For a brief moment, Shanks' brain nearly shut down.
After being idle for so long, his mind quickly kicked into high gear. He wasn't an idiot, nor was he naturally clueless. On the contrary, his brain worked really well.
In an instant, a flood of useful clues surfaced in his mind—starting from when he first arrived in this world, meeting Zan, and then encountering that guy named Madara.
As for recognizing Zabuza and Madara? Forget it. Neither of them had any distinctive features. If Madara had been in his younger outfit, maybe. But the Madara Shanks met was already an old man with graying hair, dressed in a plain undershirt, holding an ordinary samurai sword.
And Zabuza? Even worse. His face wasn't recognizable at all. Take off his headband and remove his ninja vest, and who would even know who he was?
Besides, when Shanks saw Zabuza, the guy was covered in blood. If he could recognize him in that state, that would be the real surprise.
"There's nothing wrong with the people, and there's nothing wrong with me either…"
"My Observation Haki was something I trained myself. My Conqueror's Haki, same thing. My Armament Haki too."
"And my swordsmanship is this strong—it all checks out."
Shanks quickly went over everything that had happened recently. No doubt about it—everything matched up.
"Attacked by pirates, and they even knew my name. Plus, there's a Devil Fruit user… Yeah, it all makes sense."
He thought about Dark's Devil Fruit ability and Kidomaru from before. That half-human, half-spider form—how could that not be a Devil Fruit user?
And Dark was definitely a Devil Fruit user. No question about it. This had to be the pirate world. Or maybe the Gintama world—after all, weird things happening in Gintama was normal.
But no matter what, there was no way this was the Naruto world.
Shanks' heart tightened as he looked at Jiraiya in the distance, along with the Eight-Tails charging toward him, and Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage coming in from different directions.
"I must have traveled to another world again. Yeah, That makes sense. And these guys don't know me, so there's no reason to panic."
Yeah, he was just a nobody. Being here had to be an accident. Besides, those guys didn't even recognize him.
But the next second, Raikage's furious roar echoed through the air.
"Shanks! If you want to use our Five Great Ninja Villages as the foundation for a new era, then show us if you have the power worthy of the title Four Emperors!!"
The Kage moved faster. Jiraiya and Killer Bee launched a frontal attack, while the others fRanked from the sides.
*Smack!*
Standing on Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya pressed his hands together. The crisp sound of his palms meeting reached Shanks' ears, and through his Observation Haki, Shanks could sense a powerful energy radiating from Jiraiya—so bright that he couldn't ignore it.
At that moment, Jiraiya entered Sage Mode, and Shanks' mind snapped back to the present.
"Wait… Raikage just called my name?"
He had just concluded that these people didn't know him, but the very next moment, Raikage shouted his name and accused him of using the Five Great Ninja Villages as a stepping stone for the New World?
But Shanks had no time to think about what was going on.
In the distance, the light dimmed as a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb formed in the Eight-Tails' mouth. The sheer power distorted the air around it. Meanwhile, the other Kage had already begun forming hand seals.
Shanks never expected this. He had trained on the island for almost a year, mentally preparing for a fight against the Marine Admirals the moment he showed up.
But his first battle after coming out? Facing the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
What could he do? The Tailed Beast Bomb was already about to hit his face. He couldn't just stand there doing nothing.
*BOOM!*
The entire ocean shook violently. The once calm sea now surged with massive waves. In an instant, the sky darkened, thick clouds rolling in as bolts of lightning crackled through them.
A powerful wave of black and red Conqueror's Haki exploded from Shanks, spreading across the sea. His overwhelming Haki rampaged without restraint.
"Watch out!!"
Jiraiya, in Sage Mode, warned the others. The Kage forming hand seals froze as Shanks' Haki washed over them. The moment they were hit, it felt like their minds took a direct blow—causing their chakra to halt instantly.
"So this is Conqueror's Haki? It disrupts chakra this much?"
"It's not just chakra… This is a natural suppression against all living things."
The Kage immediately stopped in their tracks. Aside from Raikage, their faces turned pale. The chaotic flow of chakra inside them made them feel awful.
"Hurry up and adapt to the Haki's suppression! We don't have much time!"
Raikage's expression was serious as he looked up at the sky. Unbelievable. Was this kind of power something a human could even possess?
That guy hadn't even made a move yet, and the sky itself looked like it was about to shatter. The once calm ocean was now completely affected by his Haki.
