Konoha Drunkard

"...I never expected that the Root of Konoha would have a brother like you. It's truly enviable. We've brought the money; let's settle this once and for all." Onoki's eyes gleamed as he looked at the masked Shanks. He had never met Danzo's father, but he had dealt with Danzo before. He never expected that such a serious person would have a father with such a wicked nature. Since Kakuzu had such a partner, their plan was ruined. He was confident that he could go toe-to-toe with Kakuzu, and with tens of thousands of Anbu, taking down Kakuzu wouldn't be a problem. But now, with Shimura Hanzo, who could go toe-to-toe with Shanks, it was a different story. However... exchanging eight billion for a Jinchuriki and getting such a bombshell was not a loss for him. He had already planned to give Konoha a big blow when he got back. Although it wouldn't weaken Konoha's strength, he would be happy to damage Konoha's reputation.

Aoki Nozomi sighed, realizing that all the elite circles in every village were equally chaotic. While his boss was also of questionable character, at least he hadn't caused any harm. This Konoha Root's father was far more outrageous; not only had he caused harm, but it was also a powerful one, capable of going toe-to-toe with Konoha's Shanks. His boss, the Tsuchikage, had been beaten by Shanks more than once, though he always claimed he was ambushed, everyone knew he was just obsessed with saving face.

"No problem. Oh, by the way, while I was squatting in the toilet, I noticed some of your dutiful bodyguards were spying on you, Lord Tsuchikage, so I just took care of them. But don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who kills people; I have to pay to kill someone. I just knocked them out. You can wake them up after the deal is done." After Shanks finished speaking, he wasn't afraid of Onoki's deadbeat ways and tossed the Jinchuriki over like trash.

"I am truly grateful for Lord Hanzo's mercy in sparing our lives. I did not expect Lord Hanzo to be such a businessman. I wonder how his price compares to Lord Kakuzu's?" Onoki did not care about the unconscious Anbu, since he had not been killed. Instead, he started negotiating the price with Shanks. He only knew Kakuzu before, but now he had another powerful Shimura Hanzo. Perhaps he could pay these two to cause trouble in Konoha in the future? A master who could go toe-to-toe with Shanks in Konoha and have another disaster movie-like fight in Konoha. Just thinking about it made him excited.

"The price is negotiable. Kakuzu is my good brother and agent. As long as you pay, the head of your Land of Earth's daimyo will be delivered to your Tsuchikage's office tonight. We businessmen have never cheated anyone, young or old." Shanks confidently raised an eyebrow at Onoki.

"Is that so? I wonder if Lord Hanzo would be interested in making a trip to Konoha?" Onoki's eyes lit up after hearing Shanks' words.

"Don't talk to me about such vulgar topics as interests. Let's talk about money, that's much more elegant!" Shanks shook his head, giving me a look that said, "I'm very disappointed in you."

"So, what price would it cost to hire two people to assassinate Konoha ninjas?" Since the other party had made it so clear, Onoki asked directly.

"...Well..." Shanks gave Kakuzu a thoughtful look. That bastard Onoki was indeed cunning; he actually wanted to trick him into working against his own people. Shanks, who had initially hesitated to betray him, suddenly had an idea. This was a perfect opportunity to pull off; who else should he betray if not him?

"You're not really going to agree to go to Onoki's village and cause trouble, are you?" After receiving a look from Shanks, Kakuzu and Shanks moved to a distance. Seeing Shanks' eager expression, Kakuzu was genuinely worried that this guy had no bottom line and might even mess with his own people.

"How could that be? Onoki actually offered us money. It would be a shame not to take advantage of that money. Let's agree to his offer first, and then I'll think about the plan. This time, we'll take him down big time." Shanks said, stroking his chin.

"I'm fine with it, I'll play support this time." Of course, Kakuzu has no problem with making money.

"Lord Tsuchikage, the prices for Konoha ninjas are different. Killing ordinary chunin or genin is pointless. Even for jonin, it depends on the target. For example, Hiruzen Sarutobi, even after retirement, is still registered as a jonin in Konoha, but the price is different. After our discussion, we've come up with a reasonable price. If you agree, you can pay half as a deposit first, and the other half after the mission is accomplished. However, you know how dangerous Konoha is. The White Fang of Konoha earned his reputation through fighting, so we won't refund the deposit if our operation fails. If you agree, we'll give you a price list now." After Kakuzu agreed, Shanks turned to Onoki and said.

