Konoha Drunkard

Kadian shrugged and said.

"I think the old man from the third generation doesn't want to borrow Asma, but rather wants to gloat. How can he treat his own son like that? I hope lightning strikes that old bastard one day."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions gave Shanks a headache. Why did he have to see his son at a time like this? He figured the two of them would start fighting again.

Compared to her eldest son, Little Green Sprout, her youngest son, Asma, was like a free gift with the purchase of a crystal ball. He's already retired, and if she misses her son, she can simply go to the temple to see him.

"Have you set a date yet? Tsunade said yesterday that Kurenai is already pregnant. Don't delay too long."

The Hatake family's precision is undeniably impressive. Sakumo Hatake cleared the table in one shot, and so did his son Kakashi, eliminating the need for overtime. Kakashi's reputation as a Konoha technician is well-deserved in every respect.

"Why are you looking at me like that! It's not like it's my son's wedding. Don't you know when your son is getting married?"

Kakashi looked blankly at his father, while Sakumo looked at Shanks, which made Shanks furious. Damn it, when his father got married, he and Haruko helped them with all the arrangements. This time, it was the same for his son's wedding. Otherwise, Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, would have severed ties with Shanks long ago because he values ​​loyalty.

"...These are things that Haruko discussed with Kurenai, so it's probably not decided yet."

Sakumo Hatake said awkwardly that he really didn't care about this matter. After all, he trusted his friends to handle it, so he didn't ask and just did everything according to the agreement.

"...You're awesome. Otherwise, if we were the same age, I'd really like to call you grandpa! Huh? Why is Aunt Chiyo's name here? Aren't you afraid she'll come looking for revenge?"

Shanks flipped through the guest list one by one. He had to admit that his best friend had changed a lot for his son. Back when he got married, he was incredibly low-key. If Shanks hadn't asked him to, he wouldn't have even wanted to have a wedding.

"It's just for show. I never expected Advisor Chiyo to come. Besides, I don't even know if many of them are still around. You're always out running around, could you help me see who's still there?"

Now that it's the son's turn, it's different. He goes all out and writes down everyone he can think of.

"...Big brother! Yokozuna has gone to the Underworld to accompany the Third Raikage, so he won't have time to come. We can delete this part. As for Aburame and Aburame Kyuu-do... the Grand Steward probably won't come. It's hard to say about Kyuu-do. We'll send them over first. Anyway, even if they don't come, they'll send a big gift, so we won't lose out either way. Aoki Nozomi isn't dead either, but Onoki Red-Nose definitely won't let him come. This is the same method as with Aburame and Kyuu-do. We'll send them over first. Aoki Nozomi is so good at dealing with people, he'll definitely send a big gift in return..."

As Shanks flipped through the list his friend had written, he picked up a pen and deleted the names of those who had already passed away. For those who hadn't passed away but definitely couldn't come, he sent out the invitations first, knowing they would receive a return gift later.

The Hatake clan donated most of their assets to the village in the past two years, and as his best friend, Shanks has to help him earn some of it back.

576. Haruko, the Grand Commander

When it comes to the ability to amass wealth, Shanks is exceptionally skilled. Among the numerous names compiled by Sakumo Hatake, aside from those who are dead, even those who wouldn't have come were tricked into joining Shanks' scheme.

"As for Aunt Chiyo... let's not send it there. Just give it to Kaizo or Rasa."

Shanks agonized over Chiyo's name for a long time, but ultimately decided it was better to provoke the elderly woman, in case her blood pressure suddenly spiked...

Not only did they kill off the family's son and daughter-in-law, but their grandson is still missing. Now that your son is married, you're going to provoke them further. Who knows, World War IV might break out prematurely...

"I just wrote down everyone I could think of, but isn't what you're doing a bit too much of a rip-off..."

Sakumo Hatake looked at the list Shanks had made of him, and he circled all the living people in red pen. The list was full of red circles.

"What's the big deal? You saw it when Shinnosuke got married. Hiruzen Sarutobi was really ugly. He even sent Onoki a red nose. And he has a young son who is a monk! You only have Kakashi. This is a rare opportunity. If you don't seize it, you won't have another chance. You should at least leave some inheritance for your descendants."

Shanks felt it necessary to change some of his friends' values; being too upright wasn't a good thing. When Konoha was short of money, none of the other clans, big or small, seemed to care, but he single-handedly supported the village for several rounds using his family's wealth. Perhaps the Senju clan valued the Hatake clan's disregard for money, which was why they cultivated a close relationship with them...

"......"

