I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 579 There's always a sense of ease in resigning and handing over the reins, like dumping a mess on someone else.

"It's been a long time, Hokage-sama."

Inside the Hokage's office, Tatsuma greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi, who nodded, seemingly in a good mood. He then said:

"I have received your report on your actions with Danzo. You did a very good job this time. You have effectively restrained Danzo."

To Hiruzen Sarutobi's surprise, Danzo did not do anything he shouldn't have done during this operation, such as killing some people and plundering resources while trapping the Sand Ninja.

These actions may not disrupt the overall direction of the mission, but they always make people uneasy. Danzo often did these things when he carried out missions for Hiruzen Sarutobi in the past.

However, this time it didn't happen.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't quite believe his old friend had "turned over a new leaf." He was more inclined to believe that Tatsuma's influence on Danzo was stronger than that of his close friend and Hokage.

Tatsuma subconsciously placed his hand on the bridge of his nose, only then realizing he wasn't wearing glasses anymore. He then gently scratched his nose before saying:

"Lord Danzo is simply used to pushing conditions to their limits, while you are more cautious."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He knew Tatsuma's subtext: he was too conservative and had given up a lot of room to maneuver, but Danzo would actively occupy that space when carrying out missions.

Tatsuma, on the other hand, was someone who liked to dance on the edge of a knife. Danzo had to be extremely careful in cooperating with him, let alone have any spare energy to do anything else.

Changing the subject, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "I thought you'd come back with Minato and the others, and also with Shisui. Didn't he come back with you?"

"Not on the way."

Tatsuma watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was talking, began flipping through documents, and a hint of wariness appeared on his face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out a stack of documents, saw the expression on Tatsuma's face, and said with a helpless smile, "You're wary of me?"

"Ninjas value their intuition more than ordinary people."

Tatsuma joked. Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Tatsuma wasn't truly wary, otherwise he wouldn't have written it on his face. He placed the documents on the table, gave them a gentle push, and said:

"Although this Chunin Exam includes an assessment of individual abilities, it is, after all, a time of war, so team coordination will be the primary focus. Registration will be conducted in teams of all sizes and under the names of the teams."

Even Kakashi was assigned to sign up by Minato; Shisui was alone, which was against regulations. I've compiled a list of teams that are currently incomplete or have lost their leader; take a look.

Although the battlefield was dominated by the majority of the forces, and apart from the Hyuga and Kirigakure forces in the east being locked in a tug-of-war, the battlefields in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Grass were largely at a standstill, but it was not entirely without action.

Actions inevitably lead to battles, and casualties are unavoidable. Initially intact squads are forced to disband. On the battlefield, these individuals may be reassigned to other squads, but their records remain unchanged in the ninja archives.

They could only wait until they returned to the village for the village to assess and redistribute the resources. Tatsuma could easily understand what Hiruzen Sarutobi meant: he wanted Hiruzen to bring two more people with him.

"Can you recommend one, someone smarter?"

Tatsuma spoke, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment. He had prepared quite a few explanations, but had Tatsuma changed his mind? Was he now willing to accept the village's arrangements?

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could recover, Tatsuma continued, "It just so happens that Lord Orochimaru also has a member on his side. He certainly wouldn't mind if Shisui joined as well. As long as there's one more person who satisfies him, he can sign up for the team."

"You little brat"

Knowing this kid was rebellious by nature, the village pushed him onto Orochimaru, but he directly passed the buck to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He took a deep breath and said, "Orochimaru's student has no intention of registering for this Chunin Exam."

"Girls are shy, we can't wait for them to take the initiative."

Tatsuma was spouting nonsense with a straight face. If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't been so well-mannered, he would have jumped up and given Tatsuma a flick on the forehead.

Suppressing his anger, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the stack of documents, which was almost off the table, again. He said, "Take a look first, just in case you're interested?"

Tatsuma knew he couldn't be too disrespectful to Hiruzen Sarutobi, so he picked up the data and started looking at it. This certainly wasn't the data on all the eligible genin.

After all, according to Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan, he had the opportunity to be included in the future Fourth Hokage's direct team, so he was carefully selected.

Tatsuma also saw information on some people he was somewhat familiar with, such as Genma Shiranui, Ebisu, Aoba Yamashiro, and Raido Namiashi.

These people were not from the same cohort, but they all chose to participate in this Chunin Exam, so they could be considered Kakashi's classmates. Of course, they were all several years older than Shisui.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also introduced, "Genma Shiranui is the oldest and has the most ninja experience, making him a good match for Shisui. Shisui is talented but lacks sufficient experience, and Genma can assist him well."

Then there's Ebisu, a kid with a very solid theoretical foundation. Although he's still a genin, his knowledge of ninjas is already comparable to that of many jonin.

Then there's Yamashiro Aoba, who can be considered the master of all ninjutsu styles since the village's founding. He possesses the Uchiha-style Fire Release, the Crow Technique, the Yamanaka clan's mind-reading technique, and even some techniques from the Shadow Technique.

"Namida, Deivashi, and others are all outstanding talents among their peers and are excellent candidates."

Tatsuma nodded and said, "I will tell Lord Orochimaru that if possible, please transfer Shisui's file to Lord Orochimaru's name as soon as possible, and change it back after the Chunin Exams."

"How could you..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi clicked his tongue, wondering why this kid was so stubborn. Tatsuma explained:

"I'm not trying to shirk responsibility, but compared to others, I'm really a terrible teacher. Zhishui has been my student for a year, but the time he's actually spent learning from me is very limited."

