Konoha Drunkard

"Becoming a ninja is like having one foot in the coffin. If you die, you die. How can you survive if you're afraid of death?" Sarutobi said, shrugging.

"Since you all have no problems, then start collecting your scrolls. After that, one team will enter every fifteen minutes. Your survival will depend on you. If you're afraid of dying, it's not too late to leave the army now. But as I said before, if one person leaves, the whole team is eliminated." Sarutobi continued when he saw that they were silent.

After hearing what Sarutobi said, even those fresh graduates who shouted "I'm the protagonist!" were too weak in the face of death and chose to quit. Among the candidates who didn't quit, those with real skills were the ones who had the most. The youngest among them was Garp's team, mainly because Itachi lowered their age range.

Even if they are young, those people don't dare to underestimate them... Just kidding, Uchiha plus Senju plus Byakugan, this combination alone, with its bloodline limit, makes many people drool.

The Sharingan and Byakugan are very valuable. Although the Senju clan, lacking Wood Release, isn't as powerful as the two great bloodline limits, their heads are still incredibly valuable. How could the hatred Hashirama Senju incurred be erased simply after his death? Even Onoki was waving banknotes and shouting "Ten billion each!"

However, because the Byakugan is strictly controlled by the Hyuga clan, only one has leaked out over the years. As for the Sharingan, they are mostly bought and secretly collected by wealthy people with nothing better to do than to display them. The Senju clan, on the other hand, lives a secluded life in Konoha, which is why Onoki dared to ask for 1 billion kyats per person.

In short, regardless of their strength, this duo's bounty alone is already at the level of superstars. However, this is Konoha. Sarutobi's claim of leaving life and death to fate is just a nice-sounding statement; who knows how many bodyguards are secretly lurking around.

486. Lacking any technical skill.

The second exam was held because many people had dropped out earlier, so those remaining were ninjas from various villages who were used to life and death. The largest group consisted of burly men from the Cloud Ninja, since the Cloud Ninja valued strength and the exam was the most dangerous even in their own village. Next were the Konoha ninjas, since it was their own backyard and their numbers would be insufficient. The Mist Ninja were also few in number, so even though no one dropped out, their numbers were still relatively small.

The most frequent dropouts were from the Grass Ninja Village. They receive a monthly salary, so they only come to the exam as a formality. Why would they risk their lives? If they fail this time, they can always go back to their village for the exam. They can still comfortably get promoted and receive a raise after two or three years. Only a fool would risk their life to stand out. Look at those giants from the Cloud Ninja Village, their legs are weak. What's the point of fighting?

"Itachi, let's rest for a while." Garp's team had been in the Forest of Death for three days. In these three days, they only encountered a group of ninjas from Yugakure, but they had all drawn the Earth Scroll like them. Moreover, they weren't the type to kill indiscriminately, so after chatting with the Yugakure ninjas for a while, they continued on their way. Confident in their strength, they didn't hide anything along the way, but they didn't encounter a single person. Even Hyuga Tsuruhime, who was using her Byakugan the whole time, couldn't find a team, which made Garp think it was a ghost. The three of them had been traveling for three days straight. Hyuga Tsuruhime was, after all, a girl, and she practiced Gentle Fist, so her stamina wasn't as good as Garp's and Itachi's. Seeing that Hyuga Tsuruhime was starting to pant heavily, Garp said to Itachi ahead.

"Hmm!" Itachi saw that Hyuga Tsuruhime was indeed quite exhausted, so he agreed to rest. These past three days have been truly bizarre. Fortunately, they had brought enough food and ammunition, but they hadn't encountered a single team that could obtain the Heavenly Scroll. If this continued, even if they reached the central tower, they wouldn't be able to pass the exam.

If they don't pass the second exam, how can they show their prowess in the third? This is quite different from the script the Hokage gave them.

It wasn't that Garp and his group were unlucky; rather, many people were watching their direction as they entered the Forest of Death, consciously avoiding them. After all, this group was too powerful, and they were on someone else's turf—it was difficult to deal with them. They didn't believe they could be beaten to a pulp without dozens of ANBU protecting them. How could Konoha possibly let a ten-year-old and two teenage princes and princesses from various clans enter the Forest of Death and play a death game with them? Unless the Hokage of Konoha had lost his mind.

Actually, the three of them didn't have any ANBU protection. Firstly, Garp and Itachi were both Special Jonin, and Hyuga Tsuruhime was already a Chunin. Having them participate in the Chunin Exams was already a bit of cheating, but they were too young, so they could play dumb and outsmart everyone.

........

