I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 516 When there's good news, even strangers passing by seem much more agreeable.

In the Land of Fire, in a town called Maple Leaf, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in black armor, spoke resolutely to an old man:

"Lord Hongfeng, I apologize for dragging Hongfeng into this innocent war. I guarantee that from this day forward, Hongfeng will never again be invaded by the Cloud Ninja!"

The old man nodded and said, "Don't worry, Hokage. We are not ungrateful people. Konoha saved us this time. As the defender of the city, I should be grateful to you."

Furthermore, Maple City will do its utmost to assist the Konoha ninjas in their next operation. Although it has been occupied by the Cloud Ninjas for a long time, Maple City is united and has not been completely conquered by the Cloud Ninjas. They have also collected and hidden their food and supplies early on.

These supplies can be requisitioned at any time if Konoha needs them.

"Then I thank you very much."

Hiruzen Sarutobi grasped the old man's hand. Just then, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open. Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression hardened as he looked at Yamanaka Ochū, who had barged in.

Yamanaka Eishō was not a reckless person. His unusual intrusion, coupled with the documents in his hand and the out-of-control expression on his face, indicated that something big had happened.

"Hokage-sama! A message from Tatsuma has arrived from Kumogakure!"

"Is he alright?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly stepped forward, his body staggering slightly in the process. Yamanaka Ochū shook his head rapidly, saying, "Good news! Good news! The Land of Lightning has surrendered!"

Upon hearing this news, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and the commander of Red Maple Castle were stunned. Yamanaka Eiji handed over the documents in his hand and said succinctly:

"Tatsuma led the Konoha ninja from the border of the Land of Lightning all the way to the Cloud Lightning Gorge, capturing the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails, and in exchange for this, secured victory for Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth wide and took the fax attachment from Yamanaka Ochū with slightly trembling hands. Looking at the treaty on it, and at the signatures of the Third Raikage Ai and Sakamoto Tatsuma, he lost control of his expression for a moment.

"That kid"

After rubbing his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to regain his composure and said with a smile, "I really don't know how that kid did it."

"We'll know once they get back. This document has probably been sent to other countries as well, and the Cloud Ninja who invaded Konoha should have received it as well."

Yamanaka Eiji's smile returned, and Kurenai Mamoru also stepped closer, saying, "Tatsuma... is that the Dragon of Konoha, Sakamoto Tatsuma?"

"Um"

Looking at the signature above, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "He was also the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."

"The Fourth Hokage? Is Your Hokage preparing to abdicate?"

Red Maple Guardian looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with some surprise. At Sarutobi Hiruzen's age, he had not yet become the magistrate of Red Maple City and could be said to still be striving for success. How could Sarutobi Hiruzen be considering retirement?

"He will do a better job than I will, so why cling to the position of Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mamoru Kage didn't have much of a relationship, but at this moment they were having a deep conversation because the joy and excitement in their hearts really needed to be shared with someone else.

Red Maple City also gave him face, repeatedly expressing their admiration and praise. After a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally composed himself, looked at Yamanaka Ochū, and said, "Announce this news! At the same time, notify the Daimyo and other ninjas on the front lines."

Oh, and have Sakumo and Torifu urge the Cloud Ninja to withdraw their troops. Remember, they are not allowed to take even a single needle or thread from the Land of Fire!

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

"Fine, I'll go myself!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Benifu no Mori with an apologetic expression. Before he could speak, Benifu no Mori said, "Hokage, important matters are of utmost importance. Let's sit down and have a drink and a chat after the war is completely over."

"Thank you for your understanding, Red Maple."

After bidding farewell to the Red Maple Guardian, Hiruzen Sarutobi personally delivered the news to the Konoha ninja community, where cheers erupted. Hiruzen Sarutobi repeatedly emphasized Tatsuma's identity as the Fourth Hokage.

Previously, it was all just hints. Although everyone knew it, not many ninjas could personally feel the changes.

But after Hiruzen Sarutobi confirmed it himself, everyone felt the change. A thriving change.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's recognition of Sakamoto Tatsuma as the Fourth Hokage was not only out of joy and as a reward for Tatsuma, but also for another important reason: to give the signature on the document sufficient weight.

As a Konoha Jonin, Tatsuma was not qualified to sign that treaty, but as the Fourth Hokage, he was qualified.

At the same time, this serves as a reminder to the daimyo that Tatsuma has achieved such results and fame at such a young age. When Tatsuma officially succeeds to the position, the daimyo will have to carefully consider how to treat him.

This is important to Tatsuma, but even more important to the daimyo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had experienced this before. When the new Hokage took office, the Daimyo wanted to extract more benefits from the ninjas. Hiruzen Sarutobi lacked sufficient resources and was not a particularly ruthless person, so he was willing to negotiate with the Daimyo slowly.

But Tatsuma is different. If the Daimyo dares to use the same tactics they used on Hiruzen Sarutobi against Tatsuma, then the Daimyo will definitely be the ones who suffer the most.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not want to see this situation happen, because the better the relationship between the ninja village and the daimyo's prefecture, the more it would promote the development of the village and the country.

The wrong paths he took should not be repeated by Tatsuma or by Daimyo.

