Konoha Drunkard

Fortunately, the Third Generation Lord is currently locked up at home by Lord Biwako and can't even leave the house. Things should calm down after a while.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the best male protagonist in the gossip, needless to say, his eldest son, who had always been extremely filial to him, was furious and even said he was severing their father-son relationship, which shows how angry the eldest son was. And most importantly, the control that Biwa Lake had exercised over the decades had become even stricter on him. First of all, all his private savings were confiscated, and he was not allowed to go out for more than half an hour, and he was not allowed to go out after 7 pm. If he wanted to go out, he had to write a leave note and explain why he was going out.

And so began Hiruzen Sarutobi's hellish retirement life. Although Hiruzen's hellish life had begun, he was addicted to Orochimaru's medicine. Even a rabbit has its burrows! Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been Hokage for so many years, didn't care that he was poor, because his clan was rich. In addition, the current clan head was his nephew, Sarutobi Suzukaku. He could use the one hour he could go out each day to send his nephew to the Senju clan to buy goods.

"You too, the Third Generation Lord is already so old, and you still want to sell him this kind of medicine," Haruko-sama said speechlessly.

As the vice director of Konoha Hospital for many years, her medical skills were quite good. When Shanks got his hands on Orochimaru's medicine, he asked her to take it to the hospital for a checkup. According to her examination, the medicine was indeed a tonic, but because it stimulated gene activity, it only had some minor side effects, nothing serious.

However, considering the gossip circulating in the village lately, Haruko-sama still felt that the medicine should not be given to the Third Generation Lord anymore, otherwise the Third Generation Lord might really end up separated from his wife and children in his later years.

"Don't worry, it's just gossip. It'll be over soon. We've known the Third Hokage for so many years, how could we not tell the difference between truth and falsehood? I believe that the Third Hokage has poor self-control in some aspects, but your claims that Jiraiya and Minato are his illegitimate children are nonsense. Putting aside everything else, Hiruzen Sarutobi is already incredibly lucky to have a son like Shinnosuke. Even if the Third Hokage were Kishimoto's older brother, he still wouldn't be able to have an illegitimate child like Minato."

Shanks pouted and said, "Minato is Kishimoto's favorite son. He used Hiruzen Sarutobi's water tank as his courage, so Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't dare to claim him as his own."

"...You're talking nonsense again! Hizashi brought Neji over today. He said that according to your agreement with them, he would send Neji over when he turns five. However, you weren't awake when he brought Neji over this morning, so he left him with me." Haruko-sama said, patting Neji's little head.

"I almost forgot, you said that the temperament of those from wealthy families is stubborn, just like their fathers, and I was just saying it casually, but he actually sent them over."

Shanks looked at Neji and said that although Neji was not branded with the Caged Bird Seal by the Hyuga clan because his father was still alive and he was adopted by Shanks as his godson, he still had a serious, deadpan face at a young age due to the way the wealthy families raised him. He looked like a precocious child.

"Neji, don't be so serious. This isn't the Hyuga clan, there aren't so many weird rules here. Come and sit down."

Shanks gave Neji what he thought was a friendly smile and waved.

"Yes, Lord Shanks!"

Neji bowed at a 90-degree angle, then obediently knelt down next to Shanks, his back straight.

"...Damn rich family education."

Shanks looked up at Neji's actions speechlessly. He wasn't recruiting any followers, so what was this all about?

552. Who paid for this morning's late-night snack?

"Neji! Go to the wine cellar and get the sake."

"Neji, go to Akimichi yakiniku shop and buy me two large pig's trotters."

"Neji, take my clothes to wash."

"Neji, go to the Konoha Grand Hotel and book two tables for me, then have them delivered."

"........."

Although Shanks sometimes felt he was being unreasonable and suspected of exploiting child laborers, he felt much better when he thought about how he had indirectly saved Neji's father's life and given him a "wonderful" childhood. Poor children learn to be independent early, and although Neji's family wasn't poor, he still needed to be tempered.

