I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 249 The presumption of innocence means that even if something was done, there is no evidence.

"Sizzle~"

A powerful bolt of lightning pierced the air and shattered the two afterimages. Ai stopped, turned back to look at the spot where the two had just been, his anger evident on his face.

He furiously scanned his surroundings, trying to find traces of the two, but unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found in the Cloud Thunder Canyon. Only the lingering touch on his fingertips and a trace of blood proved that they had been there.

"Boom!"

Just then, a bolt of lightning struck, and from within the flash, a jar about half a person's height slowly emerged. Upon seeing this jar, Ai gritted his teeth and had no choice but to calm down.

Reaching his hands into the lightning, ignoring the thunder, he directly retrieved the jar, an amber bottle, a trophy Ai had obtained from Golden Horn years ago.

It was also before Brubi became a Jinchūriki that the container for sealing the Eight-Tails was prepared. When the village learned of the Eight-Tails' rampage in the Cloud Thunder Valley, A ordered people to prepare the Heavenly Delivery Technique and the Amber Purification Bottle.

If it weren't for the new information that it was Sakumo Hatake of Konoha who was behind it, Amber Purifying Bottle would have been the first to arrive.

However, Ai was also glad that she had arrived first. Otherwise, given Sakamoto Tatsuma's methods, if Amber Purifying Bottle had arrived first, it probably would have been taken away as well.

The thought of that half-grown child made Ai grit his teeth. One day, he would make that Sakamoto Tatsuma pay the price!

Shouldering the amber bottle, Ai headed towards the mountain where the Eight-Tails was located. The moment he landed, he vented all the raging anger in his heart onto the Eight-Tails.

Even the fully-formed Eight-Tails is no match for A, let alone the Eight-Tails now sealed by Tatsuma, which can only perform a half-tailed beast transformation.

After venting his anger, Ai felt much better. The Eight-Tails was also tormented beyond recognition, and along with Brubi, they were sealed into the Amber Bottle.

Having vented his anger, A looked at a Jonin from Kumogakure and said, "Ryu! Of those three, one was Hatake Sakumo, another was Sakamoto Tatsuma, and who was the last one?"

The Cloud Village Jonin known as Ryu pondered for a moment and said, "Based on the level of coordination between those two Anbu members, if one of them is Sakamoto Tatsuma, then the other should be Namikaze Minato."

And judging from her appearance, she certainly meets this requirement.

"Do you know their secret service identities?"

Ai asked in a deep voice, and Liu nodded, saying, "Sakamoto Tatsuma's codename for the Dark Side should be Yaksha, and as for Namikaze Minato, it should be Mokuto. This codename has been discontinued for a long time, and I don't know if it has been changed."

"Hmph, put those three on the highest bounty list! And demand an explanation from Konoha! That old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi deserves an explanation!"

Hearing Ai's angry words, Liu dared not say a word more and simply obeyed the order.

After thinking for a moment, Ai added, "If we have the Ruo squad expedite the improvement of the Iron Seal, and anyone can break the seal and cause the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki to go berserk, what kind of nonsense is this?!"

Upon hearing this, he swallowed hard and said, "Lord Ai, what if the squad is gone?"

"Gone?! They're all dead?!"

Seeing Ai's ferocious expression, Liu nodded cautiously. Ai took a couple of deep breaths and said, "Then assign it to someone else. I need to see results!"

After saying that, Ai turned to look at the amber bottle that was trembling slightly, slapped the bottle, and said fiercely, "Give your body back to Brubi! Otherwise, don't even think about coming out again!"

Upon hearing this, the bottle trembled even more violently, as if someone inside was smashing it forcefully. However, Ai did not pay attention to it and instead checked the casualties with Liu and the others.

The battle took place in the morning, and just after noon, the letter of accountability arrived in Konoha.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo, who had once again come to hint that the village should return Root to him, and said:

"Danzo, how should I put it about this? The Root is still your Root, but the Root is also the root of the Dark Bureau. These past few years, Sakumo has led it quite well, hasn't he?"

Upon hearing this, Danzo's already ashen face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He abruptly stood up, about to say something, when there was an urgent knock on the door.

Judging from the man's breathing and movements, both of them knew who it was. Danzo sat back down, his face still grim, while Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled again and said, "Shikamaru, come in."

The office door was pushed open, and Lu Yuan walked over with a fax paper in his hand. He didn't greet him in any particular way, but simply nodded to Danzo before approaching Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Placing the fax on his desk, Lu Yuan said, "Third Hokage, the Hidden Cloud Village has sent a letter of accusation, questioning us about sending Sakumo Hatake, Tatsuma Sakamoto, and Minato Namikaze to attack the Hidden Cloud Village and harm Jinchuriki."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile faded; he hadn't expected Sakumo Hatake and the other two to act so quickly.

Because Burubi disclosed so little information, no one knew where he was. Hiruzen Sarutobi's previous expectation was to find enough information about Burubi within a month.

But Sakumo Hatake and his group have only been here for less than a week, right? They've already found Burubi and even attacked Kumogakure and harmed Jinchuriki.

However, his expression also became serious. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is extremely important to the Hidden Cloud Village. If the three of them do something to harm the Jinchuriki, they will inevitably be attacked by the Hidden Cloud Village with all their might.

The importance of Sakumo Hatake and his two companions to Konoha is equally irreplaceable, especially Tatsuma and Minato, who represent the future of Konoha.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression, Lu Yuan quickly said, "According to our spies in Kumogakure, two hours ago, Kumogakure listed Sakumo Hatake and two others as the most wanted persons."

