Konoha Drunkard

Looking at the opulent decor, Shanks looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and frustration. "What a waste," he thought. "That little Scorpion is really sick in the head. He'd rather be a proper young master than work as someone else's lackey. Next time I see him, I'll make him put his name on his will first, lest the family business be left without an heir after he dies."

"By the way, has your village decided who will succeed the Wind Shadow? Give me a hint, I saw quite a few noble gentlemen on the road earlier..."

Shanks, seeing that Uncle Kaizo remained silent, pressed on, saying that if he remembered correctly, Gaara should have been the Kazekage after Rasa, but the timing seemed off. With Gaara's current strength, making him Kazekage would be a disgrace to Sunagakure.

691. The feng shui is really bad.

"Sigh... there's still no conclusion, this is going to take a long time."

Shanks gets a headache whenever the topic of who should be Kazekage comes up. There's no need to hide it; anyone who's paying attention knows the current state of Sunagakure. The village is truly out of talent. After Rasa's death, not counting the older generation, the strongest and most respected member of the younger generation is Maki, who was easily defeated by Garp. How pathetic! If Maki were to become Kazekage, Sunagakure would be doomed. They might as well find a powerful figure to cling to and prevent the village from being demoted. Even the weakest village, Kirigakure, wasn't this miserable, at least they had a Mizukage with two bloodline limits to maintain appearances. Now, Sunagakure has practically no one to hold their own. Maybe if Gaara were older and stronger, it would be possible, but forget it now; they haven't even dealt with the fat cat in his belly yet.

"I think Luo Sha's youngest son is alright, but he's not fully grown yet and his strength is a bit weak. At his current level, it will probably take two or three years, but it seems that many people don't want to wait."

Shanks stroked his chin and said, recalling the group of noble gentlemen with bodyguards running around on the road earlier. They were clearly choosing sides. The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire are completely different. In the Land of Fire, Konoha is a self-contained system. Those daimyo and ministers would not dare to point fingers at Konoha or try to win over the ninja clans within Konoha. This was the bottom line set by the politician Tobirama Senju.

The other four great nations are different. Perhaps those people back then didn't have Tobirama Senju's political acumen and couldn't distinguish between villages and nations, allowing those daimyo and ministers to extend their influence into the ninja villages. It was common in Sunagakure to have ninja clans backed by a group of ministers. Rasa rose to power because Aunt Chiyo acted unilaterally, and those higher-ups dared not speak up, but they made a lot of underhanded moves, making it very difficult for Rasa to gain enough prestige. Now Aunt Chiyo wouldn't dare to do that again. Gaara is too young, and by the time he gains enough prestige, it will be too late. However, Aunt Chiyo can't let those idiots run wild, so the two sides continue to argue without any result.

"Hey!"

Uncle Haizang sighed, shook his head, and remained silent. He didn't know why, but it seemed like none of the Kage from Sunagakure had a good ending. His brother-in-law, the First Hokage, was severely injured by Madara Uchiha and died a few years later. The Second Hokage, Shamon, fared even worse, becoming a stepping stone for Shanks and Sakumo Hatake to rise to power. The Third Hokage, Retsu, never rose to power and died without a trace; no one even knew who did it. Now, the Fourth Hokage, Rasa, was in the same predicament, killed by a rogue ninja from Konoha, and even his burial was a cenotaph. It was truly tragic.

Is it really true, as Shanks said, that our feng shui layout is bad?

Even Uncle Hai Zang, a staunch advocate of science, was not only suspicious—one or two could be considered coincidences, but this was already four! There were just too many coincidences.

...........

"Itachi, it seems that Sunagakure really didn't have much of an impact on Konoha this time. They only destroyed a few houses."

Inside a dango shop in Konoha, Kisame was stuffing dango balls into his mouth under his straw hat, his left and right hands holding them.

These meatballs are so delicious! He's never had such delicious meatballs before. They're not only tasty but also incredibly bouncy.

"Ah, Konoha recovered quickly after the Nine-Tails' attack, and given the small number of people who came this time, it's unrealistic to expect them to have any impact on Konoha."

Across from Kisame, Itachi was also leisurely eating dumplings, wearing a straw hat. However, the face beneath the hat was his transformed appearance. He'd become so famous in recent years; his posters were everywhere, making him unrecognizable. This time, he wasn't here to cause trouble, so of course he wouldn't use his true form. Aside from the possibility of being mobbed, being surrounded by a group of girls and causing a traffic jam wouldn't be good either.

"By the way, you rarely come back, aren't you going to go see the red-haired senior?"

Thinking back to the time that old drunkard dragged him out to drink for a whole day and night, he didn't even know how he left Konoha. He just woke up on a big tree on the outskirts of Konoha. Because of this, he'd recently been practicing his alcohol tolerance, though not much had he improved. But he figured he could probably drink for another day and night without a problem.

"There's no need. We're here to gather information, and the Senju clan's territory is protected by the Uzumaki clan's barrier, making it difficult to enter."

