I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 565 Besides short-term achievable goals, people should also have lofty ideals worth striving for throughout their lives.

"Don't be afraid, get some rest."

Inside the room, Master Yuan's kind face was tinged with pity as he gently stroked the hair on Terumi Mei's forehead, his tone like the best lullaby, causing Terumi Mei's eyelids to tremble, yet she dared not actually close her eyes.

Lying on the bed, her body was tense, her hands gripping the blanket trembling. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, but dared not fall asleep.

Not only what happened in Daming Prefecture yesterday, but also the interrogation methods used within the Dark Guard, where they treated her like an enemy despite her being a comrade, striking and questioning her whenever she was at her most vulnerable.

This made Mei Terumi subconsciously feel that once she got sleepy, she would encounter something even more painful. Even though her mind was completely blank and she couldn't process any information, she still refused to rest.

Master Yuan looked at the girl, sighed, and gently removed his hand from her head, saying as if chatting about a story: "Your teacher is like half a child to me; I watched him grow up."

When he came of age, he told me that he would take care of me for the rest of my life as if I were his own father, and that if he were to die during a mission, his children would help him complete the mission.

It's a pity the ninja world is too cruel.

Master Yuan shook his head, shifted his posture slightly, and continued, "However, that kid had high hopes for you. When the Jonin team was selecting Genin members, he only chose you."

He told the old man, "You are just like the image of my future child."

Please allow me to be so bold, child, are you willing to help your teacher complete his mission?

In fact, Mei Terumi didn't hear a word of what Master Gen said. She only nodded subconsciously when she heard that he was fulfilling his mission for her teacher.

Genji smiled, but his almost completely missing teeth made his smile look somewhat comical, though not aggressive at all, which greatly disarmed Terumi Mei's guard.

"Then close your eyes."

The faint sound, like the striking of a Buddhist alms bowl, rang out again. Mei Terumi obediently closed her eyes. Genji didn't say anything more, but simply sat to the side and slowly shifted his gaze away.

Between breaths, the faint hollowing sound emanating from her lungs due to old age and illness was like the best white noise. Terumi Mei's body gradually relaxed, and finally, her head tilted gently as she fell asleep.

Master Yuan then leaned on his long staff to get up and gently moved out of the room. Outside the door, a young man was waiting. When he saw Master Yuan come out, he quickly helped him up. Master Yuan nodded, and the two left quietly.

Only after they had gone some distance did the young man say, "Elder Master Yuan, the Fourth Generation leader wants you to attend a meeting."

"I'm not going. I'm too old to walk anymore."

Yuan Shi waved his hand. Of course he knew what Yagura had asked him to do. It was nothing more than two things: first, to ask him why he had taken Mei Terumi from the Anbu, forcing him to at least do him a favor.

Secondly, they wanted to use this favor to ask him to endorse the war, since his reputation accumulated over the years was still quite useful.

The master had no intention of letting Yagura Karatachi have his way. How old was he? How could he be questioned by a young man? Didn't he have any pride? Endorsing the war was even more impossible; he had opposed the war since the time of the second generation.

If Yagura really wants to hold someone accountable, then he should come and find this old man himself. If Yagura dares to come, this old man can just die right now in front of Yagura. It all depends on whether Yagura is willing to do so.

"Qing, it means you'll have to work harder from now on. I'm afraid everyone around me will be transferred away one by one, including you, Quan Bingwei."

Master Yuan sighed and sat down with Qing's help. After letting go of Master Yuan's hand, Qing shook his head and said, "Elder Master Yuan, this is just my duty as a ninja of Kirigakure."

Even without the Fourth Hokage's deliberate mobilization, if war breaks out, as a Jonin of the village, I will go to the battlefield to serve the village.

"When you get to the battlefield, don't be too impulsive. War isn't always about fighting to the death. If you really encounter someone you can't defeat, you should retreat. You can always do more while you're alive."

Master Yuan instructed, and Qing nodded. Seeing that Master Yuan still wanted to advise him, he changed the subject and said, "By the way, Elder Master Yuan, I learned from the people from the Dark Division that the Fourth Generation has already determined the nature of the killing of the alliance delegation."

To claim it was Konoha's doing, to so bluntly incite public anger, is simply too much.

"Child's play? Arbitrary? Autocratic?"

Master Yuan looked at Qing, who nodded. Master Yuan shook his head and said, "The lack of evidence only means that the truth cannot be proven, not that the truth cannot be guessed."

"Huh? You mean this was really done by Konoha?"

Ao was somewhat incredulous and said, "But... how did Konoha know about our alliance with Sunagakure and Kumogakure? They didn't interfere when the alliance was signed, so why are they trying to sabotage it now that it's already formed? Isn't that a pointless effort?"

"Breaking the alliance is a futile effort for Konoha."

After Yuan Shi finished speaking, he glanced at Qing's bewildered expression before saying, "You've seen the alliance information, so why do we need an alliance?"

Ao frowned and said, "Kumakushi was forced to sign a non-aggression pact with Konoha. After the Kumo-nin withdrew from the battlefield, neither the Iwa-nin nor the Suna-nin were able to put enough pressure on Konoha, and they even suffered repeated defeats."

