I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 370 Don't expect someone to accompany you for a lifetime; fleeting passersby are the norm.

"Bang!"

Genmi clutched his ribs, his body sliding backward until he finally stopped, but a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

It's incredible that Takasugi Shinsuke's power has suddenly increased again. As the battle progresses and his stamina diminishes, his power will inevitably continue to decline.

It was already remarkable that "Takasugi Shinsuke" was able to maintain his initial state despite being injured multiple times during his fight against him.

This shows that "Takasugi Shinsuke" has physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, and has undergone a lot of training in anaerobic combat under excessive load. Genmi has never seen such talent and the degree to which it has been realized.

I thought this was Takasugi Shinsuke's limit, that he could fight this Kage for so long without showing any obvious signs of defeat, but now it seems that this is not the limit.

Genmi calmed his breathing, adjusting to the difficulty he was experiencing due to the injury to his ribs, while also keeping an eye on "Takasugi Shinsuke," who was also panting heavily. Suddenly, he noticed a detail.

Takasugi Shinsuke's gaze kept involuntarily drifting towards the direction of the main force in the distance, and this, combined with Takasugi Shinsuke's recent outburst...

"Can't bear to see your comrades die? Is that why you discovered new power in the Jedi?"

Genmi secretly guessed that people have limits, but under certain circumstances, those limits can be broken, such as in life-or-death situations, or when the most important things or people's circumstances urgently require him to change them.

It seems that Takasugi Shinsuke's growth occurred when the group of rogue ninjas encountered the bombardment of the Kirigakure army, but... his current level is still not enough.

"Kid, let me see how much you value your comrades!"

Genmi's lips curled up as he recalled the words that "Takasugi Shinsuke" had said to him, the Kage, when he had blown up many Kirigakure ninjas in front of him.

No wonder I thought Takasugi Shinsuke's tone was so strange back then. Looking back now, it was probably a satire of him as the Kage, mocking him for not caring about his "comrades" at all.

As expected, they still have a childish mindset, and their understanding of the word "companion" is too superficial and too attached to appearances.

No companion will accompany you to the end. Either you leave your companion first, or your companion leaves you first. So-called companions are just people who happen to walk the same path.

It's over. It's over. There's no need to look back, nor to change your path to please others. Similarly, you have no right to ask others to change direction.

Genmi also thought of his best friend, who also only understood these things after losing him.

If Hozuki Gengetsu had listened to him, he might have lived until now, but he wouldn't be happy. He might even regret it at the end of his life. It would be better for him to do what he wanted and die early but without regrets.

Once they embarked on the path of betrayal, these people would not regret it, nor should they. As the Mizukage, he would not give them a chance to regret it!

"Swoosh~"

After finishing his meditation, Xuanmi launched another attack, his figure merging into the mist, ethereal and unpredictable, and instantly appearing beside Chenma. He raised his leg and kicked Chenma in the ribs, almost exactly the same spot where Chenma had just injured him.

Chenma reacted extremely quickly. Almost the instant Genmi raised his leg, he turned around and prepared to grab the leg. He deflected the fist and grabbed the foot with his hand. This is the practical guidance of the Tai Chi theory that is ever-changing yet fundamentally the same.

Almost instinctively, he hugged Genmi's knee, twisted his stance, and as his left hand touched Genmi's right leg, Tatsuma's right foot also entered from the center line and buried itself in Genmi's left heel, while his right hand pushed hard at the same time.

Genmi defended with both hands, but the moment his center of gravity shifted, Chenma's right leg tripped him, and Genmi lost his balance, his legs went into the air, and his head slammed into the ground, but he reacted very quickly and braced himself with his hands behind him.

Genmi's legs also broke free from Tatsuma's control, and she kicked Tatsuma's chin. Tatsuma leaned back to dodge, and Genmi used the momentum to flip back and regain her balance before landing.

"You've gotten stronger again."

Genmi narrowed his eyes and quickly made a judgment. He had not made a mistake just now, and even rehearsed the increased power under the potential of "Takasugi Shinsuke". However, his speed and agility had also improved.

Chenma pursed his lips, his eyes unconsciously glancing in the direction of the main force again.

It wasn't that he was worried about their safety, but rather that their deaths were extremely valuable to Tatsuma at that moment.

【Graveyard Lonely Soul】: On the battlefield, as the number of friendly casualties increases, all physical attributes are temporarily increased, up to a maximum of 100%. If only one of your own remains, all physical attributes are increased by an additional 100%.

This is one of the special talents that comes with the [White Yaksha] physique. Tatsuma has not triggered this effect since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

Unexpectedly, the rogue ninja group that joined at the last minute was also judged as "one of our own".

Due to a sudden bombardment, the rogue ninja army has lost nearly 10% of its men, and Tatsuma's already outstanding physical attributes have also increased by 10%.

With the blessing of [Super Strength] and [Unending Strength], the increase in [Strength] and [Spirit] is doubled, and in Sage Mode, it can be doubled again, which brings a fairly significant improvement to Tatsuma.

Furthermore, Tatsuma discovered that the [Essence] did not bring pure chakra, but rather Sage Chakra that matched his current Sage Mode requirements, saving him a lot of adjustment time.

