Chapter 11: For Shanks, Using Observation Killing Is Perfectly Normal
The Toad Hakim's prophecy was strongest when he directly used Shanks himself as the anchor for the foresight. This method made the Toad Hakim's vision one hundred percent real.
With this method, aside from the limitation that the information gained would be less, there was another limitation. The length of the future that could be seen was not decided by the Toad Hakim's strength, but by the target's strength.
But after seeing that future, the Toad Hakim was certain.
Shanks also possessed the ability to peer into the future and read fate.
The Toad Hakim understood what that ability meant. It meant the future could be changed. It meant massive uncertainty.
For something this important, the Toad Hakim had to inform the other two Hakim.
"Shanks, a person who can train Hakim Mode on his own?"
The White Snake Hakim's voice sounded in the Toad Hakim's mind. The Slug Hakim said nothing. In truth, she did not care about this matter.
Among the three great sacred lands, Shikkotsu Forest interfered the least with the shinobi world, and the Slug Hakim's temperament was gentle and accepting. She did not want to involve herself in shinobi affairs.
Mount Myoboku, on the other hand, was full of toads who were passionate about what happened in the shinobi world.
"In the future he's called the youngest of the Four Emperors? If he can train Hakim Mode on his own, that also means Shanks can develop a Hakim Mode that belongs to him."
"Four Emperors, could that mean four sacred lands?"
The White Snake Hakim thought and spoke.
The Toad Hakim had too little information, yet every piece was extremely important. The White Snake Hakim of Ryuchi Cave was naturally curious about what was really going on.
"I think so too."
The Slug Hakim's gentle voice came through.
"A Hakim Mode that can be developed also means the qualification to establish a sacred land. If he can truly do that, then it would be the youngest sacred land. Could it be that in the future, there will be four great sacred lands, and they will be called the Four Emperors?"
The White Snake Hakim continued.
It was reasonable. Extremely reasonable.
If things continued in this direction, then in just a few years, a fourth sacred land might appear.
"If a fourth sacred land appears, that would be a good thing for the shinobi world."
"But the New World, the end of the world, what is that? And besides that, there's something else."
The Toad Hakim showed the other two Hakim a blurry image: a strange fruit covered in twisted patterns.
"As long as you eat this fruit, you can gain a special ability, similar to a bloodline limit. Every fruit's ability is unique. Each person can eat at most one. It's a miraculous thing."
Hearing the Toad Hakim, the White Snake Hakim and the Slug Hakim thought for a long time. Or rather, the Slug Hakim was not thinking at all. She was already spacing out.
After a long while, the White Snake Hakim's eyes lit up.
"I know. Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru?"
"Hah? Big Toad, you haven't slept yourself stupid, have you? Do you think old fossils like us can see through everything?"
"But from the future you saw, the three sacred lands will enter the shinobi world again. If that's the case, then why not let shinobi handle some things right now?"
"And Orochimaru was already interested in that. If we bring Orochimaru in, we don't need to think so much."
The White Snake Hakim spoke.
Orochimaru was unpleasant and ambitious, but his mind was the real thing, and his talent was among the very best in the shinobi world.
Even the Hakim of the three great sacred lands had to admit that.
This kind of matter was best handed to Orochimaru.
Of course, getting Orochimaru to help would require a price. For Ryuchi Cave, a price like that was nothing.
As for the Slug Hakim, at some point she simply slipped away. She did not care about this sort of thing at all.
With Tsunade's current situation, she would not get involved in shinobi affairs either.
For the Slug Hakim, there was only one word: lie down.
Elsewhere, while training with Zabuza, Shanks's brows were knit tight. After a month, his Observation Haki finally recovered.
The instant it recovered, he sensed a kind of窥探. With a single thought, Shanks cut that vague force apart.
"Someone was using Observation Haki to peek into the future and saw me?"
Over the past months, Shanks's command of Haki had grown more and more refined. Now that he had discovered the窥探, he was even calmer.
Or maybe no one had come looking for this place in so long because it was safe.
"I have Observation Killing now. Aside from Armament Haki, I'm already close to the original Shanks. No need to worry too much."
Shanks was cautious, and he also understood his own strength.
Conqueror's Haki coating, Observation Killing, both were mastered.
Once he had Armament Haki, going out to sea would be nearly unstoppable.
Shanks's strongest power was Conqueror's Haki. Observation Killing was also his most troublesome ability.
I can see your future through Observation Haki, but the future you see can be cut off by my Observation Killing, making you unable to窥探 at all.
That was the strength of the youngest of the Four Emperors on the Grand Line.
"Shanks, don't get distracted in a fight!"
Zabuza's roar came, and in the next moment, a flash of blade light split open a crack in the ground where Shanks stood.
Shanks grinned and leapt into the air.
"Haha, Zan, you're too slow."
Humm!
A ring of black-red ripples spread outward.
Above Zabuza's head, the light seemed to be crushed apart. In the next instant, Shanks's fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, hammered down.
"Iron Body!"
Zabuza crossed his arms, and the upper half of his body turned black like iron.
Clang!
He blocked it, but not completely.
In the instant of impact, Zabuza was blasted backward, cracking the ground beneath him.
In the distance, dust flew. Zabuza climbed out of the crater and waved a hand, and the wind swept the dust aside.
Sweat beaded on his head. Blood ran from his nose.
"I trained Iron Body to this level, and it still didn't block it."
Zabuza clenched his teeth. His progress had been explosive, but looking at Shanks in the distance, it felt like Shanks had not changed at all.
"You didn't pass out right away."
"Damn it, Shanks, don't look down on me. I'll keep improving too. Your Conqueror's Haki doesn't work on me."
"Take this."
Chakra roared through Zabuza's body. In that instant, his frame forcibly swelled larger, twisted muscles exploding with power.
He kicked off the ground, and his figure vanished again.
"No-Blade Style Secret Art!"
"Shattering Blade!"
In the next moment, Zabuza appeared above Shanks. He pressed his palms together, and a terrifying momentum gathered.
In that instant, the sky seemed to dim, and the only remaining brightness was the blade light in Zabuza's hands.
Using his palms as a blade, a nearly ten-meter-long arc of light tore through the air and chopped straight down at Shanks.
Before it even reached him, Shanks felt a faint sting.
At that moment, Shanks gripped his katana, and in the next instant, black light burst forth.
A smoking black silhouette was knocked out of the air and sent flying, plunging straight into the lake.