I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 661 When inviting others to visit, don't impose rules and regulations on them.

"Teacher, it's time to leave. There are still ten minutes until the agreed time."

Inside the Hokage's office, Shisui checked the time. As soon as the time Tatsuma had mentioned arrived, he immediately reminded him. Tatsuma opened his eyes and woke up from his nap.

He sat up straight, nodded, and said, "Has the Daimyo Prefecture responded to the contents of the fax?"

"There was no special response, just a routine reply that we received your message and invited you to come for a meeting as soon as possible."

After Shisui finished speaking, Tatsuma nodded and stood up. Shisui tactfully took down his outer robe and straw hat hanging to the side. Tatsuma put on his trench coat and straw hat and said, "Xiao."

A shadowy figure flashed, and an Anbu member wearing a mountain monkey mask appeared before Tatsuma, bowing respectfully and saying, "Hokage-sama."

Let's get rid of the disguise.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Xiao quickly removed his mask, took out a scroll, and changed his clothes, revealing his true identity: Sarutobi Shinnosuke, son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He inherited the title of Xiao, Tatsuma's former ANBU senior, and is now the de facto head of the ANBU, as well as Tatsuma's bodyguard and only bodyguard, since Tatsuma has not established a Hokage Guard Team.

"Shinnosuke, Shisui, just the two of you come with me to the Daimyo's residence. We don't need anyone else."

Tatsuma raised his hand, and the two tactfully moved closer. Tatsuma shared a portion of his chakra with the two, connecting them at the same time, and then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Outside the Daimyo's residence, the three figures suddenly appeared. Tatsuma sighed, "Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. Back then, I came to the Daimyo's residence as the Third Hokage's bodyguard. Now, I'm the Hokage."

Interestingly, the Third Hokage was also the Second Hokage's bodyguard, and the Second Hokage was also the First Hokage's bodyguard.

Before he could finish speaking, Shisui and Shinnosuke both showed excitement. Tatsuma hadn't made any promises, yet the two felt that the future was bright.

In an instant, the two felt that a white robe with the words "Fifth Hokage" written on it was waiting for them.

Chenma smiled and strode towards the city gate of Daming Prefecture. As he emerged from the jungle, his view opened up, revealing a city road leading to the gate, where many officials from Daming Prefecture were already waiting.

As the three approached, an official wearing round-framed glasses stepped forward and greeted Tatsuma, saying, "Fourth Hokage, it's an honor to meet you. I am Tan He, the Finance Minister of the Daimyo's Office in the Land of Fire."

"I have long admired you, Lord Tanhe. Over the past three years, I have been grateful for your efforts in coordinating resources during the war and helping Konoha to resist foreign enemies."

Both were very polite, and Tan He's face showed a sincerity that was different from a business smile. His understanding of Chen Ma came from various intelligence reports.

The Fourth Hokage, Sakamoto Tatsuma, as described in the intelligence was a powerful and somewhat arrogant person. However, upon seeing him in person, I was surprised to find that he differed greatly from the rumors.

It seems that the plan that kept him up all night might not be the Fourth Hokage's true thoughts, but rather the mainstream opinion of Konoha?

However, this was clearly not the time to discuss this. He stepped aside and respectfully greeted, "Fourth Hokage, please come into the city for a chat. Kunimochi Daimyo has been looking forward to this for a long time."

Tatsuma took a step forward, and Shinnosuke and Shisui were about to follow when they noticed the samurai on both sides starting to close in, seemingly trying to separate them. Tatsuma stopped, turned around, and said, "You are here to observe and learn in Daimyo Prefecture. Do not cause trouble."

"Yes, teacher!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

The two responded, and Tatsuma also looked at Tanhe and said, "Lord Tanhe, this is my student and most trusted subordinate. I hope you can appoint him as your guide, so that our Konoha ninjas can learn from the achievements of the Daimyo's governance."

"No problem, I'll make the arrangements."

After finishing the negotiations, he turned around and gave a few instructions to his subordinates before continuing to warmly welcome Chenma into the city.

The Daimyo Prefecture is very prosperous. Compared to the time when Tatsuma and Hiruzen Sarutobi came, nearly ten years have passed, and the Daimyo Prefecture has undergone tremendous changes. In Tatsuma's eyes, it has become much more modern.

Looking at the young men and women in professional uniforms on the street, Chenma suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to the world before he transmigrated.

The fast-paced life of ordinary people is completely out of place with the ceremony that is currently taking place. Tatsuma's entry into the city involves many rituals, far more complicated than the one he had when he accompanied Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After all, this was the Fourth Hokage's first visit, and the Daimyo's residence had to show the highest level of courtesy; the next time it wouldn't be so grand.

Of course, Chenma didn't like such a grand and complicated ceremony; it was too much of a waste of time. But today, or rather, this trip was destined to waste a lot of time.

Like a parade or exhibition, Tatsuma listened to the endless discussions along the way, but still had to maintain a decent smile on his face, which made him feel a little tired. He didn't want to come to Daimyo Prefecture again.

It took Tatsuma quite some time to get from the city gate to the central palace. There were many samurai and ninjas around, but the ninjas were not wearing Konoha headbands.

These are ninjas raised by the Daimyo's household. Although they are registered in Konoha's archives, they do not participate in Konoha's operations. Their only duty is to protect the Daimyo's household.

