Konoha Drunkard

From childhood, everyone who saw him said he was the son of Konoha's White Fang, the heir to the Anbu, and only then a super genius of Konoha. He wasn't like Asuma, who only wanted to use his Hokage status to pick up girls and constantly told everyone, "My dad's Hokage..."

388. Let's treat him like a godson.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, what happened to that Wood Release boy? Is there no follow-up to my brother Danzo?" Shanks slapped his forehead and asked curiously.

"...His Wood Release is really weak. Its power is probably less than half that of the First Hokage. Minato and the Third Hokage both agreed to train him in the Anbu, but Danzo hasn't made any moves." His best friend was also giving him a headache when it came to Wood Release. Although it was a mission from above, he usually avoided offending a cunning person like Danzo if he could avoid it. However, this time, for the sake of Wood Release, it wouldn't hurt to offend him. Who knew that offending the team would result in a dud? He was incredibly excited when he first saw Wood Release. It was a legendary ninjutsu in the ninja world. After the First Hokage died, no one in the ninja world had awakened it. Nawaki, who everyone had high hopes for, had become a weakling. Everyone was even more interested in Garp, who had the bloodline of the Senju and Uzumaki clans. If Nawaki couldn't awaken it because his genes were diluted by the bloodline of the former Fire Country Daimyo, then Garp was different.

Garp's father was the sole heir of the Senju clan and a direct descendant of the First Hokage. His mother was also a top talent in the Uzumaki clan, especially with her immense vitality. Few in the Uzumaki clan could compare to her. Logically, Garp, who possessed the bloodlines of both families, should have had the last chance to awaken Wood Release. However, whether Garp awakened Wood Release or not is no longer important. Tsunade has already turned him into a violent man. If the Ninja Academy doesn't have a door or a wall smashed down every day, it means Garp hasn't gone to school.

Iruka's father used to frequently try to ambush Hiruzen Sarutobi because of Garp. Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has retired, he's going to ambush Minato instead. However, Minato has watched Garp grow up, so he knows exactly who he is. Besides, a junior like me going to find his teacher's dream girl... he doesn't want to get beaten up, so he can only have an Anbu member who knows Earth Release build walls at the school every day.

"My brother Danzo isn't the kind of person who keeps quiet even when he's being bullied. I wonder what kind of loud, smelly fart he's holding back right now. But is this Wood Release kid really that weak?" Shanks couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Danzo's face when his best friend stole his kill.

"That's how it looks for now... The Third Hokage told me to tell you that when you have time, ask Orochimaru if this child is fully formed or if he's just in the initial stages of fusion." After looking around to make sure no one was around, his best friend whispered to Shanks.

"Orochimaru has my Flying Thunder God technique. Tomorrow, give me a vial of that brat's blood, and I'll give it to Orochimaru for research," Shanks said, also checking on the Akatsuki organization and his nominal disciple, Sasori. He wondered if Sasori, whom Shanks had been hammering on the head for half a year, had recovered or was still pursuing that eternal art.

This little scorpion's pursuit of art is similar to Shanks' deceased father. His father moved his whole family away from Uzushio Village for art and ended up getting into trouble, causing Shanks's beautiful face to be marked with three lines by Blackbeard's ninja.

Scorpion first killed Salamence in his pursuit of art, and then abandoned his grandmother who depended on him for survival. Based on this determination to pursue art, Shanks should at least fulfill his duty as a former teacher. Why should a handsome man like him have to act like a wooden puppet? If he doesn't beat Scorpion to a pulp, he will be letting down Chiyo's 3 billion gold dust. Moreover, Shanks always provides after-sales service in business. He really regrets not using Thor on Scorpion back then.

The birth banquet for Ri Cha's son was not held in a grand manner; he simply invited some acquaintances. After all, he was just a branch clan leader, and it was not appropriate to make it too grand, lest it put him in a difficult position when his older brother had a child in the future.

"Teacher, do you remember a promise you made to your students back then?" After most people left, Hiashi secretly found Shanks, who was drunk and about to leave.

