Naruto: The Legend of Red Haired Shanks

It was overwhelming. Just that one slash was on par with an A-rank jutsu. 

No chakra was used—only that seemingly ordinary sword in his hand. 

Was this really something a human could do? 

"This… how is this possible?!" 

Zabuza looked down at the hilt in his hand. His Kubikiribocho was completely shattered, leaving only the handle. 

Even a legendary sword like his couldn't unleash such a devastating attack. 

So… it wasn't the sword? It was the person? 

Was he really that weak? 

No, if he was weak, then all of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were weak. 

The only explanation was that this Uzumaki in front of him was simply too strong. 

"If you work hard, achieving this isn't impossible. You just haven't met someone like this before, have you? But I've seen plenty of strong people."

Shanks looked at Zabuza, who was trembling all over. When Luffy and Zoro first encountered Mihawk, the pirates who saw him slice their ship in half had the same reaction. 

Absolute shock. 

How could a man on a small wooden raft cut a whole ship in half with a single strike? 

Shanks could only say—welcome to the world of the Grand Line. 

"Can... I do that too?" 

Zabuza's voice carried a hint of hope. Such overwhelming power and skill—was it really possible for him to achieve that? 

Deep down, he wanted Shanks' approval. As long as Shanks said he could do it, he would believe it, even if it was just a comforting lie. He would still work for it. 

Zabuza was not a heartless person. In fact, as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the fact that he betrayed his own village showed how much he actually cared about it. 

It proved that he was not a cold and emotionless ninja. 

That village carried his hopes. 

But when the Blood Mist policy was enforced, all he saw was the village getting worse and worse. The happiness that was supposed to come with peace never arrived. The village was crumbling, and the people seemed to be jumping from one hell into another. 

As a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza was one of the strongest in the village. He could even be considered a pillar of its power. 

But he did not remain loyal to the Mizukage. After seeing how both the Mizukage and the village had changed, he chose to become a rogue ninja. 

Perhaps the only person who truly understood Zabuza was Kisame. 

They were both members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. They were both rogue ninjas from the Mist. And they both valued bonds. 

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had always been seen as ruthless executioners, but Zabuza and Kisame believed that their actions were meant to bring about a new era—a time of peace. 

But in the end, they were wrong. The new era and peace never came. 

Shanks looked into Zabuza's eyes, seeing the determination within them. 

He didn't know what this man had been through, how he got his wounds, or how his sword had broken. But a man with such a strong will would never be lost in this vast ocean. 

"Of course you can." 

Hearing Shanks' response, Zabuza couldn't hold back anymore. 

"Shanks, please, teach me swordsmanship!" 

He knelt before Shanks, bowing his head low. He wasn't doing this for himself—he was doing it for hope. The hope of getting stronger. The hope of returning to the Mist Village. 

His strength wasn't enough yet. He wasn't strong enough to overthrow the Mizukage. He wasn't powerful enough to take down those people. 

"I won't set sail until I've mastered Haki. Until then, how much you can learn is up to you." 

Shanks chuckled. This man fit right into his image of the people in the pirate world—everyone carried some kind of burden. 

"And besides, my swordsmanship is just the basics. Once you get stronger, you'll see even greater swordsmen out there." 

Zabuza agreed. Even though he was already an elite jonin, the ninja world was filled with powerful figures he had yet to encounter. 

The legendary Sannin, the Kage of each village, the Tailed Beasts... and the elite jonin who made a name for themselves in war. 

"My goal is to stand at the very top of this world. Only then can I return to my village and take them down." 

A fire of hope burned in Zabuza's heart. 

If he could learn this kind of swordsmanship from Shanks, he would definitely return one day. 

"I will become stronger." 

Zabuza lifted his head, his eyes filled with determination. 

The next day, a new wooden hut appeared by the lake. 

Zabuza had stayed. And now, there was one more person by Shanks' side. 

"Swinging your sword is the most important part of training. Through this process, a swordsman must become familiar with their weapon, just like they would with their most trusted companion." 

Shanks explained as he swung his sword. 

In the world of pirates, the most important thing was belief. 

And for a swordsman, belief had to be unshakable. 

"The sword in a swordsman's hand is our most trusted companion."

Whatever Shanks said, Zabuza followed.

"Trust the sword in my hand?"

Zabuza looked at the handle of his weapon.

If things were really like Shanks said, then he had never thought that way before. To him, a weapon was just a tool—nothing more, nothing less.

"Even a cold weapon has life in it."

"My swordsmanship is different from your assassination techniques. Your assassination skills exist to take lives, but my swordsmanship is purely about the art of the sword."

Shanks explained.

After observing for a while, he finally understood what kind of swordsmanship Zabuza had.

Assassination. His blade existed solely to take lives. Everything was about killing the enemy.

"Faster, sharper, stronger—not for the sake of killing, but for something purer."

Shanks' words made Zabuza realize that their paths were completely different.

As an executioner, his blade had always been used to take lives. That was the only thing it was meant to do.

"A sword that only kills can never bring hope. A sword like that… how can it cut through the Blood Mist and bring hope to the village?"

At that moment, Zabuza finally understood where he had gone wrong. Everything he had learned until now had been a mistake.

How could an executioner, who only knew how to kill, ever bring hope to the village?

"I… I think I get it now."

Zabuza nodded gratefully, his gaze clearing up, no longer cold.

Seeing Zabuza change, Shanks was stunned.

Damn it. So this guy's a genius too? He figured it out so fast. It took me almost a whole month to understand that…

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