Konoha Drunkard

"Young Master Itachi looks so handsome today!"

"........."

As Itachi walked through the Uchiha clan's territory, the clansmen were much more enthusiastic than usual. Even the two "gatekeepers" were incredibly warm, looking at Itachi as if he were the older sister next door.

"Sanada, do you think Shisui or Itachi has more talent? I never expected that Shanks would take Itachi as his disciple." A gatekeeper said to his companion as he watched Itachi leave.

"They should be about the same, Itachi is just a bit younger. I heard that he didn't even have the Sharingan, he just learned the ninjutsu after seeing it once." Uchiha Sanada said enviously. If he had that talent, he wouldn't have had to take over the job of the previous "doorman". I heard that the previous "doorman" was locked up because he often went to the neighbor's house to slack off. Even guarding the gate was a high-risk job!

"Stop overthinking, let's just stick to guarding the gate!" The gatekeeper knew from Uchiha Sanada's expression that he was overthinking again. How could Konoha's Shanks possibly be interested in someone who only started using the double tomoe at the age of 19? You know, even now, the prospective Hokage, Namikaze Minato, hasn't been accepted as a disciple!

"Haha! It's nice to fantasize sometimes!" Uchiha Sanada scratched the back of his head and chuckled. That was a living legend, and there weren't many left in the ninja world now. He grew up listening to his stories. Even though he was from the Uchiha clan, it didn't stop him from being a fan!

........

"Huh? What brings you here today? Kushina isn't here with me." This morning, before Shanks even got out of bed, Minato came straight up to him.

It's all because of rumors. Even someone like Minato can't escape them. He was clearly taught by someone before, but that person didn't want to take on any disciples at the time, so they gave up their disciple. Now they suddenly want to take on a disciple, but it's not him. Minato really feels a bit wronged. Although he is called "teacher" by them, it's just a habit he developed at school. The meaning of "teacher" is different from that of Jiraiya.

"I heard that Master has taken the son of the Uchiha clan chief as his disciple. I'd like to see it too," Minato said with a smile, a sour smell permeating the room.

"Oh! You mean Itachi? Not bad, right? Although he doesn't have your unique talent, he's still a super genius. But... when did I say I was going to take him as my disciple?" Shanks looked at Minato with curiosity.

"You said it yourself yesterday, in front of the Hokage and the Anbu." Minato looked at Shanks in confusion, wondering how he could not even remember what he had said.

"Yesterday? Yesterday... I think I was drinking with the Daimyo, because I tricked him... no! I made him very happy, and he agreed to invest 5 billion in me every year! And then... I think I got drunk too! But what does this have to do with when I said I would take Itachi as my disciple??" Shanks recalled yesterday's events, but his memory only went up to before he blacked out; he couldn't remember anything after that.

"Yesterday, you said it yourself downstairs at the Hokage Tower: Uchiha Itachi is your disciple. Now the whole village knows it." Minato was dumbfounded. Things didn't seem to be going as he expected. Shouldn't he have been impressed by Itachi's talent and decided to take him on as a disciple? How did it turn out like this?

"Holy crap! What do we do now?"

After hearing the whole story, Shanks almost wanted to slap himself in the face, but then he remembered that he had made the Tailed Beast cry, so he lowered his hand. This damn big mouth technique had gotten him into trouble too.

"...Since you've said that, Master, and it's spread throughout the village, I think you should just accept him as a disciple. You yourself said his talent is amazing." Minato helplessly spread his hands. Originally, he was going to interrogate him, but now it turned into persuading him to accept a disciple.

"That won't do! I said I wouldn't accept disciples. Everyone in the ninja world knows that I, Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, am a man of my word." Shanks quickly shook his head. He did like Itachi, but he liked Itachi when he was a child, the youngest son of Kishimoto. He couldn't accept him. Wouldn't he have to take the blame when Itachi massacred his clan in a few years?

