Konoha Drunkard

Shanks' last words were directed at Shisui beside him, but with someone else around, he dared not call out Shisui's name.

"...There is a Uchiha warehouse in this direction, but it has been abandoned for many years."

After thinking for a long time, Zhi Shui said.

"Let's take a look around there."

After Shanks finished speaking, he asked Shisui to lead the way. To be honest, he could only try his luck. He only remembered that Itachi and the second male lead fought in a small dark room. Who knew what kind of place it was? He had no choice but to take a gamble.

.........

Shanks, who doesn't like gambling, actually had pretty good luck. A few days later, when they were heading to the warehouse, they ran into Kisame and two of the second male lead's friends. Kisame was playing a 50/50 game with a kid carrying a guillotine, and the sounds of fighting could be heard from not far behind, so it seemed that the two brothers had already started fighting.

Kisame, who was playing a close game with the kid, saw someone else coming. Before he could react, the shark in his hand started trembling, as if he was very scared.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Red-Haired. However, Itachi instructed me that this is a private matter between him and his brother, and he doesn't want others to interfere. As his comrade, I will not allow you to go over. Moreover, Itachi knows that you have returned, Mr. Red-Haired. He asked me to tell you that this is his wish, and he hopes you will not stop him."

Kisame grabbed Hashirama tightly, pinning him to the ground, hoping to give Hashirama the courage to face Shanks through his powerful grip...

"Screw your wishes! Get out of my way right now. I'll let it go since we've known each other for a while, or don't blame me for my ruthless fists."

Shanks said viciously, "He only has one precious disciple. Although he has a terminal illness, Tsunade and Orochimaru are trying to find a solution. We can't just let him die like this. Who will inherit his estate...? His wealth is too high now; we can't let it all go to the Nara clan..."

.........

The battle inside the warehouse reached its climax as Itachi held back. Even with Orochimaru's power-up and the Heaven's Seal, the second male lead was no match for Itachi in any way, even though Itachi's body had reached a critical point. The second male lead's aura of feigned weakness might work on others, but it was completely useless against Itachi, Kishimoto's favorite son. However, since the opponent was his younger brother, aside from the Tsukuyomi at the beginning, Itachi never took the initiative to attack. He always dodged the second male lead's attacks. Although his body couldn't hold up and he couldn't perform various high-difficulty moves, Itachi, who had learned paper drawing, always managed to dodge the second male lead's attacks, even though they looked like they were about to hit.

Even Black Zetsu, who could practically defecate like a giant snake, was full of praise for this kind of maneuver. If this guy hadn't been suffering from a terminal illness, even Nagato might not have been able to defeat him. Although the circle eyes are impressive, they don't belong to Nagato.

If Madara Uchiha had still been alive and well back then, Itachi Uchiha would have been the ideal representative. Compared to Itachi, Obito would be nothing at all...

Just as Black Zetsu was praising him, White Zetsu suddenly appeared and said hurriedly, "Konoha's Red Hair is here, what should we do? Kisame can't stop him."

"...He's here, so be it. Itachi's body is already failing. Sigh! But there's no way to fool Sasuke."

Obito shook his head with some regret. He had originally planned to persuade the second male lead to join his side after the two brothers finished fighting. He already knew the outcome of the final battle. Judging from the course of the battle, Itachi's body was already failing and he wouldn't last much longer. Otherwise, with the second male lead's current level, how could he possibly fight Itachi for so long? As long as Itachi died and the second male lead awakened his Sharingan, he could persuade him to transplant Itachi's eyes into him, and he would have a high-level fighter with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. But now that vice principal has arrived, this opportunity is gone. Although this vice principal looks old, he seems to still be able to fight. He was the one who tricked Onoki and took down the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.

This is also why he doesn't want to face Shanks; who likes to get beaten up for no reason? Doesn't it hurt?

"...There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, and I can tell that this Uchiha Sasuke is not someone who trusts others easily. Let's go first."

