Konoha Drunkard

The next day, Shanks went to Mirror's house as agreed.

"This is my kaleidoscope. The left eye is the strongest physical attack, Amaterasu Fire. The right eye is the Ferryman, which can temporarily control people's minds." Mirror took out a glass bottle containing the eyeball, with a small dot in the center surrounded by three triangles. It looked a bit ugly, definitely not handsome at all.

"Don't worry, I'll have it keep an eye on Konoha for you." Shanks took the bottle and put it into the sealing scroll. "Then I can rest assured."

It was already noon when Shanks took his leave. Back in his room, he took out Kagami's kaleidoscope and stared at it speechlessly. Had Kagami really cheated on Yuta Uchiha? He didn't know if Fugaku Uchiha had Amaterasu, but the second male lead and his brother did. Besides Kotoamatsukami, Shisui also seemed to have a dojutsu that could temporarily control people's minds. Damn... this world is a mess.

However, Shanks also felt a little regretful that it wasn't Kotoamatsukami. Otherwise, with his chakra reserves, he wouldn't have had to wait ten years, maybe only two or three. He could have used it on Danzo, on Hiruzen Sarutobi, and on every Kage in every village. The ninja world could have enjoyed at least a few decades of peace.

Shanks put the eyes back into the sealing scroll. He didn't plan to install them himself; firstly, he couldn't explain how he got them, and secondly, these kinds of eyes were clearly for tech-savvy guys, not for a tough, hardcore type like him. As for the Amaterasu flames, they've never even killed anyone. They're perfect for destroying evidence...

..............

"Shanks, what are you doing?" Tsunade, who rarely skipped the casino early in the morning, saw Shanks meditating with his eyes closed in his room.

"I'm listening!" Shanks said, adopting a mysterious air.

"What are you listening to? Someone's talking?" Tsunade looked completely bewildered.

"I'm listening to the voice of the earth, but I can't hear it," Shanks said, his face falling.

"What do you mean?"

"I think my Observation Haki has reached its peak. The next stage should be hearing the voices of all things, but I'm a little short," Shanks said with some regret.

This feeling is similar to the feeling I had when I first awakened my Insight system; it comes every now and then.

"...You're still asleep, go to sleep." Tsunade thought she was being lied to.

"Ah! You mere mortals," Shanks said disdainfully.

"You bastard!" Tsunade roared.

"Bang" "Bang"

"Ah, ah! Harder, harder, it feels so good!" Shanks, dressed in all black, sat on the ground enjoying Tsunade's monstrous punches.

"You pervert." Tsunade couldn't stand that lewd voice.

"Tch! With your violent nature, how will you ever get married?" Shanks retorted.

"We'll talk about marriage later, just lend me 100 million first," Tsunade said domineeringly, asking for 100 million right off the bat.

"Holy crap. I only get 100 million per mission. I've been leading those three little brats all year and haven't done a single A-level mission. Where did I get 100 million?" Shanks jumped up.

"Stop talking nonsense, I know you keep your money under the bed." Tsunade

Said.

"You know that?" Shanks was stunned.

"It's my sixth sense," Tsunade said proudly.

"You're amazing, you can use your sixth sense like this, so how come you've never won any money?" Shanks was impressed.

"Who knew that my sixth sense would always fail me when I gamble?" Tsunade lamented. When she first discovered that her sixth sense had become more acute, she thought of going to the casino. However, while her sixth sense was accurate in everything else, it was useless when she gambled.

"I advise you to give up. The wealth your Senju clan has accumulated is hard-earned. If you lose it all, your ancestors will come looking for you tonight," Shanks patiently advised.

"No, what about the bounty from the last S-rank mission? I gave you my share." Shanks remembered that he had lent it to her last time.

"I lost everything yesterday. My luck hasn't been good lately!" Tsunade shrugged.

"Brother Kima, come out and take your daughter away! She's gambled away millions in just a few days!" Shanks couldn't take it anymore and shouted towards Kima's house.

During the last S-rank mission, the Daimyo of the Land of Claws was incredibly generous, giving 10 million yen, 2.5 million yen each. Shanks thought it sounded bad, so he only gave Tsunade 3 million yen, and then Tsunade borrowed another 2 million yen from him. In less than a week, they lost all 5 million yen... That's how Tsunade propelled Konoha's gambling industry to new heights.

