Konoha Drunkard

"Haha! Hokage, you can't listen to Shanks' nonsense. You've worked so hard for Konoha's brand for decades, how could we possibly ask you to pay us back? Those drinking expenses were just a joke between Shanks and this old man." Old Man Igawa laughed awkwardly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hahaha, I know Shanks has kept my name on your tavern all these years. Tomorrow, take your bills to the Sarutobi clan, and they will settle your accounts. You need to make a living too!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said gently to the old man Igawa and some villagers. This was a good opportunity to boost his reputation. As an excellent politician, how could he not know this?

Hearing the old man Igawa's heartfelt praise, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt incredibly pleased. The feeling that being Hokage was exhausting vanished instantly, and he felt as if he had become decades younger, as if he could serve for another twenty years without any problem.

These villagers' praise is much better than Shanks's nonsensical boasting; it's an acknowledgment of his decades of dedication to Konoha.

"How can that be! We're already happy enough to live peacefully in Konoha, how can we accept money from the Hokage?" said a soy sauce vendor.

"Hehe, no need for formalities, everyone. You're all doing business to make a living, right? Go into the cave with Shinnosuke, and tomorrow you two go and settle Shanks's debts from all these years." Hiruzen Sarutobi instructed his eldest son and nephew. Shanks hadn't spent much money on alcohol over the decades, and this was a chance for him to boost his reputation as he prepared to abdicate. Hiruzen Sarutobi almost couldn't resist giving him a kiss.

360. My daughter just got married and I'm in a bad mood.

The drinking session ended not long after Shanks blacked out, which led to Itachi waiting for a long time at the Hokage Rock the next day without seeing Shanks. So he came to the Senju clan to see what was going on.

The Uchiha clan rarely comes to the Senju clan's territory. Although there is no conflict between the two clans now, they were mortal enemies for hundreds of years after their ancestors were tricked by Black Zetsu into loving and killing each other. It wasn't until Madara appeared and established Konoha with Hashirama Senju that Madara was able to frequently visit the Senju clan.

Although the Senju clan only has a few members now, they have many relatives. The clan's territory is now inhabited by the Uzumaki clan, who are relatives of the Senju.

"Isn't that the Uchiha genius? What's he doing here?"

"They must be looking for Lord Shanks. I heard he got drunk again last night."

"I really don't understand. Our Uzumaki clan has many geniuses, so why did Lord Shanks take an Uchiha as his disciple?"

"I heard it's because he's destined to be with this kid. Who knows what such an important person is thinking?"

As Little Itachi continued his journey through the Senju clan's territory, the Uzumaki clan members around him chattered incessantly.

"Huh? Itachi, are you here to see your great-uncle? He's not up yet." When Itachi arrived at Shanks' house, Garp was playing with three dice on the table in the hall.

"Don't you have to go to school today, Brother Garp?" Itachi asked. It should be school time now, he had just seen Shisui on the road when he came out.

"Ah, I drank too much last night, and my head hurts a bit today, so I'm too lazy to go. You have no idea how boring school is. All day long, those teachers keep lecturing, like flies buzzing in your ear." Garp didn't take skipping class seriously. Anyway, his aunt was protecting him, and that teacher, Umino, wouldn't dare to contact his parents. At most, he would just complain to the Hokage. He was used to it.

"Really? But I heard Shisui say that school is a lot of fun, and there are lots of friends to be with."

"Shisui is lying to you. You'll know how painful it is when you go to school. I'd rather stay home and play dice." Garp thought about how many more years he would have to go to school and felt utterly hopeless. Moreover, he couldn't graduate early. His aunt had told him that Kakashi had graduated early because he was too young and had done odd jobs for several years. Now, he, the crown prince of the Senju clan, was doing odd jobs. What a joke! He would rather skip classes and waste his time at school.

"By the way, I heard you learned finger guns? Let me see how powerful they are." Garp suddenly asked Itachi. He preferred to use his fists to punch people rather than finger guns, so he was too lazy to learn them. Moreover, his fighting style was all about brute force. He didn't like technical skills. He was just curious whether the power of finger guns was really as great as Minato said.

"It's alright, my chakra level isn't high enough, so the power isn't very great," Little Itachi said.

