Konoha Drunkard

Even in Konoha, geniuses don't appear every year. The first generation of geniuses were Shanks and Sakumo Hatake. Tsunade and the others belonged to the second generation. After that, there was a gap of more than ten years between Minato Namikaze's generation and Kakashi's generation. Then, there was another gap of more than ten years between Minato and Kakashi. And then there was another gap of about ten years between Shisui and Itachi Uchiha. It's like a biological law.

If the world didn't need the male lead and second male lead to save them and give them a power boost, they wouldn't really be considered geniuses. Not only were they given verbal and physical advantages, but they were also showered with a bunch of special effects, and even the Sage of Six Paths joined in to give them gifts. This treatment is like a game developer playing a game where all the NPCs are their own people.

Therefore, the assessment is practically a gift of titles for the "gambling, prostitution and drug gang".

Meanwhile, in the examination hall, Jiraiya, who had been cramming for a month and had memorized most of the meditation mantra using the Hatake Sakumo mode, had completely forgotten it after the mountain impact he had just experienced.

"What should I do? What should I do? If I fail the test, Tsunade will kill me," Jiraiya thought, a chill running down his spine. Tsunade watched Jiraiya fidgeting nearby, constantly scratching his head. "This idiot," Tsunade knew immediately that Jiraiya had forgotten everything because of the mountain impact earlier.

"Ugh! How could I have such a teammate?" Orochimaru thought, seeing Jiraiya's expression, feeling utterly exhausted.

Time passed relentlessly, and finally, the proctoring Jonin, whom Hiruzen Sarutobi had already warned, noticed that Jiraiya showed no intention of writing anything. He then gave a wink to the undercover agent sitting in front of Jiraiya. The undercover agent subtly revealed some answers to him, and thankfully Jiraiya's intelligence was still intact; otherwise, even the proctoring Jonin wouldn't have been able to save him.

After a three-hour written test, all the genin emerged. Shanks saw the three of them come out.

"Jiraiya, how's it going?" Shanks mainly asked Jiraiya. Tsunade was a given; she could understand even something as difficult as medical ninjutsu, so the Chunin Exams were a piece of cake. As for Orochimaru, this guy was even more impressive than Sakumo in the academy's written exams. Sakumo might only get a perfect score, but Orochimaru got extra points! Isn't that awesome?!

"Hahaha! It's just a written test. Easy peasy, no problem at all," Jiraiya regained his mysterious confidence.

He received disdainful glances from both sides. They had been closely watching Jiraiya and knew exactly what had happened. Where did someone who had been saved by the examiner get his confidence?

"Well, your ordeal is over. Now it's time to crush the noobs. I'm not going to watch. I've booked a private room at Akimichi BBQ Restaurant. I'll wait for you guys to come and celebrate." After saying that, the clone vanished into thin air.

"Tch! Using clones to wait for others, what a lack of sincerity. I'll eat him out of house and home tonight!" Jiraiya glanced at "gambling and drugs."

"You won't bankrupt him, you'll only bankrupt the teacher," Orochimaru delivered a divine finishing blow.

“........” Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Just as Shanks predicted, the three of them fought fiercely in the next two rounds. However, Jiraiya almost lost in the one-on-one tournament.

In the one-on-one tournament, Tsunade was the first to step up. The first few opponents she encountered were quite tough, but they were all sent flying by a single punch from Tsunade. After that, the people who came up with Tsunade started bragging without any regard for their own reputation, and then cleanly and decisively raised their hands in surrender. Anyway, since it wasn't an elimination system, losing one or two matches didn't matter.

Orochimaru was similar. During this period, Orochimaru was not so cold and ruthless. After defeating a few people in a relatively friendly manner, the others would just chat with him for a few words and then surrender.

An unexpected incident occurred when it came to Jiraiya. Jiraiya was the kind of person who could boast even without any real ability. Ever since he was taken in as a disciple by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and given his recent rapid increase in strength, he had become even more arrogant and shameless than the Uchiha clan.

So everyone who encountered him was like someone wearing a hat and went head-to-head with him. Even a bunch of rats can kill an elephant. If it weren't for Tsunade healing him, and the fact that his strength was indeed much higher than those people, I don't know if he would have survived.

