Konoha Drunkard

The Four-Tails Jinchuriki has been captured, but there is still no news about the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. The thing they were worried about has finally happened. Although the Five-Tails Jinchuriki does not have the perfect ability to control the Tailed Beast like Rōshi, he will not go berserk anytime and anywhere like before, giving Shanks a chance to capture him.

And so the three of them took Old Purple on a three-month tour of the ninja world. Every time they arrived at a place, they would activate their Observation Haki and scan the area... and then move on to the next place in disappointment. This money was really hard to earn.

.........

Shanks spent three months traveling around the ninja world, while Sarutobi and his companions had it much easier. After flying on the Raikage's back for over a month, they returned to Konoha. After all, they were there to help the Iwa ninja gather information. They had already confirmed that the Four-Tails had been captured by some unknown powerful figure, and the Five-Tails' fate should be similar. Meanwhile, there was no movement from the Iwa ninja. Since the Iwa ninja weren't in a hurry, why should Konoha worry about it?

After Sarutobi and the others returned to Konoha, they recounted the battlefield they had witnessed and their analysis, and then each went back to their own homes.

After hearing Sarutobi's report, Minato and the three leaders of Konoha initially thought that it was the Akatsuki who were behind it. However, when Hatake Sakumo contacted Orochimaru, he learned from Orochimaru that the Akatsuki had not made any major moves recently. Apart from Kakuzu and Hidan being absent, they were all staying at home and had not made any moves.

Given Kakuzu and Hidan's abilities, if they were to actually fight the Four-Tails, it would be highly unlikely that they could defeat the Four-Tails Jinchuriki so quickly. A powerful five-elemental mage plus a tanky fighter would likely fight the Four-Tails Jinchuriki for days and nights before they could defeat it. Furthermore, the battlefield was filled with Lava Release jutsu, and there were no other traces of large-scale ninjutsu. Therefore, Kakuzu and Hidan ruled them out.

Minato and the three giants of Konoha were completely baffled, especially Onoki's actions. The importance of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki to their village goes without saying; which village wouldn't be worried if their Jinchuriki ran away?

But just as Sarutobi and the others said, so much time has passed and there has been no movement from the Iwagakure ninja. Their spies in Iwagakure reported that it seemed that the Iwagakure ninja did not know that their Four-Tails and Five-Tails had run away. Even Onoki Red-Nose went to get off work and came home normally every day, and taught his granddaughter when he had time. Everything seemed normal.

The unusual behavior of Iwagakure left Minato and the three leaders of Konoha completely bewildered. This was practically a nuclear weapon! What was Onoki, the Red-Nosed, up to?

Big Cannon felt this was familiar, as if it had happened before, but he couldn't quite remember. He guessed he'd been wasting too many brain cells writing his father-in-law's rubbish autobiography lately. Wait... his father-in-law.

Have you seen my father-in-law recently...?

The big-shot cannon finally realized that when the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure ran away, his father-in-law took the opportunity to trick Onoki. His father-in-law was known as the Tailed Beast Buster, and Kakuzu was no longer in the Land of Rain. He wouldn't believe there wasn't some hidden story behind this.

"It has been a few months since I last saw the teacher... wait, you mean...?"

Minato also realized what was going on. He hadn't expected that after the four or five tails ran away, he hadn't seen that drunken homeroom teacher in the village. This was practically impossible under normal circumstances. That old man was always busy. Even if you didn't look for him, he would always wander around you for no reason. But now he hadn't been seen wandering around the village for so long. It was too abnormal, and the timing was too coincidental.

"Could it be that bastard who did it again this time?"

The three giants of Konoha were all shrewd old men. When they saw the giant rocket and Minato's appearance, and considering that Shanks hadn't been seen wandering around the village recently... their blood pressure instantly soared.

"...It's pretty much a done deal. Kakuzu isn't in the Land of Rain either, and my father-in-law hasn't been seen in the village for a long time. If I'm not mistaken, Onoki probably learned his lesson last time and didn't send his Iwagakure people to find the Jinchuriki. Instead, he contacted Kakuzu, intending to settle it with money. Kakuzu and my father-in-law are good friends, so naturally he wouldn't forget my father-in-law when there's such a big deal..."

