Konoha Drunkard

When he was a henchman, he only came into contact with villages under the sun. The things Danzo's Root did were beyond his level of access back then. Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't let him get involved in such things too early. Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that Orochimaru was unwilling to become Hokage because he came into contact with Root too early. The young Orochimaru was so outstanding back then, and he couldn't let his perfect grand-disciple follow in the footsteps of his perfect disciple.

Where there is light, there will naturally be darkness; this is a law that Minato was well aware of. However, when he became Hokage and came into contact with Danzo's Root organization more and more, he couldn't help but feel resistant. But even if he was resistant, there was nothing he could do, because Danzo's Root organization did indeed benefit the village's development in some ways. For example, the last time they tricked Takikage and the Uchiha clan, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly without Danzo's emotionless assassins.

Therefore, Minato could only turn a blind eye to Danzo's Root organization, letting him do as long as it didn't infringe on the village's interests.

However, Minato felt that Danzo had gone too far with the Uchiha incident. Although the Uchiha sometimes went too far in the village, they were still villagers after all. If you controlled fewer Uchiha, it wouldn't matter, but you controlled so many people, weren't you forcing them to rebel?

Although Minato was the Hokage, he still lacked the weight of the four great leaders of Konoha. The other three leaders didn't share Minato's ambitions. They had experienced the Uchiha clan's heyday and knew how lawless they were. During their teacher Tobirama Senju's reign, when the First Hokage died and war broke out, they immediately challenged the village for power. If it weren't for their teacher's ruthless methods, the village might have been renamed the Uchiha, and they, along with the villagers, would have become inferior.

Therefore, they secretly approved of Danzo's actions to some extent. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who inherited Hashirama Senju's ideology, sided with Danzo when he heard that the three old guys were planning to rebel. The Uchiha were indeed still up to their old tricks.

"Fourth Hokage, the situation is very clear. The three old men were having a secret meeting with their clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, last night. I'm 80% sure they're plotting a coup. We can't wait any longer," Danzo said to Minato with a grim face.

Don't be fooled by his serious expression; he's secretly overjoyed. His brother Hanzo had approached him for a collaboration, and all he needed to do was target the Uchiha clan. But targeting the Uchiha clan isn't so easy. After all, they were one of the key figures in establishing the village. As long as they didn't commit any major offenses, the village would usually turn a blind eye. How many complaints had the Hokage's office received over the years? Quite a few, practically too many. The Hokage Building couldn't contain them all. But both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze suppressed the complaints and burned them. This was because the Uchiha's contributions to the village were simply too great. Among the Senju clan, the Uchiha were the most prominent. So even if the Uchiha were overpowered, the village would simply ignore them.

Before fulfilling Hanzo's conditions, Danzo couldn't find his brother's whereabouts no matter how hard he searched, making it difficult to even meet him. Thinking of his brother's Mangekyou Sharingan space-time ability, Danzo's heart started pounding uncontrollably again. Space-time ability, the only space-time ninjutsu in the ninja world besides Minato. Shanks' half-baked skills were not within Danzo's sphere of influence.

In recent years, thanks to having enough three-tomoe Sharingan, his Root has made great progress in researching the Sharingan. Once he has completely finished researching the Sharingan, it will be time for him to switch to the Mangekyou Sharingan. At that time, Wood Release combined with Mangekyou Sharingan... the scene is too beautiful, even Danzo would not be able to bear it.

"........"

Minato stared intently at Danzo. "It's all your fault, you old codger! If you hadn't done this, how could they have planned a coup? You've gone so far as to rebel. If I were Fugaku Uchiha, I would have considered rebelling too."