For ordinary ninjas, just standing on the water in front of him would be impossible.
"Bee!"
"I'm on it."
Killer Bee, struggling against the effect of Shanks' Haki, had his Tailed Beast Bomb delayed for a few moments.
But now, it was ready.
"Boom!!"
A pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb shot out from the Eight-Tails' mouth, carrying the full force of the beast's power. The ocean surface caved in where it struck, the water evaporating instantly. Scorching air and steam filled the area, and even flames flickered within the deepened trail left behind.
The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb was launched, Killer Bee, in his Eight-Tails form, charged forward right after it. In this battle plan, he was the main attacker.
With the Eight-Tails by his side, Killer Bee's safety was guaranteed. No one dared to underestimate Shanks.
"A mere Tailed Beast Bomb!!"
Shanks' eyes flashed as his black-and-red Conqueror's Haki erupted once more. Crimson lightning crackled around him, his Haki pushed to the absolute limit, combined with an extraordinary level of Observation Haki.
Facing the strongest of the ninja world, Shanks unleashed his full power.
"Clang!"
His katana slowly left its sheath, surrounded by crackling lightning. The moment the blade was fully drawn, its cold gleam faded, leaving behind only a layer of pure black.
"Crack!!"
A bolt of lightning split the sky, a thick streak of electricity striking the ocean. The sea reflected the stormy sky, lightning flashing overhead.
The waves overturned Shanks' small boat, but it was already empty—he had moved hundreds of meters away.
The Tailed Beast Bomb was closing in fast. Compared to its massive size, Shanks' figure looked tiny, as if he were an insect trying to stop a cart.
"That guy… he's not dodging!?"
"That's a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"…"
At that moment, everything seemed to freeze. Time itself felt as if it had stopped.
Shanks furrowed his brows, eyes sharpening as he swung his pitch-black blade toward the incoming attack.
A slash of black and red light burst from his sword. Then, silence. A massive blade of energy struck the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Boom!!!"
The Eight-Tails' attack was forcefully stopped in its tracks. A shockwave erupted from the impact, sending black-red lightning crackling in all directions.
With just a single slash, Shanks had held back the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Before anyone could react, a second slash appeared.
Just like before, the black-and-red energy blade cut across the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Armament Haki—Cross Split!!"
Shanks' mastery of Armament Haki swordsmanship had only grown stronger over time.
"Buzz!!"
With that strike, the raging ocean beneath was pressed down as if frozen. The surface became as smooth as a mirror.
Then, a massive crack appeared in the center of that mirror-like ocean. Above it, the Tailed Beast Bomb split apart, divided cleanly into four pieces.
"Boom!!"
A powerful shockwave spread out as the Eight-Tails' attack was completely shattered by Shanks' two slashes, disappearing into the sea.
But the force of the impact remained terrifying. The straw hat hanging around Shanks' neck fluttered in the heated air. The thin string holding it finally snapped.
The hat drifted away with the wind and waves.
Shanks, however, had already moved past the shockwave. Beyond the remnants of the Tailed Beast Bomb stood Killer Bee, still charging forward in his Eight-Tails form.
"Bee!! Run!!"
At this moment, inside Killer Bee's body, the Eight-Tails saw Shanks, who was surrounded by black and red Haki and lightning. The terrifying pressure coming from Shanks filled the Eight-Tails with fear.
Death!!!
There's no doubt about it. That overwhelming power… Even a Tailed Beast—if it faces this man, it will absolutely die.
"Bee, get out of the way!!"
The Eight-Tails' chakra burst out completely. Killer Bee could feel his body reaching its limit, unable to hold on any longer.
At the same time, his body in the Eight-Tails form was covered with layers of red chakra. The Eight-Tails' chakra spread over him again—this was their absolute limit.
"I can't dodge."
Killer Bee roared. Shanks was right in front of him—how could he back away? Besides, there was no way he couldn't stop him.
In his Eight-Tails form, Killer Bee gathered chakra into his tentacles. All eight of them surrounded Shanks at the same time. The massive chakra energy distorted the space around them uncontrollably.
"Eight-Tails: Gyuki Suppression Technique!"
Boom!!
The sea beneath Killer Bee caved in, and the enormous red chakra spread across the water, blooming like a giant lotus.
But as the lotus bloomed, Shanks' cold voice echoed from within.
"Divine Departure!!"
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