Guy looked at Shanks, who was laughing loudly, his voice ringing across the area, clearly overjoyed after getting his left arm back. There was a brightness in his expression that hadn't been there in years. Guy finally said, "Congratulations, Onii-san, for getting your left hand back. At first, when I saw you cutting the healed part of your left arm, I was shocked. My heart almost stopped. But when your hand regenerated fully after that… seeing it grow back before my eyes… I am truly happy for you."
Shanks nodded after hearing Guy's words, flexing his fingers slowly as if reassuring himself they were real. "Yes, definitely I am feeling very happy," he said, a faint laugh escaping him. "Honestly, I was not feeling that good—incomplete, type—whenever I used to see my empty left sleeve moving in the wind. Although I had come to terms with losing my left arm for the past ten years, still, somewhere in my heart, I definitely felt that having both hands would be perfect. There was always that small emptiness." He looked down at his restored arm, clenching it once. "And now that I have both my arms… I am definitely feeling very happy. I feel complete again."
Hearing these words from Shanks, Guy could clearly feel how Shanks must have endured the past ten years. After all, ten years ago, Shanks had lost his left arm just because he wanted to protect him and their other clan brothers and sisters. The memory flashed in Guy's mind—the blood, the chaos, the price paid without hesitation. During that moment, Shanks sacrificed his arm without regret. For that reason, all the Uzumaki siblings had always carried guilt toward him. If only we had been stronger back then. They had constantly searched for ways to help Shanks regrow his arm, refusing to give up hope.
But none of the clan brothers or sisters possessed any ability that could restore something so completely lost. No jutsu, no seal, no forbidden method had worked. It had remained an impossible wish.
And now, that impossibility stood right before him—flesh, bone, and blood fully restored.
Now that Shanks had regrown his left arm, he was happy. And when the other Uzumaki siblings heard about this, they would definitely be happy as well—overjoyed beyond words. A faint smile appeared on Guy's face as he said, "Let's go, Onii-san. We should inform the others about you getting your left arm back. They deserve to see this."
Shanks looked at his restored arm once more, opening and closing his hand slowly, feeling the strength in it. Then he said, more softly, "I would definitely love to go with you to announce the regrowth of my left arm. But for now, I want to stay here for a few moments." His laughter had faded into a calmer smile. "After I calm down, I will return. I also want to think about a few things."
Guy understood that Shanks wanted to be alone for a few moments, perhaps to experiment with his other hand and test the increase in his strength even further. After such a miracle, it was natural to want to feel it for oneself—to confirm it again and again. So, Guy nodded and said, "Okay, Onii-san. I will go ahead and gather everyone so that you can announce the fact that your left arm has regrown."
Shanks nodded after hearing Guy's words, a faint smile still lingering on his face. "Let's do that. I would definitely want to celebrate this with my brothers and sisters."
Guy nodded once more, and in the next instant, space around him slightly distorted. With a subtle ripple, he disappeared using teleportation, returning back to Uzushiogakure.
Whereas Shanks remained there.
He looked around calmly and found a suitable, large enough stone. After brushing off a bit of dust from its surface with his newly restored hand—almost absentmindedly—he sat on it. The stone was cool beneath him. A light breeze passed through, rustling the surroundings softly.
While looking ahead at the open space before him, Shanks flexed his left fingers once more, feeling the strength flowing naturally through them. There was no stiffness. No weakness. It felt… whole.
In his mind, he asked, "Raphael, do you know anything about the system which is in my spiritual space? Can you analyze anything about it?"
There was a brief silence inside his consciousness before Raphael's calm voice responded, echoing clearly within him. "No, that is not possible. I tried, but I cannot access much about the system. It is beyond my analytical reach. However, with my analysis, I can only conclude that this is perhaps the work of someone very powerful—maybe a different-dimensional being who exists on a completely different level… or a god."
Shanks' expression did not change, but his eyes sharpened slightly.
Raphael continued, "It is possible that your life is merely an amusement to that being. You have been placed here in the world of Naruto, which, from your previous perspective, was nothing more than an anime and a manga series. Perhaps this god wishes to amuse himself by observing what would happen when powers from different animes are introduced into one anime world."
The words lingered in his mind.
Shanks slowly nodded after hearing Raphael's explanation. He had been thinking in a similar direction for quite some time now. The idea was not entirely shocking to him anymore. He had already considered that maybe a god had created this Naruto world with similar settings, simply to enjoy watching the chaos and evolution that would unfold when he and his other siblings—armed with powers from different animes—moved within it.
A spectator beyond the sky… watching everything.
Whatever the truth was, Shanks knew one thing clearly—he definitely could not know the full answer right now. And even if Raphael, with all her analytical abilities, could not access the system, then the existence behind it was far beyond ordinary comprehension.
Maybe in the future, he might uncover something.
But for now, he definitely could not do anything about it.
The wind brushed against his hair as he looked at his restored hand again, quietly clenching it.
Shanks then asked Raphael, his gaze still fixed on the horizon, "By the way, what do you think of my deduction regarding the destruction of the Uzumaki clan? That the person most probably behind it was Uchiha Madara."
There was a brief pause, as if countless threads of information were being reorganized.
Raphael replied calmly, her voice steady within his mind. "According to the circumstances, and based on all the memories you possess of future events that are going to happen, the probability of Uchiha Madara being behind the destruction of the Uzumaki clan exceeds ninety percent."
Shanks remained silent, listening carefully.
"In the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan," Raphael continued, "variables can appear due to Wood Release and the Mangekyo Sharingan. Individuals with extraordinary strength may emerge. However, such cases are extreme and rare. Even so, those variables alone would not necessarily prevent Madara's ultimate plan."
A faint breeze passed over the land, lifting a few strands of Shanks' hair.
"But if the Uzumakis were left alive," Raphael said, her tone turning more analytical, "then even if someone with capabilities comparable to Uzumaki Ashina were to be born again—combined with the collective sealing expertise of the remaining clan members—they could potentially forcefully seal the Ten-Tails. With further research and cooperation, they might even separate it once more."
The implication was clear.
"So," Raphael concluded, "the greatest threat to Madara's plan was the Uzumaki clan. Therefore, the Uzumaki needed to be eliminated. The rest—whether destroyed or spared—depended on convenience."
Shanks' eyes narrowed slightly.
"The internal struggles within the Uchiha clan," Raphael continued, "provided the perfect opportunity for Obito Uchiha to eliminate the clan himself, removing another potential variable. That action left only Itachi Uchiha. Even he was under Obito Uchiha's influence—not literal control, but functioning as a subordinate. In effect, another unpredictable factor was contained."
The analysis was far more detailed and deductive than Shanks' own thoughts had been. He had generalized the matter—Uzumaki, Uchiha, Senju—but Raphael had broken it down into probabilities, variables, and strategic eliminations.
If her reasoning was taken seriously, then yes… this truly seemed to be the case.
The Uzumakis were the greatest threat to Madara because of their sealing abilities. Their clan leader, Ashina Uzumaki, had demonstrated terrifying mastery over sealing techniques. If another individual like him were born, supported by the rest of the clan, then even the Ten-Tails could be restrained.
And that possibility alone would have been unacceptable to someone like Madara.
Shanks exhaled slowly. So we were removed from the board before the game even began.
----
Want to get daily updates and read 20+ chapters? Then join my Patreon!
Patreon Link: https://[email protected]/Hkj822
Join Discord Link: https://discord.gg/c4m4BxQq