I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 440 Some things are considered romantic if your partner agrees, but offensive if they disagree.

"I have halted all intelligence operations in the Land of Water and created numerous disturbances within the country. Even if Yagura is able to quickly resolve the village's affairs, his energy will be stretched thin."

Once he had sorted out the chaos in the entire Water Kingdom, the intelligence agents had enough time to clean up the mess, which provided us with a smooth transition period.

Tatsuma first explained the arrangements he had made, and Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. With Yagura taking office, Konoha's biggest fear was that he would immediately launch a thorough investigation within the Land of Water after assuming office.

Although the ninjas sent to the Land of Water were all veteran intelligence ninjas with excellent professional skills, every action leaves a trace, and it takes time to clean up those traces.

The internal tug-of-war kept Kirigakure busy, but the time gained was enough for Konoha's intelligence ninjas to clear up past traces and provided Konoha with ample time for its next plan.

Even if Konoha wanted to be more conservative in withdrawing its intelligence personnel, or take advantage of the chaos to gather more secret information, it would still need time to assess, plan, and execute.

However, Tatsuma felt it wasn't that safe. If judged solely by Kirigakure's apparent capabilities, Konoha's intelligence ninjas could indeed protect him to a great extent.

However, Tatsuma would never forget the Sharingan that Yagura revealed to him that day. Madara Uchiha was able to control Yagura, and given Madara Uchiha's intelligence capabilities...

But this was something he couldn't explain to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He gathered his thoughts and continued, "As for the arrangements between villages, my suggestion is to remain still."

Yagura's support and fervor for the Blood Mist Village policy surpassed even Genmi's back then. After he took office, the policy of closing the country's borders was unlikely to be canceled, and might even be further intensified.

Furthermore, given the internal situation of Kirigakure, we shouldn't have learned about the power transition within Kirigakure so early. If we made contact too soon, it would only arouse suspicion from Kirigakure.

Of course, we can spread this news to others, and I believe the Hidden Cloud Village would be happy to hear it.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Tatsuma calmly state his thoughts, he grew increasingly convinced. After a moment of silence, he said, "Indeed, it's a good idea."

The Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Mist Village have an open feud, and they are also the only ninja villages known to the Hidden Mist Village that recently invaded the Land of Water. It is reasonable that the information came from the Hidden Cloud Village.

However, doing so would only intensify the Water Kingdom's internal investigation, potentially forcing us to endure periods of intelligence disruption and recall relevant personnel to prevent them from being discovered.

Tatsuma nodded. If Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't keep up with his train of thought, then he wouldn't deserve to be Hokage. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was slow-paced and needed some time to think or be guided by others.

"I will arrange for someone to take care of this matter."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he glanced at Tatsuma. Seeing that Tatsuma did not object, he felt inexplicably relieved. After all, Tatsuma had completed almost all the preliminary work, but the final harvest stage would have to be handled by someone else.

This can easily lead to feelings of frustration or imbalance, so Hiruzen Sarutobi planned that if Tatsuma insisted, he would leave the work to Tatsuma to finish himself.

Tatsuma, however, didn't seem to mind at all; he truly is an excellent ninja.

Chenma genuinely doesn't care. He prefers to let professionals do what they're good at. When it comes to his area of ​​expertise, or if there aren't better candidates, he doesn't mind filling in the gaps. But if there are better options, he won't refuse.

Those who do everything themselves may gain a good reputation, but rarely have a good ending. After all, when one is too exhausted, one may not even have a way out.

"Oh, right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then said, "During this time, the village will try to minimize your travel arrangements."

"What happened?"

"Iwagakure has allied with Sunagakure and Kumogakure, and there has been some pressure on the border recently. I don't know if anyone, or how many people, have infiltrated the Land of Fire for you."

With the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails still nowhere to be found, and the standoff in the Land of Grass suffering repeated setbacks, Iwagakure still chose to attempt a decapitation strike, since there was no doubt that Tatsuma was the murderer.

Iwagakure and Sunagakure also viewed Tatsuma as a thorn in their side and wished to get rid of him as soon as possible, so they were naturally willing to cooperate with Iwagakure's actions.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Tatsuma's strength and wouldn't fear any ninja, he now probably even had the qualifications to challenge the Five Kage—no, he was no longer even qualified.

Rather, if the Five Kage are not careful in front of Tatsuma, they will suffer a great defeat. Genmi from Kirigakure is a good example of this.

But while it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, it's hard to guard against a hidden arrow. Every village, and even every ninja, has its own hidden trump card that's impossible to defend against.

With Iwagakure burning with rage, Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't need to send Tatsuma on excessive adventures. Reducing his travels is a good idea, and it'll also allow him to cultivate relationships within the village.

Ever since learning that Tatsuma had taken control of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already decided that the next Hokage had to be Tatsuma. It wasn't a question of whether he valued him or not, but rather whether the village would allow someone else to take his place.

The answer is absolutely not. Tatsuma is only a matter of time before he becomes the next Hokage, and that time may be shorter than he previously expected. Therefore, some things that Tatsuma should do should be brought forward.