The giant cannon sighed helplessly. All the mysteries were finally solved. Who else could be the tough guy his friend was talking about but his father-in-law? This also explained why only the Lava Release technique of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki was found at the scene of the fight, with no other traces of ninjutsu. His father-in-law fought the Four-Tails like a father fighting his son, let alone a Jinchuriki, who was taken care of with a single punch.

718. That's because of me!

"That bastard! He never lets anyone have a moment's peace."

Soy Sauce Customer Mito Menyan couldn't help but unleash a torrent of abuse. "That bastard could have just gone, but at least he should have let them know. He's kept them worried for so long. Does he think they're going to steal his money?"

"Alright, if Shanks captures the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, it's a good thing for us. In the end, it will all be handed over to Iwagakure."

Seeing that Mitomon was spraying so badly, Koharu, who was turning over in the dorm, had to speak up for her little brother.

"After you go back, have Lingling use her summoning beast to confirm whether he captured the Four-Tails. If he did, then let him be."

Hiruzen Sarutobi is no longer concerned about this matter. Right now, all he can think about is how much this bastard can swindle from Onoki, and then he needs to figure out a way to get the bastard to pay some taxes. The ninja world is too dangerous; it's really not safe for him to handle so much money all by himself...

"........"

Big Cannon nodded helplessly. This father-in-law was unpredictable; one day he asked him to help write his autobiography, and the next day he was off to do big business. He was used to it; after all, he had stolen someone else's precious daughter away.

..........

"Kakuzu, are you sure the Five-Tails ever appeared in the Land of Rivers? You're not just trying to trick me, are you?"

After wandering the ninja world for three months, Shanks and his trio finally received some information about the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. In fact, this information was received by Kakuzu. As the former top dog of the underground bounty agency, Kakuzu had acquaintances in every branch. This information was provided free of charge by the person in charge of the branch in the Land of Vegetables two days ago.

Since Kakuzu retired from the bounty hunting business, their business hasn't been doing well. After all, it's incredibly difficult to find someone with Kakuzu's 100% completion rate. So, the person in charge was thinking of building a relationship with Kakuzu so that if he wanted to come back to the bounty hunting scene, he could continue to come to their place. They weren't the only bounty hunters; the competition was fierce.

"That's what that person said. I heard he even got into a fight. Who else but him has that special ability to control steam?"

After pouring a drop of Aunt Chiyo's special potion into the mouth of the unconscious Old Purple, Kakuzu said.

Old Purple was really having a tough time. For the past few months, he had only woken up for about ten minutes each day to eat, and then spent the rest of his time in a coma. When he woke up on the first day, he even thought about running away, but after his inner Goku told him that the masked person was likely Konoha's Shanks, he gave up. He knew all too well how powerful Konoha's Shanks was. Back when he first started out, he had experienced Shanks's terrifying aura up close next to Onoki. A full 100,000 Iwa ninja were all overwhelmed by his aura, some fainting and others not much better off. If it weren't for Goku helping him hold on, he wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, he would encounter the devil, Shanks, again. Although he didn't know why Shanks was wearing a mask, Sun Wukong was right. He couldn't run away anyway, so he might as well be obedient and suffer less.

"I hope so. Damn, he's going to really rip off Onoki this time. It's not easy to get some money from him."

"boom."

Shanks kicked a crater about ten meters deep into the ground, gritting his teeth as he muttered, "Is this Five-Tails a rat? It's so good at hiding! Why doesn't it just obediently go back with him and trade with Onoki? It can just run away again next time. He promises it will never catch them again, unless Onoki offers a lot, a lot of money..."

Hidan, carrying Old Purple, felt his eyelids twitch. Thankfully, this guy only punched me; if he had used his feet... where did this monster come from? It's terrifying.

"Hurry up, we've been out for a long time, and there's something important going on in the organization."

Kakuzu said.