"...No problem, this method is very reasonable." Onoki was very curious about Shanks's proposal. As expected of a giant in the world of making money, he could even come up with such a transaction plan. However, he would not lose out with this plan. Even if the operation failed, he would be happy as long as Shimura Hanzo fought with that red-haired bastard and caused trouble for Konoha.

"That's good. This one... I'll remember it. Former Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi: 30 billion, half deposit upfront. Current Fourth Hokage: 100 billion, half deposit upfront. Tsuchikage, don't rush to change your tune. There's a reason I'm offering these prices. For example, with these two Hokage, although Hiruzen Sarutobi's bounty on the underground exchange is over 18 billion, that's just symbolic. You can tell from the fact that no one has claimed the bounty for so many years. I'm asking for 30 billion because he's old now and his strength has declined somewhat, but he has been Hokage for decades, and..." He's become a symbol of Konoha, his influence is unprecedented, and even if you kill him, escaping Konoha would be extremely difficult, you have to admit that, right? As for the current Hokage, Minato Namikaze... to be honest, I was just saying it casually. I don't think His Majesty the Tsuchikage would really believe we can kill this Fourth Hokage who's even faster than Tobirama Senju, right?" Shanks had just called out the first two prices when he saw Onoki's nose starting to turn black, so he quickly explained, this is a deal even bigger than the Jinchuriki deal, whether we can make it big or not depends on this.

439. Jiraiya is cheap.

Shanks' price quote not only made Onoki's nose turn black, but even Kakuzu's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He immediately asked for 10 billion. However, after hearing Shanks' analysis, it seemed to make some sense. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was priced at 1.8 billion on the market, and no one had taken the deal. It wasn't that no one was interested, but rather that even if they were, it wouldn't matter. With Minato Namikaze's flashy space-time ninjutsu, he would probably be instantly killed before he could even touch the hem of someone's clothes. Moreover, Konoha was a forbidden area, and before even seeing the Hokage, he would probably be spitting out White Fang's short sword.

"........"

After listening to Shanks' analysis, Onoki nodded in agreement, indicating that he had no intention of having the two of them steal Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze's crystals. Even if the two of them guaranteed that they could do it, he would not believe them.

"Next up are the two Konoha brothers. Konoha's White Fang is worth seven billion, half as a deposit. I think you, Tsuchikage, know his strength better than I do. Chiyo, the advisor from Sunagakure, once offered 100 billion, but... she's still alive and well. Konoha's Shanks is an old acquaintance of yours, Tsuchikage; you know him better than I do. We do business with integrity, and I won't cheat you. He's too tough for me to handle, so I won't name a price." Shanks, seeing Onoki nod in agreement, continued to offer prices. He didn't intend to rip Onoki off, so he just made a casual offer. Onoki might be a bit slow, but he was still intelligent and not easily fooled.

"......"

Onoki felt a pang of jealousy upon hearing the price of Konoha's White Fang, but having fought White Fang himself, he knew how formidable he was. Moreover, the ill-fated relationship between Granny Chiyo and Konoha's White Fang... let Granny Chiyo settle it herself.

He had no objection to not charging Shanks' price, since in the ninja world, aside from his Dust Release, probably no one could break his defense. But even if his Dust Release could break Shanks' defense, Shanks wouldn't give him a chance to aim. His experience of being hit in the buttocks with a large amount of blood last time made him realize that Shanks was actually quite fast.

"Princess Tsunade of Konoha is worth 7 billion. If you want to proceed, half the deposit is required upfront. Don't complain about her price; just based on the title of 'Medical Saint of the Ninja World,' I'd be happy with 7 billion. Jiraiya is cheaper at 1.5 billion, half the deposit required upfront. He likes to travel the world, and his influence in Konoha isn't that great. Besides being the Fourth Hokage's teacher, he's useless, so his price is relatively cheap. Actually, I personally recommend you choose him. Although he's powerful, with Kakuzu and his brother teaming up, we're absolutely certain of victory." Shanks said, looking at Onoki. Convincing people isn't just about empty talk; you need to provide some substance. If even someone like Jiraiya is priced at billions, even he himself wouldn't believe it.

