Konoha Drunkard

354. The Light of Hope of a Thousand Hands

Moreover, Garp's talent is truly remarkable. Although he didn't inherit his mother Shizuka's great healer talent, his ability to smash a boulder with superhuman strength at the age of three is simply a treasure to Tsunade. He's born with a knack for gambling and fists.

“Okay, but don’t take too much, lest we get caught. Also, you’re still young, so I’ll keep it for you. Come find me whenever you want to take some,” Tsunade nodded and said.

"...No way, I'm six years old, not little anymore. My great-uncle was five when he got together with Grandma Haruko!" Just kidding, I kept yours, but mine disappeared the next day too.

Shanks overheard their conversation and felt a terrible headache coming on. His excitement about receiving the gift vanished instantly—after all, he had two gambling gods in his family!

"Itachi's talent is as outstanding as Shisui's, what's so difficult about that? The Uchiha clan is truly blessed with outstanding people. Look, every generation produces a dragon or phoenix, and this generation has two." Having received so many gifts, how could he not say something nice? He was planning to take advantage of the situation when Big Mom got married, the Yonko, to swindle the biggest one. Anyway, in a few years, all that wealth would be left to the second male lead, who would then go after Orochimaru and defect, and then the Uchiha's wealth would be confiscated. Wouldn't that be a waste? He might as well take advantage of the opportunity now to swindle as much as possible, considering it Itachi's tuition fee.

"Lord Shanks, you flatter me."

The second male lead's father humbly said that he had never been so happy since returning from the Land of Water. These words struck a chord with him. No wonder his deceased father and the clan leader had been so fond of sending gifts to Konoha Kurenai the other day! Listen to what he said; it was so pleasant to hear, without a trace of flattery.

With his strength and pleasant manners, if someone like him can't succeed, who can? The second male lead's father felt much more at ease knowing that his son was being taught by him. His son would finally have someone to protect him from now on. In the vortex of Konoha, it's impossible to survive without someone to protect you.

"Haha, that's no compliment. It's thanks to your brilliant leadership that the Uchiha clan has been able to shine in the ninja world. If it were someone else, they would be lucky to maintain the status quo. Unlike now, everyone in the ninja world knows that the Uchiha clan leader is incredibly powerful. He wiped out the Kaguya clan leader with a single Fire Release technique." Shanks showed no sign of stopping.

Since he's already made such a big promise, he won't stop until he's tricked people into giving him another big gift.

"Haha, Lord Shanks, you're too kind, you flatter me." The second male lead's father felt completely comfortable, much more so than when he was soaking in a hot spring with Mikoto.

"This is no compliment. They say sons resemble their fathers. Look how clever and talented little Itachi is. I wouldn't believe he didn't inherit your talent." Shanks affectionately patted little Itachi's head, looking like a grandfather looking at his grandson.

"......"

Itachi was dumbfounded. Was this still the teacher I was supposed to apprentice under? Why did it turn out like this? The art style had become so strange.

"Haha."

The second male lead's father was speechless with admiration from Shanks; no words could describe his feelings at that moment.

"Ah! What a pity, my Lingling is already engaged, and little Itachi is still too young, otherwise I would have taken him home as a child groom... Speaking of Lingling, when Lingling gets married next month, the Uchiha clan head must come and have a few drinks. Don't send such a big gift! We're all family, just be casual!" Shanks, afraid that the second male lead's father would understand his meaning, gestured to emphasize just how casual, otherwise the straightforward Uchiha Fugaku might really be casual.

"How can this be? Lord Shanks' only daughter's wedding can't be casual, and the Uchiha clan doesn't have a tradition of casualness either. I can't listen to you on this point; we must give a generous gift." The second male lead's father immediately understood Shanks' meaning, but he still had to maintain appearances.

...........

After Shanks launched into a long speech to the second male lead's father, the father finally declared that he would send a massive gift when Big Mom got married, and no one could stop him; anyone who tried to stop him would face his wrath.