The third team battle wasn't very interesting. It was like the two big bosses were giving low-level characters experience points. Every time, before Jiraiya could even start showing off, the two big bosses had already finished the battle.

Finally, after rambling on for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi distributed Chunin badges to over 50 Genin, effectively ending the Chunin Exams. Over 250 Genin had registered, and over 50 had been promoted to Chunin. The Sarutobi group was quite satisfied with this result, although it wasn't enough to fill the vacancies left by the Chunin who had been sacrificed. However, they could take it easy for now and wait until some of them had accumulated enough missions before promoting a few more.

..........

"Cheers! You can drink water instead of wine, I'll drink mine, you can drink as you like."

The four of them clinked glasses together.

"Jiraiya, you're such a loser. If it weren't for my niece who's both beautiful and strong, you would have almost crashed and burned. You're so pathetic. Don't ever say you know me in Konoha again." Shanks said with his usual disdain for Jiraiya.

"How could that be? It's just a minor injury. Dealing with them is a piece of cake!" Jiraiya shouted, his face flushed.

"Hey!" The three of them gave him the middle finger in perfect unison.

"Oh right, these are gifts for you. I used Flying Thunder God Technique to travel all the way to the Land of Craftsmen and talked until my saliva was dry before they agreed to carve them for me." Shanks handed them three jade pendants engraved with their cute images.

"What is this? Huh? This looks so much like me. Orochimaru's too. Wow! Tsunade's chest is also carved so flat."

"boom!"

If you don't court death, you won't die.

"How about it? You like it, right? These are the works of a true master sculptor." These three jade pendants were indeed carved by a master sculptor in the Land of Craftsmen using the Flying Thunder God Technique when Shanks was taking their written test. However, it didn't take much effort. Master sculptors also need to eat, so Shanks just spent a lot of money on them.

"I really like it, thank you, Captain!" Orochimaru was somewhat moved.

"Hey! Hey! Orochimaru, that's not your persona," Shanks teased.

"..." The feeling of being moved was only fleeting.

Tsunade, thinking Shanks wasn't looking at her, secretly filled her own glass with sake...

Jiraiya is still lying down with the bag on his head.

44. A guy who got beaten up by your grandpa is asking for "flowers" and "favorites".

Spring has passed and autumn has come; the year is drawing to a close.

Two months have passed since the Chunin Exams, but their impact continues. The most famous figures aren't Tsunade and Orochimaru; people always mention Princess Tsunade when discussing them. After all, she's the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and her strength is undeniable.

Orochimaru has been the subject of much attention ever since he was taken in as a disciple by Hiruzen Sarutobi. He's been touted as a once-in-a-century genius, so it's understandable that he's strong.

Jiraiya was different. On the day of the exam, many people saw dozens of Konoha's top female idols dressed in their finest attire, waving little flags and cheering him on. Moreover, during the second round, people noticed that every genin who encountered him fought him like a sworn enemy, and Jiraiya's strength shocked many. Many didn't expect that this "gift" given to Orochimaru by the Hokage would be so powerful; the Hokage's training was excellent! However, his character was definitely not great; so many genin had a grudge against him.

Furthermore, because of the previous incident where a girl cheered him on, Jiraiya is the only one of the three who was given the nickname "Friend of the Girl" without any war taking place.

It's said that the Red Bronx district was incredibly busy that night, and some unidentified people even claimed to have seen a man strikingly similar to the Hokage emerge from a top courtesan's room. He was short, had a full beard, and was carrying a pipe. If he hadn't been wearing the Hokage robes, those people would have genuinely thought the Hokage had come to rescue a fallen woman.

"Haha! Jiraiya, congratulations! Now you're more powerful in Konoha than me and Sakumo. You're a friend of the ladies. I heard that if you mention your name in the Red Bronze Zone, you can get a discount!" Shanks sprayed his breakfast milk all over Tsunade's dad's face as soon as he heard this title.

"Haha! Jiraiya, the friend of the young lady. You're a celebrity now." Tsunade teased without a care in the world.

Orochimaru remained silent, if it weren't for his trembling shoulders.

"It's all your fault, you bastard! If it weren't for you, why would anyone call me that?" Jiraiya felt incredibly frustrated. If he hadn't been outmatched, he would have already charged at him and confronted him.