Black Zetsu said calmly, not really caring much about the second male lead, this high-level fighter; he only paid a little attention to him, after all, he was the reincarnation of Asura. However, once Madara's main body was resurrected, this minor character would be nothing but trash. If his mother, Kaguya, were unsealed, the entire ninja world would be trash...

Obito was taken away by Black Zetsu, but the battle continued. The second male lead, Obito, kept showing off his various ninjutsu. He learned all the skills he could from the ninjutsu scrolls Orochimaru gave him, and with the Chidori Stream he developed using the Chidori taught by Kakashi, the scene was truly spectacular.

Itachi, on the other hand, was much simpler. After dodging the second male lead's ninjutsu, he repeatedly used a Fireball Jutsu to leave the second male lead quite disheveled, as if he were teaching his younger brother the art of fighting. His flashy ninjutsu was practically useless except for flirting with girls...

The second male lead was also provoked by Itachi: "You can use Fire Release, so why can't I?"

They've also started recklessly unleashing all sorts of medium to large-scale fire jutsu without caring about mana costs. They're all from the same source, let's see who's the best...

As various fire-style techniques collided and heavy rain began to fall from the sky, the water vapor generated by the rain hitting the heat rose continuously, forming a large area of ​​thunderclouds in the sky. The second male lead glanced at the sky, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and he smiled confidently.

The time has come!

765. Just pretend for a while to have some fun.

show!!

Absolutely amazing!

An unparalleled show!

The second male lead, dressed in trousers, jumped out of the house and, high in the rain-cloud-covered sky, unleashed a flurry of hand seals that dazzled everyone in the distance.

This guy dared to mess with lightning when it was about to thunder; he deserved to be struck dead!

"Holy shit!"

Even the onlookers were stunned by the second male lead's flamboyant antics. It's just a fight, why the swagger...?

"Lightning Release: Kirin!"

At this moment, the second male lead felt as if he were standing on the moon, piercing the sky, and casually looking at the end of the world. Feeling the power of the lightning release he had unleashed in a flash of inspiration, he couldn't help but marvel at his own strength; now he was the king of the world...

"Crack!"

"That's enough, just pretend for a little while to have some fun, it's annoying if it goes on for too long!"

Just as the second male lead was about to make love to the man he had been longing for, Shanks broke through and appeared behind him with a shave, patting him on the shoulder and interrupting his long-awaited ultimate move.

I know you're good at faking it, but don't keep doing it for so long, the audience's sick of it...

"O_o???"

The second male lead in the pants felt like he had a mysterious anger simmering inside him, about to explode, but he just couldn't let it out. He was incredibly frustrated; it wasn't easy for him to put on such a grand show.

"teacher........"

Itachi knelt on the ground in a somewhat disheveled state. It wasn't that he had been badly attacked by the second male lead, but rather that his life force was almost gone. The fact that he hadn't fainted yet was because he was forcing himself to let his younger brother give him one last shot so that his younger brother could see the world.

He had already planned it all out. He would wait for his younger brother to kill him, and then, before he died, he would give his eyes to his brother so that he could truly unlock his cheat code. He would then have no regrets. In the past, everyone said that he was the hope of the whole village... I mean, the whole clan. He also thought so. Born into the number one clan in the ninja world, with an extremely powerful teacher who always said that the future belonged to him, and being a genius himself, isn't this the protagonist in a novel?

But after discovering he had a terminal illness, he suddenly realized that the protagonist of the novel wasn't him, but his younger brother, and that his kaleidoscope was meant for him. Isn't this a common trope in novels...?

Even so, he willingly accepted his fate. After all, his mother only gave birth to two children. If he were to die, the hopes of the entire clan would naturally fall into his younger brother's hands.

"Aren't you resentful for not being killed by your little brother? I didn't expect you to get so bold after a few years out there, even daring to put a slug back in. I wouldn't dare!"

