Konoha Drunkard

"Father-in-law, what are your plans?"

Chongtianpao stroked his chin and asked, thinking that since his father-in-law was willing to tell them about this, he must have already come up with a plan.

However, Shanks is going to be disappointed this time. He shook his head.

"I only brought you guys in because I couldn't think of a solution. Aren't you smart people the best at this kind of brain-draining stuff? If I had a solution, why would I have brought you in? It's always better for one person to make money than for three to split it."

"..."

"Just as I thought."

Chongtianpao was speechless. If it weren't for the fact that he was his father-in-law, Chongtianpao would have turned around and left immediately. Seriously, you've made the first move, and now you expect me to come up with a solution? I may be smart, but I'm not a god...

"This is indeed a difficult matter. Stealing is definitely out of the question. There are only a few people in the village who could do it, and it's easy to guess what they might do. It would easily provoke the Uchiha clan's emotions, and I'm afraid that..."

Although he was very tempted, Minato still hesitated. Like Hiruzen Sarutobi, he believed that the Uchiha clan should coexist peacefully with the village. Therefore, he tried his best to suppress the many complaints from the villagers about the Uchiha and discussed them with his son's father in private. After all, the Uchiha clan was one of the founding families of Konoha, and he wanted to give them as much face as possible.

Minato is indeed torn, but ultimately, for the sake of Konoha...

"Yes! That's right, for the village!"

Minato finally convinced himself that the Uchiha clan was nothing compared to the village.

Finally, Minato joined Shanks and Rocket Rumble's team. The three of them sat in the house thinking about how to move the things out of the three old guys' warehouse. Finding the place was easy; Shanks' Observation Haki was like a scanner, so it wouldn't be a problem. Moving the things out of the warehouse wouldn't be a problem either.

The Uzumaki clan has plenty of sealing scrolls, which isn't a problem. The main issue is how to prevent the three old men from suspecting them. Shanks originally planned to bring Shimura Hanzo back, but Uchiha Kagami's Mangekyou Sharingan doesn't have the spatial abilities of Obito. His Flying Thunder God Technique takes time to develop and is too obvious. Besides, he has a strong moral compass; stealing would lower his historical standing. Even if no one finds out, he can't get past his own conscience.

"...The best way is to let the Uchiha people go to their warehouse and take the things out themselves." After explaining, Skyrocket uttered a pointless statement.

"In that case, we can use illusion magic to control them, but... even if Senior Shinku is here, there's nothing I can do, after all, the people around those three old guys are no small fry either."

Minato also felt that the rocket's argument made sense, but it was simply impossible. In the entire ninja world, only the Uchiha clan dared to show off their genjutsu in front of them. Although the Sharingan was not as sharp as the Mangekyou Sharingan, it had all the necessary functions. Even Kurenai Yuhi, who was once known as the master of genjutsu in Konoha, could only avoid being reflected by their Sharingan. It was too difficult to make them fall for genjutsu.

The Kurama clan's genjutsu might be able to achieve this, since their genjutsu can affect the five senses. However... the Kurama clan is currently just a background figure in Konoha. No one in their clan has awakened their bloodline limit yet. Even Minato only learned about the incredible bloodline limit of this seemingly insignificant clan after reading Tobirama Senju's records.

Unfortunately, it's all useless... The Kurama clan only has a few members now. Although their genjutsu talent is decent, they simply can't influence the five senses like Tobirama Senju described. Even the clan leader is just an ordinary Jonin with no impressive achievements.

Kurenai Yuhi at least managed to use genjutsu against the Uchiha clan back then. The Kurama clan, however, is now proficient in genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu, though they constantly boast that their clan's bloodline limit once made Madara pause for two seconds...

Otherwise, after reading Tobirama Senju's records, let alone others, even Minato himself wouldn't believe that a minor family could have such an impressive history.

"It's not that there's no way, but... I'm only a superficial friend to him, and if he finds out, the three generations of old men will probably find out too, and then there will probably be one more person to blame."