"Don't worry about those little things. You've boosted the economy of Konoha's Red Bronze District. Look, the district's economy has been steadily growing this month, all thanks to you. Your achievements will be remembered by Konoha. Even years later, when you die, your tombstone will bear the inscription: 'Jiraiya, friend of the young ladies, a monumental achievement, immortal.' Think about it, even the First and Second Hokage didn't have such accomplishments!" Shanks's rambling nonsense got Jiraiya all fired up, completely forgetting that Shanks was behind it all. It has to be said, hot-blooded young men in anime are so easily fooled.

"Ugh! This idiot!" Tsunade and Orochimaru felt exhausted watching Shanks completely fool Jiraiya.

...........

Inside the Konoha mission room.

"Brother Kino, bring out all the missions of rank B and above for me!" Jiraiya's confident yet slightly lewd voice rang out.

This drew sidelong glances from the surrounding ninjas.

"boom!"

"Idiot, keep a low profile."

Tsunade punched his dog's head.

"I'm so sorry, this child didn't take his medicine today." Shanks apologized repeatedly to those around him.

Since Jiraiya rose to prominence, Shanks hasn't done anything so arrogant and offensive for a long time. That doesn't fit his character. He was a bit arrogant when he was younger because Hashirama Senju protected him and he was young, so people would just say he was immature. Now, being arrogant would get him attacked by the whole team.

Shanks casually accepted a B-rank mission and quickly led the three of them to retreat. However, Shanks estimated that if Jiraiya continued to be so arrogant, he might be cornered at the door.

"This mission is rather unlucky because of Jiraiya. Tomorrow we'll be escorting the Lady of the Daimyo of the Land of Claws back to the Land of Claws. The journey is long, at least half a year round trip, and we're very likely to encounter many bounty hunters, since the Lady of the Daimyo is quite valuable. So you should prepare your things tonight when you get back." Shanks felt a headache coming on when he saw the mission. The Land of Claws was too far away, and he had never been there. He wasn't afraid of encountering ninjas; a Lady of the Daimyo wasn't worth the attention of those S-rank bounty hunters. But he was worried about unexpected events.

The next day, the four saw a caravan at the village entrance. A group of useless samurai and a few useless rogue ninjas were protecting a carriage. A fat, plump woman, adorned with gold and silver, stepped out of the carriage. "So much for the beauties of noblewomen..." Shanks thought, looking up at the sky.

Suppressing the ache in his teeth, he said, "This beautiful and expensive lady, we are the ninja team that accepted your mission. My name is Uzumaki Shanks, and these three are my team members."

"Hahaha! I didn't expect the Konoha Red-Haired Shanks to be such a handsome young man, with two little cuties and a beautiful girl by his side." Everyone likes to hear compliments. After hearing Shanks' praise, the Daimyo smiled slightly, her mouth wide enough to stuff Jiraiya's dog head inside.

"Haha! It's an honor for us to meet you, Madam Daming, today." Ignoring the disdainful looks from the "gambling, prostitution, and drug gang," Madam Daming engaged in mutual flattery.

"..." The samurai and ninja were truly amazed; they realized that lies could be told in such a refined and elegant way. "Konoha's Red-Haired Shanks are indeed formidable!"

After a round of flattery from the Lady of the Great Name, the group set off without incident. The "gambling, prostitution, and drug gang" and Shanks each took a corner of the carriage from the back of the crowd.

After refusing the daimyo's two invitations to ride in her carriage and discuss life and ideals, Jiraiya's restless heart calmed down. The thought of the daimyo's face filled him with a sense of dread.

After the carriage left the Land of Fire, they encountered some bandits and robbers, all of whom were dealt with by the samurai outside. A week after leaving the Land of Fire, Shanks sensed with his Observation Haki that three bounty hunters of exceptional Jonin level were following them. At this point, Shanks had no intention of training his "gambling, prostitution, and drugs gang." He gave Tsunade a special kunai, and Shanks quietly sneaked over to deal with the three.

After that, they traveled safely, and more than three months later they entered the border of the Land of Claws. Shanks' Observation Haki sensed a masked man wearing a headband of a rogue ninja from Takigakure, with green eyes, rapidly approaching them.