Shanks glanced at Itachi, who was low on health, and felt heartbroken. However, with so many people present, the teacher's dignity still had to be maintained.

Miss Slug: I'm not going to learn from you...

"Is Itachi... alright?!"

Shisui came to Itachi's side, helped him up, and asked worriedly.

"Ahem! It's nothing... What brings you all here?"

Itachi stood up and couldn't help coughing up blood again.

“If I hadn’t come, I would have truly been burying my child. Do you know how hard I worked to build this huge fortune for you? I was even hoping you would take care of me in my old age and see me off when I died. If you were to die, wouldn’t my fortune just be going to the Nara family for nothing? You brat, it’s just a little illness, what’s the big deal? I should have known better than to take you as my disciple back then. Do you know how heartbroken your teacher was? You brat.”

As Shanks spoke, he couldn't help but shed crocodile tears. After all, this was a disciple he had watched grow up, and he was such a sentimental man. Seeing his beloved disciple in this wretched state, he felt incredibly sad, just like his aunt back then, knowing the ending but powerless to do anything about it.

The people around Shanks were also moved by his words; they were so touching, especially the girl with the two buns and the girl with the wide forehead, who were crying their eyes out. When Shanks stopped the second male lead earlier, Shisui spent several episodes telling them about Itachi's life, which moved them to tears.

This man was truly great. He gave up a promising future for the village, risked his life to become a spy for a terrorist organization while bearing all the blame, and even when he was terminally ill, he still paved the way for his younger brother.

Everyone wants to shout: Are you God's illegitimate child...?

Kisame, standing to the side, was a mess of tears and snot. The fate of his dearest friend and best brother was truly tragic. Having grown up in the Bloodstained Mist Village, he was used to the bloodshed and treachery of the martial world, and had never imagined that such a great person existed in the world. Although he already knew that his best friend was just a spy sent by Konoha to infiltrate the organization, he just couldn't bring himself to hate him. Instead, seeing his best friend nearing the end of his life filled him with a sense of desolation and sorrow...

"......"

At this moment, the second male lead, seeing everyone so sad and tearful, seemed to realize they had forgotten something...

He was ignored!

That's right!

He was completely ignored.

Holy crap! Wasn't I supposed to be the main character in this episode? How did it turn out like this?! This super genius Avenger was completely ignored by these people!

"Damn it! Why are you stopping me? I want revenge for my parents and my people!"

The second male lead, who was wearing pants, felt increasingly uncomfortable and was so frustrated that he wanted to die. He glared angrily at Shanks, showing no sign of backing down!

“Young people are always so hot-tempered. Whoever marries you in the future will have a hard time. Shisui, you talk to him. I’ll take Itachi back first.”

Shanks glanced at the second male lead in the pants. He knew this little bastard was a scheming bitch since he was a child. Even at this point, he was still trying to steal the spotlight. If he wasn't unsure of how to handle Kaguya-sama, he would have killed him long ago.

"You...you...you're Brother Zhishui? Aren't you already dead?"

When the second male lead heard Shanks call out the name Shisui, he was stunned. Then he saw a masked Shisui take off his mask, staring at Shisui in disbelief, his mouth tied in knots. Although he wasn't very familiar with Shisui, Shisui used to visit his older brother's house often. Moreover, Shisui fought against the so-called Uchiha Twin Stars back then, so how could he not remember? Besides, Shisui's appearance hadn't changed much except that he looked a bit more mature than before.

"...It's complicated. Let's find a place to talk to you privately."

It was supposed to be the moment to reveal the mystery and the finale, but Shisui couldn't be happy after learning that Itachi had a terminal illness. Although he didn't know what the illness was, seeing Shanks so sad and upset, he knew that Itachi's illness was hopeless. It was heartbreaking to see his longtime friend in this state.