Shanks hesitated for a moment. The words of the man who threw the cannonball reminded Shanks that his older brother Danzo was the perfect paving the way for the Uchiha clan. Just getting him involved wouldn't hurt, and there were plenty of Uchiha in Root, all henchmen of those three old men. As for whether they would listen to Danzo and betray their own clan, Shanks didn't even need to think about it. Danzo's most cunning method was casting spells on people's tongues. Shanks wouldn't believe those Uchiha hadn't been cursed by Danzo. How could such a cunning man as Danzo let such a good opportunity slip by?

517. If you need anything, find Danzo.

"Father-in-law, are you talking about Danzo?"

As soon as Shanks finished speaking about the Skyrocket, he realized that as the Grand Marshal of Konoha, he knew how Danzo had manipulated Root. He estimated that the only one in Root who hadn't been cursed was Yamanaka Hiroo, whom he hadn't met.

As for how he knew that Yamanaka Hiro wasn't cursed, that's a long story. Yamanaka Hiro was originally a member of the Yamanaka clan. Although he was taken to Root by Danzo when he was very young, he was still a member of the Yamanaka clan. What's the difference between a small clan and a large clan? Of course, it's unity. Moreover, Yamanaka Hiro wasn't much older than them. When Yamanaka Hiro occasionally returned to his clan, he would chat with Inoichi and talk about some things related to Danzo.

Haiyi had mentioned to Chongtianpao that he was quite familiar with the curse seal of the Root. He said that one should not mention Danzo or the Root in front of outsiders, otherwise one would be cursed before even speaking. However, Yamanaka Hiro not only spoke about it, but also got away with it without any problems. Therefore, Chongtianpao concluded that Yamanaka Hiro had not been cursed.

Furthermore, Yamanaka Hiroo also said that everyone in Root was frightened by his accident and was marked with a cursed seal. Since the Uchiha people entered Root, it is normal for them to be controlled by Danzo with a cursed seal. However... his father told him to be wary of Danzo before he retired, always telling him that Danzo was too sinister. Therefore, he has hardly spoken a word to Danzo in the years since he took power.

"Hmm! You know Danzo and the Third Hokage are best buddies. If we tell Danzo, it's the same as telling the Third Hokage. With the Third Hokage's opportunistic nature, he'll definitely come back and ask us for a share."

Shanks relentlessly criticized Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was always complaining about being poor, and Shanks actually believed him. Then, when the former Daimyo of the Land of Wind was gambling, he somehow managed to produce 3 billion kyats from his own savings. Who knows how much that old man amassed while in power?

"It wouldn't matter if the Third Hokage knew, would it? I was planning to inform the Third Hokage after we had discussed it."

The naive Minato always saw the good in others. For example, when Jiraiya claimed that peeping at girls was part of his human anatomy research, Minato actually believed him. And when Jiraiya relentlessly criticized Hiruzen Sarutobi for using the crystal ball for evil purposes, Minato never believed him, always saying that the Third Hokage was concerned about the villagers and used the crystal ball to observe their lives... The Third Hokage was a truly dedicated and responsible Hokage.

It's possible that because Minato often protected him, Hiruzen Sarutobi became more and more satisfied with Minato, even more so than with his own eldest son, although his eldest son was also good-looking, but not as handsome as Minato.

He never considered that his eldest son's lack of handsomeness was due to his own actions. Biwako was a famous beauty in Konoha decades ago. Although Little Green Sprout perfectly avoided inheriting the genes of the Sarutobi clan's bearded man and the short Sarutobi Hiruzen, she was still ultimately affected by his genes and wasn't very handsome, only slightly so. This was all because Sarutobi Hiruzen was ugly...

"Alright, I'll go talk to Danzo tomorrow. After all, I still have some connections with him." Shanks had no choice but to go. Minato had already put it this way, so Hiruzen Sarutobi's involvement was inevitable. He could only hope that the three bargaining warehouses would fatten him up, and even if some were left for Hiruzen Sarutobi, it wouldn't matter, even though he was a kind person.

......

