I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 185 As long as the KPIs are set high enough, it won't be embarrassing even if they aren't met.

Minato stared blankly at Tatsuma beside him. After a series of large-scale ninjutsu, he noticed that Tatsuma's expression had also become somewhat tired.

This is a sign that chakra is being consumed too quickly, and physical strength is being unconsciously drawn out and converted into chakra. This is normal for ninjas, but what is abnormal is that Tatsuma's chakra is saturated again in an instant.

"Tatsuma, are you alright?"

Minato asked with some concern, and Tatsuma smiled and said, "It's alright for now."

The Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal, which consists of two Four Symbols Seals, are both extremely flexible sealing techniques. They are remarkably effective at sealing energy and can autonomously regulate the rate of energy leakage.

Tatsuma has now partially unlocked the Four Symbols Seal that Mito Uzumaki had inscribed on his arm. He didn't dare to unlock it completely, for fear of falling into a state dominated by his emotions.

However, even if only a small opening was made in the seal, the tailed beast chakra that escaped quickly replenished the chakra that Tatsuma had consumed, and even had an activating effect on his body cells.

The Nine-Tails' chakra, whose flow was strictly controlled, could not affect Tatsuma's current emotions. Although this chakra was not as freely controllable as the chakra he had refined, it was still a decent supplement.

Tatsuma pulled a small scroll from his ninja tool pouch at his waist and said to Minato, "I can't use ninjutsu for the time being, so I need to fight in close combat. Be careful too."

Tatsuma is not yet able to actively use the Nine-Tails' chakra to perform large-scale ninjutsu. He needs a little time to adapt to this chakra, which has extraordinary vitality and initiative.

Upon hearing this, Minato also took out a kunai, held it in his hand, and nodded.

In fact, Minato is now more skilled in close combat. Deep in the heart of the Land of Rain, his Fire Release and Wind Release will be greatly affected, while Lightning Release is the jutsu he is least proficient in.

In contrast, his speed, which is no less than that of a Jonin, is his advantage. Combined with the fighting skills he has honed over the years, his close-combat threat on this battlefield is undoubtedly greater.

It was only in order to coordinate with Tatsuma's large-scale ninjutsu that they had to choose to attack from a distance.

Seeing that Minato was ready, Tatsuma quickly unsealed the scroll in his hand, and the chakra dagger given to him by Hatake Sakumo fell into his hands.

The two exchanged a glance, and their feet burst forth with power almost simultaneously, propelling them toward the Rain Ninja in the distance.

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

Wind Release chakra overflowed from the chakra short sword, wrapping around the blade and extending it out of thin air. With a single strike, it pierced through several Rain Ninja, severely injuring them.

Now that he no longer needed to conserve chakra, Tatsuma ended the Wind Blade Technique without even drawing his sword, and quickly leaped up, rushing towards a Chunin from the Land of Rain.

"Water Release: Water Blade Slash!"

This time, it was a gathering of water-style chakra. Tatsuma, who fell from the sky, swung his sword in a smooth motion. The Rain Ninja hurriedly used his ninja sword to block, but it was easily cut open by the chakra short sword.

The blade, imbued with water-style chakra, sliced ​​through the Rain Ninja's body. The water-style chakra rapidly eroded the Rain Ninja's body, causing his blood to flow at an accelerated rate. He instantly suffered severe blood loss and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

A year or so ago, when Tatsuma faced ordinary Chunin, he would have needed to be cautious and even use some traps to defeat them, but now he can just go for A without thinking.

Whether it's strength, speed, chakra reserves, or mastery of ninjutsu, Tatsuma has completely surpassed them.

Minato, who was not far away, was in a similar situation. Although his strength and chakra were not as great as Tatsuma's, his speed was much faster, and he was faster in a comprehensive manner, not just in a hurry.

Minato easily dodged the combined attack of three Chunin from the Land of Rain, almost slipping through the gap between ninja tools and ninjutsu. As he threw the kunai in his right hand, his left hand had already slashed past his lower back.

