Konoha Drunkard

40. The mad scientist is already on his way, "asking for flowers" and "asking for favorites".

Walking on the path in the land of fields.

"Ah! At this moment, I really want to recite a poem," Shanks said, his eyes filled with poetic inspiration as he looked at the golden wheat field under the sunlight.

"Speaking of which, Shanks, when can we start taking on B-rank missions? C-rank missions are so boring," Jiraiya said lazily, lying on the lawn.

"You don't know how lucky you are. Doing C-rank missions and traveling around would be so much better. You know, many people in Konoha envy you guys," Shanks said.

"But the C-rank missions are all easy ninjas! They're too easy! I can't even use my full strength!" Jiraiya jumped up proudly.

"Hey! Jiraiya, you've gotten too cocky," Shanks said helplessly.

For the past six months, Shanks' team has been relentlessly taking on C-rank characters, spending their days sightseeing and enjoying themselves. Shanks, living a comfortable life, looks at the three young ninjas around him and thinks, "Why isn't it Haruko?" The only woman he encounters is his niece...

"Let's hurry back, the Land of Rice Fields is really boring!" Tsunade said irritably.

"You lost too much last night, didn't you?" Shanks said, rubbing his forehead.

"She not only gambled away all her money, but she also gambled away all of Orochimaru's and my money." Jiraiya was heartbroken. This was the money he had saved to buy erotic doujinshi, and now it was all gone.

"My dear Tsunade, could you please be more restrained when you go to casinos in the future? What if you lose the entire Senju clan's wealth one day? Then your uncle will have nowhere to retire!" Shanks cried and pleaded, as if he were being fed and diapered.

"...How could I possibly lose it? I'll win it back tomorrow." Tsunade was furious. You can doubt her character, but you can't doubt her gambling skills.

"Oh, this is truly a disaster!" Shanks looked up at the sky.

..........

The three returned to the village the next day, each going back to their own home to find their mother, while Jiraiya went to find the young lady from the book.

"I'm home!" Orochimaru called out as he entered the house. His mother used to wait for him at home because both his parents were ninjas, but since Orochimaru graduated, his mother rarely took on missions. Apart from having to complete one mission each month, she stayed home as a housewife every day.

Orochimaru returned home and was puzzled to find no one there. It was the middle of the month, and his mother should have finished her mission. He and his mother had both gone on missions at the beginning of the month; he had gone to the Land of Rice Fields, while his mother and father had gone together. They should be back soon.

"Bang bang bang!"

Orochimaru had just sat down when he heard a knock on the door.

"Ah, Orochimaru, you're back?"

Orochimaru opened the door and saw a person whose left eye was bandaged, but whose body and left hand were also well bandaged.

"Uncle Zhongxing, didn't you go on a mission with my parents? Why haven't they come back yet?" Orochimaru panicked when he saw his parents' teammates looking like this, and quickly asked.

“I’m sorry! We encountered some Rain Ninja in the Land of Rain. Your parents covered for me to bring back the information, so…” Zhongxing started to say, but tears streamed down his face as if they were free.

"Wh...what?!" Orochimaru was stunned by the terrible news and didn't know what to do!

"The Hokage said they are heroes of the village, so they will wait for your return before being buried..." Zhongxing finished speaking.

A figure patted Orochimaru on the shoulder from behind.

Just by the smell of smoke, Orochimaru knew who it was without even turning around. "Zhongxing, you go back first. I have something to say to Orochimaru," Hiruzen Sarutobi said heavily.

"Yes, Lord Hokage, Orochimaru, I'm sorry!" Zhongxing felt very guilty. If the intelligence hadn't been on him all along, Orochimaru's parents wouldn't have died protecting him.

"Teacher, my parents are heroes, right?" Orochimaru gradually calmed down after his grief.

"Yes, they are heroes. Everyone who died for the village is a hero. They are as great as the First and Second Hokage. They protected the village with their lives because the village held their hope," Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Orochimaru comfortingly. It must be said, when it comes to rhetoric, ten Shanks wouldn't be a match for Hiruzen Sarutobi. He's a politician for a reason.