Itachi wanted to see his teacher, but considering he was still an undercover agent, he knew he would be trapped by the Uzumaki clan if he went there. Not many people in the village knew he was an undercover agent, not to mention Tsunade and Garp were there.

“Hong, look at those two people wearing straw hats, don’t they look a bit strange?”

Not far from where Itachi and the others were, Anko pointed at Itachi and the girl with colored contact lenses and said that since neither of them had anything to do today, Anko naturally invited her friend to treat her to her favorite dumplings. Not long after they sat down, she noticed something strange about Itachi and Kisame. They were wearing the same uniform and the same style of straw hat, as if it was written on them that there was something wrong with them.

In the ninja world, clothing styles are incredibly diverse, and only large clans like the Uchiha or Hyuga wear the same uniform. Smaller clans might wear clothes with their clan crests, and the Hatake clan goes even further, not even wearing their crests. Anko, having spent several years with Orochimaru, knows very well which clans are in Konoha. The Uchiha are gone, and their uniforms aren't Hyuga's. Konoha just fought with the Sand Village, and now two outsiders have arrived—do they think Anko is some kind of pushover?

"Let's go. We've been discovered."

Itachi, who had his back to the camera, felt the gazes of the red-haired man and the girl with colored contact lenses. He and Kisame stood up, paid the bill, and left. Anko wasn't worried, but the girl with colored contact lenses next to her was Kakashi's wife, his former ANBU sergeant, and the daughter-in-law of an ANBU boss. Who knew what trouble she would cause this time?

“These two are suspicious. I’ll follow them. You go and notify the others.”

After seeing Itachi and the other person leave, the girl with colored contact lenses told Anko to go after them.

Be careful.

After saying that, Hongdou didn't wait for Wanzi to come up and immediately ran towards the Hokage Building.

"Halt! Who are you?"

The girl with colored contact lenses caught up with Itachi and the other two and stood in front of them, saying...

"Looks like we still didn't catch up."

Kisame took off his straw hat, revealing his signature shark face, and stood in front of Itachi, grinning as he spoke.

692. Lord Danzo, Kisame Hoshigaki is here again.

Since Kisame Hoshigaki debuted, when has he ever been stopped by anyone? If the person in front of him was a giant like the Fourth Hokage, that would be one thing, but being stopped by a girl is just making him a laughing stock. Although he has a good relationship with Shanks of Konoha, that's one thing and that's another.

.........

"Lord Danzo! Kisame Hoshigaki is here again!"

At the Konoha Root base, Danzo was listening intently to Yamanaka Hiroshi's boastful talk. He didn't know what Yamanaka Hiroshi was bragging about, but the smile on his face never stopped.

Suddenly, a henchman ran in from outside, shouting something that made his smile disappear and his face turn gloomy.

"what happened?"

"Reporting to Lord Danzo, our men just reported that they found traces of Kisame Hoshigaki in the village, and another person came with him. They are currently confronting Kurenai Yuhi. Kakashi is on his way."

It turns out that it wasn't just Anko and her friends who spotted Itachi and Kisame. With such flamboyant uniforms, it was hard for Itachi and Kisame to stay inconspicuous. Although Danzo had been much more discreet lately, Root never did. Itachi could use genjutsu to fool the two "gatekeepers" among the spies gathered in the village, but he couldn't fool the Root spies in the distance. The moment the girl with colored contact lenses stopped Kisame and Kisame took off his hat, a Root underling immediately ran back to report. Kisame was their boss's mortal enemy, having utterly humiliated their boss's family back then.

"Men! Grab your weapons!"

After listening to his subordinate's report, Danzo stood up and roared at him before storming out of the Root headquarters. After keeping a low profile for several years, Danzo finally stopped being so discreet.

Since his clan was humiliated by Kisame, he realized that he might have been too high-profile all those years, which is why his own brother brought Kisame to his house to cause trouble. After suffering a loss, he has tried to keep a low profile in recent years. Even when Konoha was ambushed by the Sand Ninja, he remained inactive and did not let them take the opportunity to gain prestige. Moreover, he would clap and cheer while eating melon seeds and watching his good buddy get beaten up. His low profile has made many people almost forget his existence as the root of Konoha.

I never expected that Kisame Hoshigaki would dare to cause trouble in Konoha after destroying his clan. Does he really think the root of Konoha doesn't exist? If he keeps a low profile this time, he'll really become a ninja turtle!

Hearing their boss's roar, the underlings grabbed their weapons and followed him proudly. This was a chance to boost their friendship level. If they could stab Kisame Hoshigaki in front of their boss later, they might be able to max out their friendship level instantly. Then, they might even be able to replace the boastful Yamanaka Hino, and after their boss died in a few years, they might inherit his legacy and become the new leader of Root... The underlings were getting a little excited just thinking about it. A good underling wouldn't want to be the leader, right?

............

"It's not a good thing for Kisame Hoshigaki, an S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure, and Itachi Uchiha, an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha, to come to Konoha, is it?"

