Konoha Drunkard

"Don't even think about it. There are so many people in the ninja world who want to kill him that they could stretch from the Land of Fire to the Land of Snow, and he's still alive and well. He's the Red-Haired Shanks of Konoha, and even Pain couldn't do anything to him. You should just give up. Getting beaten up by him isn't anything to be ashamed of," Kakuzu comforted Hidan by patting him on the shoulder.

"So he's the Red-Haired Shanks of Konoha, so what? He still can't kill me." Hidan said arrogantly.

"Hey! Let's go. Konoha knows we're here. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause if we leave? We need to keep a low profile for the next few years." Kakuzu was speechless when he saw that the new brat had been beaten up once and still didn't know fear. He shouldn't have joined the Akatsuki group in the first place. It's like being both the father and the mother. It's never as enjoyable or free as being alone.

.......

"How are you, my dear disciple? Are you alright?" After Kakuzu left the Forest of Death, Shanks looked at the exhausted Itachi.

"It's nothing, I'm just exhausted. Who are the teachers and the others?" Itachi asked curiously. At the same time, Garp and Hyuga Tsuruhime also looked at him, equally curious, especially about the guy who had been beaten up by Itachi countless times but was still full of energy. An ordinary person would have died countless times over.

"That guy with the glowing green eyes is my friend. You all saw his ninja headband; he's a rogue ninja from Takigakure, a famous bounty hunter in the ninja world. As for that silver-haired boy... I don't know either. Alright, you guys should continue with the exam." After Shanks finished speaking, he vanished in a flash.

"Can't you guys put a little more effort into your disguise? How can a vibrant tree turn yellow? Kakashi, you're going to inherit your father's mantle, so you need to pay attention to details." Shanks appeared on a large tree after leaving Garp and Itachi, and spoke to a section of the yellowing trunk.

"......"

Kadian and a young man with a blank expression emerged from the tree trunk.

"I'll be going now if there's nothing else here." Kadian rolled his dead fish eyes, indicating that he didn't want to listen to this old guy's rambling.

"Don't rush, Kakuzu's gone, what could possibly be going on? My nephew and I haven't chatted in ages, let's find somewhere to talk while we have the time. You, the wood-playing guy, can join us too," Shanks said with a smile.

"Lord Shanks, my name is Yamato, and I'm not a woodcutter," the expressionless young man said.

"........."

Another young man poisoned by his best buddy. They're all so straightforward. Don't they know I'm joking?

"Next time, we have a mission." After saying that, Kaden grabbed Yamato and hurriedly left without looking back. If they didn't leave soon, the old guy would start nagging again.

"...Am I that scary?"

Shanks pouted as he watched Kakashi and Yamato's retreating figures.

.........

"How's the situation?" Shanks asked Hiruzen Sarutobi before even sitting down in the Hokage's office.

"Kakuzu was bored, so he came over to join in the fun. Who knew that the minister of the Land of Hot Water would run into him without checking the almanac before going out... It was his newly recruited underling who made the move, and he's such a weakling that he turned the battlefield into a slaughterhouse." Shanks shrugged.

"Phew! It's Kakuzu, that's good." Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't some mysterious figure, everything was fine.

489. The Rise of the Sneaky Style

"This won't work. It's no use even if we reach the tower before we find the Scroll of Heaven."

He sat down under a large tree in the Death Forest and grumbled to himself.

Kakuzu and Hidan's encounter was just a minor episode. The second exam was still ongoing. Seven days had passed since Garp's team met Kakuzu. They were getting closer and closer to the central tower, and the number of ninja teams they encountered was increasing, leading to more fights. Not every team was as easy to talk to as the Yu Ninja they had met before. Some teams had incredibly hot tempers, and they happened to run into Garp, who was even hotter. At first, they would exchange a few words with the other team, but the amount of talking decreased. They would just rush in and fight. And those extras who weren't even Chunin were no match for the three of them who were pretending to be weak while actually being strong. Often, by the time Itachi and Hyuga Tsuruhime had even started their attack, Garp had already finished the fight. This speed at stealing kills was something he had practiced since childhood.