"...You can continue with your quotes."

Onoki told Shanks that he also felt Jiraiya didn't have that much influence on Konoha. Just like Shanks said, apart from being the Fourth Hokage's teacher and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's best fighter, Jiraiya didn't seem to have much influence. He was just a high-level fighter who played a minor role. Even if he were killed, it wouldn't have much impact on Konoha. Konoha had plenty of high-level fighters, so they wouldn't miss one more. As for Tsunade, he did have some ideas. Tsunade's role in Konoha was absolutely unprecedented. She had saved at least 50,000 to 100,000 people in Konoha. Most importantly, if Tsunade were killed, Konoha's medical level would return to the same level as the four great villages. However, she was a member of the Senju clan, so she wasn't so easy to kill. Therefore, he only selected Tsunade for the waiting list and would discuss it later.

"I see. My brother Danzo, the Root of Konoha, is worth 2.5 billion. Although he's weak, he's still a veteran of Konoha and the leader of the Root. He should be worth that much! Former Flower of Konoha, Koharu Utatane, is worth 2 billion, and one of Konoha's advisors, Homura Mitokado, is worth 2 billion. How about these three?" Shanks continued to ask. He hoped that Onoki would choose his older brother Danzo. Whether he could actually kill him or not was another matter, but at least he could get a deposit.

"Let's continue."

Onoki looked down on these three senior advisors; he knew Konoha quite well. Since he was going to spend money anyway, he figured he might as well go for a big deal, like the medical guru Tsunade, at least make Konoha bleed a little. These three old fogies were pretty useless.

"The only other one worth our effort is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but... this Nine-Tails is a bit too expensive." Shanks looked like he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Name your price first." When Shanks mentioned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Onoki's heart pounded. This was the key point! What could make Konoha cough up blood? Of course, it was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! One Nine-Tails attack was enough to rebuild Konoha. If the Nine-Tails were lost... the thought was too vivid; Onoki would laugh himself awake in his dreams.

"There's a package deal for the Nine-Tails. Releasing the Nine-Tails to wreak havoc in Konoha costs 20 billion, while luring the Nine-Tails out of Konoha costs 25 billion. Of course, whether you can handle the Nine-Tails after it leaves the village is up to you. Neither Kakuzu nor I know any sealing techniques, and we might not be able to defeat the Nine-Tails, after all, those nine tails are there!" Shanks said.

"...The price of the Nine-Tails is so much higher than the price of killing the Fourth Hokage?" Onoki stared at Shanks with his big, bull-like eyes. This price was a bit outrageous!

"You can't calculate it like that. Think about it, the biggest difficulty in finding the Nine-Tails is not knowing who the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is now. As a major secret of Konoha, it's not so easy to find out. Moreover, after the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha last time, Konoha is even more nervous about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Just finding out is already very dangerous. The Fourth Hokage or the two Konoha's personal guards might be stationed there. And releasing the Nine-Tails is also a very difficult thing. There are many people to face, almost all of Konoha's high-level combat power. And you can imagine how important the Nine-Tails is to Konoha. With this Nine-Tails around, who would dare to invade Konoha?" Shanks gave a strong analysis. Of course, his niece was more expensive than Minato. Although Minato was also a Jinchuriki, they weren't relatives.

"Can't you lower the price a bit? How about 15 billion for triggering the Nine-Tails' rampage in Konoha?" Onoki said to Shanks after thinking for a long time. Although he was also tempted by the Nine-Tails, he knew that without the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, it would be impossible for Iwagakure to seal the Nine-Tails on their own. It would be more practical to have another Nine-Tails attack Konoha to make him happy.