"Brother Kakuzu, isn't it a bit inappropriate to say this in front of him..."

"I won't die," Hidan whispered in Kakuzu's ear.

"Tch! It's just the Akatsuki organization, kid. Let me tell you, there's nothing in the ninja world that I, Shimura Hanzo, don't know. You don't even need to tell me. Do you really think my reputation as the most benevolent and all-knowing person in the ninja world is just for show? Your boss, Pain, is still my junior. What's so great about him?"

Shanks scoffed. Nagato was his junior no matter which generation you looked at it from. If you counted from Jiraiya's lineage, he was a generation younger. If you counted from the Uzumaki clan's lineage, he was probably more than two generations younger. It was all because his dead father's love came late; when he was born, his aunt was almost a grandmother.

"The peerless benevolent and righteous scholar who knows everything? I've never heard of him. You're not just bragging, are you?"

Hidan, who is immortal, was immediately attracted by such a prestigious title, which had more words than his own.

"Hmph! You little brat, you've never seen anything like this. When I debuted, you weren't even born yet! Back in the day, my epic duel with Shanks at his peak in the Land of Rain directly impacted the entire ninja world's landscape. Do you know why Konoha, despite its strength, has never been able to unify the ninja world? It's because of me! Do you know why the Land of Water has been holed up on that wretched island? It's still because of me! Sigh! Being invincible is truly lonely!"

Shanks looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, a familiar, imposing aura emanating from him.

"The four kingdoms! Wow...that's amazing...but Kakuzu-kun, is this for real?"

Hidan, who is supposed to be immortal, was stunned by Shanks' overwhelming aura. However, he's not an idiot; this guy is clearly exaggerating. Why don't you just say that the world didn't end because of you?

"Let's hurry on our way."

Kakuzu was speechless. Couldn't you tell? This guy was just bragging about himself in a different way.

.........

The three chatted as they traveled, with Shanks mainly bragging and Hidan, who was immortal, listening. Hidan, who was immortal, already regarded Shanks as a famous figure, but after hearing this great man talk about some secrets of the ninja world, he realized that he was still too young.

"Let me tell you, you know the current Tsuchikage, Onoki, right? Do you know why he's so short? You didn't, did you? Onoki wasn't short and ugly when he was little. He wasn't like this before he was ten years old. You can see it from his son and granddaughter. One is big and burly, and the other has long legs. So Onoki's genes are fine. Before he was ten, Onoki was tall and big, just like his son. Onoki's family is quite complicated. How should I put it... he has one father but many mothers. Do you understand now?"

"What does this have to do with how he became like this?"

"The connection is significant. Due to his family education, Onoki's thinking matured precociously from a young age, especially regarding the human body, where he had a strong curiosity. However, he was also young, so... being young and too indulgent, he stopped growing taller after that and even shrank."

719. I admire your straightforwardness.

"Your boss's circumference eyes may be a bit ugly, but do you know what they're called?"

Hidan, who wouldn't die, obediently shook his head.

"Let me tell you, that's something special. There are many bloodline limits related to the eyes in the ninja world, but the three top-tier eye bloodline limits are the Uchiha's red eye disease, the Hyuga clan's cataracts, and the legendary Six Paths Sage's circle eyes. Now you should know what kind of background your boss's circle eyes are, right?"

"Four countries! That's amazing!"

Hidan, who wouldn't die, exclaimed in agreement.

"Although Circle Eyes is very powerful, he can't do anything to that tough guy Shanks from Konoha. Although I am his opponent, I admire his strength quite a bit. This person was born with extraordinary talent. With those tiny bit of unique talent, he became a legend in the ninja world through his own talent and hard work. His indestructible fists, his swordsmanship that can break through anything, and his unbreakable defense, along with his awe-inspiring domineering aura, make him a truly remarkable genius. Putting aside everything else, his unbreakable defense alone is something your boss Circle Eyes can't do anything about."

Shanks, of course, wouldn't miss the chance to boast about himself.

"Hmm... that red-haired ugly guy's defense is indeed very strong."