Aristocratic education can be quite reliable sometimes. During the month Neji stayed at Shanks' house, he handled everything Shanks asked of him perfectly. He even used his father's allowance when he went shopping, which pleased Shanks greatly. Shanks thought that although the kid was a bit rigid, he was quite good at dealing with people. Anyway, the Hyuga clan was so rich that they could eat their way out of poverty. So, Shanks upgraded the initial "big pig's trotter" (a term for a spoiled, unreliable person) to the Konoha Grand Hotel. Sometimes, Tsunade and Garp would even come over to freeload. Tsunade used to be Hiashi Hyuga's teacher, and Garp was the future son-in-law of the Hyuga clan. These two shameless freeloaders didn't seem embarrassed at all.

Although Haruko-sama disapproved of this scoundrel's behavior, she no longer had to cook or spend money on his daily meals, so she simply ignored him.

As for five-year-old Neji, this month of miserable life was incredibly bitter. From a young age, he had heard from his family that because of Lord Shanks, he, as the young head of the branch family, was able to avoid having the Caged Bird Seal carved on him at the age of three, unlike others. He was also only the second person in the family's centuries-long history to do so. His father always told him to listen to Lord Shanks when he came to the Senju clan, and he did everything his father said. Moreover, he carried out Lord Shanks' orders 100%. He didn't ask to learn any powerful skills from Lord Shanks, since his family's ancestral style was Gentle Fist, not those hard, unskilled Steel Fists.

But whenever Neji thought about his life over the past month, he felt an urge to cry. The legendary Shanks, his godfather, was practically treating him like a child laborer, and a paid one at that. The allowance his father had given him over the years was almost gone this month. It wasn't that Shanks ate a lot; it was that his whole family ate a lot, and they always made him pay the bill... Are all powerful people this shameless?

That evening, after paying the bill once again, Neji wandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha. Spring had arrived, and a light drizzle was falling, as if the sky were weeping for his dwindling wallet...

"Oh! Poor Neji!"

In the shadows not far away, one of the Hyuga clan members sent to be Neji's bodyguard said, "Everyone in Konoha knows who Shanks is. You tell me, he's got a great record of military exploits, and when he was a teacher, he trained many talented people for the village. Now, most of the clan heads in Konoha are his students."

You can't really say he's bad! He's greedy, stingy, a complete alcoholic, and what's worse, he bullies child laborers. They've seen Neji's life for the past month, and it pains them to see it. The young genius and head of the Hyuga clan's branch family has been treated like a servant for a month, and... in the kind they consider the most miserable kind. Every time they see Neji's miserable face as he goes to pay the bill, they have the urge to pay for him, but then they check their own wallets... and it's simply not feasible...

Shanks and his family always choose the most expensive dishes to eat. Although the Hyuga clan is wealthy, it is the clan's money, and very little is actually given to them. Moreover, they are just bodyguards, not high-ranking members of the clan, so how could they possibly come up with so much money?

"How about... we go back and talk to the clan leader? Let him take Neji back. It's such a waste of time for such a genius like Neji to be wasting his time wandering around here."

Another Hyuga bodyguard said that their young master Neji had shown great talent since childhood. At the age of five, he had already learned the 64 palms of Baguazhang. He was their hope for the branch family. With such great talent, instead of studying properly in the family, he was wasting his time with Lord Shanks. He was wasting his youth.

"Don't even think about it. I heard the clan leader say that his agreement with Shanks was that Neji would have to live with Lord Shanks from the age of five until he started school. It's no use talking about it."

"That's what Hyuga's bodyguard said."

.......

"Neji, don't look so gloomy after you've just finished eating. Having so many worries at such a young age isn't good for your mental development."

Shanks, holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and a toothpick in his mouth, said...

"I'm full... I just haven't seen my father in a long time, and I miss him."

Neji forced himself to speak, he couldn't very well say that he was heartbroken over his money bag, could he? That would be a disgrace to the Hyuga clan, who had plenty of money, of all things.

"Hey! I thought it was something serious. You just miss your old man. Why don't you go back and see him? We're both in Konoha anyway, and so close by. If you miss him, just go back and see him. How about this, you can go home every night and come over during the day. Your old man is so rigid. I just told you to come over and keep this old guy company when you have time. I didn't say you have to live with me."

