I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 689 People in cold regions are also afraid of the cold, and people in tropical regions are also afraid of the heat.

"Have you come to invite me to a meeting?"

Upon seeing the samurai, Ai spoke casually, not thinking as much as Tatsuma and Shikaku, simply attributing it to a coincidence of timing.

The warriors, clad in silver armor and fur cloaks, with helmets and masks obscuring their faces, each carrying two or more swords, stood imposingly amidst the wind and snow.

"It seems even the locals of the Land of Iron are afraid of the cold."

Shikaku, who could see the samurai through the cracks in the wooden house, tilted his head and whispered to Tatsuma. Tatsuma nodded. Neither of them noticed that Tsuchida's expression had turned strange.

In Tsuchida's memory, Shikaku was unparalleled in his scheming. Whether in the military, political, or diplomatic fields, he was extremely calm and decisive in his methods of harming enemies and reaping benefits for Konoha.

In their numerous exchanges across distance, Tsuchida believed that Shikaku was an incredibly calm strategist who spoke of matters of national importance and whose every word determined the future of the nation.

But why is it this person in front of me, actually making fun of the Iron Country samurai who are afraid of the cold? Especially Shikaku's tone and manner of speaking, it's like a gossipy old woman in the street talking about other people's family matters.

And Sakamoto Tatsuma! What's wrong with you? Shouldn't you be focusing on the situation in the ninja world, on the big picture? Why are you agreeing with Shikaku's idle chatter?

With just one sentence, Tu Tai felt that the image he had previously built in his mind about these two people had collapsed. It turned out that the two who had been outwitting him for so long, making him look so pathetic, and causing the village to suffer repeated defeats were actually these two.

"The person leading the team seems to be someone we know."

After observing for a while, Tatsuma shifted his attention away from the fact that "even the people of the Land of Iron are afraid of the cold" and discovered some things.

Tsuchida quickly pricked up his ears, hoping to get some information about the Land of Iron from Tatsuma. After all, the Land of Iron had been closed off for a long time, and apart from Mifune, the main force of the country had long been replaced.

Other ninja villages know very little about this, and given the current situation in Kumogakure, knowing more might come in very handy.

Shikaku readily agreed, asking, "You met during the Second Shinobi World War? Were you strong?"

Tatsuma nodded and said, "Yes, back then, the strongest swordsman of the younger generation in the Land of Iron was a balding young man, and I cut him down with a single slash."

Upon hearing this, Shikaku's face showed doubt, and he said, "Your swordsmanship? I heard you can't even instruct your disciple who is not even ten years old, yet you can defeat the swordsman genius of the Land of Iron?"

"I was just encouraging Shisui to forge his own path. Did you really think I didn't know swordsmanship?"

Tatsuma retorted that he was indeed not good at swordsmanship, but the strongest swordsman of the younger generation in the Land of Iron had been cut down by him. He had at least been cut once, although he ultimately won with ninjutsu, but in a way, he had been cut down.

Shikaku rolled his eyes. From Tatsuma's change in expression, he could tell that Tatsuma was exaggerating, but he was too lazy to argue. Instead, he asked, "Premature baldness? How bald?"

"Completely naked."

"Is this word even allowed to be used like that?"

Listening to their conversation, Tu Tai lost control of his expression. He was certain that these two people were indeed like the middle-aged women on the street or the old men who were bragging at the dinner table.

And he, the Hidden Cloud Village, and the entire ninja world were suppressed to the point of being unable to raise their heads because of such a person. What a disgrace!

Outside, the leading samurai also took off his helmet and mask, and his bald head gleamed in the snow.

"She's completely naked."

Shikaku was also surprised, as he rarely saw someone so completely bald, especially at this age. No, according to Tatsuma, this samurai had already been completely bald more than ten years ago.

How tragic. He unconsciously touched his jagged hairline and decided that when he got back, he would cultivate some new medicinal fields, grow some new medicinal herbs, and develop some new products.

"I am Okisuke, and I have come on the orders of the General to completely withdraw from the territory of the Land of Iron within three days, or we will have no choice but to take some necessary measures."

Oki looked at Ai and said firmly, "Are you sure you want to do this, Land of Iron? Don't forget, the Hokage of Konoha has also come to participate in the discussion."

"By offending both Kumogakure and Konoha, do you think your Land of Iron's so-called peaceful, independent third-party stance can continue to exist?"

The reason why the Land of Iron is a third-party country is recognized by the five great nations and the five great ninja villages. But conversely, if the ninja villages no longer recognize it, then the Land of Iron's so-called peaceful stance is a joke.

Upon hearing Ai's words, Okisuke's face showed a fleeting look of difficulty, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Admiral Mifune's decision is the attitude of the Land of Iron."

If your village and Konoha insist on undermining our country's rights and stance, then we will have no choice but to fight to the death.

Okisuke knew that the Land of Iron was no match for any one of the major ninja villages, let alone two. In fact, after these two villages made their stance clear, other ninja villages would probably join in and divide up the Land of Iron.

However, the general's orders cannot be disobeyed.

Tatsuma stood up, and Shikaku stood up at the same time. In the blink of an eye, the worldly and idle demeanor of the two completely disappeared. Tatsuma became the Hokage who had the final say, and Shikaku became a cold strategist who only calculated interests.

