Konoha Drunkard

People from Iwagakure who have been infected by Onoki's red nose will say that Konoha's Shanks is a bastard.

Some people would say he's an immoral, big-mouthed, greedy, and stingy drunkard.

However, one thing everyone must admit is that he is incredibly strong. No matter how much the village slanders Shanks, his life story has been recorded for newcomers to read. This isn't because they want the newcomers to appreciate Shanks' strength, but because that bastard isn't dead yet! You might run into him when you're out there. If you don't learn more about this enemy, and you actually encounter him one day, wouldn't it be like an idiot rushing in with a big sword? That would be suicide!

And this legendary ninja offers to teach you his ultimate skill! Note the word "ultimate skill," not just any ordinary skill. If you're not excited, you're not a kid.

If someone who knows Shanks were present at this moment, they would definitely sympathize with young Neji. The kid is really pitiful. He was tricked for a month and now he's being deceived by this old man. Can this old man's words be trusted?

Anyway, many people who know Shanks don't believe it. This bastard never considers age when he's outmaneuvering people. He's outmaneuvered everyone from eighty-year-olds to three-year-old kids. Madara is a living example. He outmaneuvered everyone and made them live a few years less.

557. Whether it's boasting or boasting, it makes sense.

"Ahem! Alright, the excitement has passed. Now calm down and let me tell you the origin of how this special skill of mine can also become a powerful move."

After calming Neji down, Shanks himself took on the role of the teacher.

"First of all, the name of my ultimate move is Tai Chi, and it was inspired by the Gentle Fist of your Hyuga clan. Going back to your grandfather, who was the previous clan head, your grandfather and I were like old friends, drinking and fighting every day... uh, no! We made friends through martial arts. So although I don't know your clan's Gentle Fist, I fought with your grandfather every day, so my understanding of the essence of Gentle Fist is no less than that of Hizashi Hizashi. One day, after fighting with your grandfather, I suddenly entered a state of enlightenment that no one had ever entered before. Later, I meditated at home for forty-nine days, and finally, after combining my own taijutsu with your Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, I realized that a fist is not about being extremely hard or extremely soft, but about being hard within softness and soft within hardness. Using the opponent's force against them is how you deflect a thousand pounds with four ounces of force. Even a small person can defeat a giant! After that, I organized all my knowledge and finally, after two years, developed Tai Chi, this ultimate move!"

Shanks started rambling again. He didn't know what "soft yet firm" or "using four ounces to move a thousand pounds" meant, but none of that mattered. What mattered was that his boasting had to be reasonable. These technical terms sounded so sophisticated and impressive. Look at Neji, who was completely fooled by Shanks' high-end terms, as if he had really grasped something.

"Strength within gentleness, gentleness within strength... using minimal force to overcome maximum force..."

Neji kept muttering to himself. He thought these technical terms were too profound. Although the old guy was a bit annoying, it was no wonder that he was so strong. He was able to combine his own taijutsu with his opponent's taijutsu and comprehend such a high-level taijutsu essence!

"Don't be fooled by the fact that my fists always seem so fierce and incompatible with the Gentle Fist of your Hyuga clan. My fists are fierce in form, but the power is gentle. They injure the inside without harming the outside. It may look like my fists have left no marks, but in fact, the inside has been shattered by my gentle power. This is something I borrowed from the Gentle Fist of your Hyuga clan. Watch carefully!"

As Shanks spoke, he raised his fist, covered it with Armament Haki, and punched the boulder next to him.

"boom!"

After the smoke cleared, the boulder was gone, leaving only a pile of small stones. Now, they were in an awkward situation. Shanks had just boasted so much that he even believed himself to be a martial arts prodigy. In his excitement, he forgot that he was just bluffing. What kind of nonsense was this about combining strength and gentleness? He was only good at strength.