"Tsunade, why did you gamble so much? Didn't you say you'd gamble less?" Kijima didn't come out; it was Tsunade's mother who did.

"When my temper flares up, I can't help it." Tsunade playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Bet less next time," Tsunade's mother said softly before leaving.

"..." Shanks looked up at the sky. This was all because he'd been spoiled.

Tsunade didn't waste any words with Shanks. She personally went under Shanks' bed, crawled out a small box, and took out bundles of Konoha banknotes, counting them as she walked. Her movements were incredibly practiced; one couldn't do something so clean and efficient without at least ten repetitions.

Shanks' brain is still frozen...

Shanks was very sad. He closed his eyes and his figure appeared next to Haruko. However, Haruko was treating the wounded person who had been stabbed by a shuriken. The blood was a little black.

"Are you poisoned?" Shanks asked the injured ninja.

"Ah, seven days ago, I encountered a bandit attacking a village on the border, so I went to rescue them. I didn't expect the bandit leader to be a puppeteer, and I was accidentally poisoned."

"The Land of Fire has puppeteers? From Sunagakure?" Shanks wondered. "Did Sunagakure get arrogant after just electing the Kazekage?"

"Yes, he has the forehead mark of a Sand Village rogue ninja," the injured ninja confirmed.

Shanks stroked his chin, wondering what Sunagakure was up to. He knew that rogue ninja from major ninja villages usually wouldn't flee to other major countries; only rogue ninja from minor ninja villages would escape to other major countries. It was simple: minor ninja villages wouldn't dare to come to major countries and recklessly hunt down rogue ninja.

The rogue ninjas from the great ninja villages are different; once discovered, they are the first to be hunted down by the ninjas of that country.

49. Shen Nima's Mighty Power Technique: "Requesting Flowers" and "Requesting Collection"

"Lord Shanks, the Hokage is looking for you." Just as Shanks was lost in thought, an Anbu member appeared behind him.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” Shanks said, glancing at Haruko, who winked at him. ←↓→↑←↓→↓→

Shanks disappeared and reappeared on the roof of the Hokage Building.

"Uncle, what do you need me for?" Shanks came to the window and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking. Not wanting to inhale secondhand smoke, he asked from the window.

"Puppet masters from Sunagakure have been discovered in various parts of the Land of Fire. The Anbu have found out they are all rogue ninja. You and Sakumo, along with Tsunade and the others, should go and deal with them." Hiruzen Sarutobi was becoming more and more like a leader.

"A lot? Aren't the Anbu busy enough?" Shanks rolled his eyes.

“There aren’t many, but a few are quite strong, and Sakumo can’t handle them all by himself. Your special sense of aura is more useful than the Byakugan, so you can also familiarize Tsunade and the others with the combat style of a puppeteer.” Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, taking a drag of his pipe.

"This time, the two big bosses are leading three small fry to fight monsters!" Shanks exclaimed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is planning to focus on developing the "gambling, prostitution, and drugs team." With Konoha's two superstars, Shanks and Sakumo Hatake, protecting the team, this is definitely protagonist-level treatment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also helpless. The older generation of Konoha Entertainment Culture Company had begun to retire, leaving only him and three high-ranking members from the middle generation, and Shanks and Sakumo Hatake from the younger generation. The rest were of average strength; they could handle some unpredictable and low-skill missions, but they were no match for elite-level puppeteers—it would be suicide. Therefore, Hiruzen wanted the "gambling, prostitution, and drugs team" to grow faster. They didn't need to reach the level of Shanks and Sakumo, but at least in a few years, they needed to be at least at the elite Jonin level.

"Alright, I got it. We'll leave tomorrow." Shanks said and then disappeared.

.........

The next morning, the five people gathered at the village entrance.

This is Shanks' first collaboration with Sakumo since Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage. It's been several years; they've fought side-by-side, and even... well, you know... they've been together for ages!

"You three are tasked with eliminating the rogue puppeteers from Sunagakure in the southern part of the Land of Fire. Shanks and I will deal with the puppeteers in the east. We'll come back to help you after we're done. You must hold them off until we return." Time is of the essence, and the mission is crucial. Sakumo didn't waste any words and went straight to explaining the mission.