Shanks immediately became alert, a sense of crisis rising within him. He knew that this rogue ninja from Takigakure was not simple from the start.

"Stop!" Shanks shouted.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade and the other two looked over.

"The three of you stay by the carriage and, no matter what happens, don't go over there," Shanks said sternly to the three of them.

"Who's here? Why are you so nervous?" Tsunade asked nervously. Jiraiya and Orochimaru also tensed up. This was the first time they had seen Shanks so nervous, and they knew that this opponent was no ordinary person.

"He's got quite a background; a man who survived being beaten up by your grandfather and only became stronger." Shanks said with a serious expression.

"What!" Tsunade and the other two exclaimed in surprise.

There's practically no one left in the entire ninja world who survived being beaten by the God of Shinobi, except for those like Shanks, of course. Now that one has suddenly appeared, you can imagine their reaction.

"Tsunade, put away my kunai. You all wait here." After Shanks finished speaking, he immediately rushed towards Kakuzu's direction.

"One-Sword Style. Random Slashing!" Shanks sensed Kakuzu's location and, without saying a word, unleashed a sword strike.

"Hmph!" Kakuzu saw a sword aura slashing towards him and dodged it with a cold snort. However, just as he dodged the sword aura, he was slammed into the back by a tremendous force.

"Super Strength Armor. One Punch Unbeatable!" Shanks' pure black head slammed directly into Kakuzu's back.

With a "thud," Kakuzu slammed his fist into the ground, shattering it into pieces.

"Kakuzu, the rogue ninja from Takigakure, was beaten so badly by my uncle that he had to go home to find his mother. I never thought he'd only dare to show his face now that he's dead. He's really pathetic." Shanks saw Kakuzu pretending to be dead on the ground and knew that he had five hearts and wouldn't die so easily. He ignored him and immediately started taunting him.

"..." Kakuzu activated his feigned death mode, but a chill ran down his spine. He hadn't expected to run into Konoha's Shanks on such a minor mission; Shanks' punch had just shattered his heart. He realized he had underestimated him; after all, it had been two years since the assassination of Shamon, and Shanks' strength was indeed no joke.

"Stop playing dead. The S-rank rogue ninja I killed with one punch hasn't appeared yet. Let me see just how powerful the S-rank rogue ninja from Takigakure is." Shanks didn't reveal his secret, so he could know his enemy.

"Cough, cough, Konoha's Red-Haired Man is indeed powerful, but now you can die!" Kakuzu coughed up a pool of blood and then separated three monstrous things from his body. The three monsters were surrounded by dense black lines that connected to Kakuzu, making them extremely ugly.

"It's fucking ugly. Did you ever think about how your mother felt when you turned yourself into this?" Shanks continued sarcastically.

"Go to hell, Fire Release: Head Katsu!" Kakuzu couldn't stand his nagging anymore. One of the monsters spat out a sea of ​​fire from its mouth.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bite!" Shanks didn't hold back, forming a hand seal with his left hand to unleash an S-rank Water Release technique. The sea of ​​fire surrounding Shanks transformed into a lake, and a massive water dragon charged towards Shanks, biting him.

Kakuzu saw the giant water dragon lunging at him and quickly retreated.

Shanks used his Observation Haki to sense Kakuzu's hiding position and unleashed a massive sword aura towards Kakuzu.

"What!" Just as Kakuzu dodged the water dragon, he saw a huge sword aura slashing towards him. Kakuzu couldn't dodge in time and was finally split in two by the sword aura. However, the Kakuzu who was split down fell to the ground and turned into a monster, while Kakuzu turned into another one. But now there were only two ugly monsters next to Kakuzu.

"Oh! I get it! These monsters are like your doppelgangers. I'll chop them all down and see if you survive!" Shanks exclaimed, feigning sudden realization.

45. Water Release: The Technique to Terrify Kakuzu ("Requesting flowers," "Requesting favorites")

"Damn it, Lightning Release: False Darkness!" Kakuzu roared as if he had been seen through.

A javelin made of lightning was aimed at Shanks, but Shanks had already used Shave to teleport behind Kakuzu's main body and delivered a punch.