However, whether it was bad luck or divine intervention against their cheating, after several battles, they encountered opponents who, like them, possessed the Earth Scroll. In other words, their battles were essentially a waste.

"The only thing we can do now is to guard the entrance. We should be considered fast. Let's go to the entrance and see if we can find any Heavenly Scrolls." Itachi said helplessly. The number of Heavenly Scrolls and Earthly Scrolls is equal, but all he has encountered are Earthly Scrolls. They have to be mentally strong, otherwise they would have collapsed long ago.

"Three Mist Ninja are coming this way from the four o'clock direction," said Hyuga Tsuruhime, who had been keeping her Byakugan active. At this time, Hyuga Tsuruhime's mental state was also not good. Keeping her Byakugan active for the past few days had greatly depleted her chakra.

"Hopefully, this time the heavens will be merciful and it won't be the Earth Scroll again." Garp rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, trying to perk himself up. This exam was just child's play for them; the main problem was that luck was their nemesis. If they had been lucky enough to encounter the Heaven Scroll from the beginning, they would have been sleeping soundly in the tower long ago.

The three of them started crouching in the bushes again. Among the three, Garp and Itachi had been teammates the longest and were used to crouching in the bushes. Back then, the two of them had even taken down a Jonin by crouching in the bushes.

Hyuga Tsuruhime, a newcomer, initially despised the sneaky tactic of hiding in bushes. Two special Jonin and a Chunin, hiding in bushes? She thought it would be a laughingstock. However, the minority had to submit to the majority, so she had no choice but to go along with it. Later, as she did it more often, she occasionally managed to steal a monster or two, and she gradually grew to like this tactic. Although it was a bit sneaky, it allowed her to easily end battles.

The footsteps grew closer, and when they were about ten meters away, the three exchanged glances.

"Super Strength Fist!"

"boom!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"boom!"

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

KO!!!

From the moment Garp jumped out to the end of the battle, it took less than ten seconds. The three Mist Ninja were stunned from the moment Garp roared at them until they were knocked unconscious.

After Garp and his two companions defeated the Mist Ninja, they skillfully searched their bodies. Finally, their luck changed, and they found the Heaven Scroll on one of the men who seemed to be the leader. Not only did they find the Heaven Scroll, but they also found a whole basketful of Earth Scrolls. Clearly, this group of Mist Ninja had also found a lot of Earth Scrolls, but they had all thrown them away. This group of Mist Ninja had actually kept them.

In the Hokage's office, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato were observing Garp and the others from in front of the crystal ball. The others, after watching for a while, were bored and went about their own business. Shanks, on the other hand, was busy thinking about his speech and didn't have time to pay attention to Minato and the others. The Chunin Exams consisted of three rounds, with the last one being the most important. The content of the exams was usually decided by the chief examiner, although the Hokage could offer suggestions. For example, the content of the first written exam was devised by Chiba Yamashiro. The second round was proposed by Hiruzen Sarutobi. As the eldest nephew, Sarutobi had no choice but to obey his father's suggestion to enter the cave. As for the third round of the exam, Minato originally proposed a 3v3 format, but Shanks rejected it. This was so unoriginal, just like the second round. Because the content was so clichéd, even though it was reported by several major ninja villages, the ratings were still mediocre. It was always the Heaven Scroll, the Earth Scroll, and the Forest of Death, etc. It didn't feel like wilderness survival or fighting. The audience just watched those examinees traveling, traveling, and traveling again every day. There was no excitement at all. Even Shanks got tired of it after watching two or three rounds. It was just so unoriginal.

"...Why!"

