I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 603: Perhaps the perfect partner exists, but not everyone is lucky enough to meet one.

"Ahem~"

At the wedding, there were only a few tables and the food wasn't extravagant, but the attendees were all close friends. Chenma coughed and stood up because they had just urged him to give a speech.

Tatsuma pulled out a card from his pocket and examined it with an air of importance. This small gesture caused a moment of silence at the wedding, since wedding speeches are supposed to be heartfelt.

Even the most beautifully prepared speech can sound somewhat perfunctory. This might be fine for other people, but Tatsuma is the groom's best friend and also the best man at the wedding.

After being stared at for several seconds, Tatsuma suddenly threw the card on the table and said with a smile, "You guys didn't think I was going to read some high-sounding words from the card, did you?"

Everyone then saw that it was just a blank card, and laughter erupted. Minato also breathed a slight sigh of relief; he hadn't wanted his best friend to give a written blessing at the wedding.

Tatsuma looked at Minato and said, "Minato, it is my greatest honor to be your friend. As I once read, only the noble have friends, and you are indeed a noble person."

You have an interesting soul and a pretty appearance. Compared to me, you also possess countless virtues, such as kindness and a heart that knows how to love.

I sincerely wish that your wife would care about you as much as I do, understand you, and even love you in a slightly more sentimental way.

Cheers and shouts erupted everywhere. After all, it was rare to hear such a direct expression of one's feelings. Minato also smiled so happily that his face was almost contorted. Kushina next to him glared fiercely at Tatsuma.

At this moment, Tatsuma's gaze also fell on Kushina. He pursed his lips and said, "Kushina, compared to her, our relationship isn't that good."

In the past, many of our interactions were forced upon us by the man beside you, and most of them were unpleasant.

But obviously, dwelling on the past today would make me seem like a spoilsport. What I want to say is that you can love the man beside you to your heart's content, and he will make all your love worthwhile.

By the way, a friendly reminder: you'll need to strengthen the seal on the Nine-Tails tonight and for countless nights to come.

After saying that, Tatsuma winked and made faces. Kushina was first surprised, never expecting that Tatsuma could actually say something like that. Then she was stunned, thinking about the meaning of Tatsuma's last words, and finally blushed.

"You bastard! What do you mean?!"

Before Kushina could react, the Nine-Tails, who had a separate seat at the wedding, suddenly arched its back, its fur bristling, and bared its teeth, saying, "Do you think I'm the kind of tailed beast that attacks while its jinchūriki is asleep?! Do you think I'm trash like Shukaku?!"

Jiraiya slapped his thigh and laughed heartily, saying drunkenly, "He's afraid you'll see something you shouldn't see."

At this moment, Minato, who had been somewhat bewildered, finally came to his senses, his face turning red. Indeed, it was time to study how to strengthen the seal on the Nine-Tails.

The adults at the wedding burst into distorted, strange laughter, while the children exchanged bewildered glances, trying to find someone who understood and could share their answers, but they found none.

"Dad, what do you mean?"

Asuma nudged Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was laughing so wildly that Biwako was pinching his waist and making him gasp for breath, wanting to get the answer from his Hokage father.

"Why would a child ask about these things?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi flicked Asuma on the head with a flick of the wrist. Asuma clutched his head, his face contorted in pain, while Shinnosuke on the other side laughed gleefully.

When the laughter subsided, Chenma raised his untouched wine glass, which had been filled to the brim, made a toasting gesture, and then brought it to his lips, tilting his head back to drink it down.

"Thank you for your blessing."

Minato had also composed himself and raised his glass to drink. Since Tatsuma, who never drinks, was being so accommodating, Minato didn't dare to be a fool. Even though he had already drunk quite a bit, he still managed to finish the full glass of wine.

There was no professional emcee at the wedding, and Chenma, the incompetent best man, didn't even try to fend off the drinks. While everyone else was celebrating with elaborate toasts, he withdrew from the scene, standing at a distance and watching with a smile.

"They're so kind."

Unbeknownst to them, Nonou had also come to Tatsuma's side. Hearing her words, Tatsuma nodded and said, "Yes, love is beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Nono instinctively looked up at Tatsuma beside her. Her eyes, which had lost their youthful luster, held complex emotions: blessings,感慨, joy, and relief, but seemingly, there was still no longing or envy.

On the contrary, these were all things that Nonou saw.

"Nonou! Come and catch the flowers!"

Kushina held up a bouquet of flowers in one hand and waved the other, beckoning to the little girls, including Rin and Shizune, who all surrounded her, wanting the bouquet.

Nono looked at the bouquet with its hidden meaning, then subconsciously glanced at Tatsuma, before gently shaking her head, adjusting her glasses, and giving Kushina a very gentle and bright smile.

However, there was a hidden regret in her habitually squinting eyes. She didn't want the wedding blessings to lose their magic, so she decided not to attend.

Sure enough, as long as you squint your eyes when you smile, you can't see unhappy things, nor can you let others see them.