However, even 10% is not enough. After all, Tatsuma needs to conceal too many methods right now, and he cannot use those methods with a distinct Konoha style.

For example, the Flying Thunder God Technique, Uchiha Fire Release, Sarutobi Fire Release, Shimura Wind Release, Tobirama Senju's unique Water Release technique, his Wood Release, and a series of Rasengans all had to be concealed at this time.

Based on overall combat strength calculations, Chenma estimates that to compensate for his lack of combat power after using all his methods, his basic physical attributes would need to increase by 30%, and only after further enhancements from other talents and Sage Mode would it be roughly the same.

After all, putting everything else aside, the on-the-spot effects of Flying Thunder God Technique and Rasengan are extremely important. Without using these techniques, Tatsuma's best-honed fighting style would be useless.

However, even a 30% increase, reaching his original limit, is not enough. The most direct reason why he can fight Xuanmi to a standstill is that Xuanmi doesn't have much intention to kill him.

Tatsuma was able to understand this through the [Malice Perception] he picked up from Kurama, and Genmi's various reactions during the battle also told Tatsuma that Genmi wanted to injure him, not kill him.

If we take into account Genmi's mindset, which is very likely to change due to his increased combat power, a Mizukage Tatsuma filled with murderous intent would have to increase by at least 50%.

Even more cautiously, considering the very likely hidden trump card that Genmi possesses, perhaps a 70% or even higher increase would be necessary to truly cope.

Therefore, the death of the rogue ninja from Kirigakure is very valuable. Tatsuma is paying attention to that side because he wants to see how long it will take for his physical attributes to grow to the point where he can directly face a Kage.

This sounds cold-blooded, but Tatsuma didn't consider those people to be his true companions. They were just a group of outsiders who were probably considered "one of his own" because they shared common interests and a common enemy.

"Ding~"

Suddenly, a metallic clang rang out, bringing Tatsuma back to his senses. He saw Minato blocking his way, knocking down a flying kunai.

This is Minato's "mission" today: to be the free agent on the field who can fill the gaps and play a role the moment Tatsuma needs him.

"How are you?"

Minato didn't turn around, but asked in a low voice. Tatsuma nodded. The long battle had indeed made him somewhat tired, not only physically but also mentally.

With his strategic planning and keen insight, he shouldn't have overlooked this, but exhaustion made him somewhat lax. He took a deep breath and said, "Zira, go protect our people."

"Purple Gara, Kazurada!"

Upon hearing that Tatsuma was so exhausted that he had forgotten his codename, Minato quickly corrected him, knowing he couldn't afford to give himself away at this moment!

Moreover, he did not immediately carry out Tatsuma's orders. If Tatsuma was truly exhausted to the point of delirium, then his situation was far more dangerous than that of the Konoha spies mixed in with the rogue ninja.

After all, Tatsuma's enemy is the Kage.

Tatsuma, standing behind Minato, did look momentarily dazed. He remembered that he hadn't actually recited that line with Minato.

Genmi, who had failed to ambush her from a distance, had a hint of envy in his eyes. People always go from being alone to walking with others, and then to silently shouldering heavy burdens and continuing to walk alone.

But who hasn't cherished those precious, less lonely days? Perhaps it was just ordinary training together, eating together, chatting about trivial things—things that seemed so commonplace at the time.

Although he didn't know why Genmi didn't take advantage of the chaos to attack, Tatsuma still took the opportunity to blink hard a few times to relieve the soreness in his eyes before saying, "I'm fine now, trust me."

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Minato hesitated for a second before nodding and relinquishing the battlefield, heading towards the main force.

Genmi looked at Tatsuma and said, "Do you want your companion to live? If you surrender, I might be a little more lenient."

"I don't think it's necessary. I'm not used to entrusting my fate to others, and if I surrender, I'll be despised, despised by the beast inside me."

"Haha~ Interesting. I hope you're not a hypocrite, because I've seen too many people with ugly faces when they're truly at their wits' end. If you don't surrender now, then please die with some dignity."

As soon as he finished speaking, Genmi formed a hand seal. When he formed the second seal, Tatsuma followed suit. Tatsuma had already figured out Genmi's technique. Genmi was watching Tatsuma and found that his hand seals were still as strange and unusual as ever.

"Sage Art! Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Genmi looked at Tatsuma Eiji's even simpler hand seals once again, and saw that he had used the same technique as himself. Being able to refine the water-attribute chakra nature transformation to the sixth seal to unleash the Water Dragon Bullet was quite remarkable, even in Kirigakure.

And "Takasugi Shinsuke"... how many hand seals did he use? Four or three? Even though I used them earlier, "Takasugi Shinsuke" still managed to strike first despite being the one who attacked later. So, who is the Mizukage here?!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The two water dragons clashed. Tatsuma's water dragon, infused with Sage Chakra, still prevailed over Genmi's Water Release technique. However, Genmi discovered something.

"The escape technique hasn't improved? Well, that makes sense. Physical potential can be unleashed, but how could accumulated knowledge possibly be unleashed? Since that's the case..."

Genmi formed hand seals again. This time, Tatsuma couldn't tell what kind of ninjutsu it was, but sensing Genmi's sudden increase in malice, alarm bells quickly went off in Tatsuma's mind.

(End of this chapter)