I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 687 The most exciting part of the salary is the portion earned without effort.

"I didn't expect the Land of Iron to have such a strong will to resist; they really won't give an inch."

Inside the Hokage's office, Tatsuma looked at the intelligence report in his hand with a strange expression on his face.

After more than half a year of fighting and negotiation, the Cloud Ninja team led by A finally escaped the Land of Earth and headed east from the Land of Waterfall, hoping to return to the Land of Lightning by passing through various small countries.

The first few countries went quite smoothly, though it was a bit slow, but they all managed to obtain passage through non-violent means, until the Iron Country was suddenly blocked.

The Cloud Ninja forces were attacked by the warriors of the Land of Iron as soon as they entered the Land of Iron, and were not even given a chance to negotiate.

Although the Land of Fire took the lead in recognizing the Land of Iron's status as a peaceful and independent third country after the Second Shinobi World War, the actions of various ninja villages over the years have tacitly avoided the Land of Iron.

But everyone was just keeping their promises, and no one thought that the Land of Iron was really a forbidden place, not even Tatsuma.

No matter how many titles the Land of Iron has, it is still just a small country and cannot be compared with a large country at all. If Mifune, the leader of the samurai group, has any sense, he will give each other face.

Therefore, Tatsuma believed that the Cloud Ninja's request to borrow a route would at most delay things for a while, allowing them to negotiate with various small countries and at most concede some benefits.

However, this amount of time is sufficient. Although the Sand Village and the Mist Village are causing trouble in the Land of Lightning, they do not dare to fight to the death with the Cloud Village. They are merely trying to provoke the Cloud Village's movements and gain more benefits from it.

The two ninja villages have even started cooperating, with one side responsible for drawing fire while the other side is responsible for looting, and then they switch roles and do it again.

Over the course of more than half a year, the resources of Kumogakure scattered throughout the Land of Lightning have been almost completely depleted. Now, even the Sand Ninja and the Mist Ninja are planning to withdraw from the battlefield, but they are just waiting for an opportunity.

For example, when the Fourth Raikage A returns to negotiate, everyone can compromise, with both villages giving up some of the looted supplies, and Kumogakure "generously" stating that the remaining supplies are the supplies that Kumogakure owed to both villages in the past.

Then everyone went home, perfectly concluding the armed conflict phase of the Third Shinobi World War. That was what Tatsuma had always thought.

Konoha and Iwagakure only need to intervene when necessary. For example, when the Cloud Ninja forces have just returned to the Land of Lightning, they will definitely have to fight with the Mist Ninja and Sand Ninja to vent their anger.

If Konoha and Iwagakure can seize the right opportunity to intervene and mediate before the situation escalates, they can not only prevent the war from escalating but also gain a good reputation.

Tatsuma has even communicated with Onoki multiple times regarding this matter, discussing the specifics of his intervention and mediation.

But to everyone's surprise, the Land of Iron was so stubborn that it refused to let the Cloud Ninja pass through.

If it were the Cloud Ninja forces under normal circumstances, even the most stubborn people in the Land of Iron probably couldn't stop them. However, the Cloud Ninja forces had just fought against the Iwa Ninja for more than half a year and then launched a long-distance raid.

In addition, the situation within the Land of Lightning required the Cloud Ninja forces to maintain sufficient combat strength to return. Therefore, due to the combination of various factors, the Cloud Ninja forces were unable to overcome the blockade by the samurai group.

"This Iron Kingdom still refuses to engage with technology, and cannot even establish communication."

Tatsuma's first reaction was to send a letter to the Land of Iron, questioning them while applying appropriate pressure, since it would be no good for anyone if the Cloud Ninja forces couldn't return to the Land of Lightning.

However, the Land of Iron has no communication interface at all, so Tatsuma cannot mediate remotely. He either has to send a delegation or go there himself.

Furthermore, Tatsuma was not very optimistic about the mission approach. Firstly, it was inefficient, and secondly, the Land of Iron's attitude towards foreign affairs was unclear. Even if a mission were to go, it might not achieve the effect Tatsuma wanted.

Tatsuma put down the documents, picked up the internal phone and dialed. There was no need to connect at all; a golden flash appeared in the office, and Minato's figure appeared in the office.

"What are the arrangements?"

Minato asked, but today he didn't seem to have his usual enthusiasm for work and appeared somewhat absent-minded.

Tatsuma shook the documents in his hand and said, "You should also know about the conflict between the Cloud Ninja and the Land of Iron, right?"

"Yes, I just looked at the information too."

"I plan to go there."

Tatsuma put down the documents and said, Minato frowned and asked doubtfully, "I should be able to go too, right? Or maybe Shikaku should go; he's more suited for this kind of thing."

"I'll take Shikaku with me. You can stay in the village and help me manage things, after all..."

Tatsuma shrugged, and Minato, understanding, said, "I didn't expect such a coincidence."

"Has the location been decided?"

"Yes, it's settled. We'll go check it out again tonight. The hospital and the Wood Release laboratory aren't suitable. The former is too crowded, and the latter is too expensive. If we accidentally damage anything, my husband and I can't afford to pay for it with our combined salaries."

Minato had regained some of his composure by this point and even started joking around.

Minato and Kushina are now essentially receiving fixed salaries. Minato is the Hokage's assistant, unlike the previous Hokage who assisted Danzo and cultivated his own power to make money. He only receives the income of the Hokage's assistant.