At the same time, the codenames of Sakamoto Tatsuma and Namikaze Minato's secret service were also revealed. Although no specific details of their deeds were disclosed, this may attract the attention of other villages.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression softened slightly. The actions of Kumogakure proved that Sakumo Hatake and his two companions had not been captured on the spot, and had even escaped.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't sure, so he dared not show any joy. After looking at the letter of accusation again and finding no further information, he said:

"Have you contacted Sakumo Hatake?"

"Not yet, but there have been a few signal feedbacks, which should prove that they are alright. I have already instructed the communications team to keep a close eye on the signal, so that we can detect any new changes immediately."

Lu Yuan is always thorough in his work, which is why Hiruzen Sarutobi trusts him with many important matters in the village. Lu Yuan must have discovered a lot of information from Hatake Sakumo and the others' actions today.

The reason there was no report was probably because the situation was still under control. The reason they came to me now was probably because of this diplomatic statement, which only Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Kage of the village, was qualified to handle.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the fax and said, "Let's wait and see. Once we're sure that Sakumo Hatake and the other two have escaped, we can just deny it. After all, hasn't A always denied sending ninjas to attack our Jinchuriki candidates?"

"So you directed and acted in it yourself?"

Lu Yuan tentatively asked, and Hiruzen Sarutobi first nodded, then shook his head, saying, "When Tatsuma was chatting with me before, he said something that I feel is quite applicable. Let me think about it."

I remember now, "When the Land of Lightning accuses someone, it's either because they've done it before or they're doing it now." Let's use that as our guiding principle and make it public to all countries.

"You can reveal to the other three kingdoms that Kumogakure once targeted Konoha's Jinchuriki candidates, and you can give some examples, such as abducting and training Magnet Release and Lava Release ninjas. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I see."

Lu Yuan nodded. He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning to drag the other three countries into the mess as well. It was no secret that the Land of Lightning had been constantly abducting ninjas with bloodline limits or secret techniques.

Some ninjas from other villages with bloodline limits were trained by the Hidden Cloud Village from a young age, even from the womb. Even after they grew up and learned the truth, they still served the Hidden Cloud Village, not their mother village.

Other countries have long had objections to this matter. Hiruzen Sarutobi used this opportunity to stir things up and also to use public opinion to suppress the Land of Lightning. If the Land of Lightning insists on using diplomatic means to hold them accountable, then they should first deal with what they have done.

This forces the Land of Lightning to resort to ninja methods, and with ninja methods, Hatake Sakumo is not afraid of being targeted, and with the talents of Tatsuma and Minato, they can also resolve the situation.

After Shika went away, Danzo said, "As expected of the child I value, Tatsuma executed this mission beautifully!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rolled his eyes and said, "They haven't returned yet, and Kumogakure hasn't disclosed any details. How can you be so sure Tatsuma did the right thing?"

"Hmph, besides Tatsuma, who else could have found the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and achieved such success in such a short time? Sakumo Hatake? Or that half-grown kid Minato?!"

Upon hearing Danzo's rebuttal, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Don't forget, Tatsuma is also a child."

"He's different; he inherited his teacher's talent and will!"

Danzo said firmly, then added, "I think your training of Tatsuma over the past three years has been a complete failure. What have you made him do?!"

Be my secretary? Become a doctor at Konoha Hospital? Or spend two years fooling around with Orochimaru? In my opinion, these kinds of tasks are the best for honing Tatsuma's skills.

"If he were handed over to my guidance, in these three years, he would have already possessed the strength to even rival that guy Ai!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer. He also felt that the past three years—no, the past two years—had somewhat wasted Tatsuma's talent. But the past was the past, and there was no point in bringing it up now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pursed his lips and said, "Danzo, do you really think so highly of him?"

"Of course."

Hearing his old friend's rare display of genuine emotion, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly smiled and said, "I have already taught Tatsuma the Fire Release techniques of the Sarutobi clan. I wonder what you have done? Or are you just talking the talk?"

"you"

Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and instantly understood Hiruzen's plan. However, for some reason, he did not resist it because no one could inherit his Wind Release talent.

After taking a deep breath, Danzo said, "You don't need to worry about it. I have high hopes for him and will naturally nurture him!"

After saying this, Danzo turned and left. Only when he reached the door did he turn back and say, "I hope that when we meet again, my roots will have returned to my hands."

Meanwhile, without any intention of concealing his whereabouts, Hatake Sakumo had already crossed Raigū Pass and entered the territory of the Land of Frost with the unconscious Tatsuma and Minato.

Looking at the unconscious Tatsuma, Hatake Sakumo asked, "Minato, have you found anything wrong?"

Minato shook his head and said, "No, his injuries shouldn't have kept him unconscious for so long."

Upon hearing this, Sakumo Hatake's expression turned serious. After a moment, he asked, "Can you still hold on?"

Minato, who had been relying on military rations to stay with Hatake Sakumo, hesitated for a moment after hearing the question, then nodded and said, "I'm fine, Lord Sakumo."

Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo knew that Minato's condition was also not good. He abandoned his original idea and said, "Let's go back to the village as soon as possible. I'm afraid only Tsunade can solve Tatsuma's problem."

"I can bring Tsunade-sensei with me."

Minato said, but Hatake Sakumo shook his head, simply hoisted Tatsuma onto his back, and said, "Let's get going."

(End of this chapter)