Konoha Drunkard

"Haha! I've been quite busy lately accompanying Naruto to find the Uchiha brat. By the way, you haven't told me where you're going."

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"Hey! My grandson is too good. He can't level up even if he's locked up in the village, so I took him out to grind some experience. By the way, Naruto and Sakura have been with you for so long, how come they haven't made any progress? You're such a loser!"

Shanks looked smug, mainly because he originally thought that if Naruto ran into Jiraiya, he would probably be taught by Jiraiya and thus unlock his cheat codes and reach the pinnacle of life. However, after scanning around with his Observation Haki, he found that Naruto was still the same Naruto, except that he had gained weight and his strength had not changed at all. This would not do. The second male lead was already on the path to awakening, while the first male lead was still standing still. What if he couldn't catch up with the progress?

"That's because I'm too busy to teach him. If I were to teach him seriously, I guarantee he'd be just as good as Minato."

Jiraiya is the kind of person who can't handle being provoked and is easily angered; he gets angry immediately if provoked even slightly.

"Everyone in the ninja world knows that Minato's success is mostly due to his own excellence, and it seems to have nothing to do with you, right? Look at my grandson, I just casually taught him, and he even imitated my Armament Haki. That's teaching ability."

Shanks patted the small-sized rocket launcher on the shoulder and looked down on Jiraiya.

"That's because Shikamaru is naturally outstanding, what's it to you?"

Jiraiya's proudest achievement in his life was having Minato as his disciple. Now, Shanks is saying that Minato's success has nothing to do with him. This is absolutely unacceptable, even if the person is Shanks.

"Oh dear, there's actually someone who dares to question my teaching abilities these days. I won't bring up the old stories, but don't you know who the hottest ninja in the world is these past few years? My teaching abilities have already been proven, but yours..."

Shanks puts on shoulder pads, giving off an "I don't need to say anything, you know what I mean" vibe.

"Damn it, do you dare to have a competition? You teach Shikamaru, and I'll teach Naruto. We'll see who's stronger after a while."

Jiraiya shouted, his face flushed. If he hadn't been so badly outmatched by this bastard captain, would he have held back until now?

"Alright! We'll each teach them for two years, and then we'll see who's the best. Jiraiya, are you using a water tank as your courage? How dare you compare teaching students to me, the big boss of the education world? Haven't you ever seen Orochimaru before? Bah! Orochimaru is shitting."

Shanks was waiting for Jiraiya to say that. If Jiraiya didn't activate Naruto's cheat code, what was the point of playing? It would be fun waiting for Kaguya to come out and destroy the world. Anyway, Shanks couldn't beat that alien.

"Two years it is! Who's afraid of who! By then I'll be the top dog in the ninja education world."

As Jiraiya spoke, he couldn't help but drool. He'd been in the ninja world for so long, and besides the title of one of the Legendary Sannin, "Yellow," he didn't have a single decent title. Of course, he wouldn't mind having a title like "Great Teacher of Wisdom"...

"Hehe, it's good to have ambition, but we'll see if you have the ability to achieve it."

Shanks' long-dormant fighting spirit was reignited. What a sight! No one had challenged him for so many years. Although this opponent was somewhat weak, his luck was truly incredible. Even the leader of the Elementalist crew was trained by this guy. Who else could rival his luck?

Moreover, Shanks was a little apprehensive. After all, Naruto was the male protagonist of this era, and he was the most powerful one in the era. Although the smaller version of Naruto was not the minor Naruto from the original work, it only had the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan that was not pure. Who knew how much stronger it would become?

In this era, the only one who can rival Naruto is the second male lead, Shanks, who seems to have a chance. But Shanks is just that impulsive. Whether it's for his historical status or his dignity as a teacher, this battle is a must, even if he can't win. Is he the kind of person who backs down easily...?

Jiraiya and Shanks locked eyes, their gazes locked so intensely that the three kids could practically see a flash of lightning between their gazes.

"........."

The little rocket launcher looked sadly at the sky, thinking, "What's going on? Why is he always the one who gets hurt? Grandpa's training theories aren't a joke, you know. Besides, they're in Sunagakure, far away from the emperor's reach. Grandma can't save him either..."

"........."

The girl with the wide forehead stared blankly at Shanks, who was making eye contact with Jiraiya. In her mind, an image of a girl constantly roaring appeared. Is this the Red-Haired Lord? He seems unreliable no matter how you look at him.