440. Nine-Tails is my cousin.

"Lord Tsuchikage, this is where you're wrong. The price I offered is absolutely the fairest in the ninja world. Only the two of us dared to offer you this price. If it were anyone else, even if you offered a hundred billion, no one would dare to take on this mission. Do you know how much support Konoha's reconstruction will require? According to incomplete statistics, the reconstruction of Konoha has already cost over 80 billion in expenses alone, not even counting the villagers' contributions and the losses in manpower and resources. You're trying to have your cake and eat it too. There's no such thing as a free lunch. To be honest, infiltrating Konoha is a very dangerous thing. If you're not careful, you'll face so many of Konoha's high-level combatants. The two of us are living on the edge! Moreover, we can only let the Nine-Tails wreak havoc in Konoha. As for how much havoc it causes, that's not something the two of us can say for sure. I hope Lord Tsuchikage understands this." Shanks said disdainfully. This is ridiculous! You can even bargain for something like this? He finally witnessed Onoki's shamelessness.

Onoki was indeed tempted. After Shanks explained the financial resources spent on Konoha's reconstruction, he believed that as long as the Nine-Tails caused a few more disturbances, Konoha would surely collapse. He didn't need to make the disturbances so big each time; smaller disturbances were fine as long as the disturbances could continue. Even if the Nine-Tails caused a small disturbance, it wouldn't be a small one.

“We will stay in the Land of the Tsuchikage for another day. If Lord Tsuchikage has made up his mind, please come to us with the deposit before tomorrow morning. We will be leaving after tomorrow.” Shanks saw that Onoki was somewhat tempted, so he added fuel to the fire. He couldn’t let Onoki keep thinking about it.

"I'll have Aoki Nozomi come to you tonight with the deposit." Sure enough, as soon as Shanks said that, Onoki stopped thinking about it. His years of experience had taught him that those who do great things should never hesitate, because thinking too much will only lead to mistakes.

"Lord Tsuchikage is indeed generous. With your boldness, even Hiruzen Sarutobi can't compare. Don't worry, once we take your money, we'll do everything we can to your satisfaction." Having swindled someone out of their money, he had to at least say a few words of praise. That was a hundred billion! He could just have Minato release the Nine-Tails as a show after returning to the village and get another hundred billion. This money was too damn easy to earn. Why hadn't he thought of this method back then? But it wasn't too late now. He could also swindle Rasa this time. The Land of Wind was truly a wealthy landowner, and just thinking about it made his old face under the Gold Sand Shanks mask drool.

After making the decision, Onoki stopped chatting and took Aoki Nozomi back to the village to raise funds.

"Lord Tsuchikage, all of our Anbu have been knocked unconscious..." On the way back, Aoki Nozomi found the Anbu who had been knocked unconscious by Shanks and asked them to notify the other Anbu to cancel the operation. When the Anbu returned to report, he learned that all of their Anbu had been knocked unconscious.

"This Shimura Hanzo is indeed quite capable. He managed to knock out all our men without making a sound before we arrived. I hope that the 20 billion was well spent." After witnessing Shanks's methods, Onoki became even more excited about the deal.

"But Lord Tsuchikage, are those high-ranking officials willing to contribute those 20 billion? Of course, our family will definitely support you, but as you know, our family is just a small family, and the previous 1 billion was all the funds we could mobilize." Aoki Nozomi's heart was still bleeding as he thought about the previous 1 billion.

"Hmph, whether they want to or not is not up to them. Don't worry, I've seen and remembered your family's contributions to the village. I won't let you down in the future," Onoki said with a smile to Touma.

"Lord Tsuchikage, you're too kind. Our clan is also part of the village, and this is what we should do." Onoki's words were enough. Having followed his boss for so many years, he certainly knew his boss's character and remembered it. He would definitely make amends in the future, so this was a worthwhile exchange.

"You've decided to do this deal? I heard Konoha was just rebuilt, right? Planning to do it again?" After Onoki and Aoki left, Shanks and Kakuzu divided the money, and Kakuzu asked while counting the money.

"Don't worry, if Onoki had asked me to kill people from Konoha, I would have just swindled his deposit. I didn't expect him to be so greedy, setting his sights on the Nine-Tails. That's even better. I can't speak for other things, but I can guarantee that the Nine-Tails is my cousin!" Shanks said confidently after throwing the money into the sealing scroll. What a joke, what can a quarter-cousin cause? Let Minato go to the edge and let it roam around, throw out a couple of Tailed Beast Balls to make a big commotion, and then let it go back. That 20 billion will be in our hands. How simple is that?