Shanks, carrying two fruit baskets, hadn't been to Root for many years. The last time he came was when he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the old man with the cannon tricked Danzo. He pretended to be angry and came once. Even though Konoha was completely destroyed last time, Root's headquarters still stood firm, with the same decor as more than ten years ago. It looked old-fashioned and gloomy, like something out of a horror movie. It also fit the persona Danzo created. If he didn't need a favor, Shanks wouldn't have spent those few coins haggling with Granny Xiang all morning to buy Root with two fruit baskets. Anyway, Shanks really disliked this gloomy feeling; it was too oppressive.

Shanks entered Root without any hindrance. Although Root members were mostly emotionless, Shanks still entered Root without any problems; no one stopped him. Although his Conqueror's Haki was somewhat rusty due to his limited practice, which knocked out many of the weaker members, some stronger ones remained unaffected, though their legs were still trembling.

"Haha! My brother Danzo! Have you eaten? It's been a long time. How are you doing?" Shanks arrived at the innermost part of Root and, sure enough, saw Danzo sitting on his "dragon throne," with two bodyguards on his left and right, a man in shorts wearing sunglasses, and a handsome man about the same age as Minato. Shanks handed him two fruit baskets.

"...Why are you looking here?"

Danzo replied to Shanks irritably, "We just saw each other yesterday, what nonsense about 'long time no see'."

To be honest, his relationship with Shanks wasn't exactly good, but it wasn't exactly hostile either. Back when he was still the handsome and sunny young man of Konoha, the relationship between Shanks and Tobirama Senju's disciples was impeccable; they treated him like a younger brother, and Danzo was no exception.

He had previously mentioned to his teacher, Tobirama Senju, that he wanted to be Shanks' Jonin captain, but he didn't get the job because Tobirama Senju sent him to guard the border when the war started. So, Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Jonin captain, and later Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage. Since Shanks and Sakumo Hatake were in Hiruzen Sarutobi's team, Shanks naturally became his confidants. It was from that time that their relationship began to drift apart. Later, because of Koharu Utatane's incident and Sakumo Hatake's incident, their relationship deteriorated further.

But those were minor issues. Even married couples bicker and fight, let alone couples who grew up together. It's normal for them to bicker and fight. But what really bothered Danzo was that Shanks had never supported him in anything and had always been against him. For example, a few years ago, he had planned to marginalize the Uchiha clan. He had even bribed his friend Homura Mitokado with a bunch of supplements, and he was confident that he could succeed. But Shanks ruined everything in the end, and Shanks even persuaded his dream girl. This made Danzo extremely upset!

So Danzo never gave Shanks a friendly look when they met alone. What's more, this bastard came in without knocking and knocked out his group of henchmen outside. Where was the Root's authority?

"Don't always have that sour face. Everyone in Konoha knows that Danzo is half the sky of Konoha. If you need anything, you can't go wrong by asking Danzo. Of course I came to you because I need something." Shanks flattered him first, trying to make him feel good before saying anything else. Otherwise, given their relationship, it would be difficult to get Danzo's help.

518. Half the Sky of Konoha

Even though Danzo knew Shanks was exaggerating, he found it incredibly satisfying. His right-hand man, Hirio Yamanaka, also boasted about it all the time, but...

"There's still a gap!"

Danzo sighed inwardly. Listen to what they say: "Half of Konoha's sky!" What a vivid description!

That's right!

He is half of Konoha's sky!

"Speak, what is it?"

Danzo was in a better mood and stopped giving people the cold shoulder; even his tone of voice softened considerably.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. The main reason I came to see Brother Danzo is because you know what happened to the Uchiha yesterday. I've been getting angrier and angrier ever since I got back. You know, Konoha is already in such a difficult economic situation, and the Uchiha are still living a life of luxury, especially those three old guys. I heard that the son of the third Uchiha clan is already taking a third wife! And the dowry is really... several times more than my daughter's dowry. Brother Danzo, you can barely afford breakfast, don't you feel resentful?"

As Shanks spoke, he kept an eye on Danzo's expression. Sure enough, Danzo's expression darkened as soon as the Uchiha were mentioned. Shanks wondered what grudge the two sides had in their past lives.

However, Danzo considered himself quite clever and thought he was not easily fooled.

"Just get to the point! I know more about the Uchiha clan than you do."

Shanks immediately pulled out a huge sheet of paper and laid it flat in front of Danzo. Shanks' action startled Aburame Torune, who was standing next to Danzo. If it weren't for the insects inside his body refusing to come out, he would have already released the insect wall.