After being comforted by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru's mood gradually improved. The next day, a small funeral was held in the village. Every month, ninjas would die, so a small funeral was held every month to bury these heroes who died for Konoha.

The weather was terrible today; it was drizzling. Shanks hated times like this, with rain and a funeral. He always felt depressed at times like this.

Tsunade and Jiraiya accompanied Orochimaru to his parents' burial, and Orochimaru stood in front of his parents' graves for a long time afterward.

"Captain Shanks, do people really die one day?" Orochimaru asked the same question he had asked years ago.

"This question is a bit mystical. Humans are the most incredible creatures. Whether humans can really die or not is something you'll have to find the answer for yourself. After all, believing can lead to death, while not believing might not. Who knows?" Shanks took on the role of a life mentor for a moment.

"If you believe, you will die; if you don't believe, you may not." The great mad scientist of the future is already on his way and will arrive on the battlefield in 30 seconds.

"So, any thoughts?" Shanks asked.

"I want to learn all the ninjutsu in this world, hoping to find the answer," Orochimaru said calmly.

"I admire geniuses like you who have dreams and are willing to work hard for them," Shanks shamelessly praised. At the same time, he didn't hold back in criticizing Jiraiya, "Unlike Jiraiya, who only knows how to study women all day long, he has no future."

"Hey! Who says I don't have a dream? My dream is to be a great writer!" Jiraiya was not intimidated.

"Hahaha! He's also the author of this little yellow doujinshi." Tsunade retorted to Jiraiya.

"Hahaha! You know what, writing erotic comics can be quite lucrative. Look at Jiraiya, he spends money every day contributing to the erotic comic industry." Shanks' sarcastic mode has been activated.

"Hahaha!" Tsunade also burst into laughter.

Orochimaru looked at the three people in front of him and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

...........

Since Orochimaru's parents died, Orochimaru has been unusually serious, whether it's carrying out missions or learning from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Spurred on by Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade worked very hard. Tsunade began to learn medical ninjutsu and discussed it with Haruko every day. It has to be said that Tsunade's talent for medical ninjutsu is too strong. When she first started learning medical ninjutsu, Haruko taught her. A month later, it was Tsunade teaching Haruko. However, Haruko's talent was really just average. She had been learning from Koharu Utatane for several years, but Tsunade surpassed her after learning from her for only a month.

Tsunade's chakra control talent, like Shanks', is innate. It's true that genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, but often that 1% inspiration is more important than the 99%!

Did Haruko not work hard enough in learning medical ninjutsu? Of course not, Haruko just lacked that one percent of talent. That's the unfairness of the Naruto world. If Might Guy hadn't had that one percent of talent, he wouldn't have been able to develop the Eight Gates for his son.

Jiraiya's talent was equally formidable, but he used to be impulsive and preoccupied with his erotic novels. After being spurred on by Orochimaru, he focused solely on training, and with the help of a calming technique similar to that of Sakumo Hatake, his strength increased rapidly.

The strength of the three legendary Sannin is increasing, but Shanks' strength is only increasing slightly. Armament Haki relies on physical strength, and at 12 years old, Shanks' physical strength has already reached its peak. The only ninja who could probably fight him hand-to-hand is probably the Third Raikage. His Observation Haki range is also slowly expanding, but the legendary ability to hear others' thoughts hasn't been developed yet. He only vaguely senses that he's almost there; he might develop it tomorrow, or maybe next year.

Swordsmanship is the pinnacle of swordsmanship, and as for the legendary strongest Conqueror's Haki, let's not even talk about it. The most memorable image of Shanks is from the manga where Luffy shouts when he sees Ace about to kill him, and then his Conqueror's Haki emerges... It's that simple.

But who could Shanks use for his experiments? And even during the experiments, he'd subconsciously know it was fake and wouldn't be able to awaken it, which was a huge headache for Shanks. What's the strongest ability of the Yonko Shanks? It's Conqueror's Haki, yet he can't awaken it. "Damn it, I got a free phone with my phone plan, but the screen is blue..."

