I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 587 The Surprise, in a sense, is a loss of control over the situation.

"Uchiha Shisui wins."

On the high platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked extremely embarrassed, even feeling ashamed.

In the past few minutes, his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma, has demonstrated what it means to be outmatched in all aspects of skill.

His ninjutsu was countered, and he was at a disadvantage in taijutsu and close combat. When he dodged and opened up, he showed his skill in the Body Flicker Technique, but he was not as good as Shisui, who was several years younger than him. In fact, his mastery of the Sarutobi clan's Great Flame Technique was not as good as Shisui's!

That's the Sarutobi clan's Fire Release technique! The same technique, yet the Sarutobi ninja is inferior to the Uchiha ninja—it's truly a disgrace!

Based on Asuma's performance just now, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that having a piece of char siu would be better than having this son.

The only reason why Hiruzen Sarutobi remained standing on the platform and didn't go down to give Asuma a lesson in love was that, besides being the Kage of the village and needing to remain composed, there was only one other reason: Shisui's identity.

Shisui was, after all, a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, a student of Tatsuma, and a subordinate of Orochimaru. In a sense, he was his junior!

He turned his head somewhat stiffly to look at Tatsuma, maintaining a polite smile, and said, "Shisui is even more outstanding than Kagami was back then. You have a good student now."

Tatsuma also gave an awkward but polite smile, quite puzzled by Shisui's behavior.

Shisui could have easily defeated Asuma decisively, which would have showcased his talent without embarrassing Asuma to such an extent.

Logically speaking, Shisui and Asuma shouldn't have had much contact, right? At most, they might have interacted a bit at the Grass Country camp. It's unlikely that Shisui would harbor hatred towards Asuma and want to embarrass him.

Could it be because of the "future"?

While his mind was wandering, Tatsuma had to help Hiruzen Sarutobi out of his predicament. Fortunately, multitasking was easy for him, and he quickly came up with an explanation, saying:

"Shisui wasn't raised by me, but by the village. He was taken care of by Lord Tofu in his early years, and now he has the favor of Lord Orochimaru and the others, which is why he has come this far."

It can be said that Shisui is a new branch that sprouted and grew strong under the Will of Fire. His growth to this point is inseparable from the support of the entire village.

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But Asma, that child...

Tatsuma clicked his tongue and said, "Hokage-sama, you can't just focus on the whole of Konoha. You also need to pay more attention to your own family. Asuma's fire style doesn't have your flair."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression improved considerably. Tatsuma was right! Shisui's growth was thanks to the village, and as the village patriarch, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally deserved some credit as well.

As for Asma, it was his neglect as a father. If he had paid more attention, there might still be hope. That's all!

The reason why Sarutobi Ryu's Fire Release technique is not good is not because Sarutobi Hiruzen taught him poorly, but because he hadn't had time to teach him yet. Asuma's ability to "teach on his own" to this extent is already quite good, that's all!

After calming himself down, Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger subsided, and Tatsuma breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "However, Asuma does have his merits, at least..."

Tatsuma paused, about to offer some praise. What was there to praise Asuma for? As someone who only offered genuine praise, Asuma's performance left Tatsuma at a loss for words.

But with Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fixed on him, Tatsuma had no choice but to say, forcing a smile, "At least this child has understood the importance of inheritance at a young age, so the Sarutobi family doesn't need to worry about the 'inheritance' issue."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was quite interesting. He felt that Tatsuma was talking nonsense because he was pushed to the limit, but it was also very sincere.

He had to re-examine his youngest son, and only when he saw Asuma and Kurenai cuddling and comforting each other did he understand what Tatsuma was talking about.

This is fine too. Hiruzen Sarutobi tried his best to comfort himself. At least now, the only remaining dissatisfaction the older generation in the village had with Tatsuma was that the boy was either too clueless about love or too clueless and unwilling to suffer the pain of love.

In comparison, Asuma doesn't seem to have this "flaw," which is quite a challenge for Tatsuma, who managed to find a redeeming quality in the child.

While they were chatting, Shisui had already defeated three opponents in a row. His teammates, Anko and Genma, didn't even have a chance to make a move, so the examiner had to arrange another round.

Orochimaru also knew when to stop. After showcasing Shisui's abilities, he sidelined him and let Anko and Genma take the stage to demonstrate their own talents.

The following exams went smoothly. In fact, by this round, the list of those who should be promoted had already been released. It was just giving those genin who didn't make the list one last chance.

As the final duel began, Hiruzen Sarutobi remarked, "Unfortunately, there aren't any surprises."

"Ninjas should never seek surprises, because surprises or joys are signs of negligence in intelligence gathering. And this time, it's clear we've collected comprehensive intelligence from all the lower-ranking ninjas, haven't we?"

After Tatsuma finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. This kid really knows how to talk; he always makes his listeners feel comfortable.

"You're right, Chenma, you should deliver the summary in my place."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spoke up, and Tatsuma didn't hesitate for long or refuse. Instead, he nodded and said, "Okay."

This is his future responsibility. It's normal for him to be adapting to the job during the handover period. It would be problematic if Hiruzen Sarutobi still held onto power and refused to relinquish authority.

Once all the examinees had assembled, thanks to the presence of Tsunade and Nono in the examination hall, no injured individuals were carried out. Even Obito, who was the most seriously injured, was able to stand up at this point.

