I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 132 Who you are is not important; who you are in the eyes of others is what matters.

The capital of the Iron Country is covered in ice and snow. The eaves, roads, and the canopies of plants are all piled with snow, and even the shoulders and heads of pedestrians are covered with snow.

Outside a palace, five people—three adults and two children—waited at the gate. Chenma brushed the snow off his hair, rubbed his hands vigorously, and exclaimed, "It's so cold here! Why are we wearing formal attire?"

At this moment, all five of them were wearing elaborate kimonos made of very sturdy materials. However, in this icy and snowy environment, they still couldn't withstand the erosion of the wind and snow. Minato, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Tsunade and the other two looked much better, except for Orochimaru, who looked as pale as if he were about to die. However, none of the three trembled or complained.

Only Jiraiya, who was wearing a kimono a size too small, would occasionally grab his hip and pull up his pants.

Hearing her disciple's complaint, Tsunade turned around and pointed to the double-sided fork logo on her clothes, saying, "Of course, it's to show off the Thousand Hands of the Forest."

The Senju clan is also known as the Senju clan, whose clan emblem predates the present-day Konoha. The deeds of Hashirama Senju further enhanced the Senju clan's fame throughout the ninja world.

Although the Senju clan no longer exists, or even if they did, they would only be a part of Konoha Village. In formal diplomatic situations, they would still need to represent Konoha and the Land of Fire to the outside world.

However, in terms of people or individuals in a diplomatic context, the Senju clan undoubtedly carries more weight, especially when Tsunade wears this outfit. After all, she is Hashirama Senju's granddaughter, and once she puts on this outfit, everyone has to give her more leeway.

Before setting off, Hiruzen Sarutobi made his group wear formal attire with the Senju clan crest, which was more or less to borrow the prestige of the First Hokage. Otherwise, where could they not find a few sets of formal attire?

At this moment, a samurai dressed in full armor walked out of the gate, handed a document back to Tsunade, and respectfully said, "Princess Tsunade, and all the lords, please come in."

Tsunade was not as carefree as usual; instead, she had the dignified air of Mito Uzumaki. She nodded, her headdress barely moving, and followed the samurai into the palace.

Tatsuma glanced at Jiraiya, who was grabbing his hip again, and then at Minato, who was also somewhat reserved. He raised an eyebrow at Minato to attract his attention, and then looked at Orochimaru, who was calm and composed.

Minato instantly understood and nodded slightly. Then, the two of them followed Orochimaru's posture and movements, and slowly stepped in. It has to be said that in terms of elegance, Orochimaru was far superior to Jiraiya.

Following Orochimaru's example, the two finally felt less out of place. They followed the samurai through many twists and turns until they finally entered a hall with only six seats.

A middle-aged man with gray hair sat in the main seat. The other five seats were undoubtedly reserved for Tsunade and her group of five. Apart from them, everyone else, whether they were wearing armor or not, was standing.

Tsunade appeared very composed. After bowing, she took her seat. Tatsuma followed Orochimaru in bowing and then sat down as well, constantly glancing around out of the corner of his eye. Tatsuma's assessment of the palace was that the lighting was terrible.

Even in broad daylight, they still need electric lights for illumination, and the worst part is that these lights are kerosene lamps. Electricity has been widespread in Konoha for decades, and all kinds of household appliances are basically available. This Land of Iron is still so primitive.

"Lord Mifune, are you aware that the Land of Rain has declared war on your country?"

While Tatsuma was still commenting on the infrastructure of the Land of Iron, Tsunade and the others had finished their pleasantries and started to get down to business. Upon hearing this, Mifune nodded and said, "I've heard a little about it."

Seeing the composure, or rather, the nonchalance, on Mifune's face, the members of the Konoha delegation frowned simultaneously. Mifune's indifference towards the Land of Rain far exceeded their expectations.

Orochimaru then spoke up, saying, "Lord Mifune, if the Land of Rain insists on sending troops, I'm afraid the other countries will be powerless to stop it. Moreover, Hanzo's actions are also disrupting the peaceful situation in the ninja world, so I hope you will not take this lightly."

