I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 391 An apology is the last thing to do; before that, please do everything you can to make amends.

Shinnosuke and his two companions hid in the room, peering through the crack in the door at the battle in the distance. They even seemed to breathe very carefully, so that the thunderous sounds outside wouldn't be deafened by their heavy breathing.

Suddenly, all three of them felt a chill down their backs. Yamanaka Satoru, who had the ability to sense things, was the first to react. As he turned around, his hands had already formed a hand seal.

"Ninja Art! Mind Transfer Technique!"

Shinnosuke instantly drew his kunai and stood in front of Yamanaka Satoru the moment he finished his spell. Haramichi also skillfully placed his hands under Yamanaka Satoru's armpits to support him.

When Shinnosuke saw that the person who climbed in through the window was actually his idol, his expression froze. He then quickly looked Tatsuma up and down and said, "Satori! It's Tatsuma-senpai. Give his body back to him."

After these words, the room fell silent. Tatsuma tilted his head slightly, staring into Shinnosuke's eyes, then frowned and said, "Shinnosuke, do you not like eating fish? Your night blindness seems quite severe."

"Um... Shinnosuke, I... I couldn't control Tatsuma-senpai."

Standing behind Shinnosuke, Yamanaka Satoru explained, but his face was also full of surprise. He was certain that his technique, his chakra, and even his consciousness had come into contact with Tatsuma.

But it was only a fleeting moment of contact. Then, like someone trying to squeeze onto Line 3 during rush hour, he couldn't get in no matter how hard he tried. In fact, when he tried to squeeze in, he was bounced away by the accumulated elasticity of the people in the carriage.

This was a situation that Yamanaka Satoru had never encountered before. He had seen people who were much stronger than him, and because he became Shinnosuke's teammate, the clan chief had even personally taught him for a period of time.

He also used his own technique on the clan leader, Yamanaka Ei-chō. Indeed, Yamanaka Satoru's mastery of the secret techniques of the Yamanaka clan was completely insufficient to support him in controlling Yamanaka Ei-chō. However, the difference was that he failed in his attempt to seize control.

Moreover, even though Yamanaka Ochū easily regained control of his body, he did experience a moment of distraction.

But when he used the Heart Turning Technique to attack Tatsuma, the feeling of being completely unable to get in was something he had never experienced before. The core of the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique is to fight the enemy for control of the body.

However, he couldn't even get into the cockpit of Tatsuma's brain.

Shinnosuke then realized that his teammates hadn't been able to control Tatsuma at all.

"As expected of Tatsuma-senpai!"

He sighed inwardly, but quickly explained, "I'm so sorry, Tatsuma-senpai. I thought Yamanaka Satoru had taken control of your body, so I was a bit rude."

"Senior Tatsuma, may I ask who you are?"

Yamanaka Satoru couldn't help but ask the question, but he didn't dare to finish it. His words caught in his throat, after all, what ninja doesn't have a secret skill that they don't pass on to others?

But Tatsuma still understood his thoughts. He waved his hand casually and said, "I just used a simple technique."

"A simple technique?"

Yamanaka Satoru had never heard of any technique that could completely defend against their clan's secret techniques. Moreover, if such a technique existed, it would be impossible to describe it as "simple"!

"Yes, it's very simple, a technique you can learn in one glance."

Tatsuma wasn't deliberately being evasive; it's just that forbidden techniques are top secret and can't be revealed casually. However, he wasn't lying either; the forbidden technique he used was indeed one that could be learned with just one glance.

Soul Imprisonment Technique.

It was a small area he tried a few days ago when he had nothing to do. He wanted to see if the Soul Imprisonment Technique would have any additional benefits for defensive ninjutsu. Of course, it didn't.

Because the Soul Imprisonment Technique targets the "soul," and the soul, in a sense, is closely related to the brain. The soul's consciousness cannot exist without the brain's supply, and even the process of thinking is a reaction produced by the brain.

Conversely, the brain's reaction can cause changes in the soul, or consciousness, meaning that Chenma's starting point was wrong.

The principle of illusion is to use chakra to interfere with a person's physiological level. When it invades the brain, it causes neurons to move in an orderly or disordered manner, thus affecting a person's consciousness.

This process is irreversible. Matter determines consciousness. The Soul Imprisonment Technique can ensure that Chenma's soul does not leave his body, but it cannot guarantee the state of the soul, nor can it change the physiological state of the cerebral cortex.

So this small project failed, but the existence of the Soul Imprisonment Technique seal had no effect on Tatsuma, so Tatsuma was too lazy to take the time to review how to break the Soul Imprisonment Technique.

Unexpectedly, Yamanaka Satoru, who suddenly attacked him today, came in handy by sheer coincidence.

Tatsuma did feel a surge of chakra coming towards him, but he didn't feel anything about his soul. At first, he thought that Yamanaka Satoru had missed because he was nervous.

"Tatsuma-senpai, what brings you here?"

Seeing that Yamanaka no longer pressed for answers, Shinnosuke asked a question out of curiosity. Upon hearing this, Tatsuma straightened his head, which had been tilted slightly, and his expression became calm and serious.

In an instant, Shinnosuke and his two friends felt an overwhelming sense of pressure, the kind of pressure that comes from knowing you're about to face blame and punishment after being caught making a mistake.

"You three are really something, causing such a commotion here and resulting in minor injuries to three Konoha ninjas. I only managed to get there in time and move them away."

