Konoha Drunkard

"Clan leader, what should we do? Should we send a gift to Konoha's White Fang?"

A high-ranking member of the family next to Aoki asked.

As Aoki Nozomi has served as a high-ranking official in the village for many years, the family's status in the village has also risen accordingly. The clansmen have always followed Aoki Nozomi's lead, and this time is no exception. They believe that the clan leader can make a decision that is good for the family.

"...Send it! Not only send it, but send a big one, but in two parts. Send one larger one in the name of the Tsuchikage, and send one smaller one in our name!"

As expected of Onoki's strategist, after some deliberation, Aoki Nozomi came up with a win-win solution. Although the clan might have to pay a hefty price this time, it was theoretically worthwhile. On one hand, he was spending his own money to boost the boss's reputation, ensuring the boss wouldn't forget him for any future benefits. On the other hand, he could also gain some reputation in return. For a clan, reputation was far more important than money; money could be earned back later. However, reputation wasn't so easy to cultivate. He had been a high-ranking official in the village for decades, and although his clan had risen in status as a result, they still lagged behind established clans in terms of standing. This was because his clan wasn't particularly powerful to begin with, and their reputation wasn't much worse than those established clans.

If Shanks knew that his best friend had just casually written down a name, yet Aoki Nozomi came up with so many clever ideas, he would definitely be amazed at Aoki Nozomi's talent. Even a random, meaningless name could be transformed into such a stylish and impressive performance by Aoki Nozomi.

......

"Father, isn't it too meager to send such a small gift to White Fang's son for his wedding? Lord Raikage has prepared a very generous gift."

In the Azabu clan of Kumogakure, the current female head steward, Azabui, looked at the pile of swords and other ninja tools characteristic of Kumogakure in front of her and asked, "Although these things are not bad, they are not precious. You can buy them outside if you are willing to spend money, but there won't be as many of them."

"You haven't had much contact with Sakumo Hatake, so you don't know him well. Although he and Shanks are known as the Two Colors of Konoha, their personalities are completely different. Shanks likes money, so we can give him a lot when his daughter gets married. But Sakumo Hatake is different. He is a pure ninja and has no interest in gold and silver. Moreover, although the Hatake clan is not large, they are still a wealthy family. Giving them gold and silver would not interest him. The Raikage is different. He not only represents himself but also our village, so it is perfectly reasonable for the Raikage to give a generous gift."

Your grandpa is still your grandpa. In the years since he retired, he hasn't just been eating and drinking. He's gotten more shrewd with age and has analyzed this relationship very clearly.

Although my daughter is excellent and intelligent, she has only been with us for a short time and doesn't have much experience in these social situations.

The Hidden Cloud Village, which held a favorable view of Konoha's White Fang, didn't employ many elaborate tactics. They simply prepared gifts and offered their blessings. The Fourth Raikage, in particular, had heard his father admire Konoha's White Fang since childhood. Although Shanks had the most enjoyable fight with him, the Third Raikage still admired Konoha's White Fang the most. Both were experts in Lightning Release, just with different styles. Therefore, the Third Raikage felt a sense of kinship with Hatake Sakumo. His relationship with Shanks was purely based on fighting; Shanks was exceptionally gifted, and others couldn't imitate his skills, so it didn't have the same genuine connection as the relationship between Konoha's White Fang and the Third Raikage.

579. Asma is about to do something big.

My dream girl got married, but the groom wasn't me!

The image of the girl in her bridal gown and wearing colored contact lenses flashed through Asuma's mind, and his feelings were indescribable. Especially after returning to the village and learning from his younger brother Ebisu about Kamen Rider and the girl with colored contact lenses, he was heartbroken. If he hadn't gone off to work in the underworld... at least that old bastard Shanks wouldn't have been able to ruin Kamen Rider and the girl with colored contact lenses. He would have had a sliver of a chance. He grew up with Kamen Rider and knew what kind of person he was. If they hadn't already gotten involved, the two probably wouldn't have married so young.

Asuma, who had just returned to the village, was already thinking about robbing the place and was ready to do so. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had noticed some signs of this, stopped him. The father and son then started a new round of fighting. The paparazzi who had been staking out the Sarutobi family's house were back in business. Since the incident when the Third Hokage visited the Red Bronze Zone, there hadn't been any major explosions at the Sarutobi family's house for a long time. Fortunately, they had persisted and persevered in staking out the place, and finally, they had another success.