Watching the three legendary Sannin's strength increase rapidly every day, while my own abilities are just a little short of a breakthrough, is truly a sad thing...

"Miss Slug, is it really true that I can't practice magic right now?" Shanks asked a slug perched on his shoulder while sitting in a tree.

"Shanks, while your chakra is already vast, your body is still growing, and your chakra is growing accordingly. Therefore, your chakra and body are in an unstable state. Sage Mode requires ninjutsu, taijutsu, and sage form to maintain a constant balance. Although you can't feel your ninjutsu and taijutsu, they are constantly increasing. Therefore, you are not suitable to train in Sage Mode right now. Even Hashirama-sama only started training at 16. After 16, the rate of increase in body and chakra begins to stabilize and slow down, making it suitable to train in Sage Mode," Miss Slug explained gently.

41. Wochao Village residents are asking for "flowers" and "collections".

After hearing what Miss Slug said, Shanks looked up at the sky. It's all because he's young!

"Why didn't my great artist father give birth to me a few years earlier?" Shanks lamented.

"........" Miss Slug, even if you had given birth to her, would your mother still be the same person...?

After chatting with Miss Slug for a whole morning, Shanks remembered something very important.

"Aunt, I have a very important question for you." Shanks returned to the Senju clan and went straight to Mito's house to ask her seriously.

"What's so serious?" Mito asked, looking surprised.

"Does our Uzumaki clan really only have Yin Seals and no Yang Seals that men can maintain?" Shanks asked, making a final confirmation. He'd only remembered this after the slug lady mentioned age. At that time, his strength was enough to survive three wars, but 60 years after Konoha, he'd be an old man, his body long since deteriorated. If Akatsuki were to destroy Konoha again, he wasn't sure he could win. He didn't want to end up like Orochimaru... casually changing bodies.

Since known ninjutsu cannot possess the ability to maintain bodily vitality, the only solution is their family's sealing techniques.

"I don't have it here, but I don't know if it's been developed in the Land of Whirlpools. After all, I've been away from the family for decades. You can ask them when you have time. But I didn't expect Shanks to be so vain, worrying about his appearance at such a young age." Mito's teasing mode was activated.

"Tch! It's just a pretty face. Do you think I'm the kind of person who cares about looks?" Shanks pouted.

"Don't you care? I think Haruko has become more and more beautiful these past few years." Mito said with a smile.

"When looking for a wife, of course you have to find a beautiful one. Aunt, you are so beautiful and charming, and I am so domineering. If I marry an ugly one in the future, wouldn't that be embarrassing for you? And wouldn't that be embarrassing for our Uzumaki clan?" Shanks flattered her relentlessly, and Mito felt comfortable.

"You want something similar to the Yin Seal to maintain your body's vitality?" Mito understood.

"Yeah, otherwise it would be terrible if my body declined so quickly after I had only been at my peak for a few years and hadn't had enough fun," Shanks said miserably.

“If it’s just about maintaining physical vitality, there should be some. Your uncle often researches strange and unusual seals. You can go back to the Land of Whirlpools and ask him. If he can’t find any, I’ll research some for you. It’s not too difficult. Actually, the vitality of our Whirlpool clan is inherently stronger than others. Your vitality is among the best in our clan, and your peak period is very long. If you cultivate the Sage Techniques of the Wet Bone Forest, your vitality will be even stronger. Don’t worry so much,” Mito comforted her.

"Isn't everyone going to get old eventually? I'm just preparing for the future. To think that I, a dignified Konoha Red-Haired Shanks, would be bullied by some kids in their teens when I'm old, I'd rather be dead." Shanks thought sadly.

“Then when you have time, go to the Land of Whirlpools and ask your uncle. If he doesn’t have it, I’ll help you develop it,” Mito said.

When it comes to talent in sealing techniques, Mito is second to none. Even her second brother, the current head of the Uzumaki clan, can't compare to her.

