Konoha Drunkard

"Hehe, Pain told us to keep a low profile here, and it's best not to go to Konoha. It's not a fun place." Orochimaru said while operating his experiment.

"Tch! I, Hidan, know there's nowhere in the ninja world I can't go, unless they can kill me!" Hidan showed no fear. Ever since he gained immortality after being recognized by the evil god, his courage had grown. The first time he met the blond-haired, round-eyed man, he even dared to talk back to him. If it weren't for the fact that the organization had confirmed the manpower, Nagato would have torn him apart.

"Hehe, I don't know if I can kill you, but I don't know if you're afraid of pain." Snake continued to fiddle with his experiment.

"Afraid of pain? What do you mean? What's there to be afraid of in pain?" Hidan looked at Orochimaru with a question mark on his face.

"...Forget about going to Konoha. Tomorrow you'll continue making money with me. Pain won't allow you to go to Konoha and disrupt our plans." Kakuzu said speechlessly, looking at the fearless Hidan. If this assistant hadn't been able to shield him from a fatal blow at a crucial moment, he would have asked Pain to replace him. Did he really think he was invincible just because he had an immortal body? He was a newcomer who had never seen a giant snake poop before, and he was incredibly arrogant. Otherwise, he would have been cut into pieces by now.

"Tch! Another round of killing spree, so boring. How about we go to Konoha and do some killing? It's all business anyway, it doesn't matter where we go." Hidan suggested, his eyes darting around.

"...Alright, just don't cry then." Kakuzu thought about it and realized it was true. With such a big commotion in Konoha this time, many wealthy people had gone. Where there are many wealthy people, there is bound to be business. They could just wait outside Konoha. Anyway, given his relationship with Shanks, Shanks wouldn't beat him up. As for Hidan... well, it would be good for him to see Orochi take a dump. Otherwise, he'd always be too arrogant and might cause trouble one day.

472. He meant to say you're uncultured.

"Welcome, Raikage-sama, to Konoha!" Minato, accompanied by a group of high-ranking officials, greeted the Fourth Raikage at the village entrance. Even the four great leaders of Konoha were here for this joint exam. The Fourth Raikage was the first to arrive, and since the Raikage was giving him so much face, Minato had to reciprocate in kind.

"You're too kind, Hokage. We must thank you for taking care of the old folks in our Cloud Village over the years." Although the Fourth Raikage was also big and burly, he wasn't brainless. If the Hokage hadn't turned a blind eye to those old folks who came here as spies to retire, it would have been obvious from which village they came, just by looking at their huge physiques.

"Haha, since they chose to live in our Konoha, they can be considered villagers of Konoha. As the Hokage, it's my duty to take care of the villagers," Minato laughed.

"Where's Konoha's Red Hair? I brought some local specialties from the Land of Lightning to give him." The Fourth Raikage was quite tactful. Although they were enemies, Red Hair was a good friend of his father, and Red Hair even came to his father's funeral. So, it was only right for a junior to give a gift to an elder.

“My teacher has been retired for the past few years and has been staying at home. If Lord Raikage needs him, I will have someone bring him here,” Minato said.

"I see. No need to trouble yourself. I'll pay you a visit later." The Fourth Raikage shook his head. The treatment in Konoha is really good. Although Shanks debuted early, he shouldn't be that old, right? He's only in his fifties and he can already enjoy retirement benefits. On the other hand, the four giants of Konoha all have wrinkles on their faces. The difference in treatment is quite significant.

The Fourth Raikage was truly mistaken. These four powerful figures of Konoha were just occupying positions without doing anything. If they applied for retirement, Minato would welcome them with open arms. Who the hell wants four emperors above them? These four all want to get involved in important matters, but their seniority is simply too high. Even as Hokage, Minato has to respect their elders. The other three are alright; they don't usually get involved, only appearing when there are major events. Only Danzo constantly tries to show off his presence, annoying Minato to no end.

"Lord Raikage hasn't been to Konoha, has he? How does Konoha compare to Kumogakure?" Danzo appeared right after Danzo was mentioned. Of all the people in this group, Danzo was the one with the deepest hatred for Kumogakure. His clan had been utterly annihilated by Kumogakure, leaving only a bunch of weaklings. The worst beatings he'd ever suffered were also at Kumogakure's hands, and he was the first person to be beaten by both Raikage. Ever since the Fourth Raikage arrived, his face had been constantly dark. Otherwise, if his dream girl had warned him against any misbehavior last night at Root, he would have already planned a roadside ambush and framed Iwagakure. Unfortunately, for the sake of that pure love, he chose to give up...

