I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 398 Sometimes the way to solve a problem is to first make yourself feel good.

Even though Tatsuma had previously told Hatake Sakumo that "Danzo is going to harm you," Hatake Sakumo still managed to confront Danzo once using the method Tatsuma provided.

However, prediction is similar to fortune telling. If a fortune teller says that you will have bad luck in the coming year, you will not easily believe it until you actually encounter something bad in that year.

Moreover, these two have other similarities. For example, they are both predictions based on empirical patterns, which are not completely accurate. They only calculate a probability, and the person being predicted will subconsciously deny that they will encounter bad things.

In particular, Sakumo Hatake is someone who cherishes his comrades, so it would be difficult for him to put himself in Danzo's shoes and think about who to harm.

But when the evidence actually appeared, he was the one who found it hardest to accept it. Not only was he the one who was murdered, but he also couldn't tolerate Gen's behavior.

Seeing that Hatake Sakumo's face had turned red instantly, Tatsuma said, "Sakumo-sama, I know you're angry, but calm down first."

"Burp~"

"You little brat"

Sakumo Hatake felt that there was something wrong with what Tatsuma said, but he also felt that maybe he was the one with the problem. After all, Tatsuma was only a sixteen-year-old boy, so he shouldn't be that dirty, right?

After a few words, even with the terrifying scroll still in his hands, Hatake Sakumo didn't know how to get angry. He sighed, looked at Tatsuma, and asked:

"Tatsuma, how should I face Danzo?"

"How do you plan to face him?"

"I wish I could kill him."

No normal person can have a good attitude towards someone who wants to kill them. Even though Hatake Sakumo isn't exactly a normal person, he still couldn't stand it.

Tatsuma nodded and said, "If you want to kill him, then I suggest you make your move during the standoff."

Sakumo Hatake frowned and said, "But the Hokage won't stand by and watch me do this. With him around, even if I disobey orders, I won't be able to kill Danzo."

His words gave Tatsuma a better understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength. He knew how strong Sakumo Hatake was, whether it was due to insufficient physical conditions or because he was a formidable figure who could fight the Third Raikage head-on.

If it weren't a direct confrontation, but rather Hatake Sakumo used his more familiar surprise assassination, then this would be a powerful figure who could pose a threat to the Kage at any time.

Even with this background, Sakumo Hatake still stated that he couldn't kill Danzo under Hiruzen Sarutobi's command. Of course, part of the reason was that Danzo was also quite strong, but there was no doubt that Hiruzen Sarutobi was very powerful.

In fact, Tatsuma could also vaguely sense something, because no matter what methods Tatsuma revealed, Hiruzen Sarutobi's surprise lay in Tatsuma's learning ability and innovation ability, rather than his strength.

Regardless of Tatsuma learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, developing the Rasengan, or recently revealing Sage Mode to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not show any shock after assessing his strength, which likely indicates...

Even with Sage Mode and Flying Thunder God Technique, Tatsuma posed no threat to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The only time Tatsuma truly shocked Hiruzen Sarutobi in terms of strength was when he informed Hiruzen that he had severely injured the Third Mizukage, Genmi.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly realized that Genmi's underestimation of Tatsuma in the early stages was what allowed him to use his trump card to turn the tide, rather than it being due to Tatsuma's true strength.

Having understood this, Hiruzen Sarutobi only admired Tatsuma's methods and performance on the spot, but he was still not worried about his strength.

Orochimaru said before that even he couldn't fathom the extent of Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength. Now that Sakumo Hatake is saying the same thing, for some reason, Tatsuma is eager to find out Hiruzen Sarutobi's true strength.

After all, the current Hiruzen Sarutobi is not the old Hiruzen Sarutobi. According to Orochimaru, he was a Hokage who was close to sixty years old and could still defeat him. How strong must he be now that he is not even fifty years old?

I'd like to know, what kind of strength would be needed to suppress Konoha in this era?

Shadow never demanded that he be the strongest person in the village, but if he were the strongest person in the village, that would certainly be the most powerful condition for becoming Shadow's candidate.

Unlike the other boys in Konoha, Tatsuma didn't have the grand ambition of becoming Hokage, but he had too many things he wanted to do and needed to use resources that only the Hokage could control.

Others may see becoming Hokage as the ultimate goal, but Tatsuma feels that it is a necessary stepping stone for him to reach greater heights. Over the past few years, especially after Hiruzen Sarutobi's almost blatant hint, Tatsuma realized that it was time for him to strive to take that step.

Hatake Sakumo noticed Tatsuma's sudden change in mood and asked, puzzled, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking... what kind of strength do I need to be qualified to become Hokage?"