Another kunai appeared in his left hand. He rushed between the two Rain Ninjas, his left hand slashing upwards towards the Rain Ninja's throat, while a ball of chakra appeared in his right hand, which he pressed against the other Rain Ninja's waist and abdomen.

"Rasengan!"

"Sizzle~ Boom!"

In an instant, three attacks were triggered simultaneously. Minato then shifted his position again. As he attacked the next Rain Ninja, apart from the Rain Ninja who had been knocked away by the Rasengan, the remaining two Rain Ninja who had their throats slit had only just "reacted" and fallen to the ground.

Orochimaru, who was fighting Hanzo, caught a glimpse of this scene and finally realized what kind of ninjutsu the Rasengan was.

No imprint, instantaneous, extremely destructive!

Even Orochimaru subconsciously began to admire this technique in his heart; even he had never developed such an extreme technique.

Jiraiya was also somewhat envious. He lacked a close-range and destructive technique like this. Although Mount Myōboku had the Frog Kumite to make up for the lack of close-range combat, this technique had to be used in conjunction with Sage Mode.

Sage Mode is still a long way off for Jiraiya; he can never seem to calm his mind and perceive the energy of nature.

He had several opportunities to get close to Hanzo, but lacking powerful close-range attack methods, he couldn't inflict any damage on Hanzo. At least Tsunade had superhuman strength.

If he could learn the Rasengan and then use Sage Mode to make up for his weak sensory abilities, then Jiraiya felt that he could become a ninja without any weaknesses.

I don't know how Sakamoto Tatsuma's brain works, how is he so smart? Why couldn't I think of such a powerful technique?

"Bang!"

Distracted, Jiraiya's hands suddenly couldn't keep up with the rhythm of the battle, and Hanzo kicked him hard in the ribs, causing his thick armor to dent deeply.

"Click~"

Jiraiya's expression changed, not because of the pain, but because he knew the consequences of a broken rib during a battle.

The three of them had to work together to fight Hanzo to a draw, but now that he was injured due to distraction, the balance would tip.

Orochimaru and Tsunade both frowned deeply. Orochimaru unleashed a barrage of venomous snakes to disrupt Hanzo's movements, while Tsunade instantly teleported to Jiraiya's side, casting a medical ninjutsu and asking:

"Are you alright?"

"Something's up."

Jiraiya's face was pale. His ribs were not only cracked, but also seemed to be broken and dislocated. He was having difficulty breathing, and each breath was accompanied by intense pain.

"There's no time for you to recover."

Tsunade grumbled in dissatisfaction and quickly reset Jiraiya's ribs, even though her hands could only reach inside the armor and her movement space was very limited.

However, as the best medical ninja and the possessor of superhuman strength, Tsunade successfully expanded Jiraiya's armor back to its original state, making room for her to reposition his ribs.

However, other injuries caused by the broken ribs could not be taken into consideration at this moment. Jiraiya nodded and did not say anything more.

At this point, Orochimaru was no longer able to restrain Hanzo. Fortunately, Tsunade, who had finished treating Jiraiya, arrived in time and forced Hanzo to retreat.

The live slug split off and crawled onto Jiraiya's body to stop the bleeding from his internal injuries. Jiraiya tried his best to relax his body and let the slug treat him.

Seeing this scene from afar, Tatsuma frowned, his lips pressed tightly together, and that thoughtful expression and demeanor of contemplating the affairs of the nation reappeared. After only a second of thought, Tatsuma firmly stated:

"I'll go help. Minato, you keep an eye on the battlefield."

"good!"

Minato didn't waste any words. If he didn't know his own shortcomings, he would have wanted to go and help, but sending Tatsuma over now was undoubtedly the most sensible thing to do.

Although there were other Jonin in the arena whose overall strength was greater than Tatsuma's, ninja battles are not a contest of numbers; being stronger does not necessarily mean being more suitable.

Although Tatsuma's Body Flicker was not as fast as Minato's, it was still faster than most ninjas on the battlefield. He quickly traversed the battlefield, and although the Rain Ninjas tried to stop him, they could not keep up or were blocked by the Konoha ninjas.

