Konoha Drunkard

Kakuzu couldn't take it anymore, so the Five-Tails Jinchuriki in front of him was naturally in no better shape. Although he had the Five-Tails' blessing, his body was still his own. He could afford to use up the Five-Tails' chakra, but he couldn't afford to use up his stamina.

"Go ahead and run! Go ahead and run! You five-tailed thing, if you dare give him any more chakra, I'll beat the shit out of you!"

After catching up, Shanks wasn't in a hurry to make a move. According to the rules of the ninja world, there must be a verbal battle before any action is taken. He was an honest man and had to follow the rules.

"........."

Upon hearing Shanks' words, the Five-Tails Kokuo cowered, the memory of being hammered back then still vivid in its mind. It didn't want to experience that excruciating pain again.

"That's why I said, out of you nine brothers, I admire you and your seventh brother the most. A wise man knows when to yield, unlike those stubborn guys who only learn their lesson after getting a beating."

King Mu refused to replenish the Jinchūriki's mana, and the Jinchūriki collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

720. Those who confront him will not have a good ending.

"Who are you? Why...why are you arresting me?"

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki, panting heavily, looked at Shanks, who was wearing a mask.

"Snapped!"

"You little bastard, why did you run away for no reason? You made me all sweaty and smelly."

Shanks, seeing the Five-Tails Jinchuriki's bewildered look, got angry and slapped him on the head. "If you don't recognize me, why are you running away? I just changed my clothes this morning and they're all wet again."

"You...bastard! Who are you?"

shame.

A deep sense of shame.

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki, rubbing his head which had been slapped, glared at Shanks with bloodshot eyes. No one had ever dared to slap him like that since he was a child.

"Hey! You dare glare at me, you little bastard? If I didn't keep my word, I would have broken your short leg."

"Slap! Slap slap slap!"

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki's sly look infuriated Shanks, who proceeded to slap the dog's head repeatedly, venting his previous anger on him.

"How was it? Did you enjoy my Eighteen Insect-Slaying Palms? If you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better come back with me obediently. After your Tsuchikage pays the money, I won't stop you from running away. But if you try to run away before Onoki pays the money... hehehe!"

"Snapped!"

Shanks said his hands were itching again, and slapped him on the head.

"Han, just bear with it. We can't handle this guy. We can just run away again later. Don't provoke him anymore."

The Five-Tails, Kokuou, inside the Five-Tails Jinchuriki's stomach, sensed the resentment in its landlord's heart and spoke up to persuade him. It originally didn't want to get involved, but after all, this person was its landlord, and it felt it would lose face if its landlord was beaten. However, it didn't want to go out and be hammered by that devil.

"...Who exactly is this guy?"

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki, his forehead swollen and red, stared wide-eyed. What had he just heard? The Five-Tails, who always considered itself second only to the heavens, was actually admitting that it couldn't defeat the masked man in front of it. This was utterly shocking. He had spent so many years with the Five-Tails, Kokuo, and only in recent years had he managed to have some brief exchanges with it. In all those years, the Five-Tails, Kokuo, had always seemed so arrogant and haughty. How could it be so afraid of this masked man?

"He's the Red-Haired Shanks from Konoha. He's the one who brought you back to Iwagakure back then..."

"Snapped!"

"Stop talking nonsense and tie yourselves up. You are prisoners now. Once my companions arrive, we'll go and ask Onoki for money."

Shanks pulled out a thick rope from somewhere and threw it in front of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Although they were only communicating telepathically, it didn't escape Shanks' ears. However, he didn't care. Even if Onoki Red Nose knew that the Shimura Hanzo who tricked him was actually Shanks himself, Onoki had a bunch of annoying things to deal with right now. He didn't have time to pay attention to him. Besides, he wanted to see Onoki Red Nose's expression when he found out that he was the one who tricked him out of so much money. It would definitely be interesting. He was ready to take pictures at any time!

"........."

When the Five-Tails Jinchuriki heard that the person opposite him was that red-haired devil, he chickened out and obediently started playing with the rope on the ground, binding himself.

He has no choice but to back down. History has proven that those who go up against Konoha's Shanks usually don't have a good ending. Their Tsuchikage, Onoki, has dominated the ninja world for decades and has suffered several serious injuries. Apart from being kicked by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, all the other injuries were caused by Konoha's Shanks. Especially the last time, the blooming rose turned into a broken chrysanthemum, and he was laughed at by the ninja world for many years. He is still young and doesn't want to become the second one.

