I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 333 Betrayal won't happen only once; more often than not, it becomes second nature.

Usamaru and Yamabuki, along with a dozen or so other members, were gathered together. Beside them were the corpses of their former comrades, and further out was a group of Kirigakure ninja.

"Damn it, how did they find this place?"

Yamabuki glared at the group, but her voice trembled slightly. Usamaru, however, was more rational. He quickly analyzed, "It must be Takasugi Shinsuke's actions that prompted Kirigakure to intensify its search for 'rogue ninja.'"

"Could it be that Takasugi Shinsuke betrayed us?"

A voice rang out from the crowd, and Usamaru's face instantly turned ugly. He muttered angrily, "If Takasugi Shinsuke wanted to kill us, why would he need these lackeys to do it?!"

Although the number of Kirigakure ninjas who surrounded and ambushed them was large, their overall strength was not strong. Apart from a few who did not make a move, the rest were actually of similar strength to their reserve team of Oni Ninja.

However, they were ambushed and outnumbered, which is why they suffered so many casualties in such a short time. Once everyone realized what was happening, they banded together, and the Hidden Mist ninjas did not launch an attack for the time being.

"So, according to you, you did indeed have contact with the S-rank rogue ninja, Takasugi Shinsuke?"

A ninja who hadn't lifted a finger from beginning to end stepped forward and spoke. Usamaru examined him closely, and by the moonlight, he could vaguely make out the man's features. His expression grew increasingly grim.

"Katsura Mirei, a Jonin qualified to participate in the selection of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

Yamabuki recognized the man's identity and murmured something. Upon hearing this, the others turned ashen-faced.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are all ridiculously powerful monsters. They led the annihilation of several small island nations that refused to submit to the Land of Water's control.

Although this Katsura Reiji is not one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and does not possess any of the seven swords, the fact that he was selected shows that the village recognizes his strength.

Perhaps when one of the current Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist falls into trouble, Reiji Katsura will be able to seamlessly take over and become the new swordsman.

Reiji Katsura enjoyed the fearful gazes of these people. He stepped forward, stood in the slightly brighter moonlight, and said, "Tell me about your relationship with Shinsuke Takasugi, or you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

"I've said it, can you spare my life?"

The person who had just questioned "Takasugi Shinsuke" spoke up again. He had already betrayed the organization once, so betraying a new organization again would not only not put him under psychological pressure, but he was even more skilled at it than before.

As soon as the man spoke, Usamaru and Yamabuki glared at him angrily. However, a few others secretly thought that if they could exchange Takasugi Shinsuke's information for their lives, it seemed like a good deal.

"Whoosh~"

A kunai flew past and pierced the man's heart, but it avoided the vital organs. This was even more difficult than hitting the heart, since the torso was full of vital organs and there were not many gaps.

"No, I will still kill you, but I'll consider making sure you die a dignified death."

Guiwei Lingzhi grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth as he stood in the moonlight, like a ferocious beast opening its blood-red maw.

Upon hearing this, the rogue ninja with a kunai stuck in his chest turned pale, and the other rogue ninjas who had originally intended to betray Takasugi Shinsuke's information also changed their minds.

Since they were going to die anyway, there was no difference. They had already betrayed the village because they couldn't stand its bloodshed and brutality, and they had been prepared to die from the beginning.

However, one's original aspirations may sometimes be forgotten, but when one occasionally recalls them, one is still filled with strength.

Seeing the look of grim determination in these people's eyes, Reiji Katsura's face darkened, though he maintained an unpleasant smile. He said:

"Are you sure you want to protect an S-rank rogue ninja? If so, I will have to consider you as his comrades. In that case, even if you are executed, the Mizukage and Elder Genji will still reward me."

Usamaru suddenly revealed an ugly smile, but unlike Katsura Reiji's ferocity, his smile was one of despair. Usamaru grinned and said, "Extreme punishment? Living on this land is itself an extreme punishment."

Or do you consider bloodshed and brutality to be part of the scenery?

"Isn't that right?"

Reiji Katsura raised his hands and slowly placed them in front of his chest, saying, "Those who understand the beauty of blood are true ninjas."

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The incredibly intricate seals were formed one by one by Katsura Reiji, and then, on the damp earth, a water dragon raised its head and stared at Usamaru and the others.

Rabbit looked at the water dragon's body, slowly lowered his arms, no longer wanting to struggle.

"Whoosh~"

The water dragon swung its body and then pounced on Usamaru and the others. Katsura Reiji watched this scene with a bored expression on his face. Prey that doesn't struggle is the most boring to tear apart.

"Water escape! Water formation wall!"

Suddenly, a ring of water rose up, and the water dragon lunged at the water wall. Instantly, it was torn off the ground by the swirling water wall, struggled for a moment, and then merged directly into the water wall.

Usamaru and the others hadn't even reacted yet, their faces still bearing the same death-defying expressions as before. Katsura Reiji, however, had reacted and looked warily at the falling water wall.

A boy with blue and white hair stood in front of the crowd, his hands clasped together, looking compassionate, but his eyes seemed to hold a wild and mad beast-like nature.

"Takasugi Shinsuke?"

Although the message left by Hozuki Gengetsu did not specifically mention the appearance of "Takasugi Shinsuke", and Rokuo did not provide any further explanation, Katsura Reiji still managed to guess the identity of the visitor.

He immediately gave the order: "Everyone, attack!"

One second, two seconds of silence. The silence in the darkness is the most terrifying. Reiji Katsura looked around and found that many of his men had already fallen, and there were still others.