"The Fourth Hokage, huh? Damn it, he beat me to it again!"

Among the crowd, Kakashi looked resentful. Now that the Third Hokage and most of the Konoha ninjas were willing to admit and accept that Tatsuma was the Fourth Hokage, it meant that Kakashi had lost once again.

He once thought he could become a Jonin before Tatsuma, but Tatsuma did become a Jonin, so he changed his goal to Hokage.

And now, he hasn't even become a Jonin yet, while Tatsuma has already secured his future as the Fourth Hokage. He's lost. He's lost!

Looking at his father beside him, who was genuinely happy for Tatsuma, Kakashi felt a little stifled. He also wanted to receive that proud and honored smile from his father!

Hatake Sakumo noticed Kakashi's mood, lowered his hand, ruffled Kakashi's hair, and said, "Don't be discouraged, you can strive to become the Fifth Hokage."

"That was after him."

Kakashi's voice was muffled. Sakumo Hatake shrugged helplessly. Actually, if he could, he would love to have his son study under Tatsuma, but unfortunately, the boy never had any such idea.

However, Kakashi's personality does need to be corrected. Since Tatsuma is unwilling, then we have to find another candidate. Perhaps Minato would be a good fit.

Hatake Sakumo didn't have time to think for long before Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him the order. He could only put aside his own thoughts for the time being and lead his troops to "urge" the Cloud Ninja to evacuate.

In the northwestern part of the Land of Fire, at the camp, news from Konoha was also received.

"Quickly! News of Tatsuma!"

Jiraiya strode into the command tent and handed copies of the faxed contents, along with the cooperation guidelines provided by the village, to the people inside.

Upon hearing that it was Tatsuma, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Minato tacitly used their respective methods to approach Jiraiya. Even Kushina stood up, but then sat back down.

She sensed Jiraiya's emotions, which was a good thing. Kushina suddenly became unhappy. Of course, if Tatsuma really got into trouble, she would most likely be unhappy too.

In the end, it was Minato, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, who took the two documents from Jiraiya first. He then returned to Kushina's side, handed one of the documents to her, and eagerly opened it to read it.

"Hahaha~ Good lad!"

The information was brief. After reading it, Tsunade threw a series of punches at the air and said, "This kid hasn't let me down after all these years of teaching!"

"Shouldn't I have taught more?"

Jiraiya was also unhappy. Tsunade had always let Tatsuma grow up on his own, and now she was trying to steal the credit?! You have to understand, she was Tatsuma's mentor, and she laid the foundation for Tatsuma to get to where he is today!

"Over the years, Tatsuma-kun has probably learned the most from me."

To the surprise of both Tsunade and Jiraiya, Orochimaru would suddenly jump out and steal the credit at this crucial moment. Wasn't he always so aloof?!

Orochimaru's golden snake eyes met the unfriendly gazes of his two teammates. He was right; among the "people" Tatsuma consulted, he was the one who gave Tatsuma the most education and guidance!

If we're not just talking about "human beings," perhaps we could also consider the knowledge and legacy left by the Second Hokage, which would allow him to compete with Orochimaru. But if we're talking about "human beings," Orochimaru is undoubtedly the one who deserves the title!

"Orochimaru! What do you mean?!"

"Hmph! Tatsuma has to call me Jiraiya-sensei when he sees me. Has he ever called you 'sensei'?!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya attacked simultaneously, but Orochimaru snorted and said, "What do you mean? I was just stating the facts. As for the girls in the brothel calling you 'teacher' calling you 'husband,' what does that prove?"

Hearing the three of them bickering for no apparent reason, Minato revealed a somewhat simple-minded smile. He didn't have many feelings about it; it was enough that Tatsuma was alright.

"snort!"

Kushina snorted, giving Minato a disapproving glare. "Still grinning like an idiot! Didn't you see that the village's guidelines all emphasized 'Sakamoto Tatsuma signed the treaty as the Fourth Hokage'?!"

Once this guideline is implemented, Tatsuma will be the undisputed Fourth Hokage! At that time, even if Minato performs no worse than Tatsuma, he will not be able to match Tatsuma in terms of support and approval.

As for surpassing Tatsuma's performance, Kushina didn't even dare to think about it.

She was no longer the short-sighted girl who had always lived in the village. She knew the cruelty of war and the great feat of Tatsuma. Catching up with him was extremely difficult, and surpassing him was completely impossible!

Kushina might be able to hold her own or even have a slight advantage against one of the Jinchuriki from Iwagakure, but if it were two of them together, not to mention a Kage from another ninja village.

If they had a way to deal with Onoki, they wouldn't have suffered such a series of defeats.

Kushina patted her stomach, muttering to herself, "They call themselves the strongest, but they can't even compare to a human."

Within the spiritual realm, the Nine-Tails flew into a rage, roaring, "Shut up! Shut up! I'm far stronger than you humans! As for that damned Sakamoto Tatsuma! Let me tell you, he's a monster! Definitely not human!"

no!!!"

Kushina mistook the Nine-Tails' roar for impotent rage.

Minato chuckled for a long time, then suddenly realized something. The change in the battlefield that he had been waiting for seemed to have arrived, and indeed, as he had expected, it was Tatsuma who created it.

(End of this chapter)