...........

"Grandpa, let's stop and rest for a while. If I keep going like this, I won't even have a chance to raise the village flag."

After Shanks and his crew separated from Jiraiya and Naruto, the small rocket finally reached the border of the Land of Wind after a series of hardships. The vast desert stretched as far as the eye could see, and the small rocket was already lying behind Shanks.

Ever since Shanks and Jiraiya made their duel pact, Shanks produced a Leonardo-themed weightlifting system for Shikamaru to wear. This was custom-made by Shanks with Green-skinned Guy, modeled after the weightlifting worn by the "bootleg Leonardo." Shanks realized that establishing a physical training system wasn't his forte; it was better to use the method Green-skinned Guy used to train the "bootleg Leonardo." Since the "bootleg Leonardo" could handle a normal human body, there was no reason why a smaller version of the Uzumaki bloodline couldn't. Besides, as the grandson of Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, to be so weak in physical combat would be a disgrace. Even though Big Mom doesn't like training, her superhuman strength is still quite formidable.

689. An ancestral ailment that cannot be cured.

"We'll be there soon after we cross this small sandy area. Hang in there a little longer. Your physical condition is too poor. Even with your weight, that guy with the thick eyebrows can take off. For my sake, you have to keep going no matter what. You can lose to anyone but that idiot Jiraiya."

After speaking, Shanks glanced at the small Sky Cannon sprawled on the ground. His physical abilities were truly lacking. Although the Nara clan were considered half-great mages, this small Sky Cannon was different. With his Yonko Shanks bloodline, it was a waste for him to only be a great mage. Shanks didn't have high expectations for him; he didn't need him to learn the Six Powers like Itachi, but he couldn't be too weak either. Especially that imitation of his Armament Haki—he struggled so much even to withstand a small wind blade. If the small Sky Cannon's physical abilities were comparable to that bootleg Leonardo, he could withstand not only a small wind blade but also much more powerful wind-style techniques. Ultimately, he was just too lazy.

"........."

At this moment, Little Cannonball really missed his grandma. If she were here, his grandpa would never dare to train him like this...

"Alright, stop complaining. We could have gotten to Sunagakure by now."

Seeing the little guy looking up at the sky with a long face, Shanks pulled him up and continued on his way. This lazy bone was a family heirloom of the Nara clan, and Shanks had no intention of using it. However, if the little guy trained in Sunagakure for a year or two, he would definitely not be a mere bystander like in the original story. Although he didn't remember the plot, he still had some memories of the final battle, especially the legendary Twelve Konoha Genin. Apart from Naruto and the second male lead, the rest of them were just cheerleaders. They were just missing a chair and a bag of sunflower seeds.

This is something that Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, is supposed to do. How can a young child just be a bystander and not learn anything good?

Little Cannonball dragged his weary steps, following Shanks one step at a time. Everyone has a limit. Before you break through that limit, you're exhausted, but once you break through it, things gradually become easier. Just like Little Cannonball, although he was still tired, his steps weren't as heavy as before, and the weight on his body seemed to have become lighter. Shanks walked leisurely ahead, while Little Cannonball followed slowly behind. It took the two of them several hours to walk across a small sandy area before they finally arrived at the entrance to Sunagakure.

"If Luo Sha could see how grieved his younger brother was for his death, he could rest in peace in heaven."

Presumably due to the impact of Rasa's death, the two "gatekeepers" were standing dejectedly at the village entrance, not stopping or questioning anyone who entered. This shows that although Rasa's role as Kazekage was somewhat frustrating and unlucky, he had worked diligently over the years and had earned a certain standing in the hearts of his subordinates. However, he still couldn't compare to the Third Raikage. When the Third Raikage died, everyone in the Hidden Cloud Village wept for days and nights. Shanks witnessed it firsthand, after all, he was the man who brought the Hidden Cloud Village to its peak.

"Halt! You don't look like you're from the Land of Wind. What brings you here?"

Shanks had just finished his exclamation when he was stopped by a "gatekeeper". Their Kazekage had just died recently, and in the past few days, various nobles from the Land of Wind would come to the village to mourn. Naturally, they wouldn't stop them. However, the old man and the young man were clearly not from the Land of Wind. Who in the Land of Wind would wear a white shirt and floral shorts? Although this style looked familiar, they didn't know where they had seen it before, but they were certain that these two were from the Land of Wind.

