I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 168. Unoccupied houses age faster than houses that are frequently disturbed.

"Lu Yuan, what do you think?"

Inside the Hokage's office, the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, strategist Shikato Nara, and the newly returned Sakumo Hatake and his group, all wore solemn expressions.

After listening to Tatsuma's analysis and proposed solutions, and hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's question, Shikamaru let out a long sigh of relief, looking at Tatsuma with a mixture of surprise and admiration.

If the village had a Hokage like that, perhaps he wouldn't have been so tired as the strategist? Maybe he wouldn't have had the chance to work under Tatsuma, but what if his son Shikaku had also become a strategist?

He's probably destined to be a hard worker all his life; maybe his son will finally have an easy time.

Although his mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts, he also set aside some mental energy to review what had just been said. He nodded and said:

"Lord Hokage, I think Tatsuma's words make a lot of sense. I will send more people to investigate the movements of the Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja, and prioritize the areas Tatsuma mentioned."

I will also contact Mifune and the Frost Country to prevent them from making irrational decisions in a panic. As for the rest, I will gather more intelligence, conduct an assessment, and then compile it for you.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. The emotions he had finally managed to recover from after the crushing defeat in the Land of Rain battlefield had completely vanished.

However, his gaze toward Tatsuma grew increasingly appreciative. He was now completely certain that Tatsuma was the most outstanding of this generation; his previous talent in terms of strength was not enough to warrant such praise.

Onoki may not be good at much else, but he has a really good eye for talent. He's never even met Tatsuma, yet he's already seen that Tatsuma has a bright future. No, Onoki's eye for talent is still lacking. Tatsuma isn't just promising; he's already excellent right now.

The more outstanding Tatsuma was, the happier Hiruzen Sarutobi was. After all, this was a talent who had risen under his educational guidance. Tatsuma had the potential to surpass his three disciples, and a great deal of it.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Jiraiya is quite talented, possessing both battlefield command and political abilities, but he lacks the will and has been a troublemaker since childhood, making him unacceptable to many high-ranking officials.

Orochimaru is also very talented, with both ability and ambition, but the fire in his heart is not strong enough. It may be enough to illuminate himself, but whether he can illuminate others is uncertain, and we still need to wait and see.

Tsunade's talent goes without saying, and her slight lack of ability can be compensated by her status. As a top-notch medical ninja, she has no shortage of public support and high regard from the higher-ups. However, she is not mature enough and is too easily swayed by her emotions.

This attack on the Sand Ninja forces demonstrates that without Tatsuma's support, Jiraiya's timely discovery, and his timely reinforcements as a teacher, the situation would not have been so perfect.

But Chenma's talent can be described as astonishing. Although he is only ten years old, it is enough to show others his future strength.

As for talent, others may not know, but does Hiruzen Sarutobi remember that last year's plan to lure Sunagakure deep into their territory was inspired by Tatsuma, and that not long ago he poisoned Amegakure and framed Sunagakure?

With just one soldier and some supplies, he was able to contribute to the entire Sand Village ninja army. Such command and strategic talent, if not for his lack of strength and experience, would probably make him a suitable commander for a battlefield.

As for his political talent, he has absolutely no problem with interpersonal skills. Although they haven't met many times, Hiruzen Sarutobi has already seen that he is a smart person who will not disappoint anyone who approaches him with good intentions.

Her versatile and adaptable personality is more than enough for internal use, as evidenced by the map placed in the center of the Hokage's office and Tatsuma's explanation just now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly had an idea: if none of his three disciples were willing or capable of taking over his position, then perhaps promoting Tatsuma directly from the next generation wouldn't be a bad idea.

I wonder how long it will take for Tatsuma to grow to a sufficient level of strength? Twenty years? Fifteen years? Or even less?

"Danzo, this child absolutely cannot be entrusted to you."

Just imagining Tatsuma's future revitalized his previously weary body and spirit. Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, nodded, and said, "Tatsuma, with someone as talented as you in the village, the future is bright."

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's praise, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who had been looking down at their notes, suddenly raised their heads. They had never heard Hiruzen Sarutobi give such a high evaluation to any one person before.

There were no successors among the major ninja clans, no Hatake Sakumo, and not even Orochimaru and his two disciples.

Of course, he only didn't say it to individuals. When speaking to groups, Hiruzen Sarutobi would say similar things almost twice a year: once when new students enroll and again at graduation ceremonies.

But Tatsuma is definitely the first person to say this to an individual, which shows how much Hiruzen Sarutobi values ​​him.

But Tatsuma didn't seem to realize this. When he saw Tatsuma, he just nodded with a shy smile and stepped aside. Koharu and Mitokado suddenly had a thought: Is this young man not very smart?

