Konoha Drunkard

Shanks scoffed, "They have White Zetsu clones; finding the Four-Tails and Five-Tails is a piece of cake for them. Meanwhile, Onoki just searches one place and moves on to another. They might as well not even know they've already taken down the Four-Tails and Five-Tails..."

"Kakashi and the others are already on their way back and will be back in a few days, but... teacher, isn't it a bit too early for Naruto to learn Sage Mode now..."

Minato hesitated for a moment before speaking. How could he not know what kind of person his son was? Although he had already learned his signature ninjutsu, his chakra control was still so-so. Could he really succeed? He wasn't bragging, but there were few in the entire ninja world who could compare to his talent. He himself struggled so much to learn Sage Mode. He really didn't have high hopes for his silly son.

761. He didn't die because he didn't confess his feelings.

"Give it a try. Even if you don't learn it, it's good to gain experience."

Shanks certainly wouldn't tell Minato that his son made his fortune using these magical abilities; otherwise, why would he be the male lead?

However, considering that Kishimoto always seems to have a fondness for idiots, looking back at the decades before Konoha, there were three waves of protagonists from different eras. The first wave was him and his good buddy Hatake Sakumo. Neither of them got any benefits from Kishimoto. He was an illegal immigrant and a clumsy person. His achievements today have nothing to do with Kishimoto.

The Hatake clan has always been known for its geniuses, so it's not surprising that a super-powerful person would emerge in Sakumo's generation. Kishimoto didn't give him any benefits; on the contrary, he wanted to kill him.

The second generation was Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru's generation. Tsunade's achievements had nothing to do with Kishimoto. Her superhuman strength was developed by Hashirama Senju, and she was self-taught in medical ninjutsu.

The same goes for Orochimaru. At most, he'll be given a famous teacher. But given the talent Orochimaru showed as a child, even if Kishimoto didn't arrange it, Chiyo would have taken him on as a disciple. There's nothing wrong with that.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was different. Not only did he receive a renowned teacher and a toad as a gift, but he also gave away at least half the Sage Mode techniques that even Orochimaru and Tsunade couldn't learn...

The third-generation protagonist is Minato. After all, he is the emperor's son, so it's not wrong to portray him as perfect. However, because this son is too smart, but the emperor has always disliked smart people, not only did he not give him perfect Sage Mode, but he also insisted on killing his own son.

But Naruto is different. He's both his grandson and his favorite idiot, so he's showered with all sorts of cheat-like advantages. Not only does he use his talk-no-jutsu, but he even forces the Six Paths Sage to come out and give him more power-ups. This favoritism is off the charts. If he could give Minato and Itachi, his two beloved sons, such powerful advantages, Naruto would have ended long ago. Why would Naruto and the second male lead have to rely on talk-no-jutsu and pretentious acting...?

.......

Only a few insiders knew about Orochimaru's return to Konoha, and Konoha wasn't in a hurry to prove Orochimaru's identity. Regardless of whether Nagato suspected Orochimaru, Itachi was still in the Akatsuki group. Whether it was for Itachi's personal safety or for the sake of this undercover mission, Konoha couldn't help Orochimaru prove his identity right now.

Orochimaru, of course, didn't care about being a rogue ninja. If it weren't for the fact that he had too many friends in the village, he would have really wanted to be a rogue ninja. Look at his life in the Land of Rain for the past ten years or so. That was truly unrestrained. He could research whatever he wanted, and if he didn't have any resources, he could just ask Kakuzu for help. Kakuzu provided safe and reliable services right to his doorstep.

Looking back at Konoha... even this moldy, stinking laboratory pales in comparison to the luxurious research institute of the Land of Rain. Orochimaru, touching these outdated pieces of equipment... it's truly like being transported back to before the Lunar New Year just for Jiraiya...

"How was it? Did you miss it? I specially dug out all the old equipment you used to use and cleaned it up to welcome you back. You don't need to thank me, it would be too formal for us to say thank you!"