These past few days, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed every time he saw the three of them hiding in the bushes. He noticed that many people in Konoha were becoming increasingly cowardly. While ninjas are known for their unpredictable tactics, willing to use any means necessary to defeat their opponents, before Nawaki popularized this style, they would use ambushes, traps, and disguises. However, these methods were only employed when both sides were evenly matched or when their strength was insufficient. If they were significantly stronger than their opponents, they would openly feign strength before making their move, and even feign strength while attacking – that was the proper way to start a fight. But since Nawaki's rise, this cowardly style had grown like weeds in Konoha, impossible to eradicate. Now, seeing Garp and his two companions, clearly far stronger than the three opposing genin, still insisting on such extremely cowardly tactics... Hiruzen Sarutobi felt utterly helpless. It was just too damn shameful.

"Haha, this fighting style can defeat enemies more effectively and easily, why is the Third Hokage sighing?" Minato comforted Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was constantly sighing. Minato thought this method was good, at least it would prevent situations where someone was clearly stronger than their opponent but suffered casualties due to carelessness. However, he couldn't say that his teacher disliked a certain method.

“Sigh! Minato, sometimes the village’s reputation is more important than life itself. You’ll understand later. Nawaki used this method because he wasn’t talented enough. I had to endure it to preserve the Senju clan’s bloodline. But Garp’s talent is even stronger than Tsunade’s. We can’t keep going like this. How am I supposed to explain this to my two teachers, the Second and First Hokage?” Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. The Senju clan might become synonymous with the “sneaky” style from now on.

490. Competition exists everywhere.

Regardless of Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts, after Garp and his two companions arrived at the tower, more people arrived every few days. These newcomers were in much better condition than Garp and his companions, each bearing injuries of varying degrees. Even the giants of the Cloud Ninja were all wounded. It's important to understand that the genin stage primarily tests taijutsu, as genin don't have much chakra to unleash ninjutsu without restraint. The Cloud Ninja giants, who have a natural advantage in taijutsu, were all injured. This shows just how intense the exam was. Because so many people were injured, Minato decided to let them rest for two weeks to recover and be in top condition for the third exam.

The second exam eliminated half of the participants. Only one or two teams from the smaller ninja villages passed, while the rest were from the three major ninja villages. Among them, the Cloud Ninja had the most giants. The number of Konoha and Mist Ninja was about the same, but Konoha had the most eliminated participants. This was because Konoha had a large number of participants with varying quality. Mist Ninja did not have many participants to begin with, but most of them were elites, so their elimination rate was the lowest.

"Father-in-law, what are the plans for the third exam?" In the Nara clan, Sky Cannon asked Shanks, who was holding the little deer.

"I haven't thought of anything yet. Minato and the Third Hokage's suggestions are too unoriginal. It's either one-on-one or 3v3. You can't throw a match like this. Aren't you afraid of being booed to death by the audience? By the way, I heard that the Daimyo of the Land of Wind is running a bookmaker. What are the odds for Garp and the others?" Shanks teased the listless Shikaku.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was never one to stay put. Even though no one from Sunagakure participated this time, it didn't stop him from vying for power and acting as the protagonist, especially in front of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. For some reason, these two seemed to be born enemies, always arguing whenever they met. Just yesterday, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, because of the relatively good relationship between Kumogakure and Konoha, flattered the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, saying that Konoha was guaranteed first place in the joint exam, and they would at most compete for second. The Daimyo of the Land of Water agreed with the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, making the Daimyo of the Land of Fire quite smug. As a result, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind objected, immediately saying that it was only because no one from Sunagakure participated that the first round was considered theirs. Then it was the turn of the Land of Earth. The grudges between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning were longer than three TV dramas, and the relationship between the two Daimyo was even more complicated. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was quite fiery... Since the Land of Earth naturally sided with the Land of Wind, a banquet turned into a five-nation war. Everyone had their own reasons, and it almost escalated into a full-blown brawl. Finally, after Minato and Hiruzen Sarutobi intervened, it was reduced to a betting contest where one person would act as the bookmaker and all the daimyo and ministers of each country could place bets. Originally, the daimyo of the Land of Fire should have been the bookmaker, since it was their territory. However, the daimyo of the Land of Wind objected, arguing that only the wealthiest person should be the bookmaker. When it came to wealth, the Land of Wind was second to none; they had plenty of gold dust. Finally, the daimyo of the Land of Wind declared arrogantly, "Everyone can bet, with no upper limit. If you dare to bet, I dare to accept." Even the daimyo of the Land of Fire was speechless. No matter how rich he was, he couldn't handle so many bets; if he lost, he'd have to use the national treasury, and dozens of his brothers were watching him closely.

