Konoha Drunkard

"...Lord Shanks is probably overthinking things. I don't hold any grudges." Huang Tu was speechless. Telling him was tantamount to telling the entire ninja world, and everyone in the ninja world knew how powerful his big mouth was.

"You're really too honest. That old sly Onoki actually has such a kind and honest son. He must have accumulated a lot of good karma over the past few lifetimes to deserve this," Shanks said.

"Haha, it's all thanks to my father's good teaching," Huang Tu said honestly.

"Let's go. Our prospective Hokage is waiting," Shanks said. In other aspects, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Onoki were almost identical, but when it came to educating children, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no less capable than Onoki by the equivalent of ten Jiraiyas.

Asuma's success is entirely due to his own efforts, just like how Minato's flamboyant personality has nothing to do with Jiraiya. Asuma is the best proof of this; both are examples of laissez-faire parenting. Only a normal person like Asuma can see whether his father put his heart into teaching him.

Like Asuma, Hikari is a normal person. Look how well Onoki has taught him to be a normal person, and then look at the gangster boss Asuma... better not to look at him! Shanks guesses that Onoki probably knows what kind of person Hiruzen Sarutobi's youngest son is, so he released Hikari to deliberately provoke his old rival.

331. Let me help you bargain.

When the four arrived in Konoha, Shanks realized they were the last to arrive. Even the people from Sunagakure were there, and this time it was Rasa who came. Not only did Grandma Chiyo not come, but Uncle Kaizo also didn't come. It was said that he was badly beaten by Tsunade's iron fist and couldn't come. Grandma Chiyo was still searching the world for her beloved grandson. In her eyes, the whole world was not as important as her beloved grandson.

Rasa is just here to gain experience. When the war started, he was almost driven to despair by Nawaki's attacks, and his reputation points were less than half of what he expected. Although he managed to gain some reputation points by going toe-to-toe with Orochimaru, it was still a little bit short of what he needed to secure the position of Kazekage and marry Gaara's mother. So when Chiyo relinquished power and Kaizo was half-crippled, he was the only one who came to Konoha with his group of loyal followers.

The ones who came from Yunyin were Mabujiu and Mabuyi, the daughter of the newly appointed Grand Strategist Mabu Kou Dai.

"Haha, it's been a long time, Brother Ninety-something. I didn't expect the Grand Steward's daughter to be so beautiful. No wonder I refused to let me go to his house for drinks when I told him I was coming." In the Thousand Hands territory, Shanks specially hosted a welcome dinner for his old friend, Azabu Ninety-something.

"Hehe! Who in the ninja world doesn't know that Konoha's Red Hair's mouth is more powerful than his strength? Isn't Big Brother afraid that you'll kidnap his daughter?" Mabu Kyuujou teased.

"Look at what you're saying. The fact that you could run her away means your niece is beautiful. Sigh! It's just that my dad gave birth to me too early. If I had been born a few decades later, I might have really become a son-in-law in Kumogakure." Shanks started to flirt.

"Hehe, it's still not too late, as long as you're willing, Shanks." Having known each other for so long, the two are quite casual with each other.

For the first time, Mabuyi took a close look at the legendary figure she had heard about since childhood. He had none of the arrogance of a strongman, and was unkempt, wearing a wrinkled white shirt, floral shorts, and stubble on his chin. He was also laughing and joking. He was completely different from the strongman in her mind. He was nothing like the domineering man in the stories who helped their Cloud Village fight the Eight-Tails and fought the strongest Raikage in their Cloud Village history for more than a month. At this moment, she finally realized that fairy tales were all lies.

"Ha! I'll let it go. Everyone knows I'm devoted to one person. But the head steward is really something. He's retired and doesn't even come to visit his old friend." Sensing a faint killing intent from outside the room, he immediately changed the subject.

Sure enough, just as Shanks finished speaking, a pair of beautiful girls who looked like twin sisters walked in.

"Haha, let me introduce you. This beautiful lady is my wife, Haruko, the vice president of Konoha Hospital. And this pretty girl is my daughter, Uzumaki Linlin. She'll be getting married in a few months. Remember to come over for a drink then, and remember to invite the head steward too," Shanks said with a laugh.

