Konoha Drunkard

Aunt Chiyo, who was standing next to him, was extremely uncomfortable. If it weren't for the influence of Shanks' Conqueror's Haki, she would have wanted to drag the Ten Ninja Swordsmen out and chop this bastard into mincemeat. This guy is a villager from Sunagakure!

Meanwhile, the foolish high-ranking members around Aunt Chiyo were all red-faced, daring not to speak out. They were already exhausted from barely managing to stay upright under the imposing aura of the Konoha Red Hair, let alone having the strength to confront him. Moreover, they couldn't guarantee that the Konoha Red Hair wouldn't suddenly turn around and kill them.

The burst of power just now was truly terrifying. Half of their underlings collapsed instantly, and even the stronger elite underlings were weak in the knees. They didn't dare to say anything more. Now they didn't even care who became the leader. Getting rid of this Konoha Red Hair as soon as possible was more practical. They hadn't fought anyone for decades, and if they continued like this, their lives would be shortened by several years.

"Is he the redhead who got out?"

"That's right, that's right, it's him, exactly the same as the mural at the school gate."

"Yes! I remember, I even peed on his face back then..."

"........."

The villagers below pointed and whispered about Shanks waving at them, boasting about their great achievements in creating the Shanks mural.

..........

After Uncle Haizang announced the start of the vote, the results were obvious, just by looking at the number of people in line. Those who voted against it were all family members who had taken Ershazi. However, how could these people compare to the number of villagers? In the end, the box marked "agree" couldn't hold any more, and this unfair voting activity finally ended.

702. Master your signature skill.

"This kid must have been talked into by Naruto..."

When Shanks saw Gaara again, he found that Gaara had changed. He was completely different from the Gaara who had been devoid of emotion before. Moreover, he actually saw Gaara smile, and he really smiled.

Naruto's verbal skills are truly formidable. Shanks honestly admits that while his own verbal skills are computer-generated, they don't have this kind of brainwashing effect, capable of completely changing a person's mind. This is far more powerful than his verbal techniques.

This battle for the throne is nothing more than a bunch of weaklings fighting each other. There's not much to see. These candidates were just chosen by those idiot high-ups to be used as puppets. They don't have any special bloodline limits or backgrounds. The oldest of them is only in their twenties. How strong can they be? At most, they can only use one or two wind release techniques to blow around. They can fight others to a standstill, but they're all defeated in one round when they encounter Gaara.

While Gaara's sand may not be as dazzling as his father Rasa's golden sand, the effect of the sand that the fat cat gave him—possessing self-directing ability—is still quite good. He can attack without even using sand to form hand seals, following his will. This ability is perfect for someone like Shanks who's clumsy with his hands. If he had a fat cat in his belly back then, he wouldn't have had to suffer so much practicing one-handed hand seals. Did they really think one-handed hand seals were so easy to learn? Back then, he was secretly called an idiot by countless people for practicing one-handed hand seals, but those people dared not say it out loud because they were intimidated by his power.

Gaara has changed so much. He used to cut off limbs or kill people at the drop of a hat, but now he's showing mercy. He hasn't even cut off anyone's limbs.

"Ahem! Today is a good day. It's the first time in the history of Sunagakure that the Kazekage has been decided by a duel. I am truly honored to have been invited to Sunagakure to witness this historic moment..."

It was time to speak again. Actually, Shanks hates speaking, especially in front of so many people—it's so embarrassing! Luckily, last night he not only helped Uncle Kaizo write his speech, but he also wrote his own...

"......"

The high-ranking members of Sunagakure felt disgusted and wanted to vomit after hearing Shanks's slurred speech, and each of them had a big well on their head!

"What the hell is this invitation? Only a fool would invite you! You came uninvited, didn't you? Making it sound so nice..."

"I now declare the final winner to be this young boy, Gaara, who is only about ten years old. I hope he will lead Sunagakure to even greater heights in the future..."

Shanks didn't care what those idiots thought or felt. Anyway, his mission was about to be completed. He was just waiting for the little rocket launcher to come back and collect the goods before he could retire.

.......

With the pressure of Shanks's imposing presence and Gaara winning the Kazekage position in front of so many villagers, even those idiots dared not object. They weren't truly idiots; they just wanted to secure some benefits for their families. If they dared to question the Kazekage election in front of so many villagers, they would truly be considered idiots.

Although Gaara won the duel, he was too young. Historically, no one has ever become a Kage at the age of twelve or thirteen. It's impossible even in other small ninja villages, let alone one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. So, when Gaara will succeed to the throne, these high-ranking officials will have to have a heated argument with Aunt Chiyo. However, these are all internal matters of Sunagakure. After the great duel, Shanks was already preparing to return to Konoha. Sunagakure was no place for a human to stay. He had only been there for a few months, and his skin, which he had painstakingly maintained for many years, had been blown into a muscular state again. If it weren't for his small-sized Sky Cannon, he wouldn't have come here even if he were to die.