Kadian, who was just standing by, sighed inwardly. He knew he shouldn't have let this old guy interfere. Compared to Haruko-sama's reliable work, this old guy was simply shameless. He turned a perfectly good wedding into a money-making event... and what's worse, his own father actually listened to him!

"Dad! Where did your decisiveness go?!"

"Reduce it a bit, our Hatake clan has too few people, we don't need so many."

Although Hatake Sakumo was persuaded by his friend, he still felt he couldn't do too much. The Hatake clan had reached its peak with his generation, but he was getting old, and who knew how much longer he could last? His son Kakashi was also very talented, but only in ninjutsu; he hadn't made much progress in the family's swordsmanship. While he was still alive, people might not have said anything because they were worried about his short swords, but once he was gone, if his son couldn't protect him, the clan's reputation would be ruined. Sarutobi Hiruzen dared to be so shameless because although his Sarutobi clan had declined, at least the clan still had a large population, and with so many underlings, someone would eventually rise to the top, so he wasn't worried.

But the Hatake clan is different. They only have one son per generation. Although they are all geniuses, there are different levels of geniuses. If he is considered one of the top geniuses, his son is now being ruined by a Sharingan, so he is at most a second-level genius. Moreover, each generation is the same person. Who knows how talented his son's son is? Top geniuses are not easy to come by. His family has only produced one top genius in decades or hundreds of years. There are only one hope for the future, unlike the Sarutobi clan which has so many potential geniuses.

"...Then let's reduce it by a quarter. We can't reduce it any further. After all, you're on par with me, the White Fang of Konoha. If the scene is too small, it won't look good for our reputation."

Shanks picked up a red pen and crossed out the stingy and miserly people on his circled list.

...........

"Since you're all here, Kurenai and I have already discussed it and set the date for the 15th of next month. Those you've decided who to invite, hurry up and send the invitations over. Sakumo, have the Anbu handle this; time is tight, so be quick. Kakashi, what are you standing there for? Go get your wedding dress measured, and also hire people to decorate the house. And you! Don't just sit there, go to the Konoha Hotel to order wine and food so they can reserve ingredients in advance, so we don't have to rush."

As soon as Haruko entered, she transformed into a supreme commander, giving orders to the three men in the room. Currently, she is the only one in the ninja world capable of commanding both Konoha's two colors.

But there's nothing we can do. Look at other families, no matter how big or small, they all have a few servants. They let the servants do these tedious things. But the Hatake family only has two people, Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi. What else can we do if we don't let them do these things themselves?

"Lady Haruko, don't order the wine and food so early. It's the fifteenth of next month, there's still half a month. If you ask them to order the ingredients now, you won't have to worry about them expiring and getting moldy."

It's one thing to ask Kadian to take measurements for the engagement dress; given how fast those old ladies make them by hand, half a month would probably be just right. But ordering ingredients now is a bit of an exaggeration.

"I don't know why, but the business at the Konoha Hotel is too good. I'm worried that they won't be able to get enough ingredients if time is too tight."

Haruko-sama explained.

"...Come to think of it, it's true. I've noticed a lot more tourists in the village lately, and there are even many ninjas from other villages. What's going on?"

Shanks looked at his best friend; the most well-informed person in Konoha was undoubtedly the head of the Anbu.

"...Next week, the son of the Minister of Fire, Tokugawa, will be playing a tournament. These people are all here to watch."

Sakumo Hatake said that Shanks also deserves credit for this. A few years ago, during the joint Chunin Exams, Shanks put on a huge free-for-all, which was incredibly popular. So Minato and Sakumo discussed holding a similar exam every year. Over the years, the annual Chunin Exam free-for-all has become a unique feature of Konoha. They make a lot of money just from ticket sales, and it also helps train the genin's survival skills on the battlefield. It's a win-win situation.

Furthermore, some villagers around the site sell small items with Konoha characteristics, which can also boost the village's economic development.

Because the free-for-all battles are conducted in a simulated national war style, some people who have never seen a large-scale battle before are extremely fond of this project. It is said that last year, a noble old man got so excited after watching the Chunin Exams in Konoha that he booked the entire training ground after the exams to challenge his arch-rival to a duel. However, the duel was closed to the public, and the final result is unknown. But two months later, the noble old man hilariously died. His arch-rival cried uncontrollably at his funeral after learning of his death, which was full of bromance.

577. Redhead is short of money again.

That old nobleman is dead, but he lives on in Sky Cannon's heart. In the past, Konoha was known for its beautiful environment, a good place to eat, drink, have fun, and retire. However, the entertainment facilities were always the same few, and many people got tired of them.