Leading these ninjas are the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, who are selected from different "extraordinary power" organizations in the Land of Fire. The Fire Temple and Konoha Village are both talent pools for the Twelve Guardian Ninjas.

Just as they were about to enter the palace gates, a group of ninjas stepped forward. The leader said, "Fourth Hokage, we need to check if you are carrying any weapons or other dangerous items."

"I am the biggest danger."

Tatsuma made a joke, then opened his arms and said, "How could I possibly bring weapons when I'm visiting a daimyo? Of course, I understand your duties and concerns, and I will cooperate."

"I'm sorry."

The ninjas did not lower their guard because of Tatsuma's words, and they searched him carefully. The female ninja who checked Tatsuma's collar and hat even straightened his collar after the search.

"Please come in."

After the inspection, the leading ninja confirmed with his subordinates before stepping aside to let them pass. Tanhe explained again, "Fourth Hokage, these are all standard procedures. I hope you don't mind."

Tatsuma nodded and continued jokingly, "There's nothing wrong with that. Security guards at brothels check customers for cameras, don't they?"

Tan He's face flashed with embarrassment. The Fourth Hokage's personality was truly unpredictable. Judging from the intelligence and documents, he was not easy to get along with, but when they met, he seemed like a friendly and approachable person. However, his words were now barbed.

He dared not agree with Tatsuma's words. Tatsuma was of equal status to the daimyo and dared to compare the daimyo's palace with a brothel, but he, as a subject, dared not say such a thing.

Therefore, he could only continue to smile and lead Chenma towards the center of the palace.

"Fourth Hokage, Kunimochi Daimyo has prepared a feast to welcome you. Kunimochi Daimyo will also meet with you at the meal. Please come in."

Instead of starting a meeting immediately, Tatsuma frowned again, but said nothing more. He went to a large hall, where there were countless maids and guards, but only two small dining tables with some fruit and snacks.

There was no distinction between the two seats, and it was even agreed that Tatsuma should choose his seat first. Tatsuma sat down next to the maid and was served by her, eating food that was barely enough to fill his teeth.

A while later, the daimyo finally arrived, accompanied by the Twelve Guardian Ninja. The daimyo looked to be about the same age as Jiraiya and the others, but he appeared somewhat frail, even compared to other ordinary people.

The Fourth Hokage.

"Daimyo."

Tatsuma didn't get up, he just nodded. The daimyo didn't seem to mind, and he sat down at another table, saying, "Just call me by my real name, Matsutsuki."

"Then you can just call me Tatsuma."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Matsutsuki suddenly said, "Tatsuma, you've kept your succession a secret from me for a long time. If it weren't for the battle at Kumorei Gorge, I wouldn't have known that you were already the Fourth Hokage."

"You jest. Didn't Lord Matsushita not inform me beforehand that he was assuming the position of Daimyo of the province?"

As soon as Tatsuma finished speaking, all twelve Guardian Ninjas stepped forward, their chakra surging and pressing down on Tatsuma with their combined aura. Tatsuma looked at Matsushita and, seeing that Matsushita did not stop them, a smile appeared on his lips.

"Heretical paths! The myriad phenomena of the universe!"

"Snapped!"

Chenma raised his hand and gently patted the dining table, covering the eye that appeared in his palm and the pulsating veins around it.

"Eye roll! Intimidation!"

There wasn't even much chakra overflowing, yet the chakra surging within the Twelve Guardian Ninja suddenly stopped, and then...

"Knock knock knock~"

The twelve guardian ninjas fell one after another, their eyes rolling back in their heads. This scene frightened all the guarding samurai into becoming alert, and the maidservants serving Tatsuma were also somewhat flustered, trying to get away from him.

"Snap!"

Matsushiro closed his folding fan, pointed at the twelve guardian ninjas lying on the ground beside him, and said, "I told you long ago that you should rest when you are tired, but now you have behaved so rudely. Just take them away."

His final words were addressed to the surrounding samurai, while Matsutsu even managed to avoid looking at Sakamoto Tatsuma, the culprit whom everyone could see.

Chenma withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, I'm so envious of that sleep quality."

"So you have insomnia too, Tatsuma? Me too. As soon as I close my eyes, all sorts of documents wake me up."

Matsushita smiled and said, and Tatsuma nodded, saying, "So it turns out that Lord Matsushita has devoted so much effort to the development of the Land of Fire. If I had known earlier, I would have shared your burdens sooner, and it wouldn't have taken until today to remember."

Matsutsuki was taken aback. This fourth generation is a bit shameless, turning the struggle for economic autonomy into sharing the burden for him.

But as he watched the Twelve Guardian Ninjas being moved away, Matsushita had prepared his lines, yet he didn't know how to say them.

As the daimyo of the Land of Fire, he had already heard his father say before taking office that when the people of the Land of Fire were of one mind, the daimyo had the final say, and when they were not of one mind, the Hokage had the final say, especially during wartime.

Matsushita opened a folding fan and kept cooling his head for a while before saying, "Today's banquet will not discuss official business, otherwise it would be a waste of the fine food and wine. Lord Tatsuma, you agree, don't you?"

Noticing the change in Matsushita's address, Tatsuma smiled and said, "That's right. I've heard people say that only love and food should not be let down. Let's start with the dishes today."

"Serve the food! Hurry up and serve the food!"

(End of this chapter)