"In that case, I'll wait for your good news. It's not appropriate for me to go to Konoha with my current status." Seeing Shanks' confidence, Kakuzu didn't think much of it; he'd essentially gotten his 10 billion for free.

“Alright, I’ll leave Miss Slug with you. I’ll have her tell you to go get the money from Onoki. I don’t think he’ll dare to be a deadbeat until he’s confident he can handle both of us. Even without exposing all the messy things he’s done over the years, his reputation will definitely be even more infamous than during the Onoki series,” Shanks said.

That evening, Aoki Nozomi brought the money. After Shanks and Kakuzu discussed their plan, Kakuzu continued his small business in the Land of Earth while waiting for news from Shanks. The next day, Shanks leisurely returned to Konoha. This matter couldn't be rushed; being too hasty would arouse Onoki's suspicion. After all, finding the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was an extremely difficult task for outsiders. Only a very few people in Konoha knew who the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was, let alone outsiders.

The Fourth Raikage only learned about it when Shanks took Kushina and Minato to their Hidden Cloud Village.

.......

"Lord Shanks has finally decided to come back. You've been traveling around for more than half a year. I wonder if you've found Shisui yet." A month has passed, and Shanks had just returned home after his travels when Haruko became unhappy and asked him to go find Shisui. You've been gone for more than half a year without a single word. Now that Shisui has returned, you're still out there having fun. Don't you have any sense of responsibility?

"Haha, I've been looking for Shisui everywhere. You know the ninja world is so big, finding someone isn't easy. You have no idea how hard I've worked. I ran from the hottest Land of Wind to the coldest Land of Snow, all for Haruko-sama's orders, but I still can't find Shisui. I was just planning to come back and check on the Anbu, look for clues, and then go look again." Shanks chuckled. He'd really forgotten he'd gone out to find Shisui. It was all Onoki's fault for offering him such a high price. But thinking about how he'd made hundreds of billions on this trip, he couldn't stop grinning.

441. Shisui brought a girl back.

"Hmph! No need to look anymore, Shisui has already returned, and he brought a girl back with him. The teacher is having a headache right now!" Haruko-sama glanced at him sideways, too lazy to tell whether he was lying to her or not.

"Four Kingdoms! I never imagined Shisui not only inherited Kagami's talent, but also his personality perfectly. But... shouldn't Haru be happy that Shisui brought a girl back?" Shanks was astonished to hear that Shisui had not only awakened his Kaleidoscope Sharingan after just one trip, but had also brought back a girl, making him almost as good as his deceased grandfather.

“The problem is that the girl is just an ordinary person, she doesn’t have the talent of a ninja, and the teacher doesn’t agree,” Haruko-sama said.

"What kind of theory is this? According to the genetics Orochimaru taught me, children mostly inherit their father's talents, right? Look how well Lingling inherited them, except for her personality and appearance..." These families are such a hassle. Luckily, his dear aunt was understanding back then, otherwise, with Haruko's talent, she would probably be a Korean.

"Go tell that to the teacher. I quite like that girl; she's cheerful and not unruly, but the teacher just doesn't like her," Haruko-sama said helplessly.

"Don't meddle in other people's business. If it really comes down to it, I'll find a time when they'll have sex and make it a fait accompli. Then Xiaochun won't be able to have it even if she wants it. But... we'll have to wait a few years. She's too young to have a child, and Shisui can't afford to raise it," Shanks said with a smile.

"You're so happy as soon as you get back. Did you rip someone off again while buying noodles?" Haruko saw that Shanks' mouth hadn't stopped smiling since he came back. Based on her years of experience, she was absolutely certain that he had ripped someone off again.

"Haha! Haruko-sama, you know me so well! Let me tell you, it was quite a coincidence. I went out to find Shisui, and I ran into Kakuzu shortly after arriving at the border. After having a couple of drinks with him, he told me that Onoki, that red-nosed guy, had offered 3 billion bounty to capture the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Just think about it, my bounty in the ninja world is only around 1 billion. Onoki actually offered 3 billion to a beast! Isn't that a slap in my face? So, I discussed with Kakuzu how we tricked that bastard Onoki..." Two hours later, Shanks vividly recounted to Haruko-sama how he and Kakuzu tricked Onoki out of 18 billion bounty.

