Naruto: The Legend of Red Haired Shanks

"Ha!" 

A loud shout echoed through the forest. In the next moment, flocks of birds took off in a panic. 

Right after, a massive cloud of dust rose from the forest, and dozens of dead trees crashed to the ground. 

A month had passed. Shanks looked at the sword in his hand, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. 

Over the past month, his swordsmanship had improved at an incredible pace. No wonder he had become a Four Emperors—it was all thanks to his true strength. 

Every day, he could feel himself getting stronger, and his progress was visible to the naked eye. 

"Wind pressure!" 

With a flash of his blade, all the dust in the area was instantly blown away. 

"The swordsmanship in this world is insane. With the right techniques, you can do things like this—slicing through the air and even controlling wind pressure." 

With just a few slashes, he had cleared the dust around him. 

Once again, Shanks marveled at the power system of the pirate world. 

It wasn't that he was strong—it was that this world's power system was simply on another level.

From a distance, it was clear that a powerful gust of wind had formed within a hundred meters around Shanks. A massive pillar of wind blew downward, sweeping away all the dust. 

This was the skill of swordsmanship. In just a month, Shanks had already mastered several techniques. 

"But this still isn't enough. To reach the level where I can slice through an iceberg with a single strike like Mihawk, this alone won't do. At the very least, I need to learn Armament Haki." 

"Armament Haki and Tekkai are quite different. Both involve life energy, but to achieve an external Armament Haki coating, relying on life energy alone probably isn't enough." 

As he spoke, Shanks activated the energy within his body. 

Over the past month, he had learned how to control this invisible energy. 

The next moment, his sword became covered in an unseen force, and even the air around it was affected. 

"Slash!" 

With a single swing, a terrifying blade light tore through the air. The surrounding air split apart, and in the next second, eerie cracks appeared, resembling shattered glass. 

The cracks appeared quickly but disappeared just as fast. 

However, the lake in the distance, which had been sliced by the blade light, did not return to normal. The split surface of the water was proof of Shanks' terrifying swordsmanship. But... it still wasn't enough. 

Looking at his unchanged sword, Shanks remained calm. 

"At this rate, who knows when I'll truly master Armament Haki? Fighting is the fastest way to grow stronger, but it's still too risky for me right now." 

Shanks wasn't about to take the typical protagonist route. Without Armament Haki, if he ran into a Logia Devil Fruit user, his only option would be to flee. 

"Logia users are really troublesome..." 

With no other choice, Shanks continued training. 

The only thing he could do now was focus his mind and will, trying to make the energy fully cover his weapon. 

Until his sword turned black, he had no intention of setting out to sea. 

Mastering Armament Haki coating was the absolute minimum requirement. 

Meanwhile, on the coastline at the edge of the forest, a small boat was docked. The air was thick with the scent of blood. 

A man staggered out of the boat, dragging his exhausted body. 

He was covered in bandages, his upper body soaked in blood. In his hand, he held a broken sword—only the hilt remained—but even in its ruined state, it was still a deadly weapon. 

After the Third Great Ninja War, the ninja world had seemingly entered a time of peace—at least on the surface. 

But in reality, not long after the war ended, the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure died in battle, Sunagakure fell into chaos, and Kirigakure was thrown into turmoil under the Blood Mist policy. 

As for Iwagakure and Kumogakure, they were busy dealing with the aftermath of the war. Beneath this so-called "peace," the ninja world was still filled with hidden dangers. 

True peace had never existed. 

At least, not for Zabuza. 

"Hahaha... I survived again. Killing me isn't that easy." 

Lying on the shore, Zabuza gazed up at the sky and laughed wildly. 

"Mizukage, you will pay for this." 

Looking at his broken Kubikiribocho, a bitter smile crossed his face. 

He would make the Mizukage pay—one day. But not yet. He wasn't strong enough. 

Kirigakure wasn't just the Mizukage. There were many powerful ninjas, not to mention the terrifying power of the Tailed Beasts. A single elite jonin like him was no match for them. 

"Strange… why is the wind blowing toward the sea?" 

Zabuza took off his headband. His injuries were severe, and as an experienced ninja, he knew better than to reveal his identity in such a vulnerable state.

Zabuza saw the clouds falling from the sky several kilometers away and felt a bit curious. 

"Could it be caused by some powerful ninja beast?" 

He was unsure and a little wary. 

If it really was a ninja beast, it could actually be an opportunity for him. If he could form a contract and make it his summon, it would be a great help. 

But right now, he probably wasn't strong enough to face such a powerful creature. 

After thinking for a moment, Zabuza decided to head into the forest. Staying by the sea was too dangerous. 

Before long, after dealing with the boat, he started making his way into the forest. 

Along the way, he noticed something unusual—there were very few animals. Based on his experience, this only happened when a powerful creature was living in the area. 

But as he moved forward, he became more and more shocked. 

There were deep cracks all over the ground, and trees had been slashed apart. 

The sheer destruction showed just how terrifying the beast that lived here must be. Judging by this level of damage, it was second only to the Tailed Beasts he had seen. 

Yet, as he continued, he found no sign of any beast. Instead, he saw a small cabin by the lake up ahead. 

Outside the cabin, a man dressed like a civilian samurai sat with his eyes closed, gripping a sword tightly. 

A terrifying amount of chakra gathered around the blade, making Zabuza feel a chill down his spine. 

There was no beast, no powerful ninja creature—this man in front of him was the strongest being here. 

"Red hair?" 

Zabuza noticed the man's striking hair color. 

"As long as he's not an enemy, it's fine." 

After realizing the man's identity, Zabuza let out a quiet sigh of relief.