I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 519 After reaching a certain age, long-awaited reunions with parents invariably begin with the topic of urging marriage.

"Didn't you say it would arrive today? Why hasn't it come yet?"

Inside the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi paced back and forth, glancing from time to time at the crystal ball on his desk and then at the streets outside, which were beginning to be decorated with lanterns and streamers. His face showed a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

The day before yesterday, the village received a reply from Tatsuma, briefly explaining why they had been out of contact for so long: all communication equipment had been destroyed in the battle.

More than a month ago, the last message they sent back was sent after activating the intelligence station left behind in the Land of Lightning. However, just after it was sent, the intelligence station was attacked again.

It was only after returning to the Land of Fire that they used the communication equipment left behind in the camp to send this message to the village.

They also mentioned the expected arrival time in the village, which was scheduled for noon today.

If it weren't for organizing work, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have loved to leave the village and meet them on the way, but as Hokage, he had too many things to do.

Especially ten days ago, he left the village to fight on the front line, accompanied by Lu Yuan, Ying Zhong and other important officials, which has caused the village's work to be delayed, and there are still a lot of documents to be processed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt lost because the message sent back by Tatsuma did not provide details about the remaining team, nor did it include a list of casualties.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't worried about Tatsuma getting hurt. After all, even with a large chunk of flesh and bone ripped from his heart, the kid could recover in the blink of an eye. As long as Tatsuma didn't die, he wouldn't suffer any injuries.

But there are others, such as Hiruzen Sarutobi's son, who is also in Tatsuma's group.

Tatsuma's message was very limited, only conveying the most important information. After all, no one knew whether the camp, which had been "abandoned" for several months, was at risk of being infiltrated by other ninjas.

If the village is indeed infiltrated, the more messages transmitted back, the more likely the outer village ninjas will be to decipher Konoha's secret messages.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't very well expect Tatsuma to only report on the situations of a few specific ninjas; that would be too special and wouldn't sound good if word got out.

Therefore, no matter how much he cared about his son, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only wait. And waiting is always painful. Yesterday and this morning, the old smoker almost made himself quit smoking.

If he keeps smoking, he'll become smoky.

After the windows were open for a long time, the smell of smoke in the office finally lessened a bit. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked into the distance, but there was still no movement. He returned to his desk and stared at the crystal ball for a while longer.

Finally, he closed his eyes, put the crystal ball into the drawer next to him, frowned, and began to review documents, trying to distract himself by suppressing his worry and longing.

But a short while later, the noise from below the Hokage Building made Hiruzen Sarutobi stand up again and walk to the window.

"Hokage-sama!!!"

"They're back!!!"

This time, it seemed that someone spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi by the window. Some villagers waved vigorously at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Hiruzen Sarutobi involuntarily showed a look of wild joy on his face before calming down.

But in less than a second, the corners of his mouth turned up again, because he also saw the welcoming crowd lining the streets in the distance.

Although he couldn't see clearly from a distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi still knew that behind the crowd, there was a boy waving happily at him. That must be his little monkey!

As the crowd drew closer, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally saw clearly that his brat was indeed all smiles, waving vigorously at him.

With a weight lifted from his heart, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked him over. He was thinner and taller, and the foolishness in his eyes was no longer so clear. He had grown quite a bit.

His gaze lingered on his son for only a few seconds before he looked away, spending a longer time on Nawaki, Ino-Shika-Cho, Sento, and the others.

Seeing that none of these people had any obvious injuries, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally explain to the other high-ranking officials in the village. It's just that Shikaku has become much uglier.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell on Tatsuma. Like the others, his clothes were very new, probably changed from at the war camp. Otherwise, after months of fighting, his clothes would have been worn out.

It's normal for the camp to have some protective gear stored up. This gear is bulky and not of high priority, so it's also normal that it wasn't brought into the Land of Lightning.

There was nothing unusual about him, except that he had lost a little weight and his hair had swelled up a bit more. He looked no different from when he set off.

If there's anything else that's different, it's their aura. Or rather, the aura of these ninjas who have returned from battle has undergone a complete transformation. The composure of the victors and the determination of the warriors who fought to the death are now combined in them.

"Lord Hokage."

At that moment, a voice came from outside the office. Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze, turned around and looked at the door. Yamanaka Ochū said, "The meeting room is ready. We can start the meeting at any time."

"Okay, let Chenma and the others go over there. There's no rush to start. Let's get some food and drinks and rest for a bit first."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. The meeting was definitely necessary. After all, Konoha knew very little about the whereabouts and actions of Tatsuma's unit over the past three months, and they needed to report back.

Hiruzen Sarutobi himself was very curious about how they managed to overcome numerous obstacles and reach the Cloud Thunder Gorge to capture the two tailed beasts, despite being surrounded and blocked by the entire Land of Lightning.

It must have been a very exciting and thrilling journey.

Yamanaka Eiji nodded and went to inform the other attendees, while Sarutobi Hiruzen settled down, walked behind his desk, and continued to review the documents.

