Konoha Drunkard

"...Tsunade, don't worry, I will definitely bring Orochimaru back." Looking at the hopeful eyes of his dream girl, Jiraiya immediately assured Tsunade.

"Old man, I'll go to Orochimaru and bring him back right now." After saying this, Jiraiya looked at his dream girl's heartbroken eyes and left.

366. It turns out to be Lord Shimura Hanzo.

In Konoha Year 49, the ninja world, which had been peaceful for half a year, was once again shaken by a major earthquake. A rogue ninja appeared in Konoha, a place known as the forbidden land of rogue ninjas. Moreover, this rogue ninja was none other than Orochimaru, the cold-faced disciple of the Hokage and one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, who had made great achievements in battle.

This news sent shockwaves through the ninja world. It wasn't unusual for Konoha to have rogue ninjas; every village had its share of trash. However, since Sakumo Hatake became the head of the Anbu, the probability of a rogue ninja appearing had been zero for decades. But this time, that zero-probability myth was finally broken, and... the one who defected was none other than Orochimaru! The very Orochimaru who could poison the Third Raikage, a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men, and whose achievements in Konoha were so illustrious—this was truly unbelievable!

Some in the ninja world were shocked, while others sat on small stools with melon seeds, watching Konoha's joke with amusement.

For example, Onoki, the Red-Nosed Man, is currently in the Iwakage's office, looking at the intelligence in his hand with immense joy. He was originally worried about Konoha's strength. Look at Konoha, with its three generations of young, middle-aged, and old talents all at their peak, while the Iwa ninja, apart from himself, this old man, who is still active in the ninja world, the others are useless. Even his son couldn't master Dust Release, at best he's just a low-ranking official, not a high-ranking one. Otherwise, he wouldn't have almost been wiped out by Kakuzu alone when they went to negotiate peace. Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze, who is about the same age as his son, is known as one of the twin stars of the ninja world with the current Fourth Raikage. You can tell how outstanding he is. He couldn't do anything about Minato Namikaze back then, so he chose to retire. He even uses the Flying Thunder God Technique more flamboyantly than Tobirama Senju.

"Haha! Orochimaru did a really good job this time." Onoki was so happy that his nose and eyes turned whiter. According to intelligence, Orochimaru had defected, and Jiraiya had also left the village to chase after him. Just like that, Konoha lost two double-flower red sticks. In a few years, when Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two Konoha's double-flowers are old, and there are no reports of any super geniuses in Konoha's next generation, then the gap between Iwagakure and Konoha will narrow again. Maybe then they can have another showdown. Every time he thinks of the humiliation that Madara gave him and his teacher, the Second Hokage, even if Madara also defected, he will still hold Konoha accountable.

........

"Nagato, aren't we short-handed right now? Orochimaru's defection is a perfect opportunity." In the Land of Rain, Obito, after receiving the news from White Zetsu, immediately rushed over to persuade Nagato to take over Orochimaru. He wanted Nagato to destroy the world, and the largest village in the ninja world was the biggest obstacle. However, because of the vice-principal who filmed his movie, he didn't dare to wander around Konoha yet. Although he didn't know how powerful the vice-principal was, Black Zetsu clearly told him that the real Madara had been beaten twice by him. Although Madara was old and faded at the time, he was still among the top ninjas. Wasn't the Third Mizukage easily defeated by the old and faded Madara?

Although he has now awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and can use Wood Release, he doesn't dare to be so arrogant as to go to Konoha and retrieve the film. If he gets discovered, wouldn't that expose him? That vice-principal has no bottom line; he might plaster his film all over the ninja world, and then he'd truly become infamous.

Orochimaru's defection presents an opportunity to weaken Konoha and strengthen himself, so of course he can't let it pass.

"...Konan, you go with Sasori too. Let's see if the once-powerful Uchiha Madara can persuade Orochimaru to bring him in before you do." Nagato looked at the masked Obito with a mocking expression. Did he really think Obito was stupid? Just because he wore a mask and revealed one Sharingan eye, he claimed to be Uchiha Madara. In front of his Sharingan eye, he didn't even care about Uchiha Madara, let alone Senju Hashirama. It has to be said that since Nagato turned evil and completely fused with the Sharingan eye, he has become extremely arrogant.