"What! Since you look down on us!" Jiraiya was also unhappy.

"It's not that I look down on you, but the puppeteer we're dealing with this time is quite powerful. Besides, you've never fought a puppeteer before, so you don't know how terrifying they are," Shanks explained.

"The main problem is their poison. Their puppets are covered in deadly toxins. If you get even a graze on them, you'll be poisoned. Unless you have an antidote or the poisoning isn't too severe and you can go back to the village for treatment, you'll just have to wait to die," Sakumo added.

"Orochimaru will be the temporary leader of your squad. You two listen to him. Let's go, but don't die." Shanks tossed a scroll to Orochimaru, which contained the locations of the puppeteers he sensed, and then he and Sakumo set off.

Orochimaru opened the scroll and looked at it for a while. There were three coordinates in the scroll. The first two were marked as Jonin, and the last one was marked as Elite Jonin.

“Let’s set off too, let’s go to the nearest coordinates first. The opponent is a Jonin,” Orochimaru said.

The three hurried on their way. Meanwhile, Shanks didn't go with Sakumo to deal with the puppeteers in the east. Sakumo could handle that level of trouble on his own. The reason he had Sakumo tell the three that the two of them would go and deal with the ninjas in the east was to prevent them from becoming dependent on him. Only by experiencing the terror of life and death could their combat experience and strength improve more quickly.

Shanks turned around and hung far behind them.

"The most important fighting force of a puppeteer is his puppets; his own strength is quite average. Jiraiya and I will draw his attention head-on. Tsunade will flank him from behind and try to kill him with one blow when the opportunity arises." The three arrived at the first coordinate point, which was a house. Orochimaru formulated the plan.

The two nodded.

"Go!" Orochimaru shouted and jumped out.

Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique

A dragon appeared on the ground, opened its mouth, and fired a laser cannon.

"Boom!"

The house collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Two brats from Konoha dare to come and die in battle." Three figures emerged from the house, but the two in front were clearly puppets. The blades of the two long swords on the puppets' arms glowed green, indicating they were coated with a potent poison.

Jiraiya was too lazy to argue with him about "Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet".

Jiraiya spat out a giant fireball that attacked the puppeteer.

While leaping away from the fireball attack, the puppeteer also controlled two puppets to attack Orochimaru and Jiraiya respectively.

A series of clanging sounds rang out as blacksmiths struck their hammers.

As time went on, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya began to suffer.

"No wonder Sakumo said puppeteers are hard to deal with; you can't even get close. And you can't let the puppets touch you..." Orochimaru thought to himself as he dodged the puppets' attacks.

"Haha, those two brats are quite something. Die!" the puppeteer laughed.

Suddenly a figure rushed out from behind.

"Super Strength Fist"

"boom"

"puff"

Tsunade punched the puppeteer in the back, shattering all the bones in the puppeteer's body. The puppeteer coughed up a mouthful of blood and lay motionless on the ground.

"Huff, huff, huff! I'm exhausted. This puppeteer is really tough to deal with," Jiraiya said, resting his hands on his knees.

"Hmm, without a good way to break through, it's impossible to get close to him," Orochimaru sighed, looking at the two intact puppets.

Orochimaru walked over and put the two puppets into the sealing scroll.

"What are you doing with those two puppets? You can't use them," Jiraiya asked.

"Take it back to the village for research, then rest for a bit before heading to the second coordinate. The plan is the same as this time." Orochimaru finished speaking and sat down.

The three rested for half an hour. Orochimaru and Jiraiya were the main ones resting, while Tsunade said she wasn't tired at all. She could easily take down a puppeteer with just one punch!

After Orochimaru and Jiraiya recovered, they headed to the next location, using the same old strategy—an old trick that still worked. Tsunade easily secured two kills. With their previous experience, Orochimaru and Jiraiya found it much easier. After defeating the puppeteer, they didn't rest and went straight to the final location.

However, an elite Jonin is an elite Jonin. Although his own strength is a bit weak, he was discovered by the puppeteer when the three arrived. This puppeteer was obviously a ruthless person. Without any talk, he released six puppets to start fighting.