Kushina's income also comes from the sealing team; unless she makes new contributions to the village's sealing techniques, she really has no other income.

But whether it's the income of the Hokage's assistant or the leader of the sealing squad, they are both in the upper class among ninjas. In addition, with the bounties they received in the Third Shinobi World War, they have no problem living a good life.

Of course, if the Wood Release laboratory were really destroyed, they might not be able to afford to pay for it, since it was built with money paid for by the Daimyo. Orochimaru and Tatsumaru never intended to save money.

Even after nearly a decade, the equipment in the Wood Release laboratory remains the most advanced and expensive in the ninja world.

Tatsuma nodded, thinking that since Madara Uchiha had been dealt with and Obito wouldn't act like he did in the original story, Kushina's childbirth risks should be significantly reduced, so he didn't need to monitor her in real time. He then said:

"It should be in the next two or three days. Just stay in the village and don't miss Naruto's birth."

Naruto's name has been decided. Although Kushina disliked Jiraiya, Jiraiya's new work has not been officially published yet, and Naruto is the name of the protagonist in his previous work, a serious ninja story, so the meaning is still quite good.

Minato nodded, a happy smile unconsciously spreading across his face. He teased, "Did you decide to run off at this time because you didn't want to give a gift?"

"Haha~ Given our relationship, would you even ask me for a gift?"

"meeting."

"Haha~ Haha~ Go find Shikaku and tell him to get ready."

Tatsuma waved his hand, dismissing Minato from his office. He then picked out a few important documents that needed to be arranged before he left.

Before leaving get off work, Shikaku came over to report on the preliminary arrangements. He had already contacted the other four ninja villages, and A had agreed to let Konoha mediate. He had even sent someone to inform the Land of Iron of this information.

After listening, Tatsuma nodded and said, "Okay, shall we set off now?"

"no."

Lu Jiu shook his head and said, "I need to go back and talk to my wife, and then ask my mother to come and take care of the mother and son. The earliest I can leave is tomorrow morning."

Shikaku's child, Shikamaru, was born two weeks ago. Tatsuma understood the situation and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's set off tomorrow."

"Hmm, it's almost time to get off work. Should I head home early? And maybe buy some gifts while I'm at it, just in case my wife won't let me leave. By the way, are gifts reimbursed?"

Upon hearing this, Chenma's eye twitched slightly, and he said, "I won't report it."

"The bag my wife has her eye on costs almost half a month's salary. I wouldn't dare buy it without reimbursement, especially now that the baby is born and expenses are so high. If I don't buy it, my wife might not let me leave."

Faced with Shikaku's implied threat, Tatsuma's face darkened before he finally said, "Report."

"Okay, I'm leaving then."

Shikaku smiled, glanced at the clock, and realized he still had half an hour before getting off work. Seeing this, he was even happier. He had stolen half an hour's worth of wages, and with the money he saved from buying a bag, he could buy a decent set of shogi pieces.

Watching Shikaku leave, Tatsuma organized the documents and found that the files that required his decision had been processed, so he also left the Hokage Building.

As for what Shikaku said, Tatsuma didn't believe a word of it. After all, Shikaku's income was even higher than his own as Hokage, since Shikaku held multiple positions and also received profit sharing from the family business.

Tatsuma never moved into the Hokage's residence because he lived in Tobirama Senju's original house, where he could easily go next door for a free meal. Dan Kato had become a stay-at-home husband, and there were always big meals available at mealtimes.

Kato Dan was not surprised by Tatsuma's arrival and said quite naturally, "Tsunade and Shizune will be back in a while. Nawaki took Shisui on a mission. It will be just the four of us eating today."

If you're hungry, there's some leftover fruit over there; you can have a little something to eat first.

Tatsuma picked up some fruit and started eating, saying, "Dan-senpai, are you planning to retire? I haven't seen you go to the Hokage Building to take on missions for a year."

"Just make arrangements when you need my help."

Kato Dan's meaning was clear: he did not intend to take the initiative to carry out the mission, but he was ready to help Tatsuma at any time if needed.

Tatsuma nodded and said, "Alright, nothing much has been going on lately. My teacher is leading a research team and needs someone to help her with daily chores, so you can relax a bit and not have to fight all the time."

"That's what I'm planning to do too. In a while, I might go for an interview at the orphanage. After all, the children in the clan's territory need some more professional ninja training. What do you think?"

"Well, the orphanage is not short of money now, so hiring you, a Jonin, shouldn't be a problem."

The two chatted, with Tatsuma occasionally helping out. When the meal was almost ready, Tsunade returned with Shizune. After the meal, Tatsuma said, "I'm going to the Land of Iron for the next few days, so I won't be back for dinner."

Kato Dan looked puzzled, while Tsunade nodded and asked, "Is it about the Cloud Ninja?"

"Hmm, something feels off."

Mifune's attitude was strange, and given that it concerned the outcome of the Third Shinobi World War, Tatsuma felt it was necessary to make the trip.

After thinking for a moment, Tatsuma added, "Kushina is due to give birth in the next few days, teacher. You'd better take some time to check on her."

Although the possibility was slim, Tatsuma still wanted to be on the safe side. Tsunade nodded and replied, "Yes, after all, Kushina's child is practically a descendant of the Senju clan. I'll be careful."

(End of this chapter)