Konoha Drunkard

736. Ultra-modern atmosphere

"...The Land of the Sky did indeed exist in the ninja world. As for why you don't know about the Land of the Sky, it's because it was destroyed during World War II. Back then, apart from the Land of Lightning, all the other countries were at the peak of their wars. At that time, the Land of the Sky was researching an extremely evil chakra, intending to use it to inflict a devastating blow on Konoha. Because we didn't have much time to consider this issue at the time, I could only send Zixiao with the village's ANBU to the Land of the Sky to deal with this crisis. I never expected that after so many years, those people would actually rise from the ashes."

After a long pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a few puffs of his opium pipe and began to narrate slowly.

"........."

After listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's explanation, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. No wonder they hadn't heard it before; during the battle, apart from a few leaders, they were all still rookies.

"Holy crap! This is incredible! Konoha actually had a war of annihilation."

Shanks' mouth is big enough to fit a tea egg. Before, when he heard Kakuzu say that the Land of Mountains had been destroyed by Takigakure, he said that Konoha was not up to par. He didn't expect that Konoha's green leaves would be so arrogant.

However, the destruction of a nation is indeed a grave sin, and it's no wonder that Zixiao died of illness before reaching fifty.

"What the hell is this evil chakra?"

Shanks stroked his chin and asked, "I know all kinds of chakra, but I've never heard of any evil chakra. Did Naruto ever make an episode about that? I was just watching One Piece all those years..."

"This kind of chakra can produce huge changes in people's minds, and it is extremely powerful. It is said that when the Kong Ninja discovered them, they wanted to use them to create a war weapon similar to the Tailed Beasts. This is also why Zixiao destroyed their country back then. The people who attacked our base yesterday used some technology that we have never seen before. I guess they have been hiding and researching it all these years, and they have probably figured it out by now."

Koharu, turning to her dorm, said with a serious expression.

"Why bother with a meeting? Let's just start fighting! Kakashi, here are two thousand men. Take them and wipe out these bastards. If you can't handle it, come back with your head."

Shanks pointed to Kakashi, who was leaning against the wall, peeking at Jiraiya's masterpiece.

"........."

Kadian gave him a deadpan look. He didn't even know what was going on with the other side, yet he casually led two thousand people. What if they just gave away experience points?

"...It's not wartime now, and if we were to launch a major operation, the ninja world would likely descend into chaos, which is not something we want to see. Therefore, we can only handle this matter discreetly."

Minato, looking utterly exasperated, explained that if he could mobilize that many people, why would he even bother with a meeting? If his own men were getting killed, he would have been ready to lead the charge long ago.

"Then let the strong ones go and wipe them out with a few blows."

Shanks shrugged and said, "A single Red Rank 100 could easily take care of a small country like that. If Little Scorpion can do it, there's no reason why Konoha, with its Red Rank 100, can't."

"...Our goal this time is not to destroy their country, but to find out if they have developed that evil weapon. If they have, we will find a way to destroy it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, disagreeing with Shanks's plan. In the end, he was also a person who advocated love and peace. If it hadn't been for the suddenness of the incident, he wouldn't have had time to deal with it, and he wouldn't have wanted Zixiao to be destroyed.

"...Old man of three generations, you mean to send someone to investigate? Then why did you call this meeting? Just send someone to investigate."

Tsunade grew impatient. She figured wasting time sitting there was pointless; she might as well go back to sleep. She'd finally given herself a rare vacation this year.

"Kugen, take the things out."

Minato didn't rush to answer Tsunade's question, but instead gave instructions to Genma Shiranui behind him.

"Holy crap! What... what... what the hell is this?"

Huo Xuanjian opened the sealing scroll, and a colossal object appeared in the conference room. Shanks stared at it, nearly biting his tongue. What was that?! It was a real fighter jet! When had anything like this ever existed in the Naruto world? Could someone have transmigrated here too? That's insane!

Playing with high-tech gadgets in the world of ninjutsu, what a crazy idea!