"You mean you swindled 9 billion from Ōnoki? And you're planning to swindle him 10 billion?" Haruko was also shocked by Shanks's words. The amount was simply too outrageous. Their Konoha Hospital's annual expenses were only around 1 billion. Shanks had swindled a lot before, but never so much at once. Haruko unconsciously raised her voice, and it was too late for Shanks to stop her.

"boom!"

"What? Nine billion? And another ten billion?"

Sure enough, no sooner had Haruko-sama finished speaking than the door was violently smashed open, and two figures, one tall and one short, walked in. It wasn't Shanks who was most sensitive to money, but rather the two gambling gods in his family. Coincidentally, both of them were home and hadn't gone out to have fun. Coincidentally, Shanks had just returned today and they happened to be passing by the door.

After Konoha was rebuilt, Shanks gave away a large portion of the Senju clan's warehouse as compensation to the villagers. The items he swindled from the second male lead's father were used for the Uzumaki clan's daily expenses. Although both of them loved gambling, they knew their limits and never took too much, so they hadn't been living like royalty for a long time.

"It's nothing. I was just bored with Haruko-sama and we were counting how many leaves the big trees in Konoha have. I said nine billion, she said one hundred billion. Who do you think is closer to the answer?" Shanks quickly came up with an excuse.

"boom!"

"Do you really think I'm deaf? I heard you perfectly clearly. You used the Five-Tails Jinchuriki to swindle 8 billion yen from Onoki, taking 4 billion yen for yourself, and then you swindled another 10 billion yen and took another 5 billion yen." Tsunade smashed the table with her fist and said emotionlessly.

"...That's right, but what's it to you? I've done my duty by swindling hundreds of millions from the Daimyo every year to lend you gambling funds. What, are you telling me it's all gone?" Shanks forced himself to calm down and questioned while taking a sip of tea.

"That's all! Garp and I have been spending a lot lately. Since you've swindled so much, I'll lend you 3 billion. I'll pay you back next year when I have the money." Tsunade is still the same Tsunade, getting more and more domineering. She just throws in 3 billion. Anyway, it's all from swindling, so she feels perfectly justified.

"puff!"

"How much? Thirty billion? Why don't you just rob someone? And Garp! Didn't I tell you you can't go to a casino before you graduate?" Shanks almost choked on his tea, but luckily he spat it out in time.

“Grand Uncle, I graduated two months ago, so it’s not against the rules,” Garp said, hiding behind Tsunade.

"What do you mean by graduating early? Get back to school tomorrow! There's no war going on. What are you planning to do if you graduate so early?" Shanks said, raising his fist at Garp.

"My great-aunt agreed to this, and Itachi has already applied to graduate. It would be too embarrassing for me to stay in school." Garp had someone backing him up this time, so he wasn't intimidated at all.

"Teacher Umino told me that Garp is really not very interesting at school, so we might as well let him graduate. You too, we're all family, why be so fussy? Anyway, you'll still get your share of 5 billion, and the clan won't need that much right now." Haruko-sama rolled her eyes at him before reaching into his ninja tool pouch and pulling out two sealing scrolls—one for alcohol, the other for money. Haruko-sama expertly handed over the money…

Iruka's father was truly at his wit's end. Two months ago, itachi had already graduated early, but Iruka was still stuck at school. Garp was very unhappy, and his classmates weren't happy either, fearing they might get beaten up by this violent freak. Iruka's father saw this and was anxious. He called Garp to his office to persuade him to apply for graduation, but Garp shut him down with a simple, "My great-uncle doesn't agree."

Having no other option, he went to see the Hokage, who, also troubled, could only offer a flimsy excuse. He then went to see Tsunade instead. Each time he went to the Konoha hospital, the nurses told him that there were too many patients and Tsunade was very busy. Finally, for the sake of the other students, he had no choice but to visit Haruko, whose reputation in Konoha was even higher than the Hokage's. Everyone in Konoha knew that if Haruko said one thing, Shanks would never dare to say another.