But Lu Yuan's eyes held even more appreciation. He had been watching Chenma closely, and he saw that Chenma's shy smile appeared only after a brief moment of thought.

This kid understands everything, he just knows he should pretend to be confused at this moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the two advisors and asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado shook their heads. They weren't in charge of this area. If they were in front of others or at a large meeting, they could say a few words based on information asymmetry and their status.

However, given that Hiruzen Sarutobi is in charge here, their position doesn't support it, and in terms of information asymmetry, Tatsuma and the others clearly have more information. They only have doubts in their hearts and no one is willing to add anything.

They wouldn't ask Tatsuma about their doubts, since they were high-ranking members of the village. Asking a child about the progress of the war or the situation in the ninja world would make them seem incompetent.

Therefore, even if they still have doubts, they will only wait until later to figure them out on their own.

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze, looked at Tatsuma and the others, and said, "You must be tired from your journey back. Go back and rest. I'll let you know when there are any new results or arrangements from Shikaku's side."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" *2

"Yes, teacher!" *3

After the group bowed and left, Tatsuma was a little disappointed, not expecting that Hiruzen Sarutobi's stingy nature hadn't changed.

He had thought that this operation would earn him a better reward than before, and he had already planned that if Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, he would boldly ask the Flying Thunder God.

But to my surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't ask a single question. It seems that the things on this forbidden scroll really aren't so easy to obtain.

His slightly disappointed and troubled expression, to outsiders, seemed like a helpless resignation and deeper contemplation. Hatake Sakumo patted his head and said:

"Don't overthink it, the village will find a way. You've done a great job."

Clearly, Sakumo Hatake thought Tatsuma was preoccupied with the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. Tatsuma snapped out of his reverie, nodded, and was about to head home when Tsunade stopped him.

"From now on, you'll be living in your second grandfather's old house. Of course, you'll have to take care of it yourself. Take some time to renovate the electrical wiring there, and my place is also getting a bit old."

After Tsunade finished speaking, she pointed in the direction of the Senju clan's territory. Tatsuma's lips twitched, but he still nodded. Although Tobirama Senju's house was old, it was big enough.

It's obviously much better than my small one-bedroom apartment, but cleaning it will be a huge undertaking.

However, when he arrived at the Senju clan's territory, he was surprised to find that the house left behind by Tobirama Senju had been renovated, at least judging from the doors and windows.

With doubts, he did not enter immediately, but followed Tsunade deeper into the Senju clan territory. Soon they arrived at the place where Tsunade lived, where Uzumaki Mito listened to Nawaki recount his heroic deeds on the battlefield in the corridor.

Although Mito Uzumaki had heard of, seen, and even experienced such stories before, she listened intently with a smile.

Kushina, on the other hand, pulled Minato away to listen to different battlefield stories, probably because she thought Nawaki's battlefield experiences were uninteresting.

Upon seeing Tsunade and Tatsuma return, Nawaki stopped as well. Mito Uzumaki nodded to the two who entered and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"It's nothing, it'll be done soon."

Tsunade shook her head. She wasn't fully recovered yet, and she knew she couldn't hide it from her grandmother. Mito Uzumaki looked at Tatsuma, who shook his head and said, "Lady Mito, I'm fine."

Tatsuma was only weak for two days, and now he was fine. Not wanting Mito Uzumaki to worry too much, Mito Uzumaki smiled and said, "From now on, you and Minato can both call me Grandma."

"The word 'sir' doesn't sound familiar, and I've never held an important position in the village, nor am I even a Konoha ninja, so calling me 'sir' isn't appropriate."

Tatsuma smiled and changed his address to "Grandma Mito".

"I heard that you will be living in Tobirama's house from now on, so I had it cleaned up. It has been more than 20 years since no one has lived there, since Hashirama left and Tobirama moved to the Hokage's residence."

However, I believe that Tobirama wouldn't want to see his house remain unused and forgotten. From now on, you can live there in peace.

Although she was deep in Konoha and never actively inquired about the outside world, Mito Uzumaki's identity meant that she would know many things that others did not.

Even trivial matters on the battlefield would reach her ears, so Tatsuma wasn't surprised and simply nodded.

Tsunade kicked Nawaki's butt, who was squatting in front of Mito Uzumaki, and said to him, "Go away, I need to talk to Grandma about something."

Nawaki got up somewhat disgruntled, about to leave, but Mito Uzumaki said, "No need, Tsunade, you did a good job. That's enough. Go back and rest, don't push yourself too hard."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade paused for a moment before nodding. She had originally wanted to ask about the Senju clan, but since Mito Uzumaki didn't want to talk about it, she didn't either.

Watching Tsunade leave, Mito Uzumaki sighed and murmured, "Alas, glory and decline are but a fleeting dream."

(End of this chapter)