Shanks pinched Neji's little face; it felt pretty good. After eating Neji's food for a month, Shanks felt a little guilty, so he decided to give him a break. Besides, he and Haruko had gotten used to their life as a couple over the past few years, and it was really strange to suddenly have a little brat around, especially since he wasn't even their child... It was incredibly awkward.

"Great, thank you, Lord Shanks. I'll be there on time tomorrow."

Neji was happy this time. Although the suffering was not over, he could finally ask his father for money and wouldn't have to be kept awake by his father's deafening snoring at night.

.......

"Why did you let him go back? Who's paying for supper tonight?"

After Neji ran off, Tsunade came up with Garp. Tsunade looked at Shanks curiously. In her mind, Shanks wasn't that kind of person. Moreover, for the past month, she felt that Shanks had been bullying Neji a bit too much. After all, they should share the good times and the bad. She couldn't just watch Shanks feast on meat and fish every day. She had to help him get some too.

553. Being a kept man is also a skill.

"Didn't you see his wallet was empty when he paid the bill? A little money makes a mickle, right? How am I supposed to pay him if I don't give him a day trip home? And tonight's supper... Garp's on! You've been asking the Hyuga girls for money a lot, haven't you? Your great-uncle looks down on you!"

Shanks looked at Garp with disdain. Ever since that bastard accepted his fate and decided to marry Hyuga Tsuruhime, he's been running around the Hyuga clan every few days. People who don't know the situation would think that the two of them have a great relationship, but only their own family knows why.

Because he's broke! Garp, who's even worse at gambling than Tsunade, doesn't have her self-control. He always gambles until he's completely broke. No matter how much money he brings into the casino, he won't leave until he's lost it all. Loan sharks don't dare lend him money either, because with his extravagance, even their fortunes couldn't handle him. As for going to the Senju clan to collect debts... anyone who's not afraid of death can try. He'll either get beaten to death by Tsunade or sliced ​​into pieces by Shanks.

Garp is not a diligent ninja like Itachi, but rather like Shanks, he only takes on one mission a month. In order to make things easier, he never takes on troublesome missions, only easy ones that are not too far from Konoha, so of course he gets less reward.

However, after losing money at the casino one day, he ran into Hyuga Tsuruhime's grandfather, who was also the third elder of the Hyuga clan. The third elder was a man who cared about his reputation, and he knew about the Senju clan's gambling tradition. To him, these were all minor issues. What powerful person doesn't have some minor problems in their life?

Red-haired Shanks of Konoha is greedy and fond of drinking; Sakumo Hatake is straightforward; the First Hokage and Tsunade are addicted to gambling; the Second Hokage and Orochimaru are gloomy; Jiraiya and the Third Hokage are lecherous. Over the years, he has seen all kinds of people like this. Moreover, the Senju clan's gambling luck is well-known. The three elders of the Hyuga clan don't care, after all, their fortune will be left to their beloved granddaughter in the future, which is no different from leaving it to this grandson-in-law. As long as they know how to restrain themselves, they can lose for a lifetime and still not lose it all. But this kid's gloomy face every time he loses gambling is a bit embarrassing. It's one thing to be down on your luck, but you can't show it, otherwise you'll be down even more.

For the sake of their beloved granddaughter, the three elders of the Hyuga clan decided to teach Garp a lesson, at least to teach him to remain calm in the face of impending doom. So, on the main street of Konoha, the grandfather and granddaughter chatted quite pleasantly. In the end, the elder of the Hyuga clan told Garp that if he ran out of money, he could go to the Hyuga clan to ask Tsuruhime for money, but he couldn't ask for too much each time. He believed that only by getting used to losing would he be able to remain calm. Garp was still young, and he would get used to losing a few more times. Wasn't Tsunade's indifferent attitude towards life and death developed from defeat?

He understood the Senju clan's situation. Raising a princess like Tsunade was already an achievement; how could they possibly raise someone like Garp? But if the Senju clan couldn't afford to raise someone like Garp, the three elders of the Hyuga clan could! Anyway, his son was gone, and this fortune would go to his granddaughter anyway. A woman like his granddaughter wouldn't need that much money, so he might as well use it to raise her husband. That way, his precious granddaughter would have someone to rely on after he was gone.