"Four Kingdoms! Grand Uncle, you're amazing! In less than an hour, the next batch of gifts is already on its way."

Everyone in the family was used to Shanks' tricks with gifts, but Garp was different. At this moment, he looked at his great-uncle as if he were God. He was so damn powerful. At this moment, he seemed to see an endless stream of gambling funds beckoning to him.

"Nonsense, if you weren't capable, how could you have raised your aunt and me for so long? By the way, what were you two talking about just now, something about splitting the profits 30/70? Tell me about it, I want to join too," Shanks said, looking at him.

"It's nothing. My aunt invited me to the Konoha Grand Hotel for a couple of drinks tonight, but I said I couldn't accept that. We should split the bill 30/70." He didn't seem like his father at all. Look how fast his mind works, and he's a natural actor; even his eyebrows can express something.

"Really? You think I'm stupid? Can't you hear me? Kid, let me tell you, if I see you in a casino before you graduate and become a ninja, I'll beat you up every time I see you." Shanks raised his fist and said to Garp.

Being too resilient isn't a good thing either. This little bastard gets beaten half to death every time, but he's fine the next day. There are really a lot of oddballs in the Senju clan. Meanwhile, why is the Uzumaki clan so much more normal, except that the girls are violent maniacs? They're all pretty normal. There are very few brainless saviors like the Savior.

"Received, don't worry!"

Garp nodded, hiding behind Tsunade like a good boy.

Shanks gave himself the Tenseigan. "You'd be a fool to believe that. If even the greatest gamblers could quit gambling, he could quit eating."

“Starting tomorrow, after school you will come to the Hokage Rock and train with me in front of your two great-grandfathers, so that your second uncle won’t say that I only taught the Uchiha and forgot about the Senju.”

"What? No need, right? I can take on a whole group at school." Garp was unhappy. He had finally waited until his aunt came back, but he still couldn't go out and have some fun. The little time he had left after school was already squeezed dry.

"That won't do. The Senju clan will rely on you to carry on its glory from now on. Go and train obediently." This time, Tsunade spoke up, and there was no hope for Nawaki. The Senju clan had now become synonymous with the lewd and despicable. The reputation that her two grandfathers had worked so hard to build up back then had been used up by Nawaki. So, the task of building up reputation from now on could only be left to the equally talented Senju Light, Garp.

Most importantly, with the same amount of money, it's better to gamble alone than with someone else. Ever since Garp grew up and learned to gamble, she's never had a good time taking him to the casino. Every time she plays normally and loses half her money, just when she wants to continue, Garp on the other side plays normally and loses all his money as well. This time, she finally has an excuse to leave him behind, so how could she possibly let this opportunity pass by?

355. Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, is getting married.

Days passed as Shanks became the leader of the children. By the end of Konoha 48, almost half a year had passed since the end of the Third World War. The ninja world was usually quite peaceful after each major war, and every village entered a period of recuperation.

Today, Shanks finally decided to change out of his wrinkled white shirt and floral shorts and put on a smart suit. Although he wasn't exactly handsome, he at least looked presentable.

"Haha! Lord Shanks, congratulations! Time flies, Linlin is getting married in the blink of an eye." Old man Igawa, who is known as a veteran of three Konoha reigns, was the first to arrive today, holding a congratulatory card.

That's right! Today is the wedding day of Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors. Shanks has been drinking at her house for decades, so he can't afford not to send her an invitation on his daughter's wedding day. What if the old man gets angry and passes away?

"Haha, time really flies. In a while, you'll be a four-dynasty veteran. You'll be the most stable one in Konoha." Shanks teased the old man Igawa, who had only a few white hairs on his head.

"Haha, look at what you're saying. Today is Lingling's wedding, and I've brought out the most prized wine from my shop." Old Man Jingchuan gestured to the two young men from the shop behind him to unload the wine from the carriage.