However, it was different for the little kid Neji. As a child, he was mainly shocked by the destructive power of the punch. What little kid wouldn't want to be a man who could shock everyone with his every move? But the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan doesn't have such a spectacular scene. Gentle Fist is a fist technique that injures the internal organs but not the external organs, and it really looks soft and weak. Although Neji studies very hard, he is only a five-year-old kid. Moreover, his father is still alive. Although he usually has a stern face, he is still a little kid at heart. It's not surprising that he was shocked by Shanks' spectacular punch.

"Ahem! The stone is too small, and the soft force is a bit too much. How about it? Want to learn?"

After Shanks coughed to ease the awkwardness, he saw that Neji seemed to be shocked and didn't pay attention to these details, continuing to deceive him.

"Ok!"

Neji nodded. Of course he had to learn it. It would be stupid not to learn such a powerful skill.

"If you want to learn, follow along while you do the movements. Watch carefully, this Tai Chi consists of twenty-four forms. The starting stance is similar to that of your Hyuga clan. Beginners should slow down their movements as much as possible and gradually familiarize themselves with the flow of chakra within their bodies. Don't be fooled by how simple my punch was just now; the chakra had already circulated a large circle within your body according to the Tai Chi's pathways. Since you're a beginner and young, your chakra certainly won't be able to process it as much as I have. So don't rush to use your chakra to circulate it. First, master the movements. Once you've gained proficiency, you can gradually use your chakra to circulate it. Yes, slower, use intention, not force. Force moves with intention, intention moves with the mind. Where the mind goes, the force goes. Make your lunge bigger!"

After performing a set of Naruto-style Uzumaki Tai Chi, Neji was covered in sweat and exhausted. It wasn't that the movements were difficult, but rather that they were incredibly easy. However, Shanks kept nagging him to slow down, and a movement that could be completed in less than a second took four or five seconds because of his constant nagging. No wonder he was tired.

"Lord Shanks... I feel like I've seen this Tai Chi somewhere before. Why does it seem so familiar?"

After Neji finished performing the move, he felt it was becoming more and more familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

"How could that be? This is a closely guarded secret of mine. Even my precious disciple doesn't know it. You're the first person to have ever seen this set of movements before."

If Hiruzen Sarutobi or any of those kids who play in Konoha Park all day were here, they'd definitely point at them and yell, "Isn't that what those grandpas and grandmas do when they exercise in the park?!"

Unfortunately, only Shanks and Neji were there. Moreover, Neji, being a nobleman, had never been to Konoha Park. Perhaps he had seen it once before, but it was only a fleeting glance. How could he possibly remember it so clearly?

That's right, this set of movements called Tai Chi is the same exercise that old men and women do in the park, but Shanks cleverly modified it a bit. You have to be professional when you're trying to fool people.

It's not that Shanks didn't want to teach Neji, but his style and approach simply didn't match the Hyuga clan's. Even Itachi's precious disciple only got into the Hyuga clan because Itachi's style was versatile and could be matched with the Six Powers in the Naruto version.

If Neji were to learn the Six Powers, which are completely incompatible with his own abilities, he feared Neji's grandfather, the Hyuga Skywalker, would crawl out of his coffin and give Shanks two forbidden techniques, Godly Vacuum Strike. All those years of gifts would have been wasted. How dare that bastard mislead his descendant like that...

Therefore, he really didn't dare to teach Neji, whose style was so singular and completely different from his own. He could fool people, that was just for fun, but misleading someone was unacceptable—that was his bottom line. If he couldn't teach him, he couldn't teach him. After all, he didn't have a system that was all-powerful, capable of anything, and incredibly domineering...

558. A tiny bit less capable than your older brother.

Neji, who thought he had learned a powerful technique, was actually acting like a five-year-old kid. He became more proactive in paying the bill, and even walked with a slight limp. Tsunade and Garp, who often came to freeload, were surprised by his change. The Hyuga clan's education was too good. In just one night, he was like a completely different person, and he would even take the initiative to pay the bill. Before, every time he wanted to pay the bill, they had to pretend to be crazy for a long time before this brat would reluctantly take out his money bag.