"Those aerial ninjas used this to attack our border. It's equipped with all sorts of weapons we've never seen before, and they're incredibly powerful. According to Haiyi, the most powerful of those weapons is comparable to an S-rank ninjutsu, and this thing can even fly..."

Minato stopped there, but the implication was clear: the power of one of these weapons was comparable to an S-rank ninjutsu, so the power of a group of them was unimaginable. Moreover, the key point was that this thing could also fly. Flying was a bug in the ninja world; there were very few people with the ability to fly. These people were the hardest to kill, and if they wanted to run, there was no way to catch them.

The emergence of so many flying nuclear weapons poses a significant threat to Konoha.

"......"

Shanks stared at the ultra-modern aircraft speechlessly. Was something out of place here? There wasn't even a sheep, and now there was an airplane? Was this some kind of absurd thing? If a rocket or an atomic bomb were added, wouldn't that Sky Country unify the ninja world?

"This time, I plan to send Kakashi's team, along with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and a small Anbu team led by Yamato, to the old site of the Land of Sky to see what they might find. Ultimately, we hope they can locate their headquarters. All the clans should also be on high alert to prevent them from using this thing to launch a sneak attack on Konoha."

Seeing that no one spoke, Minato revealed his plan. However, he still hoped to send a double-flowered red staff member, as that would be the safest option. As his disciple, Kakashi knew his own limitations. Kakashi was good at gathering information, but fighting these big guys... that would be really difficult for him. His chakra was already low, and with the Sharingan, which consumed a lot of chakra, he simply couldn't fight a prolonged battle.

However, the ideal candidates are Shanks and Jiraiya, who are both free. Tsunade has to stay at the hospital, and Sakumo Hatake has to manage the Anbu. As the Hokage, he is definitely not free. With Shanks and Jiraiya around, they are the most free.

737. Wood Release: It Can Catch Fire

The two idle men of Konoha, of course, disagreed with Minato's request.

Jiraiya's reasons were quite valid. After wandering around for so many years, he finally returned to the village and wanted to take a good rest. Besides, Kakashi was leading the team this time, and he, a senior, was accompanying him. Wasn't he worried about Kakashi? So he decided to let it go, since it was just a small Sky Country.

The other idle person, Shanks, neither said he would go nor he wouldn't; he just wanted him to think it over, and after thinking it over... he didn't need to go after all.

Two people from Konoha issued a mission, asking the Hokage to send a ninja squad to rescue their hometown, which had just been attacked by Sky Ninja. Apparently, the Sky Ninja hadn't left yet, so Minato simply let Kakashi lead the team to gather intelligence before making any decisions.

Actually, Shanks said he was considering it not because he didn't want to go, but because he didn't want to go with them. He was quite curious about the Land of Sky, but going with a bunch of kids wouldn't be fun. He'd rather go with Orochimaru. Orochimaru is the encyclopedia of the ninja world, so he'd be the most suitable person to go with. Plus, he seemed to smell money in the air...

.........

"Hehe, actually that chakra can't be called evil chakra. Dark chakra is more accurate. The Sky Ninja have indeed used this massive amount of dark chakra to create weapons similar to tailed beasts. It's not just Konoha that's being attacked; now many places in the ninja world are being attacked by them."

In Orochimaru's research institute in the Land of Rain, Orochimaru answered Shanks' questions.

"Other places have been attacked too? These Sky Ninjas are trying to unify the world, huh? That's outrageous! By the way, do you know about those flying things they have? Has the ninja world's technology advanced that fast?"

Shanks asked, sprawled on the ultra-luxurious leather sofa.

"That kind of thing isn't actually difficult to make; the difficult part is the power source. As long as there's a power source, that kind of thing is easy to make. And that dark chakra can be used as a power source. So if you really want to destroy them, you just need to kill the tailed beast made of that dark chakra. This tailed beast is different from the other Nine-Tails. The other Nine-Tails are formed from the chakra of nature, and even if they die, they will be resurrected after a few years. But this kind of dark chakra won't. Once it dies, it's really dead. I'm actually more curious about their methods of making tailed beasts. It's a good opportunity to go and see."