"You're too kind. With your status, you've come all this way, why bring wine? It's making me live a few years less, really." Shanks kept being polite to him, but his eyes never left the boxes of wine on the carriage.

"Haha, I'll go in first, so as not to disturb you while you're entertaining your guests." Old Man Jingchuan knew his character all too well.

"Son-in-law! Help me entertain Mr. Igawa properly!" Shanks shouted to the smaller version of the rocket launcher inside the house. As for why it was called the smaller version, it was because the larger version of the rocket launcher had to come out to entertain guests again after retiring for half a year because of his son's wedding.

"Got it," the little guy in his groom's suit replied lazily.

"Shikaku, today is your wedding day, cheer up, it wouldn't be good to get beaten up by the teacher on your wedding day," Yamanaka Inoichi reminded Shikaku.

Originally, Yamanaka Inoichi, as the current Ino-Shika-Cho trio, was supposed to play the role of entertaining guests, while Akimichi Choza was responsible for eating and drinking.

Shanks thought he was too polite in his speech and didn't understand the essence of tricking people into giving gifts, so Shanks dismissed him from his role and told him to just be his best man.

"Ugh, this is such a hassle. Once in a lifetime is enough." The small rocket scratched its head helplessly.

"...How many more times do you want to do this? Aren't you afraid the teacher will beat the crap out of you..." Yamanaka Inoichi glanced at him sideways.

"..."

After realizing he'd misspoke, Little Cannon fell silent and lazily followed Yamanaka Inoichi to entertain Old Man Igawa. Normally, according to their family rules, they didn't invite commoners, but Big Cannon was easygoing and would do whatever he wanted. He'd already been ripped off with so much dowry, so he figured he might as well follow Shanks' example. After he retired, his son would still need Shanks' protection.

"Wow! Captain looks so handsome today!" A flamboyant voice came from afar. Jiraiya had arrived with his future Hokage disciple. After the war ended, he had been traveling around, but with the captain's daughter's wedding, followed by his disciple's wedding and becoming Hokage, he had no choice but to come back.

"That's right, it's my precious daughter's wedding today, and I've replaced all my old white shirt, floral pants, and worn-out wooden clogs that I've worn for decades." Shanks looked at Jiraiya with disdain. Ever since he went out and had some fun, this guy has really let himself go. This outfit is exactly how he'll look in the anime.

No wonder he couldn't win Tsunade's heart; with that outfit, even the old lady selling fish balls next to him looked at him with disdain.

"Captain, what kind of look is that? I've prepared a big gift." Jiraiya was enraged by Shanks's gaze. He had dressed up deliberately today, as he hadn't seen the domineering Tsunade in so long and was thinking of making a good impression on her.

"Really? How much? Your novels are making money?" Shanks said dismissively.

"Haha! Don't worry, Captain, it's definitely bigger than Orochimaru's." Jiraiya said confidently. In his entire life, apart from teaching his disciple to defeat Orochimaru, he seemed to have no other advantages. This time, he had been preparing for a long time to slap Orochimaru in the face.

"...Minato, get your betrothal gifts ready, it'll be your turn soon."

Shanks gave him the Tenseigan and ignored him, turning instead to tease the future Hokage.

"Hahaha! Everything's ready, just waiting for that day." Minato has really gone all out, taking out all the gifts that his families had given him. In his opinion, those things were all useless. Since his homeroom teacher is so greedy, he might as well give them all to him.

"I knew I hadn't misjudged you. The first time I saw you at school, I knew this kid would be amazing! My premonition was pretty accurate." Shanks looked at Minato with satisfaction. He really was a simple-minded little sun, and the idea that money was dirt was perfectly embodied in him.

Damn, that was a gift from all the clans of Konoha, and it was for the future Hokage. How could it be anything less? They just gave it away without even blinking.

"Captain, didn't Tsunade open the door?" Jiraiya ignored Shanks and Minato's chatter, looked around, and was somewhat disappointed to find that Tsunade was not there.