After hearing Iruka's father's complaints, Haruko thought it made sense. Not only wasting that little brat's time at school a waste, but it also affected the other children's studies. So, Haruko understandingly agreed to let Garp graduate.

442. Even while fleeing for your life, you can still stumble upon romance.

"Uncle...Grand-uncle, you really only swindled nine billion? If there isn't a hundred billion here, I'll cut off my head." Garp stared at the mountain of banknotes, his mouth agape. It wasn't that he hadn't seen money before; on the contrary, he had frequented various casinos since childhood and had seen a lot of money. However, this was the first time he had ever seen a scene of banknotes piled up like this. It was too spectacular. Fortunately, the largest denomination in the Land of Earth was ten thousand yen. If it were like their Land of Fire, where the largest denomination was only one thousand yen, this room wouldn't be able to hold it all.

"It's nine billion, that's right. But how can we not do business when we've teamed up with Kakuzu, one of the two giants in the world of making money? I never expected to make so much money." Shanks also didn't expect to make so much money in the past six months with Kakuzu. This is only one-third of what Kakuzu gave him after he helped him. It shows how powerful Kakuzu's money-making ability is. He can support the entire Land of Rain by himself!

"Garp, put four billion into the scroll. We'll go help those villagers. Last time, your great-uncle and the Nine-Tails caused too much damage, and many villagers didn't receive any compensation," Tsunade said as she put the money into the sealing scroll.

"...Take this over to Kushina later. Minato doesn't get paid as Hokage, and with Kushina's personality, I'm afraid they can't even afford to buy powder." After instructing Tsunade, Shanks ignored them and went to take a shower and go to sleep. He was exhausted after traveling for a month. He still needed to check on Shisui's condition tomorrow. As for whether to transplant Uchiha Kagami's glasses into him... what if he couldn't awaken the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan? It would be a waste of time. It would be better to give him a spare when he goes blind.

.........

The next day, Shanks brought some local specialties he had bought in the Land of Earth to the house that the Uchiha clan had given to Shisui. As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw Koharu Utatane standing there, looking very serious and contemplating life.

"Hey, what's going on, Xiaochun? Shisui is already back, but he looks unhappy. Huh? Where are Shisui and his sister? Did they elope?" Shanks peeked into the house and found no one inside.

"He went to the Anbu early this morning. I arranged for that girl to stay in the Uchiha clan's dormitory. It's inconvenient for her to stay in the Uchiha's dormitory," Koharu Uchiha said, her mood low.

"Then what's wrong with you? Shisui brought you back a granddaughter-in-law, and you're not happy?" Shanks asked.

"Sigh! The problem is that the child is just an ordinary person, with no ninja talent whatsoever. I'm just worried about their future children." Koharu sighed. Having been in the ninja world for so many years, she understood the importance of talent better than anyone else. Although her talent wasn't great, she was lucky to be taken in as a disciple by the Second Hokage. Later, when her friends rose to power, she even became a high-ranking official in Konoha, allowing her to live a peaceful life. However, her godson died on the battlefield because of his lack of talent and strength. Now that she had such a brilliant godson, how could she possibly want his son to be an ordinary ninja? If that were the case, it would be better for him to be an ordinary person. But how could a descendant of Uchiha Kagami be an ordinary person? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to her old flame?

"Hey! I thought it was something serious. I mean, Sister Xiaochun, aren't you thinking too far ahead? Shisui is still so young. He might not even have held that girl's hand yet, and you're already thinking about his son. What if he's just a friend, or someone who saved his life and is just bringing him to Konoha for a few days? Even if they accidentally have a child, how do you know the child won't inherit his father's talent? Look at Haruko-sama, she's not very talented, and Linlin is incredibly talented. If it weren't for her personality, she'd be one of Konoha's top heroes now, instead of becoming a Nara family member. If you ask me, talent is very important, but fate is all up to Kishimoto... ugh! God's mood. Nawaki's talent was also poor, but he's still living a carefree life. The First and Second Hokage were incredibly talented, right? God was in a bad mood, and they died long ago. There's no use worrying so much now. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. How can we, the ancestors, worry about so much?" Shanks comforted her.