I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 417 Even someone who is keenly aware of their own level will envy the view from those above.

"Bang bang~ bang bang bang~ bang bang bang bang~"

Flames flickered in the distance, and deafening roars echoed continuously. The flames and smoke completely engulfed the Iwa ninja, and cries of agony rose and fell incessantly.

"A madman! A madman! A madman from Konoha!"

Seeing this, Old Purple gritted his teeth and stared into the distance with bloodshot eyes. He recognized the technique that Tatsuma used. It was the Mutual Multiplication Explosion Tags technique used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, to control the dead.

However, Tatsuma activated this technique with himself as the origin. Under such a level of bombardment, no one could possibly survive!

Trading the lives of hundreds of Iwa ninja for the life of Tatsuma is an incredibly worthwhile deal. If Iwa ninja had driven Tatsuma to the brink of despair, Rōshi would definitely have thought the same thing.

But no. Tatsuma and Minato were completely toying with the Iwa ninja. Tatsuma even initiated this suicide ninjutsu voluntarily. Why?! There's no explanation other than that he's a madman!

"Is this what you call art? It's truly incomprehensible."

Minato scratched his head, thinking about the phrase Tatsuma had been repeating from time to time while practicing this technique: "Art is an explosion."

Although it was hard to understand, Minato had to admit that the explosion before his eyes was indeed shocking enough that it was hard to imagine that it was a masterpiece that could be accomplished by explosive tags.

Explosive tags are just basic ninja tools. Every ninja, no, even a qualified senior student at a ninja academy, should know how to use them, and use them well.

However, the power of the explosive tags is only so-so. After all, as mass-produced ninja tools, the sealed fire jutsu is not very strong. A few years ago, Nawaki could be easily blown up by the explosive tags.

When powerful individuals use explosive tags, they simply attach them to the enemy's weak points or use the force of the explosion to expose an opening. In such cases, the power of the explosive tag is not the key factor.

But Tatsuma also said something to go with it: "Justice is justice." Even the weakest attack can be fatal if the number, frequency, and intensity of attacks are increased.

Just like the scene before us, an art exhibition that was set off by countless detonating tags, which would astound anyone who saw it.

"Celestial Art! Creation and Regeneration!"

"Celestial Technique! Yin Heals and Destroys!"

As the explosions subsided and the flames faded, the thick black smoke gradually thinned. In the center of this hellish scene of severed limbs, a figure stood—it was Tatsuma.

Seeing that Tatsuma was still standing, Rōshi and Kan were filled with shock, while Minato did not change much, his face showing the same smile he always did when he saw Tatsuma.

Chenma was dressed in rags, with large areas of skin exposed and covered in blood. Even his face and his curly hair were stained with black and red blood. The Yaksha mask at his waist was only half intact and was stained with blood.

He clasped his hands together, and beneath the charred or torn skin, something seemed to be surging. Soon after, with a tremor from the ground, the charred blood crust that had been attached to his skin fell off, revealing the intact skin underneath.

"A monster! He really is a monster!"

Old Purple thought of the descriptions of Tatsuma by the Four-Tailed and Five-Tailed, and blurted it out. Han nodded in deep agreement, while a chill ran down his spine.

He knew that he and Lao Zi were in big trouble. If they returned to the village, they would be met with endless punishments and insults, or perhaps they would never be able to go back at all.

While Han and Lao Zi were still in shock and panic, Minato, who knew Tatsuma well, was the first to come to his senses and formed hand seals without hesitation, completing the task in an instant.

The ground beneath Han and Lao Zi's feet rippled slightly, but this was masked by the aftershocks of the explosion and went unnoticed by the two.

"idiot!"

Four-tailed beast roared, and only then did Lao Zi and Han come to their senses. They felt something strange in their legs and looked down to see that their pants had turned white, and even white things had crawled up to their waists.

"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"

Minato triggered the technique, and the explosive tags attached to Old Purple and Han were detonated instantly.

"Boom~ Rumble rumble rumble~"

Another burst of flames shot into the sky, but its scale was much smaller than the multiplicative exploding tags technique that Chenma had just used.

Minato dodged the Five-Tails' attack, used Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to Tatsuma's side, and admired the distant firelight, saying, "My current perspective only allows me to appreciate art of this level."

"The ability to appreciate art also needs to be cultivated, so don't be discouraged."

After Tatsuma finished speaking, he looked into the distance where the smoke had dissipated. Rōshi and Han were already lying on the ground, but the Four-Tails and Five-Tails had not disappeared. After all, Rōshi and Han had only provided a "passage" with their bodies.

Even if they are unconscious before the passage is closed, it will not hinder the output of the Tailed Beast's chakra. In fact, the unconscious Jinchuriki are more likely to be able to output the Tailed Beast's chakra.

"Bang! Bang!"

The Four-Tails conjured two arms, slamming them into the ground to counteract the continuous shockwaves, while the Five-Tails landed on its two hooves, kicking and stomping.

"Minato, do you know what level my Wood Release has reached?"

Tatsuma, with his hands clasped together, looked at Minato. Minato shook his head and said, "Ever since Kushina began to master the Nine-Tails' power half a year ago, you have never used Wood Release in front of me again."