“But… now the whole village has heard about it. If you reject them, a little kid can’t handle that kind of blow,” Minato said helplessly, shrugging.

".......Sigh! Kakashi is really something, knowing I blacked out, he didn't even send me home, letting me wander around!" Shanks finally nodded helplessly. He was really afraid that Itachi wouldn't be able to handle the grievances and would skip the first three tomoe steps and go straight to the Mangekyou Sharingan, which would be a big problem! Even before the male leads awakened, Kishimoto's favorite son was this unreasonable.

It wasn't the first time he'd taken the blame; he'd already covered for Danzo once, so taking the blame again wouldn't matter. Little did he expect that his first time would be for his older brother, Danzo...

When Shanks arrived at the Hokage Rock with Minato, Itachi was already there, practicing the Uchiha clan's shuriken technique by himself. A super genius is a super genius. Obito had graduated three or four years ago and still couldn't throw shuriken accurately. But look at Itachi, who was only four years old. Ordinary shuriken throwing was no longer enough for him; he was already learning to throw shuriken in curves.

"There aren't many things from the Uchiha clan that catch my eye, but this Uchiha shuriken technique is one that I do admire. I even asked Orochimaru to research it for you, to see if you could use this technique to show off your kunai skills. If you could, you'd be even more impressive, but Orochimaru said it would be difficult." Shanks and Minato watched Itachi from afar as he played with the shuriken that darted around.

"Hmm! This technique requires careful consideration. The force, the trajectory of the shuriken, and the impact force are all indispensable. It took many generations of the Uchiha clan to master this technique. As for modifying kunai... it will probably take a very long time." Minato stared at the curved shuriken, lost in thought. Shanks had given him an idea. If he could use this technique to show off his kunai, he wouldn't need to prepare a large number of Flying Thunder God kunai. Those cost money! These kunai are ridiculously expensive.

"Let's talk about it when you have time. You'll be Hokage soon, so I don't think you'll have much time left. Look at the old Hokage, he's ten years older than me, but he looks like he's my grandfather!" Shanks patted Minato on the shoulder, gloating.

"Haha! This is my life's dream, and I will never give up no matter how hard or tiring it is!" Minato said with a silly grin.

"Ah! Nothing can stop a man's dream. It's good to have dreams!" Shanks turned and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

352. People rejected by their dreams

"To be honest, I didn't know what your dream was, teacher," Minato said with a smile.

"Dreams? I have so many dreams. Before I was ten, I dreamed of becoming the Pirate King, even more awesome than the first one, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. From ten to twenty, I dreamed that my daughter could become one of the Four Emperors and dominate the New World. I did have a daughter, but it seems like that's just a dream. From twenty to thirty, I dreamed of having a son like one of the Four Emperors, but the pregnancy rate in this world makes me want to complain. Now, my only dream is world peace, but it seems like I'm someone whose dreams disdain me." Regardless of whether Minato understood or not, Shanks kept rambling on and on.

"Uh haha...! Teacher's dream is really... unique." Minato was speechless. He could only understand the last one; what were the rest of the ones...? And did he have to be so greedy!

"Genius, huh! The biggest difference between a genius and an ordinary person is their brain. Don't you also like to come up with those cool and awesome names?" Shanks said smugly.

"…Teacher, is Itachi Uchiha really that talented?" Minato abruptly changed the subject; he couldn't handle this question.

"He's about the same level as you, really. If you really want to count, he's on the same level as you and Shisui!" Shanks patted his shoulder. "Your little brother, how could your talent not be strong? Otherwise, Kishimoto wouldn't have thought you were too overpowered and forcibly killed you off."