"Hehe, you can rest assured that I can handle things." Obito didn't care about Nagato's attitude at all; after all, they were both destined to die.

"Nagato, do we really want to cooperate with this person? I have a feeling he has ill intentions and doesn't even dare to show his true face," the blue-haired girl next to Nagato said to him after Obito left.

"Whether he is Uchiha Madara or not, we are just using each other. And whatever his wicked thoughts are, they will be exposed under my eyes." Nagato, who was soaking in the jar, exuded an aura of dominance similar to Madara's peak, where he could dominate everything.

The blue-haired girl looked at the drastically changed Nagato with great concern, but she still nodded. Now, Nagato was her only remaining family, and she would support him no matter what he did.

"Scorpion, come with me to pick someone up. He'll be your future teammate." Konan said expressionlessly as she entered Scorpion's toy room and followed Scorpion, who was playing with toys.

"I don't need any teammates, these works of art are enough for me," said Scorpion, who was pursuing art, while playing with his toys without turning his head.

"You can't do what we need to do alone. Let's go." After saying that, Xiao Nan ignored Scorpion and walked away on her own.

“…”

Sasori watched Konan leave, put down his toy, crawled into a large metal shell, and followed her. The two most frustrating things in his life were that he had tried to ambush Shanks for half a year but failed to hurt him at all, and that he had lost to a girl. The second thing was the biggest stain on his life. The first thing was okay. His grandmother had told him when he was very young that his nominal teacher was one of the few in the ninja world who could rival him, and most importantly, no one could break through his defenses. So it was okay that he couldn't ambush him, especially since Shanks was a famous figure in the ninja world.

But this girl was someone he'd never heard of in the ninja world before. She took him down with just a few broken explosive tags. This was unbearable for him, who had been called a super genius since childhood and the new hope of the Sand Village. But when you're in the game, you have to accept defeat, stand up straight when you're beaten, and find a chance to get revenge. If you lose, you have to listen to others.

..........

"Heh, so it's Lord Shimura Hanzo. May I ask what brings you here?" Obito stared blankly at Orochimaru, who showed no surprise at his appearance. And... who the hell was Shimura Hanzo? He'd never heard of him before. Was there such a person in the ninja world?

Orochimaru's reaction completely reversed the script, rendering his prepared lines useless. This was totally unpredictable.

"I don't know who this Shimura Hanzo you're talking about is. Let me introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Madara. I think Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, should have heard of me." After calming down, Obito spoke to Orochimaru in a domineering tone.

"Heh, I know Uchiha Madara. If we're talking about seniority, he's my senior, but... shouldn't he be playing in the mud with Senju Hashirama?" Orochimaru looked at the Uchiha clansman in front of him with amusement. Back then, he and Shanks had already deduced that the one-eyed dragon was a member of the Uchiha clan.

367. Xiao Nan was disgusted.

Orochimaru calling him Shimura Hanzo is just a negotiation tactic; the point is, you can't just follow someone else's lead.

"Hmph! I am immortal, how could Hashirama Senju possibly compare to me?" Obito tried his best to speak in the tone of Madara that he remembered.

"Alright, I wonder what business Madara Uchiha has with me, his junior? Destroying the world?" Orochimaru looked at Obito with amusement.

"........."

Brother Obito, you've said everything, how am I supposed to keep up the act?

"Uchiha Madara-senpai?" Orochimaru reminded Obito, who was still in a daze. Even a good pyramid scheme would at least find someone smarter, right? Sending an idiot like this and expecting the great scientist to come and pay homage is ridiculous. Is this Akatsuki organization just weak, or is it that they don't have enough prestige?

"...You don't need to worry about that. Being hunted by Konoha isn't a pleasant experience, is it? Now there's an organization in the ninja world that can protect you. Join this organization, and you can do whatever you want without any interference with your freedom. Of course, you can't refuse when the organization needs you." Obito came to his senses and recited the lines he had memorized last night.

