Naruto: The Legend of Red Haired Shanks

The moment Zabuza saw Shanks, he instantly knew who he was. That bright red hair was impossible to miss. 

A regular ninja might not recognize him, but for someone like Zabuza, who was once part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, certain pieces of information weren't exactly secrets. 

Red hair was a signature trait of the Uzumaki clan. On top of that, the sheer amount of chakra he had was far beyond what an ordinary ninja could possess. 

The Uzumaki clan had been wiped out decades ago when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, and since then, they had almost completely vanished from the ninja world. 

Seeing one now, Zabuza couldn't help but feel a little emotional. 

He and this man were the same—both drifters without a home. 

"You know me?" 

Seeing Zabuza's expression, Shanks stepped forward and asked curiously. 

He wasn't particularly thick-headed, but his Observation Haki hadn't sensed any hostility. 

"Not exactly." 

Zabuza answered coldly and sat down. 

"I'm Shanks. I guess now we know each other, hahaha." 

Shanks grinned and sat down as well. 

Zabuza still carried the scent of blood, and the bandages on his body were stained red. 

It looked like he had just been through a tough battle at sea. As expected, the ocean was far too dangerous. He still wasn't ready to set sail just yet. 

But since someone had made it all the way here, this was a good chance to learn more about the outside world. 

Shanks was happy about Zabuza's unexpected arrival—he could use this opportunity to gather information. 

"My name is Zan." (Fake Name) 

Zabuza responded in a cold tone. 

After that, the two of them fell silent.

Shanks wasn't in a hurry. After taking a short break, he got up and continued practicing with his sword. 

With a single thought, the powerful energy inside him began to gather on his blade. Not far away, Zabuza watched this scene with envy. 

"The Uzumaki clan's chakra is really something else… So much chakra… This is way beyond the limits of a jonin, isn't it?" 

"But what exactly is that guy doing? That's not how you use a chakra blade technique…" 

Zabuza could tell that what Shanks was doing was similar to a chakra blade technique—coating a weapon with chakra to make it more deadly. 

But it was obvious that Shanks was doing more than just that. 

"It's still not quite right… What am I missing?" 

"If I use too much power, my sword won't be able to handle it. It's not just about strength… This power hasn't undergone a fundamental change." 

With that thought, Shanks looked over at Zabuza. 

Zabuza was holding a sword hilt in his hand. Looks like he's a swordsman too. I won't get anywhere by figuring this out alone. Since he's here, I might as well ask him for some advice. 

A short while later, Shanks stood in front of Zabuza, holding a skewer of freshly grilled fish. 

Zabuza eyed the Uzumaki clan member in front of him with some hesitation. After a moment of thought, he took the offered food. 

"Do you know Armament Haki?" 

Just as Zabuza was about to take a bite, Shanks suddenly asked. 

"Armament Haki? What's that?" 

Armament Haki? Zabuza had never heard of it. Was this what the guy had been training all along? 

"You don't know? It's a power that lets you harm people with elemental bodies. Like if someone turns into water or mist, Armament Haki still lets you hit them." 

Seeing the confusion on Zabuza's face, Shanks explained further. 

He doesn't even know about Armament Haki? That means he's not that strong… Or maybe this isn't the Grand Line. 

Now that he thought about it, that made sense. He didn't have his original memories, but at this point in time, Roger should already be dead. And he had been there when Roger died. That meant he was probably somewhere in the Four Seas. 

"So that's what Armament Haki is? I had no idea." 

After listening to Shanks' explanation, Zabuza understood. 

He wasn't some clueless newbie in the ninja world. He knew exactly what Shanks was talking about. 

Elemental bodies were a trait of certain special kekkei genkai. For example, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Hozuki Mangetsu, could turn his body into water. 

And the only known way to counter those kinds of techniques was sealing jutsu. 

So Armament Haki is a type of special sealing jutsu? The Uzumaki clan was known for two things: their massive chakra reserves and their expertise in sealing techniques. 

… 

"How would I know something like that? Armament Haki sounds way too advanced to just be taught to some random guy like me!" 

That thought suddenly hit Zabuza. 

"Wait a minute… Armament Haki isn't some Uzumaki clan secret technique, is it? Why would I, a total outsider, know some high-level sealing jutsu? Are you out of your mind?"

"Huh? That actually makes sense, hahaha." 

Shanks scratched his head awkwardly. Sure enough, after ending up in the One Piece world, even his own style felt a bit off. 

Something like Armament Haki wasn't something just anyone could use. Even Luffy only learned it with Rayleigh's help. 

"But without even knowing Armament Haki, setting out to sea would be way too dangerous." 

Hearing Shanks say this, Zabuza's expression became more serious. 

Shanks wasn't wrong. For people like them, wandering around the ninja world alone was indeed too risky. 

"I'm staying here to recover. That won't be a problem for you, right?" 

Zabuza suddenly asked. He planned to stay for a while, at least until his injuries healed—or better yet, until he became even stronger. 

Otherwise, dealing with Kirigakure's pursuers would be too much trouble. 

"Not at all. I haven't been out to sea in a long time, so I actually need you to tell me about what's going on outside. Plus, we can exchange sword techniques." 

Shanks grinned. 

He welcomed Zabuza without much hesitation. After all, there weren't many real powerhouses in the Four Seas. 

"Exchange sword techniques?" 

Zabuza's interest was piqued. 

As a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, his specialty was assassination, but that didn't mean his swordsmanship was weak. 

"My swordsmanship isn't bad either." 

Shanks could see Zabuza's pride. But this was the Four Seas. His swordsmanship definitely wasn't lacking, and he doubted the man in front of him was stronger than him in that regard. 

Shanks sheathed his sword and turned toward the lake behind him. 

"Want to see for yourself?" 

"That's exactly what I was thinking." 

Zabuza stood up as well. He was curious to see what kind of swordsmanship a member of the Uzumaki Clan had. 

The next moment, Shanks' eyes sharpened, and a powerful aura erupted from him. The wind around them fell silent. 

Zabuza suddenly felt like the man before him had transformed into a terrifying beast. 

As his aura climbed higher and higher, Shanks' gaze narrowed, locking onto his target. 

Buzz! 

Clang! 

His sword left its sheath, and the overwhelming pressure that had been building up finally exploded. 

Zabuza watched as the world around him seemed to darken. Then, in an instant, a terrifying slash cut across the lake. 

Wait… a sword light? What was that? 

Zabuza was no longer calm. There wasn't even the slightest chakra fluctuation, yet that sword could unleash such immense power? 

Even an A-rank jutsu wouldn't be this strong. Was this really just swordsmanship? 

In the ninja world, swordsmanship was simply the clash of weapons. There were no special effects. Was this really swordsmanship? 

The slash extended nearly a hundred meters. 

Staring at the shattered lake, Zabuza was completely dumbfounded. The logic of his world had just collapsed. 

"You're calling that swordsmanship???" 

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