Shanks began speaking, calmly analyzing the fight between Shamrock and Uta. His eyes moved between the two of them as he leaned back slightly.
"Shamrock, with your awakened Kekkei Genkai Conqueror's Haki, you are able to easily dominate in a group battle. You do not have to fear fighting multiple opponents at once. Your abilities naturally give you control over the battlefield."
He then turned his gaze toward Uta.
"And similarly for you, Uta. With your Sharingan and Lightning Release: Thunder Sword God Mode, you can easily dominate a group fight as well. The increased reflexes from the technique, combined with the boost in speed, allow you to react to multiple opponents at once."
A faint breeze moved through the garden as Shanks continued, his tone steady but instructive.
"And not only that. With the defensive stacking of your Armament Haki and your Lightning Release, you can easily tank most of the attacks thrown toward you. Even in the middle of a group battle, you can remain largely unharmed if you use those abilities correctly."
Shanks paused for a moment, letting his words settle before continuing.
"So both of you fought extremely well. You fought according to your abilities, and the results clearly showed that."
Then his gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at Uta again.
"However, Uta still needs to learn how to be more ruthless in battle. If you had been more ruthless, you could have defeated Haku even faster—perhaps in fewer moves than you actually used."
After saying that, Shanks shifted his attention toward Shamrock.
"And Shamrock, you possess the Sharingan. You should use genjutsu more often during your battles. It is a powerful advantage that many opponents will not be prepared for. Use it."
His voice softened slightly at the end, but the authority in his tone remained unmistakable.
"Got it?"
Both Shamrock and Uta listened carefully to every word. After hearing Shanks's analysis, the two of them nodded almost simultaneously.
"We will keep everything you said in mind, father," they replied.
Shanks nodded after hearing Uta's and Shamrock's words, acknowledging their response with a quiet look of approval.
Just at that moment, a Shadow Guard approached and stopped a short distance in front of them. The guard bowed respectfully toward Shanks before speaking.
"My Lord, the people from Konoha have arrived. I have arranged for them to stay in a guest house where we generally accommodate envoys, according to the usual protocol."
Shanks listened calmly and gave a small nod.
"Very well," he said. "Let them wait. I will meet them tomorrow."
The Shadow Guard nodded in acknowledgment, but he did not immediately leave. After a brief pause, he spoke again.
"There is one more thing to mention, My Lord. In the envoy team from Konoha that has arrived, Naruto Uzumaki is also present."
The moment Shanks heard the name Naruto, his expression shifted slightly, a faint spark of surprise appearing in his eyes.
"Oh? Why didn't you tell me that my nephew has also come?" he said, a hint of warmth entering his voice.
He paused for a moment, clearly reconsidering his earlier decision.
"Very well. Arrange for them to meet me after two hours, around the evening. I will hold the meeting with the Konoha envoy… and also have dinner with my nephew."
The Shadow Guard nodded respectfully.
"I will do that, My Lord."
He gave another formal bow to Shanks before turning and quietly leaving the area, his footsteps fading into the distance.
The envoy that had come from Konoha to meet the Uzukage was none other than Team 7.
Team 7 consisted of the same familiar members—Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke. After being escorted and settled into the guest house by the Shadow Guard, they were informed that they were free to move around Uzushiogakure and explore the village if they wished, observing its culture and prosperity while they waited for their scheduled meeting.
And they did exactly that.
Leaving the guest house behind, the four of them walked through the streets of Uzushiogakure, wandering without much hurry as they looked around with quiet curiosity. Their eyes moved from one shop to another, occasionally pausing to observe the bustling stalls and the neatly arranged storefronts that lined the streets.
Naruto glanced around with open interest while Sakura quietly observed the surroundings, and Sasuke walked with his usual calm composure. Kakashi, as always, appeared relaxed, though his single visible eye carefully took in every detail of the unfamiliar village.
The buildings around them looked somewhat familiar at first glance. Architecturally, many of them still carried similarities to the structures found in Konoha. However, as they walked further into the streets, the differences became more and more noticeable.
Many of the buildings had modern additions—extensions and structural improvements that made them appear more refined and efficient. The designs were slightly more advanced, with clever attachments and modifications that blended practicality with aesthetics.
The streets themselves were perfectly clean, the stone pathways smooth and well-maintained. People moved about their daily lives calmly, and the overall atmosphere carried a quiet sense of order and prosperity.
In many ways, the prosperity of Uzushiogakure felt very similar to Konoha's. Yet there was also something subtly different about it. The village seemed… slightly more refined.
Part of that impression came from the modern elements integrated into the village's infrastructure. The buildings, while rooted in traditional designs, carried visible signs of thoughtful innovation.
After all, Shanks had personally invested a great deal of effort into improving life within Uzushiogakure. Drawing from the knowledge of his previous life, he had conducted research into creating tools, systems, and equipment that could make everyday life easier for the people of the village.