Tatsuma didn't hide anything; this was the first time he had revealed his "greed" for the Hokage position to someone else. Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "At least to the point where you can defeat me."

If you're curious, I'll have plenty of time to let you experience it after I retire.

Sakumo Hatake was not surprised by Tatsuma's ambition; in fact, he thought it was a very common thing. Which child, teenager, young adult, middle-aged, or old person doesn't dream of becoming Hokage?

Some people are still daydreaming, some are working hard, some have found the path that truly suits them, and some have already faced reality and given up on this dream.

Tatsuma is still at an age where he can freely dream, and his talent and abilities give him the potential to become Hokage. It's perfectly normal for someone like him to want to become Hokage.

"If I have the chance, I'll definitely learn from you."

Tatsuma nodded. Fighting Hatake Sakumo would allow him to test how far he could go if he used all his true trump cards.

Genmi Mizukage's true strength may be greater than Sakumo Hatake's, but when Tatsuma fought him, he couldn't use too many of his trump cards, making it difficult to test his true level.

Unlike Hatake Sakumo, Tatsuma felt that even if he exposed all his methods, it wouldn't bring any trouble.

As for Tsunade testing her skills against the Sannin, she was in the stage of quantitative change leading to qualitative change, and Tatsuma didn't want to delay her progress. Jiraiya was in a similar situation, integrating what he had learned over the past thirty years and was on the verge of evolving into the Toad Sage. At this point, his strength was not very relevant.

As for Orochimaru, he's even more adept at hiding his true strength than Tatsuma. While Tatsuma is indeed quite familiar with Orochimaru's Orochimaru style, these aren't his trump cards or a true display of his power.

Moreover, Orochimaru was not known as a "powerful" ninja. If he were to be labeled, it would be "difficult to deal with." In battles against Orochimaru, it is almost impossible to find a true victor.

The best candidate right now is actually Sakumo Hatake. His personal growth system has not changed and has matured. He is someone who can pose a threat to the Kage and is very suitable as a counterpart to Tatsuma.

Therefore, he didn't stand on ceremony with Hatake Sakumo, and Hatake Sakumo wasn't being polite either; he was also curious about how much Tatsuma had grown.

The last time I was aware of Tatsuma's strength was two years ago, during a mission we took together in the Land of Lightning.

But after returning from that mission, Tatsuma, after a short period of recuperation, experienced an explosive increase in strength. To what extent did he increase? Hatake Sakumo didn't know either.

Moreover, this time, Tatsuma managed to "severely injure" the Mizukage in a direct confrontation while concealing his identity and methods. Therefore, Sakumo Hatake was also very curious about how far Tatsuma was from becoming Hokage.

If Tatsuma becomes the next Hokage, Sakumo Hatake would definitely support him, because Tatsuma perfectly meets all his expectations for the next Hokage.

Strength and talent are one aspect, but what Hatake Sakumo values ​​most is Tatsuma's character. Having followed Sarutobi Hiruzen for so many years, Hatake Sakumo knows that an overly gentle Kage is actually detrimental to the village.

However, having opposed Danzo for many years, he also knew how much harm a person who had fallen into darkness could do to a village.

Tatsuma stands at a perfect balance. If he were to become Hokage, he would be a Hokage who combines the strengths of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo without their weaknesses, making him the Hokage that Konoha truly needs.

"I've digressed. Let's get back to the main point. Lord Sakumo's concerns were unnecessary."

Tatsuma steered the conversation back on track, saying, "The reason I asked you to make a move during the confrontation was to get the Third Hokage to stop you, because you can't hurt Danzo. If you do, you'll go from being the victim to one of the fighters."

Besides, Lord Sakumo, you wouldn't do such a thing, would you?

Hatake Sakumo nodded subconsciously. He had indeed had the thought of killing Danzo for a moment when he said he wanted to, but now that his anger had subsided, he could not take his words seriously.

Tatsuma nodded and said, "That's right. What you need to do, Lord Sakumo, is not to suppress your feelings, but to fully express your dissatisfaction, anger, and killing intent toward Danzo."

I can tell you frankly that the Third Hokage is unlikely to severely punish Danzo, so an external force is needed to truly suppress Danzo's future actions, and that external force is you.

The name "White Fang" is meant to both deter external enemies and quell internal troubles. It's meant to make Danzo understand that if he continues his reckless actions, you will be the sharp blade piercing his heart.

Sakumo Hatake narrowed his eyes and said, "I understand."

"That's good. Next, I'll tell you exactly what you need to do."

(End of this chapter)