However, it was impossible for him to give Raikage a friendly look, since Raikage was the culprit who had kept him bedridden for two years.

"Ah, Konoha is indeed a beautiful place, a good place to retire. No wonder Danzo, at his age, can recover so quickly." Although it was someone else's territory, the Fourth Raikage was not intimidated. How dare a weakling who couldn't even last a round against him talk nonsense? If it weren't for those two-flower red sticks of Konoha, you would be nothing. What do you have to be proud of?

"You... Humph!"

Danzo was hit on an old wound by the Fourth Raikage and was about to retaliate, but he was stopped by the look in his dream girl's eyes.

"Haha! Nephew, you're too kind. Just coming is enough, why bring gifts? Really, where are your local specialties?" How could Shanks be absent from such a grand occasion, especially since he's the Fourth Raikage's nephew? The reason he didn't come with Minato and the others was to see if the Raikage would be cooperative. If he was, he'd bring him gifts, and if not, his presence would be meaningless.

Shanks approached the Fourth Raikage and looked at the group of giant men behind him, each with empty hands.

"Mabuyi."

The Fourth Raikage shouted at his chief strategist. He was used to the behavior of the Konoha Red-Haired Shanks. He could even call out people who could not attend his daughter's wedding but had to give a gift. He had no idea how thick-skinned he was.

"..." The Konoha people looked up at the sky as if they didn't know him. It was so embarrassing. Why didn't they lock him up? They didn't see him this morning and really thought he had retired and was enjoying his old age. Turns out he was hiding in the side eavesdropping, all for the gifts.

"Lord Shanks, this is something my father specifically asked me to bring to you." Mabui took out the sealing scroll and presented Shanks with a small box.

"What the hell is that?"

He thought it was some kind of local specialty, but it turned out to be just a small box, though it was quite exquisite.

"This is a set of shogi that my father commissioned to be crafted from the finest jade from our Thunder Kingdom," Mabui explained.

"...The Grand Steward is truly a refined man. It's quite nice to give it to my grandson...Anything else?" Shanks rolled his eyes. Had this burlap sack's brain deteriorated since retirement? What use was a broken shogi set to him? He couldn't even understand it. It was more suitable for his grandson; he'd be better off giving him a few bottles of wine...

"There are also some specialties from the Land of Lightning that are still on their way and won't arrive for a while." Mabui looked at Shanks, her expression barely suppressing a smile. Her father had given her a shogi set to tease Shanks about his lack of culture, suggesting he play more shogi and read more books, but the red-haired man clearly hadn't thought of that.

"Haha! You clever people love to play these kinds of suspenseful tricks. How are your father and uncle doing?" Shanks laughed with satisfaction. If this was all he had, he would have really lost his temper. This guy was just making fun of him.

“My father and uncle are both very well. If Lord Shanks has time, you can visit them in the Land of Lightning,” Mabui said with a smile.

"I miss them a little too. I'll go with you guys after this exam." Shanks put away the tattered shogi set, intending to use it to appease his lazy grandson later.

"Father-in-law, didn't you say you weren't coming?" As the group walked into the village, Chongtianpao teased him in a low voice. This morning, when he went to inform him, Chongtianpao was still showing off, but he secretly hid to the side.

"You don't know anything. The Fourth Raikage is my junior. When I fought his father, he wasn't even fully formed yet. You expect me, a senior, to greet a junior? Don't I have any dignity? This morning I brought my grandson to my house. This tattered shogi set is perfect for him to play with. The burlap sack is getting stingier and stingier." Shanks muttered angrily.

If Sackbuki knew that Shanks called his shogi set, which he had spent a fortune to have crafted from the hardest agate stone in the Land of Lightning, rubble, Shanks would probably be drinking horse urine by the time he got to Kumogakure...

"...Father-in-law, have you ever considered that when he gave you the chess set, he meant to say you're uncultured..." Chongtianpao said cautiously.