"Phew, I'm exhausted. This guy can really run."

After the Five-Tails Jinchuriki bound himself, Hidan and Kakuzu, who were carrying Rōshi, also arrived. Hidan casually threw Rōshi to the ground and sat on Rōshi, panting heavily.

"Hey kid, be careful. This is our God of Wealth. My standard of living for the rest of my life depends on him. You have to handle him with care."

Shanks, even though Hidan couldn't die, threw Old Purple heavily to the ground like trash. His eyelids twitched. Old Purple was so old; if he got hurt, he'd be worthless.

"........."

Hidan, panting heavily, dared not utter a word of anger. "You make it sound so easy," he thought. "Try carrying someone for days and nights!" He glanced at the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and what he saw horrified him, sending chills down his spine. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki's head was enormous, covered in countless handprints—clearly swollen from being beaten. This guy was incredibly violent, as if he had a grudge against the Tailed Beasts. The Four-Tails Jinchuriki had been beaten countless times along the way; if his older brother hadn't intervened and drugged him, he probably would have been driven mad. This Five-Tails Jinchuriki was even worse; his entire head was swollen like a pig's head. This guy was a demon!

"...Now that we've caught him, let's hurry back to Onoki to make the deal, lest we run into trouble at the nightclub."

After Kakuzu finished speaking emotionally, he snatched the rope from Shanks' hand and threw it to Hidan, who was sitting on the ground. This kind of rough work was better left to his underlings. Just thinking about the amount Onoki had offered, Kakuzu was extremely excited. Although selling pills could also make money, it couldn't compare to the thrill of swindling Onoki. Last time, he had swindled Onoki out of hundreds of billions from just one Five-Tails. This time, it was two! As he thought about it, the green light in Kakuzu's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

.........

"Lord Tsuchikage, Kakuzu has sent a message saying that they have captured Rōshi and Han alive and are on their way here."

In the office of the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, the elderly Aoki Nozomi tenderly handed a small note to Onoki in front of him.

He was heartbroken over his money. Although Onoki had kept his promise and given his family enough benefits over the years, after the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki ran away, Onoki summoned him and told him that he was going to make another deal with Kakuzu and Shimura Hanzo. As a trusted younger brother for many years, Aoki Nozomi naturally knew what his boss meant by telling him this.

He had received so many benefits over the years, and he was prepared to give some back. However, the thought that his family would have to pay the lion's share made his heart ache.

"Yes, although Shimura Hanzo is mysterious, he is indeed very reliable when it comes to getting things done."

After reading the contents of the note, Onoki breathed a sigh of relief. Although he seemed completely unconcerned about the Four-Tails and Five-Tails running away, he was actually more nervous than anyone else. However, as the head of the village, he couldn't show his nervousness, as that would affect the morale of his underlings. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in days, but tonight he could finally get a good night's rest.

721. Prison Break 2 is in the works.

"...Lord Tsuchikage, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but this Shimura Hanzo seems kind of familiar to me."

I met Shimura Hanzo once back then. He was incredibly strong; he could knock out all the Anbu they sent without making a sound, and he could fight Konoha's Shanks and retreat calmly.

His identity is mysterious; he is the half-brother of Danzo, the Root of Konoha, and is rumored to possess the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

The above points left a deep impression on Aoki Nozomi. After the transaction was completed, Aoki Nozomi recalled Shimura Hanzo's various actions and always had a sense of familiarity. However, he couldn't remember where he had seen him before, but he was certain that Shimura Hanzo was someone he knew. This sense of familiarity couldn't come from meeting him only once or twice; it must have come from spending some time together.

"You know, I had the same feeling. Shimura Hanzo's words and actions are nothing like Shimura Danzo's, which are so composed, and he tends to give off an unreliable vibe..."