Because of the Yin Seal, Haruko still looks like she's in her twenties, and she doesn't look like a mother and daughter at all when she's with the Four Emperors.

"Haha, no problem. Even if you can't be there in person, the gift will still be delivered. Don't worry!" As expected of a long-time drinking buddy, Shanks knew what he meant as soon as he opened his mouth. What nonsense about drinking alcohol, he clearly wanted a gift.

"Haha, I knew the people in the ninja world who understand me best, besides the old Raikage, are you two brothers, Azabu. Remember to let my nephew Raikage know when the time comes. I've known his father for decades. Even if he doesn't come, the gift is still a must." Shanks laughed, ignoring the pain in his waist. This was a matter of not holding back when he first made his move.

"Hehe! Don't worry, I will definitely pass on this message. I heard that Minato Namikaze is in charge of the peace talks in Konoha this time? So the next Hokage has already been decided?" Azabu Kujo said, taking a sip of wine.

"Ah! It's basically confirmed. If Orochimaru hadn't wanted to be Hokage, the Hokage position would have been changed years ago," Shanks said, patting his shoulder.

"Oh? Orochimaru actually has the guts to refuse the Hokage position." This is quite a strange story. These days, which village isn't fighting tooth and nail for the position of Hokage? I never expected Konoha to be so eccentric, actually having someone who refuses to become Hokage.

"Well, everyone has their own ambitions. So, tell me the truth, what's your bottom line this time? I can help you negotiate a lower price because we're old friends. Although the Raikage was a hero this time, your Cloud Village did suffer a significant loss." Shanks said, accepting the sake offered by Haruko.

"........"

Mabu and Mabui were speechless. "Were you buying groceries? Trying to haggle?" they thought. However, Shanks' genuine nature touched them. "Look! This is true friendship! Who says the ninja world is all about tricks and schemes?"

“This time, just like last time, Konoha suffered half its casualties.” At this moment, Mabui, who had been standing by, spoke up. Mabui was mainly there to accompany her and keep things under control, while Mabui was in charge of the main negotiations.

"No problem, I'll agree to lower it to the third level on Minato's behalf. I may be poor, but my reputation is still worth something. You can go and gain some experience during the negotiations in a couple of days." Shanks breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that, just like last time, it wasn't like they were getting nothing in return. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to bargain. Although Konoha doesn't care much about these compensations now, they are meant for those who went to the battlefield, especially for the families of those who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. Reducing it by 20% is already a favor from Hiruzen Sarutobi. Any less, and it wouldn't just be a matter of money, but also a matter of Konoha's reputation.

"Thank you, Lord Shanks." Mabui relaxed after hearing this. Since the Konoha Red-Haired Shanks had spoken, it was no problem. The name of the Konoha Red-Haired Shanks wouldn't fool a little girl like her.

"No problem. Even if it's just my past relationship with your former Raikage, Konoha won't ask for more, unless you offer more, then it'll be a different story. Sigh! Ever since the old Raikage passed away, I don't even know who to pick up for a fight anymore. Invincibility is truly lonely as snow." Instantly, the room filled with a chilling aura, and Haruko-sama wanted to throw a bottle at him.

"Haha, we're all getting old. How many more years can we fight? The world will always belong to the young." Feeling Shanks's imposing aura, Azabu laughed.

"That's right! If the village had to make us old men compete, the village would probably be finished. Come on! Let's drink until we drop tonight! Lingling, tidy up the guest room, your Uncle Ninety-something won't be able to go home tonight!" Shanks picked up the bottle, clinked it with Ninety-something's, and downed it in one gulp.

"Haha! I may not be as strong as you, but you're not necessarily better at drinking!" Ninety-something laughed loudly.

The three women watched as the two alcoholics chugdled down bottles one after another until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

332. The most frustrating Feng Ying in history

"Father, get up. Kazekage is waiting for you in the living room." The next morning, Haruko went to work early, and Big Mom woke Shanks up.

"Rasa? What's he doing here? Does he know that those two squandered all the gold dust and deliberately come to give me some?" Shanks asked curiously.

"I don't know, they brought a lot of gifts." The daughter knows her father best; upon hearing the words "a lot of gifts," Shanks was already in the living room.