The next morning, as soon as the funds from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind arrived, betting points were immediately set up in various places in Konoha. You could bet even a single dollar. Tsunade and Garp came knocking on his door early in the morning to borrow money to place bets.

Shanks doesn't like gambling, so he didn't bother getting involved. However, when he saw the treasure chest that Tsunade and Garp had almost finished using, and thought about the wealth of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, he couldn't calm down for a long time. How could he not rob the rich to help the poor?

"Because they're so young, the odds for the three of them are relatively high at 1 to 7. The highest odds are for the Kusagakure Yoru team at 1 to 100, and the lowest are for the Kumogakure Date team at 1 to 2. Father-in-law, you wouldn't be thinking of..." Seeing Shanks's shrewd expression, Skyrocket knew exactly what his father-in-law was up to.

"I have that idea. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind is so rich, what's there to be afraid of? But the odds for Garp and the others are still a bit low. We need to find a way to raise their odds a bit," Shanks said, stroking his chin.

“It’s difficult. After all, all three of them got full marks in the first written test, and they were the first to arrive in the second test. If it weren’t for their young age, their odds would probably be even lower,” said Chongtianpao, shrugging.

"Not necessarily. Let me think about it. I promised Kakuzu last time that I would team up with him to do something big, and this is a good opportunity." Shanks said with a sly smile.

"........"

Chongtianpao felt a chill run down his spine. This father-in-law was usually crazy, but when it came to money, he was definitely a genius. Although he didn't know what kind of tricks he was up to, he silently mourned for the Daimyo of the Land of Wind for three seconds. This time, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was destined to lose money.

.......

The next day, on the main street of Konoha.

"Have you heard? Young Master Garp, the young patriarch of the Senju clan, got a cramp in his butt while practicing yesterday. I heard it's quite serious, and he can't even get out of bed now."

"Yes, I went to the hospital this morning and saw young master Garp coming out of the operating room. Lady Tsunade operated on him all night. Sigh! I've already bet 100,000 on young master Garp and his friends, and I can't back out now."

"Not only that, I heard that the young head of the Uchiha clan also fainted for no reason during practice this morning and hasn't woken up yet. I heard that he is too young and overexerted himself during the second assessment. He will need to rest for at least half a month. If he forces himself to come back for the exam, he probably won't be in good condition."

"Sigh! I also bet 500,000 on young master Garp, and now it seems I can't win."

"........."

Yesterday, Shanks spent the whole afternoon at home thinking and finally came up with a way to get Garp and the others to pay out. Injuries have always been the biggest enemy of ninjas, so as long as news of one or two of the three of them being injured gets out, wouldn't that solve the problem?

Shanks immediately gathered three people and had them feign illness. He also went to the Anbu (Anbu organization) to have his best friend spread a message in the village. Once the Daimyo of the Land of Wind received the message, the odds for Garp and his companions would definitely be raised. He was confident he had the Daimyo of the Land of Wind under his thumb!

491. Shameless Three Generations

"Sakumo, quickly tell Kakashi to go to the betting shop and bet on Garp, bet as much as you can."