"What's the panic? This is just a warehouse location map of those three old Uchiha guys that I made overnight. Brother Danzo, your bodyguard's mental fortitude isn't up to par," Shanks said, looking at the nervous Aburame Torune.

"........"

Ever since Shanks took out the huge map, Danzo's eyes have been fixed on it, and he doesn't care about what Shanks is saying. Although Shanks is rather gloomy, Danzo is doing this because he is worried about Shanks' safety, so he pretends not to hear him.

Furthermore, despite the growth of Root over the years, it requires a considerable amount of funding. When Hiruzen Sarutobi was in power, there was a deal between them where Hiruzen would allocate a sum of money from the village's finances to Danzo for the development of Root every year. However, when Minato took over, this funding stopped. Root had been developing for so many years and didn't really need the village's financial support, so Danzo didn't care at that time.

However, ever since he tricked the three old Uchiha, more and more Uchiha people have been joining his Root organization, and the research plan on the Uchiha Sharingan that he had previously abandoned has been restarted.

Scientific research projects are notoriously expensive, and over the years, Root's finances have started to run into problems. Hiruzen Sarutobi has retired, and Minato's support for Root is no longer as strong as his close friend Hiruzen's. In addition, the village couldn't afford to fund Root after the Konoha reconstruction, so his Sharingan research project has stalled. Moreover, Danzo actually believed Shanks's nonsense that geniuses are meant to be different, and he sent people all over the ninja world to recruit those clueless orphans to train at Root. Training ninjas costs money, and Root is almost starving.

Why did he agree so readily when his best friend Hiruzen Sarutobi asked him to release the Seven-Tails in Takigakure to trick the Takigakure Kage? It was because his best friend promised to support him financially from the Sarutobi clan.

Although the Sarutobi clan was somewhat impoverished due to his actions, thanks to the support of the Sarutobi Casino, even though their numbers had decreased, their wealth was still far greater than that of the Shimura clan in its heyday. Although the Shimura clan also opened a casino in Konoha, right across from the Sarutobi Casino, the Hokage was the spokesperson for the Sarutobi Casino! The prestige was high enough that gamblers felt at ease, not worrying about being followed after winning money. And most importantly, Tsunade was a regular at the Sarutobi Casino; the money that Piano lost at the Sarutobi Casino alone could support a large clan.

So although the Sarutobi clan declined at the same time as Danzo's Shimura clan, the Sarutobi clan had a much stronger foundation, while the Shimura clan was only able to maintain their current lifestyle.

That's why Danzo stared at the map, his breathing becoming rapid. He had studied the Uchiha clan for decades, and his research on the Uchiha was unmatched by Shanks and Minato. The three old men basically controlled two-thirds of the Uchiha clan's wealth. Although Danzo hadn't calculated the exact amount of two-thirds of the Uchiha clan's wealth, it was certainly more than that of a small country.

The positions of the three elders in their respective families are all hereditary, unlike the position of the second male lead's father, who is the clan leader. The position of the second male lead's father is only counted from his grandfather's generation. The previous generation was Uncle Ban, meaning that the second male lead's father is only the third generation clan leader.

The three old men, on the other hand, had been elders since the Warring States period many years ago. They had passed down their knowledge from generation to generation and had accumulated countless treasures.

"What are your plans? How will the profits be split?" Danzo asked Shanks after studying the map for a long time. It wasn't that he didn't want to take all the profits for himself, but with Shanks as the other party, it would be too difficult. Besides, that bastard was always a big mouth. If he were to tell his dream girl that he was a bad person, violated the spirit of cooperation, and that this kind of man was unreliable, then he would suffer a huge loss.

"...Don't you have quite a few Uchiha clan members in your Root organization? And once they've entered Root, I think with your extraordinary abilities, Brother Danzo, they're definitely under your control, right? Look here, and here, and here. These places are all near the residences of those three old guys, and they're definitely heavily guarded. It's practically impossible for anyone in Konoha to sneak in and take things out undetected. Only Uchiha members can take these things in front of them without arousing suspicion. So, it all depends on your skills, Brother Danzo. After it's done, I'll give you ten percent!" Shanks patted his chest and guaranteed.