So from that day on, he even found the monthly mission too troublesome, and instead made a daily trip to the clan to ask his future wife for money. It wasn't shameful at all; even his great-uncle didn't dare ask his great-aunt for money! To outsiders, Garp's actions made the young couple seem like they had a really good relationship.

“Grand Uncle, you taught me this. Being able to live off women is my skill. Besides, I didn’t steal or rob. In the future, the money of the third son of the Hyuga family will also be mine. I’m just taking a small advance now.”

Shanks noticed that Garp's skin was getting thicker and thicker, and he didn't know who Garp had learned it from, but Garp resolutely refused to admit that he had learned it from him. He could even make being a gigolo sound so natural. If Hashirama Senju knew that his descendants were either useless cowards who relied on the Three Sacred Treasures or gigolos... it probably wouldn't matter much. He himself was a gigolo, and if it weren't for Mito Uzumaki's skillful management of the household, this God of Shinobi would have starved to death long ago.

"Alright, enough nonsense. This meal is on Garp. The money Tsuruhime gives you every day is more than my salary. Consider it a treat for your aunt."

Tsunade patted Garp on the shoulder with an air of authority, taking the lead once again.

"........."

Karp patted his money pouch. Thankfully, he'd been pulled away by Zhishui after losing half his money today, otherwise he'd be racking up another debt tonight.

.........

"Why are you back? How was your time with Lord Shanks?"

While Shanks and the others went out for a late-night snack, Neji had already run back to the Hyuga clan. Hizashi was leisurely sipping tea while asking his son questions.

Although he didn't expect his son to learn anything from his former homeroom teacher... well, he couldn't really learn much anyway. Back then, he and his older brother listened to the teacher brag every day, and then their father would ask them the same questions when they got home. So he passed on this tradition. He was already grateful that his son hadn't suffered the same tragic fate as when they separated from the family. Although his son was very talented, none of that mattered to him. He hadn't realized it when he was young, but now that he was a parent himself, he understood that the family's educational methods might not be good for everyone. Like his son, from the age of three, he often had the same deadpan expression as him, and it was impossible to tell when he was happy or unhappy. The family's education aimed to make the children mature early, but excessive maturity was a bit of a headache.

"Father, I have no money left."

Neji's words were filled with utter grievance, but due to his good upbringing, a man should not easily shed tears, so Neji forced back his tears of grievance.

".......What happened?"

Hizashi was bewildered by his son's words. No money? That had nothing to do with the question he asked. And judging from his son's expression, he seemed quite aggrieved. However... although his former homeroom teacher was greedy, he wouldn't stoop so low as to cheat a child out of his allowance. Besides, he had given his son quite a lot of allowance over the years, more than a typical Jonin could get for a single mission.

".#$?~%...."

Neji then vividly recounted his experiences over the past month, describing how miserable his situation was.

"........"

When Hizashi heard that his son's allowance over the years had been eaten up by the Senju family in just one month, he was speechless. The Senju family was really too greedy! Although he didn't know the exact amount his son had, it was definitely not a small sum. To eat his son out of house and home in just one month was just too much. However, besides silently listening to his son's complaints and then comforting him, there was nothing Hizashi could do. After all, the two leaders were not easy to mess with. One was his former homeroom teacher, and the other was the teacher who used to lead his older brother's group. Neither of them could be offended by him or his older brother. The cracks that had been opened at the door by their aura last time hadn't been repaired yet.

554. Three generations: old, middle-aged, and young.

"Go back and take a shower and rest first. Bring more money with you every time you go in the future."

Hizashi also gleaned another meaning from Neji's words: making his son come home every night was just a way of telling him to come back for more money when he ran out. After being the head of a branch family for so many years, his comprehension skills were still excellent.

None of that matters. Having been in the ninja world for so long, he naturally knows the benefits of having someone protecting you. With his son being protected by his homeroom teacher, his path will be much easier. Look at Uchiha Itachi now; because he is the homeroom teacher's disciple, no one gives Uchiha Itachi any attitude, no matter how unpopular the Uchiha are in the village.

