Konoha Drunkard

Jiraiya thought about it and realized he was right. The Hokage was always stuck in his office dealing with endless documents, so he didn't have time to teach a fool like Naruto. When they were taken in as disciples by the Third Hokage, he didn't actually give them many lessons. He just gave them ninjutsu scrolls and let them practice on their own, explaining things to them only at the end.

However, for an idiot like Naruto who finds even hand seals troublesome, needless to say, he wouldn't bother looking at ninjutsu scrolls even if given one.

After saying that, Jiraiya stretched out one hand and a sky-blue sphere appeared in his palm, spinning continuously.

"The first step of the Rasengan is to gather chakra in the palm of your hand and control its irregular high-speed rotation. When it reaches a certain speed and makes contact with the target, it will cause damage to the target from the outside in."

After saying that, Jiraiya pressed down on a large tree next to him.

"boom!!"

The giant tree was pierced through by the Rasengan, leaving a large hole in the middle.

"However, this requires extremely high chakra control; otherwise, not only will the rotation speed be insufficient and the power weak, but it will also damage your hands. I think this is one of the reasons why Minato didn't teach you."

699. There are still people who dare to seek Tsunade's apprenticeship.

"Did you... understand?"

Jiraiya looked at the dazed Naruto, unsure if he was even listening to him.

"Wow, that's amazing! I want to learn that! I want to learn that!"

Naruto stared intently at the tree pierced by the Rasengan, his eyes sparkling. This was far more powerful than the Chidori that Sasuke had learned from Kakashi. That bastard Sasuke could never have made such a big hole.

He was so envious and jealous when Kakashi taught Sasuke Chidori, and he kept pestering Kakashi to teach him too. But in the end, Kakashi gave him a bunch of reasons that he couldn't understand and persuaded him to give up.

"...Idiot! Are you even listening to me? This ninjutsu requires a high level of chakra control; it's not something you can learn just because you want to."

Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's shoulders and shook him violently in frustration. He finally understood why Naruto, despite living in Konoha for so many years and having a group of powerful but weak members around him, was so idiotic. Even the most patient person would have their patience worn thin by Naruto's stupidity. All that he had said was pointless; Naruto hadn't listened to a word.

"Chakra control? Is that just climbing trees and wading through water? I've known that for ages."

Naruto patted his chest, looking like he was a genius.

"Idiot! Climbing trees and wading through water are just the most basic things. Controlling chakra to rotate at high speed and irregularly is not so easy. Try it if you don't believe me."

Jiraiya covered his forehead; he had given up on treatment. If he'd known it would turn out this way, he wouldn't have made the bet with the captain. The Nara clan kid might be a bit lazy, but his intelligence was undeniable. Naruto was hundreds of times less intelligent than Orochimaru; how could he possibly teach him?

"Just give it a try, what's the big deal?"

As Naruto spoke, he closed his eyes and stretched out his right hand, trying hard to recall Jiraiya's actions. Before long, a ball of chakra appeared in his palm, slowly rotating in one direction at a speed several yards faster than a snail. You couldn't really see the chakra ball rotating unless you looked closely.

......

"Spin it! Spin it for me!"

After holding back for so long, seeing that the chakra ball was still spinning very slowly like a snail, Naruto's temper flared up, and he pointed at the chakra ball and unleashed a torrent of abuse.

"........."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. What kind of operation was this? If you're incompetent, does criticizing it help? Do you think you can make it stop spinning from spinning out of control just by criticizing it...?

"Hey! Here's what we'll do: when you get back, take a few boxes of balloons, fill them with water, and hold them in your hand. When you can pop the water-filled balloons, replace them with rubber balls. When you can pop the rubber balls too, you'll have pretty much mastered this ninjutsu. Practice at home on your own. I have important things to do."

Jiraiya has already given up. So be it, he lost. When has Jiraiya ever won? Tsunade lost for decades and she's still doing just fine...

.........

"I'll bet 200,000 on big! Uncle Jiraiya, aren't you going to teach Naruto today?"

At the Sarutobi Casino, Garp casually pushed out 200,000 chips in front of him and asked Jiraiya, who was staring in disbelief, a question.

Jiraiya's most important task was, of course, to find Tsunade. However, he searched all over Konoha Hospital but couldn't find her anywhere, so he came to the casino to look for her. But instead of finding Tsunade, he ran into Garp, who only gets to go out for a short break once in a while.

He'd seen Orochimaru defecate before. As someone who'd followed Tsunade around since childhood, what kind of extravagant spending hadn't he witnessed? But at least Tsunade would feel a pang of regret whenever she placed a bet.

