I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 50 If you're doing something dishonorable, don't expect a glorious reputation.

Tatsuma didn't know what Jiraiya had done while drinking last night. When he woke up and went outside, he found that Murata Yuko had regained her radiance and was no longer as dejected as she had been the night before, with her last wish fulfilled and ready to die at any moment.

Meanwhile, Chu Sheng and the others were taken away by the ninjas of Takigakure and the sheriffs of the towns surrounding the Land of Fire. What Tatsuma thought would be the most troublesome task was actually solved by Jiraiya in just one night.

Minato watched as Chuujou was led away by the Jonin of Takigakure and asked Jiraiya, "Jiraiya-sensei, since the Jonin of Takigakure have already arrived, why do we still need to carry out this mission?"

"Because this is the Land of Fire, even if he could capture them earlier, he can't make a move."

Jiraiya sighed and said, "Even if it takes longer for the Konoha ninjas to take action, the only ones harmed are the civilians that the Daimyo doesn't care about."

However, even if the ninjas of Takigakure were to intervene, reducing harm to civilians, the daimyo would not agree, because that would damage the reputation of the great nation, which the daimyo cares about.

Minato was still a little confused, but Tatsuma didn't say anything because Jiraiya didn't need an explanation; he already understood.

As for whether this view is correct or not, Chenma didn't know how to evaluate it. The sovereignty of a country needs such deeds to be upheld, even if it harms civilians, it is only a short-term harm to a minority of civilians.

Once a precedent is set, the sovereignty of the Land of Fire will be trampled upon, and it will be much more difficult to rebuild it. Moreover, Konoha will be greatly affected, and some people will question Konoha's strength, thereby reducing the number of missions entrusted to it.

Therefore, from a high vantage point, sacrificing only a very small number of people to uphold the dignity of the entire nation is indeed worthwhile. However, Chenma is currently standing at the grassroots level, and he can see that people have truly been harmed.

Jiraiya looked at the two students who had suddenly lost all joy at completing the mission, sighed, patted their heads, and said, "Alright, we should go back now."

"Lord Jiraiya"

Hearing that they were leaving, Yuko Murata suddenly spoke up, saying, "The village would like to hold a banquet to thank you. If you're not busy, would you like to stay and attend the banquet?"

Jiraiya waved his hand and said, "Forget it, we are ninjas. Ninjas don't need flowers and applause. Besides, we arrived a little late, which caused more tragedies here. We really have no face to stay here any longer."

With that, he lowered his hands and placed them on the back of Tatsuma and Minato's necks, leading them out of the village. After they had traveled some distance from the village, Jiraiya asked:

"Do you mind that I took away your chance to be praised?"

Minato shook his head, Tatsuma shrugged, indicating he didn't care, and Jiraiya nodded, saying, "The thing ninjas fear most is being burdened by fame. There is only one ninja in Konoha who needs fame."

That's the Hokage. If you're not the Hokage, or don't want to be the Hokage, then don't even dream of it, and don't even try to acquire the slightest bit of fame.

Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Tatsuma showed a thoughtful expression. He finally understood why Jiraiya never referred to himself as one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and even later, he referred to himself as the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.

Because Jiraiya did not want to become Hokage, and he also soberly discarded the title of Konoha ninja that had been bestowed upon him, he later wore a unique headband with the character "oil" on it when he traveled the ninja world.

Moreover, what Jiraiya said seems to be true; being a ninja burdened by fame is not a good thing, at least in Konoha.

Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, committed suicide; Nono, the wandering priestess Yakushi, was killed by her own people; Shisui of Konoha, the Body Flicker, was ambushed by his superior and then committed suicide; Danzo of Shimura, the Dark Lord of the Ninja World, died by sealing off a bridge.

Who are the immortals with such resounding titles? Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, was the First Hokage; Tobirama Senju, the fastest ninja in the world, was the Second Hokage; and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the professor of ninjutsu, was the Third Hokage.

After that, Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, became the Fourth Hokage; Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, became the Fifth Hokage; Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, became the Sixth Hokage; and Naruto Uzumaki, the ninja with the greatest unpredictability, became the Seventh Hokage.

Besides, Konoha ninjas with famous nicknames generally did not have good outcomes. Even Might Guy, who only called himself "Konoha's Blue Beast," almost died.

It might be metaphysics, or it might be manipulated by someone, but as Jiraiya said, if you're not the Hokage, or don't intend to become the Hokage, then you don't need fame.

After all, in the ninja world, in the consensus of many, ninjas are tools.

Those who use tools are the Kage of the ninja village and the Daimyo of the country. The more dazzling the tool, the less convenient it is to use. Such tools can only be picked up or buried.

Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the two students' faces, Jiraiya shook his head, inwardly lamenting why he had been telling these things to these two brats so early. Then, he smiled and said:

"Enough of that. Congratulations on completing your first mission as ninjas. The reward for this mission is 50,000 ryo. The village will take 20%, and you can keep the rest. After all, I didn't contribute much."

Tatsuma raised an eyebrow. Forty thousand taels. If he and Minato split it equally, that would be twenty thousand taels each. That was more than half a year's worth of subsidies in the past.

They only took six days, and even if there's still a day or two of travel to get back, it's only a little over a week.

So, being a ninja does make money quickly, but it doesn't seem to last very long. After all, they have to pay for their own apartment rent and utilities, plus living expenses, which is only enough for about three months.

Moreover, they traveled light, without buying any ninja tools or explosive tags. Even their soldier rations were provided by Jiraiya. If these factors are taken into account, their survival time would probably be halved.

In an instant, the fleeting joy that Tatsuma had just felt vanished, while Minato, without considering so much, shook his head and said:

"No, Jiraiya-sensei, without your help, we wouldn't have been able to complete the mission so smoothly."

As he spoke, he looked at Tatsuma, who nodded in agreement. Not intending to covet the money, Tatsuma said, "My thoughts are the same as Minato's. Jiraiya-sensei, just take your share."

Jiraiya smiled happily. Compared to these two students, he cared less about the money; he simply liked their attitude. Jiraiya laughed heartily and said:

"Since you're so kind, then I'll accept it! I'll treat you to barbecue when we get back! Haha~"

"Gurgle~" *2

Upon hearing Jiraiya mention barbecue, the two, who had been eating soldier rations for a week, lit up at the same time. Tatsuma wiped his mouth and said, "Minato, I suddenly want to eat barbecue soon."

"Me too, how about we hurry back to the village?"

"Want to have a race?"

Upon hearing this, Minato nodded and said, "Come!"

"As expected of Minato, you still have so much energy even after finishing a mission. But I'll get to the village faster than you!"

(End of this chapter)