I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 267 If you don't speak up for others, no one will speak up for you.

Inside the Hokage's office, Tatsuma, who climbed in through the window this time, did not damage the window frame, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi a little disappointed.

After all, Tatsuma's performance was too perfect. The occasional mistake made him seem more like a teenager, a teenager who was not so well-rounded.

However, Tatsuma has now regained control of his body, which can only disappoint Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He approached Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, bowed, and said, "Hokage-sama, I've come to report back from leave."

Although he had previously hinted that Tatsuma should return as soon as possible, Hiruzen Sarutobi still asked, "Don't you need to rest for a while longer?"

Tatsuma shook his head and said, "My body has long since recovered, and the adaptation training has been completed. During this time, I have also been learning the art of paper styling from Jiraiya-sensei. There is nothing else of great importance."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He could tell that Tatsuma was subtly implying that while he was referring to the vacation, he was also subtly reminding him of the Mutual Explosion Tags technique.

But Tatsuma understood these things, and so did Hiruzen Sarutobi. His expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't understood at all, and he asked, "I heard that Danzo also taught you some skills?"

With his head down, Tatsuma pursed his lips. There were too many possible interpretations of Hiruzen Sarutobi's words. If he guessed the wrong answer, it might cause some unnecessary misunderstandings.

After thinking for a moment, he chose the safest way to put it and said, "I am grateful to Lord Danzo for his high regard and for teaching me some unique Wind Release techniques. I have mastered them to a basic level, but I am not yet proficient."

On the surface, it was still about techniques, but in reality, it was about people. Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm, but in the darkness, Shikaku, who had only recently taken up his post, narrowed his eyes.

No wonder this colleague received so much praise; with that level of conversation, he wouldn't offend a single person.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi approves of and approves of Danzo's actions, then Tatsuma's acceptance of his help is not inappropriate, given that Tatsuma's faction is closely tied to Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi was unaware of the matter beforehand and resisted it afterward, then Tatsuma could quickly distance himself by saying "we're not familiar with each other."

While such words cannot bring one closer to Hiruzen Sarutobi or Danzo, they also won't push one further away. In the absence of knowing Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude, this is an excellent solution.

During his half-month service as the Hokage's bodyguard, Shikaku had seen many ninjas coming and going in the Hokage's office. However, in his interactions with Hiruzen Sarutobi, few were as cautious as Tatsuma, and none answered in a way that would offend Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Seeing that Tatsuma was neither arrogant because of his favor nor did he rush to distance himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and continued, "Danzo actually had this idea a long time ago, and that's why I sent you to visit Danzo."

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma immediately picked up the conversation, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally smiled. Tatsuma is a good kid!

Shikaku, shrouded in darkness, was practically rolling his Byakugan like the Hyuga clan. Danzo's intentions, the ninjutsu Danzo gave him—in the end, it's all thanks to you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, isn't it?

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't look at or see Shikaku, who was covered by an extra layer of shadow in the darkness. Instead, he said, "Danzo's mastery of Wind Release is something even I might not be able to match."

Now that you have acquired his skills, you should study them diligently; they will greatly benefit you.

Tatsuma wanted to roll his eyes too, but Hiruzen Sarutobi was right in front of him. Even though he had his head down, Hiruzen could still easily see him roll his eyes.

To be honest, it's because he didn't want to give up the Mutual Explosion Tags technique. If he wants to find an opportunity to speak up next time, he has to prove that he has mastered the Wind Release ninjutsu that Danzo gave him.

Furthermore, Tatsuma cannot prove it to Hiruzen Sarutobi too early. After all, he just said he was not proficient, so he can't just take it out right away. Wouldn't that be deceiving Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage?

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Tatsuma couldn't possibly be happy right now, after all, Tatsuma had done a lot of preliminary work for the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags technique.

As the Hokage, he had already agreed, but now that it had been postponed again and again, it was no wonder Tatsuma was unhappy. Therefore, he spoke up and changed the subject:

"By the way, your Anbu codename has been made public by Kumogakure. Should we change it for better operations?"

Anbu ninjas use code names to maintain secrecy. The high level of secrecy among Anbu ninjas minimizes leaks of information, making it difficult for enemies to know anything about them and thus hindering their ability to effectively counter any attacks at the start of a battle.

The fact that Sakamoto Tatsuma is the Konoha ANBU ninja "Yasha" has spread to the high-ranking officials of the five great nations and underground gold exchange offices, and Kumogakure has also taken the opportunity to release a lot of information about Tatsuma.

In other words, when Tatsuma goes on a mission in the future, whether the enemy sees Tatsuma or the Anbu Yasha, they are very likely to use this intelligence.

First, the enemy will be on high alert for Tatsuma's signature Flying Thunder God Technique. Second, they will be wary of Tatsuma's sealing techniques. In addition, Tatsuma's previous performance on the battlefield demonstrated his proficiency in large-scale ninjutsu, making it difficult for him to achieve a surprising victory in battle.

Unlike Sakumo Hatake, Tatsuma doesn't possess the ability to maintain his hard and soft power significantly regardless of whether he keeps secrets or not.

For most ninjas, Hatake Sakumo is unstoppable unless you can draw your sword faster than him or have an Iron Chrysanthemum (a powerful weapon), in which case you might be able to limit Hatake Sakumo's performance.

