I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 631 Some people are lenient with outsiders but harsh with their own people; this is called being lenient on the outside but inwardly resentful.

"The torch in your hand may go out, but the fire in your heart can never be extinguished. No matter how heavy the snow blocks the mountains and how birds and beasts hide, as long as there is a spark in your heart, you can drive away the cold and bring light and warmth."

Over the past three years, more than half of Konoha's ninjas have died on the battlefield. This is the most difficult time in Konoha's history, but I have never seen the fire in anyone's eyes go out.

This is an ordinary stone tablet, yet it bears the glory of countless sacrifices. In my eyes, it is the spark that ignited Konoha, the spark that brought it back to life. The owners of the names on it were not dead, but became the lights that illuminate our path forward.

On the rooftop of the Hokage Building, Tatsuma looked at the memorial tablet that was about to be transported to the Konoha Cemetery and said, "Even when the flint burns to ashes, there are still embers waiting to be reignited; even when the autumn wind brings down the cold dew, there are still seeds that nurture life."

I do not believe that the long night is coming, because they are shining brightly, and we will take up the torch and become the new torchbearers, until the light of dawn illuminates the entire ninja world.

As he finished speaking, Tatsuma raised his Hokage hat high, as if he were taking off his hat in salute. Amid cheers from countless Konoha ninjas and villagers around him, Tatsuma threw out the hat he had just received from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Countless people rushed frantically toward the spot where the straw hat had landed, as if it were a bouquet at a wedding, scrambling to claim their spots. Chenma smiled and clasped his hands together in prayer.

"Boom!"

The loud noise attracted the attention of countless people. The memorial tablet, which had been standing on the ground, was grabbed by a wooden hand and lifted up. A huge wooden figure also rose from the ground, holding the memorial tablet high, and headed towards the Konoha Cemetery.

The sunlight was just right, shining on the memorial stone as if it were a torch. Under the gaze of countless people, this beam of light gradually faded away.

Tatsuma also left at this moment and arrived at the entrance to the rooftop. Hiruzen Sarutobi was there as well. Hiruzen Sarutobi said half-jokingly, "The straw hat I gave you, you just passed it on to someone else like that?"

"To be honest, your scalp smells a bit strong; it might be the legendary 'old person's odor.'"

After Tatsuma finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi patted him on the shoulder with a smile, but the force was a bit heavy, and the sound of the pat on Tatsuma's body was like the sound of a night drum.

However, for Chenma, this was like a massage therapist's service; he accepted it with a smile and looked at the others.

Minato, Kushina, Amagami, Sento, Nawaki, Nono, the three legendary ninja, Ino-Shika-Cho, and others all converged on him. Tatsuma nodded to them and said:

"From now on, I'll leave things to everyone."

Today marks both Tatsuma's inauguration as the Fourth Hokage and the completion of the power transition for these individuals.

Minato will serve as Hokage's assistant, Ino-Shika-Cho will succeed their fathers, Tenka, Sento, and Nawaki will form the new Hokage advisory group, Kushina will serve as the leader of the sealing team, and Nonou will serve as the head of the medical department.

Of course, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Torifu Akimichi did not resign. Torifu Akimichi made great contributions to Konoha's education and continues to generate value.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, although their styles of doing things don't match Tatsuma's, have a wealth of experience in handling domestic affairs, something that Tenka and Sento cannot do.

The two old advisors retained their positions, but their voices were subtly diminished; Tenka, Sento, and Nawaki became more symbolic.

They represent the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Senju clans respectively, and have entered the new generation of Konoha's leadership. Their respective areas of responsibility are external armed forces, which is their forte.

There were also many departments that did not undergo a handover of power. For example, the Konoha Security Department and the Konoha Guard Team were still in charge of Uchiha Fugaku and Hatake Sakumo. After all, they were actually part of the new generation, only they took office earlier than Tatsuma when he took over as Hokage.

As for the Anbu, whose ministerial position had been vacant for many years, Tatsuma was willing to give Hiruzen Sarutobi face and wait for Shinnosuke to grow up. After all, Shinnosuke was already a minister in name only, just like Tatsuma back then.

Back then, Tatsuma was unwilling to be the head of the Anbu, and Shinnosuke lacked both strength and prestige. But as long as the Anbu could operate normally, whether or not there was a head didn't really matter.

Everyone descended the steps. Those with private offices returned to their own offices, while those without offices went to the Jonin platoon assembly point to await orders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi followed Tatsuma into the Hokage's office. The renovation of the Hokage's office had been completed bit by bit over the past year, and it was now exactly as Tatsuma had requested.

Tatsuma sat at the head of the table behind the desk, while Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the guest seat in front of the desk. Before Tatsuma could speak, Hiruzen said, "Tatsuma, Danzo has returned as well. Would you like to see him?"

Tatsuma nodded. In fact, he had already guessed Hiruzen Sarutobi's purpose in coming back. Tatsuma was not against meeting Danzo, after all, he had a pretty good relationship with Danzo now.

However, Danzo no longer acts as a Konoha ninja, so their meeting will inevitably have some impact.

Seeing that Tatsuma agreed, Hiruzen Sarutobi also gave orders to the ANBU members waiting in the office. A moment later, Danzo pushed open the door, and a somewhat unfamiliar smile appeared on his usually stern face.

"Tatsuma, congratulations on becoming the Fourth Hokage."

Danzo offered his sincere congratulations, and Tatsuma nodded, politely gesturing for Danzo to sit down. However, it was clear that Tatsuma and Danzo had nothing in common, and the office fell into a brief silence.