Chenma thought for a moment, nodded, and said jokingly, "It will take some time, otherwise my team's lineup might not be complete."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and asked, "Is anyone injured? Is it serious?"

"It wasn't during a mission, but after we got back, Minato accidentally said some bad things about Kushina, and Kushina overheard it. She got even angrier than when the Nine-Tails went berserk."

"Haha~"

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled twice, then quickly composed himself and said, "Ahem~ It's true that you shouldn't gossip about your partner in public. If your partner agrees, it's called fun; if they disagree, it's offensive. It's best not to take the risk. Minato is still too young."

"The Hokage knows a lot."

"I have some small insights."

The atmosphere relaxed, and Tatsuma asked curiously, "But why are there members of the Sealing Squad inside the Anbu base?"

"Kushina heard about my idea of ​​forming a single-function squad and came to see me. I had no choice but to let Shikaku test it. Today should be the day to announce the results. No wonder Kushina was so angry."

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma roughly understood that Kushina had been pre-selected and then kicked out. Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite adept at leadership skills; knowing he couldn't refuse, he had Shikaku refuse instead.

Shikaku was lucky. If Minato hadn't come back today and run into Kushina's gun, Shikaku might have been the one to suffer instead of Minato.

However, Tatsuma thought for a moment and said, "Lord Hokage, Kushina is actually capable of going on missions."

"Um?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively wanted to refuse, but he forcibly stopped himself, looked at Tatsuma, and asked, "But she hasn't fully mastered the Nine-Tails' power."

"How many people in the ninja world have ever been able to completely master the power of the Nine-Tails? The Nine-Tails is different from other tailed beasts, so perhaps fighting can be a way to get to know each other better."

Moreover, although Kushina did not fully master the Nine-Tails' power, she was able to reliably suppress it and borrow some of its power.

You wouldn't want to see Minato die young, would you?

As Tatsuma spoke, he still smiled. Given Kushina's anger today, Minato probably wouldn't be able to handle her. It would be better to let Kushina go out and find some unlucky guys to vent her anger on.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then said, "I'll find some suitable missions for Kushina to try, but for now, they can only be around the village."

"This is already a happy event for Kushina, after all, she has been in Konoha for more than ten years and has never left."

"Um."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then said, "By the way, since you don't have any plans to travel, I have a few things I need to trouble you with."

"Please speak, Hokage."

"Uchiha Fugaku is getting married soon. In the past few years, the village and Uchiha Taku have worked together to clear away the obstacles to Fugaku's succession as clan leader. Perhaps this is also a ceremony for the transfer of power. You have to attend."

The new school year has started at the Ninja Academy. If you have time, go and take a look. Don't just focus on the graduating class; see if there are any kids who are interested.

"By the way, your improved technique has already been arranged, and the first batch of students has been recruited. If you have time, please go to Konoha Hospital to give a few lectures, at least to observe a few classes and see if the instructors have any misunderstandings."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Tatsuma frowned. The Uchiha matter was easy to handle; it was just a matter of sending a gift and having a banquet. The only difficulty was choosing a gift, since Fugaku was the head of the Uchiha clan, and he represented the Senju clan.

But if you weigh the pros and cons, attending the wedding banquet won't cause any trouble; the trouble lies in the latter two things.

He doesn't want to lead a team of genin yet, and he faces the same dilemma as Hatake Sakumo: if he leads the team, it will bring many unnecessary risks to his team members.

Needless to say, the Konoha Hospital is already in the profit-making stage, and it would seem a bit unreasonable for him not to go and inspect it.

Orochimaru could actually intervene, since he's a co-founder of the project and holds a very high percentage of shares. The problem is, Orochimaru can't get into Konoha Hospital.

"I will make time, but I don't have enough time to lead the team. The people I'm currently interested in are not old enough to go to school yet."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed curiosity and asked, "Whose child is this?"

"Shisui." Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's puzzled expression, Tatsuma added, "Uchiha Shisui."

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew increasingly puzzled. Tatsuma pursed his lips and continued, "The descendant of Lord Kagami, introduced by Lord Touka. Although I haven't spoken with him or his parents yet, I have high hopes for this child."

"Oh"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then his expression turned complicated. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's up to you."

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi guessed that Tatsuma might not really want to take the boy named Shisui as a student, but was just making excuses. But there was nothing he could do; the fact that Tatsuma had agreed was already a very good development.

"That's all for now. The Uchiha invitation will be sent to your house, and Biwako will also contact you. If you're free, that's all. Oh, and I just remembered something."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out a file and said, "These are the intelligence ninjas that you and Sakumo rescued from Iwagakure. Many of them are already of retirement age, and I have arranged for them to participate in the entrance examination for your technique."

Not many people passed the test, and the remaining ones plan to continue contributing their skills. If you have time, you can go and meet them. My advice is to meet them as soon as possible; they are in high demand.

Furthermore, Sakumo, your teacher, as well as Jiraiya and Orochimaru, all started building their own intelligence networks around your age.

Tatsuma took the file, nodded solemnly, and replied earnestly, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

(End of this chapter)