Naruto: Drinking Makes You Stronger

Leo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen unhappily and asked.

"Never mind, never mind. What's the point of getting upset over a drunkard?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Leo, feeling both helpless and exasperated. The most talented genius of Konoha's younger generation turned out to be this kid!

Hey, if Leo didn't drink, it would be great.

After calming down, Sarutobi Hiruzen patiently introduced himself to Leo again.

"You are the Third Hokage of Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen heard Leo's words and was immediately relieved. This brat finally understands the greatness of being Hokage, right? But then Leo's words almost angered him.

"The one in the women's bath with a crystal ball?"

"puff!!"

Sarutobi Hizan almost bit his tongue.

"Who did you hear that from, Leo?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly felt a wave of discomfort. How did Leo find out about such a private matter concerning the Hokage?

"Yes, Leo, who told you this?"

Sarutobi licked the corners of his mouth and asked.

"It seems... the last time I bought wine in a bar, I heard a white-haired guy... said it?"

Leo tilted his head and said uncertainly.

"Jiraiya!!"

Sarutobi gritted his teeth.

My own fucking disciple, spreading nonsense everywhere!

"Ah, Leo, that guy is talking nonsense. As a Third Hokage, how could I do such a thing?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a dry cough and explained.

"Let's change the topic. Can I ask you a few questions?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed Leo was about to speak further and quickly interrupted him. He feared that continuing the conversation might be too much for his heart to bear.

"Well, you can ask."

Leo's expression on his face made Sarutobi feel helpless.

"Do you love this village?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, his gaze fixed on Leo with an expectant look.

"Of course!"

Leo said affirmatively.

"With wine, meat, and the thrill of battle, how could anyone not love this place?"

"Well, Leo, there is one thing in the village that needs your help."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction. As the saying goes, drunken words reveal true thoughts, and the words of a child after drinking are even more trustworthy.

…

"Chuunin Exam?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, but Leo blinked in confusion.

"Yes, Leo, I was just about to tell you—"

"Don't want to!"

Leo interrupted, his face showing clear displeasure.

"Uh, why? What's wrong?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression immediately froze on his face.

"The trouble's not worth it, i don't want to go."

Although Leo was a little drunk, but he didn't become stupid.

"Leo, the village is in danger now. You don't want something to happen to your beloved Konoha, do you?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen began to admonish him earnestly.

He had already sent invitation letters to several major Shinobi villages. With Leo not participating, how could he expect to make an impact?

Yes, this was how Sarutobi Hiruzen thought about demonstrating Konoha's strength now!

Although the Chuunin Exams are typically held between allied villages, this time, Konoha had sent invitation letters to all the major Shinobi villages, even those that were not allies.

This is what Sarutobi Hiruzen advocated.

Due to the recent instability, Cloud Village is not even a factor. The village has always prioritized military expansion as its main strategy.

Even the Hidden Mist Village, which did not participate in the Second Ninja World War, has started to become more active.

This makes Sarutobi Hiruzen full of a sense of crisis.

At the same time, it finds itself at the very center, surrounded by the other four major villages.

Whether during the First or Second Ninja World War, Konoha always faced overwhelming odds, often fighting against dozens of enemies. Now, shortly after the conclusion of the Second Ninja World War, Konoha has suffered a significant loss.

The main force during the Second Ninja World War, the Senju Clan, suffered a devastating blow with the death of the young patriarch, Nawaki, in battle. Which ultimately led to the departure of Tsunade. After Tsunade's departure, the Senju clan withdrew completely from the public eye. Combined with the death of "Konoha's White Fang," Konoha's strength had significantly diminished in the eyes of outsiders at this point.

So, Sarutobi Hiruzen is eager to showcase Konoha's strength. The Chuunin Exam presents the perfect opportunity for this!

As the cradle of geniuses, Konoha Village.

Countless geniuses have been born in Konoha over the years. Even after the long history since its establishment, Konoha continues to produce exceptional talents.

Kakashi is one of the village's top prodigies, yet when facing Leo, he finds himself with no means to fight back.

It's easy to imagine that Leo would completely dominate against Genin from other Ninja villages!

Sarutobi Hiruzen hopes to showcase the strength of Konoha's new generation, hoping it will deter actions from other villages.

This is why Sarutobi Hiruzen invited Genin from non-allied villages to come to Konoha for the Chuunin Exams!

..

Konoha Ninja School, Principal's Office.

"Sigh... Why did this stubborn boy refuse?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed in frustration, staring at Leo with a mixture of helplessness and disbelief.

Just now, Sarutobi Hiruzen had truly tried to reason and appeal to Leo's emotions, using all the eloquence of an exceptional politician to its fullest.

But Leo's response was nothing more than three simple words:

"Don't want to!"

If it were anyone else, would they dare ignore the Hokage's orders?

But in front of a drunk person, reasoning was pointless, and intimidation only backfired. What else could be done?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes shifted thoughtfully. If sensationalism didn't work, then what about persuasion?

"Ahem, Leo, as long as you participate in the Chuunin Exam and bring glory to Konoha, I have a bottle of fine wine that I'll give you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, clearing his throat.

As for his previous attempt to convince Leo to quit drinking, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose not to mention it.

