I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 573 Only when you let go of your prejudices against someone can you see their strengths.

"Did I delay your mission?"

In the desert where there are no mountains to shield it from the sun, the sunrise seems to come earlier, and under the sunlight, the entire desert shines, and everywhere you look, it seems to be gold.

Danzo looked at Tatsuma who had arrived and said somewhat awkwardly, like an elder who couldn't express his love, always subconsciously keeping a straight face.

"Lord Danzo, the timing you chose is perfect. Even I myself could not have found a more appropriate time to cooperate."

Tatsuma smiled. Only when you let go of your prejudice against someone can you see their strengths. After letting go of his prejudice, Tatsuma finally understood the abilities of this Third Hokage's assistant and the Darkness of the Ninja World.

What Danzo wanted to do was not as simple as arriving at a specific place within a limited time and then releasing those few scrolls.

In situations where real-time communication is impossible, Danzo needs to assess Rasa's and other Sand Ninja's sensory range and situation in advance. Only when Rasa's gold dust retreats and the attention of other sensory ninjas is focused on Tatsuma can Danzo take his position.

But Danzo had very little time, so he almost stepped on the edge of Rasa's perception range and decisively followed Tatsuma from the moment he took action.

Even though Rasa briefly halted the retreat of the gold dust midway, which could have exposed Danzo's whereabouts, he still managed to get into position at the exact moment Tatsuma needed to coordinate.

Talent, experience, and enough decisiveness are needed to accomplish all of this so perfectly.

When Tatsuma said that he himself couldn't do better, it wasn't just a compliment, because Danzo's cooperation was the best possible outcome given the existing conditions, and no one could have done it better.

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Danzo gave an unnatural smile. He wasn't used to smiling, and after instinctively smiling, he probably worried that his smile wasn't "good" enough, so he suppressed it.

He glanced away for a moment, then his gaze fell on the massive amount of gold dust behind Tatsuma. He said with some resentment, "It's such a waste to give so much gold to the Sand Ninja."

"This is all necessary. Besides, these are Sunagakure's assets. We are just using Sunagakure's assets to do things that are beneficial to Konoha."

This operation was a great success. Rasa's reputation will definitely suffer a great blow because of "Mr. Ginpachi". At the same time, the camp was also destroyed. He probably won't be able to lead the team into battle for a while.

Moreover, the Sand Village cannot possibly compensate for such a massive loss of resources; not only are they financially strained, but they simply lack the necessary supplies.

Tatsuma's tone was relaxed, seemingly not coveting the gold. Danzo nodded and said, "Yes, Rasa will definitely intensify his efforts to demand supplies from Kumogakure."

The more actions are taken, the more traces are left. These non-critical traces and clues can further suppress Luo Sha's reputation without causing him to fall into oblivion.

Leave the work of gathering evidence and spreading rumors to me.

Having set aside his prejudices and witnessed Danzo's talent, Tatsuma finally understood why Danzo had been able to make decisions directly, bypassing Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, on many occasions in the past.

Because what Danzo did was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to do but hesitated to do, and Danzo always managed to accomplish it.

Although Tatsuma doesn't hesitate when he wants to do something, having Danzo's help feels really good. He's a completely different right-hand man from Minato.

Minato has "flaws." As an excellent ninja, he would not hesitate to accept missions that might be dirty or dark, but he would not bring them up himself.

It's not that he doesn't want to, but rather that he's incapable of thinking about these things. He's better at devising overt plans, but when it comes to actions in the shadows, his mind doesn't work very well.

Perhaps this is also the source of Minato's personal charm; even after experiencing countless darkness, he remains a small sun that shines and warms people's hearts.

Danzo, on the other hand, may not lack the ability to devise legitimate schemes, but after years of traveling, changing, and even building the dark world, his mind wouldn't immediately turn to the open.

Danzo was an expert at operating in the shadows, which explains why Hiruzen Sarutobi disliked Danzo's style of doing things, yet couldn't let go of him as Hokage's assistant.

Although not as capable as the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still a leader with vision. As an individual, he might not like Danzo's style of doing things, but as a Kage, he knew it was necessary.

The conflict and entanglement between "individual" and "shadow" is what allows Hiruzen Sarutobi to express his love-hate feelings towards Danzo.

But Tatsuma doesn't have this kind of psychological burden. He is also an expert at operating in the shadows, and now he greatly admires Danzo.

Tatsuma took out two scrolls and handed them to Danzo, saying, "Lord Danzo, now that you've left Konoha, you must be facing some financial constraints."

Danzo glanced at the scroll and immediately guessed its general meaning. He took the scroll and said, "When conditions are difficult, there are difficult methods; when conditions are abundant, there are abundant solutions."

"I have already refined and smelted it to standard specifications, so it's easy to sell. Although it's not much, it's enough to support Lord Danzo's team in some extra battles."

Tatsuma said with a smile that Danzo's team was not large, and now only he and Ryoma Aburame remained at the core. The gold used to support them would not even cause any ripples in the economic world.