Snake has started licking his lips again...

"Sogga, by the way, how's your disciple being taught lately? I patted my chest and guaranteed to my precious disciple that his little brother would definitely become successful. You can't let me down."

Shanks said.

"…Sasuke Uchiha's talent is no less than Itachi Uchiha's. The main problem is that he's too impatient. I estimate that his Mangekyou Sharingan will have a long way to go."

When it comes to Sasuke Uchiha, the second male lead, Snake keeps shaking his head. Sasuke Uchiha is indeed very outstanding. He learns everything very quickly and his fighting talent is not bad either. However, because of his desire for revenge, he often loses his composure when facing Itachi Uchiha and cannot exert half of his strength. Just like last time, he was clearly capable of fighting Itachi Uchiha for a few rounds, but he was too impatient and was defeated instantly.

"........."

Shanks shrugged and didn't say anything. His talent wasn't inferior to Itachi's? What a joke! Itachi was Kishimoto's favorite son. If it weren't for Minato's overpowered abilities... Minato and Itachi would be the true protagonists of Naruto.

..........

When Shanks and Orochimaru leisurely arrived in the Land of Sky, Naruto and his friends were already fighting the Sky Ninja. Even though Naruto, now possessing his signature technique, mostly just summoning clones and making Rasengans, his dazzling aura made him stand out wherever he went, even more so than Kakashi.

"Heh, he must be Minato's son. He doesn't resemble Minato at all; he's more like that idiot Jiraiya."

revenge!

Orochimaru's actions are blatant revenge. But Shanks doesn't understand why you're belittling Jiraiya by bringing up Naruto and his father. Aren't you afraid Kushina will block the door...?

Besides Naruto, Haku was the most outstanding performer in this battle. Haku's brilliance was quite different from Naruto's; Haku's Ice Release was simply too dazzling. The entire area was indeed a vast expanse of white, and since the Ice Release's nature is water, many of the Sky Ninja's machines were frozen and rendered useless.

Not only was Shanks too lazy to get into it, but several girls in the audience were also mesmerized. It was one thing for them to be beautiful, but their ninjutsu was also so amazing. How could they possibly compete with that?

"This must be Ice Release. It's truly magnificent."

Snake Uncle would occasionally offer a comment.

The battle gradually reached a fever pitch, with more and more Sky Ninja underlings joining the fray. Even Kakashi, who was skilled in wielding a knife, began to falter. If it weren't for Yamato behind him occasionally using rotten wood to draw fire, he would probably be paralyzed by now.

Yamato's weakened version of Wood Release is worlds apart from Hashirama Senju's. Even Orochimaru, the founder of Yamato, couldn't bear to watch anymore. He had never heard of Wood Release catching fire before, but Yamato's Wood Release did. A pile of rotten wood was hit by a bomb from a Sky Ninja and immediately caught fire. Moreover, the fire grew bigger and bigger. If it weren't for Haku's Ice Release, they would have been burned to death by their own people if they hadn't been killed by the Sky Ninja.

"This Wood Release technique is definitely better suited for building houses than for fighting..."

Shanks remained silent for a long time before finally managing to utter this sentence.

The battle suddenly took a turn when a giant serpent appeared, even larger than Snake Uncle's Ten Thousand Serpent, emanating a repulsive aura.

"This is the tailed beast made by the Sky Ninja? It's too weak! It's not even as good as that fat cat from Sunagakure."

Shanks pointed at the giant serpent and said curiously, "This tailed beast looks quite intimidating, especially to girls. When the girl with the wide forehead who had seen the fat cat and Kurama saw the giant serpent, her scalp tingled and she almost couldn't stand up. However, this serpent's strength is not so great. The energy on its body is less than half of that of the One-Tailed Serpent."

"Hehe, this giant snake is an artificially created tailed beast. Its own energy was not enough for it to develop into a tailed beast, so it naturally cannot be compared with a real tailed beast."