766. Feelings are feelings, but stances must be clear.

Shanks took Itachi away, and Kisame didn't stop him, nor could he have. So he carried Kisame back to report to his boss, Obito. Kisame was a man of principle. As a friend, he would be heartbroken if Itachi died. As Obito's subordinate and a member of the Akatsuki, he would also report Itachi's situation to Obito and Nagato. He clearly distinguished between friendship and professional ethics, just like Shanks, Chiyo, and the Third Raikage. In peacetime, friends can stay in touch, but in times of war, for the sake of the village, even friends must fight, and as long as they survive, they can remain friends...

Kakuzu is the same. Even though he or Shanks have big businesses, they will think of each other. However, Kakuzu rarely talks to Shanks about things within the organization. If the two sides really have to fight, it will still be a bloody battle. So, feelings are feelings, but positions must be clear.

After Shisui pulled the second male lead into the grove and told him the whole story of the Uchiha clan and Konoha, the second male lead exploded with rage. He felt sorry for his older brother but couldn't forgive him, since he had killed his parents with his own hands. Even worse was Danzo; if it weren't for him, none of this would have happened. But the most important thing now was that he didn't know how to face his supposedly noble older brother. He definitely hated him, since he was the one who did it. But even if you're noble, you don't need to use the whole clan to prove it... Why not just kill those three old guys?

But if you ask him to kill him, he can't bring himself to do it either. After all, they were born of the same mother, and the man loved him so much. Even as his life was about to end, he was still thinking of him and placing all the family's hopes on him.

The second male lead, dressed in trousers, walked away in a daze. Shisui didn't stop him. Anyone would have reacted the same way in this situation. Looking at the second male lead's back, Shisui could only hope that he would pull himself together.

.......

Konoha Hospital

"Tsunade, how is she?"

As soon as Tsunade came out of the ward, Shanks couldn't wait to ask, which earned him a glare from Haruko. She had never seen him so nervous when her grandson was hospitalized before.

"...The situation is very bad. His life force has almost completely drained away, and most of his body tissues have died. At present, I can only slow down the rate at which his life force is depleted, but it won't last long unless his illness can be cured."

Tsunade shook her head and said, "Forget about curing his illness, we can't even find anything wrong with him right now. Is it because the Uchiha ancestors did too many wicked things, and this is karma being borne by their descendants..."

Tsunade thought about it more and more and felt that this was possible. She decided that when she got back, she would definitely remind Garp that if he borrowed money in the future, he should at least repay some of it, otherwise, he might suffer the same fate as the Uchiha clan, with retribution falling on his descendants—that would be a huge loss...

"Is there no other way? What if we transfer our life force to him?"

Shanks said that curing the disease was impossible, and they didn't even know the cause of the illness. It must be Kishimoto's doing. Last time, he saw that his eldest son and daughter-in-law were not dead, and this time he changed his methods to deal with his youngest son. He is really ruthless.

"There's no other way. Orochimaru might have a solution. Go ask him."

Tsunade sighed and left. She knew Shanks liked Uchiha Itachi, otherwise he wouldn't have taken him as a disciple. Shanks' relationship with the Uchiha clan had never been harmonious. He even rejected Minato, who was so outstanding. If he didn't like him that much, how could he have taken in a brat? She admitted that Uchiha's character was indeed impeccable. Even she couldn't do something as groundbreaking as sacrificing family for the sake of the village. But what could he do? He was just unlucky to be born into the Uchiha clan, whose ancestors were known for their immorality.

"Yes! I'll go find him right now."

After Shanks finished speaking, he dashed to Orochimaru's laboratory. Since medical ninjutsu wouldn't work, surely scientific methods would? Human research in ninjutsu was so difficult; if all else failed, he could have Orochimaru teach Itachi his possession technique. As long as someone was alive, there was hope...

"Great scientist, don't be so presumptuous with your knowledge, do you have any ideas?"

Shanks arrived at Orochimaru's research institute in Konoha, where Orochimaru was always as calm and composed as ever.

"Not at the moment."