Red Haired Supremacy

Chapter 210 210: Ch-210 Kushina's Relief.

Shanks's God View spread across Konoha like an invisible tide. Everything happening within the village—and even in its surrounding vicinity—fell under his perception. Flames, screams, collapsing buildings, the raging chakra of the Nine-Tails… all of it was laid bare before him. He could feel everything.

He quickly sensed Yoko and Benimaru. They were engaged in battle with a group of powerful ninjas—around fifteen in number. Their chakra signatures were unusual, yet undeniably strong.

Shanks's expression immediately turned solemn. He did not understand from where such powerful ninjas had appeared, and that too in a coordinated group. Without hesitation, he used his Astral Mark and appeared just a few meters away from them.

The battlefield came into view.

Multiple roses were blooming across the shattered ground—crimson petals opening amidst debris and smoke. Clearly, it was Yoko's move. Other plants had also erupted from the earth—large carnivorous vines twisting unnaturally, snapping their maws toward the enemy ninjas, their thorn-covered stems writhing as if alive with intent.

On the other side, Benimaru moved like a streak of light. His extreme speed left afterimages in the smoky air. With each sword strike, he severely injured the opposing ninjas—deep slashes, pierced torsos, severed limbs. Yet their injuries were healing at an alarming rate. Flesh reformed. Wounds closed. Blood vanished as if swallowed by something unseen.

Shanks narrowed his eyes.

There was something peculiar.

Most of the bodies of those ninjas were white in color—unnaturally pale, almost wax-like. Only a few scattered patches of their original skin tone could be seen.

White…?

A possibility surfaced in his mind. It might be related to White Zetsu. But to confirm that, he would need to examine their bodies properly.

He could destroy them instantly if he wished. That would not take even a second.

But that was not his priority.

Through his God View, he could feel Kushina's life force—and it was decreasing drastically.

Every passing moment mattered.

He needed to be beside her.

He needed to save her.

Shanks's arrival did not go unnoticed. Benimaru and Yoko who was in his white fox demon form, immediately felt his presence, their senses sharpening. Even the white-skinned ninjas turned their gazes toward him. From their movements, it was clear—they were not fighting seriously. They kept their distance from Benimaru and Yoko, engaging just enough to maintain the battle.

They were stalling.

Two of them immediately broke formation and rushed toward Shanks.

"Onii-san!" Yoko called out sharply.

Instantly, from the cracked ground beneath the charging ninjas, multiple thorn-covered vines erupted upward and wrapped tightly around their bodies. The vines coiled around their limbs and torsos, binding them mid-charge. Thorns dug into pale flesh.

Yoko spoke quickly, even while maintaining control of his technique. "Onii-san, there is definitely something very wrong going on. The Nine-Tails is on a rampage. Most probably, Kushina is in danger—Nine-Tails must have been extracted from her."

Shanks replied calmly, though his eyes remained sharp. "I can feel it. Kushina is at the far end of the village. And there is definitely something wrong with Konoha's barrier."

He paused for only a fraction of a second.

"We will talk about every detail later. I will go and save Kushina. You both deal with these ninjas. And remember—bring one of the bodies back to Uzushiogakure. I want to study them and see from where these people have appeared."

Yoko nodded firmly. "Yes, Onii-san."

From the other side, Benimaru replied without slowing his assault, "Yes, Onii-san."

In the next instant, Shanks disappeared once more.

He reappeared at the gates of Konoha, standing at the very edge of the village's barrier.

He could cross it easily by walking but still he can't use his Astral Imprint to teleport inside of Konoha.

But he stopped.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the chakra structure of the barrier. Something was wrong with it. Something deliberate.

It was not merely a sensory barrier.

It was interfering with space itself—preventing direct teleportation inside Konoha.

Shanks stretched his palm outward and extended his chakra into the sealing structure of the barrier. Fine lines of invisible energy spread from his fingertips as he traced the intricate formula embedded within it.

"Raphael, examine this barrier and see what the issue is," he said inwardly.

"Yes."

In his mind, Raphael's calm voice responded. A few seconds passed—though within that silence, countless streams of data were already being processed.

Then the analysis completed.

"There is a particular sealing technique added to counter direct space movement into Konoha. Although it does not seal the space inside the village, it interferes with space and time itself. Because of this interference, anyone outside the barrier cannot enter using teleportation. They must physically cross the barrier. And if they do so, the alarm function will immediately trigger, allowing Konoha's forces to prepare and counter."

Shanks's eyes narrowed slightly.

He was genuinely surprised.

Creating a sealing technique capable of interfering with space movement was no simple feat—it bordered on the impossible. For a moment, he had not expected anyone to achieve such a thing.

Then realization dawned.

Oh… how could I forget?

Minato Namikaze.

His sister's husband.

With Minato's genius and his unparalleled mastery over the Flying Thunder God technique, it was entirely possible. If anyone could design a countermeasure against space teleportation, it would be him.

"He must have created this," Shanks thought calmly. "A technique to obstruct the Flying Thunder God… or any space teleportation."

Understanding settled in.

"So even if Kushina had tried to summon any of us Uzumaki siblings, we would not have received the signal. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we received no help request even when she was in such dire danger."

Without further hesitation, Shanks stepped forward and entered the barrier.

At that moment, Raphael's voice echoed again within his mind.

"Counter-seal successfully created. The interference can now be broken at any moment."

Shanks did not bother destroying the sealing structure. There was no need. Even if he shattered it now, Konoha would simply reconstruct it later. It would only create unnecessary complications.

Once inside the barrier, the distortion in space faded from his senses. Now he could fully perceive the spatial coordinates within Konoha again. The astral imprints within his sensing range became accessible.

Without wasting even a heartbeat, he used Astral Mark.

He appeared immediately at Kushina's house, which was located at the very edge of the village.

Shanks instantly understood why.

Kushina was pregnant. During pregnancy, the seal of the Nine-Tails weakens. It was logical that she and Minato would move to the edge of Konoha—so that if the Nine-Tails ever broke free, the destruction could be somewhat contained to the outskirts of the village instead of its centre.

…

Inside the dimly lit room, Kushina lay weakly, holding her newborn son in her arms.

His name had already been decided long ago.

Naruto.

Despite her exhaustion, she was looking at him with gentle eyes, her fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against his tiny cheek.

Suddenly, an astral imprint in the shape of a crown appeared in the room beside her—glowing faintly for a fraction of a second.

Shanks manifested the next moment.

Kushina immediately sensed someone appearing in the room. Her body tensed despite her frail condition. Instinctively, she tried to shift, ready to protect her child at any cost.

But before she could strain herself further, Shanks stepped closer and placed his hand gently on her head.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "I'm here."

The tension in her body loosened at once.

As soon as she recognized his voice, a faint but genuine smile appeared on her pale face.

"Onii-san…"

Her voice was weak—barely above a whisper. It was obvious why. She had just given birth, and on top of that, the Nine-Tails had been extracted from her. Even speaking required effort.

Yet despite her fragile state, her eyes shone with relief.

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