After listening to his younger brother Aoki Nozomi's words, Onoki fell into deep thought. Over the years, he had been sending people to collect information about Shimura Hanzo, but with little success. From the time he fought the Red-Haired Shanks in the Land of Rain to the release of the Nine-Tails in Konoha, he had only appeared a few times. It was as if this person had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Moreover, whether he was Shimura Danzo's brother or not was just something he said himself, and there was no evidence to prove whether it was true or not. According to reports from his spies in Konoha, Danzo didn't even know whether his father was messing around outside. The only person who had seen Shimura Hanzo's face was the Red-Haired Shanks, with whom he had fought. Therefore, he also had some doubts about Shimura Hanzo's identity. However, none of that mattered to him before, as long as Shimura Hanzo was not from Konoha. Now that Aoki Nozomi had brought up the issue, he had also raised his doubts.

"Lord Tsuchikage, do you think it's possible that there was never any Shimura Hanzo in the ninja world, and that this Shimura Hanzo was actually someone else in disguise?"

Aoki Nozomi put forward a bold idea: Shimura Hanzo felt so familiar to him, yet he truly did not know the person. Under these circumstances, this was the only explanation.

"Impossible! Although I hate to admit it, that red-haired bastard is indeed very strong, even comparable to Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha back then. I can't think of anyone in the ninja world right now who could fight him and then leave unperturbed. Unless the red-haired bastard lied back then, but how do you explain the battlefield in the Land of Rain? The whole ninja world knows that the red-haired bastard only knows the Water Release left behind by Tobirama Senju. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the ninja world's expert, couldn't do that kind of powerful Fire Release."

Onoki would definitely shake his head. Such a grand scene couldn't be faked. The unfathomable sword marks on the red-haired bastard and the fire jutsu that transcended the concept of ninjutsu—he had only ever seen that in his life when Madara Uchiha was beating up his Second Hokage. However, Madara Uchiha had been dead for many years. Even though Onoki hadn't died, given his arrogant and domineering personality, how could he possibly wear a mask? It didn't fit his character at all. Therefore, Onoki still believed that Shimura Hanzo really existed. And that feeling of familiarity might be because Shimura Hanzo's personality was similar to that of people they knew, which was why they had that feeling.

"Lord Tsuchikage is right. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Although Aoki Nozomi still had doubts after hearing Onoki's explanation, he felt that his boss's analysis made sense. It had always been a tradition for strong people to defect from Konoha, and the Uchiha were the most surprising group. There was Madara, the Shura of the Ninja World, the great scientist Orochimaru, and the superstar Uchiha Itachi. Compared to these people, that lowly guy who crushed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was not even worth mentioning. It wouldn't be surprising if Konoha produced another powerful rogue ninja, they just wouldn't recognize him.

"They'll be here in a few days. Notify all the families to prepare their funds. It looks like we're going to have to spend a lot this time."

Speaking of money, Onoki seemed to age several years in an instant. He wouldn't normally care too much about money, but these past few years, he'd done several big deals with Shimura Hanzo, practically draining him dry. Fortunately, it was peacetime, so recovery was relatively easy. In times of war, those families would have needed at least several years to recover. During wartime, no merchants would come to invest in Iwagakure, since jade was the least valuable commodity then.

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage."

After answering, Aoki Nozomi turned and left, clutching his chest. The massive hemorrhage that Onoki mentioned was referring to his Aoki clan. Thinking that his family would have wasted several years of their efforts, Aoki Nozomi could only hope that Shimura Hanzo would go easy on him.

...........

Shanks and his two companions, along with the two Jinchuriki, finally arrived at the border of the Land of Earth in less than two weeks. As before, they sent Kakuzu to inform Onoki to come and negotiate the price. Shanks and the immortal Hidan watched over Rōshi and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, these two unfortunate brothers.

When Roshi regained consciousness and saw the Five-Tails Jinchuriki bound and behaving obediently, he was moved to tears.

"Brother! You're here!"

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki was also moved to tears as he watched his older brother wake up.

"Yeah, bro, I'm here..."

After exchanging a resigned glance, the two Jinchuriki wiped away their tears and whispered something behind Shanks and the immortal Hidan. Shanks didn't bother with the two unfortunate brothers; it was obvious what they were discussing—they were planning the filming of Prison Break 2. Through this experience, they learned that Onoki had made a deal with Shanks of Konoha to have him capture them. However, Shanks had been retired for many years, and getting him to come out of retirement wouldn't be easy. For a village that wasn't wealthy, it would be a huge financial burden. Although they didn't know why Onoki would seek out Shanks, whom he hated the most, and even dress him up like that, they wondered why he would do that.