"Fourth Hokage, Danzo is right. The Uchiha clan has always been an unstable family. Although they once founded the village and made great contributions, when Madara Uchiha attacked the village with the Nine-Tails, he made a mess of the village. Coupled with their actions in the village over the years, no matter how great their contributions are, they cannot cover up their instability. Moreover, the three old guys have stuffed so many people into Root, their intentions are already very clear. This matter can't wait any longer, otherwise, once they take action, the village will suffer some unavoidable losses." The veteran guest, Mitokado Homura, said seriously. Recently, he was very troubled. He originally thought that with the protection of his teacher's work, he and his wife should be able to successfully conceive a child soon, but a year has passed, and his wife's belly is still not showing any signs. He thought it was a problem between him and his wife. Last month, he shamelessly asked Tsunade to help them with their health. Tsunade said that there was nothing wrong with their health, but his wife was too old, and even if she got pregnant, it would be very dangerous.

539. Overwatering

This wasn't the real reason for his troubles. When they were young, they wanted to enjoy more time together as a couple, so after witnessing Hiruzen Sarutobi's experiences, neither of them had any plans to have children. After all, they were young, and who wouldn't want to live a carefree life for a few years? But as they got older, especially after they turned fifty, they suddenly realized that they were quite lonely as a couple, so they started to want children. However, after getting the answer from Tsunade, he was heartbroken for a while but eventually accepted reality. But his wife couldn't accept it, so she discussed with him the idea of ​​him marrying a younger woman and having a child for him.

To be fair, Mitokado Homura was a good man; he absolutely disagreed with his wife's methods, and the two ended up arguing about it—their first argument in decades. You can imagine how annoyed Mitokado Homura was. And to make matters worse, the Uchiha clan caused this mess, preventing him from comforting his wife at home. He probably wished the Uchiha clan would be wiped out so he could finally have some peace and quiet.

"I think we shouldn't be too hasty. Let's see how things go. We don't have any substantial evidence. If we take action against the Uchiha clan based on just a piece of information we've gathered, it will be hard to explain to the other clans in the village, especially the Hyuga clan. As a fellow major clan, they know the principle of mutual dependence."

Koharu Utatane wasn't biased towards the Uchiha clan. Instead, she was considering the impact on the village if the Uchiha clan were wiped out or escaped. Destroying a clan isn't easy; just look at Kirigakure. Those powerful clans were wiped out so easily, leaving Kirigakure in its weakest state in decades. Even though Kirigakure is surrounded by the sea, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, it hasn't had much impact on the ninja world. But Konoha is different. If Konoha's strength weakens even slightly, then needless to say, another world war will begin. Furthermore, without the Uchiha, Konoha's two most powerful members are aging, Orochimaru has defected, and with only Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Minato remaining, it's uncertain whether they can withstand this great war.

These are the real issues, because Konoha has the richest land in the entire ninja world, and being the leader isn't easy; one wrong move and you could be overthrown by your underlings.

“Xiaochun makes a good point, but we can’t just sit idly by. We should keep a close eye on the three elders of the Uchiha clan during this time. Since Itachi and Shisui are both in the Anbu, let Root handle this matter.”

After Koharu Utatane finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe and offered his suggestion.

"So if the Uchiha really want to stage a coup, how should we deal with Itachi and Shisui?"

Mitokado Homura immediately felt a headache coming on after saying that. He'd forgotten that there was someone right next to him—Shisui Uchiha's godmother. A strong killing intent surged towards him from Koharu Utatane. He could say anyone else, but not her precious godchild. But he couldn't keep quiet about it, even though he knew that the three old men's affair with Fugaku Uchiha had nothing to do with Shisui Uchiha. But what could he do? He was a member of the Uchiha clan.

"I will handle Shisui's problem. You don't need to worry about it. But let me make this clear: if anyone tries to move Shisui, don't blame me for disregarding our friendship!" Koharu Utatane glared fiercely at Homura Mitokado. These words were clearly meant for Danzo's ears. She knew better than anyone how much Danzo hated Kagami's descendants.

"...snort!"

