I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 308 The hardest thing for a person to refute is the viewpoint they themselves agree with.

Tatsuma didn't really get involved in the Water Country incident; the few suggestions he offered were just based on the information he had access to.

Now that he heard there were new developments in the Land of Water incident, Tatsuma was also very curious. After all, Konoha didn't have many spies in either the Land of Lightning or the Land of Water, and even fewer had access to key intelligence.

He was very curious about what had happened that made Konoha, with its limited intelligence channels, conclude that there had been new developments in the matter.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "It's all thanks to what you did in the Land of Wind. The short-term shutdown of Sunagakure attracted the attention of that foolish bastard, A."

Three days ago, A's son led a ninja force of over a thousand people away from the port of the Land of Lightning. According to the information sent back from the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools yesterday, the most likely destination of the Hidden Cloud Village is the Land of Wind.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, a localized war between the countries of Wind and Thunder will break out in the next five days to a week. Once this localized war begins, all countries will scramble for resources, and that will be our opportunity.

"The Land of Lightning, huh? That's no surprise."

Upon hearing that it was Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) who was behind the trouble, Tatsuma suddenly felt that it was only natural, as Kumogakure had always been adept at playing this role.

This is a localized war. In the original story, after the Third Kazekage disappeared, the first country to start a war was not the Land of Wind, which was demanding an explanation from the Land of Fire, but the Land of Lightning.

Moreover, the Land of Lightning's target was the Land of Wind, which was quite absurd.

It's important to understand that although Sunagakure in the Land of Wind has lost its Kage, it's not an easy task for ninjas from the Land of Lightning to reach the battlefield in the Land of Wind. By land, they face obstacles from the Land of Fire, and there's also the neutral Land of Iron blocking their way.

Traveling by water. It is well known that northern armies are not good at naval warfare, and the fate of ships chained together by iron chains has already served as a warning to the world.

Regardless of which route they took, the Cloud Ninja would have been exhausted when they arrived in the Land of Wind, and the Land of Lightning's first defeat in the Third Shinobi World War was a logical consequence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's description of Kumogakure as foolish and reckless is not an exaggeration at all.

This time, it's probably a spy planted in the Land of Wind by the Cloud Ninja. They discovered that the Sand Village was in a strange state of shutdown, so they wanted to take advantage of the situation.

But Tatsuma smiled and said, "It is indeed a good opportunity. The Cloud Ninja will undoubtedly lose this battle. At that time, the Land of Lightning will definitely be in turmoil, and the Cloud Village will face the dilemma of reinforcements and retreat."

Their vigilance regarding internal defenses will inevitably decrease, which is indeed a good opportunity to plant spies. As for the Land of Water, I will go and investigate.

In just a few words, Tatsuma had already arranged the personnel: Minato would go to the relatively simple Land of Lightning, while he would go to the Land of Water, where the specifics were still unclear.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't object to this. Neither Minato nor Tatsuma had ever disappointed him. He then asked, "You said before that legitimate merchant caravans could be allowed in. Do you have any recommendations?"

"I do have some suitable candidates, but I haven't investigated them in detail. I will give you an answer within two days at the latest."

"Two days is still enough, but please hurry. I'll be waiting for your good news."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then asked, "Is there anything the village can help with?"

"When it comes to the people to be placed in these two countries, I would appreciate it if you, Hokage, could carefully select and screen them. Minato and I can only be responsible for opening up channels. What kind of intelligence we can gather will depend on the people who are actually deployed."

There's no need to take on too much responsibility in front of your superiors. First, it's easy to assume full responsibility, and second, it makes your superiors feel like they're not involved. Therefore, the most appropriate approach is to assign them tasks that aren't too difficult and then exaggerate their importance.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile widened. Although Tatsuma's words did not explicitly state it, they had subtly elevated him as Hokage, which was enough to satisfy him.

"Okay, that's settled then."

Nodding in agreement with all of Tatsuma's suggestions, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted Tatsuma to make the arrangements as soon as possible, but just as he raised his hand, he remembered something, lowered his hand, and said:

"By the way, Tatsuma, you previously recommended Hyuga Sento from the Hyuga clan as a replacement for the team. The village has recently reviewed him, and he is indeed quite suitable. However, do you think he will be the best candidate?"

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma realized that the recruitment of members for the Anbu was being hindered. Thinking about it, it made sense. Sento was from the main family, and even the most eccentric one, the Hyuga clan would not easily let him take risks.

Furthermore, Sento's branch of the family differs from the branch of the clan head. The head of the Hyuga clan needs to be strong enough, so even as a member of the main family, candidates for the head of the clan must participate in ninja affairs and undergo training.

First, he wanted to prove to the outside world that he had the power to inherit the Hyuga clan; second, he wanted to build his own image and increase his approval rating so that he could more easily control the Hyuga clan.

But Qian Dou is different. He doesn't need to be very strong. His status as a member of the main family is enough for the other branch families to protect him. He doesn't need to prove anything.