"What medicine did you give him? This kid's suddenly become so enthusiastic today..."

Tsunade watched Neji walk away with a swagger and asked Shanks. Her sixth sense was always very accurate, and Neji's change must be related to Shanks.

"What kind of talk is that? What do you mean by giving him medicine? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Shanks looked at Tsunade with a "I'm so disappointed in you" expression. It was troublesome that his niece couldn't get married. Shanks had given up hope that anyone could win Tsunade's heart. So many years had passed; those who dared to flirt with Tsunade were either dead or beaten to a pulp. Even the most fearless Jiraiya had gone off to pursue art. Tsunade was wonderful, but art was more important...

However... it seems that Jiraiya sends some gambling money back every month for Minato to give to Tsunade... From Shanks' perspective, Jiraiya is essentially supporting Tsunade indirectly, but the sad thing is that this supporter doesn't even dare to touch the hand he's supporting.

There are a lot of people who like Tsunade but don't dare to flirt with her. Even though Tsunade is already over forty, her appearance has never changed because of the Yin Seal. In addition, her figure makes all the girls in the ninja world feel inferior. Even now, many students in schools regard her as their dream girl. However, the gap between her status and strength makes them stop in their tracks.

Shanks looked at his eldest niece and felt sorry for her. He remembered that in the original story, this eldest niece was also a Saint in the end. He didn't expect that now that there was this little butterfly of his, she was still a Saint. It wasn't that he didn't try to help Jiraiya, but Tsunade was too domineering, and Jiraiya's unreliable personality couldn't handle her at all.

Several times, just as Tsunade was beginning to feel touched, he would immediately do something to erase that feeling.

"boom!"

"What do you mean by looking at me with such pitiful eyes?"

Sensing Shanks' pitiful gaze, the domineering Tsunade delivered a powerful punch to his head. Luckily, his Armament Haki was always active, otherwise he would have suffered a concussion. Tsunade never holds back when hitting her uncle; she's practically the only one in the ninja world who dares to lay a hand on him.

"Uh... what's wrong with your eyes? I just suddenly thought of Jiraiya. You know, Jiraiya has been gone for so long and hasn't come back for a get-together. Last time for your big birthday, he had Minato buy you a piece of junk rock. Your decision was really brilliant. You can't have a man like that. At least he can't afford to support you."

Shanks rubbed the spot where he had been hit; it wasn't seriously injured, but it still hurt quite a bit.

"Hmph! It's better if he doesn't come back. Out of sight, out of mind. And where has that bastard Orochimaru been all these years? There's not a single trace of him."

After all, they were friends for many years, and Tsunade still held a grudge against Orochimaru for his defection. Among the three Sannin, Orochimaru was the one with the best chemistry with Tsunade. Only Tsunade could make the great scientist Orochimaru willingly play a supporting role. Jiraiya was always the free agent in their group, and her relationship with Orochimaru was the purest friendship. All the love and romance were vulgar to Orochimaru!

Tsunade also treated Orochimaru as a man... Only when neither party has any romantic feelings can a friendship last. Therefore, Tsunade cherishes her friendship with Orochimaru. The person who should be most heartbroken by Orochimaru's defection is Tsunade, followed by her best friend Jiraiya.

For the past few years since Orochimaru defected, he has been completely out of the public eye. Even the injured ninjas in the hospital say they haven't heard from him, as if he has vanished into thin air.

She would rather hear about who Snake had killed or what bad things he had done, at least that would prove he was still alive and well. But now there was no news at all, which made her a little uneasy.

"Don't worry, I can't speak for anything else about this great scientist, but I can guarantee that his ability to escape is absolutely the strongest in the ninja world. No one can kill him right now. Where is he conducting his scientific research experiments right now!"