Danzo's cold snort was quite dashing, drawing attention from everyone. But who knew the bitterness in his heart? Because of Koharu's protection, he hadn't intended to do anything to Uchiha Shisui. As long as Shisui didn't provoke him, everyone would be at peace. Even considering Kagami was his friend, he wouldn't touch him. He didn't really care much for the three-tomoe Sharingan; he didn't care about such things. What he wanted was the Mangekyou Sharingan, but unfortunately, no one in the Uchiha clan had awakened it yet.

"Regarding Itachi Uchiha...who among you can go and gauge Shanks's stance?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at everyone with a headache, but everyone avoided his gaze and looked at the ceiling. The biggest problem was still Itachi Uchiha. If he were just the young head of the Uchiha clan, it wouldn't matter. The Uchiha clan was discussing how to wipe him out, so Itachi Uchiha was naturally not a big deal. At most, he was just a super genius. Although Konoha was currently in a period of transition, and there hadn't been a super genius for many years since Minato's generation, Kakashi could be considered one, but he ruined it by getting an eye that wasn't his own. Besides Kakashi, there was also Might Guy, who was being given special attention by Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had also seen the Eight Gates. This kind of atypical super genius like Might Guy still needed time to be honed. It couldn't be rushed.

After that, it took many years before Shisui, Garp, and Itachi Uchiha appeared in this generation. Three super geniuses emerged at the same time. But damn it, God seemed to be too good to the Uchiha clan. Two of the three super geniuses of Konoha in this generation were Uchiha. This made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel more disgusted than eating shit.

However, while super geniuses are rare, they do exist, so that's not the real reason they're avoiding the situation. The real reason they're avoiding it is because Uchiha Itachi is Shanks's precious disciple, and the most precious one at that, even more precious than Garp. That's what's bothering them.

That's how strange relationships are between people. They never understood why Shanks, that bastard, was so fond of Itachi Uchiha. If we're talking about talent, wasn't Minato's talent also amazing? He even learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, but back then, he stubbornly refused to take Minato as his disciple and gave him to Jiraiya instead.

Garp is his relative, and his talent is undeniable. In a few years, he'll probably be even more powerful than Tsunade. But this bastard treats Garp just so-so. He's not exactly bad to Garp, but he's definitely not as good to Itachi Uchiha as he is to Garp.

What frightened them most was that all four of them had some kind of leverage that Shanks, that bastard, had. And that bastard could summon... ugh! Summon their teacher! This was a real problem for them. If he summoned the Second Hokage for the sake of the Uchiha clan, that would be fine, since the Second Hokage also disliked the Uchiha. But what if he summoned the First Hokage...? They'd probably all be dragged off to plant trees by the First Hokage.

After all, the First Hokage truly loved the Uchiha clan. Don't let his usual jovial demeanor fool you; when it comes to the Uchiha, he becomes incredibly serious, showing no mercy even to his own brother. When the Uchiha first defected, the Second Hokage wanted to take action against them, but the First Hokage dragged him to plant trees for several months, which led to the famous Water God – probably because he overwatered the trees.

540. Too difficult.

"How about... Shikaku, you go ask him? You're the teacher's son-in-law, so you're closer..." Minato looked at Chikyuu, who was leaning on the table, hoping to make his presence less noticeable.

The four giants of Konoha also looked eagerly at Skyrocket. That's right! How could they forget about their Grand Marshal? A son-in-law is like half a son, so it's most appropriate for him to speak.

"........."

Chongtianpao covered his head, trying to minimize his presence, yet these people still remembered him. As for the talk of a close son-in-law... close my foot! He dreaded meeting his father-in-law most of all, and generally never arranged to meet him alone.

"...I'll go back and ask him for his opinion tonight." He had no choice but to proceed, given the stares of everyone present—those who were either of higher status or older than him.

"Shikamaru, grow up quickly, we're waiting for you..."

...........

"What wind blew Lord Shikaku here?" Shanks had just finished dinner and seen Itachi off. Before he could even close the door, he saw his son-in-law, who was known for his sky-high cannons, walking over from the corner. He had obviously been waiting here for a long time.

"...Father-in-law, the Uchiha clan may be planning a coup."