"Alright, let's have a contest and see if your finger gun is more powerful or my superhuman strength is more powerful. The loser... has to grant the winner one wish, how about that?" Garp said with a sly grin, his eyes darting around.

"boom!"

"No need for a contest, I'll grant your wish to be masochistic right now." As soon as Garp finished speaking, Shanks suddenly delivered a punch to his head from behind, imbued with Armament Haki. Since he couldn't be killed anyway, he could just keep punching him.

That little bastard is a real genius; he can even come up with this kind of scam. He's already shameless when it comes to gambling... just like him.

"Ouch! Grandfather, remind me before you hit me next time, it hurts a lot." Garp lay on the ground, rubbing the big bump on his head vigorously.

"Reminding you will only make it hurt more! Little Itachi, the teacher just got married, so he's in a bad mood. Today is the day off, we'll talk about it tomorrow." Shanks said, sitting down and rubbing his head.

Big Mom is gone, and Haruko is getting old, so the chances of her getting pregnant are slim. Her only dream of being the father of a Yonko and the Pirate King is also dashed. It's really frustrating. Turning to look at Garp, who's lying on the ground rubbing his head... at least he has a Marine hero as his grandson.

"...If there's nothing else, teacher, I'll head back now." Itachi noticed that Shanks didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

"Go back first. We'll train again tomorrow. You can rest for a day." Shanks nodded. In about half a year, Itachi was almost five years old and could already kill a thousand people. It's good to give him a break. After all, ordinary people deliberately had to wait until Itachi was seven or eight to achieve the ten-thousand-man kill, and then progressed to genin, chunin, jonin...

Unless he unlocks the kaleidoscope, Shanks really can't figure out how Itachi could possibly clear the game.

Even if Minato improves the Six Powers in the Naruto version, Itachi probably won't be able to use it many times. Just the advanced version of Finger Pistol alone is a huge drain on chakra.

Ordinary people don't have the superhuman physical strength of the Third Raikage or Shanks; even the current Fourth Raikage can't do it.

"Didn't your great-uncle see you drinking quite happily yesterday?" Garp said, getting up and touching his large bag after Itachi left.

"That's called drowning your sorrows in alcohol. Can you even understand a four-character idiom? Spend your time reading more books instead of always playing dice," Shanks said disdainfully.

"...Fine! I'll go to the study to read!" Garp rolled his eyes and ran to the study. If he stayed any longer, he might end up with a few more bumps on his head.

.......

After Garp ran away, Shanks went to the warehouse to see the spoils of his daughter's wedding. Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, got married, and Shanks kept his word, giving away all his wealth.

Shanks arrived at the Senju's warehouse, where some Uzumaki clan members were still taking inventory.

"Brother Jiulang, how is it?" Shanks asked an elderly member of the clan.

"Lord Shanks, the Uchiha clan has just finished moving their belongings. There are just too many things, so it will take some time to take inventory. To be honest, even our old village of Uchiha has never seen so much stuff," Uzumaki Kuro exclaimed.

"Of course, otherwise we wouldn't be one of the two strongest clans in the Warring States period for hundreds of years. By the way, after you've finished counting, give the list to Brother Ichinotake. This is the entire fortune of our Uzumaki clan. I guess this is the only time we'll have this much. It'll be hard to come by again." Shanks said with a hint of regret. His daughter was already married, so it seemed he really had no reason to openly accept gifts anymore. In a few years, after the Uchiha clan was wiped out, maybe he could go and take some. Anyway, even if he didn't take it, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably give it to his good friend's foundation. Rather than letting Danzo waste it, it would be better to let Shanks support his family.

"By the way, Lord Shanks, Minato also sent the betrothal gifts this morning. I was going to call you, but he said you drank too much yesterday, so I didn't go." Uzumaki Kuro said with a smile when he mentioned Minato, clearly another member of the bride's family who had been bribed by Minato.

Minato's methods are truly brilliant. He has almost completely won over the Uzumaki clan. Regardless of age or gender, everyone smiles when they talk about Minato. His face is so appealing that it's easy for people to like him.

