I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 618 Some people wear smiles, yet let others know to stay a thousand miles away from them.

Nine-Tailed Fox was extremely depressed, more depressed than ever before. In fact, a year ago, when it discovered that Tatsuma had become one of its "kind," it was overjoyed.

Because Tatsuma always looked down on it and all the tailed beasts, believing that humans were superior to other creatures, Kurama finally waited until Tatsuma became one of its own before asking Tatsuma how it felt.

But since Tatsuma woke up, it has only met him twice. The last time was at Kushina's wedding, and it forgot to brag to Tatsuma about it.

But this time when we met, why is Tatsuma no longer one of its kind?! And... this aura...

After the meal, Kurama, who had been lying on Shisui's lap, suddenly sat up, stared at Tatsuma, and demanded, "You've seen him?"

After saying that, he took a bite of the watermelon that Zhishui had just brought over, and opened another one after the meal. He couldn't help it, he had too big an appetite.

Minato and Kushina looked at Kurama and Tatsuma with puzzled expressions, wondering what Kurama was talking about. Tatsuma nodded and looked at Minato, saying, "We found Kurama's former owner and resolved the issue of its soul escaping."

Upon hearing this, Minato smiled. He had heard Orochimaru and the others talk about the issue of soul escape a year ago, but there had been no progress. However, Tatsuma had only been awake for such a short time, and it had already been resolved. This was truly wonderful.

But soon, he became puzzled again, exchanged a glance with Kushina, looked back at Tatsuma, and asked, "Master?"

"I'm not your owner! Only a despicable human like you would treat me like a pet!"

Kurama said unhappily, its nine raised tails constantly brushing against Shisui's chin. Shisui could only lean back and suppress his laughter.

Minato seemed to have guessed the answer. He gently took Kushina's hand and noticed that Kakashi and Rin Nohara's eyes had also become curious. Minato said, "It's okay. Kushina can just treat you as a comrade."

And congratulations to Chenma!

Minato clearly didn't intend to bring up this topic openly. Tatsuma understood and said, "Yes, it is indeed a joyous occasion. There's no need to worry about him dying young."

His tone led the children, who were unaware of the truth, to believe that he was just joking. Shisui, who was also present and knew slightly more than Kakashi and the others, also smiled with relief.

Shisui didn't know what soul escape was, nor did he know who the "owner" his teacher and Kurama were talking about was. He only knew that his teacher seemed to have resolved some of his worries.

Nine-Tailed Fox looked at Tatsuma with a sense of frustration. Although it was unwilling to let the topic be steered away from there in just a few words, it had no other choice. It also knew that even if it managed to bring the topic back, that bastard Tatsuma would not be able to answer it.

In a fit of rage, Kurama crawled back onto Shisui's lap and vented its anger by tearing at the pockets of Shisui's pants with its teeth.

Some people are particularly liked by others, even animals, and Shisui is clearly one of them. After Sadaharu "betrayed" him, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) now likes to stay with him.

Of course, part of the reason is that if the Nine-Tails were to stay with Kushina, either Kushina would impatiently throw it away, or Minato would gently take it elsewhere.

After all, these two only wanted to be close to each other, and their patience with the Nine-Tails was limited.

The topic shifted back to the mission. Kakashi only chatted for a few words before saying he needed to go for extra training and prepare the necessary items for the mission. Rin also planned to leave.

Seeing Rin stand up, Obito quickly stood up as well, but as soon as he got off the chair, Kushina pressed him back down. Only after Rin left did Kushina go to the kitchen, bring out a bento box, and say:

"Obito, your grandma is getting old, so don't make her get up too early to make you breakfast in the morning. Take it back with you, and you can heat it up for breakfast tomorrow."

Obito took it, and asked somewhat carelessly, "If I leave it overnight, won't it give me diarrhea if I eat it tomorrow?"

Kushina's forehead veins throbbed as she asked, "Why didn't you worry about getting diarrhea when you ate just now?"

Tatsuma glanced at Kushina. If it were before, Kushina would have already attacked. Obito, sensing Kushina's imposing aura, quickly said:

"Don't worry, Kushina-sensei, I'll definitely eat it all tomorrow!"

After saying that, he turned and ran with the lunchbox in his hand. Kushina watched his retreating figure and murmured, "So reckless, isn't he afraid of falling?"

"It's good to be lively; that's what makes a boy."

Minato defended his student, and Kushina nodded, saying, "Yes, I wish our children could be this lively. No, these kinds of kids are really annoying!"

"Haha, a little liveliness is fine. We'll discipline them more in the future."

It was unclear whether Minato was referring to Obito or their future child. At that moment, Tatsuma rubbed Shisui's head, then grabbed Kurama by the scruff of its neck and dragged it away from Shisui.

He tossed the Nine-Tails aside, glanced at Shisui, who immediately understood. Together with Tatsuma, they finished their tea and drank the rest of their tea. Tatsuma then stood up and said:

"Well, we should probably head out now. If you have any questions about the mission, just come to the Hokage's office tomorrow. Also, Kushina, please keep an eye on Shikaku as well."

"Shikaku is capable, but he's lazy. If you don't push him, he probably won't have a plan finalized by the time Minato and the others get back from their mission."

