I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 235, "People Are Not As Good As They Remembered," can also be interpreted as not wanting friends to change from the impression they have of them.

The Rasengan in Tatsuma's hand was not the size of a fist as usual, but rather as small as a child's glass marble. However, it was a more difficult technique than the Heavy Water Strangulation Technique that had injured Hanzo.

Within each tiny water droplet lies water-style chakra compressed dozens or even hundreds of times. Simultaneously, by utilizing the principles of chakra attribute transformation, its viscosity is reduced to a minimum, while its fluidity is maximized.

When faced with the flying kunai, Usakagi instinctively dodged. Although he had just experienced an incomprehensible scene caused by kunai, dodging ninja tools was an instinct for every Jonin, and it was even more difficult to overcome.

The moment he passed by the kunai, Usugi realized that Tatsuma had also disappeared. At the same time, that feeling of being pricked on the back returned, and a tingling sensation instantly rose from his tailbone to his heart.

Usushi wanted to dodge instantly, but the prolonged output slowed his physical and mental reactions by a beat. In that time, Tatsuma was able to slap the water droplets in his hand onto Usushi.

With the help of the Gentle Fist technique, the water droplets almost ignored the resistance of the skin on the surface of the persimmon and flowed into the persimmon's body in an instant.

Completely unable to defend or dodge, Usugi felt Tatsuma's palm press against his lower back, but felt no pain. At that moment, his slow reaction finally kicked in, and he instantly moved away.

Tatsuma, on the other hand, used the kunai that Minato carried with him, and stayed away from the water area. Tatsuma would always carry a kunai that Minato carried, and Minato did the same.

After Flying Thunder God teleported out of the water, Tatsuma said to the earwig and the wild vulture, "Collect the corpses and clean up the scene."

"Um?"

The earwig, who had been observing the battle with its special parasitic insects, unconsciously let out a questioning nasal sound, because its insects told it that the persimmon was still alive and well.

But the next second, the earwig fell completely silent, because through the insect's perspective, he saw a scene that even he found bizarre.

Bo Shi was panting heavily, and his expression of relief at surviving a disaster suddenly froze. Then, a large amount of blood, much thinner than usual, oozed from every pore on his body, as well as from his mouth, nose, eyes, and the small wound on his cheek.

Usushi's body also fell onto the water's surface, slowly sinking, leaving only his back above the water. Even after the blood had all flowed out, fluid continued to gush from his back.

As the thinning blood flowed in, clear water also flowed from the body of the thin persimmon. The way it died was too bizarre.

If you were to dissect Usakata's body, the amount of blood remaining would probably be less than the amount of blood that would flow out when meat that has been bled to death is cut open. The key point is that, apart from the scratches on his cheeks, Usakata's body surface is completely unharmed.

With their squad leader's skills, he could probably earn a high salary at a meat processing plant.

"Ding~ [Ninjutsu +5], [Spirit +5], [Mark +3], Pick up?"

As the battle ceased, the fog that had lost its chakra continuation and the "pool" of water gradually disappeared. When the earthen wall was removed, Usakata's body lay on the muddy ground.

The earwig summoned its insects to examine the condition inside Ueshiki's body, then said to Tatsuma, "Squad leader, the body is severely swollen; its brain cells have probably been seriously damaged as well."

This water-injection technique would earn him an extra bonus at a meat processing plant.

"Then there's no need to leave the bodies. His deeds should be known to the Hidden Mist Anbu who pursued him, and his body is there, but the deaths of the other three are hard to explain."

Tatsuma spoke calmly. Minato glanced at his friend and felt that Tatsuma, who had returned to battle after two years of research, was much more cold-blooded than he remembered.

Minato knew that Tatsuma had experienced too much unpleasantness in the research incident. He didn't know whether Tatsuma's current situation was an outlet for his pent-up emotions or whether his personality had truly become cold.

However, he didn't ask any questions because he hadn't observed enough, and if the truth was even more cruel, he also needed to prepare a solution to help Tatsuma return to being that sunny and cheerful boy.

Before officially becoming an Anbu member, the Hokage had spoken to him about this matter, telling him to report immediately if Tatsuma experienced any emotional outbursts or personality changes. Minato agreed.

However, Minato clenched his fist slightly. He was not going to tell the Hokage what he had seen. As a friend, his priority was not to "tell on" Tatsuma, but to correct him before he made a real mistake.

Tatsuma, oblivious to Minato's unusual behavior, continued reviewing the battle as he asked Minato, "How many days do we have left?"

Coming to his senses, Minato replied, "Nine more days."

Tatsuma nodded and said, "Then the next target will be you. According to the intelligence, Takezuki's water release skills are average, far inferior to Usakata, but he is a half-blood of the Kaguya clan, with extremely high taijutsu skills, and may possess the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit."

However, with your speed, even the Corpse Bone Pulse technique can't have much of an effect on you. Just be cautious and vigilant. With me here, you don't need to push yourself too hard.

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Minato's lips curled up beneath his mask. His friend was probably just experiencing a temporary period of pent-up frustration.

"No problem. The Corpse Bone Pulse might be a problem for others, but for us it will only give us more offensive options."

Minato's tone wasn't too serious. He was a humble person, but he didn't need to be deliberately humble towards Tatsuma, who knew him very well. He could just show his true thoughts directly.

Upon hearing this, Chenma smiled and said, "How about we practice the speed of inscription techniques while we're at it?"

"Let's see if he cooperates."