It's a waste to leave the training ground empty when it's not in use, and it also costs a lot of money to maintain. It would be better to rent it out as a training ground to those who need it. He's already thought of the advertising slogan.

"If there's anything that can't be solved, let's have a romantic moment between men!"

From then on, the training grounds of Konoha became a place for the second-generation rich kids of the various clans in the Land of Fire to settle their grudges. It is said that in order to hold these battles, these rich kids who had nothing better to do even hired some retired ninjas at high prices to act as instructors. After all, everyone who survived the war had some skills. Gradually, this kind of battle mode has become a place for many clans to compete for glory after several years of development. They dare not participate in the real national war, but it is different in this kind of battle where there is only a winner and a loser and there are very few deaths. Even some clan leaders will personally lead their people to participate.

Nara Shikato, the retired Konoha strategist who was waiting to die at home, had been pestered by people more than once to come out of retirement. Because of this, Nara Shikato had moved several times. If it weren't for his grandson's sake, he would have pointed at his son and given him a good scolding.

Who could blame him for being the most famous among the retired ninjas? His reputation as a great strategist during World War II and World War III was no joke. Just that title alone was enough to suppress those unruly ninjas and make them obedient. This son of Tokugawa was a big fan of this project, constantly challenging people to duels. He was also one of the biggest spenders among those families, and his reputation was quite well-known in the circle. Last year, in order to invite two recently retired Konoha ninjas, he visited them three times, not only offering gold and silver but also waiting at their door every day for two whole months, which moved the two retired ninjas to tears.

These two retired ninjas had served under Shanks during both World War II and World War III, and their experience alone was enough to make many people interested in them, but none of them could be as sincere as Shanks.

"You mean... even Brother Lu Yi got invited, so why doesn't anyone hire a renowned general like me? I'm retired too!"

Shanks said with some disbelief, "Nara Shikamaru is famous, but isn't Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, famous? Even those who followed him back then were offered high salaries. When he first heard about this, he was full of anticipation, waiting to see which discerning person would come to invite him. In the end, even the Third Hokage was invited, but he was the only one who didn't send anyone. However, he couldn't bring himself to say such an embarrassing thing, and he was too lazy to pay attention to it anymore. Now that his good friend brought it up, he started to feel indignant again."

"........."

Haruko-sama and Sakumo Hatake remained silent; don't you have any idea what's going on?

"...Perhaps they think you don't fight with your brains..."

Kakashi thought to himself, "Who doesn't know that Konoha's Shanks was trained by Hashirama? His team fights follow a set pattern. To put it nicely, he's incredibly strong, overwhelming everything with sheer force. To put it bluntly, he's just brute force! He doesn't really have any strategy; he just unleashes a barrage of attacks on his enemies."

If their family had someone like that, they wouldn't need to hire a coach at all; they could just do it themselves. That's one of the reasons why no one hires him.

The most important reason is Shanks's immense status. Team fights are unpredictable, and if Shanks, who has never lost a fight, were to lose as a coach, who knows what kind of outburst he might unleash his fury and beat up everyone who beat him? In that case, losing the match would mean losing both the match and his reputation. In short, the concern is that Shanks, who is used to winning, might not be able to accept defeat.

..........

"Asuma, your letter is from Konoha."

In a Buddhist temple in the Land of Fire, a ninja wearing a headband of the Twelve Guardians handed a letter to Asuma.

Asuma hesitated after receiving the letter. There were few people in the village who would write to him, except for his older brother and his younger brother Ebisu. However, his younger brother's letters contained nothing of substance, such as that he was living in dire straits and hoped that Asuma would go back and rescue him.

Needless to say, the eldest brother, after finishing the situation at home, sent a bunch of greetings. However, just looking at the words "read by Asuma," it's clear that this letter wasn't written by either of them. Ebisu's handwriting wasn't that beautiful, and it was different from the eldest brother's.

"Who could it be? Could it be Hong? It seems that after I was gone, Hong finally realized how good I was."

Asma grew increasingly excited as he looked at the envelope. He opened it and found a red card inside. He opened the card and read...

"Asuma, Asuma, what's wrong? Who wrote this to you?"

The ninja who handed the letter to Asuma saw Asuma standing there blankly, holding the red card, looking as if his father had died. He asked with concern, "The Third Hokage seems to be alive and well."

"...It's nothing, I just need to go back to the village!"

Asma, her eyes red and tears welling up, tucked the card away and turned to leave.

"...Is the Third Hokage alright?"

