Chapter 5: You Actually Managed to Match Them?
Night fell, and a bonfire was lit by the lake.
After Zabuza's change in mindset, he no longer felt so cold as a person. Whether he had always been like that, or whether Shanks influenced him, no one could say.
"Zan, as an assassin, you should have quite a bit of intelligence, right?"
Shanks didn't want much. With the speed his strength was improving, it would be best to at least confirm what point in time it was.
"Yeah, I know a lot. But I might not be able to help you."
Zabuza spoke. As one of the former Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, he knew plenty about the shinobi world, but what Shanks needed might not be something he could provide.
"I don't need anything too detailed. I just want to ask about a few people."
Shanks scratched his head. He only needed a rough confirmation of the era. He didn't know the timeline well enough to name an exact year.
"People? Do they have any distinctive traits?"
Zabuza hesitated. The people Shanks wanted to ask about were probably not the kind who were already famous, otherwise Shanks wouldn't have to ask. And anyone Shanks cared about would not be weak. They might be powerful figures without a reputation yet.
People like that often stayed hidden. Names could be concealed. Strength could be concealed. But traits could not.
"Traits? Shouldn't I just ask for their names?"
Shanks froze. Why couldn't he just ask for names? Why make it so complicated?
Seeing that, Zabuza shook his head and quickly explained.
"Shanks, the people you're asking about are strong, right?"
"Yeah. They're top-tier. They aren't standing at the very top yet, but in the future they'll become powerhouses known to everyone."
"Then for people like us, what matters isn't just a name, it's traits.
A name can be hidden. Strength can be hidden. But a strong person's traits are always one of a kind."
Hearing Zabuza's explanation, Shanks understood immediately.
If he only gave a name, it might be hard to find the person. And if he thought about Kizaru and Aokiji, two laid-back so-called powerhouses, they might not even have a reputation yet at this time.
But special powers were unique. Using the uniqueness of those powers to identify the right person was the easiest path.
As expected of a professional assassin. Definitely not like a carefree pirate.
"Traits, huh? One guy can turn into golden light. He looks kind of sleazy. He's insanely fast. That guy is strong."
Hearing Shanks, Zabuza froze, his expression turning strange.
Turn into light? Super fast? Wasn't that Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the shinobi known as the Yellow Flash?
No, Minato had died ten years ago. It seemed Shanks really had been cut off from the outside world for a long time.
And Minato didn't look sleazy at all. If anything, he was handsome.
Also, Minato had married a woman from the Uzumaki Clan. So if Shanks called him a sleazy guy with a straight face, that was… understandable.
And Minato truly had become a top-tier powerhouse known across the shinobi world. If he were still alive, his strength would probably be even greater now.
"That man… yes. He was indeed one of the top-tier powerhouses."
"Oh? So Kizaru becomes top-tier? Then what about Akainu and Aokiji?"
Just as Zabuza was about to explain, Shanks kept asking excitedly.
Kizaru? Was that some nickname Shanks had given Minato?
"Who are Akainu and Aokiji?"
"Tch, looks like those two haven't reached the top yet. What are their traits?"
Shanks thought that if Kizaru had already become famous, then Akainu and Aokiji should be about the same.
"Aokiji uses ice. That alone should be enough. If there's something even more obvious, it's probably that he's kind. At least in this world, he's kind and just. That's his biggest trait."
"As for Akainu, he's the opposite of Aokiji. He uses magma. He has a bad temper, but he also clings to his sense of justice."
Hearing Shanks, Zabuza immediately matched the information.
Ice power sounded like the special bloodline ability of the Yuki Clan. Zabuza hadn't encountered it personally, but he knew of it.
As for the magma user, Zabuza was all too familiar with her: Mei Terumi. A trusted confidant of the Mizukage in Kirigakure.
"That person? She'll become top-tier too?"
Zabuza frowned. So Mei Terumi had been hiding her strength all along.
"Who?"
Seeing Zabuza's expression, Shanks asked. Don't tell him this guy actually knew one of the Navy's three Admirals.
"The magma user. I know her. I was even pushed into a dead end by her before. But now that I think about it, the fact that I escaped from her might have been deliberate."
Zabuza tore open the bandages on his chest, revealing a large burn scar.
Mei Terumi had left him those wounds. They looked severe, but they hadn't actually threatened his life.
"You actually survived against that person. He never holds back. Unless something restricted him and forced him to let you go."
"Hah? Survive? Don't look down on me. The situation back then was complicated. She probably did let me go on purpose, but if we fought head-on, if I wanted to run, she couldn't stop me."
"Really?"
Shanks didn't believe it at all. A rookie assassin thinking he could survive under Akainu?
"Fine. The situation back then was special.
But if her temper is that explosive, does she truly have that sense of justice deep down?"
Right now, Zabuza only wanted to confirm one thing. If that were true, then whatever Mei Terumi was plotting had to be huge, which was why she kept it hidden.
Maybe she was the one who would overturn the Bloody Mist.
"There are things I can't tell you too much about."
Shanks explained. If he said too much about the future, it might change things.
"Akainu is hot-tempered, but he has political skill. And in his heart, he always clings to his own justice."
"But I'm curious. You know him?"
"Colleagues. It's just that some scum appeared among us. My assassination failed, so I escaped."
Zabuza didn't go into detail, and for Shanks, that was enough.
Kizaru had a reputation. Akainu, within the Marines, still didn't have a status as high as Kizaru. As for Aokiji, there was no need to worry about him for now.
"Then it's not surprising you survived. Akainu's target should have been the scum in your group. He can't tolerate people like that."
Shanks sighed. Akainu was like this now, but later he would become Fleet Admiral and be forced to compromise everywhere.
"So Zan discovered scum within the Marines, tried to eliminate them, failed, and escaped."
Shanks quickly arranged Zabuza's identity in his head.
Zabuza was thinking about Shanks's words as well.
Neither of them said much, but smart men didn't need everything spelled out. At least their information matched up.
After they finished the grilled fish, the two men stood again and continued their training.
Their worlds didn't match, but at that moment, their thoughts did.
"I, Shanks, will become a powerhouse of the pirate world."
"I, Zabuza, will become a powerhouse of the shinobi world."
Their understanding was perfect. Between men, that kind of understanding didn't need words.