"Asuma, the youngest son of the Third Generation Lord, is up to something big—he's planning to steal the bride!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the village, alarming even the other powerful figures in Konoha, who rushed to dissuade him. Even Danzo came.

joke!

If they wanted to steal someone else's wedding, that would be one thing; they could still save face. But trying to steal the Hatake family's wedding is a different story. Hatake Sakumo's contributions to the village are, in some ways, greater than theirs, and he has always devoted himself to the village. You're going to cause trouble at his son's wedding, but if something happens, they can't protect you. White Fang's short sword is still quite sharp.

Not to mention that this whole thing was started by that bastard Shanks; won't we just become a laughingstock?

However, Danzo didn't come to dissuade him; he was purely there to see his best friend make a fool of himself. He also felt quite sorry for Asuma, whose dream girl was about to marry someone else—a far more pitiful situation than his own, since his dream girl hadn't even gotten married yet.

"Asma, what are you doing? Put down the knife! There are so many beautiful girls in the village, why are you fixated on just one?"

The four giants of Konoha, along with Little Green Sprout, surrounded Asuma, who was holding a sword. Little Green Sprout tried to persuade him.

"Yeah, so what if her eyes are a little prettier? The Hyuga clan is pretty good too. How about... I go to the Hyuga clan and find one for you?"

“Yes, if you don’t like Hyuga, Uchiha is fine too. Your Uncle Danzo has about ten Uchiha girls. You can have them all.”

Danzo was so angry at Mitokado Yan's words that his face contorted. How could this bastard talk like that?

What do you mean by saying I still have about ten Uchiha girls here? It sounds like you're trying to pimp them out.

"Yes, I also have a few female Uchiha subordinates in my Root organization. If you're interested, I can help you set them up."

Danzo glanced at his dream lover and, noticing her calm expression, began to speak.

"Get out of my way! I don't want anyone but Kurenai. Kakashi doesn't even like Kurenai. He hasn't even looked at her once all these years. Kurenai won't be happy marrying him."

Asma roared, his face turning red and his neck thick.

"You little beast! You still haven't changed your ways. I thought you'd matured a bit after a few years of being out there, but you're still the same. You used to pester Kurenai all the time because you're my son, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Sakumo and Kurenai let it go out of respect for me. Now that they're getting married, you still want to cause trouble. I'll break your legs today!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi threw his newly acquired pipe to the ground, looking like he was about to attack him. He didn't have this domineering presence when facing his eldest son at Lake Biwa, but he was incredibly domineering in front of his youngest son, who was far more powerful than him.

"Sarutobi, calm down. This isn't how you raise a child. Asuma and Kurenai are both pregnant now. There's no point in you causing trouble. If you don't think about yourself, you should think about the impact on your family. Your father was a Hokage, and Shinnosuke needs to live in the village. If you do this, how will your father, mother, older brother, sister-in-law, and the clansmen face anyone in the future? Even if you manage to steal him, having a son who isn't your biological father call Sarutobi, who isn't his biological grandfather, 'Grandpa'... won't that shorten his lifespan by a few years?"

Soy Sauce Guest Mitokado Homura was practically babbling on and on. He was glad he didn't have any children. If he had a son like Shinnosuke, that would be fine, but if he were like Asuma, he'd rather not have one. Asuma had caused his father a lot of trouble since he was little, while Shinnosuke had always been there to clean up his father's messes. The older son was so outstanding, the younger son was so terrible.

"I don't care, I'm not going to let Kurenai marry Kakashi!"

Asma felt a pang of pain in his heart at the thought of wearing a red wedding dress. It was all that damned old man's fault; if it weren't for him, Hong wouldn't have gotten pregnant. He'd already tricked Hong's father into signing that awful contract back then, and now he had to pull this stunt...

Asuma grew angrier the more he thought about it. Shanks was already on his blacklist. He was determined to beat him to a pulp when he got older.

"Asma, you've grown up. You need to think more about others. If you keep causing trouble, you'll embarrass many people. Listen to your older brother. Hong might just be a passerby in your life. You always have to look forward."

Little Green Sprout's level of education is far superior to Hiruzen Sarutobi's; even his words contain philosophical insights. Under normal circumstances, Asuma's respected older brother's words might be effective, but things are different now. When it comes to the girl with colored contact lenses, even his own brother is not an option.

"Oh, it's quite lively here. When did Asuma get back? He didn't even bring me any local specialties from the Daimyo family. That's really not kind of him."

Just when everyone was trying to persuade him to stay, Shanks arrived.