361. Infernal Affairs officially begins filming

"Well, great scientist, huh? This young man looks familiar, where have I seen him before?" Shanks had just come out of the warehouse when he saw Snake releasing snakes at his feet. Arriving at Snake's lab, he found that Little Red Bean wasn't there, but instead, a young man wearing glasses. Shanks felt a strong sense of familiarity, but he just couldn't remember who it was. However, anyone who seemed familiar to him was definitely a character from the story.

"Hehe, his name is Yakushi Kabuto. I arranged for him to work for our Lord Danzo before," Orochimaru said as he walked over from behind.

"Oh! No wonder he looked so familiar. He used to be with my brother Danzo. I must have seen him somewhere before." Shanks suddenly realized, but it wasn't what he said. It was Orochi Kabuto, the awesome guy who would one-on-one fight Kishimoto's youngest son and the second male lead. But Shanks really couldn't compliment his appearance.

This person, in his pursuit of being impressive, has made himself look neither human nor ghost. Doesn't he get scared awake in his sleep?

"So? What's the matter with you looking for me this time?" Shanks asked Orochimaru after suddenly realizing what was going on.

“A few months ago, I found a child outside the village. He possessed a large amount of Sage Chakra. I used his chakra to develop a cursed seal, but the data is not yet perfect. I remember that Captain spent two years learning Sage Mode. With your talent, Captain, you should be able to do it. So I would like to ask you to give me some blood after you activate Sage Mode.” Snake said with great enthusiasm.

"Ha! If you hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten that I could use Sage Mode. After all these years, I haven't had an opponent who could make me use Sage Mode. I almost forgot. Life is truly lonely as snow!" Shanks showed off a little. He remembered that this Sage Mode was a surprise he had prepared for Madara. However, he encountered Madara a little too early. He encountered an old Madara who was barely clinging to life. Forget about using Sage Mode, Madara was already exhausted before he could even use his full strength. He was extremely disappointed.

"It's been so many years since I've transformed, let me gather my strength..." Shanks had barely finished speaking when the Sage Mode mark appeared on his face. The change wasn't drastic, but his aura had grown significantly. Although it wasn't as ferocious as Conqueror's Haki, Kabuto almost stumbled.

"Uh haha... Sorry, it's been too long since I transformed, I couldn't control myself for a moment." Shanks said apologetically to Kabuto.

"So...so strong!"

Kabuto Yakushi stared in shock at Shanks' transformation. Even as a Special Jonin, he almost couldn't withstand Shanks' aura. He truly was a legendary ninja in the ninja world.

"I'm so envious. Captain Shanks' Sage Mode is much more perfect than Jiraiya's." Orochimaru looked at Shanks with sparkling eyes, as if admiring a work of art. This is the real Sage Mode. It's nothing like Jiraiya's half-baked transformation, which takes him several minutes to transform.

"Stop babbling and bring the test tube. Don't you know transforming is tiring? It's been decades since I've done it, I'm really not used to it." Shanks couldn't stand being looked at like that by Snake. He was indeed getting more and more perverted. He remembered that Snake had turned into a girl later on and even had a child... This was really... too amazing.

"By the way, great scientist, how's your research on the art of growing taller coming along?" Shanks tossed the blood-filled test tube to Yakushi-dou.

"There hasn't been much progress yet. Ninjutsu involving the soul is very difficult to study." As Orochimaru spoke, his eyes dimmed. He always considered himself the number one scientist since the Second Hokage, but when it came to knowledge about the soul, he was at a loss. So far, he had been using the Second Hokage's records of developing the Impure World Reincarnation to study the soul. However, the Impure World Reincarnation and his ideal longevity technique were in opposite directions. His ideal longevity was to transfer his own soul to a younger body and live on using the youthful life, while the Impure World Reincarnation was to summon the soul of another person back. They were completely different things.

"Fine... you're going to summon your second uncle to do the research together? I don't think your second uncle would mind if you impersonated Tsunade's man once." Shanks said cheekily, stroking his chin.

"Hehe, I still prefer to create my own research." Orochimaru shook his head without even thinking. What a joke! If Tsunade found out, he didn't want to suffer those iron fists. He wasn't Jiraiya with masochistic tendencies.

