I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 382 When you no longer like sugary drinks, your youth is about to end.

"Lord Danzo, Sakamoto Tatsuma has come to visit. Shall we allow him to pass?"

Within the Root base, a Root member came to report. Danzo, who was sitting in meditation, was taken aback, then unconsciously smiled, but quickly suppressed it and resumed his stern expression.

After a while, he asked, "Is there an explanation?"

"I heard that they learned from the Third Hokage that Lord Danzo was unwell, so they came to visit him. They also said that they have matters related to the Wood Release laboratory and want to talk to you about them."

After the Root members finished speaking, Danzo narrowed his eyes, feeling somewhat displeased. It turned out they hadn't come purely to visit him.

That makes sense, how could Tatsuma, misled by that Sarutobi guy, possibly have completely goodwill towards him? Danzo waved his hand and said, "Let him come over, and prepare some drinks and snacks that teenagers like."

Upon hearing this, the members of Root had indescribable expressions on their faces. What teenagers drink for no reason? Besides, what brewery would launch a bar targeting the youth market?

Danzo also realized something was wrong, but years of forbearance allowed him to remain calm and composed, simply adding, "I was referring to tea."

"Yes, Lord Danzo."

The Root member certainly wouldn't let his leader lose face, so he turned and left; he still needed to find a drink. There were no vending machines or similar facilities inside the Root base.

Going outside to buy it would be such a waste of time. By the time you get there and back, Tatsuma might have already finished his meeting and left. You can only hope that some irresponsible Root member brings drinks to and from get off work.

This wasn't Tatsuma's first time at the Root base. He had carried out several missions over the past two years and had occasionally come into contact with Root to hand over missions. Of course, this was his first time visiting Danzo's office.

As Tatsuma expected, Danzo's office was very much in line with the style of his home: dark and minimalist. Even the chair opposite Danzo's seat looked like it had been moved there temporarily.

"Lord Danzo."

Tatsuma withdrew his gaze, bowed, and greeted Danzo. Danzo nodded, still with a stern face, pointed to the seat opposite him, and said, "Sit."

Without much formality, Tatsuma nodded and sat down opposite Danzo. The chair looked a bit old and not very heavy. In fact, it creaked when Tatsuma, who was rather thin for his height, sat down.

Chenma pursed his lips and almost took a horse stance, but did not sit down any further. After all, it would be bad if he accidentally damaged someone's furniture while visiting their home.

Fortunately, ten years of consistent training had made Chenma's lower body extremely stable, so he didn't need to worry about what would happen if he couldn't hold on. After getting used to the horse stance, Chenma spoke:

"The Hokage heard that Lord Danzo was unwell and specifically sent me to visit. If there is anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask for my services."

Tatsuma didn't deliberately flaunt his medical expertise, since he already knew it all, and repeatedly bringing it up would seem like showing off.

Danzo shook his head slightly and said, "It's just some stubborn old injuries. Besides, if Sarutobi really cares, he should come and visit his old friend in person."

Hearing Danzo's words, which contained a hint of resentment, Tatsuma did not respond immediately. After all, this was just a little joke between old friends, and it wouldn't be right for him to say anything. Besides, Tatsuma had no intention of exonerating Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But conversations are all about give and take. Although he couldn't go along with Danzo's wishes and curse Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tatsuma quickly found a way to respond. After Danzo had swallowed some of his resentment, he spoke:

"Lord Danzo has worked tirelessly for the development of Konoha, which has taken a toll on his health. I admire him, but I cannot condone his efforts. Your health is a vital guarantee for the development of Konoha, and you must not neglect it."

Hearing Tatsuma's words, Danzo's lips almost curled into a smile again. He feigned a cough, covered his mouth with his hand, and only after his smile faded did he say:

"I understand your intentions, but Konoha is facing new situations and challenges every moment in this new era, and I really can't let it go."

The Danzo of the past would never have said such a thing. However, since he set his sights on becoming the Fourth Hokage, he has been learning some speaking skills. He has been studying the speech draft that Tatsuma helped Hiruzen Sarutobi write repeatedly recently.

Tatsuma also found Danzo's words very familiar, but he didn't say anything more. Danzo had been saying several times that he didn't want him to help examine his body.

This was also within Tatsuma's expectations. He didn't believe Danzo's nonsense about his old injury recurring. He nodded and changed the subject, saying, "I have learned a lot. If Lord Danzo needs my help in the future, please feel free to ask."

"Lord Danzo is recuperating, and I should cooperate. However, there is one more matter that requires the assistance of Lord Danzo and Root."

"explain."

"Lord Danzo should also know that I made some mistakes during my trip to the Land of Water, but I have now found a way to make amends."

Tatsuma repeated what he had discussed with Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Danzo's expression turned somewhat grim after he finished speaking.

