Naruto: The Legend of Red Haired Shanks

Drip, drip!! 

Rain started falling on the dry desert, kicking up dust from the sandy ground. The people within the rain's range looked up curiously at the sky. 

Ross Jess didn't know what was happening, but he had a feeling that something dangerous was going on in the distance. From the start, Karin had warned them not to go near that area. 

Meanwhile, Gaara and his group, who had been operating in the area, also noticed the strange phenomenon in the sky. 

"Rain?" 

"It's raining in the Land of Wind? That's impossible." 

"Could it be some kind of large-scale Ninjutsu?" 

Temari frowned. 

"No way. Even Rikudou Sennin wouldn't be able to pull off a Ninjutsu that covers an area this big. It looks more like natural weather." 

Gaara shook his head. The power of the One-Tail inside him seemed to be suppressed by the sky, and that uneasy feeling made him wary. 

"Kankuro, send word to the others. Tell them to regroup immediately and stop chasing after pirates. Something big might be happening." 

Gaara issued the order at once. 

Since the time of the Second Kazekage, Sunagakure had relied on military strength to sustain itself. No matter what people thought of Gaara's character in the past, his strength placed him among the strongest in the village. 

That's right—one of the strongest. 

If you don't believe it, just compare the strongest Kazekage, the Third Kazekage, with what the Fourth Kazekage was like, and you'll understand Gaara's position. 

Of course, looking at it now, Sunagakure's overall strength might even be weaker than Kirigakure. 

Even though Gaara was being groomed as a future successor, his power was still far from enough. But that was exactly why he was here and why he had some authority to give orders. 

"Yes!" 

Kankuro immediately spread the message after receiving Gaara's command. 

From beneath the sand, countless beetles crawled out—one of the abilities of a unique shinobi from Sunagakure. 

On the other side, Kakashi also noticed the disturbance, and at the same time, Naruto felt the pressure coming from the sky. 

"Kakashi-sensei, should we go check it out?" 

Sasuke asked. 

"Not yet. It's too risky right now. First, we need to take Sakura back to the camp and let her recover." 

Kakashi spoke calmly. 

Sakura, still wrapped in bandages, looked pale as a sheet. 

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei… and everyone!!" 

She lowered her head. If only she were stronger, she wouldn't have been the weak point that the pirates exploited. 

But… 

Sakura looked at Naruto, who seemed almost like a stranger now. 

Was this really the same Naruto who used to be loud, reckless, and always doing silly things? 

And Sasuke… he still had the same personality, but he no longer carried the arrogance he once had. 

Over the past few months, it felt like everyone around her had been growing, changing, and moving forward. 

Only she seemed to be stuck in place. 

"It's okay, Sakura. Let's just get back to camp."

"Kakashi-sensei, it looks like a lot of people are heading in that direction," Naruto said. 

He wasn't the same Naruto who used to brag all the time. 

Back then, he just wanted people to notice him. He wanted to become Hokage and earn everyone's recognition. 

That dream had always seemed so far away. 

But as times changed, the idea of being Hokage didn't seem as out of reach as before. Even Naruto's dream didn't feel as big anymore. 

Now, Naruto believed he could become Hokage—not just because he thought so, but because he truly understood what it meant to be Hokage. 

And besides, having the Uzumaki name meant that, even if he did nothing, people would still pay attention to him. 

That name carried weight. It brought pressure. 

If he didn't work hard, he would still end up as Hokage. 

That might have sounded ridiculous before. 

But now, it made perfect sense. 

Because that's exactly what Kakashi had told him. 

Look at Karin—she was about the same age as Naruto but was way stronger than him back then. 

Or take another Uzumaki—Nagato, leader of the Revolutionary Army, the mastermind behind an entire movement in the shinobi world. 

And then there was Shanks—no explanation needed. 

Put simply, Naruto was the weakest among all the known Uzumakis in the world right now. 

So, if you compared Naruto's growth to a regular person, it seemed unbelievable. 

But if you compared him to other Uzumakis, it made perfect sense. 

That was also why Sasuke didn't feel any pressure anymore. 

Naruto being this strong? It was only natural. 