Shanks had been watching the show from the front door for ages. And the old man was an idiot; if you wanted to see your son, you could have waited for a normal time. Why did you have to make him come back at this time? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

As for Ebisu betraying him... he'll settle the score with that little bastard later. He was even trying to protect him a while ago, but Asuma, the former boss, betrayed him as soon as he came back. Shanks hates two-faced people the most.

"It's you, you old bastard! You're the one who plotted against Kakashi and Kurenai! I'll fight you to the death!"

Upon seeing Shanks appear, Asuma's anger soared to the heavens. Grabbing the two top-grade chakra blades given to him by his father, he charged towards Shanks. At this moment, Asuma displayed his strength to the fullest, and with the enhancement of Wind Release, his speed was so fast that he was almost invisible.

580. The popularity of gossip

"boom!"

Asuma arrived quickly and left quickly. Before he could even make a move, Shanks delivered a heart-shaped iron fist to his head, sending him crashing back against the wall at twice the speed of his previous attack, leaving a huge bun on his head.

"You think you can play taijutsu in front of your Uncle Shanks? You should at least open a door. I don't need to tell you what kind of person you are. You've been a little thug since you were a kid, always causing trouble because your dad is Hokage. If it weren't for the Third Hokage protecting you, I don't know if you would still be alive today. Besides, Kurenai and Kakashi are engaged. I've reminded you more than once when you were a kid not to always bother Kurenai, because you'll only get hurt. But did you listen?!"

"boom!"

"As a man, you should have the magnanimity of a man. If you like girls who wear colored contact lenses, you should bless them instead of making everyone feel embarrassed. Do you really think you're so great just because you're the son of three generations of old men? If it weren't for me protecting you, you wouldn't even know when you died. You've been out in the world for so long, and you still don't know this basic social etiquette. I think you've wasted your life."

"boom!"

"You still want to crash the wedding? Do you think this is a TV drama? People like you wouldn't last three episodes in a TV series. You little bastard, you're keeping an eye on me because you've been beaten up before, huh?"

"boom!"

Shanks kept spitting fire at Asuma, occasionally giving him a heart-shaped punch to the head, and he actually enjoyed punching him so hard in front of him.

Shanks had wanted to do this for a long time. To put it nicely, this bastard is devoted; to put it bluntly, he's shameless. He knows that Kurenai is engaged to Kakashi, yet he still pesters him. Now it's even worse; they're about to get married, and he's planning to steal them away. Doesn't he even care if they want to? Isn't that just being a jerk?

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched helplessly as his youngest son was beaten to a pulp by Shanks, feeling incredibly distressed. Even if he was just a piece of char siu, he was still his own flesh and blood. To be beaten like that was a disrespect to him... However, he couldn't find fault with Shanks' words. Thinking about it, his youngest son had indeed gone too far. If it weren't for his father protecting him, he would have been ambushed and killed long ago.

"Lord Shanks, Asuma knows he was wrong, please calm down."

Shinnosuke still felt sorry for his younger brother. Seeing his brother beaten up like a pig's head, he couldn't bear it and pulled Shanks along.

“It’s not that I want to beat him up, it’s that he deserves it. As the son of a three-generation old man, your younger brother, he doesn’t have the grandeur of a three-generation old man, nor does he have your manners and knowledge. If this brat isn’t given a good beating, he’ll go crazy.”

Shanks clapped his hands and stretched his body before saying, "It's been a long time since anyone beat me up. I only stretched for a little while, and my body still isn't warmed up."

If you hit someone's son, you should at least flatter Hiruzen Sarutobi a little, otherwise you'll inevitably feel resentful. No one would feel comfortable seeing their son being beaten.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, flattered by Shanks, took a deep breath, straightened his back, and said, "I don't care that my son got beaten up." The slight discomfort he felt vanished. Yes! That's how magnanimous he is. It seems that Shanks understands him best! Why didn't his youngest son inherit this virtue?

Seeing his pathetic state, the three powerful figures around him couldn't help but give him an international gesture. Their own son had been beaten so badly, yet he was still enjoying flattery. Today, they had truly witnessed it.

"Asuma, a man should be able to take things on and let them go. The scenery here is beautiful, but you've been staying here and never gone out. How will you know what the scenery outside is like? When you see the scenery outside, you'll find that it's even more charming and captivating, and perhaps even more suitable for you. Forgetting the past and embracing the future is what the successor of Konoha should do most, instead of living in the past."

Shanks' words not only made Asuma forget the excruciating pain in his head, but even the four giants of Konoha and Shinnosuke were dumbfounded. When did this bastard come up with such insightful and philosophical words?