"That's right. I heard that the Kazekage of your village has unfortunately passed away. I was very close to the Kazekage back then, so I brought my grandson here to pay my respects."

Although the doorman's tone wasn't very friendly, Shanks decided to let it slide, considering their boss was dead and they were grieving. Besides, he'd brought his grandson to flirt with the princess, so he couldn't afford to cause trouble. Moreover, this was their stronghold; causing trouble here would be disrespectful. Shanks wasn't as arrogant as Madara; coming to someone's village to flirt with girls was one thing, but attacking the Kazekage was quite another. No wonder someone like that couldn't possibly win over a girl.

Little Cannon rubbed his eyes in disbelief. When did his grandfather become so scholarly? Shouldn't he have been stopped and just charged in?

"Okay, I'll register you and then you can go in. But there are a lot of people in the village now, so you need to be careful not to cause any trouble once you're inside."

The doorman was a reasonable man. When he heard that they had come to visit their boss, his tone immediately softened, and he even offered them a reminder.

"Thank you for reminding me. We're just an old man and a kid, we can't cause any trouble."

After Shanks finished speaking, he followed the "doorman" to the registration desk.

"Name."

"Shanks Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara."

"Shanks Uzumaki??? That name sounds familiar... You're from the Uzumaki clan?"

The gatekeeper muttered to himself as he wrote, but he couldn't remember anything no matter how hard he tried. However, he had heard of the Uzumaki clan.

Yes, is there a problem?

Shanks was also surprised to see this "doorman". Had he been out of the game for so long that no one recognized him? Damn it, I even said his full name, and this idiot still doesn't recognize him. Has Rasa not updated my portrait all these years?

Actually, it's not entirely the gatekeeper's fault for not recognizing him. Although Rasa updated his portrait every year, it was always splattered with rotten eggs and vegetable leaves by mischievous students, making a complete mess. Besides, those who could hold such a prestigious position as gatekeepers were definitely commoner ninjas with no real connections. He was a terrible student in school, so he'd never even heard of Uzumaki Shanks. They only knew about Konoha's Red-Haired Shanks or Shanks, but who knew anything about Uzumaki Shanks?

"gender!"

"...You wouldn't believe me even if I said it was a woman."

Shanks was speechless. This level was even more outrageous than the one in Konoha. Why bother registering something that was already visible to the naked eye? Couldn't they have put in a little more effort?

"...So that's a man. What's his profession?"

"I've been retired for many years, so I'll fill in 'unemployed'."

"What are you doing here? When do you plan to leave?"

"He came to remember Fengying, but as for leaving... it's hard to say."

“.............”

690. Nobody knows the full name.

"Damn it, this Sand Village is ridiculous. Registering is like checking a census, and they've never even heard of Shanks, one of the Four Emperors."

Shanks walked down the streets of Sunagakure, grumbling incessantly. Registering took half an hour, which was getting impatient with everyone. The main problem was that the dim-witted "gatekeeper" didn't even recognize Shanks, one of the Four Emperors.

"...It seems that not many people know your full name."

The small cannon followed behind speechlessly. Why did he have to show off for no reason? He insisted on saying his full name. Now he knows he was wrong.

"What do you know? Saying my full name is a sign of respect for clingy people. But you're right, it seems like not many people really know my full name."

Shanks stroked his chin and said, "Many people have never known that calling him 'Red-Haired Lord' means 'Lord Shanks.' Everyone knows he's from the Uzumaki clan, but no one has ever called him by his full name. This is a big problem. If someone who isn't very bright doesn't read the books, they really wouldn't know his full name. It's a sad story."

"Grandpa, let's find a place to stay. We're so tired and hungry."

Little Cannon rubbed his belly and said, "We've been eating nothing but sand and dust all the way here. Our stomachs are rumbling as soon as we stop."

"What place are you looking for? Wherever your grandpa goes, there are people who provide all the services, including food and lodging. I don't need to spend my own money. It's all that idiot's fault for not recognizing me. Come on, let's go to Fengying Tower. There will be people who will provide all the food and lodging there."