"Hahaha, Kakuzu, I told you, coming to Konoha was definitely the right decision. Minister of Hot Springs, the bounty is 20 million, it's not much, but it's still meat." On an official road outside Konoha Village, a carriage was stopped, surrounded by corpses. Hidan, lying with a large scythe on his back, said arrogantly to Kakuzu.

Konoha is such a great place. They haven't even arrived yet, and they've already pulled off a heist on the way. Originally, since they were about to enter Konoha's territory, Kakuzu wanted to keep a low profile and not make too much of a scene, after all, Konoha's Anbu are not to be trifled with. But that brat Hidan gets bloodshot and can't stop. Looking at the corpses of the Hot Spring Ninja all over the ground, Kakuzu looked up at the sky speechlessly. If this guy hadn't been beaten up once, he really wouldn't know what would happen to him.

"Let's go. The Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu will be here soon. They say they're conducting the second round of trials in the forest nearby," Kakuzu said after beheading the minister of the Land of Hot Water. Although Hidan wasn't the brightest, he was right; 20 million was indeed a cheesy amount.

"Tch! What's there to be afraid of? It's just Konoha's Anbu, isn't it? Let's go to their testing area and have some fun. It's been a long time since we've killed a genius." Hidan said, carrying his large scythe.

"........"

Kakuzu was speechless. He'd been teaming up with Hidan for a while now, and Hidan's brain was a complete mess. He couldn't use ninjutsu, his taijutsu was terrible, and he'd only managed to make a name for himself with his immortal ultimate move. But who the hell gave him the courage to roam Konoha? He didn't even dare to mess with Pain! However, Hidan was still his partner, and he couldn't just ignore him. Feeling responsible, Kakuzu followed along, just in case they ran into White Fang or Shanks—he'd had some face back then...

"Lord Hokage, Minister! The body of the Minister of Hot Springs has been found on the main road outside the village, but his head has not been found, and the location is very close to the Forest of Death." Just as Shanks and the others were watching the exam live on Hiruzen Sarutobi's crystal ball in the Hokage's office, an Anbu appeared in the office and said this.

"...Notify Kakashi and have him re-investigate the Forest of Death," Minato said to the Anbu after a moment of silence.

"Yes!"

"Wait! You said the minister of the Land of Hot Water had his head chopped off?" Just as the Anbu was about to leave, Shanks stopped him. He didn't care whether the minister of the Land of Hot Water was dead or not, but hearing that his head had been chopped off reminded him of his sworn brother, Kakuzu. He had spent some time hanging out with Kakuzu, and every time they did business the night before, Kakuzu would chop off the head of the target to exchange for the bounty. Generally speaking, those bounty rogue ninjas didn't need to behead their targets after killing them. The information network in the bounty offices on the ground was so extensive that confirming whether someone was dead or not was extremely easy. Only Kakuzu would do that because he didn't have the patience to wait for the bounty offices to confirm the information. Wouldn't it be more convenient and faster for him to just take the head to exchange for money? This strong Kakuzu vibe was overwhelming.

"Yes, Lord Shanks, there are still many mutilated corpses of Tang ninja at the scene," the Anbu replied.

"And there are also mutilated corpses? Are there any traces of ninjutsu development?" Shanks asked, stroking his chin.

"No, the marks on the scene were caused by a sharp weapon."

"What came to mind?" Koharu asked Shanks, and everyone else looked over as well.

“I’m not sure either. The method of beheading a target is similar to Kakuzu’s, but this mutilated corpse doesn’t feel like Kakuzu’s. Kakuzu, when he’s in business, usually starts with a large-scale ninjutsu combo for a one-shot kill. Someone like the Minister of Hot Springs definitely couldn’t withstand his attack; he wouldn’t need to resort to brute force with swords and blades.” Shanks explained, but there was one thing he didn’t say: unless it was Hidan, that arrogant chatterbox, it’s hard to say. That chatterbox seems to only know his ultimate moves; this kind of brute force, without any skill, is indeed very Hidan-like.

487. That damn ugly monster

"Is it possible that someone is with Kakuzu?" Minato asked.

"It's hard to say. I'll go take a look too. If it really is Kakuzu, then there's no conspiracy theory involved; he's just here to do business," Shanks said.

"...It would be good for you to go."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He took Kakuzu very seriously. In terms of age, Kakuzu was a full twelve years older than him, a top-notch veteran. However, if it was Kakuzu, Hiruzen wasn't worried. Kakuzu had never done business within Konoha's territory in all these years, which showed that Kakuzu was giving them face. Occasionally or twice was fine, as long as the target wasn't someone from Konoha. If it wasn't Kakuzu, conspiracy theories would start to surface again.

Shanks closed his eyes.

↑←↓→↑←↓→↓→!