They are being beheaded one by one.

"Takasugi Shinsuke-sama!"

Yamabuki snapped out of her daze, looked at the ninjas who had beheaded the Mist Ninja, and excitedly asked, "Are these your Demon Ninja Team?"

Tatsuma nodded, glanced back at the still-shaken crowd, and then looked at the man with a kunai stuck in his chest. He said, "You have no wild beast in your heart, only a fence-sitter."

"Lord Takasugi Shinsuke, I...I..."

He wanted to explain something, but a glimmer of light flashed under the moonlight, and the skin on his neck suddenly tightened. Then his head was separated from his body, and his head fell to the ground and rolled around. After a moment of stunned silence, he collapsed.

"Hahaha~ Hahaha~"

Just as everyone was astonished, Reiji Katsura suddenly burst into laughter. Pointing at Tatsuma, he said, "You're someone who appreciates the beauty of blood, but... you're being too lenient with him! You're being too lenient with him!"

Tatsuma turned back to look at Reiji Katsura and said, "I don't kill for satisfaction, I only kill for destruction. How one dies is considered a favor or a disgrace, it's none of my business. I just want to destroy him."

Oh, you too.

Reiji Katsura's smile froze. Tatsuma's scarlet eyes revealed a bloodthirstiness and brutality he had never seen before, a quality that even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who were known for their ruthless killing, did not possess.

This is a quality that can only be cultivated on a real battlefield; it cannot be acquired simply by killing more people.

"Let me see just how far someone like you, whose heart is filled with nothing but an empty conch shell, can wail."

Tatsuma grinned. To play the role of Takasugi Shinsuke well, he really thought of himself as a pervert. And at this moment, he didn't look like a pervert; he *was* a pervert!

Moreover, his perversion was so extreme that even Reiji Katsura couldn't handle it, completely losing the composure he had when toying with his prey.

Not to mention Katsura Reiji, even the Konoha ninjas who came with Tatsuma were looking at each other in bewilderment. In their memory, Sakamoto Tatsuma was a good kid.

While the ideal state for a stealthy ninja is to completely transform themselves into another person, Tatsuma is going a bit too far. If they hadn't been guided by Tatsuma all along, they would have suspected that Tatsuma had been replaced by someone else.

No wonder they were able to accomplish in just a few days what other ninjas couldn't do in ten years!

Katsura Reiji resisted the urge to turn and run. Seeing that Tatsuma was standing still with no intention of attacking, he formed the hand seals again, the same as before, but at a speed much faster.

After completing all forty-four hand seals, a water dragon much thicker than before rose from the ground and lunged at Chenma.

Just then, Tatsuma raised his hand to form a hand seal, but Katsura Reiji shook his head and said firmly, "It's too late!"

But when the fourth seal, the Tiger Seal, was formed, the Horse Seal stopped forming. Katsura Mi Reiji's eyes twitched. This was Fire Release.

Using Fire Release to block his own Water Release? Is Takasugi Shinsuke an idiot?!

However, something unexpected happened. After the Tiger Seal was formed, an even thicker water dragon appeared and instantly bit the attacking water dragon.

Tatsuma's smile remained unchanged, secretly admiring Tobirama Senju for changing the Water Release hand seals to the Tiger Seal. This was probably to provoke the Uchiha clan, since the Uchiha were most familiar with Fire Release.

However, it's not just the Uchiha who are skilled in Fire Release who will be tricked. Most ninjas, seeing the Tiger Seal as the finishing move, probably wouldn't think it was Water Release.

"monster!"

Reiji Katsura muttered a curse. Although he couldn't understand Tatsuma's hand seals at all, it was a fact that his technique was suppressed. He drew his ninja sword and instantly approached Tatsuma.

So young, yet with such terrifying ninjutsu skills, his taijutsu must be terrible, right? Definitely!

Rushing to Tatsuma's side, Reiji Katsura thrust his ninja sword straight at Tatsuma's ribs. Tatsuma seemed not to have reacted in time, just as he had not reacted to Reiji's hand seals earlier.

Just as the blade was about to touch the gap in Tatsuma's vest, Tatsuma moved again, twisting his waist and hips to avoid the ninja sword's thrust, and then swung a wide palm strike towards Katsura Reiji's chin.

"Snap!"

"Bang!"

A large bag fell down, and Reiji Katsura's head seemed to burst open with steam, but it was all sweat. He was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree and embedding himself in it.

"Gurgle~"

Everyone present, even the ninjas from Konoha, had never actually seen Tatsuma in action. At this moment, their expressions were all identical: stunned.

Wasn't Katsura Reiji a Jonin? Wasn't he a candidate for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? Why is he so weak?

Tatsuma clenched and unclenched his fists several times. With the enhancement of his "Monstrous Strength," his explosive power surpassed that of most Jonin. Meanwhile, Reiji Katsura's impatience and irrationality in his anxiety gave Tatsuma a chance to unleash his full power.

A self-destructive attack is most harmful to both the enemy and the attacker; Reiji Katsura's attack just now undoubtedly harmed himself.

"Clatter~"

Guiwei Lingzhi fell from the tree and collapsed to the ground. He then began to dry heave repeatedly, his head spinning and his vision filled with stars, as if his entire head had been shoved into a centrifuge.

"yue~"

With a great effort, Reiji Katsura finally caught his breath. He looked at the double image of Tatsuma and said somewhat indistinctly, "Don't...don't kill me."

"Is this your final lament? How utterly despicable."

(End of this chapter)