473. Perhaps the price wasn't high enough.

"You think you're so smart! So what if you're cultured? If you're so smart, show me how you can outmaneuver Onoki!" Shanks gave Skyrocket a quick double-eye.

"Father-in-law, how about being an examiner for fun? You're just killing time anyway," said Skyrocket. This time, their joint Chunin Exams weren't just about flexing their muscles; the main purpose was to put pressure on those smaller villages. In recent years, the small ninja villages around the Land of Fire had started to become restless again, forming alliances with Iwagakure or Sunagakure. Several times, it wasn't just Iwagakure or Sunagakure that clashed with the Anbu, but also some people from smaller ninja villages. However, they denied it afterward, claiming that the ninjas were rogue ninjas from their villages. After all, there was indeed a scratch on their headbands, and Skyrocket and Minato couldn't do anything about it.

Who can blame them? The Land of Fire is a tempting target; given enough time, everyone will get hungry. They can't just wipe out all those villages, could they? That could easily lead to another world war...

So he could only find this joint exam as a way to flex his muscles in front of those villages and put some pressure on them, letting them know that the boss is still the boss. Originally, he wanted Hatake Sakumo to be the chief examiner, but Hatake Sakumo refused. He could kill people, but asking him to stand up for someone was a bit of a challenge for him. However, Hatake Sakumo also betrayed his good buddy and suggested to Skyrocket that Shanks would be more suitable. His imposing aura was perfect for that kind of occasion.

Sakumo Hatake's suggestion was instantly liked, but a problem arose. He hadn't fulfilled his promise to his father-in-law that he would have two years to hold his granddaughter, and now he was avoiding his father-in-law. How could he possibly take the initiative to go to his father-in-law? Today, with so many people around, his father-in-law wouldn't be able to give him a hard time, so he could try to find out what he was thinking first.

"Have you ever seen those retired ladies from the Red Bronze Zone make a comeback?" Shanks glanced at Skyrocket.

"Perhaps the price wasn't high enough..."

Skyrocket stroked his chin, looking quite experienced.

"Then can you give me a price I can't refuse?" Shanks raised an eyebrow. He'd have to be bored to become some kind of examiner; of course, if Skyrocket actually offered a price he couldn't refuse, he might genuinely be bored.

"...Father-in-law, the stuff you brought back from the Uchiha clan last time, is it enough for you to live on for the rest of your life?" Skyrocket was speechless. They really seized every opportunity to make money, not even sparing their own people.

"You're wrong. It doesn't matter how much it is. I earn my money through my own abilities." Shanks shrugged. The second male lead's father was as magnanimous as ever. Shanks had originally wanted the second male lead's father to teach his eldest son some life experience and improve his acting skills, but after telling him the story, he was so stunned by the second male lead's father's magnanimity that he forgot about the important matter.

"The village was rebuilt not long ago, and the finances are practically empty." Chongtianpao looked like he couldn't afford it.

"Then there's nothing I can do. Times have changed. It's your era now, the era of the young. You can't rely on us old guys for everything. There will come a day when I can't protect you anymore, and then you'll have to rely on yourselves." Shanks shrugged. He'd been protecting Konoha for decades, and he wasn't bragging. Without him, Konoha would have suffered devastating losses in the two subsequent world wars, not to mention the White Fang incident and then the Nine-Tails incident. Could an old man like Hiruzen Sarutobi really call himself the strongest ninja village in the world? Wasn't he afraid of Onoki pulling the trigger?

"...Garp and Itachi Uchiha are participating in this exam. You saw the Cloud Ninja yourself. Putting everything else aside, just looking at their physiques, they're not even in the same league as those from Konoha. Are you afraid of embarrassing them?" Sky Cannon forcefully changed the subject. If his father-in-law continued, they would really become cowards.

"What's the use of just looking at physique? The ninja world is about strength, not just physical labor. Look at Kurama's size, isn't it? I, an ant, still crushed an elephant." Shanks curled his lip in disdain. He knew his precious disciple's capabilities perfectly well. Although he still only had two tomoe, if Shanks' disciples were to be judged by their Sharingan skills, he might as well just find a block of tofu and kill himself. Of the six shikigami in his Naruto version, only Iron Body Itachi couldn't learn; the other five were used by him better. Add to that Itachi's innate talent for fire release and his extremely high battle intelligence, and Shanks wasn't exaggerating, but ten-year-old Itachi was far more powerful than ten-year-old Minato.