On the high platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently stepped back, giving his seat to Tatsuma. Tatsuma looked at the group of children below who were holding their heads high and said, "I'm not sure if I should congratulate you."

Congratulations! Regardless of the outcome of this exam or whether you are promoted, this experience will serve as a wake-up call and a source of help for your ninja career and even your entire life.

What shouldn't be congratulated is that starting tomorrow, regardless of whether you've become a Chunin or are still a Genin, you'll have one less layer of protection. The village will no longer treat you as apprentices or trainees.

We will treat you as true ninjas, we will place more responsibility on your shoulders, and we will send you on more dangerous missions and to face more powerful enemies. This is the mission of a ninja.

I don't want to say anything too grand or lofty, because those words won't improve your survival rate or mission completion rate, and won't bring you any other benefits except for a moment of pleasure.

On the contrary, I'm going to say some harsh things, which you may not like to hear, but as they are now, you are still not worth mentioning.

Chenma's tone was serious and confident, which made those candidates who felt they had performed well feel very unhappy, and those who were already nervous turned pale.

"Genin, Chunin, and even Jonin are not the end for a ninja. The growth and progress you have made so far are not even worth mentioning in the long river of life."

What you need to do is to ensure the continuation of your own life's journey, so that you are qualified to continue swimming and moving forward. For this, you must constantly learn and make unremitting efforts.

Effort is never enough. To borrow a quote that Jiraiya loved, a ninja is someone who can endure what ordinary people cannot. To a ninja, ordinary people are just ordinary people.

But as for yourself, your companions are also ordinary people. If you can't even endure the training hardships that those around you are going through, then you become an "ordinary person" in the eyes of others, not a true ninja.

I have only one expectation for you: that you will not disappoint me and will become true ninjas.

With the theme brought out, and coupled with Tatsuma's infectious tone, these shallow-minded genin immediately became excited again. Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded; this kid had really mastered the art of first suppressing and then elevating.

"What a master of utter nonsense!"

Kakashi sighed, thinking that if he had just turned his head slightly, he could have seen his "soulmate," Shikaku, who was suppressing the urge to yawn. He could even guess what Tatsuma was going to say next.

But the others were not so "clear-headed." They even sensed immense power in his words. Obito, who had been performing poorly for a while, even had tears in his eyes and vowed to surpass Might Guy and Kakashi.

Kakashi was his nemesis, and if Might Guy hadn't become a Chunin, he would definitely have been kicked out of the ranks by Might Guy!

Looking at the genin whose emotions had been stirred up, ignoring one or two "outcasts," Tatsuma said, "I hope we can meet and talk again in the future, as true ninjas."

Ladies and gentlemen, it's an agreement.

As soon as he finished speaking, Tatsuma raised his right hand and formed the opposing hand seal in front of his chest. Under the guidance and signal of their respective team leaders, the genin also formed the opposing hand seal.

"Yes, Fourth Hokage!"

"Yes, Lord Tatsuma!"

"Yes, teacher!"

"yes!"

The replies were a jumbled mess, but that didn't matter much. Tatsuma released his hand seals, raised them high, waved them, and said, "Well then, the Chunin Exams are over. The results will be announced later. Dismissed!"

The suppressed emotions erupted at this moment, and a group of people were making a fuss, but no one stopped them. Tatsuma and Hiruzen Sarutobi had already left the high platform, and the team leaders and examination staff of each squad followed in their footsteps.

Only a group of low-ranking ninjas remained, pointlessly venting their emotions. Students were all like this; the end of almost every academic stage would trigger a celebration.

Kakashi, who had just left the palace for the second time, seemed out of place. He couldn't understand why he was so happy about the Chunin Exams, even if the results were confirmed and he could be promoted to Jonin.

"Kakashi! Don't just stand there like an idiot!"

Suddenly, two hands grabbed Kakashi and pulled him into the revelry. Kakashi looked at Might Guy and Obito, those two big troublemakers.

In a meeting room, Tatsuma retrieved the list and distributed it to the team leaders, then said, "This is the proposed promotion list. If there are no objections, then this result shall be adopted."

Additionally, if you need to disband your squad, register with Shikaku, and the village will assign new tasks to your subordinates and yourselves.

The ninjas leading the teams actually knew who would be promoted, and no one raised any objections to the list. As for the survival of the team, Minato raised his hand and said, "I'll continue to lead the team."

"These three students are all a bit unruly. As their teacher, I can't just shirk my responsibility like this. Even if they all become Chunin, I believe I can still teach them some useful knowledge."

Minato set the tone, since Tatsuma was the Hokage-in-waiting, and Minato was the Hokage-in-waiting's assistant, so his influence was considerable. Except for a very few Ryuchi Cave ninjas with particularly strong rebellious tendencies, everyone else chose to let the team continue.

Seeing Tatsuma's resentful gaze, Orochimaru rolled his eyes and said, "You're responsible for your own students."

His collaboration with Chenma was a partnership, a transaction. Once the project ended, they naturally parted ways. If they still want him to continue leading the team, then they'll have to offer more resources in exchange.

Tatsuma chose to swallow his anger, after all, there were so many people here, it was really not easy to make a deal. He looked at everyone and said, "The Chunin Exams are over, so now it's time to talk."

A new phase has begun in the war.

(End of this chapter)