Take Uchiha Shisui for example. Because his godmother was Koharu Utatane, he's doing very well in the Anbu. Ninjas have a high mortality rate, and the Anbu's mortality rate is even more terrifying. No matter how talented you are, you can easily say goodbye to this world if you're not careful. Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi's talent is certainly one aspect of their success in the Anbu, but it's also because they have powerful backers. Many members of their Hyuga clan also go into the Anbu, and it's normal for a few to die every year. Anyone who can enter the Anbu is a genius. Although his son is also very talented, compared to Uchiha Shisui or Uchiha Itachi... he still knows his own limitations.

Unless his son can learn the deadly forbidden technique that his father used to break through the Third Raikage's defenses, his potential is limited. After all, the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan doesn't evolve like the Sharingan.

However, those deadly forbidden techniques are not so easy to learn. He and his older brother have studied their father's notes for more than ten years, but they still only have a superficial understanding. The main reason is that they are not talented enough. They never expected that their father, who was a homebody who always boasted to the homeroom teacher, would be so powerful and able to learn such incomplete forbidden techniques passed down in the family by himself. The two of them could not learn them even after looking at their father's notes.

His son's talent was only slightly better than his own, and he probably wouldn't be better than his nerdy father, so there was no way he could complete the incomplete forbidden technique; it was just wishful thinking.

"..."

Neji nodded resignedly and left. According to the school age regulations, he should be seven years old before starting school, and he was only five now, which meant he would have to endure this for two years...

It's not that working with Lord Shanks is bad; in fact, it's quite easy. There aren't as many rules as in the family, and you can do whatever you want. But having him run errands is one thing, but what's unbearable is having him pay the bills, all while spouting nonsense about how it's unsafe for a child to carry so much money...

Didn't you see the bunch of high-class bodyguards behind me? Not safe? Being around you guys is the most unsafe thing...

Despite trying to comfort himself, Neji felt increasingly aggrieved whenever he thought about how those three generations of people had swindled away his hard-earned allowance. Those three bastards had no conscience whatsoever; they even cheated a child out of his allowance.

.......

While Neji was feeling wronged, three generations of the Akimichi family, old, middle-aged, and young, who had been cheating him out of his allowance, were having a drinking contest at the Akimichi yakiniku restaurant. Its decades-old reputation was truly something else. Shanks had been secretly drinking here since he was five years old, without telling Mito Uzumaki, and he bought his drinks from the original Akimichi family owner. The restaurant had changed owners three times since then, but every fat person has a deep understanding of food, and the Akimichi family was no exception. Not only did they make delicious food, but even if the food wasn't originally that good, just watching them eat would make you hungry.

For example, the chubby kid Shanks is currently facing is quite a coincidence. The three generations of the family, young, middle-aged, and old, all ran into three smaller versions of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio plus the Savior as soon as they entered the barbecue restaurant. The most important one is the Savior because he has a naughty little fox living inside him. So, the Savior usually can't come out to roam freely every night. Kushina is very strict about this. Although the village has a high safety level, people who have experienced the Nine-Tails' rampage once generally don't want to experience it a second time. Moreover, Kushina herself almost died last time. She doesn't want to be a parent who dies while their child is still alive. Also, because of his impure bloodline, Naruto's chakra reserves and vitality may be greater than ordinary people, but compared to his mother Kushina, a pure Uzumaki princess, it's not enough. If something happens to her son at night and the Nine-Tails comes out, her son's vitality isn't as strong as hers. Who knows if he can survive? So, nighttime is a no-go rule for Naruto.

"Naruto, Kushina let you out tonight? You didn't sneak out, did you? Fatty, don't eat so much, leave some for me!"

Shanks, while fighting with the chubby Choji Akimichi who was enjoying his grilled meat, said to the Savior.

He hadn't eaten much when the barbecue arrived, but he'd eaten quite a lot for dinner. Watching the chubby boy eat, Shanks' appetite increased; he really wanted to eat roast suckling pig...

"Ah, Dad got off work early tonight, which is unusual for him. Mom wanted some alone time with me, so she kicked me out."