"Ah! They're probably having a match with Garp at the casino. They'll come over after they lose," Shanks said, shrugging.

"Is that so? I'll go find her and come back with her later." After hearing Shanks' words, Jiraiya had already disappeared.

"He has no ambition whatsoever."

Shanks pouted and said.

"Haha, teacher, I won't bother you anymore, I'm going in first." Minato laughed and ran inside, he still wanted to learn some experience from Shikaku.

"Lord Shanks, congratulations!"

No sooner had Minato left than Kurenai Yuhi arrived with her daughter, who was wearing colored contact lenses, but she was followed by a tail.

As Asma grew older, he felt increasingly desperate, knowing that in two years his girlfriend, who wore colored contact lenses, would be getting engaged to his classmate.

So, during this time, despite being relentlessly beaten by Hiruzen Sarutobi every day, Asuma went to the girl with the colored contacts' house early every morning to keep watch. Yuhi Shinku was helpless; she was even moved by Asuma's determination. But what could she do? He and her daughter were destined to be apart. Asuma's talent might be slightly inferior to Kakashi's, but Kakashi simply didn't see his sincerity. The Hatake clan were all tough guys. Every time Yuhi Shinku thought of this, she looked at her right hand, the one she had impulsively used to make mistakes, and really wanted to chop it off. Now, going back on her word was no use. Those two behemoths of Konoha would surely devour him; ninjas valued their promises above all else.

356. One ninja world cannot cover it.

"Haha, how about it, are you envious? You can also get Kurenai engaged to Kakashi!" Shanks raised an eyebrow at Kurenai Yuhi with a smug look.

"..." Upon hearing Shanks' words, Asuma felt utterly hopeless and wanted to ask the heavens why he wasn't born into the Hatake family. Why didn't his father make a promise with Uncle Shinku? With Uncle Shinku being so handsome, his daughter would surely be beautiful. He would have tolerated it even if she had a son.

The girl with colored contact lenses, her face flushed with embarrassment, clutched the hem of her clothes, unaware of the despairing Asuma behind her.

"Kid, there are plenty of fish in the sea. This girl with colored contacts is already taken before she's even born. You should end this ill-fated relationship as soon as possible. As the biggest second-generation official in Konoha, you still have a good market." After Kurenai Yuhi left with her daughter with colored contacts, Shanks pulled Asuma aside, who wanted to follow, and comforted him.

"...No, I'm head over heels for Hong. If she gets married, I'll wait for her forever." Asma became emotional, tears streaming down her face.

"You can't say that to your dad, or he'll really beat you to death. Your brother has already sworn he won't get married until he becomes Hokage. If you do it again, your dad's blood vessels will burst," Shanks said.

"...Forget it, what's the point of a life without fame?" Asuma looked at Shanks with grief and indignation. It was all because of him, that damned promise.

"Kid, what kind of look is that? Back when I was making the Crimson Pact, my little Lingling wasn't even born yet!" Shanks pouted. Luckily, Asuma wasn't a member of the Uchiha clan, otherwise his Mangekyou Sharingan would have already appeared. Looking at that angry little face, he'd be almost as angry as Obito.

"Oh. Asuma, so you're here. Mother said you left early this morning."

At this moment, Asuma's older brother, Midori, and Sarutobi Sumedo, who had been taking care of their father at home for a long time, came over together. Midori represented Sarutobi Hiruzen, while Sumedo represented the Sarutobi clan.

"Teacher, my dad made me prepare a super-sized gift." Sarutobi had been winking at Shanks since entering the cave and proudly handed him the gift list.

"Your old man should have prepared a huge portion for me. Looking at you now, you can see how much effort I put into teaching you back then." Shanks glanced at the gift list; it was indeed enormous. It seemed Hiruzen Sarutobi's years as the head of the household hadn't been in vain. Even though his best friend had betrayed him, he was certainly rolling in money.