Snake Uncle was carefully examining the giant snake with great interest, as if it were a work of art.

The giant snake was indeed not very strong. Although it was quite imposing when it first appeared, its enormous size left Kakashi and the others helpless, and they could only keep dodging its attacks. Just when everyone was at a loss, Naruto summoned the old man inside his belly again.

738. The Fake Eight Gates Formation

With the Nine-Tails already out, this fake tailed beast is no longer worth watching. It gets beaten from start to finish and finally collapses helplessly on the ground, while Naruto once again lies happily in the arms of the girl with the broad forehead.

Just as Kakashi was preparing to use his Lightning Blade to deal with the fake Tailed Beast, an old man suddenly jumped out and sealed the fake Tailed Beast onto himself using some unknown method. Then, somehow, he suddenly became young again, looking decades younger.

Shanks and Snake watched in disbelief from afar.

The old man, now younger, started boasting to Kakashi and the others about how amazing he was and how talented he was. Perhaps because the old man was exaggerating, it stimulated Naruto's brain. When Naruto woke up, he saw that someone was showing off their verbal skills in front of his own people while he was asleep. How could he tolerate that? When it comes to verbal skills, Naruto was the king.

So Naruto also activated the ultimate move bestowed upon him by the heavens—the art of verbal sparring. He unleashed various weakening and intelligence-lowering auras on the old man, who was instantly defeated in verbal sparring. The old man immediately switched to strategy and activated his ultimate move, which he had somehow stolen from somewhere. It was said to be unprecedented and unparalleled, capable of going to heaven and earth and being omnipotent—the Eight Gates of Invulnerability!

After unleashing his ultimate move, the old man resumed his arrogant tone and started clashing with Naruto again.

After the old man opened the Eight Gates without taking any damage, Kakashi, being a good teacher, became the commentator, explaining to his good students how amazing the Eight Gates were, and then marveling at how sharp the old man was, causing his friends around him to be shocked and amazed.

Kakashi's words caused our morale to plummet, so we promoted Konoha's indomitable spirit of never giving up, never surrendering, and never bowing to evil forces.

Then Naruto unleashed his ultimate move, the Talk-no-Knows Technique, continuously buffing his teammates with various defensive, life, speed, critical hit, and intelligence auras. The morale of both sides reached its peak, and the battle was about to begin!

Then...........

"boom!"

The world has fallen silent...

"You bastard, I've tolerated you bragging for so long, but how dare you insult the Eight Gates Formation that my friend spent his entire life creating? You're tired of living!"

Shanks stomped on the face of the old man he'd just punched and sent sprawling to the ground, his eyes darting around – a fucking flawless Eight Gates technique. This level of bragging doesn't even compare to Greenskin Guy's Six Gates, yet he's been touting it as unparalleled.

"Kakashi-sensei...you just said...the Eight Gates are very powerful?"

The girl with the broad forehead has turned into a beady-eyed girl. Just now, Kakashi-sensei was praising her so much, and with Naruto's various halos, she was already ready to raise the village flag. In the end, she was simply knocked down by Shanks-sama with one punch. It's too unreal! What happened to the promise of splitting mountains with one punch and cracking the earth with one kick?

"......"

Kadian looked up at the sky speechlessly. He had no idea what was going on. In his memory, the Eight Gates were really powerful. Back then, Might Guy's father was already very strong when he opened five gates.

"Little girl, the real Eight Gates is indeed as strong as Kakashi said, even stronger, especially the last move after the Death Gate. It's unstoppable, capable of splitting the heavens and earth... ugh, splitting mountains and shattering the ground. But this old guy's Eight Gates is some knock-off he stole from somewhere. Don't be fooled by his boasting; it's really just average. And he calls it the 'Eight Gates without injury'? I'll show you what 'without injury' means! I'll show you what 'Eight Gates without injury' means!"

As Shanks spoke, he kicked the dog's head twice more, shoving it into a large crater. Whether the man died or not was unknown, but from then on, the ninja world had one more idiot.

"Grandpa, what brings you here?"