"Ten percent? Isn't that a bit low? I took much less risk than you, and I let them know that I was the one who did it, and I also controlled their people. My losses will definitely be significant." Although ten percent is still a lot, Danzo was clearly not satisfied. He was the one who put in the effort and took the risks, and in the end, he only got so little. The effort and reward were disproportionate.

519. My little brother is reliable.

Although he really wanted the Uchiha to clash with the village, ideally the village to kill the Uchiha, so he could fish in troubled waters and gain some benefits, he would only do so if it wouldn't affect him much, or even if he could gain something from it.

He had no desire to be a vanguard. Having experienced several world wars, he understood better than anyone the concept that being a vanguard meant being cannon fodder. He was a commander in his day...

"Ten percent is quite a lot. Even I, the one who devised this plan, only get ten percent. Brother Danzo, think about it. The village is going through a difficult time right now. Haru-nee, the logistics manager, is overwhelmed with work every day. If we take all the assets from those three old Uchiha bastards and give them to her, wouldn't that show that you care about her? That's more effective than any other way of pursuing her." Shanks gave Danzo his analysis, and to be honest, even he himself believed it.

Danzo listened to Shanks' words, closed his eyes, and thought for a moment...

"That seems to be true. How come I didn't think of that method...?"

"As long as I give her what the Uchiha created, say a few words of concern, and then..."

Shanks was utterly disgusted by Danzo's drooling. How old was he...? He didn't know what Danzo was thinking, but the content was definitely a bit lewd...

It's truly pitiful. Shanks suspects Danzo hasn't even achieved his first virginity yet, which is quite pathetic. He's already 60 years old! In the world of Naruto, there are elderly single men, but most are widowed. Those like Danzo, still achieving their first virginity at 60, are extremely rare. While marriage isn't as common as it used to be at 12 or 13, people still need to find a partner after reaching adulthood. The ninja profession is too risky. Even someone like Sakumo Hatake, who married and had children in his 30s, was considered a rare talent in Konoha. Danzo, on the other hand, seems to be aiming for the same fate as his teacher, Tobirama Senju...

"Danzo is truly pitiful..." Shanks decided to help him, even if it was just for the sake of their many years of friendship...

"I'll just say that this plan was Danzo's idea, and that's it..."

As Shanks looked at Danzo with sympathy, the three of them were also watching him. The changes in Shanks' facial expressions just now had amazed them. They had never imagined that a person's facial expressions could change so many different ways in an instant.

"What are you thinking?"

It's no wonder Danzo was cautious; after all, he'd been tricked by Shanks quite a few times. And with that guy's expression suddenly becoming so lively, who knows what he might be thinking?

"Isn't that because I wanted to help you, Brother Danzo, come up with a plan? I see that Sister Koharu isn't young anymore. She's such an outstanding woman. In the entire Hidden Leaf Village, there's no one else who can match her except for a man as outstanding as you, Brother Danzo. As your little brother, I'm just worried about you and trying to think of a solution for you," Shanks said jokingly.

"Oh? What idea have you come up with?"

After Shanks finished speaking, Danzo, as expected, asked with gratitude, "It seems I've misunderstood him all these years. He really is still the little brother I knew all those years ago..."

"There is a way, but we have to wait until we get the items. Then I'll bring them to Xiaochun and tell her that you went to great lengths to get these from the Uchiha clan, risking offending them. When she asks you about them, you should act like it's nothing. Just imagine how touched Xiaochun will be!"

The more Shanks talked, the more excited Danzo became. His little brother was truly reliable! Look at the solution he came up with—it was killing three birds with one stone! He could please his dream girl and solve the financial problems of Root and the village.

"I'll have the Uchiha people move tonight, and you can come to me to pick it up tomorrow."

After figuring it out, Danzo was full of energy and couldn't wait to get his men to act.

"Then I'll wait at home for Brother Danzo's good news. But you absolutely mustn't let anyone else, even three generations of old men, know this. Just think, if he finds out, given his character, he'll definitely lose half of what he has with Sister Koharu."