As rumors of Garp and Itachi's various injuries continued to circulate, the odds for the three of them also rose steadily, reaching 1 to 15 in just two days. Shanks felt that it was about the limit. Even if the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was brainless, he wouldn't let their odds be higher than those of the Grass Ninja. After all, the results of the three in the first two matches were there for all to see. When there was a benefit, Shanks naturally thought of his good buddy. When the odds for Garp and the other two rose to 1 to 15, Shanks immediately ran to the Anbu and even used all the cash he could find at home to bet on Garp.

"...Kakashi seems to have already bought them." Sakumo Hatake said. It wasn't just Kakashi who bought them; many Anbu members had bought Garp and the other two. They were the ones who caused this mess, so it would be strange if they didn't buy them.

"Then let's keep raising the stakes, raise as much as we can. This time we're going to rip off the Daimyo of the Land of Wind big, he's got plenty of money anyway," Shanks said.

"...We've already bought a lot, isn't this a bit much?" Hatake Sakumo was just that straightforward. It wasn't wartime, so he knew that cheating people would be against his conscience.

"The Daimyo of the Land of Wind has plenty of money, no need to feel sorry for him. I just saw Little Green Sprout helping the Third Hokage place his bets. I didn't expect the Third Hokage to have so much in reserve, betting 3 billion in one go." Shanks said disdainfully. That bastard Third Hokage was complaining to him about being poor last time, but now that he sees an opportunity to profit, he bets 3 billion in one go. He's really inhuman.

It wasn't just Hiruzen Sarutobi who went to snag a bargain in Konoha; many high-ranking officials bought tickets. Even Ichigo led two of his clansmen, carrying sacks, to place bets. When asked why they still bought so much when all three were doing this, everyone's unanimous response was that they were supporting domestic products and that winning or losing didn't matter.

After informing his best friend, Shanks summoned Miss Slug and had her clone at Kakuzu's location notify Kakuzu to give him money so he could place a bet.

"Holy crap! Is Kakuzu trying to bankrupt the Daimyo of the Land of Wind? Miss Slug, did Kakuzu bring the entire treasury of the Land of Rain?" Shanks was shocked by the amount of money Miss Slug brought to Kakuzu. He wasn't worried about the Daimyo's bankruptcy at first, but after seeing Kakuzu's funds, he was worried. Every Daimyo has their own private treasury, and all their private expenses come from it. They can't use the national treasury money at will; they need the approval of several ministers to use it. Although the Daimyo of the Land of Wind is rich, he probably can't withstand Kakuzu's move. Kakuzu had Miss Slug bring a whopping 300 billion. Shanks had witnessed Kakuzu's money-making ability. Although it wasn't as shrewd as his own big deals, Kakuzu had been making money every day for decades, which Shanks couldn't match.

Kakuzu's funds alone are comparable to the entire Konoha village. Even if Shanks gathers his forces and raises funds, it's only a little over 50 billion. That's because his family has two incompetent people. He can't even earn enough money to support them. Most of that 50 billion was saved up by Shizuka through years of frugality while controlling the Senju clan's finances. A small portion also belongs to Haruko. Shanks has already been completely drained by Tsunade and Garp.

"I don't know, Kakuzu asked me to bring these to you," the slug on Shanks' shoulder said softly.

"There are too many, it's hard to place a bet. When that idiot Daimyo of the Land of Wind finds out there's something fishy going on, he'll probably run away," Shanks said, stroking his chin.

"What's so difficult about that? Just have a few people go and buy it separately. It's best to have a few influential people so no one will suspect anything." Tsunade pouted as she looked at the money. She had given away more than 300 billion yen over the years, but this was the first time she had seen more than 300 billion yen at once. The scene was truly spectacular.

Afterwards, Shanks had Nawaki notify the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, along with Shiki Aburame and Hizashi Hyuga, to come over. None of the clan members brought 60 billion yen to place a bet. These were all clan heads, and Hizashi Hyuga was also the head of a branch clan of the Hyuga clan, so no one found it strange that he brought out 60 billion yen.