I greeted Aunt Chiyo and Uncle Kaizo, then closed my eyes.

←↓→↑←↓→↓→!

.......

"Home is the best! In Sunagakure, I didn't even dare to drink too much water..."

Shanks sat comfortably in his grandfather's chair, sipping his wine and sighing.

"Nobody asked you to go, and that Luo Sha's daughter isn't anything special."

Haruko's voice came from outside. It wasn't that she disliked the girl with the big fan, but rather that she felt there were so many good girls in Konoha, why send her grandson all the way to Sunagakure to flirt with a girl? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

"How many people in the village have the same wealth as Rasa's daughter? Only Hiashi's two daughters. But the eldest daughter has already been reserved by Kushina, and the younger daughter... she's going to inherit the family business. If you're willing to let your grandson marry into the family, I have no objection."

Shanks shrugged. Hinata Hyuga was too timid, and Kushina had already taken her. Hiashi Hyuga had no choice but to entrust the responsibility of inheriting the family business to his youngest daughter. Anyone who dared to make a move on Hinata would be met with a fierce fight from Hiashi. Years ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had also tried to get Konohamaru to woo Hinata, but Neji had driven him away before he even entered the door. Hinata was the only heir left in the family; anyone who touched her would die. Even if Hinata chose a husband in the future, he would have to be from the Hyuga clan. The bloodline of the clan head must remain pure; even the grandson of the third generation headmaster wouldn't be acceptable...

"You're always so full of tricks."

Haruko-sama retorted once and then ignored him. This guy was obsessed with money; saying anything more wouldn't change anything. But at least her grandson's marriage was settled. She knew her grandson's personality—even lazier than his father. If she resolved this sooner rather than later, who knew if she'd even live to hold her great-grandson...

"By the way, how's Naruto's learning from Jiraiya going lately?"

Shanks then realized that he hadn't seen Jiraiya since returning to the village. This would have been impossible before; Jiraiya would never have come to Tsunade unless the sky had fallen. But the sky hadn't fallen, and Jiraiya had indeed not come.

"I heard from Kushina that Naruto is learning quite well from Jiraiya, and he even learned Minato's Rasengan. I didn't expect Naruto to be so talented."

Haruko-sama chuckled. Naruto had been labeled as an idiot by everyone since he was a child, especially when he kept pestering Haku to teach him ninjutsu. Even the bystanders could learn it, but Naruto just couldn't. However, he managed to learn Minato's unique and extremely difficult no-seal ninjutsu, which truly astonished countless people.

Kushina, in particular, was overjoyed when she learned that Naruto had mastered Minato's Rasengan. She threw a three-day, three-night banquet at the Konoha Hotel, boasting to everyone how amazing her son was. She said it didn't matter if he couldn't learn low-level ninjutsu, but only by learning a high-level technique like the Rasengan could he truly test its quality.

"......"

Shanks should have anticipated this outcome. Although Minato developed the Rasengan, it was Naruto who truly popularized it. Later on, he used various Rasengan techniques to bring peace to the ninja world. Like the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the Rasengan is Naruto's signature skill; it would be strange if he didn't learn it.

703. A kind person like him

The Little Skyrocket is back! After two months of learning magic in the Wet Bone Forest, the Little Skyrocket has once again proven that magic is for those who are at the bottom of the class to make a comeback; the more talented someone is, the less likely they are to learn it...

Of course, Shanks is an exception, since he's just an illegal immigrant, not a native of this place.

The little rocket followed Miss Slug to the Wet Bone Forest. For two whole months, it was unable to sense the existence of natural energy, so it was impossible to activate Immortal Mode, and Immortal Arts were out of the question.

However, Little Cannonball's mood remained completely unaffected. Instead, he felt relieved that he couldn't learn this so-called magical technique; it was simply too troublesome. Just sitting there sensing natural energy for the past two months had tormented him to the point of near death. Every time he sat for a long time, he felt like falling asleep, but before he could, Miss Slug beside him would wake him up.

This kind of life is a disaster for him. What's the point of a future Grand Marshal like him learning all that stuff? He should just stay in the office and do his job. With great power comes great responsibility; it's better to be a little weak.

Shanks stared speechlessly at the nonchalant-looking Little Skyrocket, thinking, "This is so damn disappointing! I worked so hard to give you more screen time, and you not only failed to learn it, but now you don't even seem sad. That's incredibly unambitious..."