It was clear that Tsunade was worried about her friend. Shanks comforted her, saying that only a few people knew that Orochimaru was in Infernal Affairs, and none of them were big mouths. They couldn't let more people know, since they needed to cooperate with Orochimaru to keep the show going. If someone didn't cooperate well and ruined Orochimaru's scenes, taking the blame wouldn't be a big deal, but Orochimaru would be in danger. Although Orochimaru's escape skills were maxed out, it was still uncertain whether he could escape under the power of the circle eyes, since those circle eyes were quite powerful.

"Hmph! Let's not talk about him anymore, Garp, let's go."

After Tsunade felt a bit better from being comforted, she took Garp and headed towards Sarutobi's casino. There was a group of people in need waiting for her to rescue them; she didn't have time to be sad.

"........."

Looking at the dashing figures of the two, one big and one small, Shanks felt a pang of heartache. He was heartbroken that the two gambling gods were going to throw away all the money tonight. It was all money! Those two bastards!

"Lord Shanks, what a coincidence."

Before Shanks could feel the pain for long, a serious, somewhat somber voice came from behind.

"Yo! Uchiha clan leader, what a coincidence! It's rare to run into you on the street so late at night. Sasuke-kun, you've gotten even more handsome since the start of the school year! Hmm! You're still just a tiny bit less handsome than your older brother, just a tiny bit."

Who else could this be but the second male lead's father? Besides the second male lead's father, the second male lead was also there. It's rare to see this father and son having the leisure to go out shopping so late at night. The Uchiha clan rarely comes out after dark, except for patrolling sentry posts. This is related to their family traditions.

However, this has nothing to do with Shanks. Shanks' attention is all on the second male lead. Although the second male lead looks more like Mikoto and is very handsome, Shanks just can't appreciate it. Maybe it's because he's not handsome to begin with. His aesthetic sense is still biased towards his beloved disciple. Itachi is one of his own.

"...Hehe, Lord Shanks still loves to joke around. I wonder if Lord Shanks has some free time, shall we go for a drink?"

The second male lead's father was already used to Shanks' way of speaking, but little Sasuke wasn't used to it at all. Who praises someone like that? What does it mean to say that he's "a tiny bit worse than his older brother"? Is that a compliment or an insult?

Is this disheveled old man really the legendary ninja that his older brother and father were talking about?

It doesn't look like it at all.

559. A Predestined Ending

From the time he could understand speech, Sasuke often heard his father and older brother discussing this old geezer who would pinch his cheeks hard every time he came to their house. Especially after hearing that half of his older brother's skills were taught by this old geezer, no matter how hard Sasuke tried to imagine it, he couldn't conjure up the image of a legendary ninja being the same as this old geezer. It was too far-fetched!

White Fang, another legendary ninja, had a much more refined style; ruthless and taciturn, he was truly his idol.

"Fine! You have no idea what Itachi has been up to lately. He hasn't been bringing me sake in the mornings. After drinking your Uchiha sake, other sake is really hard to swallow."

Shanks has mastered the art of saying whatever comes to mind, even to those who are clearly indifferent to their situation. Just now, when Neji was around, he even said that the Hyuga clan's sake was the best he had ever tasted.

"Haha, Lord Shanks, you can take more back with you when you go home later. After you finish drinking it, I'll have Itachi bring it to you."

Although it's hard to tell whether Shanks is telling the truth or not, that doesn't matter. What matters is that this guy is just so nice to talk to. Even if he knows that he's tricking the second male lead's dad, he's still happy.

.....

"Lord Shanks, is the village going to take action against the Uchiha clan?"

Just as Shanks, along with the second male lead's father and the second male lead, arrived at their house and were drinking, the second male lead's father suddenly spoke in a deep voice.

"You've already activated your kaleidoscope, haven't you?"

Shanks didn't answer the second male lead's father, and continued drinking.

"Nothing can be hidden from Lord Shanks. I have to thank Shanks for keeping it from the village. If I could, I would rather never use the microphone for the rest of my life."

