Killer Bee-sama, if you're going to sacrifice yourself, then let us fight alongside you!" 

"We're not afraid to die! Dying to stop pirates would be an honor—" 

"..." 

Killer Bee's willingness to sacrifice himself moved the soldiers deeply. 

A great ninja was willing to give his life for them. 

Meanwhile, pirates only knew how to steal, burn, and kill—they were nothing but a plague on this world! 

"No, you're too weak. Your deaths would be meaningless." 

"Prepare to get off the ship and retreat. Don't die here." 

After saying that, Killer Bee turned away. 

The soldiers fell silent. 

Meanwhile, on a distant sand dune— 

Jiken, covered in blood, was slumped over Jiraiya, his sword driven straight through Jiraiya's heart. 

Jiraiya was no longer breathing. 

But his stance hadn't changed. His legs were still firmly planted in a horse stance, hands still clasped together. 

His white hair burned like flames, and Jigen could still feel the searing heat coming from it. 

"Ugh!!" 

Jigen coughed up a mouthful of blood, mixed with pieces of his shattered organs. 

Pain tore through his chest. 

His whole body trembled, barely any bones left intact.

"Move... move already!" 

Jigen barely opened his eyes, blood dripping from his forehead. In his fading vision, he could only see his own hand, reaching toward the katana that was so close yet completely out of reach. 

"Move, damn it! Shanks has started a new era—I still have to see it! Move, you worthless body!" 

Jigen gritted his teeth. He wasn't talking to himself—he was talking to the original owner of this body. 

That guy had fought against him for a thousand years without weakening even a little. 

If that's the case, then come out already! 

"Come out! You... pathetic mortal!" 

Jigen coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his vision turned completely black. 

At the same time, a faint smile finally appeared on his face. 

"I knew it... you really are... despicable." 

The next moment, his broken body started moving. 

The power of the Float-Float Fruit surged again. 

Jigen's body lifted off from Jiraiya, and the katana lodged in Jiraiya also floated upward. 

His cold expression softened into one of compassion. 

"Looks like... I didn't really lose after all, Isshiki. 

Even ordinary people in this world have a different kind of future. 

But still, thank you—for waiting with me all these thousands of years." 

At that moment, the real Jigen appeared. 

He had been suppressed all along by "Otsutsuki Isshiki." 

His will had been buried deep within this body, unable to surface. 

But now, the true Jigen had finally emerged. 

His face carried a gentle, almost divine expression, like a Buddha radiating compassion. 

He was none other than Jigen, an ancient monk from the era when Kaguya first arrived in the ninja world. 

Not just a nameless figure, but a true high monk. 

The next moment, Jigen, dragging his broken body, flew off into the distance. 

Meanwhile, on a ship far away, Neji's expression suddenly changed. 

"He's coming!!" 

The moment Neji spoke, all the ships started moving, rising into the sky. 

The soldiers had already been given orders. As soon as the ships began lifting off, they frantically jumped overboard. 

Some who jumped too late were caught by the swirling sand below and safely placed on the ground. 

At that moment, no one could understand what Jigen was planning. 

Even Killer Bee and Guy, who had been preparing for battle, were confused. 

Looking at Jigen in the distance, he didn't seem like a villain at all. 

Jigen didn't speak. He simply gave them a peaceful nod, then took his ships into the sky, vanishing into the clouds. 

"He... he left?" 

"Yeah... he left." 

Killer Bee and Guy exchanged glances before rushing toward the battlefield. 

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Hmm… for New Year's gifts, I'll prepare some nice gift packs for everyone. But you'll have to wait until New Year's, and honestly, they're really expensive. Even if I make them myself, they're still pricey… sob sob. 

Thank you all for reading my stories!! Please join the giveaways more often next time. I even cover the shipping costs, so don't complain if they don't look perfect! Seriously, what other author would do this? I don't even ask for donations… sob. (Please just let me have the illusion that my art is super popular! I'm still learning, I swear!) 

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