"The old site of Orochimaru's lab in Konoha," Shanks said smugly. He'd originally intended to replace everything for Orochimaru; after all, Orochimaru's business was so big, he wasn't short of money. He'd recently bought Sasori all sorts of random stuff without batting an eye. He and Orochimaru had been friends for decades, so he wouldn't be so stingy. But then he thought, considering Orochimaru's deep sentimentality, wouldn't he be even more touched to see that Shanks had preserved his old equipment so perfectly...?

"The captain is very thoughtful, but this equipment is old. It might be fine for exhibitions, but using it for experiments..."

"Damn it, what era are we living in? These things are still used for research? You have to admit they're stingy... Holy crap! A product from Konoha's 34th year! This thing's been discontinued for over 60 years now, dude..." At this moment, Orochimaru realized a new level of Shanks' stinginess. He truly regretted not taking money from Kakuzu all these years of collaboration...

“I see… That makes sense! I don’t know anything about this stuff. Give me a list, and I’ll get someone to take care of it. I’ll also get a few underlings who can use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows you to use earth-遁 to create magic) to help you expand it. Tomorrow I’ll guarantee you a research institute that looks exactly like the one in the Land of Rain.”

Shanks' heart was bleeding. How much the hell did this cost? But what can I say? I'm just that sentimental...

As Tsunade said, whether Jiraiya, lying in the hospital, would wake up was entirely up to fate. However, this was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Shanks remembered that in the original story, Jiraiya seemed to have successfully confessed his feelings to Tsunade before going to the Land of Rain, and then his life ended tragically. It's likely that he didn't confess to Tsunade, which is why Orochimaru saved him. Truly, fate is cruel...

Not long after Orochimaru returned, a huge news story suddenly broke out in the ninja world. Shanks, upon hearing the news, was no longer calm. I had no interest in investigating the mystery of Jiraiya's death in the original work.

Sasuke Uchiha, the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, is going to have a final showdown with his older brother, Itachi, the ninja world's greatest superstar. It's a fight to the death, a fight to the last man. Upon hearing this news, Jiraiya and Shanks, of course, have no time to pay attention. Itachi is their precious disciple! They were even planning to have Orochimaru and Tsunade try to find a way to cure Itachi's illness so he could inherit their legacy. They don't care who dies, but Itachi absolutely cannot die. However…

"Damn it, can anyone tell me where their final battle is taking place...?"

Shanks, who had run to the village entrance, was bewildered. This news writer was just too unreliable! He didn't even write the time and place, telling Miss Slug to find her. Itachi, following suit, shoved Miss Slug back into the Summoning World...

In his memory, all he knew was that Itachi and the second male lead from the ninja world were fighting in a small, dark room. But there were so many dark rooms in the ninja world, where was he supposed to find one...?

And what the hell is wrong with this second male lead? Instead of staying in Snake's lair, he's showing off his presence...

Shanks had never been so annoyed. Originally, he planned to have Orochimaru hide his pants as the second male lead, let him survive until the very end, and then when the Six Paths Elder appeared to give him a power-up, he would just hand him over. After obtaining the power of the Six Paths, awakening the Sharingan would be a piece of cake. There was no need to distinguish between the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and then the Rinnegan. It would be so much easier to just get it all in one step with the power of the Six Paths. Who knew that this kid would be so inconsiderate, not wanting to be a proper second male lead and insisting on stealing the spotlight.

762. Second Male Lead vs. Handsome blond guy

Shanks was thinking about how to cut less of the second male lead's screen time, but the second male lead's screen time, handpicked by Kishimoto, wasn't something he could just cut whenever he wanted.

While Orochimaru was running away with Jiraiya, Obito and Black Zetsu found the second male lead whom Orochimaru had hidden. As the second male lead who looked exactly like Madara's brother, how could Black Zetsu not pay attention? Moreover, the Uchiha clan now only had the second male lead and Itachi left, and due to the reincarnation of Shura, it was a choice between the two. It was too easy to choose; Madara wasn't even dead when Itachi was born, so it definitely wasn't him. Besides looking like Madara's brother, the second male lead also had another advantage: everyone else in the clan had been wiped out by Itachi, leaving only him as the sole survivor. Who else could it be but him? This was definitely a halo effect...