Chongtianpao deliberately adopted a serious demeanor, as if to say, "I'm talking to you about something important."

"Oh, I know."

Shanks gave a nonchalant reply.

"Father-in-law, you already knew?"

Seeing that Shanks didn't seem to have any follow-up, Skyrocket said...

"I expected this. Danzo made such a big fuss. Who are those three old Uchiha guys? They've been ripped off so badly, how could they possibly swallow their anger? I would have fought back too, let alone those overpowered Uchiha. Plus, Itachi's mood wasn't quite right tonight. I'm not stupid, your father-in-law."

Shanks pouted and said.

"The village plans to have Root keep a close watch on the Uchiha clan, as long as they take any action... As for Itachi Uchiha..."

Chongtianpao hesitated, unsure how to begin.

"It must have been the Third Hokage's idea to get Root to focus on the Uchiha clan, right? Is the Third Hokage trying to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan?"

Shanks was speechless. Everyone knew about the love-hate relationship between Danzo and the Uchiha clan. At this critical moment, having Danzo keep an eye on the Uchiha clan would force them to rebel even if they didn't.

"If the Uchiha clan really takes action, they asked me to ask them how Itachi should be dealt with."

"Skyrocket" stared at his father-in-law and said.

"...Anyone who can become my disciple can't be that uneducated. We'll see how it goes." Shanks shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about his disciple's well-being. This left Shanks completely bewildered. In his mind, his father-in-law should have slammed his fist on the table and run off to summon Shenron... ugh! Summon the First Hokage to make the Four Great Heroes of Konoha kneel in a line...

Now, with his father-in-law's indifferent attitude, he even wondered if someone had possessed his soul.

Shanks pursed his lips at the reaction of the rocket launcher. Actually, it wasn't that he was calm. Although he had forgotten most of the plot of Naruto, the Uchiha clan massacre was a recurring theme throughout the entire series, and it was a famous massacre. It was hard not to remember. Even though he didn't watch Naruto much in his previous life, when he heard the name Uchiha, the first thing that came to mind was Madara, then the massacre, and only then Sasuke, Itachi, and other characters.

It's like watching a movie. If you've already seen it once, why get excited when you watch it a second time when you already know how the plot unfolds?

However... he had never actually seen Itachi kill his clan members in the story. He could secretly film it, as these would be of historical value and become very valuable in a few decades, recording the rise and fall of a clan.

Unfortunately, cameras hadn't been invented in the Naruto world when he was young. That was the true golden age of the Uchiha clan, a single clan capable of standing up to the massive Iwagakure village.

"Father-in-law, are you saying you're not going to care about Itachi Uchiha anymore?" Sky Cannon asked uncertainly.

"What are you saying! How can you say I don't care about him? He's my only disciple. If I die one day, he'll inherit my estate. How can I not care about him? It's just... I haven't figured out how to write the plot yet. I'll wait until I've thought it through. Even if the Uchiha really want to rebel, it won't be so soon. After all, those three old guys don't have much left. They need to live off the Land of Fire's profits for another year or two. What's the rush?"

Shanks rolled his eyes at the rocket launcher. The Uchiha clan was doomed. Shanks didn't have the power to rewrite the course of Naruto. Shanks was already worried when Minato didn't die in the Nine-Tails' attack on the village. Back then, Shanks didn't let Nawaki go to the battlefield in World War II to save him. In the final World War III, Nawaki seemed to be targeted. Fortunately, he had some divine weapons back then.

Minato and Kushina are supporting characters far more important than Nawaki, who has only a minor role. They will definitely be targeted even more severely. It's already difficult for him to save just two or three people, let alone the entire Uchiha clan. This is the starting point of the entire Naruto storyline. There's a saying that the entire Naruto anime is actually a family drama of the Uchiha clan: the minor boss Obito Uchiha, Nagato with Madara's circle eyes, the major boss Madara, and the ultimate boss Kaguya, the mother of the Uchiha's ancestor, the Six Paths Sage.

