I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 8 The Shadow of the Regretful Ape

Tatsuma could guess why the reward was so small. First, Minato Namikaze shared the reward with him this time. Second, the difference in strength between him and Sakumo Hatake was too great, and the so-called defeat was too opportunistic.

In addition, Sakumo Hatake prematurely announced Tatsuma's victory, making the match incomplete. All of these factors combined resulted in Tatsuma only receiving such a small reward after defeating Sakumo Hatake.

However, even though he had guessed it, Tatsuma still felt very uncomfortable. After all, the match against Sakumo Hatake was much more dangerous than the match against Minato, who was a good easy target.

If he hadn't known about the Thousand Years of Death beforehand, his chastity might have been in danger. Moreover, before that, he had taken a solid kick from Hatake Sakumo, and his ribs were still aching.

The emotions in one's heart are more or less reflected on one's face. When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the look of disbelief that appeared on Tatsuma's face from time to time, he also gave Sakumo Hatake a reproachful look.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea how dramatic Tatsuma's inner monologue was. He was only taken aback by Sakumo Hatake's masterful taijutsu. After all, even he, the Hokage, experienced a phantom pain during Sakumo's demonstration, let alone Tatsuma, who was facing him in person.

With a hint of guilt, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tatsuma and Minato and said, "Tatsuma and Minato, you two did a great job. You will definitely become powerful ninjas who protect the village in the future."

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's praise, Minato should have been overjoyed, but the fear of "surviving a disaster" had not yet subsided, so he just nodded somewhat blankly.

Seeing that Minato was equally panicked, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt even more guilty and said, "Your training ends here for today. You are still too young to undergo such strenuous training."

"How about this, I'll treat you to barbecue. After we eat, I'll have Sakumo take you to buy ninja tools."

"Lord Hokage, we..."

Tatsuma was reluctant to agree, because it would be too high-profile. Given his and Minato's current status and abilities, too much external attention would only affect them.

But before he could speak, Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted, "In exchange, you won't expose my despicable ninjutsu, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma knew it would be impolite to refuse any longer, so he nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Hokage-sama."

Tatsuma didn't feel that being called "sir" made him feel inferior; he felt it was no different from calling his superiors, managers, or bosses in his previous life.

That night, Tatsuma, who had eaten his fill of meat for the first time since arriving in this world, returned to his small apartment with several large bags of brand-new ninja tools.

Ninja tools are very expensive for him, but for a Jonin like Hatake Sakumo, they are just ordinary consumables. Therefore, the set he gave was meant to complete his set of ninja tools, rather than just kunai, shuriken, and senbon.

They have everything: Fuma shuriken, giant shuriken, slingshots, ninja swords, hand daggers, chainmail, ninja boots, gloves, and more. If it weren't for his and Minato's interference, there would be even more strange and unusual ninja tools.

The ninja tools that were already available had already dazzled Tatsuma, and some of them surprised him, such as chainmail. In his previous life, when he read manga, he thought it was some kind of fishing net.

In front of the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Sakumo Hatake and asked, "What do you think of those two kids?"

Hatake Sakumo, who was about to change his clothes, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "They have Jiraiya's sunny disposition and Orochimaru's restraint. Moreover, they have excellent teamwork and trust each other. They are two good kids."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't offended when he heard Sakumo Hatake directly compare him to his two disciples. After all, in terms of seniority, Sakumo Hatake was Orochimaru and Jiraiya's senior, so it wasn't considered offensive.

Moreover, Hatake Sakumo's judgment was the same as Sarutobi Hiruzen's. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and said, "Is the teacher of Class 1 Abe no less? Tell him to pay more attention to these two children."

"Yes, Sandaime-sama."

Hatake Sakumo nodded in agreement, while Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and said, "It hasn't been many years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, and now conflicts are constantly breaking out in various places. I really hope we can have more time for you and those children to grow up."

As the Hokage's bodyguard, Hatake Sakumo was naturally aware of the current situation in the ninja world. His smile faded, and he became serious and gloomy, saying, "I will go and extinguish some of the fuses."

"In the end, it can only delay the explosion. There are some things you don't need to do yourself. Danzo has been running Root for a while now, it's time to see how he's doing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, but before he could finish speaking, a deep voice rang out from inside the office: "Sarutobi, are you questioning my abilities?!"

"Danzo? You actually waited until now?"

Upon seeing his old friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Danzo stepped forward and said, "Hmph! Did you think I would just sit by and watch you suppress my Shimura clan if I didn't come?! Using two orphans as an excuse, you're really something, Sarutobi."

"Enough! Danzo! I am the Hokage. Go back to your Root organization. It's none of your business what I do."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, too lazy to argue with Danzo, ended the conversation abruptly. Danzo, furious, pointed at Hiruzen and, after a long pause, said indignantly:

"Sarutobi, you'll regret this!"

After saying that, Danzo turned and left, while Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his seat, rubbing his temples. Feeling somewhat awkward, Sakumo Hatake was about to leave when Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up:

"Sakumo, you should go back and rest. I want some peace and quiet."

Hatake Sakumo nodded and bowed, saying, "Yes, Third Hokage."

At 7 a.m. the next day, Tatsuma and Minato, having finished their morning training, arrived at the Ninja Academy. Today was even more lively than yesterday, with not only a large number of students and new students, but also Jonin and core members of the ninja clans who were rarely seen.

Seeing the new students holding hands with their parents, Minato suddenly felt a pang of sadness. But then, Tatsuma placed his hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you envious?"

After thinking for a moment, Minato followed his heart and nodded, saying, "Yes."

Seeing Minato's expression, Tatsuma, who had originally intended to make a joke about ethics, suddenly couldn't speak. He patted Minato on the shoulder and then said, "The past cannot be changed, but we can make sure there are fewer war orphans like us in the future."

"Yes, I will definitely do it."

Minato said very seriously.

Not far away, three burly ninjas huddled together and three equally young new students were all watching the two. One of the ninjas, with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle, said:

"These must be the two kids that the Hokage went to see yesterday? What an amazing dream! Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi, you can try to become friends with them."

However, you must be mindful of your manners and attitude. You are all students at the Ninja Academy, and you will all become Konoha ninjas in the future. Never think of yourself as superior to others, understand?

The boy with the pineapple-shaped haircut sighed and said, "Dad, you're so long-winded! And making friends is such a hassle."

The pineapple-headed ninja rubbed his child's head and said, "Doing a little now will save you a lot of effort later. Don't indulge in pleasure for a moment."

"understood."

(End of this chapter)