Sure, Sasuke was a genius of the Uchiha clan, but Naruto carried Uzumaki blood. And let's be honest, was there any Uzumaki out there who wasn't a genius? 

"The desert in the Land of Wind doesn't get rainfall like this, and it's definitely not ninjutsu. That means it's probably the ability of a powerful Devil Fruit user," Sasuke analyzed. 

His sensory abilities weren't as sharp as Naruto's, but he made up for it with his brain. 

And in this area, Sasuke definitely had the advantage over Naruto. 

"A Devil Fruit that can cover an area this big?" 

Naruto's mouth dropped open in surprise. 

"Not that surprising," Sasuke smirked. "One Divine Tree alone turned the whole Land of Wind into a desert. 

So Devil Fruits shouldn't be underestimated." 

Honestly, if not for Shisui talking some sense into him, Sasuke might've become a pirate by now. 

After all, Devil Fruit powers seemed absurdly strong—way faster than grinding through years of ninjutsu training. 

"Yeah… that makes sense," Naruto nodded. 

He had grown a lot, but Sasuke kept getting stronger too… 

Hmm. 

Well, okay—strength and personality changes didn't really affect intelligence, after all. 

On the other side, Sakura lowered her eyes as she watched Naruto and Sasuke talking. 

Quietly, she spoke. 

"Kakashi-sensei… as a shinobi… is bloodline really that important? If I'm just an ordinary person, then…" 

"It's not important." 

Before Sakura could even finish, Kakashi answered without hesitation. 

"But…" 

"The Hatake clan doesn't have any special bloodline abilities, but I'm still a genius." 

Kakashi sighed. As expected, when there were too many geniuses in a team, it could be discouraging for the others. 

The truth was, Sakura wasn't lacking in talent—by any measure, she was considered above average. 

But compared to Naruto and Sasuke, who were growing at an insane pace, it was hard not to feel left behind. Though, to be fair, even as their teacher, Kakashi himself had been improving as well. 

"But I heard that everyone in the Hatake clan is a genius," Sakura said. 

She had heard this from her parents—Kakashi-sensei's family had always been full of geniuses. Even though they weren't a big ninja clan, every generation had individuals with incredible talent. 

"That's true," Kakashi admitted. "But if you keep thinking that way, you'll never catch up to Sasuke and Naruto in your lifetime." 

"Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi suddenly asked, "do you two think you can capture the captain of the Dark Pirates right now?" 

Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke stared at him, wondering if Kakashi had lost his mind. 

Naruto's face darkened immediately. 

"Kakashi-sensei, if we go up against someone like that now, we'd die." 

"I'd like to try," Sasuke said after a pause, "but honestly, I don't think we stand a chance of winning." 

He shook his head. Someone as powerful as Captain Dark wasn't someone they could just challenge recklessly. 

If they were to list the strongest people in the ninja world right now, Dark would definitely be at the top—his strength was recognized by everyone. 

Just looking at Dark's record was enough to understand why. 

He had fought Zabuza head-on and ended in a draw. 

Later, he challenged Shanks—though he lost badly, he still earned Shanks' respect. 

After that, he had appeared outside the Hidden Leaf Village alongside ninjas from the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud Villages, taking part in the attack on Konoha. 

Dark had been involved in almost every major event in the ninja world. He was already on the same level as the Kage of the villages. 

Sakura fell silent after hearing Kakashi's words. 

"Kakashi-sensei, let's just go." 

"I… I don't want to go back." 

She stopped walking and looked up at Kakashi, her voice quiet but firm. 

"I don't want to go back, Kakashi-sensei!" 

"Sakura, you're still injured," Naruto said, running up to her with concern. 

"I don't want to go back to how things were. I don't want to just stand behind and watch you guys fight. I… I don't want to be like I was back in the Land of Waves, watching you and Sasuke battle while I was completely helpless." 

"I don't want to feel like I did in the Land of Snow, when we faced those ninjas, and I couldn't do anything. You're both getting stronger, but I… I can't do anything." 

"Naruto, you just don't understand." 

Hearing Sakura's words, everyone stopped walking—even Kakashi. 

Of course, they understood. 