They had just appeared in the Death Forest and hadn't even activated their Observation Haki yet when they happened to see two figures in black uniforms with red cloud patterns fighting three figures in the distance. And to make matters worse, these three figures were none other than Garp's squad.

Kakuzu was playing house with Garp and Hyuga Tsuruhime. Kakuzu knew Garp, so he was holding back significantly. Garp, however, didn't recognize Kakuzu, and every attack he made was a fatal blow. Garp's monstrous punches were incredibly powerful, often causing mountains to crumble. Kakuzu didn't dare engage in close combat with him; if he got hit by one, he'd truly become a stepping stone for the protagonist, and how would he ever face anyone again? The two were engaged in this state of holding back while simultaneously launching all-out attacks. As for Hyuga Tsuruhime, a Chunin-level girl, she was completely ignored by Kakuzu, who was focused on playing games with Garp.

Itachi and Hidan's situation was different. Shanks had been watching for a while and, to be honest, he knew Hidan was weak, but he hadn't expected him to be this weak. Hidan was almost completely dominated by Itachi. Hidan's ultimate move required the opponent's blood, but Itachi was even skilled at using the Naruto version of Paper Cut and Shave. Hidan's giant scythe couldn't even touch a hair on Itachi's head. Hidan was constantly being slapped in the face by Itachi's kicks and punches, and was also frequently hit in the face by small fireballs. If it weren't for his innate immortality ability, an ordinary person would have been severely injured long ago. Hidan was knocked down, but he got up again and charged forward with renewed vigor. Hidan wasn't that old, about the same age as Garp, but he was at the age where he cared most about his reputation. As the most outstanding follower of the evil god, he was being brutally defeated by a kid who was shorter, thinner, more effeminate, and younger than him. This was incredibly humiliating. How could he ever face anyone in the team again? So Hidan went berserk. Relying on his passive skill, he fell to the ground again and again, only to be hit again and again with his scythe.

"boom!"

"Damn Uchiha brat, I'm going to kill you! Ah!" Hidan, who had been defeated by Itachi once again, got up again and continued to charge forward with his scythe.

"boom!"

"You bastard, how dare you burn your grandpa's face! Die!"

"boom!"

"You bastard, I'm going to kill you today!"

"boom!"

"asshole!#?@*#....."

Perhaps the battle here was too intense, even Garp stopped and looked over, seeing Hidan being knocked away time and time again, only to get up again and again, pick up his scythe and go back up.

"Is your companion alright?" After going back and forth like this dozens of times, even Garp couldn't bear it anymore and asked Kakuzu, who was standing to the side.

"...Ah, he likes getting beaten up..."

Kakuzu stared speechlessly at the sky, wondering if Hidan was too weak or if this Uchiha boy was too strong. Hidan was usually quite reliable when doing business with him, so how come he was completely powerless against this Uchiha boy who looked to be only ten years old? Otherwise, with that overpowered passive skill, he would have been dead long ago.

"boom!"

"Hoo! Hoo!"

Itachi knocked Hidan away again, but he was exhausted. Although beating people up was fun, it was also physically demanding. Even if Itachi was outstanding at ten years old, he was still only ten. When he encountered a monster like Hidan who was impossible to kill, he was exhausted after nearly a hundred rounds of fighting. Fortunately, Shanks had been training him in physical skills and shadow clones, otherwise he might not have been able to last that long.

"Haha! Damn brat, out of strength now? Well then, die for me!" Hidan got up again, looked at Itachi who was panting heavily, laughed triumphantly, and charged forward with his scythe.

"not good!"

When Garp saw Itachi panting heavily and not reacting at all to Hidan's charge, he was about to go and help him.

"boom!"

"Hey! Kid, where did you get your hair dyed? It's pretty, I'll go get mine dyed too." Before Garp could do anything, Hidan flew off again, and at the same time, an inappropriate voice came from behind him.

"Great-uncle?"

Garp breathed a sigh of relief. These two monsters were really too difficult to deal with. One was beaten away by Itachi countless times and was fine, while the other was just playing house with him. Although he was easygoing, he could still see that the two were not on the same level. Now that Shanks had arrived, this was a sure thing.

"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

Hidan lay on the ground, clutching his head and rolling around in agony. The Jashin might keep him alive, but it couldn't stop him from feeling pain.

"Hey, Kakuzu, long time no see. Is this your little brother?" Shanks said, pointing at Hidan, who was rolling on the ground clutching his head.

“Ah, my new partner, who just joined recently,” Kakuzu said, shrugging.

"Really? Where did you find this guy? He feels pretty good, but he talks too much." Shanks said, wiping his hands.