Hearing Orochimaru's somewhat impolite words, Mifune frowned and said, "What does a ninja's war have to do with us samurai? If he dares to really invade my Land of Iron, then I will stop him."

If he is merely bluffing and dares not set foot in the Iron Kingdom, then if I send troops to meet him in advance, firstly, I will lose the advantage of terrain, and secondly, I will be suspected of invading another country's territory, which contradicts the consistent principles of the Iron Kingdom.”

At this time, although the Land of Iron had not yet raised the white flag of neutrality, they certainly did not like to play with samurai. This was not only true in the present or in Mifune's generation, but also in the Warring States period, where they simply held their ground.

The greatest thing the Land of Iron did regarding ninjas was not how many ninjas it killed, nor how many powerful ninjas it produced, but rather preventing the emergence of ninjas in the Land of Iron, thus avoiding the decline of samurai in other countries.

On the way there, Orochimaru had told Tatsuma and the others about the Land of Iron's view on ninjas: that ninjas and ninja organizations were the root of all evil, especially in the last hundred years, when ninjas were either at war or planning wars.

From the wars between clans to the wars between nations, it's all been the ninjas who are instigating them. It seems that causing trouble is the ninjas' top priority, which is very different from the samurai whose top priority is to protect the daimyo.

Therefore, from a certain perspective, the samurai of the Land of Iron looked down on the ninjas. Tatsuma's understanding was that the samurai of the Land of Iron considered themselves honest people and looked down on ninjas as opportunists who made a living through shady means.

Orochimaru pursed his lips, changed his tone, and said, "Lord Mifune, with you and your samurai group here, the Land of Iron will naturally be able to maintain peace in the current war situation."

However, if the actions of the Land of Rain are not stopped in time, once it annexes several surrounding countries and grows into a great power comparable to the Five Great Nations, if Hanzo wants to launch a larger-scale war, then more people will inevitably be drawn into the war.

"Our Konoha is also eagerly hoping that the Land of Iron will send troops to help us stop Hanzo's ambitions of war expansion, all for the sake of peace in the ninja world. We hope that Lord Mifune can see our sincerity."

"Sincerity?" Mifune scoffed. "Is Hiruzen Sarutobi sending three young men and two brats to talk to me about war what you call sincerity?"

At this moment, Jiraiya, who had disliked Mifune from the very beginning, couldn't help but speak up: "Two brats? These aren't just any two brats!"

He looked proudly at Minato and Tatsuma, about to introduce them as his and Tsunade's disciples, the most outstanding people of the next generation in Konoha, but Tsunade secretly punched him.

Tsunade glared at Jiraiya, seemingly warning him to shut up. After all, everyone was talking about the war, and Jiraiya was trying to steer the conversation toward the two children.

However, Jiraiya's pause made Mifune a little suspicious. He began to look at Tatsuma and Minato. In fact, Mifune hadn't looked at the two of them carefully since he entered the room.

However, after taking a closer look, Mifune's brows furrowed. Minato's blond hair and warm smile, and Tatsuma's white hair and red eyes, all conveyed a thoughtful and scrutinizing gaze.

"This is your younger brother? Another grandson of Lord Hashirama Senju?"

Mifune pointed at Minato, as he remembered Tsunade having a younger brother. Then he pointed at Tatsuma and tentatively asked, "Could it be Tobirama Senju?"

Just as Tsunade was about to correct him, Orochimaru gently raised his hand to stop her, then gave Mifune a knowing smile. Mifune also looked enlightened and began to reconsider whether Konoha was sincere.

Minato Namikaze: ? ? ? I've become a substitute? No, I've become Nawaki?

Sakamoto Tatsuma: ? ? ? Who am I to Tobirama Senju? Explain yourself, you bastard!

Mifune looked down on ninjas, but he couldn't look down on Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, whose reputations had transcended that of ninjas, making them pioneers and creators of a new era.

For Tsunade, a descendant of Hashirama Senju, to come and discuss war is not very sincere. Bringing two brats along makes it even more childish. But what if those two brats are also direct descendants of Hashirama or Tobirama Senju?

As for Orochimaru and Jiraiya, they were just two commoners from Hiruzen Sarutobi's family, not worth mentioning.