"Of course, I, Shanks, the Red-Haired Emperor, will never forget the promise I made." Shanks patted his chest, his face flushed. In reality, he couldn't possibly remember anything. So many years had passed that he had forgotten how many dates he had gone on with Haruko-sama. How could he possibly remember something so unimportant? But for someone of his status, face was the most important thing. Even if he didn't remember, he had to keep up the act.

"...I would like to ask you to take Neji, Hizashi's son, as your disciple." Hiashi didn't care whether he remembered or not, since when he took Fugaku Uchiha's son as his disciple, he had just made a drunken mistake the day before and then went along with it. Hiashi wanted to take advantage of the situation.

"puff!"

"Are you kidding me? Or did you drink too much and mishear me? I don't know any of the Hyuga's Tai Chi, so what can I teach him?" Shanks spat out the wine he had stuck in his throat. He knew that once he started, he couldn't stop. He had only taken in Itachi for a year and now a Hyuga had appeared. Would Aburame, Inuzuka, Yamanaka, or something like that come next?

“The student doesn’t need you to teach him anything, he just wants to be a nominal disciple. You know our Hyuga clan rules, branch family members are marked with the Caged Bird symbol after they turn three. I was powerless to resist Hizashi back then, but I don’t want Neji to suffer the same torment as Hizashi. As long as you agree to take Neji as your disciple, I think the clan elders will give you face and let Neji go.” Hiashi explained with red eyes. Just because he was too eager to come out first, his younger brother suffered the Caged Bird treatment, which has always been a knot in his heart.

"This... Your clan elders will give me face? No way!" Shanks was deeply moved by Hiashi's brotherly affection. Naruto really is full of brother-obsessed characters! In the past, there was Madara and Izumi; now there's the "national father-in-law" and the no-longer-tragic Hiashi; and in the future, there's Itachi and the second male lead. Such grand family dramas are hard to find in Naruto. But is he really that shameless? He hadn't realized the Face Fruit was a passive skill.

"Don't worry, Master. Things are different now than in the Warring States period. Those clan elders are reasonable people now, and it won't be too difficult to persuade them." Hiashi quickly explained after seeing that Shanks was interested. Actually, he didn't know if it would work, but it was the only way he could think of. Although those clan elders weren't as inflexible as the Uchiha, they were all old-fashioned people who treated clan rules like food. He could only hope that those clan elders would be wary of Shanks' strength and reputation, and that he could persuade them with his silver tongue.

"This... still won't work. If I take Neji in, then the next time Yamazaka and Akimichi come knocking, I can't just take them all and then not be able to teach them anything, can I? How am I supposed to face the education world then? Look... anyway, Haruko and I will be so bored in a couple of years without any kids to play with, so I'll take Neji in as my godson... ugh! My godson. A godson is much closer than a disciple. Look how happy Shisui is now." Shanks said after thinking for a while.

389. That's quite a lot of face.

Disciples are out of the question. As a leading figure in the education field, everyone he has taught is a household name: "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze, "Copy Ninja" Kakashi Hatake, "Eternal Artist" Sasori, "World Destroyer" Obito Uchiha, and "Super Brother-Complex Man" Itachi.

Neji is a genius, but his limitations are too great. Moreover, his Byakugan cannot evolve into the Mangekyou Sharingan before the Rinnegan.

This Byakugan seems to skip the Kaleidoscope stage and evolve directly into the Tenseigan. However, the Tenseigan is extremely rare. First of all, where is the Otsutsuki clan's chakra? On the moon, for crying out loud! There are no spaceships here; how would he know how to get up there...?

So many years have passed since his past life. He's lucky if he can remember the main quests; he can't possibly remember the side quests, and he doesn't even know where the routes are.

The Byakugan is one step shorter than the Sharingan, so the ninja world generally believes that although the Byakugan is also known as one of the three great dojutsu, it is far inferior to the Sharingan. After all, the Sharingan has many abilities, while the Byakugan has relatively fewer abilities, except for seeing far away and not being nearsighted, and it only has the ability of X-ray vision.