"Huh? Really?"

Sure enough, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Leo's eyes light up.

Just as Hiruzen began to feel a sense of pride, Leo nearly choked him with his next words.

"Okay, I'll take the test, but you have to give me a whole house of good wine!"

Leo's eyes lit up, and he eagerly slapped the table, grinning widely.

"You're so thoughtful!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes twitched.

When did he say he would give Leo a whole house of good wine?

It's obviously just a bottle!

Does he really think it's endless good wine?

Although he's the Third Hokage, his personal funds aren't exactly abundant.

"If this is really a good wine for Leo..."

"Leo, I'm talking about a bottle, just one good bottle of wine! You've misunderstood!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen explained helplessly.

"Old man, you're all talk!" Leo retorted, 

grinning. "You said a house of good wine! I've been drinking for decades, and I've never misheard a thing when it comes to wine. If you don't fulfill your promise, I'm not going!"

When Leo heard this, he was immediately annoyed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, noticing Leo's frustration, chuckled and said, "You, you've been drinking for decades? You've been drinking since you're 2 year's old, and you're only nine years old this year!"

Leo then recalled—he had actually started drinking at the age of two, and had been drinking for over seven years.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his face in exasperation.

"Fine! If you take first place in the Chuunin Exam, I'll give you a whole house of good wine!"

Realizing there was no avoiding it, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Leo, gritted his teeth, and reluctantly made the offer.

"Deal! Come on, seal it with a handshake!"

Leo, despite his slightly drunk state, wore a serious expression.

"A liar deserves to swallow a thousand needles!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his face twitched uncontrollably, but in the end, he sighed and humored Leo, completing the "contract" with him.

"Alright, then... you'd better have the wine ready! As for those who come to take the exam, I promise to defeat them all!" Leo declared confidently.

Leo patted his chest and said confidently, "And one more thing! Ill crush anyone on my way even the konoha team"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just started to feel relieved, suddenly tensed up again.

How could he have forgotten about this?

Leo was very likely to treat everyone as an enemy on the way to the exam!

Kakashi and the others were prime examples of this!

If Leo ended up taking out Konoha's own participants on the way to the exam, it would be a complete disaster.

Not only would this fail to showcase Konoha's strength to the outside world, but it would turn them into a laughingstock instead!

"Well, Leo, can you at least stop drinking during the exams?" Sarutobi Hiruzen pleaded, his tone filled with exasperation.

"Stop drinking? For how many days? Forget it, I'm not going!" Leo shot back defiantly.

As soon as Leo heard that, he turned around and started to leave.

"Wait, wait!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly grabbed Leo, his face filled with helplessness.

If anyone else behaved like this, he would have already shown his authority as the Hokage.

But in this case, he couldn't bring himself to get angry.

After all, it was one of his decisions that led to Leo becoming an orphan. Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a pang of guilt every time he thought about it.

Maybe, if Leo had grown up with a complete family, he wouldn't have turned to drinking at such a young age.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sometimes wondered about that.

"Alright, you can drink!" he finally relented. "But even if you're drunk, make sure you can still recognize Konoha's symbol. You mustn't accidentally hurt our own team."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed helplessly. "That's the deal."

"That's it?" Leo scoffed, looking at him with disdain.

…

An hour later...

"What is this?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, holding up a Cloud symbol.

"This... this... is it... Konoha, right?" Leo asked, squinting at the symbol, still a bit unclear.

Sarutobi Hiruzen slapped his forehead in frustration and said, "Didn't you just hear me say that?! How come you've been staring at it for half an hour and still haven't recognized it?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly collapsed from frustration.

Realizing that Leo might have drink too much during the exam, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and reluctantly filled Leo's cup with a few more bottles of wine.

After all, as Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had to consider all possibilities.

The result... It took Leo half an hour to recognize the symbol, but he still couldn't figure it out!

"No, I have to think of a way," Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered to himself. "Otherwise, Leo might really end up hurting his own people."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, deep in thought.

"How about... using this instead?"

At that moment, Leo pulled something out of his pocket and said it with confidence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up, and the corners of his mouth twitched violently.

"Then, it's settled. I'll recognize this sign, and I'll cut off all the others."

Leo walked slowly to the door of the principal's office, turning to Sarutobi Hiruzen as he spoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched, but he remained silent, watching Leo leave the office.

"Leo-kun, are you alright?"

"How are you feeling after all that drinking?"

Kurenai and Rin, who had both been waiting by the door, quickly approached. With concerned expressions, they helped Leo out of the building.

In the principal's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the things in front of him, feeling like his entire face was about to cramp.

He rubbed his face hard.

"Forget it," he muttered to himself. "Let's lose a little face. It's better than letting Leo cause a real disaster."

…

Soon, the news that Leo had applied for early graduation and was about to take the Chuunin exam spread like wildfire throughout the Ninja Academy.

Everyone was talking about it.

But despite the buzz, no one questioned Leo's participation in the Chuunin exam.

No one was truly surprised; after all, Leo was a monster who had even defeated Kakashi, a special Jōnin.

Everyone thought it was only natural that Leo should take the Chuunin exam.

As for the news of Leo's early graduation, people's reactions varied.

For most, it was just another topic of conversation.