Six months ago, Tatsuma was already able to bring the entire Forest of Death to life. As for now, six months later, Minato really doesn't know.

"Actually, I don't know either, but the cells of the Divine Tree in my body are telling me that they really want to show it off."

Upon hearing this, Minato looked at Tatsuma and asked, "Are you no longer hiding it?"

"Looking at the Third Hokage now, I feel that I am already capable of fighting, and the Four-Tails and Five-Tails may not have the chance to say it."

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Minato raised an eyebrow. He understood that Tatsuma had gotten rid of his insecurity and finally realized that Tatsuma's insecurity came from the village, or at least a significant part of it.

However, Minato didn't delve into the details. After all, there was no such thing as "insecurity" between him and Tatsuma; they could completely trust each other. So, he chose to ask, "Do you have enough chakra?"

"What do you think I'm doing right now?"

Tatsuma, who had been keeping his hands clasped together, looked at the Four-Tails and Five-Tails watching him warily in the distance and said, "My chakra is already aching from being stretched too much."

"Then let me witness the power of the Hokage."

As Minato finished speaking, Tatsuma raised the corners of his mouth, and his clasped hands seal transformed into the Snake seal, releasing a large amount of chakra he had extracted.

"Sage Art! Wood Release! Advent of the Tree World!"

The ground, which had been experiencing constant aftershocks, suddenly turned into boiling water, surging and undulating, as if something beneath the surface was struggling, trying to break through the soil.

The Four-Tails and the Five-Tails exchanged a glance, suddenly feeling a bad premonition, or rather, more than a premonition. Beneath the surface, the chakra aura they hadn't felt for decades...

"Wood Release!"

"Bang bang bang~"

Towering trees sprang up from the ground, instantly covering the already sparse and scorched ground, which had become barren and blackened by the battle. The severed limbs and broken pieces were swept into the trees and disappeared.

A strange sense of dread welled up in the hearts of the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. The last person to demonstrate such a technique had brought them to Konoha, one in each hand, and now they were seeing it again.

In the center of the forest, Tatsuma took a deep breath and quickly balanced the chakra within his body. Wood Release requires a large amount of extra physical energy to be extracted, and if he is not careful, it could cause an imbalance in the sage chakra within his body.

Fortunately, he had trained for so long that he wouldn't make a mistake in his haste. Moreover, this forest was just the beginning, the foundation for the next technique, or rather, a prerequisite ninjutsu.

"Sage Art! Wood Release! Wood Human Technique!"

The forest, which had just ended its wild growth, began to move again. Each tree, like strands of muscle and bone, detached from the ground and gradually coalesced into an enormous tree giant, with Tatsuma and Minato standing atop its head.

"Tailed Beast Ball!"

Seeing the wooden figure take shape, the Five-Tails condensed its Tailed Beast Ball and spewed it towards the wooden figure. The Four-Tails also belatedly began to condense positive and negative chakra, wanting to condense its Tailed Beast Ball as well.

In pursuit of speed, the Five-Tails did not gather much chakra. The Tailed Beast Ball was even smaller than the Woodman's fist. The Woodman opened his large hand and caught the Tailed Beast Ball as if catching a baseball.

At this moment, the Four-Tails also condensed an even larger Tailed Beast Ball, which it spat towards the wooden golem.

But the wooden puppet, wielding a Tailed Beast Ball, twisted its body and threw the ball. The ball struck the Tailed Beast Ball spewed out by the Four-Tails. Although the two Tailed Beast Balls differed greatly in chakra quantity,

Just detonating it would be enough.

"Boom! Rumble rumble~"

Amidst the explosion, the wooden golem charged towards the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. Minato, standing atop the wooden golem, gaped, knowing that Wood Release was powerful, especially for tailed beasts, where it seemed to amplify their power.

But this is just too powerful!

However, the amount of chakra required to activate this technique is astonishing. Even with my talent for Wood Release, I wouldn't be able to use this technique.

Minato was a little envious. He always felt that his chakra was too little. After all, whether it was Kushina or Tatsuma, who were the same age, their chakra levels were far below his own.

Of course, compared to others, not to mention adults, even compared to other Jonin, Minato's chakra was never lacking, and could even be considered excellent.

This was while he was still a minor and his body was still developing.

Minato knew that his chakra was not comparable to Kushina's or Tatsuma's, so he devoted himself to researching and developing techniques that did not require a large amount of chakra. However, even with such clear-headedness, he still...

I'm jealous!

Tatsuma had no time to care about Minato's feelings. He had only tried the Wood Man Technique on a small scale before. This was the first time he had condensed and put such a huge Wood Man into actual combat. Moreover, he was not satisfied with the Wood Man Technique!

The wooden figure burst through the flames, and Tatsuma quickly formed hand seals. The wooden figure took root on the ground, and the Four-Tails and Five-Tails roared simultaneously, "Don't even think about sealing us with Wood Release again!!!"

"A seal? Ha!"

Tatsuma revealed a wicked smile and completed the hand seals.

"Immortal Technique! Wood Release! Eat the God of Ming Ao Shefa!"

(End of this chapter)