"Heh, so there's actually an organization in the ninja world that can protect me? I'd really like to see what kind of organization it is." Orochimaru licked his lips wickedly.

"Someone will come to pick you up in a couple of days." After saying this, Obito disappeared without a trace. Obito had finally met his match. Talking to Orochimaru was really exhausting. He didn't follow any set scripts at all, making it impossible for him to say all the lines he had memorized. So after Orochimaru agreed, he rattled off a few words and then left. He found it too difficult to communicate with these older rogue ninjas. Kisame from the Land of Water was much easier to talk to. Obito even wanted to give him Samehada.

"...Space-time ninjutsu?" Orochimaru's pupils contracted when he saw Obito's body mysteriously disappear. He hadn't expected that the Mangekyou Sharingan's ability would be the most troublesome space-time ability. No wonder he was able to escape from the captain's hands several times.

Orochimaru was becoming increasingly interested in the Mangekyou Sharingan. This Mangekyou Sharingan was truly a gift from heaven. Just the two eye techniques alone were enough to create countless variations. Add to that the eye technique that could summon giants with colors, and the circle eye that even made the Mangekyou Sharingan its subordinate, and that goes without saying. Orochimaru was becoming more and more excited about the Akatsuki organization.

........

Two days later, Konan and Sasori, who was hiding in a toy shell, arrived at the cave that Obito had told them about. Orochimaru was already waiting for them.

"Heh, so you two are the so-called Akatsuki, right?" Orochimaru said in a sinister tone, looking at Konan and Sasori's shells.

"Madara has already told you the situation. Since you've agreed, you're now a member of Akatsuki. This is the organization's uniform and ring. Your code name is Void." Konan felt a surge of disgust looking at the sinister Orochimaru. This was the man who had tried to kill them back then.

"Heh, I never expected Jiraiya to have such high standards. Who would have thought that those three little brats from back then would grow up to be this good?" Orochimaru said, looking at Konan.

"Enough with the nonsense. I never expected my teammate to be Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin. What a surprise!" Sasori said hoarsely from inside the toy shell.

"Hehe, I wonder who this person inside is?" Orochimaru asked, looking at the puppet.

"He's your teammate in Akatsuki. You should have heard of him. He's the one who killed Sasori, the Third Kazekage," Konan said calmly.

"Heh, I didn't expect that not only did the captain's top disciple not disappear, but he also joined the most mysterious organization in the ninja world, and... I didn't expect that you were the one who killed Sunagakure. It's really unexpected." Orochimaru looked at the strangely shaped toy shell. Who in the ninja world would have thought that the person who triggered the Third World War was actually their Sunagakure's super genius?

Konoha had analyzed who could kill Sasori, initially guessing it was Sasori, but they ruled him out after considering his age. Who would have thought that a teenager could silently and instantly kill the strongest Kazekage in history?

"puff!"

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, hundreds of glowing green senbon needles shot into his body.

"Hmph! I have nothing to do with that bastard." The scorpion inside the toy shell was furious. Didn't he know he shouldn't mention that bastard's name in front of him? Every time he thought about being beaten on the head by that bastard for half a year, his bright red hair was almost beaten bald. Otherwise, if he were still strong enough to do it, he would have already led the Third Kazekage to attack Konoha.

"Heh, looks like you've hit a nerve! This method is truly terrifying." Snake Uncle tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and spat out an intact body.

"..." Snake's actions made Konan so disgusted she almost threw up her dinner from the night before. How did Jiraiya manage to put up with all these years?

"This is so disgusting!" Konan deliberately turned her face away as she looked at Orochimaru, who was soaking wet. Sasori's attention wasn't on this, otherwise he would definitely have found a way to deal with this girl.

"Hmph! The poisons used by the Sannin are indeed quite sophisticated." Sasori's tone was devoid of emotion.