After Shanks finished speaking, he pulled the small rocket launcher towards the Kazekage Tower. It has to be said that Rasa's death did indeed increase Sunagakure's income significantly. There were many more people on Shanks's journey than when he had visited before. Everywhere they looked, they saw noble gentlemen from the Land of Wind. The death of the Kazekage was a major event for the Land of Wind, especially since the new Daimyo of the Land of Wind had only recently taken office and didn't have many connections in Sunagakure. Now that the Kazekage was gone, Sunagakure naturally needed to elect a new Kazekage, and this was his opportunity. The purpose of these noble gentlemen's visit was similar to that of the Daimyo.

"Red-haired Lord of Konoha! What are you doing here?"

Shanks, accompanied by his small-sized Skyrocket, had just arrived at the Kazekage's tower when he encountered Maki, Sunagakure's best henchman of the year, who had been instantly defeated by Garp with a single punch. Maki was incredibly lucky; after Garp knocked him unconscious, his underlings risked their lives to protect him, carrying him as Garp chased them for over a thousand miles. Maki was extremely nervous upon seeing Shanks. Although their attack on Konoha was orchestrated by outsiders, the fact remained that they had launched the attack themselves. Now that their best fighter, the Kazekage, was dead, if Shanks were to unleash his power in the village, the village would be in grave danger.

"Don't be so tense. I'm not here to fight. I have some connection with Luo Sha. I'm just here to see an old friend off on his final journey. By the way, we've been traveling for several days and we're hungry and tired. Find us a place to stay and rest."

Shanks put his arm around Maki's neck, looking like two good buddies.

“Maki, you go up first. I’ll take them to my house. I have plenty of empty rooms.”

Just as Maki was hesitating, Uncle Haizang came out of Fengying Tower and said.

"Oh, Uncle Haizang, it's been so many years! You're still so healthy. Since you're so hospitable, I won't refuse. I'll have a couple more drinks with you later."

Uncle Kaizou still looks exactly like the Dead Piccolo Demon King, except his face has more wrinkles than before. Seeing a familiar face like Shanks, he doesn't stand on ceremony; after all, having been an advisor for so many years, Kaizou's family certainly lives more comfortably than any hotel.

"...It's kind of you to think of this, but I think you didn't just come to deliver Luo Sha, did you? I heard about it from my sister."

Uncle Kaizo, having served as the chief strategist of Sunagakure for so many years, could guess the gist of it when he saw Shanks bringing a young boy over. He just wanted to flirt with their village's eldest princess, and he even brought someone to their village to seduce her. This shameless behavior was very Shanks-like.

"Hey! Look at what you're saying. I'm here to see Luo Sha off with all my heart. Besides, we're almost family now, so it's only right that I bring my future son-in-law to see his father-in-law off."

Shanks didn't care that Uncle Kaizo had seen through his intentions. He figured it was bound to come out eventually anyway, so he might as well just talk it out and see how they reacted. Now that Rasa was dead, Aunt Chiyo and Uncle Kaizo were definitely in charge of things. If they let those idiot higher-ups mess things up, it would be just like when Saratsu died. Before the Kazekage was even chosen, they were already causing trouble and trying to gain benefits everywhere.

"...Let's talk about it later. I'll take you to rest first."

Uncle Haicang was speechless. The man's father had just passed away, and you brought your grandson to try and seduce him. How could you be so audacious?

In addition, the village has been in complete chaos lately, and he's already exhausted just dealing with those higher-ups. He has no time to engage in verbal sparring with Shanks.

.........

"Wow! I didn't realize you had such good taste, Uncle Haicang. You haven't been to Hanongnong in years, have you?"

Stepping into Uncle Haizang's house, Shanks was so impressed by the decor and furnishings that he wouldn't believe he was frugal. It was far more luxurious than Grandma Chiyo's house. Although from the outside it looked no different from any other house in Sunagakure, the interior was what truly dazzled Shanks. The magnificent hall was so dazzling it blinded him.

"...This is my family's ancestral home, and it has always been like this."

Uncle Hazang said with a dark face. Although he didn't understand what Shanks meant by "Hanononong," he could tell from his eyes that this bastard was up to no good.

"Haha, is that so? So Uncle Haizang's family is also a wealthy family. It's a pity about this little scorpion. He should just obediently inherit the family business and become a rich man. Why does he have to run off to pursue art? If I see him, I'll help you teach him a good lesson."