Judging from Asuma's appearance, the ninja basically concluded that something must have really happened to the Third Hokage.

"Alas! Time is truly a cruel mistress! Even the Third Generation Elder couldn't hold on any longer..."

Asuma didn't answer him, and instead ran wildly towards Konoha. Tears welled up in his eyes and mingled with the snot from his nose.

......

"Lord Kazekage, what is the meaning of this Konoha White Fang? You are not familiar with him, so why did he send you an invitation to his son's wedding?"

In the Kazekage's office in Sunagakure, Rasa's best underling, Maki, looked curiously at a red card on the table.

"...I think it wasn't given to me, but rather to Lady Chiyo. However...I think it's probably because the Konoha Shanks are short of money again..."

Luo Sha rubbed his throbbing temples and didn't continue explaining. The "love-hate relationship" between Konoha's White Fang and their Lord Chiyo was at least as long as a bolt of cloth. He had only heard some of it from his teacher, the Second Hokage. Now that Konoha's White Fang's son was getting married, he wasn't surprised that an invitation was sent to Lord Chiyo, who was an "acquaintance." However, the problem was that the invitation was sent to him instead of Lord Chiyo, which meant there was a lot more to it than met the eye.

Although he had never met Konoha's White Fang, the two villages' ANBU had clashed more than once or twice. Based on White Fang's methods, he was certain that White Fang wasn't the kind of person who did things in a roundabout way. The only person who could do something like this was Konoha's Shanks, who was on par with Konoha's White Fang. The two were also good buddies, so it made sense that Konoha's Shanks used White Fang's son's wedding to make money.

578. Onoki has a generous spirit.

"So, are we really going to send them a gift?"

Maki was getting a little uneasy; their Sunagakure village was practically becoming a cash cow for Konoha's Shanks.

No! It should be said that it's everyone's money bag in the ninja world. Every year, far too many people come to pan for gold, which makes Maki very uncomfortable. It's clearly their Land of Wind's gold dust, so why can everyone come and pan for gold for free?

"When Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son got married, even his old rival Onoki sent a gift. That's the magnanimity of a Kage."

Rasa said to his underling, "Onoki's actions back then were considered a model in the ninja world. Everyone said Onoki had the magnanimity of a great ninja kage. During wartime, he fought for his village, and in peacetime, he even set aside his hostile views to offer his blessings at the wedding of his old rival's son. Onoki gained a lot of fame that year, and Rasa was extremely envious. Now it's his turn. Although he didn't have much interaction with Konoha's White Fang, Sunagakure was considered an old rival of Konoha. How could he let this opportunity slip by? He didn't want to miss it and not make a good impression. He didn't know if he would ever have another chance like this."

As the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad. Rasa was overjoyed to be able to make a name for himself with this opportunity, but Aoki Nozomi from Iwagakure was not so happy.

He had followed the big boss for decades, and he knew better than anyone what kind of person the big boss was. Last time, the big boss had a great time and was very happy, but this time the big boss was not happy because the White Fang of Konoha's son got married without sending him an invitation, and instead sent one to him, who was his subordinate.

Isn't this putting him in a difficult position? He's someone important in White Fang's eyes, while his boss, Onoki, is nothing to White Fang? Although he felt quite pleased, whether or not to send a gift was a big problem.

If he doesn't give this gift, what will the people of the ninja world think of him as a high-ranking member of Iwagakure? They'll say he's stingy and miserly. Even the people in the village will say he's petty. Their Tsuchikage even sent blessings to his old rival Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son when he got married. You know, your little brother doesn't even have this much tolerance.

But if he gives it to them, there will definitely be problems with the big boss. He doesn't know what kind of trouble he'll face. The Iwagakure leadership has changed several times over; he knows the big boss's methods inside and out. He even went with the big boss to trade with Kakuzu back then. He doesn't seem to have any grudge against White Fang, right? They even got drunk together before.

Aoki Nozomi truly misunderstood Hatake Sakumo. Hatake Sakumo was an old-fashioned man who believed that Onoki was superior to him in both age and status. While the former leader, Sarutobi Hiruzen, could send him an invitation, Hatake Sakumo couldn't overstep that rule. Therefore, when writing the list, Hatake Sakumo didn't include Onoki's name. Aoki Nozomi, a high-ranking member of Iwagakure and someone he had drunk with, was a suitable candidate, as the two were closer in age and status. Although the Fourth Raikage and the Fourth Kazekage were Kage of the village, they were his juniors in terms of seniority, so including them wouldn't be considered overstepping his bounds.