I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 258 The matter of a son inheriting his father's business often leads to unpleasantness between father and son.

"Goodbye, Uncle Moyu."

On the deck, Tatsuma waved, then reached out and touched Tsunade's outstretched elbow. Shige nodded subconsciously, but realizing something was amiss, said, "There are still people in the Land of Fire here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tatsuma and Tsunade had already disappeared. Even though it wasn't the first time he had seen such a method, it was still the "first time" that he had come so close to a ninja, and Moyu's mouth was still agape.

"Boss Maoyou, do you know that guy?"

A young fisherman approached Mao You, who nodded, then shook his head, and said, "He bought fish from me once, but I feel like I've seen him more than once."

The fisherman didn't understand, but his attention quickly shifted to his feet, and he asked, "Boss Maoyou, what about these three boats? Are we going to hide them, or just transport them back and sell them?"

Before Maoyou could speak, another fisherman asked worriedly, "But the ninja said that the previous owner of this boat was a ninja from the Land of Water. If we take it and use it ourselves, will..."

Upon hearing this, the other fishermen nodded, their faces showing some worry. Mao You, however, remained silent, frowning as if deep in thought.

After a long while, he spoke up: "Everyone, I've been a fisherman for forty years, from when I was ten until now. I can't fish for many more years. I think... I want to give it one last shot. Let's stop being fishermen."

Let's become fishmongers! Without that ninja guy, we wouldn't be alive now. We were given a second chance at life. Instead of being timid and hesitant, let's take a gamble. Why should our Apo be monopolized by other merchants?

Why should the port we painstakingly built become someone else's dock? Why should the salvage site we discovered become someone else's fishpond? We didn't have money or big ships before, but don't we have them now?

We'll take this batch of goods back and sell it. I have no family, I don't want a penny. You can take it all and use it to settle your families. Then, we'll go out to sea, and every trip we take will earn us money.

Even if one day the ninjas of the Land of Water find us, we can still earn enough money for our families. Each time we salvage six tons of cargo, we could never salvage that much in our entire lives.

Let's give it a shot. Let's give it a shot!

Mao You looked at the young men, his tone almost pleading. The other fishermen remained silent. After a while, one of them finally stood up and said, "Boss Mao You, I'll fight you to the death!"

Without you, my little sister and I would have starved to death long ago. Without your patient guidance, I don't know how many times I would have drowned. I'm willing to risk my life with you!

"Me too!"

With the first responder, others followed suit. Mao You nodded vigorously, his face, which had long shown signs of aging, now displaying a spirit he had never had in his youth.

The Land of Fire, Konoha Village.

The two figures appeared inside Konoha Village without passing through the main gate or triggering any warnings from the barrier.

Tatsuma took a deep breath and used Flying Thunder God Technique repeatedly. Even he was a little dizzy, but it was much better than Tsunade, who was gritting her teeth and holding Tatsuma's shoulder.

"You're finally back. From now on, you can use the Flying Thunder God Technique by yourself. Don't take me with you."

After swallowing several mouthfuls of saliva, Tsunade said weakly that she had never felt so nauseous, not even when she was an infant and was tossed around by her unreliable grandfather.

"I need to go back to sleep."

Tsunade lifted the hand that was pressing on Tatsuma's shoulder, trying to figure out her surroundings. Tatsuma said, "Then I'll go report to the Third Hokage first."

"Um."

Not wanting to say a single unnecessary word, Tsunade began to walk unsteadily after finding her way.

Tatsuma had fully recovered. With his chakra amplified, the Flying Thunder God Technique was not too taxing, and even with Tsunade with him, it was still within his manageable limits.

Looking in the direction of the Hokage Building, Tatsuma pushed off slightly with his feet and leaped into the air, leaving two shallow craters in the ground.

"Click~"

Landing on a rooftop, Chenma's face darkened. His excellent stealth skills were now completely ruined by the surge of power, and he had just crushed the roof tiles.

He dared not push himself to the limit and ran with as little force as possible. Although he was slow, he was afraid of accidentally damaging someone's house.

It took him longer than usual, and his stealth wasn't very effective, but he still managed to get to the Hokage Building without damaging anyone's roof.

Relieved, Tatsuma climbed up the outer wall of the Hokage Building, climbed through an open window, and reached his destination, where he relaxed.

"Hiss~ thud!"

The window frame was pulled by Tatsuma's foot, and with the force of the impact, the window frame separated from the hinges and slammed onto the ground.

Inside the Hokage's office, all was silent. Hiruzen Sarutobi, pipe in hand, watched Tatsuma, who was bending over to grab the window frame but failed. Xiao, emerging from the darkness, seemed unsure whether to tighten his grip on the kunai in his hand.

Tatsuma was so embarrassed that his ears turned red. Shouldn't this be the kind of blunder that Jiraiya-sensei would make? How come he had such a day?