"Yes, no problem."

"Ha! If he dares to slack off, I'll give him a couple of punches!"

The two had completely different attitudes, but both were beneficial to the mission. Minato and Tatsuma didn't exchange many pleasantries, but Kushina pulled Shisui aside and told him to come often in the future, so that he wouldn't have to come with Tatsuma.

After a while, the two left Minato and Kushina's house and walked a distance towards the Senju clan's territory, where they encountered Obito, who had stopped to take a leisurely stroll home.

Obito was still coughing up phlegm, as if the melon seed was still stuck in his throat. He said goodbye and went home.

Shisui lives in Tatsuma's house. Besides being a student, he also has to take on the role of assistant. Fortunately, Shisui is a good kid and never complains.

Unlike before, the Senju clan's territory is now very popular. Although there are no longer any people with the surname Senju, the children are growing up here and becoming the new Senju.

"Tatsuma-sama!"

Tatsuma's figure attracted the attention of the ninja academy children who were undergoing night training. Led by Yamato and Kabuto, the children instantly surrounded him.

Upon seeing Yamato, Tatsuma instinctively touched a scroll at his waist, where blood from Yamato in another world still lingered.

However, Orochimaru was still on the front lines and didn't have time to research it himself, so he didn't know if the two worlds of Yamato possessed the same potential and qualities.

If the reason why Yamato's cells are suppressed can be clearly understood, the transplantation of Wood Release will become stable and replicable.

"Aren't you resting so late? Don't you have to get up early for class tomorrow?"

Tatsuma smiled and said, not as friendly as Hiruzen Sarutobi. Apart from the few days when they came to freeload, Tatsuma usually kept a distance from these children.

Because he doesn't really like children, not just because they're clean or noisy, but because children find it hard to keep their distance from adults they admire.

Chenma, on the other hand, wanted to create distance to avoid the children rushing at him and then pushing them away, which would create an awkward situation for both sides.

This sense of distance doesn't necessarily require a cold face. Even a smile can create distance. Tatsuma controlled it very well, and Yamato stopped when he was two steps away from him.

"I'll rest tomorrow, and it's not too late yet."

Yamato replied that it was indeed not late, since it was only after dinner. However, adults naturally felt that children should go to bed early and get up early, and Tatsuma was no exception.

Tatsuma nodded, looking at the target hastily pieced together from discarded cutting boards in the distance, and said, "In the initial learning stage, there are requirements for the throwing distance, bullseye size, and height of ninja tools."

The enemies you encounter later may not position themselves according to this standard, but this is the most suitable distance and height for training, summarized by countless predecessors. Don't change it lightly.

As he spoke, Chenma clasped his hands together, and the ground in the distance churned, with new targets appearing one after another. There were even positioning lines in front of the targets, and vines forming a barrier behind them.

"This is the only way for now, Zhishui. Have someone set up some lighting equipment around here tomorrow."

"Yes, teacher."

Shisui nodded, while the children cheered and thanked Tatsuma. They didn't think that this was something Tatsuma could do casually; they were just glad that they had gained the Fourth Hokage's favor and that he had even personally built a new training ground for them.

"I won't disturb your training anymore. Please be mindful that once everyone has turned off their lights, it means it's time to rest. Even if you're not tired, you can't disturb others' rest, understand?"

"Got it!" *N

As Tatsuma listened to the answers, he glanced at the children and noticed that some of them didn't even have proper throwing tools. Instead, they were holding wooden toys that were just for show, or some broken ninja tools.

These students seemed to be enrolled beforehand, but they had already started training with the ninja academy students. Tatsuma had always admired this attitude of getting ahead of the game, so he encouraged them, saying:

"Remember, when you are still beginners, never use substandard ninja tools just because you don't have money. This will only lead you to develop bad habits, and you will have to spend more time correcting them later. It's not worth it."

Back then, Tatsuma and Minato used to train on the scraps that others didn't want, but they tried to choose those with accurate weight and center of gravity. The rest were either sold as scrap metal or used for other purposes.

After saying that, he looked at Yamato and said, "If you don't have enough ninja tools, just come to me. I may not have much else, but I have an endless supply of ninja tools. However, you will have to sharpen the blades yourselves after you take them back."

Tatsuma hardly ever uses ninja tools anymore. He'd stockpiled so many that he could never use them all in a lifetime, and now he was using them to do Shisui a favor. He looked at Shisui and said:

"Tomorrow, while you're at it, go and pick up some ninja tools and teach everyone how to polish them. The scrolls are in the study."

"Okay, teacher."

Shisui readily agreed. In fact, he and Yamato and the others were the same age. Tatsuma wanted Shisui to spend more time with Yamato and the others because he didn't want Shisui to be unable to recognize anyone his own age in the future.

After giving his instructions, Chenma returned to his room and sat in the study.

"Cough cough~"

With two light coughs, a melon seed landed on the table. As Tatsuma formed hand seals, the seed suddenly sprouted, and the three characters "Lake Toya" faintly appeared on the leaves, even perceptible.

"You wouldn't actually give a guest a stomach lavage, would you? That's ridiculous!"

(End of this chapter)