And their Sharingan can evolve into the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, which has incredible power. This is why the Uchiha clan was able to beat the Hyuga clan to the point of vomiting milk during the Warring States period. When Madara and Izumi awakened their Mangekyou Sharingan, the entire Hyuga clan had to stand at ease. Isn't that because the Hyuga clan's Byakugan couldn't evolve?

Neji's talent is good, but for this reason he is a level below the second male lead, not to mention Itachi. If Itachi hadn't gone easy on him, the second male lead would have had a hard time even awakening his Sharingan.

If he takes Neji as a disciple and can't teach him, he'll be instantly defeated, which would shatter his myth in the education world.

"Thank you, teacher! With your help, I think it will be much easier to persuade those elders." Hiashi bowed ninety degrees to Shanks again, his emotions running high.

"Stop bowing all the time. I'm not dead yet. I hate rich families like yours. Bowing all the time. When the child turns 100, have Hizashi bring a big gift. Haruko and I will depend on you for our retirement." Shanks gave himself a thumbs up for his cleverness. It's just taking on a godson. He can do this kind of thing more often in the future. It's just a nominal title, and he can rake in more gift lists. Why didn't he discover this way of making money before? If he had known earlier, he could have taken on a godson... Luckily, it's not too late. Taking on a godson is fine too. This is much more comfortable than taking on a disciple. He didn't know how many brain cells he had to kill to take on Itachi as a disciple.

........

"Why did you suddenly take in a godson? This isn't like you at all." After Shanks returned home and told Haruko about taking in a godson, Haruko was quite puzzled. Although her man liked to fool around, he never interfered in other people's family affairs. Why did things suddenly change this time? There was no need to do this just to make money. He could have just taken a trip to the Land of Wind.

"Nothing much, I was just really touched by the brotherhood between Hiashi and Hizashi. Also, I think I made a promise to him back then, although I can't remember exactly, but I'm a man of my word. Besides, we're retired and have a little kid to keep us entertained, right? You know how boring the Nara clan's lazybones are. I bet the kid in your daughter's belly is taking laziness to the extreme." Shanks's lips twitched as he thought of Shikamaru, who could fall asleep standing up. Big Mom wasn't even the violent mother from the anime, so Shikamaru must be even more outrageous.

“That’s true. It seems like we really don’t have much to do after retirement. It’s nice to have two kids to keep us company.” Haruko nodded in agreement. She also sympathized with Neji’s future fate. Just because he was born into the branch family, he would be branded with something like “Caged Bird”. Since her husband had the ability to save him, she supported him.

Meanwhile, within the Hyuga clan, after Hiashi told Hizashi the news, Hizashi was moved to tears. He was truly a loving brother. Their father had repeatedly told them to keep this promise, as it might one day allow the Hyuga clan to take off. Unexpectedly, for the sake of his son, his brother had wasted this promise.

After embracing and cuddling for a while, the two immediately convened a family meeting to announce the matter to the clan members, and at the same time, they also had to persuade several clan elders to cancel the future caged bird project on Neji.

"Clan head! This is against the rules! The Caged Bird Seal on the branch family's seal is a rule established by our ancestors. If we cancel Neji's Caged Bird Seal because of this, what will happen to the other branch family members?" The First Elder was initially very excited when he heard that Shanks had taken Neji as his adopted grandson. He knew how formidable Shanks was. The previous clan head had to use a forbidden technique to break through the defense of the Third Raikage at the end of his prime, while Shanks had already fought the Third Raikage at his peak when he was only a teenager, and without even using his most powerful swordsmanship. With someone like Shanks protecting them, even if Neji is only the heir of the branch family, the Hyuga clan can stand on equal footing with the Uchiha clan in Konoha. Although Shanks took the Uchiha heir as his disciple, he didn't actually protect the Uchiha clan.

The Hyuga clan is different. They always stand on the same side as the Hokage, so since the First Hokage, the Hyuga clan has always received the Hokage's care. This time, Shanks taking Neji as his adopted grandson has further elevated the status of their clan.

However, when he heard Hiashi suggest canceling Neji's Caged Bird Seal, he felt a bit conflicted. He was torn between different opinions, but as the elder, he had to be the one to make the decision, as the clan was watching him.