After Obito and Black Zetsu found the second male lead, they spent several days talking to him, saying things like, "You're so strong now. Itachi Uchiha is nothing but a weakling in front of you." They blew up the second male lead's confidence and finally convinced him to lose his bearings. The second male lead confidently walked out of Orochimaru's lair and embarked on his journey with two of Orochimaru's raised companions.

The Akatsuki have been keeping a low profile lately because they're busy hunting tailed beasts, so finding Itachi as easily as before is no longer possible. They've been aimlessly exploring the ninja world, but by sheer coincidence, they've run into Deidara, who was sent by Nagato to hunt down Orochimaru.

Nagato was a petty person. After Orochimaru rescued Jiraiya in front of him, Nagato wrote Orochimaru's name in a red notebook and highlighted it. After Deidara and Obito finished fighting the Three-Tails, Nagato saw that Deidara had nothing to do, so he let him fight Orochimaru.

I don't know what's wrong with Nagato. Obito's disguise skills are truly appalling. Anyone with even a slightly stronger sense of perception would have realized that the rookie Obito was impersonating was none other than "Madara," the one who tricked him into attacking the Nine-Tails to create nuclear weapons. Yet Nagato, with his ring eyes, didn't notice anything amiss, and Obito was even wearing the same mask...

Obito and Deidara, having accepted the mission, initially searched the entire world. Obito had to admit, he had to admire Orochimaru's talent for hide-and-seek. The White Zetsu, with their countless clones, had practically infiltrated the entire ninja world, except for Konoha, where they couldn't infiltrate. They even searched Orochimaru's dens countless times, yet they couldn't find a trace of him. As for whether Orochimaru was in Konoha, Obito shook his head. He knew Konoha's ways all too well. If an evil scientist like Orochimaru, who experimented on humans, returned to Konoha, he'd be beaten to a pulp. Besides, Orochimaru had fled after being discovered experimenting on villagers. The possibility of him rescuing Jiraiya was at most due to their past bromance; his return to Konoha was practically nonexistent...

After searching for a long time without finding Orochimaru, Obito had an idea: wasn't the second male lead in the manga Orochimaru's manga the disciple of Orochimaru? Perhaps he could use the second male lead in the manga to imprint Orochimaru's image.

So Obito tricked Deidara into going to find the second male lead, but once Deidara met the second male lead, the plot spiraled out of Obito's control. Since meeting Orochimaru, the second male lead had not only leveled up quickly, but his "pretending to be something he'd never done" was also maxed out. This second male lead, with his aura of pretense and his smug look at people's pants, reminded Deidara of the time he was instantly killed by Itachi, a hurdle he could never overcome and a lifelong humiliation.

Deidara was a prodigy. He was already the champion of clay modeling in Iwagakure at the age of three. After establishing his dynasty at the age of five, he chose to retire because he was too lonely being invincible. He was then taken in as a disciple by Onoki. At the age of seven, he secretly learned a super forbidden technique that no one in the village wanted to learn. Although he was usually mischievous, Onoki always had to clean up his messes. Wherever he flew, he was always respected and admired.

But ever since he met Itachi, who had been in the industry for only two years but whose popularity was dozens of times greater than his, everything changed. Which young man just starting out doesn't want attention, especially a boy who debuted at the age of nine? But when he debuted, it was also Itachi's debut time. Itachi was handsome and had the air of a nobleman. No matter how much Deidara tried to outdo him, Itachi was always the most popular. Plus, he was defeated by someone's eyes several times, which made Deidara very unhappy. If it weren't for Nagato keeping him in check in the organization, and if he didn't feel that he had much confidence, he would have wanted to show Itachi his ultimate art long ago.

After encountering the second male lead, who had the same look in his eyes and an even more disliked aura than Itachi, it would be strange if Deidara didn't explode.

Starting with verbal sparring is a tradition in the ninja world. After Deidara, riding his flying bird, talked to the second male lead for two hours, the second male lead couldn't take it anymore, drew his sword, and charged in to fight. This guy is too boastful. If you want to fight, just fight. What's the point of talking for so long?

The second male lead, Deidara, who hadn't even finished bragging, was just as unethical as his older brother. Before he could finish, he started fighting. How could he let him have his way? While controlling the giant bird to fly high into the sky and continuously dropping bombs, he kept babbling on and on.