These conditions were not concealed when the alliance was formed. After all, the purpose of the alliance was to defeat Konoha. If Konoha was already on its last legs, what would be the point of forming an alliance? Just to get more people involved and share the spoils?

Master Yuan nodded and said, "Then let me ask you again, how do you think the power of our Mist Ninja compares to that of the Cloud Ninja?"

After thinking for a moment, Qing replied, "Due to years of internal strife, the overall strength of our Hidden Mist Village is probably inferior to that of the Hidden Cloud Village, which has been stationed there for many years."

"So, why was Konoha able to hold its line against the combined attacks of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, and even push back against one of them, defeating Kumogakure, but hesitated to attack the other two villages?"

"You can't say that, can you? The reason why the Cloud Ninja lost was because Sakamoto Tatsuma held the Tailed Beast hostage and threatened the Daimyo's office in the Land of Lightning, forcing the Raikage to surrender, right?"

According to their information, before Sakamoto Tatsuma took the Tailed Beasts hostage, these three parties held the upper hand, and Konoha was even on the verge of death. Sakamoto Tatsuma narrowly escaped Konoha's predicament.

"But the fact is, Konoha defeated Kumogakure and sent a large amount of reinforcements, but it didn't launch a decisive war against the other two villages. Do you think Sakamoto Tatsuma was afraid to take that gamble?"

After Yuan Shi finished asking, Qing shook his head. How could someone who dared to directly exchange battlefields with the Cloud Ninja and lead a team deep into the heart of the Land of Lightning, seeking a glimmer of hope amidst ten thousand deaths, not dare to gamble?

After shaking his head, Ao realized what was happening and said, "Konoha's intention is not to win, but to wear down the other villages and make up for the losses caused by being besieged from multiple sides."

The reason we first defeated the Cloud Ninja was because Konoha couldn't fight on three fronts simultaneously against the Cloud, Sand, and Iwa Ninja. However, our Mist Ninja is inferior to the Cloud Ninja, which is within Konoha's acceptable range.

"If you can see through this, then you haven't wasted your years following this old man."

Master Yuan nodded and continued, "Now, back to the matter, do you know who killed the Covenant delegation?"

"Konoha".

Ao said with certainty, "They are not preventing the Mist Ninja from attacking Konoha after the alliance was reached. In fact, Konoha is facilitating all of this. However, Konoha also hopes to see a civil war among the three parties to the alliance."

"But Elder Yuanshi, why didn't you attend the meeting and inform the rest of the village? If Konoha's scheme succeeds, countless Mist Ninja will die on the battlefield."

As he spoke, an anxious look appeared on his face. Master Yuan sighed again and said, "Have you forgotten what I told you?"

"what?"

"War is not necessarily about fighting to the death. Casualties and victories are not everything in war. What the Fourth Hokage wants to follow is just the same old path as the Second Hokage."

As Master Yuan spoke, a look of sorrow and helplessness appeared in his eyes. He said, "Back then, I couldn't stop the Second Hokage. Now, with my frail body, how can I possibly stop the young, spirited, and ambitious Fourth Hokage?"

Qing opened her mouth and said, "Then...then..."

Seeing that he was speechless, Master Yuan shook his head and said, "For every soldier, war is a struggle for survival, but for some, it is just a game of chess."

Would you grieve over a piece that has been captured?

Qing remained silent, and Master Yuan comforted him, saying, "So, on the battlefield, your duty is to survive. As for making contributions, winning, and securing the future, those are what the operators need, not what you need."

If you want to do more, try your best to help more of your comrades survive, understand?

"I see."

For the first time in her life, Qing felt she didn't even have the strength to speak in a normal tone.

Yuan Shi leaned back in his chair, squinted, and said, "This old man wants to rest for a bit. Go and organize the information on Takasugi Shinsuke."

"Is it confirmed that Takasugi Shinsuke is actually Sakamoto Tatsuma?"

"We've made that decision, but Mei Terumi doesn't know yet. She needs to know who the enemy is so she'll know how to survive. Otherwise, she'll just be trapped in confusion."

After Master Yuan finished speaking, Qing looked puzzled and asked, "Could it be... that you are certain that the person who made the move was Sakamoto Tatsuma?"

"Pretty much. Konoha has many talented young people, but there are very few who can do what happened yesterday. Even if it wasn't Sakamoto Tatsuma who did it personally, it was still his command and control."

In short, it's not wrong to let Mei Terumi aim for Tatsuma Sakamoto's level, because...

If her enemy is Sakamoto Tatsuma, she will continue to strive for improvement, and she will probably never be complacent throughout her life. This is the future that Kirigakure needs.

Qing nodded upon hearing this, because Sakamoto Tatsuma. Just knowing about his deeds would not give rise to the idea of ​​seeking revenge directly; the sense of oppression that could be brought about by mere written records was simply too strong.

To aim for someone like that would probably require a lifetime of pursuit, and one might still find it difficult to even come close. But it's good, because that way the child won't go to their death, but will strive, strive and strive to live and fight on.

"I understand, Elder Yuan."

(End of this chapter)