Tsuchida was a beat slow, but he calmed down and stepped forward to open the door to the cabin for Tatsuma and Shikaku.

"Okisuke, it's been a long time."

Tatsuma spoke, and Okisuke paused, then, after a moment's hesitation, said, "The Fourth Hokage, Sakamoto Tatsuma?"

Tatsuma nodded, walked over to Ai's side, faced Okisuke, and said, "It's been more than ten years since we last met. I wonder if I could pay a visit to Admiral Mifune?"

Okisuke didn't answer immediately, but he understood what Tatsuma meant: he, Okisuke, was not worthy to communicate with Tatsuma, and Tatsuma directly demanded to meet Mifune face to face.

This is understandable, after all, Tatsuma is now the Hokage. Although he is the junior in terms of age, their respective statuses are comparable. In fact, in the entire ninja world, Tatsuma can even surpass the veteran Mifune.

According to etiquette, Mifune should personally greet Tatsuma and hold talks with him, and the same applies to A, rather than sending a subordinate to convey the attitude of the Land of Iron.

"Since the general has not summoned me, I have no authority to make a decision."

Although Okisuke still refused, his attitude was much gentler than when he treated A. Although the Land of Iron was indifferent to worldly affairs, Okisuke had learned about the current situation of the ninja world through his communication with the Cloud Ninja these past few days.

The strength of Tatsuma and Konoha was enough to shock him.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha even had to ask the Land of Iron for help in fighting against Amegakure. But in just over a decade, Konoha had developed to the point where it could defeat the other four ninja villages, establishing itself as the biggest winner before the war even ended.

Therefore, Okisuke didn't dare to take a tough stance against Tatsuma, after all, he was a ruthless person who would fight into the heart of another country at the slightest provocation.

However, due to his duty, he couldn't grant Tatsuma's request. Tatsuma didn't press him, but instead asked, "Is Admiral Mifune currently stationed in the capital, or has he already gone to the front lines to handle affairs?"

"This matter is of great importance, so the general has naturally come to the front line, just in case."

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma nodded and said, "Since you've all braved the wind and snow to come, why don't you rest here for a while? As for the talks, since Admiral Mifune isn't coming to see me, then I'll go see him."

"Lord Hokage, what does this mean?"

Okisuke placed his hand on his sword, his chakra and sword aura gradually gathering, his whole body ready to strike.

The other samurai behind him also watched Tatsuma warily. Tatsuma didn't answer, but instead strode forward. Okisuke warned, "Hokage, please stop!"

Tatsuma turned his head slightly and gave Ai a look. Ai nodded. Tatsuma turned back and took another step. Okisuke's chakra and power erupted, and he was about to draw his sword, but Tatsuma stepped forward faster and grabbed the hilt.

No matter how hard Okisuke tried, he couldn't pull out his sword. Just as they were locked in a stalemate, lightning suddenly struck, and bolts of lightning flashed across the samurai's bodies.

Their armor seemed to be controlled by lightning, restricting their movements. White smoke rose from their bodies as they breathed, and their bodies became stiff.

"Thump~"

One by one they fell down and were tied up by the Cloud Ninja who rushed up from all around. Tatsuma loosened his grip, and Chosuke closed his eyes and fell directly to the ground, but his landing posture was not so stiff.

Tatsuma smiled and gave Okisuke a deep look. Okisuke probably also noticed that Mifune was acting strangely, but... it was his duty.

Shaking his hand, Tatsuma said, "Hey, are you planning to electrocute me too?"

"It seems my mastery of lightning techniques is still lacking."

Ai didn't deny it, and Tatsuma snorted lightly, not caring much. Both of them knew that they couldn't harm Tatsuma, so there was no need to argue.

"Take good care of the warriors of the Land of Iron! I'll be back soon."

Seeing that all the samurai were tied up, Ai spoke up, and the Cloud Ninja echoed him. Only then did Ai say to Tatsuma, "I'll go with you."

"Of course, after all, this is ultimately a matter for your Cloud Ninja, I'm just here to help."

Tatsuma shrugged, Ai laughed, then grabbed Tsuchikage by the back of the collar and said, "Tatsuma, don't use space-time ninjutsu. Let's have a contest to see who can get there faster. I heard you really enjoy these kinds of contests."

Before Tatsuma could agree, Shikaku took a step back, glanced at Tsuchida, who looked rather pitiful being held in Ai's arms, and said, "I have my pride too, at most..."

As he spoke, he formed a hand seal, and the shadow beneath him began to move, even detaching from the ground and coalescing into the shape of a rope, extending towards Chenma. Chenma chuckled, then nodded and said:

"Lightning Release and Body Flicker Technique are most compatible, and you are the most proficient ninja in Lightning Release and Body Flicker Technique, so I naturally don't mind testing your skills."

With such a windfall offered to him, wouldn't it be a disservice to Ai's kindness not to take advantage of it? As for whether he could win, Chenma wasn't too sure, since he hadn't trained his regular Body Flicker Technique for a long time.

Tatsuma withdrew his released Fire Release chakra and said, "The first snowflake falling marks the beginning, how about it?"

"Um."

Ai observed the snowflakes falling without melting or evaporating, his body crackling with electric arcs. Finally, the first snowflake reached the ground.

"Bang bang~"

Two deep pits were left in the ground, and all four people disappeared. In the distance, two streaks of light rose up from the white snow.

(End of this chapter)