Taking a deep breath and calming himself down, Danzo said, "I've heard about this matter before, and I don't agree with your decision to let the Sand Village ninja go."

What you urgently need to do now is not the remedy you mentioned, but to find those Sand Ninja who know the truth and shut them up forever. I originally thought you would accomplish all of this in the next few days.

You have disappointed me greatly! You wasted the best week of your life. By now, if the Sand Village ninjas weren't stupid, they would have already found a way back home, or at the very least, the intelligence would have been sent out.

Konoha's current predicament is a result of your wasted time. Your proposed remedies are merely a poor, reactive approach, like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted, or raising a tiger to cause future trouble.

Danzo's criticism was within Tatsuma's expectations. At the meeting a few days ago, Danzo proposed that Tatsuma, who possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, return to the Land of Water to find and kill those Sand Ninja.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused, citing that Tatsuma had just returned from a mission and his body had not yet recovered. Tatsuma also did not want to carry out Danzo's suggestion, so the matter was delayed.

Of course, at this moment, Tatsuma lowered his head very consciously, looking ashamed and resigned. Danzo took a few deep breaths, knowing that hindsight was useless at this point, so he changed his tone and said:

"It's normal for young people to make mistakes, but Tatsuma, you carry the expectations of too many people. You don't have much time to learn from your mistakes and grow. You need to learn from this experience, understand?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Danzo."

"You shouldn't be infected by Sarutobi's weakness. Benevolence is something the Daimyo should consider. As the Kage of a village, what you need is deterrence. Only with a strong enough attitude and high strength can we stand tall in the ninja world."

The legacy of those who came before has been almost entirely exhausted by Sarutobi. His weakness will ultimately bring disaster upon Konoha. You must understand this.

Tatsuma did not agree with Danzo's earnest advice this time, but just sat quietly. Danzo sighed and said, "I agree to what you said. Once the procedures are completed, you can borrow the Wood Release laboratory at any time."

"Thank you, Lord Danzo."

Tatsuma then gave a "grateful" reply. Danzo nodded and was about to say something when there was a knock on the office door. A Root member came in with two bottles of strawberry yogurt.

Under Danzo's twitching face, the Root members placed two bottles of strawberry yogurt, one in front of Danzo and the other in front of Tatsuma. The bright pink color contrasted sharply with the gloomy office.

Danzo glared at the Root member, who felt a little aggrieved. He didn't want to bring in such a pink bottle, which even had cartoon characters printed on it, but the Root base hadn't prepared any cups for guests.

After delivering the yogurt, the members quickly ran away, afraid that if they stayed even a second longer, they would be stabbed in the eye by their boss.

Tatsuma casually pulled out the straw, inserted it into the pre-drilled hole, took a sip, and said, "I didn't expect Lord Danzo to like this brand of yogurt too?"

"Oh? Ah, it's pretty good."

Seeing that Tatsuma seemed to like the drink, Danzo nodded, but he felt that his image had been damaged quite a bit. He was the Dark Side of the Ninja World! The Root of Konoha! What if he was mistaken for a weird old man who liked to drink yogurt from a pretty pink bottle?

However, under Tatsuma's watchful gaze, Danzo had no choice but to pick up the yogurt bottle, awkwardly pull out the straw, and poke it several times before finally inserting it into the hole.

After taking a sip of the sour and sweet yogurt, Danzo suppressed the urge to spit it out and forced it down. He couldn't understand how this stuff could actually be sold? And how could anyone actually buy it?

Seeing that Tatsuma seemed to be enjoying his drink quite a bit, Danzo couldn't help but wonder if the taste buds of the younger generation developed in a different direction than those of the older generation. Unsure, he decided to try another one.

Danzo took another sip, then revealed his pained expression. Danzo felt like he would be nauseous for at least half a month, his entire throat almost turning into candy.

Fortunately, the acidity of the yogurt stimulated him to quickly secrete saliva, which constantly washed his mouth and esophagus. However, Danzo put down the yogurt and did not want to move anymore.

He forcefully changed the subject, saying, "By the way, with Hatake Sakumo retiring from the Anbu, is Sarutobi only planning to have you fill the vacant position that will be created by the squad leader?"

Tatsuma was taken aback, and then wanted to explain something, after all, it was his own choice, but Danzo had already said indignantly to himself: "I have said it before, Sarutobi does not know how to cultivate young people!"

With your talent, you deserve a higher stage and to witness more darkness so that you can fully grow! Why don't you become the captain of Root? Although you are only the captain of the Dark Division in name, the darkness that Root can witness is no different from that of the Dark Division leader.

I will do my best to guarantee your rights and allow you to fully utilize your talents. When necessary, I will also provide you with the right guidance.

How about it, Tatsuma? Come to my roots!

"There's absolutely no need for that."

(End of this chapter)