"What a day it is today! Lord Kazekage, you've come all this way, why bring so many gifts? You're too kind!" Shanks flashed into the living room and, completely oblivious to politeness, took the gifts from Rasa's henchman while saying this.

"Of course, I must pay a visit to Lord Shanks this time I'm out of Konoha, and I also hope that Lord Shanks can enlighten me." Rasa was very polite, speaking in a refined manner.

"What's the problem? I wouldn't presume to answer your questions, but I'll tell you whatever I know." Shanks said with a smile, his hands full of gifts. This Rasa is really thoughtful, bringing gifts when he visits. This kind of etiquette should be spread throughout Konoha in the future.

"I know that Lord Shanks is very knowledgeable in the ninja world. I would like to ask if there is anyone you know who could kill our Second Hokage without making a sound, and... I wonder if Sasori is possible?" The last question was the key point that Rasa wanted to ask, because it was too coincidental. Not long after Sasori disappeared, Rasa himself also disappeared. He always had some doubts in his mind. Could it be that Sasori ambushed him and then disappeared? However, because of Grandma Chiyo, he couldn't voice this suspicion in the village.

"You've caught me off guard with that question. When Konoha learned of the Kazekage's disappearance, we speculated that he might have been killed. But as you know, there are very few people in the ninja world who can kill Sunagakure silently. I don't know anyone who could kill the Kazekage without him being on guard. As for Sasori... although I beat him up... uh, no! I taught him for half a year, and his strength has indeed improved by leaps and bounds, it's clearly impossible for him to kill Sunagakure silently. So, I really can't answer this question for you." Shanks stroked his chin, feigning serious thought because of the many gifts he had received.

"Is there no one here?" Rasa said with some disappointment. One of the most important reasons he came to Konoha this time was to find out the truth about his teacher's death. In the ninja world, the relationship between teacher and student is equivalent to that between father and son, so he had always wanted to find out who killed Sara. However, he had been stuck because of the war. Now that the war has stopped, he has time to find out who killed his teacher.

"To be honest, once you reach the Kage level, even with a huge difference in strength, it's impossible to kill someone silently. Besides, as a veteran powerhouse, it's impossible for Sara to be completely unaware of his surroundings. So I really can't figure it out. Sara's death, like the death of Shokuta back then, has become one of the two great unsolved mysteries of the ninja world." Shanks shrugged, pretending not to be troubled. Out of consideration for their six-month master-disciple relationship, he could only help Sasori this much by covering for him.

"Sigh! Looks like I was being delusional. Sorry to bother you today." Rasa agreed with Shanks after hearing his words. As a ninja, even when facing comrades, one must have a certain level of vigilance. Besides, his teacher had been the Kazekage for so many years; he couldn't possibly be completely open with everyone. As for Sasori, he could only keep it to himself until he found out the truth. His grandfather was the First Kazekage, and his grandmother was a veteran of three reigns; their prestige in the village was far beyond what a newly appointed Kazekage like himself could match. He could only wait a couple of years and see if he could find Sasori.

"I'm so sorry, I can't help you with all the gifts you've sent!" Shanks said apologetically.

"Lord Shanks, you're too kind. I was just trying my luck here. I'll take my leave now." After saying this, Rasa left with his henchmen.

Shanks shook his head as he watched Rasa's somewhat dejected figure. Rasa was arguably the most frustrated Kazekage in history. He rose to power inexplicably, but because his prestige was insufficient, he could never convince the higher-ups. Later, for the sake of the village, he sent his youngest son to become a Jinchuriki. In the end, his wife died, his brother-in-law died, and he was even tricked by Orochimaru, dying inexplicably at the hands of Ryoma. Rasa has long held the top spot as the most frustrated Kazekage in the ninja world.

Although the Fourth Mizukage also suffered a terrible fate, at least he fully enjoyed the powers of the Mizukage while he was being controlled. Look at the three major clans of Kumogakure; when the Mizukage under Madara's control pointed east, they dared not go west. Although he was eventually discovered, he did have a glorious life.

Unlike Rasa, who never truly enjoyed the power a Kazekage should have from the day he became Kazekage until the day he died, when Orochimaru found him, he couldn't wait to agree to attack Konoha in order to boost his reputation and wrest power back from those old guys. However, he never expected to be tricked by Orochimaru in the end.