Seeing that Nono wasn't coming over, Kushina glared at Tatsuma again. She didn't have many friends either. Uchiha Mikoto and Inuzuka Tsuru both got married young, but Nono was having her youth wasted by a jerk.

This bouquet, brimming with blessings, seems only fit for younger girls.

In the end, Shinnosuke caught the bouquet. The girls shouted that it was a foul and cheating. Although the bouquet did not say that only girls could catch it, it was assumed that girls were the ones who would catch it.

Shinnosuke clutched the bouquet to his chest and shouted, "I'm just accepting it on behalf of someone else! I'm just accepting it on behalf of someone else! In the end, the unmarried girl will be the one who gets the bouquet!"

After breaking free, Shinnosuke, without saying a word, mobilized his chakra and used the Body Flicker Technique to escape from the wedding venue. Hearing his words, the other girls stopped chasing after him.

After all, Shinnosuke clearly has a girl he likes, and the girls at the wedding were mostly just there to offer their blessings.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako Sarutobi were laughing very happily, especially Biwako, who was so happy that she took off all the jewelry she had worn to the wedding of her juniors and gave it to the little girls.

Obito knelt on the chair, hugging the backrest, and said indignantly, "How could they do this! I should have gone and stolen it too. Rin definitely wanted to receive the bouquet, and Shinnosuke didn't even tell me beforehand! How despicable!"

"Lin may want to receive a bouquet, but definitely not one from you."

Kakashi calmly stabbed Obito in the heart. Obito glared fiercely at his former teammate who had become arrogant after becoming a Jonin. If it weren't for his teacher's wedding, he would definitely teach this arrogant bastard a lesson!

"We're all drenched in sweat, brothers."

At another table, the one with the new generation of ninja leaders like Ino-Shika-Cho, Shikaku wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and said, "I can already foresee what my mom will say when I get home."

You couldn't keep up with others in school, you couldn't achieve anything as a ninja, and now you're even getting married later than others! One step behind means you'll always fall behind; this is all you'll ever amount to in life!

"Stop talking, I'm here to drink and have fun, don't scare me."

Listening to Shikaku imitate his mother, Inoichi's hand, holding a glass, trembled slightly. He had just received several meaningful glances from his father.

He hadn't understood his father's look just now, but after Shikaku's reminder, he was really sweating profusely.

"Getting married is a good thing."

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly spoke up, saying, "When you have strength in your heart and a haven for your soul, you won't feel tired when you're fighting."

He was the oldest person at the table, and the first one to get married, so he didn't understand what these young people were resisting.

Shikaku looked at Fugaku and said, "Is it possible that I don't want to strive?"

"I didn't expect that."

Fugaku didn't know what to say, nor could he understand. After all, the people sitting at this table were the current or future leaders of the ninja clans, and they had to bear the responsibility of the entire clan. Would anyone not want to work hard for such a sense of mission?

The wedding lasted very late, and the revelry also lasted very late. After three years of fighting, everyone was feeling suppressed, and they were all very excited to finally have a chance to release their pressure.

By the time Tatsuma returned home, it was already dawn. He placed Shisui, who had been secretly fed alcohol by some bastard and had fallen into a deep sleep, on the bed, and then sat down to rest.

He now resists sleep, fearing that he will experience sleep paralysis again if he falls asleep. Moreover, he seems to not need sleep to replenish his energy, only a short rest is enough.

For the next week, Tatsuma also made frequent appearances in the village. Whenever someone asked about his lack of contact over the past year, Tatsuma would simply reply that it was confidential, and no one would press him further.

Privately, however, many people are discussing what remarkable things their Fourth Hokage had done in the past year.

Many people even attributed Konoha's victories over the past year entirely to Tatsuma, which made Tatsuma quite embarrassed, since he really had no credit and didn't even deserve any credit for his hard work.

Minato's vacation ended quickly, and he and Tatsuma went to the Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi handed them two scrolls and said, "It's a request for help from Roran. What do you think we should do?"

"Loulan."

Tatsuma smiled. What a coincidence! He was just about to go there. He said, "Hokage-sama, I'll lead the team. I've been lying around for a year, so I'm planning to get moving and get back into shape."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refuse and nodded, saying, "That's good too. Besides, you're about to take over as the fourth Hokage. As the future fourth Hokage, you're the perfect person to lead this kind of aid between countries."

During the war, Loulan must have been threatened by war. You, along with Minato and Choza, should help Loulan establish a defense system.

Minato, I'm sorry, but I can't give you a longer honeymoon leave.

Minato shook his head and said, "It's alright. Ending the war sooner is more meaningful, after all, extending the wedding leave is more meaningful. As for the people involved in the operation, I suggest Kakashi go too. He just became a Jonin and needs some mission experience."

"Sure, you can arrange it as you see fit."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "With the mission completed, it's time to bring the first act of the war to a close."

"no problem."

More and more of my peers are getting married, and today is another day to attend a wedding.

I'm drenched in sweat too, brothers!

(End of this chapter)