If I hadn't come, there would have been more than just three people with minor injuries; they might not have been minor injuries, but serious injuries or even death. And their mission here would have been completely ruined because of your actions.

If this were wartime, then the three of you would undoubtedly be war criminals.

Tatsuma didn't use a scolding or roaring tone; he just spoke calmly, which made the three of them panic. After Tatsuma finished speaking, Shinnosuke quickly explained:

"Tatsuma-senpai, no, we came here."

He paused for a moment, after all, their trip involved the Dark Division, but after thinking about Chenma's identity, he still said, "Our examiner sent us here, and what we are doing is to complete the assessment."

"An assessment? Tell me, what kind of assessment did your examiners give you?"

Tatsuma took a step closer to the three of them, and they all shrank back simultaneously. Shinnosuke hesitated for a while before saying, "We...we haven't found any clues yet, and we don't know what the real test is."

"So, you disrupted the missions of your fellow village ninjas, damaged the village's layout, and disregarded the labor of others without any legitimate reason, is that it?"

At this point, Chenma's tone began to carry a hint of reproach. Although it wasn't exactly an interrogation, it was enough to leave the three already flustered and helpless boys feeling lost.

After pondering for a while, Shinnosuke raised his head and said, "I'm sorry, Tatsuma-senpai. I gave the wrong order. I will apologize to the village when I get back."

Upon hearing this, Tatsuma nodded and asked, "What about the Anbu's assessment?"

Shinnosuke's breathing became rapid again. Yamanaka Satoru and Harumichi looked up. Shinnosuke pursed his lips several times before saying, "I request to withdraw from the assessment, but..."

"Satori and Gendo were merely carrying out the wrong instructions I gave them. I don't think they bear any responsibility, so..."

He turned to look at his two teammates and said, "I will do everything I can to keep your chances of continuing to participate in the assessment. Good luck. Also, remember Senior Chenma's advice: don't trust others too much, just like this time, you shouldn't have trusted me."

"Shinnosuke"

Upon hearing this, both of them had incredibly complex expressions. Yamanaka Satoru gritted his teeth and said, "Senior Tatsuma, I am the culprit behind this turmoil. I used the Yamanaka Secret Technique to control other ninjas and start the chaotic battle."

Actually, I could have carried out Shinnosuke's instructions in a gentler way, but I didn't. Therefore, I think I should withdraw from the assessment and take responsibility for my mistake.

"I"

Harumichi wanted to speak too, but after thinking for a while, he could only say, "It was my many radical remarks along the way that led Shinnosuke to misjudge the situation."

"The Dark Division's assessment begins the moment it starts and doesn't end until the examiner announces the results. Do you really think you have the right to decide that?"

"But, senior Tatsuma, it seems our assessment hasn't even started yet. We don't even know what the assessment is about, or who the examiners are."

Shinnosuke was dejected. He didn't blame anyone else, only himself. Tatsuma-senpai was right; he had no legitimate reason, and everything he did was harming the village.

With his qualifications, how could he possibly be allowed to continue participating in the assessment?

Chenma crossed his arms and said, "I said your assessment isn't over yet, so your assessment isn't over yet."

"Senior Tatsuma, there's no need to offend your colleagues in the Anbu because of me. If you have any other concerns, I will explain them to my father. I overestimated my abilities; I haven't met the Anbu's standards yet."

Shinnosuke thought Tatsuma was there to "protect" him, since this kind of thing often happened before. Although he was disgusted, he couldn't help it.

He still remembers his first bandit suppression mission. There were more ninjas who "spontaneously" came to "protect" him than there were bandits on that mountain. If he hadn't insisted, his team probably wouldn't have even had a chance to make a move.

Tatsuma looked at Shinnosuke and said with a smile, "Don't always think you've seen through the ways of the world. You're making the same mistake as before, which is being self-righteous."

What I stand for will not change because of you, nor because of your Hokage father. If you don't believe me, go back and ask your father.

The reason I said that is because I am the examiner, and it is my duty to examine and evaluate you. Right now, I have only observed your shortcomings, your strengths, and your abilities. I still need to continue to observe and evaluate you.

Upon hearing that Tatsuma was their examiner, all three of them gaped in surprise. None of them had expected this. Although they all called Tatsuma "senpai," they were ultimately from the same generation, and it was difficult to connect him with the title of "examiner."

Tatsuma lowered his hand, then raised his right hand, making a "V" sign, and said, "Next, I want to give you my second piece of advice: when faced with a mess you've created, the most important thing to do is not to admit your mistakes and apologize."

Instead, do everything you can to remedy the situation. For example, if Konoha can no longer profit from this place, then the remedy is to prevent everyone, every ninja village, and every nation from profiting from it, to destroy this place, and to kill all the ninjas here.

Given your strength and ability, I will demonstrate to you how to remedy the situation.

"Senior Tatsuma, there are four Jonin outside, and several Special Jonin as well."

Shinnosuke understood Tatsuma's meaning, but because of this, he became even more worried, fearing that Tatsuma would get hurt because of the mess he had made.

Tatsuma walked right past them, pushed open the door behind them, and said, "A mere Jonin is nothing to worry about."

Turning around, Shinnosuke looked at Tatsuma's back and suddenly remembered what his father often told him when he was a child: the Second Hokage's back could bring people peace and courage.

Shinnosuke didn't understand before, but now, looking at that not-so-broad back, Shinnosuke understands. His gaze seems to have crossed the river of time, coinciding with the gaze his father had given to the Second Generation.

(End of this chapter)