"Go back and get some rest. Take good care of your health, so you can inherit the family business when your old man can no longer walk..."

What can Shanks say now? Ambitious and driven people are always someone else's kids. No wonder Kishimoto wouldn't give this minor character more screen time. If he were the director, he'd just give him a small, insignificant role and call it a day.

Look at other people's kids. Even though Naruto's parents are still alive and well, his dream is still definitely to become Hokage.

And look at that second male lead with the pants down; his dreams are even more outrageous—killing his own brother and the far-fetched idea of ​​revitalizing the Uchiha clan. Which of these two protagonists doesn't have some kind of ambition?

The little rocket nodded, greeted Haruko-sama, turned and left without a trace.

"Sigh... This child has no ambition at all, she doesn't miss me at all. It's all that bastard Lu Jiu's fault. He shouldn't have let Lingling marry that lazy bum back then!"

Shanks gritted his teeth in anger as he watched the smaller version of Skyrocket's retreating figure, blaming the larger version of Skyrocket for everything. If he hadn't taken advantage of Big Mom's inattention back then, things wouldn't have turned out this way. He could have found a much better son-in-law, like... Yamanaka Inoichi... or even Midori!

Haruko, who was trimming the flowers and plants outside, rolled her eyes at him, wondering who it was that had been eyeing the bride price in the first place...

........

"Come on, Jiraiya, bottoms up! There are still three more to go. It's been a long time since we drank together."

That evening, at the Hatake clan's residence, Shanks, Sakumo, and Jiraiya, three old men, huddled together reminiscing about their past glories. Sakumo hadn't wanted to participate in this boring activity; he was so busy with the Anbu, he had no time to drink and chat with these two idle men. However, with an hour left before he was supposed to leave work, his best buddy was already sitting across from him, waiting for him. There was nothing he could do about it.

"Ah! He's always running around these past few years. It's all Orochimaru's fault. That bastard has disappeared without a trace all these years."

Jiraiya downed a large glass and complained, his breath reeking of alcohol.

“Everyone has their own wishes. Since Orochimaru doesn’t want to stay in the village, you shouldn’t force him. Maybe he’s living a good life outside right now, so don’t bother him.”

Shanks and even Jiraiya, while drinking, couldn't help but mention Orochimaru. He truly loves him; for Orochimaru's sake, he even stopped flirting with Tsunade...

However, Orochimaru is living a very happy life in the Land of Water. He has everything done for him and can even study his cultivation techniques. He's living a carefree and happy life, so he doesn't have time to bother with you.

"...By the way, you've been away for so long, have you ever been to the Land of Water?"

Thinking of the Land of Water, Shanks felt it necessary to remind Jiraiya not to go there and cause trouble. His two apprentices were heartless and might even kill him.

"That's Hanzo's territory. Why would I go to his territory if there's nothing wrong with me? But recently, the Akatsuki organization in the Land of Water has been making quite a stir. I heard they've taken in several S-rank rogue ninjas over the years, and your disciple seems to be one of them. I plan to go and find out more about the situation when I have time."

Jiraiya downed another large glass of wine and laughed at Shanks, "Uchiha Itachi is too popular now. No matter where he goes, there are paparazzi reporting on him at any time. It's too easy for us old hands to find out his whereabouts. Only ninja rookies like Uchiha Sasuke who don't know anything are completely clueless."

"........."

Sakumo Hatake and Shanks exchanged a glance. Sakumo Hatake hadn't expected that Jiraiya's years of wandering outside hadn't been in vain; he had actually learned something about the Akatsuki organization. You see, the reason they knew about the Akatsuki was because of Orochimaru, the super spy, and later Itachi Uchiha also infiltrated it. Otherwise, they would have been like other villages, completely unaware of this organization.

Shanks never expected that Jiraiya, a seasoned veteran of the ninja world who had spent far more time roaming the world than him, would only know such a tiny bit of information. He'd spent all those years searching for inspiration, had he?

"Stop worrying about it. Those few rogue ninjas can't destroy the world, can they? This kind of thing is far-fetched. You'd be better off focusing your limited time on more important matters. You're not young anymore, only five years younger than me and Sakumo. My grandson is already a Chunin, and Kakashi has been married for several years. I reckon you have no chance with Tsunade. You're not too bad off, except for being a bit ugly, poor, and not popular with women. You don't have any other flaws. While you still have the ability, you should find a girl, get married, and have children. You're already way behind. Tsunade is determined to become a Gold Saint."

Shanks forcefully changed the subject. If Jiraiya were really sent to the Land of Water, what would happen? A truly kind person like him would be heartbroken for ages if an ant died in front of his house. Jiraiya had been with him for decades; how could he bear to see Jiraiya go and report to the old man of the Six Paths?