"I never expected that the Uchiha generation would produce two geniuses, really..." Minato shook his head helplessly. Everyone knew that the relationship between the village and the Uchiha was getting more and more complicated, and he would be becoming Hokage soon. He would have to maintain the relationship between the Uchiha and the village, which was a real headache.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. Not all Uchiha are extreme in their thinking. Of course, I'm talking about a relatively small minority. And it's strange, the clan head's line was chosen by those three elders, but their thoughts are the opposite of theirs. They really brought it on themselves." Shanks smiled. This Uchiha Kagami is indeed a legend; even flirting with girls can change the Uchiha.

"Then, teacher, how should I deal with the Uchiha from now on?" Minato asked in confusion. The successor had become Shanks' disciple, and he didn't know what to do. If it were before, when Shanks was taking on disciples, if the Uchiha dared to act arrogantly in front of him, he would let the Uchiha know just how flamboyant the "Yellow Flash" was. But not now. He had to give face to his future maternal uncle.

"Just handle it however you see fit. I only took Itachi as my disciple, not to be the Uchiha's protector. If they rebel, you can wipe them out. Besides, I never interfere in village affairs. You should discuss this with the Hokage. You can't consult him on everything. You're the Hokage; you need to make your own decisions." Shanks rolled his eyes. This guy hadn't even taken Itachi yet, and the village's political climate had already shifted. Was his influence really that great?

"........I know what to do." Minato could tell from his attitude that he wouldn't interfere in the Uchiha matter anymore. He had only taken in one person, and it had nothing to do with the clan.

"But teacher, what do you plan to teach this child? Swordsmanship?" Minato asked, looking at Itachi who was playing with shuriken. Uchiha Fire Release? Shanks doesn't know that. Sharingan? No, he doesn't have that either. As for hidden weapons, who knows who will show off their skills?

The Uchiha clan are clearly technical fighters, which doesn't match Shanks's hard-hitting style at all. It seems like the only skill they can learn is swordsmanship.

"He can't learn swordsmanship either, but some taijutsu can be used with slight modifications. Like your improved finger pistol, he can learn that too, right? Besides, the Uchiha's Sharingan is probably related to mental power. After he awakens it, he might be able to learn the paper drawing you couldn't even learn back then. While you're still a Pokémon before you become Hokage, help me improve Shave, Moon Walk, and Tempest Kick." Shanks patted Minato's shoulder smugly.

He doesn't have the skill to improve the Six Powers of Naruto, but the people around him do. Otherwise, Orochimaru has been too absorbed in his work lately, and he even wanted to ask Orochimaru to help him improve it.

"...My footwork is alright, but this Shaving and Moonwalk...it will take some time. Our bodies aren't as strong as yours..." Minato said, sweating profusely. He had seen all the Six Powers in the Naruto version. Back then, he didn't know how many times he had injured his fingers just from the modified Finger Pistol. He simply couldn't do Shaving and Moonwalk. Stomping the ground more than ten times in an instant...he almost ruined his foot back then.

"Then let's work on the Tempest Kick first. We have two or three years left, that should be enough," Shanks said. In another two or three years, Kishimoto will kill off Minato, and Shanks said there was nothing he could do. However, he could save Kushina. The Uzumaki clan has such strong vitality, so she should be fine if the Nine-Tails was removed from her for a short time.

"No problem, I'll be going now."

Minato didn't understand what Shanks meant by "not enough time," and didn't pay much attention. He assumed it simply meant that in two or three years, Itachi Uchiha would be in school, and there wouldn't be enough time to teach the Six Powers. He had no idea that this bastard was also calculating how much longer he could live...

.......

"Hey, not bad! The shuriken can even curve!" Shanks said with a smile as he approached Itachi after Minato left.

"This is a family technique passed down in our Uchiha clan. Hasn't Lord Shanks seen it before?" Little Itachi turned around and wiped the sweat from his little face.

"...I saw it once decades ago. Do you think this technique is so easy to learn that anyone can do it? Even your old man couldn't do it." Shanks pouted. Over the years, he had indeed seen it at the place of Uchiha Kagami, who was suspected to be Itachi's grandfather.