Moreover, Sento's branch of the family no longer has a suitable heir. In order to maintain the integrity of the family structure, the Hyuga clan would rather have Sento as a mascot, who doesn't need to do anything, as long as he lives and breeds an heir in the future.

Therefore, it was already extremely difficult for him to participate in ninja affairs, let alone join the even more dangerous Anbu.

In addition, unlike the Uchiha, the Hyuga did not need to seek an opportunity to join the Anbu, that is, to join the Hokage's lineage. There were already Hyuga ninjas in the Anbu, just from a branch family.

After thinking for a moment, Tatsuma said, "Sento isn't the best choice."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a slight sigh of relief, but Tatsuma continued, "It's just that the change in team members has forced me to change the team's role. Sento is the ninja who best fits the new role."

Hiruzen Sarutobi caught his breath again, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If Sento Hyuga can do it, then the other members of the Hyuga branch family should be able to do it too, right?"

Furthermore, the Hyuga branch family ninjas have more experience in actual combat and mission execution, and with the cursed seal of the Caged Bird Seal, the Hyuga clan can understand if they were to die unexpectedly.

Tatsuma's lower eyelids twitched. He strongly disagreed with Hiruzen Sarutobi's ideas and statements. He acknowledged that there were differences in the distribution of resources among different people, but he did not agree that there were differences in human rights.

However, the Hyuga clan's system of main and branch families is too ancient, and people have gradually come to regard it as "normal." Gradually, there have been significant differences in human rights between the main and branch families.

If it only happened within the Hyuga clan, Tatsuma might disapprove, but he wouldn't intervene to correct the situation. However, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, was involved.

"Lord Hokage, the personnel changes in the Anbu should be arranged by you. I was just expressing my opinion. I am already very grateful that you have taken the time to pay attention to the changes in my team. I shouldn't have offered any other opinions."

But which ninja clan in Konoha has members who enjoy the most resources yet are completely off-duty? Even you, from the Sarutobi clan, have always been working on the front lines, devoting your time and energy to the village.

The Hyuga clan's main family is considered superior to the branch families; this is a legacy of their internal history. But can the Hyuga clan's main family truly be considered superior to other ninja clans or ninja?

Tatsuma's words were definitely presumptuous, but he didn't regret saying them. In any case, within the Hyuga main family, he only had a true friendship with Sento, and Sento absolutely supported his statement.

As for the other clans, and even the branch of the clan head, we've had some interaction, but we're not exactly friends, so why worry about what they think?

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned upon hearing his words, because this was not something "Sakamoto Tatsuma" should say. The Tatsuma that Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered would never do something so outrageous.

He looked at Tatsuma, whose gaze did not waver at all, and Shikaku, in the darkness, showed a look of surprise.

Shikaku thought that Tatsuma would hide his true self until he truly took over, but he didn't expect that he would expose it to Hiruzen Sarutobi so early.

It's risky, but if Hiruzen Sarutobi can accept this side of Tatsuma this time, then Tatsuma will be able to show himself more frequently in the future.

If you give way one step, you'll give way more steps. Just thinking about the scene where Tatsuma will force Hiruzen Sarutobi to back down in the future, Shikaku showed an expectant look.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer Tatsuma's question. Instead, he resumed rubbing tobacco, filling his pipe, and took a deep drag before asking:

"Tatsuma, I have never actually heard a ninja of commoner origin truly express his views on the ninja clan. Could you tell me?"

Tatsuma's eyes narrowed slightly. Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to place him in a preconceived notion of class conflict, a question that was quite difficult to answer.

Standing on the side of the common people? Tatsuma has accepted so many benefits from the ninja clan, yet he still chooses to stand on their side. This is completely unreasonable, after all, he is now considered a member of the "ninja clan" himself.

Standing with the ninja clan? That would be an act of forgetting one's roots. After all, no matter what he is now or will be in the future, he is still a "commoner" from the very bottom, even the lowest rung of society.

Tatsuma stopped maintaining the slight bow of etiquette and stood up straight, looking down at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting in a chair, and said:

"Lord Hokage, your question is thirty years too late. Today, your question is simply invalid."

Does a difference and conflict exist between commoners and ninja clans? Yes. But would Hiruzen Sarutobi dare to say it out loud? No.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Tatsuma mention the timeline, his expression turned serious. He said, "Indeed, if we still have to treat commoners and ninja clans differently, it would be a disservice to the Second Hokage's good intentions."

Thirty years ago, Konoha had been established for just over ten years. At that time, Konoha only had ninja from the ninja clan. However, it was around that time that Tobirama Senju pioneered the academy-based ninja training system.

"Yes, ninjas and commoners are born on the same land, bathed in the same sunlight, receive the same education, and share the same heart to serve the village. What's the difference?"

Tatsuma looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and smiled, easing the momentary tension in the Hokage's office.

"Phew~"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled another deep puff of smoke and said, "That's right, there's no difference. Some old customs really shouldn't be prevalent in today's new world. I will take care of Sento Hyuga's matter."

In the darkness, Shikaku also smiled. In this round, Tatsuma had the hand of King and was about to checkmate.

(End of this chapter)