I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 694 As I grew up, even gathering all my friends together became incredibly difficult.

"Did you deal with Scorpion, or did you reach some kind of agreement with him?"

As Mifune led Ai and Tsuchida into the tent for talks, Shikaku quietly asked, and Tatsuma replied, "I resolved the problem he left behind and reached an agreement with him."

After finishing his sentence, Chenma said, "We need to return to the village immediately."

"What? Planning to throw a birthday party when you get back?"

Shikaku joked that October 10th was also Tatsuma's birthday, or rather, the birthday registered in his file. As for his real birthday, nobody knew, but it was pretty much the same.

"My birthday?"

Tatsuma raised an eyebrow. He had never remembered his own birthday, but now, recalling it, he realized the coincidence: it seemed that Naruto's birthday was also today.

Looking up at the moonlight, his expression, which had been slightly serious, darkened. Shikaku also dropped his teasing smile and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No one has told you about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's due date, has they?"

"Today too?"

Shikaku's expression also turned serious. Even as the chief of Konoha's think tank and the leader of the Jonin class, who knew countless secrets of the village, he did not know Kushina's specific information, such as her due date.

He only knew that Kushina was pregnant and roughly how many months along she was, but he didn't know the exact date. Only a very few people knew such details.

"There's a mole!"

Like Tatsuma, Shikaku never believed in coincidences. The Cloud Ninja forces were blocked, and they came to negotiate due to the situation in the ninja world, where they encountered Sasori.

Being held back by Sasori, coupled with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's due date, all these factors undoubtedly point to someone wanting to transfer important figures from the village in order to take action against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki or the Nine-Tails itself.

This planner, at least at the timeline, must be someone extremely familiar with Konoha, not only with the movements of the villagers, but also their personalities, social interactions, and so on.

Under normal circumstances, the matter between the Cloud Village and the Land of Iron should not be handled by the Hokage. The village has a better option: Minato, the Hokage, should assist them.

He has the right status and the right strength, but it's not very meaningful to hold back Minato, unless the planner has already decided that Tatsuma will take the initiative to carry out this task in place of Minato, which is due to the friendship between the two.

But Shikaku thought and thought, and still couldn't figure out what method he should use to attack Kurama.

Apart from him and Tatsuma, all of Konoha's other high-level combat forces are currently gathered in Konoha. Tatsuma even used a medical check-up as an excuse to recall Konoha ninjas who were operating in various places.

At this moment, Konoha could be said to be in its strongest state since the death of the First Hokage. It has no shortage of high-end combat power, mid-level combat power, and grassroots combat power. With such a lineup, if it can still take action against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, then the invaders will not need the Nine-Tails to help destroy the village.

"Should we go back now? I'm afraid..."

Shikaku's eyes swept over the surrounding samurai. He had to prepare for the worst. If there were spies among these samurai, then their movements would probably be exposed.

Even though the Land of Iron doesn't openly have any devices for long-distance communication, ninjas have a variety of methods and don't necessarily have to rely on technology.

"Yes, no matter who the enemy is, we have to face them. And even if our actions scare the enemy away, it will be a good thing for the village."

After Tatsuma finished speaking, he placed his hand on Shikaku's shoulder and formed a hand seal with his other hand, rapidly expanding his sensory range.

In Konoha, tonight seemed no different from any other night. In a small tavern, Tianfeng and the others were drinking, eating snacks, and chatting.

Nawaki, his face flushed, put his arm around Kato Dan's shoulder and said, "You guys have no idea how outrageous my brother-in-law is. My sister isn't coming home for dinner today, so he just doesn't cook."

I didn't even think to cook a meal and bring it to my sister. Of course, it would have been even better if you had cooked one for me too.

Kato Dan chuckled and brushed Nawaki's hand away, saying, "I don't know where your sister is, so how am I supposed to deliver the food? Besides, haven't you always complained that my cooking is too bland, and that you still feel weak after eating it?"