"Why think about that? What does the Sand Village have to do with me..." Shanks realized he was becoming more and more sentimental. He slapped his forehead and started unwrapping the gift Rasa had given him. The Sand Village had plenty of money, and although Rasa was aggrieved, he was still a Kage, and the richest Kage in the ninja world at that, so the gift he gave must be quite something.

After half an hour of sadness, Shanks walked out of the house with a big smile on his face. That kid Rasa is really rich. All the gifts are made of gold. All of these things together are more than the 3 billion he had in Sunagakure.

"Uncle, what are you grinning about?" Kushina asked Shanks, who was grinning like an idiot as he went out the door.

"Nothing, I'm just imagining how much dowry Minato is planning to send," Shanks continued with a silly grin.

"Didn't we agree last time that 3 billion would be enough? It won't change." Kushina immediately became nervous when she heard about Minato's dowry issue, wishing she could marry him immediately without asking for any dowry.

"You silly girl, the more dowry Minato gives, the more precious you are in his heart, you know? Back then, your uncle gave his entire fortune to your aunt to marry her. If Minato offered you a kunai as a dowry, would you be happy?" Shanks patted her head and said nonsensically.

"That seems to be true! But Minato, being born a commoner, doesn't have much money at all." Kushina suddenly remembered the crazy mission mode in Minato that made her work like a dog, and immediately came to her senses, no longer being fooled by Shanks.

"What an idiot. He's about to become Hokage. His house has already been swarmed by those clans. Not to mention anything else, his little house probably can't even hold all the gifts from the Hyuga clan," Shanks said, glancing at Kushina.

333. Gift-giving can also be a one-stop service.

"How could that be! Minato moved houses a long time ago, and his current house is much bigger. It can't be that exaggerated," Kushina said skeptically.

"Hmph! How much can his two-story villa hold? Go check the Senju warehouse. It's all gifts from the Hyuga clan when Lingling got engaged. I specially separated them out." Shanks said disdainfully. Minato's little love nest for him and Kushina couldn't even hold all the diapers the Hyuga clan gave him.

"Is it really that exaggerated? Minato is just a commoner. Even if he became Hokage, he doesn't have any real power. It shouldn't be that exaggerated!" Kushina clearly didn't believe Shanks's nonsense. Rin was a member of the Uzumaki clan, and the Nara clan were traditional strategists of Konoha. Minato was just a commoner. How could he have such a big influence?

"Silly girl, you're also a princess of our Uzumaki clan, okay! Plus, my cousin is still in your belly! Just that identity alone puts those other clans to shame. And Minato isn't some ordinary commoner. Look how glorious he was during this war, how skillfully he used the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique. If those clans didn't take the opportunity to flatter him, it would be much harder once he becomes Hokage. That's basic political maneuvering, you know?" Shanks said with an air of experience, having watched so many dramas back then.

........

Shanks was right. Minato was in seclusion organizing the peace negotiation documents, trying to learn from them. After all, this was still a complete mystery to him. Going from a lowly rank to a high-ranking official was no easy feat. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had worked as a servant for Tobirama Senju for several years, made numerous mistakes when he first became Hokage. Moreover, Minato had never worked as a servant for Hiruzen Sarutobi before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted him to come along, but Minato didn't have time for odd jobs. He was busy grinding missions and making money. Shanks' list was incredibly long.

Just as he finished enjoying the culinary disaster that Kushina had prepared for him and was about to take out the documents to read, there was a knock on the door.

"Is Minato home?" Hiashi's voice came from outside the door. After all, they had fought side by side, and his former comrade was about to become Hokage. Even if it was just for the sake of the clan, he had to be the first to come.

"Hiashi, what... what's going on?" Minato asked Hiashi in a daze after opening the door and looking at the long line of cars behind his future in-laws. He had never seen anything like this before. This was more than twice as much as Lingling's engagement party. The rich and powerful families were really extravagant!

"Haha! I heard you're getting married to Kushina, and you're so busy right now that you don't have time to handle many things. I'm just a lazy bum who stays at home all day, so I'll take care of it for you." Hiashi, now the clan leader, has become quite smooth. Look at what he said, it's perfectly reasonable. He's not here to bribe the future Hokage, and he's helping two classmates with their weddings, so no one can find fault with him.