The second male lead's father closed his eyes and thought of the scene where his brother shielded him from a knife. He would never forget the pain of seeing his brother hanging in front of him.

"Ah! I already knew this when I returned to the battlefield of the Land of Rain. No matter how a person tries to hide it, their temperament is something that cannot be hidden. The reason I helped you is simply because you and Koharu are the same kind of people."

Shanks shrugged. He was only keeping the matter a secret for the second male lead's father because he was following the main plot. He was afraid that prematurely revealing the father's Mangekyou Sharingan would cause unforeseen problems later. After all, if they knew the father had awakened the Mangekyou, not only Danzo, but even Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be able to sit still. The Mangekyou Sharingan was terrifying to Hiruzen. If Hiruzen couldn't sit still, what would become of the Uchiha clan? If the Uchiha clan was wiped out before the second male lead even appeared, who would play the role? Who would save the world? Even Madara, with his savior aura, couldn't handle it, let alone the old man of Six Paths, whose mother stole the apple. If the world was destroyed, he'd be embarrassed to even be living in the transmigrated world.

"Hehe, even if Lord Shanks didn't say it, I knew the fate of the Uchiha. In fact, I saw the end of the Uchiha when I awakened my Sharingan. I've been unwilling to believe it all these years, but no matter how hard I try, it seems that the future is still unchangeable."

The second male lead's father sighed, picked it up, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Oh? Tell me what your abilities are. I've dealt with Shimura Hanzo more than once or twice, and his abilities are quite strange. What are your abilities?"

He was quite interested in the Mangekyou Sharingan abilities of the second male lead's father. He had already guessed one of them, which was Amaterasu, known as the strongest fire, and he was pretty sure of it, since Itachi and Sasuke would both have this ability in the future. However, he didn't know about the other ability, since the Mangekyou Sharingan's abilities were all kinds of strange and wonderful, and there was nothing it couldn't do.

"Does Lord Shanks believe in the future?"

The second male lead's father looked at Shanks seriously, his two fingers' eyes also turning into the shape of a kaleidoscope. The second male lead's father's kaleidoscope design amazed Shanks. This is so beautiful! He always thought that Obito's kaleidoscope must be the most beautiful, but he didn't expect that this lowest-level Uchiha Fugaku would crush Obito in terms of design.

"It's really beautiful. If there were a kaleidoscope contest, your style would definitely be number one. However... it's quite impolite to use illusion magic on someone so openly. Although I don't have much talent for illusion magic, my ability to be immune to illusion magic is the best in the world. I don't know if I believe in the future, but I do believe in fate. It's better not to know what's already destined, as it only adds to the trouble."

Shanks laughed. Just a moment ago, the second male lead's father opened his eyes, his Conqueror's Haki also trembled. Although it did not cause any physical damage, the second male lead's father was not in a good mood. Conqueror's Haki is a mental attack, and it is much more powerful than illusion. Illusion only makes the enemy fall into the illusion created by oneself, while Conqueror's Haki is not so costly. It directly stimulates the enemy's nerves, causing people to faint.

The second male lead's father felt a tightness in his chest and a bit dizzy. This was only the effect of his Conqueror's Haki being passively activated. If Shanks were to activate it actively, he would feel much worse.

Just kidding. Only Madara was able to fall into an illusion without anyone noticing. The second male lead's father's kaleidoscope is indeed very beautiful, but beauty doesn't equate to strength. Among kaleidoscopes, Madara is in a league of his own.

Furthermore, after falling victim to Madara's genjutsu, Shanks was filled with shame and couldn't face his people. He even went so far as to train his Conqueror's Haki to make it more acute. This genjutsu only activates automatically after he's already fallen for it—it's incredibly embarrassing.

"Cough! Cough! Everyone says Lord Shanks is old, but it seems they've all misjudged him."

The second male lead's father coughed a few times, exhaling the pent-up anger in his chest, and exclaimed that this aura was truly terrifying; experiencing it firsthand was completely different from seeing it with one's own eyes.