Anyway, from beginning to end, it's all related to the Uchiha clan. Changing this kind of plot is harder than turning the savior into an idiot. Isn't the current savior an idiot?

Even his own parents, Kushina and Minato, didn't think their idiot son would become a savior, since he was just too stupid. But who could have imagined that this idiot would actually be forcibly turned into a savior by Kishimoto, and in the end, because he couldn't beat the old man Rokudo's mother, he forcibly turned his mother into an idiot as well.

Therefore, it's best to avoid this kind of main storyline if possible. He can still maintain the Heavenly Emperor's vision as the story progresses, otherwise it would be too difficult for him without a system.

Just like now, he doesn't know when Kishimoto will target Minato and Kushina, nor does he know if Nawaki's ordeal is over. If it happens again, Nawaki, that mediocre guy, even with a divine weapon, might not be able to withstand it.

If even a minor side quest like the Rope Tree is this difficult, then the main quest of the Uchiha clan massacre must be even more incredible. Not to mention the important side quest involving the parents of the savior, who knows how crazy the next wave will be.

This is too difficult!

541. A red stick (a symbol of authority) ensures things go smoothly.

Good morning, Third Generation Lord!

"Bai, went to school?"

As dawn broke, Hiruzen Sarutobi would take a stroll through the streets of Konoha every night after getting up, and he would run into Haku on his way to school. The more Hiruzen looked at Haku, the more he liked him.

As one of only two Ice Release users in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally paid close attention to him. There was also a Minazuki clansman who was supposed to deliver a message back then, and Hiruzen Sarutobi arranged for him to set up camp in Konoha. However, that clansman had never awakened Ice Release; he only had a chance of awakening it. After being seriously injured, his chances were even slimmer. Now, at best, he's just a Jonin with decent Water Release. Moreover, perhaps because of his serious injury, that Minazuki clansman has been married to a girl from Konoha for over a year, but there's still no sign of pregnancy.

Therefore, Haku is even more precious. Moreover, Haku excels in his studies at school, is highly talented, and has a kind personality. Because of his exceptionally handsome appearance, he doesn't get angry even when surrounded by boys and girls all day long. Isn't that exactly like Minato back in the day? In fact, Haku is even more extraordinary than Minato. Minato was just handsome, but Haku's appearance cannot be described as merely handsome.

"If only I had been this handsome back then..." Hiruzen Sarutobi unconsciously touched his chrysanthemum-like old face and sighed. His appearance and height were his lifelong regrets.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly and then shook his head. It was a pity that Haku wasn't a native of Konoha, so becoming Hokage was out of the question. However, becoming a Red Stick was still no problem, since he was an Ice Release user.

"Bai, what do you think of the village?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts returned to reality, and he asked as he walked with Haku.

As the village's future Red Elite, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he needed to pay more attention to him and strengthen the bond between him and the village. He shouldn't think that becoming a Red Elite was so easy. There were a lot of Jonin in Konoha, but currently only Kakashi, Might Guy, and Shisui had three Red Elite titles. As for whether he could advance to the Double Flower Red Elite, Hiruzen Sarutobi only thought that Might Guy might have a chance, but Might Guy was a very unusual Double Flower Red Elite, and his breakthrough wouldn't last long.

As for Shisui, he would have to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, but Hiruzen Sarutobi thought that would be difficult, since no one in the Uchiha clan had awakened it in so many years, and the one who did was a hybrid.

Finally, there's Kakashi. Just thinking about Kakashi brings a pang of inexplicable pain to Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart! It's all that damned Obito Uchiha's fault. Even in death, he couldn't stop spitting out his spittle. A perfectly good double-flowered red rank was ruined just like that. Unless Kakashi gets some kind of cheat code, with the talent of the Hatake clan, he'll be more than just a red rank. His father was already a double-flowered red rank when he was just a teenager. And look at Kakashi, dragged down by his red-eye disease. What's the use of that worthless title of Copy Ninja? Does it have the prestige of Konoha's White Fang?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was originally overjoyed when Kakashi was born. Big Mom's dream of being a housewife had already cost Hiruzen Sarutobi a double-star red rank, but then his right-hand man, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, had a son, which brought him back from hell to heaven.