Yes! The scenery here is nice, but the scenery outside might not be any worse, and could even be more beautiful. Hiruzen Sarutobi regrets getting married too early, not having properly appreciated the scenery outside...

"Alright, Kakashi and Kurenai's wedding is the day after tomorrow. If you still consider Kakashi and Kurenai friends, you should sincerely wish them well, instead of spouting all this nonsense!..."

Shanks patted Asuma on the shoulder, finished speaking, turned around, gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a disdainful look, and then left.

This is just like the old woman who's looking for trouble, and after creating trouble, she can't even handle it herself. She's especially bad at educating her son. Little Green Sprout's excellence is just that—his natural talent—and has nothing to do with him.

Just like Shanks did today, why not beat him up first, and then spout some seemingly profound principles? What's the point of beating people up all the time without giving them any moral advice?

"Asuma, Lord Shanks is right. You are still young, and you may meet someone even more attractive in the future."

As the eldest brother, Shinnosuke is definitely more competent than his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi; this is the role that Hiruzen Sarutobi should have taken.

"Uh... Danzo has a rather nice little niece..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to comfort his youngest son, but he was stopped by his eldest son's gaze before he could finish speaking.

It's a bit much to be promoting your buddy's niece at this point. Doesn't Danzo have any idea what his niece looks like?

Not only did he continue to cheat others, but he also cheated his own youngest son, his own brother!

........

The farce involving the Sarutobi family ended with Shanks beating Asuma to a pulp.

However, the rumors in the village, where gossip was rampant, did not stop. It wasn't that Minato didn't want to stop the rumors, but people could talk all they wanted. Moreover, the village's population was growing rapidly, completely different from the time of the Third Hokage. Back then, the Third Hokage could easily suppress information, but now it was impossible because the population was simply too large. Furthermore, the profession of paparazzi had only emerged in recent years, and many news stories were released by these skilled paparazzi. In today's world of free gossip, Minato, as the Fourth Hokage, was powerless. He had suffered from gossip before.

If his secret service is considered well-informed about legitimate intelligence, then gossip news and paparazzi are several levels better. They can stay at his doorstep 24/7 to get gossip news, showing more professionalism than his secret service.

581. Jiraiya loves to court death.

Konoha was the same as yesterday, with no changes. However, the Hatake clan was much more lively than usual. The scene was even more lively than Hatake Sakumo's wedding decades ago. Back then, Hatake Sakumo's father had already passed away, and he didn't want to be too high-profile, so the wedding wasn't very grand. But it was different for his son's wedding. His strength didn't allow him to be low-key. He had been famous for decades, and if he were to be low-key, he would really be seen as hypocritical. Besides, once the baby in the girl's belly was born, he could retire in peace.

His son is about to take over his position, so he should support his son now, since the position of head of the secret service is not easy to hold.

Although the Anbu was established by Tobirama Senju, it flourished under Sakumo Hatake. In the Anbu, Sakumo Hatake's words were sometimes more effective than the Hokage's. Many of the members were promoted by him, and many clan ninjas were recruited by him... well, he recruited them. Some of them were even more capable than Kakashi, and Kakashi might not be able to control them. But there was no other way. In terms of status, Kakashi was his son and the Fourth Hokage's disciple. From any perspective, Kakashi was the best candidate to be the next head of the Anbu.

Although the position of Anbu Chief is not hereditary like the Konoha Grand Marshal, Hatake Sakumo's prestige in the Anbu is so strong that it seems that no one but his son can succeed him. For example, Shisui, who has been quite prominent in recent years, has already reached the limit of being a squad leader, since being a member of the Uchiha clan has limited his development in the Anbu.

..........

"Lord Shuo Mao, congratulations! This is just a small token of my appreciation!"

Thank you.

"Lord Sakumo, congratulations. Now that Kakashi is married, you can finally rest easy."

"........."

The Hatake clan was sensitive to this. When the heads of the various families in the village brought their children in, they all bowed and scraped to congratulate Hatake Sakumo. These family heads were all from the same generation as Minato and were all juniors.

This head of the Dark Division is a legendary figure. When he became famous, none of them were even born yet. It's not wrong for them to bow and scrape. Didn't you see that their fourth generation leader took leave early this morning and came running over to help?

However, Hatake Sakumo is not Shanks. No matter what others say, he simply dismisses them with a "thank you." That's just the nature of the Hatake clan; they don't care as long as their boss is happy.