"That's easy. Zhi Shui said that my strength is too weak and my control is not stable enough." This guy is so pure and unpolluted.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense. From today onwards, you'll call me teacher. When you get back, remember to have your dad send a big gift to my house. Remember, it has to be huge, not just big!" Shanks affectionately rubbed Itachi's little face, looking at Itachi's delicate face as if he could see countless gifts. It's a tradition of the Uchiha clan that their gifts are never small, even from a young age.

The Uchiha clan head's lineage, spanning two generations, has received countless gifts from Shanks. It's safe to say that one-third of Shanks' current wealth comes from those gifts from the Uchiha clan over the years.

Since I'm already prepared to take the blame, if I don't go all out and cause trouble, I might be the one who regrets it.

"It's the teacher!"

Although his cheeks were rubbed, Itachi was overjoyed to be taken in as a disciple by Shanks, as this would lighten the burden on his father's shoulders considerably.

353. I just couldn't resist bragging.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

After two hours of exploding clones, Itachi was panting heavily on the ground. A thousand clones were no joke; even a thousand ordinary people standing there and letting him chop them down would exhaust him. For a little boy of just over four years old to be able to fight eight hundred of them was already quite impressive. He had a chance to break Kakashi's record for the age of a thousand-man kill.

"Hey kid! You're already done for? Get up. A man can't admit he's no good." Shanks teased Itachi, who was being rubbed into the ground by two hundred clones, with a cheeky grin.

"..."

Itachi silently looked at Shanks in protest; it wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but that he simply didn't have the strength to.

"Hey! You have good talent, but you're still a bit lacking. When I was your age, I was already fighting off a pack of wolves in the Forest of Death." Shanks shamelessly reminisced and boasted in front of a four-year-old.

"Teacher, are there any animals in the Death Forest?" The elite education systems of wealthy families all share a common flaw: they are too straightforward.

"There were so many back then! It's just that they were almost wiped out by the village ninjas over the years. So look at these ninjas, killing and burning isn't enough, now they're destroying the ecological balance." Shanks said with a compassionate expression.

"........"

Little Itachi was too lazy to watch him show off; didn't he get tired of putting on such a show?

"By the way, now that you've become my student, the training content needs to be changed. After each fight, you'll need to do some physical exercises. Don't think that being a ninja is just about throwing shuriken and showing off ninjutsu. Although your Uchiha shuriken techniques are flashy and impressive, I've never heard of anyone being killed by your Uchiha shuriken skills. As for ninjutsu, powerful ones consume too much chakra. And for people like you Uchiha who have developed your technical skills to the peak, taijutsu is also indispensable. And I'm not bragging, but there's no one in the ninja world who can go toe-to-toe with me in taijutsu for a whole day." Shanks said proudly.

"...But what does it have to do with me..." Little Itachi looked up at the sky speechlessly, having listened to him ramble on for so long, he still didn't know what the hell it had to do with him.

"It's nothing, I just couldn't help blowing on it," Shanks said, pinching his cheek.

The original Itachi relied too much on the Mangekyou Sharingan. If it weren't for Kishimoto giving him two divine artifacts, you really wouldn't be able to tell that this was his youngest son. He appeared with Tsukuyomi from the very beginning, and then it was Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi from beginning to end, with blood flowing from his eyes.

Ultimately, if it weren't for summoning the Red Giant and wielding two divine artifacts, everyone would have thought that Itachi's only skills were bleeding eyes and a few minor tricks...

Now that he's taken on disciples, he certainly can't rely on his eyes like in the original story. At least he should be able to easily defeat two Deidaras riding birds and pooping without even needing his eyes...

"Alright, now let's start practicing chakra control and some physical exercise." Shanks said seriously, reluctantly letting go of Itachi's face.

Teaching geniuses is that simple. As soon as Shanks finished speaking, they knew what to do. The processing stage, of course, involves stepping on trees and walking along walls.