"These past few days have been a bit strange. They suddenly arranged for a physical examination without any prior notice. It's one thing for Tatsuma and Shikaku to go on a business trip, but Minato and the others have also disappeared."

Tianfeng took a sip of wine and said that although it sounded strange, he was not against it. After all, they had rarely gathered together since the Third Shinobi World War began.

Even though the fighting in the past two years hasn't been too serious, everyone has been carrying out their own missions, and their schedules rarely align, so they haven't been able to get together.

"It's Tatsuma's birthday today, that guy should be paying for the drinks."

With a wine glass in one hand and a bill in the other, Qian Dou said, "Tian Feng, please pay for me first. I'll transfer the money to you when my regular payment comes in next year."

"Get lost. I've seen your account before. You're not talking like you're really poor."

Tianfeng glanced at Qiandou with disdain. This guy had recently become a miser, but he had only stopped paying tribute to the family after the division of property, making it seem like he was bankrupt.

"You actually peeked into my account! I'll poke your eyes out!"

Sento raised two fingers menacingly and poked Tenfu in the eye from a distance, while Nawaki and Kato Dan both burst into laughter.

"Ah! My eyes!"

Tianfeng covered his eyes, and the others laughed even harder, seemingly applauding Tianfeng's performance. But a few seconds later, the laughter stopped abruptly.

The men's expressions turned serious, because the smell of blood was coming from the direction where Tianfeng was howling. Although the alcohol had dulled their senses, they were all extremely skilled ninjas and would not misjudge the smell of blood.

"Eye roll!"

Qian Dou immediately activated his Byakugan. Through Tian Feng's palm, he saw Tian Feng's slashed eyeball, but before he could say or ask anything, everything suddenly went black.

"Pfft pfft pfft~"

But it wasn't over yet. Suddenly, streaks of blood shot out from Qian Dou's body, and those were the locations of important acupoints.

Rope Tree stood up and glanced around, but before he could even take it all in, blood spurts, just like Sento's, appeared on his body, and he collapsed onto the table.

"Don't let him die, there are still a lot of blood samples here."

Inside a hot spring inn in Konoha, the air was thick with the stench of blood. The innkeeper, from the Land of Hot Springs, had two almost overlapping scars on his face and numerous bloody holes on his body.

On the table in front of him was a statue of a god, and beneath him were strange spell patterns drawn in blood. At this moment, those spell patterns seemed to be alive, writhing, but without changing their structure.

A humanoid creature, half black and half white, looked at another humanoid creature, all white, and said, "This is the one that Chenma has been searching for. The Absolute."

Upon hearing Black Zetsu's command, White Zetsu reluctantly transformed into an outer garment and wrapped it around the shop owner, while Black Zetsu rummaged through a pile of blood samples, muttering:

"Who's next? Or... how about we just bring in the main character? A natural birth turning into a C-section would be really interesting, wouldn't it?"

In a cave outside Konoha, a scream suddenly rang out, followed by a violent burst of chakra.

"Xiaojiu!"

Minato ignored his own clenched and deformed hand, looking at the place on Kushina's stomach where the sealing technique's seal was drawn. Suddenly, a bloody gash appeared. He struggled to maintain the seal, looked at Tsunade who had already completed the hand seals and was preparing to use medical ninjutsu, and opened his mouth to say something.

"Pfft~"

But Kushina's other hand transformed into a beast's claw and stabbed fiercely into Minato's body. Tails also emerged from beneath her, whipping Tsunade, who was approaching, and sending her flying backward.

As for Biwako and Hebiji, who were responsible for the delivery, they had already quickly retreated to the side with an infant in their arms.

"Damn it! Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"

Minato endured the pain, clamped down on the beast's claw that was piercing his body, and looked in Tsunade's direction.

"I'm fine! Headmaster Biwako, Jabami, hurry and take Naruto away! This won't be a delivery room anymore, it'll be a battlefield!"

"Yin Seal! Release!"

"The Art of a Hundred Healings! Creation and Regeneration!"

(End of this chapter)