She has three younger brothers. The current head of the Uzumaki clan is the second brother. The third brother died young, and the fourth brother is Shanks' artist father. The second brother also has good talent in sealing techniques, but he can't compare to her. In addition, the second brother's talent points were misplaced, as he liked to study strange and unusual sealing techniques. The third brother's talent is unknown, and he is gone. As for the fourth brother... let's not talk about him. He was born with a dislike for sealing techniques, and in his pursuit of art, only Shanks remained.

By Shanks' generation, forget about Shanks; he's already busy enough with all that Haki, swordsmanship, and Sage Mode. The second son is said to have some talent. She doesn't care about the rest of the clan, who are all from collateral branches.

Three days later, Shanks and Hiruzen Sarutobi took leave and headed to the Land of Whirlpools with Mito's letter. The Land of Whirlpools was very close to the Land of Fire, located on a small island near the Land of Fire. It would take less than three days to swim there from the Land of Fire.

Shanks wasn't in a hurry to go to Uzushio Village. He spent a few days traveling around the Land of Whirlpools before heading there. When he arrived at the village entrance, the two gatekeepers saw Shanks with his red hair, but they assured him they had never seen him before.

"Hey...brother, who are you?" One of the "doorman's men" didn't know how to address the other person, so he just called him brother.

"Ah! My name is Uzumaki Shanks. I grew up in Konoha. I'm here to deliver a message to the Uzumaki-kage." After all, they are from the same clan, so I should give him face.

The gatekeeper was somewhat surprised to hear that they were members of the Uzumaki clan from Konoha, but he still dutifully went to inform the Uzumaki Kage, who was also their clan leader and Shanks' uncle.

Not long after, the "gatekeeper" returned, accompanied by a ninja in his 30s wearing a headband from Uzushio Village.

"You must be Shanks, Uncle Four's son? My name is Uzumaki Ichizuru, you can call me Big Brother. Father is waiting for you in the clan's territory." The man looked at Shanks and smiled.

"Ah! Thank you for your help, Ichinozu-nii-san."

Shanks laughed.

"I can't believe how fast time flies. I was just a teenager when you were born, and then my fourth uncle passed away. And now you're the famous Shanks of Konoha." Ichiji sighed.

"Haha! What Konoha Red-Haired? He's just doing this because someone else is giving him face."

Shanks feigned modesty, but was secretly pleased. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

"This isn't about giving face; everyone in the Land of Whirlpools knows that our clan has produced a young powerhouse," Ichiji said with a smile.

The two drove to the Uzumaki clan's territory, which Shanks found very ancient. Perhaps it was because the Uzumaki clan's territory had always been there and had never changed, so they could see many things from the Warring States period.

The two drove into the hall, where there were several old men and a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man sat in the main seat, and two old men sat in two rows on each side.

After the two entered, the middle-aged man in the main seat looked at Shanks with a kind smile and said, "Child, you must be tired from your journey. Let me introduce you." He then pointed to an elderly man on his left who looked to be over 80 years old but still had at least ten years left to live, and said, "This is our clan's Grand Elder."

"Elder!" Shanks greeted the Elder respectfully.

Below the First Elder is the Third Elder, and to the right of him is the Second Elder, and below the Second Elder is the Fourth Elder. They are all Shanks' grandfather's brothers.

"I never expected that the ninja world only knew about the sealing techniques of our Uzumaki clan before, but now our Uzumaki clan has produced a Shanks from Konoha." The elder looked at Shanks with great satisfaction.

Those who lived through the Warring States period were gratified that their clan had produced a genius. Whether or not they knew sealing techniques was secondary; to them, sealing techniques were the skills their ancestors had passed down to ensure their clan's survival in the Warring States period. Back then, whether you knew sealing techniques or ninjutsu, as long as you could rise to the top in the chaotic Warring States period, you became a powerful figure. Even if you were from the Uzumaki clan and didn't know sealing techniques, it was the same; it's the same reason why many members of the Uzumaki clan today choose ninjutsu over sealing techniques.