Back when he was teaching Nawaki, he was such a simpleton. Only Orochimaru could tolerate such an idiot. Shanks, on the other hand, beat Nawaki's head off quite a few times back then.

...........

"Haha! Uchiha clan head, you're too kind. I already told Itachi-sama not to bring any gifts. Look at this...it's too much!" That evening, the second male lead's father indeed brought Itachi-sama to the Senju clan with a caravan. The caravan was much more impressive than usual. Shanks almost drooled as he looked at the caravan behind him. Sure enough, it's more profitable to scam the Uchiha than anyone else.

"......"

Little Weasel was bewildered. Didn't you say you'd have my father send a big gift? Why have you changed your mind now? The adult world is truly incomprehensible.

"Lord Shanks, you flatter me. I'll leave Itachi in your care from now on." The second male lead's father was already used to Shanks' way of speaking. Didn't he hear how long he drew out the last "big"?

"Sis, selling these things would be enough for you to gamble with Garp for ten years," Nawaki whispered to Tsunade from behind.

"Dad! I haven't been to the casino for days!" Tsunade stared at the convoy without saying a word. Garp, who was being led by Tsunade, was getting restless. Ever since Shanks came back, he hadn't been to the casino. Every time he went in, Shanks would use a clone to kick him out of the casino, and every time it was a deadly blow.

Shanks's swirling facial expression is a culmination of the Thousand Hands technique. While he may not excel in other areas, his incredible durability surpasses even Danzo's. The first Danzo might be beaten so badly he couldn't get out of bed, but the next morning he'd be wide awake and full of energy.

Although Shisui was a year or two older than him at school, he was still afraid of him. With his toughness, he was trained by Tsunade to be like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, wielding his monstrous fist with great force. Before fighting, he would first punch the ground. Any of the school's weaklings would turn weak in the knees when they saw that destructive power.

“You can continue if you’re not afraid of your great-uncle’s iron fist. Your old man has plenty of money, though.” Rope Tree said to his son with great pride.

"Auntie, do you have any ideas?" Garp knew Tsunade well. Looking at the convoy behind the second male lead's father, it would be strange if she didn't have any ideas. She was already very uncomfortable when she heard that this uncle wanted to take Uchiha people as his disciples. You know, we have geniuses in our own family, why not teach these geniuses instead of teaching the Uchiha who have a grudge against the Senju?

However, when she saw that the convoy stretched as far as the eye could see, all her anger dissipated, and Tsunade said that she should remember to take her along in the future.

Tsunade estimated that even if she and Garp performed normally, there would be enough people here to live a carefree life for several years without any problem, and it would be the kind of carefree way to enjoy themselves without worrying about anything else.

"Not today. If we continue now, your great-uncle will definitely be keeping a close watch. We'll make our move tomorrow night. I have the key," Tsunade said calmly, arms crossed.

"........"

Rope Tree looked at the aunt and niece speechlessly. Damn it, the other person hasn't even moved in yet, and you two have already started plotting.

"Hmm! You don't want so much either? I'm just doing the hard work. This time, we should split it 30/70!" After agreeing on the price, Garp also started negotiating with Tsunade. This is the advantage of being junior. If it were Nawaki, how dare he talk to Tsunade? It would be strange if he didn't get beaten to a pulp by Tsunade.

Garp is completely different. He grew up with Tsunade since childhood, and the saying "one is influenced by one's company" is really true. He is practically a male version of Tsunade. He beats people up at school all the time. As his homeroom teacher, Iruka's father often went to Hiruzen Sarutobi to complain, and then Hiruzen Sarutobi went to Tsunade.

"Didn't I beat them all up like this back then?" Tsunade's words left Hiruzen Sarutobi speechless. This guy was Tsunade's precious treasure, so apart from being afraid of his mother, he dared to challenge anyone in Konoha. If he could beat Shanks, he probably would have already raised his fist.