If Mifune previously thought the delegation sent by Konoha consisted of three young ninjas and two kids, thus deeming it lacking in sincerity, then now it has become a delegation led by three Senju descendants of equal status to Tsunade, with Orochimaru and Jiraiya as assistants.

After a moment's thought, Mifune's slight impatience disappeared, replaced by a calm smile, and he said, "It's a rare opportunity for you all to come to the Land of Iron, so why don't you take a break for now?"

Tomorrow happens to be the final of the annual swordsmanship tournament in the Land of Iron. With guests like you all here, the young samurai of the Land of Iron will surely fight with even greater enthusiasm.

Upon hearing Mifune's words, Tsunade frowned. It was one thing not to send troops immediately, but to have the audacity to hold a swordsmanship tournament and even have them stay as guests?

"Lord Mifune, we are not here today."

Before Tsunade could speak, Mifune raised his hand and said, "I know why you've come, there's no need to repeat it. But this is a very important matter, and I can't just agree or refuse you like that."

Since you have come from afar, my Land of Iron cannot keep you waiting. The swordsmanship tournament is a more important selection competition in my Land of Iron than the Chunin Exams in your ninja villages. By watching the competition, you can better understand the strength of the warriors of my Land of Iron.

If the talks go smoothly and our two countries reach an alliance to jointly restrain the Land of Rain, you will gain a better understanding of the strength of my Land of Iron, which will also be conducive to cooperation, won't it?"

Seeing that Mifune had relented, Tsunade couldn't push her luck and could only nod, saying, "Then I'll trouble you to entertain me, Lord Mifune."

Upon hearing this, Mifune regained his composure and smiled. He looked at Tatsuma and Minato and said, "The participants in the swordsmanship tournament are all young swordsmen in their teens. If you are so inclined, you can also have a friendly spar to strengthen your friendship."

Tatsuma raised an eyebrow. Could it be that Mifune didn't know that Tobirama Senju was the last glory of the warriors of the Land of Iron? He, Tatsuma, had also made a name for himself as a minor Tobirama. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the last minor glory of the warriors of the Land of Iron, would it?

What level of samurai could possibly spar with him?!

"Very well, I have long admired the samurai of the Land of Iron. It would be an honor to witness their prowess. However, I hope Lord Mifune will not mind that the young samurai of the Land of Iron are not as good as the young ninjas of Konoha."

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Mifune was momentarily stunned, but the absolute confidence hidden beneath that calm was truly worthy of Tobirama Senju.

Minato raised an eyebrow at Tatsuma, seemingly speaking in Tatsuma's tone, "As expected of you, Tatsuma, declaring victory before the battle even begins."

Tsunade covered her forehead, unable to bear looking at her disciple. This disciple's competitive spirit was simply too strong.

"What's your name?"

Mifune snapped out of his daze and looked at Tatsuma, asking him a question. Tatsuma straightened up, about to answer, but received a signal from Orochimaru. A thought flashed through his mind, and he changed his words to, "Ryuma."

Tatsu is a dragon, so it makes sense for him to call himself Ryoma, right? Tatsuma even wanted to add the title of Dragon Slayer Samurai, but since he was a ninja, he was too embarrassed to do so.

"Ryoma, alright. I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll defeat the young samurai of my Land of Iron. If you can really do it, I can grant you one request."

Mifune waved his hand and said with a smile that he had been following the sword tournament closely, from the preliminaries to the semi-finals. The two remaining young men were very impressive swordsmen, and they were both older than this kid. Mifune was not sure they would lose.

As for giving the final winner a request, he often does this, every year. Some of the final winners choose to become samurai serving in one side, while others become his disciples. Mifune believes that this is the only way to encourage those who come after him to strive harder, and he has always done so.

Tatsuma replied without hesitation, "Then how about Lord Mifune personally leads the army to fight against Hanzo?"

Hearing the topic circle back to the Land of Rain, Mifune was somewhat displeased, but Orochimaru's eyes lit up slightly. Mifune, this kind of pedantic samurai, was someone who valued his beliefs and promises above all else.

As expected, Mifune, though slow, said earnestly, "If you can really do it, what's wrong with me leading the troops myself?"

(End of this chapter)