Shanks said, "All of you, let's be seated." Then he turned toward Shamrock and Uta and continued, "And you both tell me more about your mission. How exactly did you defeat Zabuza and Haku? What was the process?"
As soon as Shanks's words fell, everyone began sitting wherever they could. It was a clean garden, with trimmed grass and open space, so there wasn't any particularly dirty place to worry about. People settled in a loose circle, some cross-legged, some leaning back on their hands. The faint rustle of leaves filled the brief silence as Shamrock stepped forward and began speaking.
"Father, a few days ago an old man came from the Land of Waves to give us a mission. He wanted us to escort him back there. The mission itself was quite basic—he had bought a few things in Uzushigakure and simply needed protection while returning to the Land of Waves.
"And since the distance between the land of the Uzumaki and the Land of Waves isn't that far, and can be reached by traveling on a normal boat, we initially thought it was going to be a boring mission." Shamrock paused briefly, his gaze steady. "At that point, there was nothing that seemed suspicious or dangerous.
"But when we reached the Land of Waves, we were attacked by a group of ninjas. They were led by Zabuza, along with a masked person who was later revealed to be Haku."
The air around them felt a little heavier as he continued.
"The fight began almost instantly, because the moment Zabuza saw us, he attacked without hesitation. Uncle Antares erased his presence completely—he wasn't visible to anyone among those ninjas, not even to elites like Zabuza and Haku." It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
"So in the end, it was just the two of us. Zabuza was clearly very confident that he could deal with us easily, especially with the group of ninjas he had brought along with him." Shamrock's voice hardened slightly. "But I proved him to be completely wrong.
"I immediately released my Conqueror's Haki, and the moment it surged outward, the ninjas accompanying Zabuza all collapsed to the ground. Bodies hit the earth almost in unison, a dull series of thuds echoing across the area. Only two elite, Chunin-level ninjas remained standing—and even they were barely holding themselves upright, their legs trembling as they struggled to stay conscious.
"My first priority was to eliminate those two. If I left them alone, they could become a hindrance later in the fight, and I had no intention of allowing that. So I moved without hesitation. I used Flame Burst, releasing a condensed ball of fire toward Zabuza and the two remaining Chunin.
"As soon as the fireball struck the ground in front of them, it exploded outward, forming a semi-sphere of roaring flames that swallowed the area. To my eyes, all three were enveloped by the expanding inferno. But through my Observation Haki, I could clearly perceive the truth—Zabuza had easily evaded the attack, slipping out of the expanding sphere and moving beyond its range almost instantly.
"The two chunin weren't as fortunate.
"They were engulfed by the flames the moment the fire spread, their screams quickly drowned out by the crackling roar. When the flames receded, neither of them could remain standing. They were heavily injured—burned and broken—but not dead. At the very least, they wouldn't be able to interfere in my battle with Zabuza anymore. That was all I needed.
"Flame Burst was only a toned-down version of Uncle Benimaru's Hell Flare, so it didn't cause devastating damage. And on the other side of the battlefield, Haku had already engaged Uta in combat, their movements flashing at the edge of my awareness.
"After that, Zabuza and I began fighting in earnest, relying purely on swordsmanship. With his vast experience, he was able to match me evenly, each clash sending sharp metallic rings through the air. However, because my sword was coated in Armament Haki, Zabuza's blade was far more vulnerable. With every strike I landed, small fragments chipped away from the edges of his sword, the damage accumulating bit by bit as our blades continued to collide.
"When Zabuza realized that he wasn't a match for me in close combat with pure swordsmanship, he changed tactics and began using ninjutsu—specifically Water Release. I responded in kind, countering him with Fire Release.
"Normally, fire is weaker and restrained by water. But I wasn't just any fire user. I had been trained in Fire Release by Aunt Mereoleona, Uncle Benimaru, and my other uncles and aunts. With that level of training, there was no way my flames would be weaker than Zabuza's water. And sure enough, I clearly dominated most of the ninjutsu exchanges with my Fire Release.
"Yes, a few of my fire techniques weren't as effective against him, but the majority of my attacks overwhelmed and burned through Zabuza's Water Release. Steam hissed into the air as fire and water clashed repeatedly, the ground beneath us scarred by the aftermath of each collision."
As Shanks listened up to this point, he nodded. Having trained Shamrock himself in swordsmanship and Haki—and knowing that Shamrock's uncles and aunts had trained him in Fire Release—he understood his fighting style better than anyone. Shanks had fought him before, so everything Shamrock described matched perfectly with what he already knew. Given that, the outcome was obvious to him.
Finally, Shamrock continued, his voice steady.
"Finally, for my strongest attack, I coated my sword in Armament Haki and then layered it with fire. After that, I released a powerful flying sword slash toward Zabuza. By then, after using so much ninjutsu, Zabuza was clearly low on chakra."
The image lingered in the air.
"My flying sword slash heavily injured him. After that, we clashed only two or three more times. Then I stabbed Zabuza in the stomach." Shamrock paused briefly. "He fell to the ground, incapacitated… dying."
As soon as Shamrock finished speaking, there was a clear look of pride on his face. He had defeated one of the well-known ninjas of the world, and that alone was enough to stir his emotions—especially knowing that the man he brought down was from Kirigakure. His posture straightened slightly, and for a brief moment, that sense of accomplishment was impossible to hide.
Although Shanks had clearly stated that their grudges with Kirigakure were over and that the past should be left behind, Shamrock still didn't harbor any good thoughts toward Kirigakure. A quiet resentment lingered in him, one that hadn't faded so easily.
After all, Kirigakure had caused immense suffering to Uzushiogakure. Entire lives and futures had been destroyed because of them. At the same time, Shamrock's rationality kept him grounded in reality. Uzushiogakure had already taken its revenge—more than eight thousand, nearly close to ten thousand ninjas of Kirigakure had been killed in return. The scales had been soaked in blood on both sides.
Shanks nodded after hearing Shamrock's entire narration. His expression remained calm, measured, as he took in everything that had been said. Then he shifted his gaze toward Uta, clearly waiting for her to speak and tell them about her fight with Haku.
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