Minato responded with a smile. While the two were talking, Earwig and Aragaki finished their work and cleaned up the battle scene. Earwig asked, "Should we search where Usugi is staying? He's not carrying any stolen money."

Tatsuma turned around and looked at the small village that was much poorer than Konoha. He said, "Hmm, 700,000 taels is too much for anyone in this village. They can't keep this wealth."

In such primitive villages, even the houses and roads are built by the villagers themselves. There is no commercial system, and 700,000 taels of silver is not enough to spend in normal circumstances. Moreover, the long-term lack of work will only arouse suspicion from the neighbors.

In a large village like Konoha or a metropolis like Daimyo's capital, 700,000 taels of silver is not much at all. If a Konoha villager found 700,000 taels of silver, he might be able to pay off his mortgage and have some spare money to improve his life.

If it were in Daming Prefecture, use the 700,000 to pay off the loan, and the rest... you can pay off the rest slowly.

In this ninja world without price controls, the gap between the rich and poor is much larger than in Tatsuma's previous life. Two hundred ryo can buy dozens of kilograms of fish in Apo, but in Konoha, it's only enough for two or three simple meals. And in Daimyo's mansion, you can only eat vegetarian noodles.

Hearing Chenma's words, the earwig nodded, looked at the wild vulture, and asked, "Are you going or should I go?"

"I'll go."

Minato interrupted, "I haven't been of much help today. You guys take a rest. I've been to the village before and am quite familiar with the situation there, so it's best for me to go."

Upon hearing this, the two nodded and gave the opportunity to Minato. Not only did Minato make sense, but who wouldn't want to take a break?

Although handling the aftermath is their job, it is a quality that every member of the Dark Guard should possess. They are simply giving the younger members of the Dark Guard an opportunity to train!

Tatsuma couldn't possibly dampen Minato's enthusiasm, so after nodding, Minato turned and headed towards the village.

When Minato first joined the Anbu, although he had been occasionally instructed by Tatsuma on some of the abilities and skills that Anbu ninjas must possess, he was not as proficient in any of them as the veteran Anbu members.

His stealth skills were somewhat immature compared to other ANBU members, but they were more than enough for a small village with only two or three ninjas passing through and temporarily residing there.

Not long after, Minato returned, took out a scroll, handed it to Tatsuma, and said, "Squad leader, I've checked it. It totals 677,800 taels, but only about 300 taels were used, mostly for replenishing dry rations."

As he spoke, he took out a small cloth bag. Such a small amount of cheap dry rations wasn't worth spending a sealing scroll to seal. Chenma nodded, took the scroll, and then said:

"Dry rations. Release it, wild vulture, it's all yours."

The handsome face beneath the vulture mask began to twitch, but he still took the bag of dry rations. However, he didn't process it immediately. Instead, when a flock of birds gathered, he crushed the rations and scattered some.

They didn't stay where they were, but headed towards the location where the second target mission, Zhu Yue, had most recently sent back intelligence.

Compared to when they first accepted the mission, the distance between Takezuki and Usugi has not only not shortened, but has actually widened. It's unclear whether Takezuki lacks the resolve to be a rogue ninja or has simply believed that the most dangerous place is the safest place.

Unlike Bo Shi, who always chose the back paths and waited for three steps to pass, Zhu Yue swaggered along with the caravan, traveling between villages and towns.

Chenma's personal guess is the former. After all, Takezuki has the bloodline of the Kaguya clan. It's easy to understand why someone associated with that clan would be a little slow-witted.

Of course, even the latter isn't exactly bright. Do they really think the ninjas Konoha has deployed in various towns, and the ANBU's covert operations, are just for show?

However, the only redeeming quality of Takezuki's chosen route is that many ninjas will appear within his area, which will greatly increase the difficulty for Tatsuma and the others to conduct a covert search.

After all, sensory techniques can only sense chakra. For some familiar ninjas, Tatsuma can remember the characteristics of their chakra.

However, it is difficult to investigate a rogue ninja from Kirigakure whom they have never met before using sensory techniques. They can only use more traditional observation methods. This is not difficult for the four members of the team. After all, ordinary ninjas and even non-ninja informants can observe something amiss and thus determine the other party's identity.

However, the drawback of this method is its low efficiency. It requires finding individuals who overlap with the task objective and observing them to confirm or eliminate possibilities.

After a day and a half, they finally found Zhuyue on a flat road. However, being in the caravan, Chenma and the others dared not make a move.

After secretly following for a while and seeing that Takezuki showed no signs of being alone, Tatsuma suddenly had an idea and said to Minato, "I have an idea that can help Takezuki quickly move out of the crowd."

"Squad leader, please speak."

Minato's troubled expression faded, and he looked at Tatsuma. Tatsuma, seeing the caravan moving at a relatively slow pace, said, "Let's cut in front of them and leave the Flying Thunder God Technique in the middle of the road."

When he passes by the spell, one of us will move over, take Zhu Yue with him, and move to the other person's side. However, we need to be quick to avoid disturbing the others, and it's best not to let them realize that someone is missing.

However, we haven't specifically trained for this kind of continuous Flying Thunder God transfer, so to be honest, I can't guarantee the success rate.

Upon hearing this, Minato narrowed his eyes and said, "No problem, leave it to me. Squad leader, you pick a better battlefield first. However, I also have a suggestion."

"Um?"

"How about we call this tactic 'Super Gale Multi-Flash Teleport Zero Style'?"

"Let's have a democratic vote. Of course, as the class monitor, I have a veto."

(End of this chapter)