Karp casually handed over hundreds of thousands, seemingly not caring about such a sum, which truly astonished him. If someone didn't know better, they might think this kid had a gold mine at home and that hundreds of thousands was nothing to him.

These hundreds of thousands were nothing to Garp. As the grandson-in-law of the third son of the Hyuga clan's main branch, the dowry he received on his wedding day alone was enough for him to live a carefree life for over a decade. Not to mention that Hyuga Tsuruhime's grandfather's health had been declining day by day and he was on his deathbed, so he had long ago handed over the financial power to Hyuga Tsuruhime. Hyuga Tsuruhime gave him hundreds of thousands of yen in pocket money every day. He didn't have to work hard to get hundreds of thousands of yen in pocket money every day, so Garp naturally didn't care about this money. Anyway, he had lost it all today, and he could save up for another week and have a carefree time.

Marrying a rich heiress must be so carefree; Jiraiya must be so envious and jealous...

"It's nothing. I haven't seen Tsunade in a long time. I thought she was here since she wasn't at the hospital."

Jiraiya snapped out of his daze and remembered that he had come to see Tsunade. Although others envied Garp's lifestyle, it wasn't what he wanted...

"My aunt recently took on a new disciple, and I wonder where she's off to hammer stones again. Damn! Why is she always betting small? Is she cheating?"

As soon as Karp finished speaking, he saw that the dice had rolled low again, meaning he had lost money again, so he casually typed a sarcastic remark.

“Young Master Garp, our Sarutobi Casino has always operated with integrity and fairness.”

The dealer, fawning and obsequious, said to Garp, "It's so hard to cheat and lose to you when we're betting..."

"There's actually someone who dares to ask Tsunade to be their apprentice?"

When Jiraiya heard that Tsunade had taken on another disciple, he was afraid he had misheard. Hadn't the Kato clan's lesson been enough? How dare someone ask Tsunade to take them on as disciples? This was because Kato Dan and Yuhi Shinku had a close relationship. Although Kato Dan died during World War II, their relationship remained. Back then, when Yuhi Shinku learned that Tsunade had the idea of ​​taking on disciples, she introduced her friend's niece, Shizune, who was a few years old, to her. Although Shizune's talent was only so-so, Tsunade still took Shizune under her wing out of respect for Yuhi Shinku.

At first, things were fine. Tsunade liked Shizune's obedient personality, and the Kato clan, with a powerful figure protecting them, were naturally happy. They could afford the monthly "tuition" of several million yen. However, this didn't last long. In the following years, the Kato clan slowly declined, eventually leaving only two or three members. The Kato clan was a small family to begin with, unlike larger clans that owned their own businesses. The Kato clan's money came from clan members completing daily tasks. With Tsunade's monthly "tuition" added to the burden, the Kato clan was now heavily in debt.

Jiraiya really wanted to see which clan was so fearless as to seek out Tsunade as their apprentice. The tuition of several million yen a month was nothing to them, even for a simple mission. But for many ordinary ninjas, it was a huge challenge.

700. That's him!

"Ah, it's Naruto's teammate, what's her name again? Sakura. The one with pink hair and a broad forehead."

As he spoke, Karp pushed out another stack of chips.

"Sigh! But I remember that girl was a commoner, right? Where would she get so much tuition money for Tsunade?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin and said that he knew about Naruto's female companion. He had followed the two of them for a while, but the girl had mediocre talent, no background, and no money. Why would Tsunade take her as a disciple for no reason?

"I don't know. That girl is Karin's classmate. I only heard her mention her once. You know I can only get out once a week. Why don't you ask my aunt to stop locking me up all the time? I'll try to find out for you."

Garp rolled his eyes. Jiraiya was his aunt's friend, so his words should carry weight. His request wasn't unreasonable; he only needed to come out twice a week.

"No, I can handle this myself. Your task is too difficult; how can I trouble you..."

Jiraiya shook his head. "A joke," he said. "Now everyone in Konoha knows that Garp's top priority is to ensure the Senju clan's continued growth, just like Nawaki back then. He can't go anywhere without leaving a seed for the Senju clan. Back then, Nawaki was too weak, so Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't dare let him run around. If something happened, it would be bad. Although Garp is much stronger than Nawaki back then, it's because his father Nawaki was a disappointment and only had him as a son. If he dared to talk to Tsunade, she would beat him to a pulp. He wouldn't dare even if he had a hundred lives."

..........