However, one thing they were certain of was that Onoki had the money to hire them the first time, but definitely couldn't afford to hire them a second time. Therefore, the second part of the prison break was the best opportunity for them to truly let loose. As the eldest brother, Old Purple and his gang of thugs kept drawing on the ground, while the younger brother, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, nodded from time to time to show that he understood.

722. Someone's unnamed underling

"Hahahaha! It's been so many years! Kirigakure already has its fifth Hokage, and Kumogakure and Konoha have reached their fourth Hokage, while Iwagakure is still at its third Hokage. Lord Tsuchikage is really in good health!"

Not long after, Kakuzu arrived with a little old man and Aoki. Every time Shanks saw Onoki's red nose, he couldn't help but want to give the little old man a piece of his mind.

"...Enough with the nonsense, Mr. Hanzo, name your price."

familiar!

It looks so familiar!

This exaggerated tone, this sarcastic remark that made one grit their teeth in hatred, felt all too familiar to Onoki. Wasn't this bastard just saying that he was hogging the job without doing his business? This kind of subtle mockery, apart from that bastard, was something no one else in the ninja world could do. However, Onoki shook his head inwardly, rejecting his own guess. Right now, Rōshi and Han were more important; everything else could be put aside for the time being.

"Lord Tsuchikage is indeed quick-witted and decisive. We've gone through a lot of trouble to find these two guys. Otherwise, with the help of the heavens, we really don't know when we would have found them. So the price is a bit higher than last time... How about this, considering how pleasant our cooperation was last time, I'll give you a 5% discount. 80 billion, you can take it all."

Shanks considered for a moment, then made an eight gesture with his fingers. He had originally wanted to open a completely open deal, but then he remembered that Iwagakure wasn't as wealthy as Sunagakure, and they couldn't afford that much. Even if he opened a deal, it would be pointless. He figured Iwagakure wouldn't be able to afford that much either. But when it comes to bargaining, of course he had to ask for the absolute best.

"you......."

When Onoki's red nose saw Shanks's number, his blood pressure spiked and rushed towards his big nose, which slowly turned from red to black.

"Huh? Lord Tsuchikage, what kind of ninjutsu is that? It can even change the color of your nose! That's amazing!"

Shanks pointed curiously at Onoki's nose and asked.

"Damn it! It was only eight billion back then, and this time it's ten times that! Why don't you just rob us!"

Onoki's old face turned red, and he spat out saliva at Shanks like a large-scale ninjutsu.

However, even Kakuzu, who was mentally prepared, was shocked by Onoki's words. This guy really dared to speak up. Having been in the business world for many years, Kakuzu knew Iwagakure's financial situation better than anyone else. Although Iwagakure was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, that was in terms of military strength. Back then, their finances might not have been able to compare with the Land of Rain. At least the Land of Rain had a business tycoon like Onoki and a super scientist like Orochimaru. They couldn't even come up with 80 billion yen, let alone Iwagakure.

That's way too big a target!

"Lord Tsuchikage, you said it yourself, it was back then! The ninja world these days has developed too fast, money is becoming less and less valuable. Now even a movie ticket costs one or two thousand. Last time I went to the Flower Country to listen to a concert, a VIP room cost me hundreds of thousands. Tell me, can it be compared to back then? Back then, hundreds of thousands could buy a whole street in your Iwagakure. I have to live too. You only ask me for business once every ten years or so. Who knows if I'll still be alive next time. So I've already thought it through. After this job, I'll find a beautiful place to live in seclusion, get married, have children, and stop caring about this chaotic ninja world. I have to leave some source of motivation for my descendants, right?"

Shanks started complaining to Onoki with tears streaming down his face.

"...Impossible! Two hundred billion! That's our limit!"

Onoki suppressed his anger. "Seclusion my ass! Look at all the mess you've made all these years! You're not a hermit at all! You've got 80 billion, and you're still keeping a little bit? 80 billion is enough for you to start a country!"

"Two hundred billion? Kakuzu, I'll personally give you two hundred billion to have your old employer help with some publicity in the ninja world. We'll hold the Four-Tails and Five-Tails auction in the Land of Iron next month."

Shanks is also famous. This Onoki Red Nose has improved a lot over the years. He has learned to bargain and has even become an expert. He can cut off three-quarters of the price with one cut. Who would do business with him after that!