"Elder, I understand what you're saying. However, when our ancestors established the clan rules, it was hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The situation back then was very different from what we are now. Besides, think about it, Master has already taken Neji as his godson. If we were to carve the Caged Bird Seal on him when he was three years old, wouldn't that be disrespectful to him? Although Master is usually jovial, he cares a lot about his reputation." Hiashi had already prepared his lines when he convened the meeting, so he took a small sip of tea, put on a show for a while, and then calmly began to analyze the situation for them.

He was initially flustered before the meeting, but after seeing the expressions of the clan elders, he became quite calm. Although this teacher had been boasting to them when they were in school, this person's influence was indeed considerable. Several clan elders were clearly tempted, but the clan rules were there, and they didn't have the courage to break the clan rules that had been in place for hundreds or thousands of years.

390. Orochimaru's Research Institute Next Door

“But patriarch, if the successor of the branch family doesn’t carve the Caged Bird, is he still the patriarch of the branch family?” At this moment, another elder from the main family spoke up.

“If we’re going to break the rules anyway, why not let Neji return to the main family? But I’m afraid that would upset the branch family members.” The First Elder also took a slow sip of tea, just like Hiashi, and after a moment of pretense, he slowly spoke.

"Don't worry, Clan Chief, all of us from the branch family support your decision." This shows what kind of person Richa is. After learning about the situation, the branch family members all stood behind him and supported him. Being born into the branch family is a misfortune in itself, and now that their branch family chief's son has the opportunity to break this rule, how could they not support him? Maybe their own descendants will also have such an opportunity in the future! Moreover, their clan chief is usually a loving family to them and speaks very kindly. If they didn't support him, their conscience would be tormented.

"Since the clan elders have said so, then I've decided to cancel Hyuga Neji's Caged Bird Jutsu. I hope you all have no problem with that." Hiashi took another sip of tea, and after showing off for a while, he spoke. This matter was now in the bag. Ever since he mentioned Shanks' name, he knew from the elders' reactions that he was almost certain of success. Sure enough, clan rules are just a bunch of nonsense in front of powerful people.

If they dare to carve a birdcage on Neji's head after he became Shanks' adopted grandson, they'd be in big trouble.

........

"Wow! Great scientist, you're so damn cool! I feel like I'm defecting. Kakuzu won't even hire a cook for you, will he?" The next day, Shanks arrived at Orochimaru's Akatsuki research institute with a vial of blood from the Wood Release boy and was stunned by the facilities inside. It couldn't be called a laboratory anymore. Kakuzu's talk of loyalty was too damn extravagant. Living room, bedroom, guest room, laboratory—it had everything, and even a kitchen! Seriously, I should have let him handle this undercover operation.

This is simply enjoying life to the fullest. To defect to the level of Snake is truly legendary.

"Hehe, I think Payne would welcome you if the captain is interested," Snake said with a smile while busy with his work.

"I'd like to come, but the problem is they don't dare accept it. They'd be crazy if I didn't try to usurp the throne." Shanks, sprawled on the bed-sized sofa, pouted.

"The captain didn't come here just to envy me, did he?" Snake Uncle turned around after finishing his work.

"One of the test subjects you helped Danzo with last time didn't die and even awakened Wood Release, but... this Wood Release is a bit weak, it's only good for building houses, so your dear Sarutobi-sensei asked me to bring you a vial of blood. By the way, ask if that Wood Release boy will always be like this or if his cells will continue to fuse with my uncle's, and if his Wood Release will evolve." Shanks tossed the Wood Release boy's blood to him.

"Oh? I didn't expect there to be another lucky kid! Wait a moment, I'll analyze it before I know what's going on." After saying that, Orochimaru took the Wood Release boy's blood and buried himself in his work with great enthusiasm, as if he never got tired.

"I bet Kakuzu spent a lot of money to get all this done for you, right? That's fucking extravagant." Shanks took the opportunity to wander around Orochimaru's research institute. It was fucking huge! There were more than ten large-scale experimental devices alone, and countless bottles for soaking people. This wasn't a spy movie; it was a fucking science fiction movie.