"Miss Slug, I'll leave this lazybones to you."

Inside Sunagakure, after several months of taijutsu training, Little Skyrocket had basically reached the standard to learn Sage Mode. Shanks summoned Miss Slug and asked her to take Little Skyrocket to Shikkotsu Forest to see if he could learn Sage Mode.

As for why he didn't go, the reason is obvious. During this time, he was forced by the little guy to relentlessly pursue the girl with the big fan. Aunt Chiyo couldn't stand it anymore. Originally, Aunt Chiyo didn't have the time or opportunity for this kind of thing. The Sand Village was still fighting tooth and nail for the position of leader. However, Aunt Chiyo had her eye on Gaara and hoped that Gaara could take over as leader. But Gaara was too young. It would take at least two or three years for him to take over. But the village couldn't leave the position of leader vacant for two or three years. It was fine in normal times, but if a war broke out, it would definitely not work without a leader. And the higher-ups saw this point and united to challenge Aunt Chiyo.

If it were just one or two people, they wouldn't dare to challenge Aunt Chiyo, but with more people, they naturally have more confidence. Aunt Chiyo can't possibly defeat them all, can she?

Now it was Aunt Chiyo's turn to be troubled. Of course, Aunt Chiyo couldn't kill them all at once, after all, they were the pillars of the village. But she only had herself and her younger brother, Uncle Kaizo. Even if they voted, they wouldn't have as many people as the others. At this time, Gaara, the little rocket launcher, succumbed to Shanks's tyranny and kept pestering the big fan girl. Aunt Chiyo was also having a headache. So she went to Shanks and made a deal with him. She asked Shanks to help intimidate the higher-ups. No matter what method he used, as long as Gaara had two or three years to grow up, she promised on behalf of the big fan girl that after they came of age, the big fan girl would marry far away to Konoha.

Shanks was stunned by the condition. This was completely different from what he had originally envisioned. How was Aunt Chiyo's proposal any different from those so-called political marriages? Was he the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in distress?

That's him!

As the old saying goes, once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever. Besides, Rasa's dowry is just too attractive. As for feelings... those are minor matters. They can be nurtured slowly in the future. Isn't that how it is between Garp and Hyuga Tsuruhime? Although it's hard to tell if they are truly in love, they've been together for several years. How could they possibly get a divorce?

After making a pact with Aunt Chiyo, Shanks didn't act immediately. First, he still had a bet with Jiraiya. Second, he hadn't figured out how to deal with those who were challenging Aunt Chiyo. After all, as an outsider, interfering in the politics of Sunagakure would damage Konoha's reputation. People wouldn't say he was meddling, but rather that Konoha was behaving rudely, which was blatant hegemony.

So he kept putting things off until after sending Miss Slug and Little Cannon away, he was still trying to figure out a solution. He's always been known for his toughness, but he really couldn't be tough in this kind of situation. If he killed all those people, Aunt Chiyo would turn against him. As the saying goes, "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish."

"Have you thought of any solutions? You've already broken two of my tables."

Uncle Haizang, watching Shanks deep in thought and constantly tapping the table, reminded him, "These are antiques passed down from our ancestors! He's already broken two of them this morning!"

"I didn't expect you to have so many demands. You can't do this or that. I really have no way to deal with you. I'm an outsider, and I'm interfering in your affairs for no reason. Isn't this just making people gossip?"

Shanks shrugged helplessly. If he had simply refused Aunt Chiyo's request and kidnapped the girl with the big fan back to Konoha, it would have been so much easier to wait for the smaller version of Skyrocket to return.

"These are your concerns. Temari is Rasa's precious daughter. I did keep an eye on things back then. Temari's dowry is beyond your imagination."

Uncle Haizang kept tempting them, but in fact, he and his sister really had no other choice. The village was indeed experiencing a talent shortage in this generation. Back in the day, Little Scorpion's generation at least had Rasa, who was trained as a Kazekage assistant. Later, it was proven that their method was correct, and Rasa had done a pretty good job as Kazekage over the years.

But the next generation was no good; they were all ugly and undesirable. Even in Gaara's generation, Gaara was the only one they could respect. Unfortunately, Rasa died too suddenly and too young, and Gaara hadn't even grown up yet.

"Damn it..."

Shanks really wanted to slap this old fox to death. At a time like this, he was still trying to tempt him. But even knowing the old fox was trying to seduce him, Shanks' heart still raced. He knew Rasa was very wealthy from dealing in gold dust, and he knew he would give his daughter a large dowry, but he didn't know the exact amount. Now that even a big tycoon like Uncle Kaizo had admitted it, the amount must be enormous. Uncle Kaizo wouldn't stoop to such a level to deceive him.