704. Danzo is a man destined for great things.

"Captain, what are you saying? I have no luck with women? I'm the famous searcher from Mount Myōboku! Countless women want to marry me, but I just don't fancy them."

Hearing Shanks say that about him, Jiraiya couldn't stand it anymore. Although he didn't have Itachi's popularity, he was still one of the legendary Sannin, you know. Back when he went out into the world, countless girls flirted with him, including several daimyo's wives. But times have changed, and girls' tastes have changed too. Before, a tough guy like him could still get by, but now girls all prefer young, handsome men. He was quite troubled...

"...Today is a welcome dinner for you, I hope you're happy."

"puff....."

Hatake Sakumo's words were like rubbing salt into Jiraiya's already wounded heart; they were so damn hurtful to his pride. He should have known better than to drink with them.

...........

"Obito, are you still planning to cooperate with Danzo?"

In an underground entertainment venue somewhere in the ninja world, Black Zetsu stared wide-eyed at Obito, as if he had discovered a rare species. What had he just heard?

This guy and his underling Kisame wiped out that family's entire clan, and now they're in trouble and want to go back to them? Has he never died before? Danzo may not be scary, but where is that? That's Konoha! If Danzo were to roar, you'd really be dead before you die.

"Don't worry, I'm confident I can handle Danzo, as long as he still harbors even the slightest illusion about the Hokage position."

Obito said confidently that cooperating with Danzo was actually a last resort. Nagato had asked him to investigate the Jinchuriki of each village, which was a piece of cake for him, given his 100,000 White Zetsu.

Leaving aside the fact that the ninja world now knows about the One-Tail Jinchuriki and the Eight-Tail Jinchuriki, he also knows the Two-Tail Jinchuriki of Kumogakure, the Four- and Five-Tail Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, the Six-Tail Jinchuriki of Kirigakure, and the Seven-Tail Jinchuriki of Takigakure very well. He hasn't been doing this for nothing all these years.

However, there are two exceptions. One is the Three-Tails, which died last time and has not yet been resurrected. The timing of its resurrection is uncertain. The other is the Nine-Tails of Konoha. After summoning the Nine-Tails and causing a major incident in Konoha, the Nine-Tails was sealed away. According to Black Zetsu, this Jinchuriki cannot be Kushina. Although Kushina did not die back then, she lost a lot of life force and no longer had the ability to suppress the Nine-Tails.

Therefore, Kushina couldn't possibly still be the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. The most suitable person to be the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was the Uzumaki clan. The only remaining Uzumaki clan in the ninja world happened to be in Konoha. However, after years of development, the Uzumaki clan still had a large population. Even the White Zetsu couldn't get into Konoha, and the one who said he went to the Senju clan's territory. When Sunagakure attacked Konoha last time, there was chaos, and no one paid attention to who the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was, transforming and fighting against the One-Tailed Shukaku. So, Obito, who couldn't think of a solution, could only think of a saying circulating in the Konoha ninja world: "If you're in trouble, go to Danzo. Danzo may not be good at anything else, but he's a master at rigging Konoha."

Although he wasn't entirely ethical last time, leading his underlings to raid Danzo's clan, not many people died, right? Just a few minor characters. Besides, he originally intended to target the Sarutobi clan, but Kisame was illiterate and mistook Shimura for Sarutobi...

As the saying goes, those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. Danzo is clearly someone destined for greatness, so I shouldn't be bothered by his petty squabbles.

Black Zetsu, despite Obito's confidence, remained silent with a somber face. He truly regretted not advising Madara to wait two or three years. Why had he rushed to find Obito as a spokesperson? If he had waited two or three years, Uchiha Shisui would have been the best choice. Unfortunately, there were no "what ifs" now. Uchiha Shisui was nowhere to be found, and the Uchiha clan was wiped out, leaving only Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke. Look at Obito's actions; he had no sense of priorities. After escaping Konoha a few times, he became arrogant. Not only did he take his underlings to Konoha to gain reputation, but now he even dared to go and negotiate cooperation with the very person he had been trying to gain reputation with. This behavior was incomprehensible to Black Zetsu, a creature that had been hiding for thousands of years. He couldn't understand what this guy was thinking.

.........

At midnight in Konoha, Danzo was fast asleep in his room at the Root base. Danzo now ate and slept almost exclusively at Root, rarely returning to his clan. The clan was now run by younger members, and the clan head was his nephew, more than twenty years his senior—the generation gap was too large. Besides, Danzo's voice wasn't as pleasant as Yamanaka Hirio's. It was much better for him to stay at the base, listening to the leader's boasting every night, and he slept soundly.