"I don't know how much it will cost, but it should be quite a lot. By the way, Captain, aren't you going to meet your disciple?" Snake Uncle said without turning his head.

"I'll go talk to him about life after you're done here. How's that kid's puppetry? It surprised you, didn't it?" Shanks said smugly.

"Anyone who gets the captain's eye is bound to be good, but I'm actually quite looking forward to seeing Uchiha Itachi," Orochimaru casually remarked, shaking the test tube in his hand.

"Then you'll have to wait a while. You've only just started school." Shanks shrugged. As expected, Orochimaru couldn't escape his fate of being tortured. Why did Itachi have to do this? You're a research talent, why are you fighting with him?

"The results are in. Judging from the cells of this Wood Release boy, he is still in the initial stage of fusion with the First Hokage's cells. I still need time to analyze why this is the case. As for his Wood Release... to put it bluntly, it's a weakened version of Wood Release. Its power may be stronger in the future, but it will be worlds apart from the First Hokage's." Orochimaru shook his head regretfully at the end. As his masterpiece, Orochimaru had put a lot of effort into the research, but the results were about what he had imagined.

"I see. It seems we can only keep him in Konoha as a mascot." Shanks said nonchalantly. He had already anticipated this situation. It would be good for Konoha to have another architect; at least the disaster-stricken Konoha would recover quickly in the future.

"Alright, I won't disturb your scientific research anymore. I'm going to find Scorpion for a get-together. It's been so many years since I've seen that handsome young man." Shanks said and then disappeared. He had already scanned Snake's research facility with his Observation Haki. Scorpion was huddled in his pitifully small toy room, taking apart toys with a rusty wrench. Compared to Snake's ridiculously luxurious research facility... he was so damn pitiful. The only thing that made Shanks feel relieved was that the kid hadn't been beaten up for nothing over the past six months. He hadn't turned himself into a wooden doll for art. Maybe it just wasn't his time yet...

"My dear little scorpion! Have you missed me? I've missed you so much!" Just as Scorpion was engrossed in playing with his toys, a nightmarish voice came from behind him, almost causing him to drop the wrench in his hand.

"What are you doing here, you bastard? Are you looking for death?" Although he said that, the little scorpion did not actually make a move; he just shot over a few hundred glowing green needles.

"Ding ding ding!!!"

"Hey! It's been so many years. Why are you giving me so many thousand books as soon as we meet? Do you still have money? Orochimaru's research institute next door is quite luxurious. Why is yours so dilapidated?" Shanks glanced around disdainfully. It looked like a refugee camp, and the lighting was dim. Could it be that he had offended Kakuzu?

"asshole!"

Shanks' words only made things worse, hitting Sasori's sore spot again. This time, thousands of glowing green senbon needles flew in, all because of this bastard. One was a teammate, and the other was a former disciple. Just because of the word "former," Kakuzu looked down on him. Kakuzu always only bought half of the orders he gave him, and even then, they were second-hand. Meanwhile, Orochimaru's research institute next door was practically preparing maids and cooks for him.

391. You've only gotten older over the years.

"Ding ding ding ding!!!!!"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's been years since we last met. We don't need to start fighting every time we meet. Besides... forgive me for being blunt, but your skills haven't improved much. I really don't know how you managed to defeat Salai in a second." Shanks leaned over and pinched Sasori's cheek hard. It still felt the same as before, but after all the hardships he'd been through, he hadn't received the careful care of Grandma Chiyo, and his skin was a bit rough.

"Orochimaru told you?" Sasori asked in surprise. Apart from a few members of the Akatsuki, no outsider could possibly know that he had killed Salai. In Sasori's mind, the only person who could have told Shanks was Orochimaru, his teammate.

"Tch! You don't know me at all. Do I need Orochimaru to tell me? If I want to know, no one can hide it from me. For example, that blue-haired girl who beat you up just finished eating and is about to take off her clothes to take a shower..." To prove how awesome he was, Shanks activated his Observation Haki to scan the Land of Rain. Upon discovering that the blue-haired girl was about to take off her clothes, he immediately turned off his Observation Haki. He didn't have Jiraiya's hobbies; Jiraiya was a respectable person.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid of being discovered?" Sasori asked in surprise, then returned to his usual tone, ignoring Shanks' teasing.