The second male lead in the pants is really something. This blond-haired handsome guy is too damn cunning. He actually uses his ability to fly to play guerrilla warfare against him. He has no spirit of fair competition at all.

Did you think only you could fly?

While dodging various bombs, the second male lead in the pants activated the Heavenly Seal given to him by Snake Uncle, and a pair of ugly fleshy wings grew out from his back.

"Holy shit! Birdman!"

Deidara nearly fell off the giant bird when he saw the change in the second male lead's pants. Putting everything else aside, those fleshy wings were just too damn ugly. One side was a hand, and the other was made up of a bunch of snakes. Only Orochimaru could come up with such an ugly design...

However, Deidara quickly regained his composure and continued bombarding the enemy with his barrage of accusations. Even if the bird-man second lead could fly, he remained unfazed; those fleshy wings, without feathers, certainly couldn't fly very high...

When the second male lead saw Deidara cheating again, knowing he couldn't fly high, he actually controlled his big bird to keep rising and dropping bombs. The second male lead was furious; he had never seen such a despicable person.

I want to fly higher...

Never before had the second male lead in the pants felt such an urgent urge to fly higher and shoot down that blond hunk with the big bird between his legs...

This is an unfair battle...

763. Knowledge is very important.

Although it appeared that the second male lead was being overwhelmed by Deidara, Deidara didn't actually inflict any real damage on him. This is where the importance of knowledge comes into play. Although the second male lead hadn't received proper instruction for several years and his strength had increased slowly, he loved reading and learning. He had never neglected his theoretical knowledge during his school years and knew the principle of using lightning to counter earth. Every time Deidara's bombs were about to reach him, the second male lead would unleash a lightning release, instantly silencing Deidara's earth bombs.

In contrast, Deidara, despite having a mentor like Onoki who taught him from a young age, never read books or newspapers, spending his days playing in the mud and making explosions. He had no theoretical knowledge of such things. When his bombs misfired, he thought there wasn't enough gunpowder and would add more powder and keep throwing them...

Both sides were throwing bombs from the sky and occasionally using lightning to extinguish the earth-based bombs that were about to hit them. The scene was extremely intense. The two male characters' friends in the distance watched the continuous explosions on the battlefield with trepidation.

Sasuke is fighting that rich guy, using so many explosive tags endlessly, and they're so powerful...

Obito, meanwhile, was hiding far away, cracking sunflower seeds and drinking soda while doing a live broadcast with Black Zetsu, occasionally offering his commentary.

The current situation has exceeded Obito's expectations. He didn't expect Deidara, who is usually brainless, to explode when he encounters the second male lead. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have tricked Deidara into coming. But now he can't stop him. He can only wait for them to settle their differences. He estimates that the second male lead is no match for Deidara, since the advantage is currently on Deidara's side. The second male lead can still hold him off for now, but he'll run out of chakra eventually. Then he can step in and save the second male lead, since the second male lead is still very useful and can't die.

Black Zetsu was incredibly nervous. The second male lead was the reincarnation of Shura. If he died now, wouldn't he have to wait for who knows how many years?

Obito's plan was very well-thought-out and reasonable, but he didn't know that the second male lead was a person with a halo, which was beyond the prediction of a mere mortal like him.

Just as the battle reached its most intense stage, Deidara even used several missiles, but they were all dodged by the second male lead, whose special aura of escaping also came into play.

To outsiders, Deidara's sudden, inexplicable rage and unleashing of his ultimate move, the Super Nuclear Bomb, seemed completely irrational!

Seeing Deidara's naked body swelling up and surging with astonishing energy, Obito turned tail and ran without a word. At this moment, the idea of ​​saving the second male lead was already out of his mind. Although he didn't know why Deidara suddenly had a brain fart, if he got blown up, he would be done for.

Under the aura of his charade, the second male lead remained completely unfazed, calmly watching Deidara's growing arrogance, as if to say, "Keep up the act, and I'll give you a bonus if you do a good job..."

That look again.

Deidara couldn't take it anymore; the expansion accelerated, and finally, when the energy within his body reached its peak...