The Hatake clan! A clan of geniuses even more famous than the Uchiha. Although the Hatake clan doesn't have as many members as the Uchiha, and each generation only has one heir, every generation of Hatake members are renowned geniuses, and at the very least, they all start as high-ranking members. Kakashi's ninjutsu talent, which he displayed from a young age, was incredibly strong, making Hiruzen Sarutobi extremely happy. Hiruzen Sarutobi went to great lengths to help Kakashi grow. However, because of one freak from the Uchiha clan, Kakashi's future as a double-ranking member was destined to be ruined. A high-ranking member is good, but nothing beats the fragrance of two flowers.

Looking at the current top-ranking members in Konoha, the youngest is Minato, who is already thirty. The oldest are Shanks and Sakumo, both over fifty. Sakumo's strength has started to decline, and his blade isn't as sharp as it used to be. As for why Shanks is still so powerful, Hiruzen Sarutobi speculates that it's related to the physique of his Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan has extremely strong vitality, and Shanks is the best among them, so he might be able to maintain his peak performance for a longer period of time.

Konoha already has so few Red Rank members, let alone other villages. Sunagakure doesn't even have a single Red Rank member, and Iwagakure only has Onoki's son who can be considered half a Red Rank member. So a Red Rank member is extremely precious to a village.

Those future Red Sticks, which one didn't receive special treatment from Hiruzen Sarutobi? Green-skinned Guy was even more special because training in taijutsu was too expensive. So Hiruzen Sarutobi even told the reception staff in the mission room that if there were any easy or lucrative missions, he would give them to Green-skinned Guy first, so that he wouldn't waste so much time on ninjutsu. Taijutsu requires a lot of time and energy to develop. His father, Green-skinned Dai, spent decades practicing before he had that brief moment of brilliance.

Yuhi Shinku was immediately assigned by Hiruzen Sarutobi to be the disciple of Nara Shikai, the great strategist of Konoha. You have to understand that Nara Shikai had a lot on his plate back then. He was responsible for the Anbu's intelligence department's sneak attacks, the Jonin team leader, the Hokage's strategist, and a whole host of other things. He didn't have the time to take care of a few fresh-faced kids. Moreover, Nara Shikai's status in Konoha at that time was not like his son Nara Shikaku's now, where any of the advisors could ask him to do things. Nara Shikai's status in Konoha at that time was the same as that of several advisors in Konoha. In fact, his position was even higher than that of Mitokado Homura, who was just a minor figure.

If it weren't for Hiruzen Sarutobi asking Shikano Nara to give the gift to Shinku Yuhi, and if Dan-dang Kato had been leading the Jonin team, Shikano Nara, with her incredibly lazy personality, would never have done such a thankless task.

Kato Dan was originally one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's chosen sworn brothers, but unfortunately, he was unlucky and was tricked by Danzo on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning.

In short, even with the death of the veteran Red Pole, Kurenai Yuhi, in the Kurama incident, and the passing of Konoha's last veteran Red Pole, the total number of Red Pole members in Konoha is still less than that of the Double Flower Red Pole members.

Scarcity increases value, and the double-flower red staff holds great respect. However, their role is generally to maintain order and stabilize morale. A high-level fighter like Shanks is one of a kind in the entire ninja world, and even in peacetime, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not let him go out. Every time he went out, Shanks was filled with anxiety. The role of the red staff is much greater than that of the double-flower red staff. Apart from Might Guy being kept by Hiruzen Sarutobi, other ninjas like Kakashi, the heir of the Anbu, were sent out by his father almost every day to kill this person and chop that person. Shisui was similar. This is because the red staff is reliable and trustworthy.