Hidan, who could never die, nodded in agreement. He deeply understood the experience of how his Jashin Scythe couldn't even cut through that red-haired ugly monster back then, not even leaving a mark.

“Ugly monster…”

Shanks suppressed his anger. Big business was more important. He'd settle the score with him another time. The last guy who said he was ugly had already turned into an idiot. This bastard was clearly not interested in staying in the business.

"Yeah, don't you think he's ugly? That weird red hair is one thing, but he's also incredibly slovenly. I don't know how long it's been since he last washed up. You know, the last time I saw him, that old guy had sleep in his eyes! It was disgusting..."

"Stop talking! Shut up..."

Kakuzu could almost see Shanks's rage level soaring to the heavens... He was going to die; when this guy went berserk, even five lives wouldn't be enough to withstand it.

"I admire your straightforwardness! Keep it up, I believe in you...!"

Shanks patted Hidan on the shoulder, who was practically immortal. Hidan was furious, his fist clenched tightly inside his sleeve. "Everything for a big deal! We need another laborer. Next time we meet, I promise I won't beat you to a pulp!"

"Why..........."

Kakuzu looked at his younger brother with sympathy. This guy really knew how to rub salt in the wound. Considering the years they'd been brothers, he'd find him a propitious burial site when they got back; that would be the least he could do for them as brothers.

what?

Help him?

Kakuzu questioned whether he had the ability; he wanted to live for another hundred or two hundred years, otherwise how could he do justice to his five hearts...?

..........

Shanks, barely containing his anger, had no patience to chat with this little brat. He followed Kakuzu ahead, while Hidan, completely unaware that his sharp tongue had violated a divine law, remained silent the entire way. Three days later, they finally entered the Land of Rivers.

Not long after entering the Land of Rivers, Shanks no longer needed to activate his Observation Haki. Fate is truly a wonderful thing. A few months ago, they were courting death for not being able to find this Five-Tails Jinchuriki, but as soon as they entered a small town in the Land of Rivers and were looking for a place to rest, they just happened to run into him face to face!

"boom!"

"You bastard, can't you see?!"

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki reacted quickly. Although he had never met Shanks, he sensed the deep malice emanating from Shanks and Kakuzu, and the Five-Tails inside his stomach kept roaring at him to run. After a mere 0.01 seconds of face-to-face staring, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki immediately shoved the people behind him aside and fled desperately, steaming from his body.

"Come on!"

After the Five-Tails Jinchuriki had run far away, Shanks and the others finally realized that this fate had come too suddenly, catching them off guard.

Shanks, going all out, left Kakuzu and Hidan, who was carrying someone, far behind, and chased after the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki's steam acceleration was quite impressive, at least maintaining a stable lead against Shanks at full power. Shanks had Shave for fighting, but no skills for traveling, so he could only rely on pure physical bursts of speed.

If it weren't for Shanks using Observation Haki to keep an eye on the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, he might have actually gotten away. Judging from the Five-Tails Jinchuriki's speed, he must have at least three points in Agility. Shanks couldn't even see his taillights.

.........

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki was running ahead, and Shanks was chasing after him, with Kakuzu and Hidan carrying Rōshi following behind.

"Huff... Damn it, these guys aren't normal."

The four of them ran from day to night, and then from night to day. In this marathon, Hidan was the first to be eliminated. After all, aside from his passive skill that prevented him from dying, he didn't have any special characteristics, and his endurance was just average. Plus, he was carrying someone, so it was already quite good that he had managed to last this long. He tossed the unconscious Rōshi aside and sat down on the ground, breathing heavily.

"This guy is trying to outlast me, huh? He really thinks he's something special just because he has a five-tailed beast inside him."

Shanks kept a steady head while running, keeping an eye on the taillights of the car in front of him. Compared to the Uzumaki clan, he'd never seen Orochimaru take a dump!

Another day passed, and the marathon continued, but Kakuzu also withdrew from the race. Although he had five hearts, he was too old to compete with the younger ones. He was almost vomiting up his hearts.