"boom..!"

A massive explosion deserves a giant mushroom cloud.

The whole world fell silent!

The cunning and fast-running Obito got up from the ground and looked at the place where Deidara's super nuclear bomb had exploded. He felt a chill run down his spine. He had to run fast, otherwise he would have been dead. The power was too damn strong.

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu beside him was on the verge of tears. In an explosion of this magnitude, let alone someone who could rise to the top tier of a male lead, even Madara's blue giant might not be able to withstand it. It seems they'll have to wait decades more...

As the smoke cleared, a giant snake suddenly emerged from the ground at the epicenter of the explosion. It was none other than Snake Uncle's Manda, the second male lead in the show. Quite cunning, just seconds before the explosion, without a word, the second male lead summoned Manda. Before Manda could even show off and ask for a sacrifice, the second male lead jumped directly into Manda's mouth. This surprised the newly emerged and confused Manda. It hadn't even had a chance to show off, and someone was already jumping into its mouth! Had it been dumped by its girlfriend? That's a pretty slick move.

However, there's no reason not to eat a sacrifice offered to one's door. Without a second thought, Manda opened its mouth wide to make it easier for the man who might be heartbroken. Just as the second male lead entered Manda's mouth, Manda suddenly felt a chill run through its body. Looking up at Deidara, who was swollen to the extreme and about to burst, Manda immediately closed its mouth without thinking. It didn't even have time to swallow what was inside. It had to run away first, using its snake-like innate skills to quickly burrow into the ground.

Not long after Manda burrowed into the ground, Deidara exploded. The power of this nuclear bomb is beyond question. Although Manda was underground, it was at the center of the explosion. Even if it had been given three minutes, it would have been dead, let alone in such a short time.

Although Wan She died, the second male lead he mentioned survived only with serious injuries because of Wan She's protective layer.

Because there's no Karin's life force to heal him as in the original work, the second male lead's injuries won't heal anytime soon. However, he's eager for revenge, and after defeating Deidara, a core member of the Akatsuki like Itachi, he's become a little arrogant, thinking he's actually quite capable... So, while recovering, he challenges Itachi to a duel. Although he doesn't know where Itachi is, he's confident that once the news gets out, that man will definitely accept the challenge...

.......

Meanwhile, Shanks ran into Shisui as soon as he left Konoha. News of the second male lead's challenge to Itachi had spread throughout the ninja world, and Shisui, anxious to resolve the conflict, informed Minato and rushed out to try and salvage the ill-fated relationship between the two brothers...

However, neither of them knew where to find Itachi and the second male lead. And that second male lead, he didn't even give them the time and place when he sent the message—how were they supposed to find them...?

Just when the two were at a loss, they suddenly saw several people running hurriedly toward them in the distance.

"Kakashi, why are you three in such a hurry? Where are you going?"

After Shanks clearly saw the Card Master squad and the Green-skinned Guy squad, he asked curiously.

"Grand-uncle, we're chasing Uchiha Itachi! They're preparing for their final battle with Sasuke!"

Naruto, who had run out, saw that it was Shanks and slammed on the brakes, panting as he spoke.

"You encountered Itachi? Where?"

Shanks said.

"Ah, he and that Kisame ran this way, we've been chasing them all the way here. Hurry, after them!"

After Naruto finished speaking, he led the way and chased after Itachi and the others.

764. The Weasel God unleashes his anger

After exchanging a glance with Shisui, Shanks followed Kakashi and the others. Along the way, he learned that they had encountered Itachi and Kisame on their way back. Needless to say, the hot-tempered Naruto, because of Gaara, immediately fought Itachi and Kisame. However, Itachi didn't want to get entangled with them any longer and ran away with Kisame. Kakashi and the others couldn't catch up and gave up. But later, after hearing that the second male lead had challenged Itachi to a duel, Naruto became restless again and pestered Kakashi to chase after Itachi. He believed that as long as they followed Itachi, they would definitely find Sasuke. Kakashi, unable to resist the pestering, had no choice but to agree. So he summoned his husky and followed the scent all the way, which led them to Shanks and Shisui.

"So they ran in this direction? Is there anything special about this route?"