It was Hiruzen Sarutobi who spoke first: "Tatsuma, now that you have taken office, I have a request."

"Please speak."

"I want to know, from your perspective as the Fourth Hokage, how would you judge Danzo and my past actions? No need for flattery."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished asking his question, Danzo also looked at Tatsuma seriously. Perhaps when people reach a certain age, they start to want the approval of young people, as if only in this way can they prove that their past life has enough value.

Tatsuma remained silent for a long time, unsure how to respond. If he wanted to praise someone, he had plenty of platitudes to use, but now that he was on par with Hiruzen Sarutobi, he no longer needed to flatter him.

Moreover, those words might make the two happy for a while, but when they come to their senses, they might resent Tatsuma for being perfunctory. Therefore, it's better to make them feel uncomfortable from the beginning.

Seeing that Tatsuma hadn't replied for a long time, the two became nervous. Finally, Tatsuma looked at Danzo and said, "Imperial apology."

He then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Generosity extends to the outside."

Danzo is someone who can't stand seeing others do well, even his own people do well. Hiruzen Sarutobi is a tolerant person, even towards outsiders. This is Tatsuma's assessment.

Even if Danzo did not have any so-called "taboo" for him, it was only because he did not have it at that time, but an isolated case cannot cover up the whole.

Even knowing that such an evaluation was almost a criticism, Tatsuma chose to give an evaluation based on his heart.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo exchanged a glance and fell silent, pondering Tatsuma's assessment. To be honest, their first reaction was definitely some dissatisfaction.

After all, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo had treated Tatsuma very well. Now, this junior, who had received so much help from them, was giving them such a harsh evaluation. No one would believe that he wasn't uncomfortable inside.

It was only because of their affection for Tatsuma that they didn't fall out, and that's why they had the patience to ponder Tatsuma's comments.

One of the reasons why many people don't listen to advice is that the person giving advice is "too familiar with you and speaks too frankly." The person being advised will completely deny the advice as soon as they hear it, so how can they possibly think about it carefully?

If it weren't Tatsuma who gave this assessment, perhaps neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Danzo would have considered whether it made sense; they would have simply felt insulted.

But Tatsuma's words were worth pondering. After a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and said, "Indeed, this is my weakness. I always think about knowing when to stop, but I never thought that this would only embolden the enemy."

"Without you these past few years, Konoha probably wouldn't have achieved such a resounding victory. Instead, we would have had to scrape together resources to preserve Konoha. On that point, I admit it."

Tatsuma nodded and comforted him, "Third Hokage, without your tolerance, the young people in the village, including myself and Minato, might not have grown up like this today."

Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile and nodded. Indeed, this comforted him a lot. At least during his years in power, Konoha did not lose its reputation as a cradle of geniuses, and the rise of generation after generation of geniuses was also due to his efforts.

Danzo then spoke up, saying, "Perhaps leaving Konoha was the best decision I ever made. Resentment is indeed part of my character. Even you, I have felt resentment towards."

If it weren't for the monkey's enlightenment and the second generation's teachings, I might have continued like this until I seriously damaged this village.

Perhaps there will be no more chances. Here, I apologize to you, and also to the person you conveyed to me, to Sakumo, and to every Konoha ninja I have ever hurt.

Just as Tatsuma was about to comfort Danzo in the same way he had comforted Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo said, "It's all good, though. Now that I'm out of Konoha and acting elsewhere, my fears won't affect Konoha."

Just like the monkey, now that it has resigned, it will never forgive Konoha's enemies, no matter how lenient it may seem. Perhaps this is the best arrangement.

Seeing that Danzo had comforted himself, Tatsuma nodded and said, "Danzo-senpai, actually, there were times in the past when I really admired you, because most people like to stand in the sunlight."

However, few people toil in the darkness and serve in the light. You have the qualities of a true ninja, it's just that sometimes darkness shrouds the fire in your heart.

But now, the fire in your heart burns brightly, preventing you from sinking into darkness and losing your way. You will always be a member of Konoha, and your dedication to Konoha will forever be etched on the great tree of Konoha, indelible by anyone.

Upon hearing this, Danzo smiled. Tatsuma could always see the light in people, even in someone like him who was in darkness.

Cultivating in darkness and serving the light—this was what he wanted when he became the Dark One of the Ninja World, infiltrated the earth, and became the Root of Konoha. Now, he has finally found it again.

Seeing Danzo's reaction, Tatsuma turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Third Hokage, don't think you can just throw away your responsibilities after you resign."

Fire can bring light, but it can also destroy everything. Only a torchbearer like yourself can teach young people how to hold high the torch to illuminate the path ahead, instead of burning themselves.

"Haha~ If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

This feeling of not being abandoned by the new era also made Hiruzen Sarutobi extremely satisfied. An old horse in its stall still aspires to gallop a thousand miles. His dear friend is still working hard in the darkness, while he is enjoying the sunshine. How can he easily lie down?

Seeing that the two senior figures had regained their fighting spirit, Chenma smiled infectiously and said, "I'll be working hard for you two from now on."

The two left satisfied. Tatsuma sat in his seat. He had no official business to attend to today, as everything had already been taken care of in advance. As for the diplomatic letters that would surely come from various countries and ninja villages, Shikaku would handle that.

What Tatsuma needs to do now is take out Orochimaru's notebook, which is still at the level of casual writing, and sense the space-time trajectory anchored on him.

"Lord Orochimaru, you certainly haven't disappointed me. Brother Dai's life is now in your hands."

(End of this chapter)