But Tatsuma wouldn't work, so changing the codename for the Dark Division might be a good approach. Perhaps after a few rounds of combat, the enemy would realize what's going on. However, many battles end within a few rounds.

However, Tatsuma shook his head and said, "There are a total of 782 missions on the Konoha Anbu's mission list that are directly or indirectly related to rogue ninja from various villages, but only about 10% of them have enough intelligence to support their progress."

The ANBU's intelligence network is powerful, but it's impossible to monitor everyone in real time, let alone those cunning rogue ninjas who are particularly adept at counter-tracking.

Each month, we can update the latest information on about ten rogue ninjas. Even though the Anbu has already put in the effort, there are still a large number of rogue ninjas lurking in the shadows.

Moreover, every year a large number of new rogue ninjas emerge in the ninja world. Those who can be monitored and updated by the Anbu are often the newcomers among these rogue ninjas. Some veteran rogue ninjas have even become familiar with some of the Anbu's intelligence networks, making it almost impossible for them to be exposed.

As Tatsuma spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips curled into a smile, as if he had realized something. Tatsuma continued, "If using me as bait can lure these hidden rogue ninja out, it might not be such a bad thing."

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to see the unique brilliance of the Will of Fire on Tatsuma, so Hiruzen Sarutobi decisively refused, saying, "I disagree, it's too dangerous."

Let alone the fact that this matter is completely uncontrollable, even if it's a deliberate and targeted attempt to lure the enemy out, the village would never let you be the bait; the risk is simply too great.

Tatsuma was silent for a moment, then said, "Hokage-sama, this is not my personal decision."

Tatsuma wasn't the only one whose information was leaked. Besides him and Sakumo Hatake, who was oblivious to the fact that he had too many lice, there was also Minato, a member of the same team as Tatsuma.

Tatsuma's implication was that he had at least reached an agreement with Minato, and even the other two members had been persuaded. Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened, and he said, "Nonsense! When did you become the one in charge of the Anbu?"

The Anbu have always been directly under the Hokage's command. Although Tatsuma is the squad leader, he excessively contacts squad members during non-mission periods and even agrees to opinions that go against the Hokage's wishes. To put it bluntly, this is an act of betrayal.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't bring himself to argue with Tatsuma about this. He simply wanted to make Tatsuma understand the seriousness of the matter and abandon his original idea.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's opposition was expected by Tatsuma, but unlike most ANBU who would only obey orders, he knew that this matter could not be avoided indefinitely.

Since Tatsuma won't stay in the Anbu forever, and no ninja can stay in the Anbu forever, the possibility of information leaks is something he will have to face sooner or later.

If they wait until later to face him, as his strength gradually becomes clearer and he grows older, coupled with more information being exposed over the years, those deeply hidden traitors from the Exchange Bureau will be unable to resist taking action.

Those old traitors aren't stupid; they wouldn't rush to attack a young man with unclear information and past just for 30 million taels of silver.

They will only keep collecting information until they feel they know Tatsuma well enough and understand his weaknesses before they take action against him.

Perhaps it was taking advantage of the chaos during a battle, or perhaps it was Tatsuma striking while Tatsuma was weak after a battle, or maybe it was rallying others to attack Tatsuma.

Regardless of the situation, Tatsuma will be facing powerful rogue ninjas who are ill-informed, which is disadvantageous for him.

If he were to confront them now, he would mostly be met with hotheads, as well as a small number of opportunistic or desperate old rogue ninjas.

Is it dangerous? Yes, it is. But these people possess a wealth of information about underground money exchange operations. If Tatsuma can capture them one by one and extract enough information from them...

Even if it's just a patchwork of fragments, it might be possible to recreate those truly powerful and mysterious veteran rogue ninjas connected to the Gold Exchange.

Both are actually ways to save oneself, but exposing oneself now makes it easier to take the initiative, and Tatsuma is not a person who likes to be passive.

He doesn't like to wait until the last minute to come up with a solution, just like when he chooses to go to the battlefield early, even if his mindset is not suitable at all, he forces himself to accept it.

He looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Lord Hokage, the existence of the Exchange Center can indeed bring some benefits to the Land of Fire, and it can also help us to snipe some rogue ninja."

But what do you think would happen if there were no more gold exchange shops in the Land of Fire?

You should know more about the exchange office than I do. You should understand that the exchange office is not only a place for rogue ninjas to accept missions and exchange currencies from various countries, but it also provides information, routes, and various channels for rogue ninjas from Konoha and other countries.

They allowed those who were rogue ninjas, who should have been punished, to continue living, becoming nails driven into the Land of Fire.

Removing these nails might cause some pain, but leaving them alive will only make the Land of Fire hesitant and timid, and could very likely lead to infection and even greater trauma.

Hokage, do you think your sons, Shinnosuke and Asuma, will have bounties on their heads? If they do, would you feel comfortable letting them travel freely within the Land of Fire?

Even if you don't want special treatment, how many ninjas in the village would unjustly end up on the Gold Exchange's bounty list because of grudges from their fathers or even grandfathers?

After Tatsuma finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time before sighing and saying, "Tatsuma, what you're after has even surpassed what I, the Hokage, am willing to do. I think I have no reason to refuse you any longer."

(End of this chapter)