"Is there a problem with your development direction? You know, other people's bodies are not your own. If you transfer them, won't it damage your soul like when you summoned Uncle?" He remembered that Orochimaru was once instantly killed by Itachi, which made Shanks complain. Although Orochimaru had put all his talent points into escape, his current strength was still top-notch. It was surprising that he was instantly killed by Itachi with just a glance because of soul damage.

"There's nothing I can do right now. I'm working on improving the Second Hokage's Impure World Reincarnation technique, but it will take a long time. And... Captain, it seems I'm going to have to leave the village." Orochimaru said, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Ah! Come back and have a drink with me when you have time." Shanks said, playing with the little white snake in his hand. He knew that Orochimaru's feelings for Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi were deeper than anyone else's. For his own dream and to prevent Hiruzen Sarutobi from taking the blame, Orochimaru had no choice but to leave. In the later stages of his research, Orochimaru didn't care about human lives at all. Rather than waiting for Danzo to expose him and make Hiruzen Sarutobi take the blame, it was better for him to leave first. Anyway, Konoha was full of experts now, so losing one of his double-flowered red staff members wouldn't matter.

"Hehe, I might be a rogue ninja by the time I come next time. I hope the captain won't lay a hand on me then," Orochimaru chuckled after calming down.

"By the way! Speaking of rogue ninjas, I wonder if you're interested in the circle eyes... no! the Rinnegan?" Upon hearing the word "rogue ninjas," Shanks' eyes suddenly lit up. It seemed like this year was a good time to play Infernal Affairs. Wasn't Snake Uncle an even more Chen Yongren-like candidate than Chen Yongren? Shanks announced that Infernal Affairs was officially in production.

"Oh? Captain is interested in the Rinnegan?" Orochimaru asked in surprise.

"It's not that I'm interested, but I ran into Kakuzu during the last peace talks. I heard there was a guy with round eyes trying to recruit him into an organization, and that guy seems pretty strong. I am more interested in that organization. I heard they specialize in buying up rogue ninja at high prices. I suspect my nominal disciple, Sasori, has also been bought by them. If you leave the village, maybe you could check it out and find out if this organization is planning to destroy the world by buying up so many rogue ninja. And I heard they have a lot of funding." Shanks raised an eyebrow.

362. Those who try to scam others always end up being the ones who get scammed.

"Hehe, Captain, are you planning to send me undercover? But I'm quite interested in the Rinnegan, especially since it's Jiraiya's disciple!" Orochimaru was clearly very interested in the Rinnegan that Jiraiya mentioned. It was a legendary eye in the ninja world that he had only heard of but never seen. After Jiraiya mentioned it, Orochimaru even went to look up relevant information. Although there wasn't much recorded, it was certain that the Rinnegan was the foremost of the three great dojutsu in the ninja world.

Madara was able to dominate everything back in the day with his Mangekyou Sharingan. It's impossible for Orochimaru not to be tempted by the appearance of these Rinnegan.

"Just in case. You know how hard it was for the ninja world to finally calm down. Besides, you can conduct your research there without any worries, isn't that great? I'll secretly talk to the Hokage about your situation." Shanks patted his shoulder. As for whether he'll be instantly killed by Itachi again in the future, who knows? After all, Itachi is his disciple now, and Orochimaru will probably give him some face and not attack Itachi. However... it seems like Orochimaru being instantly killed by Itachi is just Kishimoto setting the stage for the second male lead to have a power-up.

“I know what to do,” Snake said to Shanks after his eyes darted around. It seemed he had already figured out how to infiltrate the organization.

"Then I'll be going now. I'll take care of this while my brother Danzo is still in bed." Shanks said, and then disappeared.

"Lord Orochimaru, what about our experiment? The results aren't fully in yet." After Shanks left, Kabuto, who was about ten years old, came out. He had overheard Shanks' conversation with Orochimaru without trying to hide it from him.

Shanks had no reason to bother hiding it from Kabuto. The current major beneficiary of the Konoha orphanage was Haruko-sama, and Danzo's meager funds weren't even enough to cover the expenses of his Root organization. Besides, Haruko-sama was the disciple of Danzo's dream girl, and he didn't need to provoke Koharu Utatane's dislike. He had only just managed to get rid of the blame from last time.