Whether it was Kakashi, Naruto, or Sasuke… 

They all knew what that helplessness felt like. 

"You could die," Kakashi said at last. 

Both Naruto and Sasuke turned to look at Sakura. 

Sakura was different from them. If they had a choice, they would rather be like Sakura and live her life. 

"You're not like us, Sakura." 

Naruto spoke up as well. 

"How am I different? We're all ninjas, we're all… comrades, we're from the same village! Is it because I'm always dragging everyone down? Is that why, Naruto?!" 

"You still have a family, so it's different. Do you understand?" 

This time, Sasuke made himself surprisingly clear. There was no hint of looking down on Sakura—she was just different from them. 

Yes, Sakura was holding them back, but neither Naruto nor Sasuke had ever resented her for it. When necessary, they would even risk their lives to protect her. 

Because… Sakura still had a family. And they had nothing. 

Hearing Sasuke's words, Sakura froze. 

She stood there, stunned. 

Looking at the three of them in silence, everything suddenly made sense. 

It was as if, at this moment, everything was explained. 

She realized… she already had everything they longed for. That's why, no matter how much she slowed them down, they never hated her. 

Ever since this team was formed, she had always been protected by them… 

But… 

Thinking about how she had treated them, Sakura suddenly felt a sting in her nose, as if she was about to cry. 

She had been so foolish, always thinking they had left her behind, never once realizing how much they had been taking care of her. 

"I… I'm sorry, everyone…" 

"Let's head back and heal up first," Kakashi said, not saying anything more. 

"A Devil Fruit user showing up isn't surprising. We don't know what their ability is, but for now, it shouldn't cause any trouble." 

With that thought in mind, Kakashi and the group continued forward. 

But before they had gone far, a few familiar figures appeared in the distance. 

"Zabuza?" 

"Kakashi?" 

Both Zabuza and Kakashi froze for a moment. In the next second, they instinctively gripped their weapons. 

At that moment, Zabuza felt an overwhelming sense of danger from Kakashi. He hadn't mastered Observation Haki yet, but his instincts were sharp. 

It meant that Kakashi had grown frighteningly strong in this short period. 

"Kakashi, we don't have time to fight you." 

Zabuza spoke cautiously. 

"I don't have time to deal with you either." 

Kakashi was equally on guard. Zabuza was no easy opponent, and he also had Sakura, who was injured. 

"Good. Let's go our separate ways." 

Zabuza led his group in the opposite direction, keeping a wary eye on Kakashi's team. 

His people looked exhausted, as if they had rushed here in a hurry. 

Only after watching Kakashi and his team disappear from sight did Zabuza finally loosen his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"Hurry up and get moving. We must reach the site by the end of today." 

"Captain, Lord Shanks didn't say what happened. Do we really need to rush there so urgently?" 

Jin quickly asked. 

"The sooner we get there, the better. We need to prevent any accidents. Move it!" 

Zabuza frowned and urged them on. 

Jin had received this information after returning to the Land of Waves and getting the message from Gato—once there was a major change in the Land of Wind, they had to move immediately. 

As Zabuza and his team left, four figures appeared on a sand dune in the distance—Kakashi and his group. 

"This has something to do with Shanks," Sasuke said. 

"Looks like we're not going back after all." 

Kakashi made a quick decision. If Shanks was involved, then this was no small matter. 

Meanwhile, above the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Roran, dark, heavy clouds churned in the sky. 

At the place where Orochimaru had been, a Devil Fruit had formed. Orochimaru's enormous body now looked like a tree, with the fruit growing right from his stomach. 

RUMBLE!!! 

A bolt of lightning crashed from the rolling clouds above, sending shockwaves through the entire desert. 

In the flash of lightning, Orochimaru's "body" was illuminated. Beneath his semi-transparent white shell, a twisted Devil Fruit pulsed with light. 

BOOM!! 

The next moment, a massive ten-meter-wide lightning bolt struck Orochimaru's body. At the same time, the dragon vein beneath the ruins of Roran shattered, and an immense surge of chakra energy burst from the ground. 

A voice echoed from the sky. 

"Thunderclap!!"