On the contrary, the time and attitude with which Lord Orochimaru, Jiraiya, my teacher, Minato, and Kushina taught Shisui far surpassed that of me.

At most, I can only provide my students with a layer of protection regarding their identities. These children are all talented, and we can't let their potential be wasted.

Tatsuma was well aware of the situation. Although Shisui was the most worry-free student he had ever taught, far better than the bunch of idiots in the medical class, Tatsuma simply didn't have the heart to teach and nurture.

He never gave any plan for Zhishui's growth. It wasn't that he couldn't teach him; on the contrary, he had too much to teach Zhishui, and he couldn't make out a clear path for it.

Of course, he hardly ever thought about how he was completely unqualified to be a teacher.

When Jiraiya was teaching him and Minato, even though they weren't his students at the time and Jiraiya himself didn't have much free time, he still carefully planned their growth paths.

Tatsuma couldn't do that. He had been lying low in the Land of Wind for the past few months, giving him plenty of time to think and plan, but he didn't.

He even thought that with Orochimaru and Jiraiya around, Shisui's growth shouldn't be a concern for him, even though it was his responsibility as the teacher to worry about it.

In other words, Zhi Shui's talent was so remarkable that it attracted others to teach him, but the children in the files didn't have such abilities.

If you really become Tatsuma's subordinate or even student, then you can only hope for the best and grow wildly on your own.

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. The battlefield could not do without Tatsuma, and the actions Tatsuma was involved in meant that it was inconvenient to bring his students along.

Subjectively and objectively, Tatsuma is not very suitable to mentor students at this stage, but... inheritance is precisely what the Will of Fire emphasizes.

If Tatsuma is not outstanding enough and is not the only student, there will definitely be some gossip in the future. If there are people with ulterior motives, Tatsuma may even be portrayed as a short-sighted and selfish person who cherishes his own possessions.

"Sigh~"

With a sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Take a look at the information first. As for Orochimaru, you'll have to persuade him yourself. If he doesn't agree, then you must complete the team before I will allow Shisui to participate in the Chunin Exams."

"Thank you for your understanding, Hokage."

Chenma said gratefully that this was already considered special treatment. If other team leaders dared to make such a request, they would probably be kicked out and given a failing grade in their team leadership evaluation.

"Take another look at this. If you have any opinions, you can raise them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and started another topic, while pulling out another document and handing it to Tatsuma. Tatsuma curiously took it and began to look through it, but soon his brows furrowed, and he asked:

"Lord Hokage, aren't you being a little too hasty?"

As Tatsuma looked at the open documents, the first thing he saw were design drawings of different styles of Hokage robes. He flipped through them a couple more times, and there were design drawings of ninja vests, standard ninja tool bags, and uniforms for the Anbu, medical teams, and sealing teams.

Later, there were even new design drafts for the Hokage Building. Although the shape remained the same, the exterior and interior designs were vastly different from the current ones.

"These are all necessary. Every era must have its corresponding mark. Whether it was the second generation taking over the work of the first generation or me being appointed as the third generation, changes were made."

If nothing changes, it will also affect my reputation. You don't want me to ruin my reputation in my later years, do you?

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, then stood up, reached out and flipped through the pages, landing on the ones about ninja vests and uniforms, and said, "However, some things cannot be changed."

For example, the deep blue-purple lining is the color of the Uchiha clan; the green vest is the symbol of the Senju Wood Release; and the Uzumaki vortex is the symbol of our village, and a tribute and commemoration of the Uzumaki clan.”

"I know, I mean, isn't it too early to bring this up now? You're still the Third Hokage."

"It's almost time. We'll start preparations now, and he'll take over next year. According to Lu Yuan's plan, the war will reach the end of its first phase next year, and the countries won't have that many funds to burn."

At that time, everyone will inevitably have to retreat to prepare for the next phase of preparations, and undoubtedly, that will be the best time for you to succeed. The Daimyo Prefecture has even hinted that you will be in charge of receiving the war funds for the next phase.

The daimyo always deals with the Kage of the ninja village. Sending Tatsuma to make the deal means that Tatsuma is to "visit" as the Kage. Tatsuma fell silent.

He could also see that he had reached the point where he had no choice but to succeed him. Two years had passed since the start of the war, and a year ago Hiruzen Sarutobi had even directly declared that Tatsuma was the Fourth Hokage. If he delayed any longer, there would be internal suspicions.

Moreover, as the summary of the first phase and the opening of the second phase, a new Hokage is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the Daimyo, the Daimyo's residence, the people of the Land of Fire, and the ninjas of Konoha.

At the same time, for Tatsuma, the advantages he has accumulated since the outbreak of the war will allow him to quickly gain merit and consolidate his position in the next round of war after taking office, which is indeed the best opportunity.

"Then I'll take it back and think about it carefully."

Tatsuma finally nodded, still somewhat dazed after speaking. Although he didn't consider the Hokage position as the highest goal like other Konoha ninjas, he still felt a little elated at this moment.

"Yes, I will vacate the Hokage's residence as soon as possible so as not to delay your renovation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, somewhat dazed. In the blink of an eye, two or three decades had passed, all spent in this office. However, he had finally found the most suitable person before he himself became completely fed up with it.

Although he could only follow in his teacher's footsteps and make minor repairs to the village, he managed to preserve his teacher's legacy fairly well until he passed it on to the next generation.

After Tatsuma left, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the window he had climbed out of, gazing at the sky and village scenery outside, and murmured:

"Teacher, I am so lucky to have an elder like you and a junior like Tatsuma. I don't need to repeat the helpless choice you made back then."

(End of this chapter)