"Father-in-law, isn't this... too much? Although I don't have specific figures, based on Garp's current odds, if the Daimyo of the Land of Wind were to place such a large bet, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind might really go bankrupt." Sky Cannon said with some difficulty as he looked at the amount of money.

The Fire Country Daimyo alone bet 40 billion, but when the Daimyo bet, the odds for Garp and his two companions weren't high. But now it's different, 1 to 15! The Wind Country Daimyo will probably have to use the national treasury this time, otherwise he'll completely embarrass the Wind Country. However, if he uses the national treasury for personal matters, he'll probably think that the Wind Country Daimyo's term is over. Which Daimyo doesn't have dozens of brothers? Moreover, the Wind Country Daimyo is different from the Fire Country Daimyo. The Wind Country Daimyo still has a certain amount of power in Sunagakure. Who wouldn't want to sit in such a prestigious position? Even the Fire Country Daimyo, a position with no say in Konoha, has many people fighting tooth and nail for.

"Whether he goes bankrupt or not is none of my business. We're just robbing the rich to help the poor, robbing his wealth to help our own. It's a good deed. He has so many brothers. Even if the Land of Wind loses one daimyo, there are still dozens of other daimyo candidates. What's the panic? You guys split up and place your bets later. Remember to keep your betting slips safe. Kakuzu is my brother. I can't cheat him, no matter who else I cheat." Shanks said indifferently. It didn't matter to him whether the Land of Wind's daimyo changed or even their Land of Fire's daimyo changed.

"Dad, I don't have enough fingers. Can you help me calculate how much money we'll get if we win this time?" The illiterate boy asked Rope Tree, gesturing with his fingers. His calculations had long been limited to numbers under ten, and calculating over a hundred million was indeed a challenge for him.

"boom!"

"You little rascal, starting tomorrow you'd better study properly. You're too lazy to even cheat on the exam. If it weren't for Yamashiro holding back, you would have completely embarrassed me. When will you finish answering the questions from the last written exam before you leave the house?" Garp was only annoyed when he mentioned it. Yamashiro Chiba had already arranged for four bodyguards to protect him, and the proctors were his own people. If he had just glanced at the questions, 300 questions, or even 600, would have been a piece of cake. This little rascal couldn't even be bothered to glance at them, and insisted on making it so dramatic. If it weren't for Yamashiro Chiba's quick thinking, he probably wouldn't have even passed the first round.

"No way, Grandpa! Those questions are too cruel, no human could possibly answer them!" Garp cried, his face contorted with rage. He was still hoping to win some money and have a good time...!

492. It might be a hobby.

Two weeks passed quickly, and the final and most important round of the Joint Chunin Exams arrived. Shanks chose to hold this exam in an open-air venue with a total of 100,000 seats for the audience.

"Ahem! Welcome everyone to the final round of the first Joint Chunin Exams, hosted by Konoha. Attending this Chunin Exam are the Daimyo of various countries, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, the Third and Fourth Hokage of Konoha, and Ao, the youngest high-ranking member of Kirigakure. Due to the constant ninja wars of recent years, countless genius ninjas have emerged from each village. As a pioneer of the ninja world, I am very pleased to see so many geniuses here. I hope that you, as the future hope of the ninja world, will contribute greatly to the peace of the ninja world in the future..." As the chief examiner for the final round, Shanks, dressed in a flamboyant red suit, rattled off his prepared speech, which he had spent several days rehearsing. For such an important occasion, his attire couldn't be too casual. He had only worn this favorite flamboyant red suit once before, at Big Mom's wedding, and this outfit was absolutely dazzling to the hundreds of thousands of spectators. This was the first time he had spoken in front of so many people, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

"Aunt, what is Uncle Shanks saying?" Garp listened to Shanks rambling on and on in the middle of the field, but he didn't understand what Shanks was saying at all. What did this have to do with the exam?