As for Garp... besides his family's iron fist and his super-massive vitality, he's already incredibly powerful. Even the ape demon that's turned into a stick loses half its health from a single punch from him. It would be a miracle if those giants who are still within the realm of ordinary people could withstand it.

However, Garp's temper is even hotter than Tsunade's. Once he gets angry, the Anbu might not be able to stop him. This little rascal is a wild child; he doesn't know his own strength when it comes to fighting. It'll turn the one-on-one exam into a gang fight.

"I hope so."

Chongtianpao sighed. His father-in-law was unwilling to come out of retirement, and he couldn't ask for such a high price. Such official business naturally had to be handled with public funds, as the family's money had to be left to the next generation. However, the village's finances had indeed shrunk considerably recently, and it would take at least five or six years to recover.

"Have you received any news from the Star Ninja Village? Will they send anyone?" Shanks asked Skyrocket.

It wasn't that he valued the Star Ninja Village, but rather that he was curious about whether the meteorite was related to the Ten-Tails. He had been to the Land of Bears once before, but the people of the Star Ninja Village were too xenophobic, and he was blasted out before he even saw the meteorite. The meteorite belonged to them, and he couldn't bring himself to do something as shameless as forcing his way in. He planned to try to build a better relationship with the Star Ninja Village if someone came this time, so that it would be easier for him to visit next time.

"The Star Village hasn't informed us whether they're coming or not, so I estimate the chances of them coming are very small." Sky Cannon shook his head. He and Minato were just casting a wide net by sending invitations to the Star Village. He couldn't say for sure how many ninja villages would come. So far, only Cloud Village, Mist Village, Grass Village, and Waterfall Village had responded. There was no news from the other ninja villages.

"Is that so? It would be a shame if they didn't come. I'm quite curious about their animal-transforming chakra ninjutsu, but unfortunately I've never seen it before," Shanks said regretfully.

"Their ninjutsu was supposedly developed from a meteorite, but they never appeared in the ninja world. These are all recorded in the clan's records," Chongtianpao recalled.

"That's why I was curious, but unfortunately, when I went there back then, they kicked me out; I didn't even see a single pebble."

474. He truly is a good son-in-law.

"......"

Hearing Shanks's words, Skyrocket didn't respond. "You, a Konoha double-flower red staff member, go to someone's village and immediately ask to see their prized treasure. Do you think they'd kick you out or treat you to a meal? And you have the nerve to call them stingy..."

Not long after the Fourth Raikage arrived in Konoha, many other villages also sent representatives. The Grass Village was led by the current Kusakage. The Grass Village was as weak as ever; the Kusakage was only a Jonin-level ninja. This time, they were mainly there to provide support and cheer on the villagers. Shanks truly couldn't understand the purpose of such a weak village. If they were to protect their own Grass Country... well, when have the Sand Ninja ever paid a toll when passing through their territory? When have the Iwa Ninja ever greeted them when passing through their territory?

But such a village just happens to exist, and it seems that their daimyo really supports the construction of their village, as if he would lose face if the Land of Grass didn't have a ninja village.

The village, half-destroyed by Shanks's power, was rebuilt by the Kusagakure ninja without hesitation, with both manpower and resources provided. Strangely enough, the ninja's income never came from missions. The Kusagakure ninja actually received salaries from the daimyo. Because they were sandwiched between three great nations, they rarely received missions. Even when they did, it was usually for their own countrymen—things like fighting bandits or killing mountain brigands. Even the Kusagakure daimyo had to rely on the three great nations for escorts. He knew the quality of his own country's ninja was somewhere between A and C. The Kusagakure ninja were fortunate; becoming a ninja was like passing the civil service exam—a secure job. Even without working, they'd still get paid at the end of the month. Sometimes, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, they could even tag along with some of the larger ninja villages and loot. When Konoha's invitation arrived, the Kusagakure immediately assembled a few dozen ninja, selecting those with the loudest voices possible, regardless of their strength, to cheer on the larger ninja villages so they could be heard.

