Chapter 74: Women Only Slow My Draw

The meeting concluded, and Shamrock and Loess left the command room.

“Come on, let’s go have a drink,” Shamrock said, reaching out to pat Loess on the shoulder.

“No… Too many comrades died today. I’m not in the mood.” Just thinking about the bodies they recovered from Watchtower Three, so mangled they could barely be pieced together, made Loess’s heart ache unbearably.

“That’s exactly why you should drink! Lighten up—a comrade’s sacrifice is so we can live happier lives. Bottling things up is no good for your cultivation. Come back and let’s raise a glass to our warriors!” Shamrock encouraged him.

“Well… all right. You go ahead, I have something to take care of; I’ll be there soon.” After a moment’s thought, Loess nodded. He did enjoy drinking with this crowd—those were moments of genuine joy. Though, he realized with a sigh, he was always losing money… Time to ask his father for some more.

“All right, don’t take too long. If you’re late, we won’t wait for you,” Shamrock waved in farewell.

“Save me a seat,” Loess called, quickening his pace.

Shamrock was about to head back to the inn to check on his prisoners when someone hurried after him.

“Sir, sir… your figurine—” It was Ohnoki’s secretary, stumbling over herself as she caught up. She tripped on the threshold and fell flat on her face.

“Careful!” Shamrock dove forward—

—and managed to catch the action figure.

“Whew… Thank goodness it’s not broken,” Shamrock cradled the figurine, gently blowing off dust and brushing it clean. People could be revived, but if a figure was broken, it wasn’t so easy to replace.

“Ow…” Nonoyu lay on the ground for some time, but no one offered her a hand.

Since delivering the news of the Uchiha treasure to Root, Shimura Danzo had shown great interest and instructed her to find out exactly where the treasure was hidden. So she needed to find a way to get closer to Shamrock.

“Looks like Minato Namikaze’s face is a bit smudged—just dust, thank goodness,” Shamrock muttered, still paying her no mind.

Nonoyu had to stand up by herself, wincing and rubbing her knees, bowing repeatedly in apology. “A-are you all right? I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. What’s your name, something with ‘No’? You’re not wild at all. Thanks for bringing it out. I’ll be going now,” Shamrock waved hurriedly, eager to get back and display his treasure by his bedside.

“I’m Naino, Lord Tsuchikage’s secretary…” She reached out, trying to forge a bond.

“A secretary, huh… All the big shots have one. If you paired those glasses with black stockings, you’d look even more professional.” Shamrock commented on her outfit, offered a quick handshake. “I’m Shamrock.”

“Is that your surname? What about your given name?” Nonoyu tried to probe further, hoping to learn more about him.

“Goodbye.” Shamrock turned and walked away, expressionless.

The cat perched on his shoulder mouthed something silently, but Shamrock quickly covered its mouth.

Nonoyu was left baffled. This was the first time she’d failed so completely—her charm and approachability were usually unrivaled. Was it because she wasn’t wearing black stockings?

…

Back at the inn, the riotous singing and drinking could drive all the neighbors three hundred meters down the street.

“Shangee! Shangee! Come here!” Shamrock cradled a large cloth bag, careful not to let the rowdy fools around him knock into it, and called the girl perched on the table, drinking heartily.

“What is it?” Shangee hopped over.

“Shhh, let me show you my treasure. You can touch it yourself,” Shamrock whispered, gently opening the bag.

“Captain… you’re so annoying!” Shangee, cheeks flushed, reached in. “It’s hard… What is it?”

A Minato Namikaze action figure!

“Wow! This is such a cool figure!” Shangee’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Could it be… the captain remembered the wanted poster of Minato Namikaze above her bed? Did he go through all that trouble, visiting countless shops, just to buy this for her?

If he confessed to her now, should she pretend to play coy? Ahh, how embarrassing!

“Do you like it?” Shamrock watched her beaming face.

“I love it!” Shangee was overjoyed.

Ah Fei was also bouncing around, chanting, “It’s here, it’s here!”

“If you like it, take a good look. Later, I’ll lock it in my bedside cabinet—nobody is allowed to touch it,” Shamrock grinned.

“What?!” Shangee’s expression twisted, almost turning into a JoJo face.

In the background, Shamrock could just make out Old Man One-Eye sharpening his blade with renewed fervor and quickly made his escape.

…

After showing off his figurine, Shamrock went to check the cellar, only to find the two fools on guard duty drinking and playing cards—an invitation to disaster.

He kicked each of them in the rear, but realized this was hopeless. These were a ragtag bunch; there was no expecting diligence from them. Gritting his teeth, he spent 125 gold coins to plant a True Sight Ward at the cellar entrance. With this, he could close his eyes and check the real-time situation through his mind at any time.

The purplish-red scepter stood upright, topped with a sinister pair of magical eyes that swiveled left and right—just looking at it made people want to smash it three times over.