"Heh, Sasori is indeed from a prestigious family. His methods are far superior to Aunt Chiyo's." Orochimaru thought to himself that he had heard this kind of talk for decades and wondered if he could come up with something new.

"The masked man from the other day said the organization could give me a lot of resources and funding for my research. I wonder if that's true." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he looked at Konan. As a researcher, he knew just how expensive research was. Most of his expenses in his early ninja career had gone into scientific research. Although he had been swindled by his friend Tsunade, it wasn't too bad. Now, a sucker was offering him money and effort for his research. Of course, Orochimaru didn't know the meaning of politeness. Destroying the world was just empty talk. With his years of knowledge, he knew that destroying the world wasn't that easy. A few pairs of eyes and a few high-ranking rogue ninjas wouldn't have been enough. That was obviously impossible.

"We'll arrange these things for you once you get to headquarters with us." Konan rolled her eyes. This bastard was treating Akatsuki like pigs to be slaughtered. Luckily, they brought Kakuzu in; otherwise, the funding alone would have driven them crazy. Look at these guys, all big spenders! Sasori's toys alone almost drove Kakuzu insane. Now, with Orochimaru joining the fray, she wondered if Kakuzu would quit...

"Heh, the Akatsuki really has guts." They give you money and wealth to spend, so praising them is perfectly fine. When it comes to being a person, no one is more shrewd than Orochimaru, who has been with Shanks for decades.

368. Brother Daitu is here to raid my base!

"Black Zetsu, what's the deal with this Shimura Hanzo? Why haven't I heard of him before?" After returning to the Land of Water and having a pleasant chat with Orochimaru, Obito experienced his first setback since his evolution, and he was still bothered by it. In particular, the name Orochimaru mentioned when he saw him was very similar to that of Shimura Danzo, and he didn't know what the relationship was.

"I heard he's Danzo's half-brother, but I'm not entirely sure of the specifics. You know White Zetsu can't get close to Konoha," Black Zetsu replied after a moment's thought.

Obito clearly asked the wrong person. Although White Zetsu has countless clones, it's unclear whether Shanks is his natural nemesis. Every time a clone gets close to Shanks's area, it inexplicably faints.

Shimura Hanzo was originally intended by Shanks to annoy Danzo, and this knowledge was limited to the Konoha leadership. Currently, the only Uchiha member who knows this is Shanks' father; even the three current elders are unaware of it. White Zetsu's clones couldn't enter Konoha; they only learned a few bits and pieces from some Root members—not much—that Shimura Hanzo was Danzo's half-brother, and that was it.

"Is that so? It seems we need to find some time to meet with this vice principal. Otherwise, with this person around, it will be really difficult for us to carry out our plan." Obito said after thinking for a while. Of course, his main purpose was still his films, which he was determined to get back no matter what. They were the biggest stain on his life.

"I advise you not to be impulsive. Although your eye technique is very special, that Konoha Red-Haired Shanks gives me a very dangerous feeling. Now is not the time for us to expose ourselves." Black Zetsu saw Obito preparing to send Konoha Red-Haired Shanks to his death and quickly dissuaded him from this devilish impulse. This Konoha Red-Haired Shanks was the only oddball he had encountered in thousands of years. He couldn't be viewed from the perspective of ordinary people. His abilities were strange and bizarre. Apart from his Water Release technique, which was similar to Tobirama Senju's, none of them were normal. His defensive power, sensory abilities, and swordsmanship that he had never seen before. There was no such swordsmanship in the samurai era before the Six Paths Era. Looking at the sword he used to cut Madara back then, it was terrifying. No wonder he could cut half of Kirigakure with one sword.

And most importantly, this Shanks of Konoha has an incredibly powerful ability to turn things around. During World War II, he single-handedly turned the battlefield of the Land of Lightning into a drinking party. During the Third Shinobi World War, he turned Madara's army into a friendly reunion. His ability is truly remarkable. If the Uzumaki clan had him and Hashirama Senju from the Senju clan during the Warring States period, the era might very well have become a friendly family drinking contest. Without Madara, it would have been a completely different story.