"Tch, I'm not bragging, but if I wanted to, I could sneak into your blue-haired girl's room tonight, take her down, and leave a single red hair behind, and nobody would notice." But speaking of which, how did you get taken down by that blue-haired girl? It's so embarrassing! Don't tell anyone I taught you a lesson; I can't bear the shame. Shanks saw that Scorpion was surprisingly composed enough to launch into a second barrage of verbal attacks.

"Damn it, are you trying to provoke me the moment we meet?" This time, Scorpion couldn't hold back anymore. Once was enough, did he really have to say it twice?

It's all tears when I talk about it. The rich guy Nan's countless explosive tag ninjutsu completely countered his wooden toy. It was completely unreasonable. As soon as the fight started, he would throw a bunch of explosive tags at him. No matter how good he was, he couldn't withstand tons of damage. Sha Lie was already low on health before he even made a move. What was the point of fighting?

"Oh! Look at you, we haven't seen each other for years, and the first thing you do when we meet is hit and yell at me. It hurts me so much." Shanks forced out two tears.

"Stop pretending, what are you doing here?" Scorpion couldn't stand this bastard's nauseatingly sentimental behavior. Seeing Shanks with two clear tears on his face made his scalp tingle. It was even more nauseating than his grandmother's.

"I just missed you, so I came to see you. So many years have passed, and you're still so handsome. It's just that you didn't get Grandma Chiyo's care. Look how haggard you are. It really breaks my heart." Shanks pinched Sasori's pretty face again.

"Damn it, you're not welcome here. Get out of here right now." He shouldn't be so easily provoked, but ever since he was a child, whenever he encountered Shanks, his inner power would unleash itself, and there was no stopping him.

"Look, this is the face of a former super genius from Sunagakure meeting his mentor. It's heartbreaking. I came here to ask you, you've been running away for years, haven't you thought about how your grandmother feels?" If it weren't for his good relationship with Chiyo's grandmother, his temper would have smashed her to pieces long ago.

"My business is none of your concern. If you don't leave, I'll get rough!" Handsome Scorpion was only 0.01 units away from exploding with anger. This bastard's verbal attacks were so damn annoying, he just kept babbling on and on.

"Alright, don't be shy, let me see. Let your former teacher see if you've improved over the years. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you and try not to let anyone hear that the Sand Village's super genius, handsome Sasori, is getting a spanking from his former teacher." Shanks rolled up his sleeves and said, looking eager to try. It had been so long since he'd spanked someone; he'd almost forgotten the thrill.

"Damn it!" Handsome Scorpion exploded in anger, throwing out a scroll with the word "three" written on it.

"boom!"

The scroll burst open, revealing a puppet similar to Sara. Sara, now a toy, was indeed much uglier, but Shanks still remembered him.

"I thought you had some amazing move, but it's just Sand Reaper. Even as a real person, he can't beat me, let alone as a toy. All you've gotten over the years is your looks." Shanks looked at Sand Reaper, who was being controlled by Sasori, with disdain. When Sand Reaper was alive, his Magnet Release was somewhat useful. Now, although Sasori has retained his Magnet Release, a toy is never as flexible as a real person, especially since it's full of openings under Shanks' Observation Haki.

"go to hell!"

They've unleashed their ultimate moves; they're going to fight. Handsome Scorpion, controlling Sandstorm, transforms iron sand into iron spikes and hurls them at Shanks.

"when!!"

Shanks secretly shook his head as he watched the handsome scorpion's skillful maneuvering. He didn't even bother to dodge the iron spikes that were being thrown at him. What a joke! Even Madara's Blue Giant could withstand it, and he thought this broken iron spikes could take him down?

"Sigh! He still hasn't grown up. It seems my education back then wasn't up to par. I'll just treat this as a one-time fix." Shanks looked disappointed.