He didn't need to go to the conference room so early. He should let the young people rest for a while first. If he went there now, even if the meeting didn't start immediately, the participants would unconsciously get into work mode and wouldn't be able to rest.

Inside the meeting room, Tatsuma only brought Shikaku and Inoichi with him. Tenka, Sento, Nawaki, Choza, and Nonou also made significant contributions, but those who attended the meeting were not necessarily the ones with the most merit.

Instead, the person most helpful to the meeting's progress is needed. As the commander, Tatsuma must attend, while Shikaku and Inoichi, one to coordinate and dispatch the work and the other to convey and record the information, are enough to explain the situation of the entire unit, so there is no need for others to participate.

When he arrived at the conference room, Akimichi Torifu, the contemporary Ino-Shika-Cho, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Hatake Sakumo, and others were already waiting. Tatsuma greeted them one by one and exchanged simple pleasantries.

Lu Jiu and Hai Yi both sat down next to their respective fathers. Lu Yuan ruffled his son's hair, then brushed aside Lu Jiu's small mustache, his gaze falling on the two hideous scars on his face, and asked:

"Is this for your mother to see?"

Lu Jiu nodded, and Lu Yuan continued, "How do you plan to make this up?"

Shikaku rubbed his mustache and said, "Yes, this is a scar left from when I was shocked and lost my composure when I faced the Two-Tails. I decided to keep it as a warning to myself at all times."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded and said, "That's right, very convincing. Your mother should accept your explanation, but it might not be very effective."

"Um?"

Lu Jiu raised an eyebrow and looked at his father with a puzzled expression. Lu Yuan looked at his son with schadenfreude and said, "Your reputation has been too high these past few days. Many parents with daughters of marriageable age have come to visit us."

One particularly bold girl even said that even if you lost an arm or a leg, she would still marry you, her hero, and take care of you for the rest of her life. How about that? Touched?

"Disfigurement should be more repulsive to those women than losing a hand or foot, right? It should still have some effect."

"You can't avoid it anyway, so try to get to know her when you have time. She's also from our Nara clan, her name is Nara Yoshino, and your mother likes her very much."

"Tch! What a hassle."

The conversation between the father and son elicited a gloating smile from Haiyi beside them, while Yamanaka Eichō sneered and said, "You too."

Haiyi: "??? I have to go see him too? Father, I'm not the kind of person who steals my friend's boyfriend!"

"Who said it's the same girl? Your mother said she'll make arrangements for you. By the way, if she disappears, you won't be able to get the flowers you left with your mother back."

"How could this be?!"

"Hahaha~"

The meeting room immediately erupted in laughter, but Shikaku and Inoichi wore long faces, looking more like defeated prisoners of war than triumphant warriors.

Koharu, looking at Tatsuma who was laughing the loudest, said, "Tatsuma, you should really start paying attention. Look how early Minato became sensible! How about I find you a few girls in the medical department? Or maybe I can have Biwako find you a few at Konoha Hospital?"

"Hiccup~ Cough cough~"

Tatsuma's laughter stopped abruptly, and he quickly declined, saying, "No need, Lord Koharu, please don't worry about me."

"I really don't understand why you young people are so resistant. Even if it's not for marriage, you should at least meet some members of the opposite sex. Don't waste your precious youth."

Must we wait until we reach the age of old age to regret it?

Koharu continued to tempt him, but Tatsuma shook his head and said, "I've known how to protect myself since I was little. I know that the best way to avoid being rejected is not to make a request."

Besides, how many lucky people actually meet someone they truly like? It's just romantic feelings at play, creating an image of someone in their mind that they like.

"So young, yet he's got a whole host of profound truths."

Koharu, turning to her room, laughed and said, "Besides, how do you know you won't run into her?"

"Haha~ Lord Xiaochun, you don't understand, do you? The people who understand love best are the single people, because wise people don't fall in love."

Chenma chuckled and changed the subject, while Lu Yuan deliberately said, "It seems I'm quite unprofessional as the chief of this think tank. Luckily, my son isn't married yet. Lu Jiu, you'll be taking over my position starting tomorrow!"

Shikaku: Why am I the one who gets hurt again?!

Suddenly, Shikaku felt that marriage wasn't so hard to accept after all. Once he was married, he could tell Tatsuma that he was a fool who had fallen in love and was not suitable to be Konoha's strategist!

But women are such a hassle.

Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally arrived at the conference room. Seeing the festive and harmonious atmosphere, he joked, "I heard you all discussing this from afar. What are you talking about? Let me join in?"

His words silenced the meeting room for a moment, as if a homeroom teacher had suddenly arrived during a study session and pressed a mute button. Finally, Tatsuma spoke up before the atmosphere became awkward:

"We're looking for spouses for Shikaku and Inoichi, Hokage. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

Seeing that Chenma had eased the awkwardness, Lu Yuan also spoke up, "We can talk about these private matters later. Now that the Hokage has arrived, the meeting should begin."

(End of this chapter)