Danzo and his large group of henchmen will arrive at the battlefield in five minutes. Kakashi and the girl with colored contacts are already in a terrible state, both sweating profusely and kneeling on the ground. Kakashi is in the worst condition, having been pulled into an illusion space by Itachi and suffering hundreds of cuts. Although it was just an illusion and not real, the pain was very real. He has never been cut so many times since his debut, and his legs are still weak.

However, Itachi also revealed his identity. After all, the only person who could be with someone like Kisame and possess such eyes, besides the elusive Shimura Hanzo, was Uchiha Itachi. And Shimura Hanzo always wore a mask, so who else could it be but Uchiha Itachi?

"We still couldn't hide it from Captain Kakashi."

Itachi revealed his true form. Luckily, the place was sparsely populated and secluded, otherwise, a group of girls might have been woken up and screamed. Itachi had no choice. If Kisame had made a move, it would have caused a huge commotion, and might have even attracted the Hokage. That would have been awkward for them, since escaping from the Yellow Flash would have been too difficult. Pain would definitely have become suspicious. So Itachi acted first before Kisame could, and his first move was the Tsukuyomi, which could damage the eyes.

"What is your purpose in coming to Konoha?"

Kasper was really tough; even though he was about to faint, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

"We mean no harm, we just want to see where the guy who defeated the One-Tailed Beast is."

Itachi glanced at Kisame, who was carrying Hashira and grinning foolishly beside him, and said calmly to Kakashi.

"Kisame Hoshigaki! Die! Charge! Kill them!"

Just as Itachi finished speaking, an angry roar rang out. Danzo, his face flushed, was carrying a large sword and followed by a group of people armed with various weapons, charging menacingly towards Itachi and Kisame. Of course, Danzo's grand display of power could not be kept secret from the villagers, and it had been a long time since such a large-scale event had occurred in the village. One or two people followed behind, carrying stools and sunflower seeds.

"Ah!!! Itachi!!!"

"It really is Itachi!!!"

"Itachi...!"

As the onlookers approached and saw Itachi standing next to the shark-faced figure, a chorus of screams erupted from the girls.

In an instant, a group of girls arrived at Itachi's side even faster than Danzo's underlings, surrounding him. Moreover, their numbers continued to increase, soon surpassing those of Danzo's underlings.

"What's going on?"

The Root underlings who rushed forward froze in place. How could they fight them? These were all villagers of Konoha! With Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki surrounded, they couldn't break through at all. They couldn't bring themselves to attack these unarmed girls either; it was against the law.

"Lord Danzo, this..."

Danzo's attendant, Aburame Torune, looked at her boss with a troubled expression, showing that she would cut down even a girl if he gave the word.

"........."

Danzo hadn't heard a word the two-headed horse said. He was completely bewildered. He hadn't expected Itachi Uchiha to be so much more popular after leaving the village, and his fans were all girls. This was a problem. If he really killed these civilians, even his best friend couldn't save him. But his mortal enemy, Kisame Hoshigaki, was among them, and he couldn't bear to just watch helplessly. He didn't care what Itachi was doing back; he still had to give Shanks face. But Kisame Hoshigaki was right in front of him! What was he supposed to do?

693. He is clearly so outstanding.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, if you've got guts, don't hide behind a woman!"

Danzo, enraged, unleashed a torrent of abuse at Kisame in the crowd.

However, Kisame was completely oblivious to Danzo's roar; his mind was currently blank...

I've seen it all!

This time he finally witnessed the power of fans...

That's incredibly powerful... Even the Leaf Village's Root, known for its ruthless and vengeful nature, is caught in a dilemma by these female fans.

However, he still couldn't figure out who the girl was who mistook him for Itachi and stole his first kiss...

His first kiss, which he had kept for many years...

It just disappeared without any explanation...

"........."

The onlookers who were originally planning to watch the battle were also dumbfounded, especially Jiraiya in the crowd. Looking at Uchiha Itachi, who was surrounded by a group of girls, Jiraiya was filled with envy and jealousy. He wished he could be in that situation.

why?

I'm clearly more handsome than him.

She's clearly more charming than him.

Why wasn't that person me?

That's outrageous...

"Is he Sasuke's brother? He's so handsome!"

The girl with the broad forehead, seeing Itachi surrounded by a group of older women, instantly became a fangirl. She didn't know why, but when she usually only saw posters of Sasuke, she felt nothing, but seeing him in person, she just couldn't help feeling how charming he was.

"Kakashi... what do we do now?"

The girl with colored contact lenses asked the equally bewildered Kakashi, "What was supposed to be a life-or-death battle has turned into a huge fan meeting."

"...We'll go back and report to the Hokage."

Kaden snapped out of his daze and said helplessly, "How would I know what to do? I'm totally confused too. This perfectly good revenge operation against Danzo has turned into this. And it looks like the fight won't happen. This densely packed group of girls would be a headache for anyone, let alone Danzo."

........