The Takigakure Kage of Takigakure also arrived with dozens of henchmen. This time, it was to prepare for the next sealing of Jinchuriki, so the Takigakure Kage became Minato's lackey, following closely behind him, bowing and scraping. It was impossible to tell he was a village Kage. Even Madara, Minato's bodyguard, felt threatened; was this bastard trying to steal their jobs? He was following them even closer than they were! Minato was just about to send someone to notify someone, but before they could even move, the Takigakure Kage had already sent his men ahead of him.

"Lord Takigage, there's no need to be so polite. Konoha and Takigakure have maintained friendly relations for decades. If you have any difficulties, please feel free to speak up." Minato was also rendered speechless by Takigage. Having a village's Kage as his subordinate would inevitably cause other ninja villages to have some thoughts, especially the Raikage, who is also one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. The Raikage doesn't have a whole village's Kage as his subordinates!

"Lord Hokage, you truly have discerning eyes. It's like this: when we sealed the Seven-Tails back then, the sealing technique was incomplete, causing the Seven-Tails to go berserk. Thanks to your village's help, we were able to reseal the Seven-Tails, and our Takigakure village was able to escape a calamity. However, now our Jinchuriki is getting old and it seems he won't live for many more years. Therefore, we would like to ask your village for help once again to help us seal the Jinchuriki," the Takigakure said somewhat embarrassedly.

"...Lord Takikage, how did you lead the team when you sealed the Seven-Tails in your village? As far as I know, the Jinchuriki back then was just a child a few years old. Now he's at most middle-aged. How could he have given up so early?" Koharu Utatane recalled. Moreover, the sealing technique was the same one Konoha used to seal the Nine-Tails. If they could completely seal the Nine-Tails, let alone the Seven-Tails, even an ordinary person who could withstand the chakra of a tailed beast, while their lifespan might be reduced to some extent, wouldn't it be reduced by that much?

"Alas! Lord Koharu, you don't know this, but not long after you sealed the Seven-Tails and left, our Takigakure's super rogue ninja, Kakuzu, returned to steal our Hero Water. Unfortunately, Kakuzu was too powerful; we were no match for him. Later, it was only with the help of the Seven-Tails and the Jinchuriki from that time that we were able to drive Kakuzu away. However, because he was too young at the time, his body couldn't withstand the Seven-Tails' immense chakra, and his life force was significantly reduced. Now he looks no different from an old man." Takigakure recounted the story with tears streaming down his face. His tragic appearance moved the three giants of Konoha and Minato present. It can only be said that Takigakure was truly unlucky! But they could only blame themselves. They had all heard Shanks tell Kakuzu's story. The way the Takigakure leadership betrayed them after using them was truly despicable, and what's more, they even tried to assassinate their First Hokage. They deserved to die!

Hiruzen Sarutobi only agreed to help them once because of a promise he made to the First Hokage.

But now they've studied the Heroic Water and it's basically useless. They've already fulfilled the First Hokage's promise. They can't just agree to everything you ask for every time you come to them. Why don't you Takigakure change your name to Konoha?

Besides, given Shanks' current relationship with Kakuzu, it's unlikely Shanks would even help. In the ninja world, Kakuzu is practically the only one who can instill such fear in the tailed beasts. If you don't invite Shanks, and the Seven-Tails goes berserk, who can protect it?

"This... Lord Takikage, it's not that Konoha is unwilling to help, it's just that my father-in-law has already retired. He even refused our offer to be the chief examiner, so getting him to go to Takigakure will probably be even more difficult. However..." After hearing Takikage's explanation, and considering his father-in-law's financial situation... a son-in-law is like half a son, so helping his father-in-law out would be good, letting him know that this son-in-law is not bad after all...

The three leaders of Konoha and Minato, seeing Shikaku's expression, knew what he was up to. What a good son-in-law! Birds of a feather flock together; this clever man can trick people without leaving a trace.

"Lord Shikaku, please speak your mind. If it's something only Takigakure can do, we will definitely do it!" Takigakure saw a glimmer of hope in the face of the speechless look on the other man's face and tightly held his hand.

"Ahem! Lord Takikage, please let go. Here's the thing: my father-in-law has many friends and his expenses are always high. But since retiring, he's had no source of income. You know, without income, you'll eventually run out of money. If Lord Takikage can offer a price my father-in-law can't refuse, perhaps he'll come out of retirement to help out, considering the decades-long friendship between Konoha and Takigakure! But that number is quite huge. You know, he sold the Five-Tails Jinchuriki to Iwagakure for 100 billion." Sky Cannon looked very troubled.

