I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 40 I bet your gun is empty!

There are many ways to express sadness and many ways to cope with it. Some people are in pain from the start and try to relieve their sadness by venting their emotions.

Some people wrap their sadness in a strong shell, letting it fester inside until it bursts through silently or after a trivial event, allowing it to be released.

Clearly, Kushina belongs to the latter category. The tragedy in the Land of Whirlpools had already occurred some time ago, and even if it reached Konoha Village, it would take about a week for ordinary people to know about it.

As the last surviving member of the Uzumaki clan, an invisible burden weighed on Kushina from the moment the tragedy occurred. Perhaps no one asked her to avenge the Uzumaki clan, but she couldn't help but think about it herself.

Then, she would set herself one goal after another, moving towards what she believed to be the right path, and she didn't want to vent the driving force of this hatred until she succeeded.

However, her first step, graduating from the Ninja Academy, was directly blocked by Tatsuma and Minato. This setback at the beginning left Kushina at a loss, and she became someone who couldn't even make a choice.

Just like a baby, letting emotions dictate their behavior, such as the crying that is happening now.

At this point, any attempt to stop or console Kushina would only be like patching a loose layer of tape over her already cracked exterior; it would be better to let her vent directly.

The prolonged crying, coupled with the exhaustion from two consecutive combat tests, caused Kushina to fall into a deep sleep. Sarutobi Akira, seeing Kushina still sobbing despite being unconscious, picked her up and said to Orochimaru:

"Lord Orochimaru, I'll take Kushina back first. This way..."

"It's okay, I have plenty of time today."

Orochimaru waved his hand. His team had been urgently recalled. Tsunade had gone home and there had been no news of her since. Jiraiya had also been called in for a talk by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Having been given a short vacation, Orochimaru didn't mind wasting this little bit of time.

However, after Sarutobi Akiura left, Orochimaru still looked at Tatsuma and the other two and asked, "You have completed the village's mission excellently. Do you want to continue with the second round of testing?"

Tatsuma didn't speak or look at Minato. Minato's promise to Kushina had already proven that he wanted to continue, while Tatsuma needed to think about it some more.

"I will continue to participate in the assessment."

As Tatsuma expected, Minato nodded. Orochimaru looked at Tatsuma, awaiting his answer.

Tatsuma pondered for a while before looking up at Orochimaru and saying, "Lord Orochimaru, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Tatsuma-kun."

Orochimaru had regained his elegant smile and looked at Tatsuma, curious about what problem could influence Tatsuma's choice to graduate early.

Tatsuma took a deep breath and then asked, "Lord Orochimaru, I'd like to ask why you're the one testing us today? Do you think highly of us?"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru understood what Tatsuma meant. This kid was worried about resources after graduation. Of course, these resources were not material resources, but rather the invisible resources like mentorship teams.

With a light laugh, Orochimaru shook his head and said, "It's precisely because I don't value you, or rather, the village doesn't intend for you two to follow me, that I don't need to avoid suspicion and can become your examiner."

Tatsuma nodded, about to ask more questions, but Orochimaru waved his hand and said, "I know what you want to ask. Don't worry, the village won't let you down."

Of course, I can also reveal a little bit: if you successfully graduate, the Jonin leading the team will most likely be my teammate.

Orochimaru didn't mind telling these secrets to the two of them, because he knew that only if the food in the trap was delicious enough could it lure the prey into the trap.

For now, letting Chenma and the other two know how much they will gain in the future will inspire their potential and motivate them to participate in the next round of assessments.

Based on their demonstrated abilities, becoming genin was a certainty for them, but Orochimaru didn't want it to end so boringly; he wanted to stir things up.

After learning about the potential future Jonin leader, Tatsuma and Minato exchanged a glance, their motivation indeed increasing. Tatsuma nodded and said:

"Lord Orochimaru, I will also continue to participate in the assessment."

"Then take a break. When your teacher comes back, the assessment will begin. Let me tell you, this is no small matter."

As he spoke, Orochimaru's smile vanished, and a chilling, violent, and murderous aura emanated from him. His golden eyes seemed unfocused, yet also seemed to be fixed intently on the two of them.

"Gurgle~"

Tatsuma and Minato both swallowed hard, especially Tatsuma, who hadn't really believed in the power of momentum.

In his past life, when watching a movie, someone said that a certain actor played a prisoner well and that there was a murderous aura in his eyes, but he didn't feel anything special.

But at this moment, being stared at by Orochimaru gave him the feeling that a perverted killer was already on his shoulder and had a knife to his neck.

"Furthermore, I also want to make one point."

Suddenly, Orochimaru withdrew his aura, his lips curling into a smile that exuded the aura of a mad bomber. It wasn't intimidating, but it instilled fear in people from the bottom of their hearts.

With a smile, Orochimaru said, "If you fail my test, I might use some authority to write your reports as worthless, so that you'll be seen as trash by the Jonin when you return to the Ninja Academy."

With your abilities, you should be able to guess what I'm talking about, right?

This is obvious; it's a blatant message to them that if they miss this opportunity, they can forget about ever finding a good Jonin to lead a team again.

Tatsuma frowned, looking at Orochimaru. He suspected that Orochimaru was bluffing him, just like Ibiki Morino later bluffed the candidates taking the Chunin Exams.

However, Orochimaru showed no emotional weakness whatsoever, and Tatsuma felt that Orochimaru was capable of such a crazy thing.

While Minato was still pondering, Tatsuma came to his senses first and said, "I understand, Lord Orochimaru. Perhaps your test is difficult, but I don't think you would deliberately hinder our path."

As long as we demonstrate qualities that impress you, you cannot judge us as a failure in the assessment.

"Hmm, you seem very confident. You can give it a try."

Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged. Seeing that Minato had also regained his composure, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "However, if I were you, I would hurry up and get back to my normal state."

"I see."

Tatsuma nodded, then exchanged a glance with Minato, and the two of them formed hand seals to begin refining and restoring their chakra.

(End of this chapter)