If inspiration struck…

If you could use a ward for surveillance, and the image was this clear…

Then an invisible ward…

“Bah! Shameless!” Shamrock slapped himself hard.

“Captain, what’s this thing? Is it valuable?” The two makeshift jailers poked at the ward’s eye.

“Scram, don’t poke my eye! I can monitor you through this thing. If I catch you drinking and playing cards again, I’ll send you back to Godsless Town to drink urine!” Shamrock scolded them roundly.

“Heh heh, we won’t drink anymore! There’s nothing better than drinking and eating meat with you, Captain,” the two jailers assured him.

“Good. How are things down here?” Shamrock asked.

“Nothing to report. They’ve all behaved since dinner—meat and vegetables, just like you said. We haven’t mistreated them.”

“Good. If they have any requests, tell me.” Shamrock poked his head into the cellar. Most of the Hyuga clan were sitting cross-legged in meditation, wearing that eternally indifferent expression.

Maruboshi Kosuke seemed in low spirits; Uzuki Yugao was at his side, trying to cheer him up.

“Where’s Hayate Gekkou?” Shamrock suddenly noticed his absence.

“That sickly guy? The pharmacist took him—he’s out back concocting medicine. The smell is killing us.”

“All right, keep a close watch. These are Leaf ninja—you never know what tricks they might have up their sleeves. Stay sharp or you’ll lose your heads.” With that warning, Shamrock headed to the courtyard to find Pharmacist Ryo.

…

The potent smell of medicine hit him again. Hayate Gekkou lay on the bed, looking utterly dejected. He’d stopped coughing; his complexion had improved. Pharmacist Ryo was grinding some herbs nearby.

“Can you really cure him?” Shamrock asked, skeptical.

“It’s nothing serious!” Pharmacist Ryo brushed back his hair.

“Nothing serious? Even Tsunade the Slug Princess said it was incurable, and you say you can fix it?” Shamrock was still dubious.

“I’ll admit, medical ninja are great at healing wounds, but when it comes to diagnosing, they don’t know squat. All they do is treat the symptoms, not the root cause,” Ryo replied with absolute confidence.

“So what’s the root of his illness?” Shamrock asked curiously.

“The root is the root.”

“What do you mean? Speak plainly.”

“It’s the root!” Ryo was getting exasperated.

“Which ‘root’?” Shamrock’s eyes widened.

“How many ‘roots’ does a man have?” Ryo smirked lewdly.

“You… you cut it off?!” Shamrock’s voice shot up several octaves as he looked at Hayate’s hopeless face.

“Shhh, don’t make such a fuss. I’m a pharmacist—I’d never do such a thing. It’s just a little medicine to suppress bad impulses,” Ryo explained.

“That’s still not okay. Is there an antidote?” Shamrock demanded.

“He agreed to it himself. I didn’t force him. If he wants to stop, he just stops taking the medicine. The effect lasts a week at most.” Ryo spread his hands.

“Whew… That’s a relief. But why would he agree to take something like this?” Shamrock glanced at Hayate, who seemed unwilling to speak.

“Kids lack self-control, and he has the ability to turn invisible. You get it, right? Too much yang energy lost leads to lung yin deficiency—that’s the real cause of his chronic cough. And you lent him that ‘Make-Out Paradise’ book, pushing him further down the road. Now his lung yin deficiency has led to kidney yin deficiency. If he doesn’t stop, it might cost him his life.” Ryo shook his head, lamenting the situation.

“Cough, cough…” Shamrock coughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment.

“Shamrock… You’re right. As long as my heart is filled with thoughts of women, I’ll never become a true expert. I’ve blamed myself countless times, regretted my actions bitterly, but every day I’d fall into the same trap as if possessed. Maybe this is my chance—to sever desire completely and devote myself to sharpening my sword,” Hayate’s eyes were hollow as he looked at Shamrock.

“Lin… Lin Pingzhi?!” Shamrock jumped in shock. His little junior’s martial skills only soared after wielding the blade of self-castration. Was Hayate heading down the same path?

Human energy is limited, and affairs of the heart are the greatest drain. When one focuses all their energy on a single purpose, success comes easier—that’s why the greatest masters are often eunuchs.

“Wait, what about Uzuki Yugao?” Shamrock suddenly remembered.

“The one who severs emotion perfects the sword. A woman would only cloud the clarity of my sword heart,” Hayate replied coldly.

“Hayate the ascetic…!” Shamrock gave him a thumbs up. “You have a will unlike any other. Your achievements will rival even White Fang of the Leaf.”

“And one day, I will kill you,” Hayate turned his cold, murderous gaze toward him.

“What’s the point, brother…” Shamrock smiled wryly, ruffling Hayate’s hair. He never thought he’d end up helping someone quit lust.