475. With a son in my family, I have no worries.

"hiss!"

No sooner had the cannon shot finished speaking than the three giants of Konoha felt a sharp pain in their teeth. That bastard Shanks had actually swindled 100 billion from Onoki! And he still has the nerve to complain about being poor all the time!

Especially Koharu, who realized she had been tricked by a bastard. It turned out that it wasn't Kakuzu who captured the Five-Tails, but this bastard! Not only did he capture the Five-Tails without telling them, but he also swindled Onoki out of so much money without telling her. Didn't he know that Konoha was very poor lately?

In his attempt to help his father-in-law pull off a major stunt, Chongtianpao forgot his father-in-law's instructions not to tell the Four Great Leaders of Konoha. As it turns out, three of them have already overheard...

Minato didn't react much, since Shanks had indeed given him 25 billion when he received the final payment, so he knew about it.

"This... Lord Shikaku, isn't 10 billion a bit too much?" Takikage hesitated. It wasn't that they couldn't come up with 10 billion; they could even come up with 20 billion. Although Takigakure wasn't as wealthy as Sunagakure, it was definitely richer than Iwagakure. Because of its safe location and beautiful scenery, many businessmen would come to Takigakure to invest in businesses. Moreover, they hadn't been involved in several world wars, so their expenses weren't too high. Therefore, they still had money. However, when their First Hokage bought the Seven-Tails, it only cost a few billion. Now, they were using 10 billion to ask Konoha's Kurenai to leave the village. This deal felt like a bit of a loss.

“Lord Takikage, the 100 billion I mentioned is the current price of the Five-Tails. The Seven-Tails is worth far more than 100 billion now, and it is much stronger than the Five-Tails,” Skyrocket said, shaking his head.

"Wh...what? 100 billion isn't enough?" Takikage was so excited he almost bit his tongue. It was way too damn expensive.

"Lord Takigage, let's not get into the economics and academic stuff, you probably wouldn't understand anyway. Let's just talk about demand. Normally, a tailed beast might be worth a few billion, but then again, can the value of a tailed beast be measured in money? If I had a Five-Tails and wanted to sell it to you for 10 billion, would you buy it? Of course you would, because no village would ever have too many tailed beasts. So if you need one, you'd agree to 10 billion. Now let's talk about the Seven-Tails. The Seven-Tails is definitely much stronger and more destructive than the Five-Tails. If it goes berserk, the damage it would cause to your Takigakure would be immeasurable. So you need someone strong enough to stop it. Now, the question is, compared to the potential damage the Seven-Tails could cause you, do you think 10 or 20 billion is too much?" Skyrocket was seriously spouting nonsense. Not to mention the unsuspecting Takigage, even the three Konoha elders and Minato, who knew he was ripping them off, were stunned.

Four countries! This guy is amazing. Smart people really do pull off scams in perfect unison, even coming up with plausible reasons for it. Even they think that 100-200 billion seems reasonable...

"But... we at Takigakure really can't afford that much money... Lord Shikaku, could you make it cheaper?" Takigakure continued to plead poverty. This tailed beast cost one or two hundred billion, which was painful even though they could afford it.

"Lord Takigage, although I don't follow Takigakure closely, as far as I know, because Takigakure has been unaffected by war for many years and has an excellent geographical location, a large number of merchants flock to Takigakure to invest in industries every year. Your tax revenue has been steadily increasing. Last year alone, your tax revenue reached 500 billion, more than our Konoha! How about this, you first use 100 billion to issue a bounty mission in the ninja world and see if anyone takes it. Anyway, the Jinchuriki will be around for another two or three years. If no one takes it after two years, you can come back and discuss the price with us. Of course, the specific price still needs to be discussed with my father-in-law; I don't have the final say." Skyrocket continued to boast, knowing nothing about Takigakure's tax revenue, but it was true that many merchants flocked to Takigakure to invest every year. As for the exact amount of tax revenue, even Takigakure himself probably didn't know.

The three leaders of Konoha and Minato looked at the Sky-Piercing Cannon with admiration. Today, they finally witnessed the power of the Nara clan. As expected of the most intelligent clan, thankfully it was their Konoha's Grand Marshal. His brain is terrifying! This is truly a case of "a son in the family keeps one calm."