Chapter 37: Shanks: What Does This Have to Do with Me?  

Meanwhile, on the other side… 

When Kakashi saw three people leave and five come back, he was a little confused. 

And Naruto had taken quite a bit of damage. 

Still, the information they gathered was thorough. That meant Kakashi didn't need to go out and collect intel himself. 

"There weren't any more fights after that?"

Kakashi couldn't quite figure it out. The situation seemed serious, yet the other side didn't escalate it further. Instead, they stepped in to stop it. 

"The vice-captain of the Blade-less Pirates... It's said that he has strength recognized by Shanks and can control ice. He's really strong. Just standing in front of him, you can feel an overwhelming pressure." 

"Like..." 

Sasuke didn't finish his sentence. The pressure he felt from Haku wasn't just about strength. 

That gentle gaze reminded him of that man. The same kind eyes… but that man had also personally wiped out their entire clan.

 Deep inside, Sasuke felt both hatred and fear. 

"These two are the ninjas pretending to be from the Uzumaki clan, right?" 

"What do you mean by 'those two ninjas'? I'm a master of swordsmanship, a proud warrior from a samurai family—Zobei! I'm only 27 years old and already a Genin." 

The guy wrapped in bandages, lying in the corner, spoke up. He looked more like he was 47, but in reality, he wasn't that old. 

"Call me Kotarou-sama. I'm going to be a Chunin in the future. How dare you underestimate me?" 

Kotarou, lying next to Zobei, stubbornly added. 

After all, they were trusted by Orochimaru-sama. 

Their current strength was barely at the Genin level—probably the weakest among all Genin. 

But since Orochimaru-sama had chosen them, that meant they had hidden potential, even if they hadn't discovered it yet. 

As ninjas, they had to keep secrets. If they couldn't even do that, what kind of ninjas were they? 

That's why the two of them believed they were one in a million, destined to be ninjas. 

"You two, shut up!" 

"Okay." 

Hearing Sakura's words, they wisely kept quiet. 

After all, they owed their lives to her. If not, would a mere Genin dare to talk to them like that? 

Well… they were Genin too, but they were older, and that was their only confidence. 

"Kakashi-sensei, this is the potion that person called Haku gave us." 

Sakura took out the medicine Haku had handed her. Back then, he had just tossed the bag to her. 

Seeing it, Kakashi seemed to remember something. 

"This used to be special equipment for Konoha's Jonin, but we don't use these anymore. Why does he have this?" 

Kakashi was puzzled. He didn't recognize the medicine, but as a former Anbu, he was very familiar with Konoha's supplies. 

The medicine in the bag looked like some kind of secret remedy, but there were no records of it in Konoha's archives. 

Just as Kakashi was deep in thought, he noticed a small kanji for "oil" at the bottom of the bag. 

"I think I know who this belonged to." 

He poured out all the medicine, fully revealing the character. 

"Oil?" 

"So, it belonged to the Aburame clan?" 

Tl/n : (Abura = Oil)

Sasuke naturally thought of them. 

Most ninja clans in Konoha wore symbols representing their families. The Uchiha clan, for example, had their crest on their clothing. 

This "oil" character was probably the Aburame clan's mark. 

"No, this belonged to a certain senior." 

"You should have heard of him—the man known as one of the Three Legendary Sannin, a hero of Konoha." 

By seniority, Kakashi was technically Jiraiya's grand-student. But even beyond that, Kakashi had the closest relationship with Jiraiya in all of Konoha. 

He had read every volume of Jiraiya's *Icha Icha Paradise* series without missing a single one. 

In all of Konoha, no one was more familiar with Jiraiya's work than him. 

Given the era this equipment came from and the unknown medicine inside, there was only one person it could belong to—Jiraiya.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" 

Just to be sure, Kakashi summoned his ninja dog. 

"Pakkun, take a sniff of this. Do you smell Jiraiya-sama's scent?" 

If this really belonged to Jiraiya, then there was nothing to worry about. 

However, after sniffing for half an hour, Pakkun just lifted his head and looked at Kakashi. 

"Kakashi, this thing is covered in the scent of women… at least a thousand of them. The youngest one seems to be around—" 

"Hahaha, so it really is Jiraiya-sama's, huh? Then it's fine." 

Before Pakkun could finish, Kakashi quickly covered his mouth. 

Come on, did his nose really have to be this sharp in public? If all he could smell was women, then there was no doubt. 

If Jiraiya's actual scent was mixed in, then they'd have a real problem. 

"Alright, Sakura, apply this medicine to Naruto." 

"What about us?" 

Lying nearby, Zobei and Kotaro spoke in unison. They were badly injured too. 

"Shut up." 

This time, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke all said it together. 

Under the pressure of the three, the two lower-ranked ninjas shrank into a corner. 

They looked up at the moon outside the window, feeling nothing but sadness. 

But they weren't the only ones. 

At that moment, Gato was still hanging there, staring up at the same moon, feeling just as miserable. 

Even so, the three of them ended up sleeping soundly that night. 

Ironically, the ones who seemed fine—Zabuza and Kakashi—didn't sleep at all. 

As elites in the ninja world, their minds were occupied with far bigger concerns. 

Zabuza, having once been a high-ranking figure in Kirigakure Village, knew just how terrifying Konohagakure really was. 

Konohagakure might not always look strong, but in every war, they never truly lost. 

That was because they could afford to lose. With so many ninja clans in the village, even if they suffered a defeat, they could always bounce back. 

That was Konohagakure's foundation. 

Their strength didn't come from just one or two heroic figures. 

Now that Konohagakure's ninjas had appeared in the Land of Waves, there were only two possibilities. 

One, it was related to the situation in the Land of Water, and Kirigakure had asked Konohagakure to investigate. 

Two, it had to do with Shanks—maybe Konohagakure had received some intel and sent people here to check it out. 

As for the idea that they were here to investigate him, Zabuza? 

Honestly, he didn't think he was that important. 

Meanwhile, Kakashi found things even more complicated. 

First, there was Shanks. 

Shanks had ties to the Uzumaki clan, and the whole situation basically started because of him. 

Yet, that big figure had never shown up from beginning to end. 

It made everything feel like some kind of setup—like Shanks had intentionally drawn them here. 

Or… did Shanks actually know who Naruto was? 

Then there was the matter of Jiraiya. 

The clues they had found suggested that Jiraiya was also aware of Shanks. 

But Jiraiya hadn't shown up. 

What did that mean? Kakashi had no idea. 

They had gathered a lot of information. 

But the more they learned, the more tangled things became. 

And that meant Kakashi had to be even more careful. 

Zabuza felt the same. 

There's too much involved in this. Some people get it, and those who don't... well, they can sleep outside under the moon. 

"It's all because of that guy, Shanks." 

That was the one thought running through both Zabuza and Kakashi's minds. 

Before even setting sail, one of the Four Emperors of the New World had already set his plans in motion. That kind of power was terrifying. 

"This won't be easy to deal with." 

In different places, both Zabuza and Kakashi thought the exact same thing at the same time. Then, a strange sense of awkwardness washed over them. 

Finally, their thoughts were no longer in sync. Instead, they each focused on their own plans. 

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