Danzo touched the scroll, glanced at the gold dust, and said, "Hmm, I will make my move as soon as possible, before the gold market becomes turbulent."

He knew Tatsuma's plan; Tatsuma intended to sell off a large amount of gold behind him. The influx of physical gold in the short term would have a significant impact on the market, causing a substantial devaluation of gold in a short period.

Danzo only had a pittance to begin with, which was far less valuable than the gold dust that Tatsuma was about to sell. Therefore, if he didn't sell it quickly, its already meager value would be greatly reduced.

Tatsuma nodded and said, "The Sand Village is busy dealing with the floods, so the rumors of a large amount of gold being lost should not spread within three to five days. I will try to hold onto this gold for about half a month."

Of course, even if I didn't postpone it, large transactions won't be completed so quickly, so you don't need to be too anxious. Safety and confidentiality come first.

"clear."

Danzo carefully put the scroll away, then asked, "Are you going back to Yekura now?"

"More or less, but there are still some things to do."

Tatsuma nodded, and Danzo pursed his lips without asking any questions. Since Tatsuma hadn't brought it up, it was highly likely that he didn't need Danzo's help, or rather, he couldn't help.

"Alright, you should also be careful. The internal affairs of Sunagakure are not worth putting the Fourth Hokage of Konoha in danger."

"I will remember your instructions."

Tatsuma nodded, and the two were about to turn and part ways when Tatsuma seemed to remember something and asked, "Lord Danzo, do you need treatment for your injuries? They're quite easy for me."

"No need, my injuries will be taken care of elsewhere."

This was the first time Chenma had heard of such a thing. Did he think that people who planned things out even their own injuries?

"it is good."

Without asking any questions, Chenma nodded, turned around, and left with the gold dust scattered all over the ground.

After he left, Danzo gently stroked his bandaged hand. Although he didn't have a clear plan yet, he would turn the disadvantage into an advantage.

But his style of doing things meant that the process was bound to be very dark, and the child shouldn't know about it.

With his exceptional perception, Tatsuma swaggered across the desert of the Land of Wind, riding the Sand Gold Waves with unbridled brilliance. No one noticed him, no matter how dazzling he was.

He headed south, the direction back to Yecang camp, but instead of returning to camp, he continued south until he reached the southernmost part of the Land of Wind.

The sand piles up on the coast, forming spectacular sights that look like the desert can store water. Without closer inspection, one might mistake them for desert lakes.

But in reality, these are just quicksand blown in from other parts of the Land of Wind. They don't have the ability to store water; they are soaked on hard ground that actually has the ability to store water, just like the seawater.

The sand dunes have piled up so deep that people can't see the ground underneath.

Walking through the dry region where yellow quicksand mixed with white salt sand, Tatsuma didn't seem to be in a hurry. After walking for a long time, he stopped.

On the vast expanse of yellow sand sat a gaunt monk. The sand beneath him, unlike other sand, seemed to possess a life force.

As Tatsuma stepped onto the sandy ground, a sudden surge of energy erupted from the sand, and a Shukaku, only as tall as a person, appeared in front of Tatsuma.

"What are you doing here?"

Shukaku looked at Tatsuma with a very unfriendly tone. Tatsuma looked past Shukaku and at Bunfuku, saying, "This is not a suitable place for burial."

"If you wish, I can sculpt a golden statue for him to preserve his body from decay."

"don't want!"

Shukaku's voice turned shrill as he said, "This strange old man doesn't like the golden body; he'll be poor his whole life! He doesn't want the golden body, nor does he want wine or meat! He's just a strange old man."

"So how do you plan to bury him? Just let him decay in the wind and rain?"

"Who knows? Maybe one day I'll get annoyed and swallow him whole, digest him into poop and dump him into the sea for those rotten fish and shrimp to eat. Anyway, he used to often talk about the story of cutting flesh to feed eagles."

"This strange old man probably wants something that will satisfy both me and the fish and shrimp!"

After Shukaku finished speaking, he suddenly became depressed and sat on the ground, looking somewhat helpless and at a loss.

"What he ultimately gave you was freedom, right? That's why you chose not to attack me, but instead chose to run away."

"I didn't run away! I can go wherever I want!"

Shukaku was stubborn; as for not attacking Tatsuma, it was simply because it didn't want to be eaten again, and it had nothing to do with the strange old man.

"Get out of the way, I know what kind of funeral to give him."

Tatsuma walked towards Bunpuku, and Shukaku said with displeasure, "I didn't give you permission to help!"

"I'm not trying to help you; you can dream about that kind of good thing. I just suddenly felt like helping others, and I mean 'people.'"

"You're a bastard! What's so great about humans?!"

Shukaku cursed, but did not stop Tatsuma. He even cleared away the yellow sand under and around Bunpuku.

Chenma looked at Fenfu and formed a hand seal.

"Ninja Art! Sunflower Blooms!"

(End of this chapter)