"you"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tatsuma, uttered "you" for a long time, drawing out the last syllable, before continuing, "Was it someone else in disguise?"

Even as he said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips couldn't help but curl upwards. It was just unclear whether he was happy that Tatsuma was back or because of the trouble Tatsuma had caused.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, although my injuries have healed, my condition has not yet fully recovered."

Tatsuma scratched his head and said, Xiao silently retreated into the darkness, and Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "There won't be any aftereffects, right?"

"Thanks to the Slug Sage for personally treating me."

Tatsuma chose not to reveal everything. Whether it was Mito Uzumaki, the Divine Tree, or the occasional appearance of Sage Mode, saying it now would only add to his troubles.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sized up Tatsuma and was certain that Tatsuma wasn't just bragging. Tatsuma's current state was more than just a recovery; some unconscious additional movements indicated that Tatsuma was now even stronger than before.

After sitting down, Tatsuma asked, "Hokage-sama, did my absence cause any problems?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said without hiding anything, "Danzo was furious and even wanted to hold Sakumo accountable, but I stopped him."

By the way, Orochimaru has been spending all his time in the lab these past few days, refusing to come even when I summoned him. I had to send someone to inquire in order to find out about your situation.

If you have the time, you should visit Danzo, Sakumo, Orochimaru, and the senior members of the Senju clan.

After hearing this, Tatsuma's expression turned strange. Danzo was furious because of what happened to him? Perhaps he was just using this as an excuse, since Danzo had been disliking Hatake Sakumo for a long time.

When Tatsuma was still serving as the Hokage's bodyguard, Danzo would often come to complain about Sakumo Hatake, implying that he wanted to return to his roots. It's likely that the same thing will happen this time.

However, this incident has escalated to a great extent. If Hiruzen Sarutobi wants to mitigate the impact, he will likely have to make concessions, and it is highly probable that Root will return to Danzo's command.

Without thinking for too long, Tatsuma nodded and said, "I will, Hokage-sama. By the way, on the way back with my teacher, we discovered some activities by Kirigakure."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, took the scroll handed to him by Tatsuma, but did not open it, instead waiting for Tatsuma to continue.

Tatsuma didn't keep them in suspense, saying, "The Mist Ninja sent out several small teams in fishing boats to kidnap fishermen from the Land of Fire."

Just as he finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned strange. These Kirigakure ninja... have nothing better to do? Competing with the fishermen for work?

However, he did not interrupt and continued to listen to Tatsuma say, "Although I didn't have time to investigate further at the time, judging from the words of the Kirigakure ninja and the fishermen, the Kirigakure ninja wanted the Land of Fire's currency, and in considerable quantities."

When it came to economics, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, a few guesses forming in his mind. He raised his hand to interrupt Tatsuma, and said in the direction of Xiao, "Have Shikagami and Shikaku come over."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Xiao left the Hokage's office, and Tatsuma waited quietly. Soon, Shikamaru, who looked utterly hopeless, arrived with Shikaku, who looked like he was living a life worse than death. The moment the two appeared, Tatsuma's spirits immediately plummeted.

The father and son couldn't find anyone willing to live, which Chenma also found strange.

Although these two usually seem listless, it shouldn't be this bad.

However, Tatsuma quickly realized something. Given Shikaku's personality, he would never come to the Hokage Building on his own initiative. He was most likely forced to come here.

In that case, Shikaku's mood would certainly not be good, and it would be quite normal for him to look like he was in a state of utter misery. Under such circumstances, Shikaku would never obediently cooperate with his father.

It's possible that this won't solve Lu Yuan's problems and might even increase his workload. Therefore, it's understandable that Lu Yuan feels hopeless.

Shikaku was a big enough figure to be considered a celebrity, and he was also familiar with Hiruzen Sarutobi. So when he came in, he greeted them listlessly and sat down next to Tatsuma. As for Shikaku, he could just stand.

"Tatsuma, tell me in detail about the Mist Ninja."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up, and Tatsuma nodded. Shikamaru and Shikaku looked a little strange; the father and son both thought they had come here because of Tatsuma.

Although Tatsuma's injuries did not spread within Konoha, the father and son, as the Hokage's advisors and the soon-to-be Hokage's bodyguards, were aware of them.

Tatsuma, who had suffered injuries that even Tsunade and Orochimaru couldn't handle, returned in just a few days. They thought that Tatsuma's injuries hadn't fully healed, but they had some plans that required their advice.

But now it seems there's something bigger going on.

Chenma nodded and recounted the events of the return journey. Lu Yuan and his son Lu Jiu both wore similar thoughtful expressions. After a while, Lu Yuan looked at his son and said:

"Shikaku, what do you think?"

Shikaku relaxed his brow and said, "Betrayal."

(End of this chapter)