"Little Green Sprout, the Hokage sent you to deliver this? Isn't he afraid that Koharu will come and block his door?" Shanks complained as he flipped through the gift list that Little Green Sprout handed him. He had just praised his younger brother, and now the older brother was shameless. The gift list was a thick book with only two pages of text, and at the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi had written a sentence in his own hand: "After so many years as Hokage, I have lived a hard life without a salary. The above is my family's wealth over the years."

Shanks wanted to punch someone. This guy's pretense was way too obvious! Didn't he know he was going to ruin his reputation in his later years?

"Haha! I forgot to take out another one. I was in such a rush to leave." Little Green Sprout quickly took out another gift list from his ninja tool bag. Luckily, he had glanced at the gift list his father had given him when he left, and even he felt a little embarrassed. Then, when he went to find his cousin, he casually added another one. Otherwise, with Shanks's big mouth, his father would have become famous in the ninja world again, this time for being stingy.

"Did your dad save the galaxy in his past life to have a son like you who has to clean up his messes? Being the son of someone like that must be exhausting, right?" Shanks looked at the little green seedling with pity.

"Lord Shanks, I'll go in first, you go ahead with your work." The conversation couldn't go on any longer; if it continued, the question of whether his father was actually his biological father would become the talk of the village the next day.

"Go into the cave, tell me... is Shinnosuke really your uncle's biological son? He doesn't seem like it at all. I suspect he's related to Minato by blood." After Little Green Sprout led his younger brother away, Shanks stroked his chin and went into the cave with Sarutobi to discuss the issue of Sarutobi's bloodline.

"Hey! Teacher, I really didn't expect that! No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity with Minato. Apart from their appearance, these two are just too similar." Sarutobi Jin-dong suddenly realized after hearing Shanks' words. No wonder he sometimes called his cousin Minato by mistake after all these years. The reason was really here!

"What? You didn't notice all this time? Sigh! Why did Minato have to be born if Shinnosuke was born too! Both of them are Hokage material, Shinnosuke is a good fit." Shanks sighed as he talked about Shinnosuke, who was chatting with Minato. Actually, even without Minato, Shinnosuke wouldn't become Hokage. First of all, Danzo wouldn't agree, and then Koharu Utatane and the other guys wouldn't agree either. Although it's true that they like Shinnosuke, the Hokage position can't be held by one person alone. Unless Shinnosuke can be like the Fourth Raikage, taking on several candidates single-handedly, Shinnosuke, although he has excellent Earth Release talent, isn't at that unique level yet. He can't become a Kage-level ninja, so the matter of becoming Hokage is out of the question.

That's why, after Minato died in the anime, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to take up the mantle and continue as Hokage. Did he really think he was in a good position? At that time, the Legendary Sannin of Konoha were not around, Sakumo Hatake was betrayed by his best friend, and Kakashi was still in the sewers. Konoha simply didn't have any capable people. If he didn't take the position, who else could?

"Teacher, why do I hear a hint of schadenfreude in your voice?" Sarutobi rolled his eyes. This was the only person who dared to talk about his family to his face. If it were anyone else, he would have shut them up long ago.

"What do you, someone who can't even find a girl, understand about the thoughts of an adult? Go have some fun with your nunchucks." Shanks pulled out a nunchuck from somewhere and tossed it to Sarutobi into the cave. He turned and walked to the door. It was still early morning, and most of the people who had nothing better to do had already arrived. The rest were either important figures or very busy people.

For example, when his good friend Sakumo Hatake got married, Sakumo Hatake took his son to the border to receive the wedding gifts from the Fourth Raikage and the former Grand Steward. Shanks had such a long-standing friendship with the Third Raikage and such a long-time drinking buddy with Sackpoko. If he couldn't even attend his daughter's wedding, it would be a bit inappropriate not to send a wedding gift. The main reason is that Shanks has too big a mouth, and the entire ninja world can't cover it up.