Whatever he was capable of personally developing, he had created himself. For everything else, he had established an entire Research and Development department within Uzushiogakure.
The department actively invited the brightest minds of the village to participate in research and innovation. Many scholars, inventors, and talented students who did not possess the aptitude or affinity to become ninjas had found their place there.
Rather than being left without purpose, those individuals now contributed to the village in their own way. Through their research and experiments, they had already managed to create a surprising number of useful innovations that steadily improved life within Uzushiogakure.
As Team 7 continued walking through the lively streets, they could clearly see the results of those efforts all around them. The village was thriving, and its quiet prosperity was evident in every corner they passed.
Naruto glanced toward Sasuke as they walked through the lively streets. Sasuke looked mostly the same as he always had—calm, composed, and carrying that natural presence that seemed to draw attention without effort. However, if one looked closely, there were slight differences in his facial features compared to the Sasuke known in another timeline.
After all, this Sasuke was not the son of Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha. Instead, he was the son of Uchiha Fugaku and another female ninja of the Uchiha clan. Because of that, his facial structure was slightly different from the Sasuke many would expect.
Even so, those small differences did nothing to diminish his appearance. Sasuke was still undeniably handsome, and just like before, he remained extremely popular among the girls of Konoha.
Sakura, walking not far from him, was a perfect example of that.
She was very fond of Sasuke—still the same love-struck fool whenever it came to him. Every now and then, her eyes would drift toward Sasuke as they walked, though she tried to keep her composure.
Naruto suddenly pointed toward something down the street.
"Look," he said, nudging Sasuke slightly with his elbow. "There are quite a lot of vehicles here that aren't even available in Konoha. Like that motorbike over there—it looks pretty good."
The machine stood near a shop along the road, its polished metal frame reflecting the afternoon light as people passed by.
Sakura followed Naruto's gaze and nodded after hearing his words.
"You're right," she said thoughtfully. "There are many things here that make Uzushiogakure quite flourishing compared to other villages."
She gestured lightly toward the harbour area.
"Like when we arrived—we didn't come here on some normal boat. We came on a motorboat. And there were many other motorboats around as well."
For a moment, she seemed to recall the scene they had witnessed earlier.
"We even saw large motorboats moving across the sea. Some of them were being used by fishermen from Uzushiogakure. People were out there fishing in the ocean, and everything looked so organized."
A faint sense of admiration crept into her voice as she looked around at the clean streets and well-maintained buildings.
"Uzushiogakure is definitely very prosperous," Sakura continued. "Honestly… it might even be slightly more prosperous than our Konoha."
As they continued walking through the bustling streets, the signs of that prosperity were visible everywhere—from the modern tools displayed in shop windows to the steady flow of villagers going about their daily lives.
Kakashi walked quietly behind the others, his posture relaxed as usual. Right now, his left eye was no longer covered by his ninja forehead protector. The Sharingan in that eye was now clearly visible, its crimson color occasionally catching the light as he looked around the streets of Uzushiogakure.
If this had been earlier, Kakashi would have definitely kept that eye hidden. The constant chakra drain of the Sharingan had once forced him to conceal it whenever possible.
But things were different now.
Konoha had made significant progress in their research on Hashirama cells, and that progress had directly affected Kakashi. Through careful medical procedures, Hashirama cells had been transplanted around the area surrounding Kakashi's Sharingan eye.
Because of that transplantation, Kakashi's Sharingan was now completely under his control.
Not only that, the eye no longer burdened his body the way it once had. The constant chakra drain that had plagued him for years had completely disappeared.
As a result, Kakashi was now far, far stronger than he had ever been in the original story.
With the removal of the Sharingan's limitations and the benefits granted by the Hashirama cells, Kakashi's stamina, reaction speed, and overall combat ability had improved tremendously.
To be precise, the current Kakashi could even go toe-to-toe with the Fourth Hokage in terms of speed.
The two of them sparred quite often in Konoha, their training sessions becoming something of a regular occurrence. Those sparring matches were intense enough that even experienced ninja would hesitate to watch from too close.
And unlike before, the Fourth Hokage could no longer easily dominate Kakashi in battle.
Kakashi had grown far too strong for that.
That strength was also one of the main reasons why Kakashi had been chosen to lead Team 7.
It was not simply because of his experience as a Jonin instructor, but because of the level of protection he could provide.
After all, Naruto Uzumaki—the Jinchuriki of Konoha—was part of Team 7.
With Kakashi's current strength, he was considered one of the best possible bodyguards for Naruto.
And there was another layer of security as well.
Kakashi always carried one of Minato's special kunai with him—the marked kunai used for the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Because of that, whenever a serious threat appeared, Kakashi could immediately signal for assistance. The moment the technique was activated, the Fourth Hokage could appear on the battlefield instantly.
In other words, as long as Kakashi was present, Naruto was never truly unprotected.
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