701. We live in a democratic era.

".............I've got an idea. Are you sure those idiots who picked the people aren't as strong as Gaara?"

Shanks had been racking his brains for a long time and finally came up with a more reliable solution.

"Although Gaara is young, his talent was still very strong back then. Although saying this is somewhat belittling to our Sand Village, apart from those veteran Jonin, Gaara's strength is the strongest among the younger generation. And those people chosen by others, although they are older than Gaara, are not as strong as Gaara."

Although Uncle Haizang didn't understand what the connection was between Gaara's strength and how strong he was among those people, he still patiently explained it to him.

"That's fine then. Throughout history, the struggle for leadership has always been a matter of the strong rising and the weak falling. Every generation of Kage is the strongest of their generation. Rather than having an outsider like me interfere in your politics, why not do what Kumogakure did and bring out all the candidates from each clan and let them fight in front of everyone? If Gaara wins, I have nothing to say, right? If they dare to object, I reckon your villagers will tear them apart. As a highly respected figure in the ninja world, I'll take a loss and act as a public figure for you. If they don't give me face, I'll have an excuse to show them why flowers are so red. What do you think?"

After hearing Uncle Haizang's analysis, Shanks slapped the antique table to pieces and said shamelessly.

"That's a good idea, but they probably won't agree, since everyone knows that Gaara is the strongest among these people."

After hearing Shanks's solution, Uncle Haizang forgot about the antique table and shook his head after thinking about it.

"What era are we living in? Everything has to be democratic. Look at our Konoha. Even the Fourth Hokage was elected by the villagers with one vote each. The Kazekage is from your Sunagakure village, so the way the Kazekage is elected should naturally be decided by the villagers themselves. Tomorrow, have someone organize a voting ceremony and let your villagers vote. There will be a free show to watch. They'll have no choice but to agree."

Shanks glanced at Uncle Kaizo. No wonder Sunagakure was so rich, yet it was discovered even slower than Iwagakure. Various resource issues were secondary; the most important thing was that all the decision-making power fell into the hands of those high-ranking officials. What era are we living in that they still use this kind of system to manage the village?

"I'll go talk to my sister about it now."

After listening to Shanks's words, Uncle Haizang suddenly understood, as if his entire soul had been elevated. So that's how it could be done! This method is great, and something like this has never happened in their village before. The villagers, wanting something new, have no reason to disagree. Besides, they can't say anything unless they want to get roasted...

........

That night, Uncle Kaizo and Aunt Chiyo discussed it all night, and the next morning, the news spread throughout Sunagakure that the villagers would vote to decide the selection of the Kazekage. One by one, the villagers came to the Kazekage Tower with a vote in hand, excitedly waiting. This day had finally arrived. In the past, for any major events, the higher-ups would make the decisions, and they, as villagers, could only silently support them. Even if they were not satisfied with the decisions of the higher-ups, there was nothing they could do. Now it was different. Now they could even decide such a big thing as the selection of the Kazekage. Wasn't this equivalent to each of them being the master of the village?

"Ahem! My dear fellow villagers, uncles and brothers! The Fourth Kazekage, Lord Rasa, has been gone for some time now. As the saying goes, a family cannot be without a head for a day, and a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Our Sunagakure has been without a Kazekage for quite some time now, and the high-ranking officials present here have been unable to reach a decision on the successor. As the saying goes, since ancient times... the Kazekage is the strongest. Therefore, I propose that the candidates you have chosen truly compete in front of everyone. The winner will be the one who succeeds as Kazekage, and the weakest will be the one who succeeds. Of course, this is just a proposal. The final decision rests with the villagers present. There are two large boxes in front of you. If you agree to a duel, put your vote in the box for 'agree'. If you disagree, do the opposite. I have also invited the highly respected Konoha Kurenai to be the witness for this vote. If more people agree to a duel, he will also be the witness for the next duel between the candidates."

Uncle Hai Zang felt nauseous after saying the last part. "What the hell do you mean by 'highly respected'? If you're considered highly respected, then I'm practically Jesus!"

Who is Jesus...?

However, Shanks helped him finish this manuscript overnight, and considering how hard he worked, I have to lie and praise him.

"Comrades, you've worked hard..."

Meanwhile, Shanks, unaware of Uncle Kaizo's feelings, stood up from the stands and waved warmly to the villagers of Sunagakure...