"But if this Shanks from Konoha stays in Konoha, all our plans will be difficult to implement. Why don't I go and test how strong he really is, and see if Nagato's Rinnegan can deal with him?" Obito thought for a few minutes and finally decided to test him. Anyway, if he wanted to run away, no one could stop him with his space-time ability.

"...I hope you come back alive, but he has met Lord Madara twice, so you don't need to pretend to be Lord Madara in front of him."

Black Zetsu was almost driven mad by Obito. Even Madara in his prime with the Rinnegan would be a match for him, but this imposter Nagato, even with all his life force depleted, might not be able to break through his defenses.

.......

On the Hokage Rock, Itachi was engaged in a fierce battle with Shanks' two thousand ordinary clones, while Shanks sat on Hashirama Senju's head, drinking and sunbathing.

Garp was massaging his back from behind, ostensibly to help him practice his punches and make his powerful punches more controlled.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Grand Uncle, are you done yet? I'm almost out of strength." Garp kept punching Shanks' back. At first, it was quite enjoyable, but with Shanks' body toughness, he couldn't take it after a while. His two fists were swollen up to almost the size of his head.

"Weren't you having a good time just now? You chose this path, so you have to finish it, even if you have to kneel. Don't stop until dinner time." Shanks took a swig of wine and raised an eyebrow at Garp. This little bastard had almost beaten his stomach out of place. If it weren't for his Armament Haki automatically activating, he might have actually been beaten to death by this little bastard.

"puff!"

".....Holy crap! My house's been raided!" Just now, Shanks activated his Observation Haki to cover the village and discovered that Obito was in his house. Wasn't this a trap?

←↓→↑←↓→↓→!

Both Itachi and Garp stopped and looked at Shanks, who had his eyes closed, wondering what he was up to.

After Shanks closed his eyes for a dozen seconds, his figure vanished like a ghost.

"...Is this the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Garp asked Itachi with a question mark on his face.

"Probably... I guess so..." Itachi nodded uncertainly. This sudden, traceless disappearance was probably what his father had told him about the Flying Thunder God Technique, but... Shanks using it was a bit mind-blowing. Wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique supposed to be flashy? How come the teacher used it like this...?

"...It's so much worse than Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique!" Garp muttered, voicing Itachi's thoughts. "Is this even the Flying Thunder God Technique anymore? It should be renamed Teleportation Technique."

Shanks was unaware of the two kids' tirade against him at the Hokage Rock. When he appeared in the room using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he immediately rushed to the warehouse, where Obito was currently rummaging through his treasures.

"Hey! Shimura Hanzo! Don't think I won't recognize you just because you're wearing a mask. I let you go twice and you didn't even thank me. This time you dare to steal from my house. You don't want to live anymore." Shanks suddenly appeared behind Obito and roared at the masked Obito. His voice echoed throughout the entire village.

"puff!"

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just picked up a teacup and was about to drink some tea. He had recently delegated many matters to Minato, so he had a rare moment of leisure. Looking at his perfect grand-disciple working in the Hokage's seat, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

Suddenly, the bastard who made him take the blame shouted, spraying tea all over Perfect Disciple's grandson. Fortunately, Perfect Disciple's grandson's reflexes were superb. He calmly dodged the rain of tea and saliva flying at him.

"Shimura Hanzo!"

After dodging the tea and saliva sprayed at him by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato realized that this was the murderer who had harmed one of his disciples. Minato, filled with murderous intent, rushed towards Shanks' house.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm and composed. Although he was initially startled by Shanks, not expecting his mysterious best friend's half-brother to dare to cause trouble in Konoha, he felt relieved after realizing that Shanks was there to steal from Shanks' house. Given Shanks's greedy nature, anyone who dared to steal from him was asking for trouble. Didn't they know that touching his money was more serious than killing his father?

369. Wait for me to get home and get the knife.

"What's going on? That's Lord Shanks' voice! Has a thief broken into Lord Shanks' house?" The villagers asked in surprise after hearing the voice. Those who didn't know the situation thought that a thief had been caught breaking into Shanks' house.