If the orphanage hadn't run into problems, then the current orphanage director, Yakushi Nonou, wouldn't have been forced into this situation by Danzo, and Yakushi Kabuto would still be Orochimaru's little assistant who loves Konoha.

"Move everything that can be moved, and leave the rest for the teacher to use as an excuse." Snake looked at the human bodies in the laboratory. These were experimental subjects that Danzo had taken from outside the village for him, all in order to research a perfect way to transplant the first generation of cells.

Danzo has had enough of suffering. He received a Sharingan and Hashirama's cells, but he's not as powerful as he imagined. Due to the conflict between his two bloodlines and his advanced age, his strength has been declining. His half-brother has vanished without a trace, and he has given up on finding him. His Root organization has searched the entire ninja world for years, but still hasn't found him. The last time they met was half a year ago when they fought Shanks again. When Danzo received the news and sent Root members there, they only found a burned-down forest.

........

"Old Hokage, Orochimaru is planning to betray the village." Shanks arrived at the Hokage's office and, finding him alone, went straight to the point.

"What?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi almost dropped his pipe.

"Don't get so excited. I discussed it with him. I met Kakuzu during the peace talks, and he told me that there's a mysterious organization in the ninja world that's been acquiring powerful rogue ninjas. For the sake of love and peace, I plan to have Orochimaru infiltrate and investigate this organization. However, this is something only you and I can know. As his contact, the fact that he hasn't actually defected is only known to you and me. In other words, if you and I were to die that day, no one would know about this." Shanks sat on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, winking at him as if to say, "Please praise me."

"...Ahem!...Do you think...that Shimura Hanzo might also be a member of the organization?" After learning the whole story, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmed down. As long as it wasn't true, that was fine. Although Orochimaru didn't inherit the title of Hokage, he was still Orochimaru's most talented disciple.

"It's hard to say, but Kakuzu said that the leader of that organization is very strong. Although he didn't say it, judging from his expression at the time, I guess he must have been badly beaten up," Shanks said gloatingly.

"...I didn't expect there to be such an organization in the ninja world. Do you know how many people they have?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, taking a few puffs of his pipe as usual.

"How would I know? Kakuzu only found out about this after I got him to drink a few sips of alcohol. He was still hesitant about joining at the time, but I think he should have joined now." Shanks pouted.

He really didn't know who the members of Akatsuki were right now, but since Kakuzu had already gone in, his nominal little disciple Sasori was probably already inside playing with his toys. He really didn't know when the others had gone in. Anyway, Deidara was just a little kid like Itachi, still playing with art in Iwagakure. And he didn't know when the other follower of the evil god would go in.

Shanks was quite curious about this evil god back then, since it was so powerful. To find this cult, he traveled all over the ninja world and finally found it in the Land of Hot Water. However, those people there all seemed to be perfectly normal people. They didn't have any of the legendary forbidden techniques, nor did they have the ability to share damage with others just by licking their blood like Hidan. Shanks was once very fascinated by such an ability. If he had that skill, he would have told Kishimoto that there was no need for a savior to appear. He could even go toe-to-toe with Kaguya. Although he didn't know if Kaguya was even human, since she had lived for over a thousand years, he would have dared to go toe-to-toe with her if he had true immortality. He didn't want Hidan, who was so weak, to be killed by his grandson. He was a tough guy.

Ultimately, however, he was simply not destined to be with the legendary evil god. The evil god ignored him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Kisame doesn't yet know if he's managed to kill his boss, the fat pig Dahe Fugu, and he doesn't remember much about the others.

"...So you're planning to let Orochimaru into this organization?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Shanks.

"Well! Don't tell me you know nothing about what your disciple and your buddy did. Rather than letting Danzo come looking for trouble, we might as well give him a piece of our mind first. Didn't he spread rumors that someone in the village was missing? I reckon by the time he makes his move, someone in the village will actually be missing." Shanks gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a disdainful look, while also feeling sorry for his older brother Danzo. He always thought he could trick Hiruzen Sarutobi, but in reality, he was always the one who got tricked.

Did he really think his best friend didn't know he'd recruited people from outside the village for Orochimaru's research? Did he really think Sakumo's Anbu were just sitting around doing nothing? They were just making him take the blame; since he already claimed to be part of Konoha's Root, they might as well bury him completely.