"......"

Kakuzu looks up at the sky, and your mouth isn't much better.

"You damn ugly freak! Who are you to dare hit me, you bastard!"

At this moment, Hidan got up again, a big bump on his head, and glared fiercely at Shanks. He had only been around for a short time, and when he debuted, Shanks was basically hiding in Konoha. So the legends were all in the past, and no one bothered to embellish them anymore. Only a few textbooks in the ninja villages would mention him occasionally. The opening ceremonies of Kirigakure and Sunagakure, where people would spit at his portrait or statue, were completely different. Besides, he had always been in the Land of Hot Springs, so how would he know who this ugly red-haired guy with three lines around his eyes was?

"boom!"

"Hey, I've been around for so long, and you're the first person to call me ugly. You're asking for trouble!" Shanks had never heard anyone call him ugly before, and his hot temper wouldn't let it go. He rolled up his sleeves and delivered a relentless punch to Shanks' head. Anyway, this guy was even more durable than Garp, so no matter how much he was hit, he wouldn't get hurt.

488. Itachi vs. Hidan

"Ah! You bastard, I'll kill you!" Hidan rolled on the ground for a while, got up, grabbed his large scythe, and swung it at Shanks.

"Jingle bells!"

The aristocratic clanging of blacksmiths echoed once more.

"A little to the left, a little to the left, yes, yes, yes! That's the spot, push! Go ahead and push, haven't you eaten? Don't you understand the importance of pushing?"

"Hey, can you do something more technical? It's all the same old chopping, slashing, and horizontal cutting. Aren't you tired of it?" After making Hidan practice for half an hour, Shanks finally realized that some kids were really weak. They only used those three moves over and over again, and he was getting tired of it.

"You bastard! Die!" Hidan, with a huge bump on his head and tears in his eyes, slashed at Shanks again. He had never felt so humiliated since his debut. Even when he was beaten up by that Uchiha brat earlier, he hadn't felt this humiliated. This red-haired ugly monster was so tough. His invincible scythe couldn't cut through it. And to make matters worse, this ugly monster kept babbling on and on, constantly attacking his young heart.

"boom!"

"Is there a lack of talent in the ninja world, or have your standards gotten worse and worse? This guy's level is good enough to join the group?" Shanks said to Kakuzu as he swatted Hidan away like swatting a fly.

"...He is indeed a bit young, but he's a promising talent." Kakuzu would never admit their judgment was flawed, and Hidan truly possessed talent; his immortality alone allowed him to instantly kill a large number of ninjas. Didn't Orochimaru spend so many years researching immortality?

"What's the use? He still got beaten to a pulp by my disciple. Or... why don't you bring my disciple into the group?"

Shanks said smugly to Ankatsu, as if to say, "See? Not only am I powerful myself, but the disciples I've taught are equally formidable."

"..." Kakuzu rolled his eyes, which were glowing green. "Why are you taking your disciple? He's not a rogue ninja. He already has two freeloaders at home. If you bring another brat in to freeload, he'll be busy to death."

"Speaking of which, you came all the way to Konoha to do business but didn't even come to see me. Instead, you're here playing house with a bunch of kids." Shanks patted Kakuzu on the shoulder.

"I heard Konoha is holding a joint exam, so I came to check it out and see if there's any business to be had." Kakuzu shrugged.

"...Give me some face, and I'll find you a bigger deal next time. This kind of small fry isn't worth much." Shanks was speechless. Although he loved money, he really couldn't bring himself to take such a small piece of meat as Kakuzu.

"Oh? What's your idea?" Kakuzu's eyes lit up even more when he heard the words "big deal." He hadn't done a big deal in a long time since Shanks and I swindled Onoki out of a big one. The big deal Shanks was talking about was definitely big enough.

"The time isn't right yet. I'll let you know when it is. Since you've come all this way to Konoha, shall we find a place to have a couple of drinks?" Shanks asked.

"Never mind, I'm not used to having you in Konoha. Contact me when you leave the village. I'm off." Kakuzu shook his head, hoisted Hidan, who was carrying a candied hawthorn on his shoulder, and walked out of the village.

........

"Ouch! Ouch! That hurts so much! Who is that ugly guy? Kakuzu, are you close to him?" After leaving Konoha, Hidan rubbed the candied hawthorn on his head and asked Kakuzu.

"Ah, he's probably the first friend I've made in all these decades... You don't know him?" Kakuzu said, then realized what he meant and looked at Hidan with a surprised expression.

"What? Is he famous? That bastard, next time I'm definitely going to give him to the Jashin." Hidan said through gritted teeth, crumpling his candied hawthorn. He had never been insulted like this before.