Shanks narrowed his eyes, a cold snort escaping him. His anger simmered beneath the surface. He had expected trouble—he'd felt a faint premonition during his journey—but seeing the blockade with his own eyes still stirred irritation deep in his chest.
No man wants to face a battlefield the moment he returns home with his bride.
Shanks was no different.
He had imagined how he would arrive at the Uzumaki Village, how he would meet Mikoto, how their next few days would unfold peacefully. He had planned it all in his mind.
And now?
Instead of warmth and celebration, he was greeted by the information that Kirigakure had launched an attack on his clan.
It was shocking—infuriating even. And as his eyes locked onto the blockade, his expression turned colder still, the morning mist swirling around him like a shroud.
…
Yes, Shanks had already received word of Kirigakure's attack.
As soon as Makima reached the Uzumaki Village with the other siblings—responding to Guy and Todoroki's summons—she had sent a messenger eagle to Shanks. That eagle had found him while he was still halfway home, while Frosty was already sprinting across the way at full speed.
The message contained everything:
Kirigakure's sudden assault and the plan of the Uzumaki siblings.
A few hours earlier, another update reached him—his clan brothers and sisters had survived the first day, holding the line against overwhelming odds. His siblings had successfully held the enemy back and prevented them from reaching the village…
And, most importantly, the confirmation that the Mizukage himself was among the attackers, though he had yet to show his face in direct combat.
Shanks exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the blockade ahead.
"Frosty," he said quietly, "stop here."
The white tiger obeyed instantly, halting its massive body. Beneath its paws stretched a thick sheet of ice—freshly formed from the tiger's freezing ability as it ran across the sea. The carriage settled behind them, mist curling around its wheels as the world fell briefly silent.
Shanks leapt down from the carriage and landed on the open sea—standing calmly atop the ice Frosty had created. By now, the scouts stationed on the Kirigakure blockade ships had already spotted him. They scrambled into position, preparing their jutsu and weapons, waiting for him to approach their vessels.
But Shanks didn't move forward.
He stopped just a few meters away from the nearest ship, standing tall and unmoving on the frozen surface.
The ship captain raised his binoculars, eyes narrowing as he focused on the lone figure.
"Yes… this is definitely the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan—Shanks Uzumaki."
He lowered the binoculars sharply.
"Send the signal! The Clan Head has returned!"
A group of Kirigakure ninjas immediately began preparing flares and communication jutsu.
Shanks didn't care what they were doing.
Without a word, he released a surge of pure, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
A shockwave burst outward from him, rippling across the sea in violent waves. The surface of the water trembled. The mist distorted. And the blockade ships groaned as if struck by a massive invisible force—masts rattling, hulls creaking, decks swaying wildly beneath the sudden pressure.
The sheer force of Shanks' presence shook the entire blockade. The sea itself seemed to recoil from him.
Shanks didn't stop there.
He unsheathed his sword—Gryphon—and coated the blade with a dense layer of Conqueror's Haki. Black lightning crackled along its edge, humming with overwhelming pressure. His expression hardened, and in a cold, steady voice, he spoke two words:
"Divine Departure."
He swung horizontally.
A massive black flying slash burst from Gryphon, tearing through the air with a thunderous roar. The sword energy raced across the sea, crossing the distance in an instant before crashing into the Kirigakure blockade.
The impact was catastrophic.
Ships split apart as if made of paper. Hulls shattered. Masts snapped. The entire blockade was consumed by the expanding wave of Conqueror-infused sword energy. Kirigakure ninjas were launched into the sky, spinning helplessly before plummeting into the ocean like scattered dumplings.
With a single swing—one effortless strike—Shanks obliterated the carefully arranged naval formation.
Silence followed, broken only by the crackle of lingering haki drifting across the sea.
Shanks turned toward Frosty and the carriage.
"Take Mikoto back to the village—safe and sound," he ordered.
Mikoto was far from helpless. She was an elite Uchiha, a kunoichi of Jonin-level strength. But Shanks had no intention of letting her fight on the very first day of her arrival here in Land of Uzumaki—
not while he stood here,
not while he could shield her himself.
Mikoto leaned slightly out of the carriage window, her dark eyes soft but steady.
"Take care," she said to Shanks. "And don't worry—I'll be fine."
Shanks nodded. His stern expression eased, the faintest smile breaking through.
"Don't worry," he replied. "I'll be fine too. After all… we haven't even spent our first night yet."
Mikoto's cheeks flushed instantly, heat blooming across her face. Shanks let out a quiet laugh at her reaction, and Frosty burst into a sprint, carrying the carriage swiftly away across the ice path.
Shanks watched until the carriage vanished into the morning mist.
The smile slowly faded from his face.
In its place came a cold, razor-sharp resolve—an intent to utterly crush the Kirigakure forces who had dared to attack his home.
…
Meanwhile, at the Kirigakure forward camp established on the shores of the Land of Uzumaki, every prominent figure suddenly stood at once. A heavy pressure—an immense aura—had washed over them from afar, unmistakable and suffocating.
On the central seat, a middle-aged man sat with his hands resting calmly on his knees.
A slow smile formed on his face as he looked toward the distant sea.
"It seems," he said, voice tinged with amusement, "our Uzumaki Clan Head has arrived."
All the elite Kirigakure members—those seated and those standing—felt it at the same moment: the unmistakable surge of Conqueror's Haki from Shanks Uzumaki. A heavy silence settled over the tent as the pressure washed through their camp. Every face turned solemn.
Those who had crossed blades with Shanks before—Fuguki, Juzo, and a few others—recognized that overwhelming aura instantly. There was no mistaking it. This was the Haki of the Uzumaki Clan Head himself.
The Mizukage rose from his seat at last.
"It's time to move with our plan," he said, his voice calm yet chilling. "This time, we will destroy the Uzumaki for good."
The moment his words ended, his figure vanished—gone without a sound, leaving only the cloth flap of the tent swaying gently in his wake.
The elite Kirigakure ninjas exchanged tense glances. With both leaders—Shanks and the Mizukage—now stepping fully into the battlefield, the day ahead would mark the decisive clash. This was the battle that would decide the true victor.
Without hesitation, the elites launched themselves forward, moving at incredible speed toward the source of that crushing aura.
Toward Shanks.
Uzumaki siblings in the village felt it instantly—the unmistakable surge of Conqueror's Haki belonging to Shanks. A moment later, their sensory techniques confirmed it.
Their elder brother had arrived.
Relief and excitement swept through them. Without wasting a second, they prepared to leave the village and join him. But before departing, they notified the captain of the Uzumaki Police Force:
"The Uzumaki Clan Head and the Kage of the Uzumaki Village have returned."
They instructed him to spread the news among the villagers, to ease their fear and reassure them that their strongest protector had come home.
Both sides moved.
The battlefield shifted.
Soon, the elite forces began to converge around Shanks.
Across from him stood a middle-aged man—the Mizukage—his presence heavy and calm, like a silent storm at dawn. One after another, the elites of Kirigakure appeared at his side: the prominent clan heads, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and the strongest warriors of the Hidden Mist.
And on the opposite side, Shanks stood unmoving, his blade at his side, eyes locked on the enemy assembly.
One by one, his siblings arrived beside him—Erza, Gildarts, Guy, Todoroki, Antares, Renji, Makima, Mereoleona, and the rest—taking their positions at his flanks, forming a united front around their Clan Head.
The morning mist curled around them as both sides finished assembling.
The air grew heavy.
The final battle was about to begin.
----
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