Seeing Tatsuma charging towards her, Tsunade's face showed anxiety. She was about to shout for him to back down when Hanzo noticed her.

"Needle Earth Store!"

"Hidden Shadows, Many Snake Hands!"

Just as Hanzo's attention shifted slightly, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who were lying on the ground, seemed to have realized it and immediately began to use ninjutsu.

Strands of silver hair emerged from the ground and wrapped around Hanzo's legs, while venomous snakes also emerged from Orochimaru's sleeves, tightly binding Hanzo.

Hanzo's expression turned serious. He unleashed his power and chakra simultaneously, trying to break free. Tatsuma, who was already nearby, saw this and dared not delay.

"Bang!"

With a burst of superhuman strength, a deep pit appeared, and Tatsuma's figure shot towards Hanzo like an arrow, a water tornado appearing on his right hand.

"A hard vortex water jet?!"

Hanzo's heart skipped a beat. His first thought was of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju's signature ninjutsu, but he hadn't seen Tatsuma's hand seals at all.

Just as he was wondering, Tatsuma, with his speed and power fully unleashed, had already arrived above Hanzo's head. Ibuse, who was not far away, wanted to rescue Hanzo, but was entangled by Bunta and Manda.

"Spiral: Heavy Water Strangulation Technique!"

Unlike Tobirama Senju, who compressed water into a spinning javelin, Tatsuma's technique, upon completion, was like a large funnel, engulfing Hanzo.

Hanzo, swept up by the large flow of water, felt heavy at first, a stark contrast to the lightness he felt in ordinary water. This water, which appeared equally clear, was as viscous as glue.

Hanzo, bursting with strength, tried to break free from the snakes that were entangled in his hair. He felt that his movements had become extremely difficult, and even the slightest movement seemed to exhaust all his strength.

And this is just the beginning.

The thick, heavy water that enveloped Hanzo suddenly began to swirl, and Hanzo felt an unbearable stinging sensation on his skin. He saw that his skin was being pulled in different directions.

The folds could no longer hold together and burst open, drawing out bright red blood that was then swirled into the water.

In just a moment, the light blue funnel suddenly gained a touch of hazy red, like a misty red fog. It was blood that could not mix with heavy water, but was being constantly pulled apart.

"ah!!!"

Even the battle-hardened Hanzo couldn't help but cry out in pain. The strangulation of the heavy water was no longer just on the surface of his body; Hanzo felt his muscles and bones being churned.

"Ta-da~"

At the same time, the venomous snakes and hair that were wrapped around him broke off as the heavy water pulled them apart. Feeling his body loosen up, Hanzo used all his chakra to burst outwards, and used all his strength to break free.

"boom!"

The water funnel was torn to pieces, and the caster, Tatsuma, was also violently thrown far away. But the bloodied figure in the spot made everyone somewhat incredulous. The powerful Hanzo was actually so badly injured by a child's technique.

"Huff~ Huff~"

The mask emitted Hanzo's eerie breathing. He could sense that Tatsuma, out of fear of his poison, hadn't strangled his head; otherwise, his injuries might have been far more severe.

But at the same time, everyone present must die.

"Click~ Click~"

Hanzo forcibly straightened several dislocated joints. The rain washed away his blood, revealing his tattered clothes and body covered in fresh wounds.

Tatsuma, who had just gotten up from the ground, was also rubbing his chest. Looking at Hanzo standing in the rain, he couldn't help but admire Hanzo's strength. His technique could even twist and tear steel and metal, but it only caused Hanzo minor injuries.

"Ryuma of Konoha! Given time, you will definitely be someone I can look at with my own eyes. I, Hanzo, acknowledge your talent! Join my battle! You are now worthy of being one of my challengers to relieve my fatigue!"

As the pain from his injuries subsided quickly, Tatsuma stood up and looked at Hanzo with utmost seriousness. He also wanted to spar with such a strong opponent and hone his skills.

(End of this chapter)