"This... I don't think my house can hold all these things. Maybe leaving some will be enough." Since they've already put it this way, it would be really embarrassing to refuse them. Although they were once comrades, they are now the head of a clan, and Minato is naturally incapable of refusing others.

"It's alright, I'll arrange for someone to build a warehouse next to your house later." Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that his classmate hadn't refused and was worried that the house wouldn't be big enough to hold it. Knowing Minato as he did, he thought it would be easier to give it to Kushina than to Minato himself. However, considering Kushina's carefree personality, he was afraid that she might have forgotten about it and not told Minato. In that case, all his efforts would have been wasted. He couldn't possibly give it to someone else's wife a second time just because she forgot. Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Hyuga clan?

Minato was stunned. This rich family's schemes were too deep. They even offered a one-stop service for gift-giving. Since their house couldn't hold all the gifts, they even gave them a warehouse to store them!

However, some people had the exact opposite idea. As Minato's classmate, Little Sky Cannon clearly understood Minato's character better, or rather, the customs of Konoha. Everyone was afraid of their wives, so while Shanks was chatting with Kushina, Little Sky Cannon led the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's caravan to the Senju clan.

"Hey, future son-in-law, isn't the wedding still a few months away? You're already sending the betrothal gifts!" Shanks teased, looking at the long procession of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

"...This is a wedding gift for Minato and Kushina. I was worried Minato would be too busy to handle all the formalities, so as a classmate, I prepared it for him first." The little rocket launcher still looked like he was avoiding trouble. Being a clan leader is indeed troublesome...

"See? I told you so. The stuff has all been delivered to you." Shanks raised an eyebrow at Kushina with a smug look.

"Shouldn't these things be sent to the Water Gate? Why are they being sent to me?" Kushina asked, puzzled.

"Well! Hiashi sent it over there early this morning. I figured Minato's house couldn't fit it, so I sent it over here. Anyway, you'll be the one in charge after you get married." Little Cannon shrugged. He's the only one who can take being afraid of his wife for granted.

"What do you mean 'I'm in charge'? Am I that fierce?" Kushina's red hair immediately stood on end, making her look like a red-haired female demon. Minato was clearly respecting her, so why did it seem like she was the one acting fierce?

"No, men are in charge of external affairs and women are in charge of internal affairs! Of course, you're the one who calls the shots at home." Smart people's minds work quickly; he easily resolved a tense situation with just one sentence.

"So that's why you Nara people are afraid of your wives?" Shanks said with amusement.

"...I'll put the things in the warehouse for you first, and I'll arrange for someone to come and deliver them together later." The small-time Sky Cannon was too lazy to pay attention to his future father-in-law's teasing and treated the Thousand Hands Clan like his own home, arranging for people to move the things to the warehouse.

"See that! Forget about the Japanese and Ace families, even the Ino-Shika-Cho trio can't fit in your little villa." Shanks said to Kushina with a smile after the small-sized rocket left.

"That's too much! By the way, Uncle, what kind of dowry have you prepared for me?" Yet another one who's already looking for benefits for her husband's family before even getting married.

"You want a dowry too! Haven't you taken enough benefits from me for Minato all these years?! I don't have any left, go ask Ichigo-san!" Shanks jumped up and said immediately after hearing Kushina's words.

"Your uncle's share belongs to him, you can't be so stingy!" Kushina looked at him angrily.

"...How could I have such juniors? You all give away things from the family, especially you. You've got the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Sealing Technique, you're practically giving away people too!" Shanks covered his face and sighed to the sky.

334. Konoha's tactics are deep.

"The ten carriages that Aoki Nozomi sent will arrive in a couple of days. I'll give you two! Is that alright?" Shanks said with a pained expression.

"Only two cars? How stingy!"

When Kushina heard that she only got two out of ten cars, she pouted.

"Big sister, we have to divide it up. If we give it to you, won't Tsunade come and snatch it away? That's my and your Aunt Haruko's retirement fund!" Shanks said, clutching his heart in indignation.

“Even if Tsunade has two, you still have six!” Kushina said, counting on her fingers.