I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 506 I don't like eating with people who love spicy food because they always lie and say, "This isn't spicy."

In the Frost Kingdom, covered in ice and snow, the frigid environment seemed to freeze even sound. In the vast camp, apart from necessary communication, the people were very quiet.

They were just trying to adapt to the weather here. Fortunately, thanks to the commander, they had no shortage of wood for heating. On the white land, only the black soil was exposed around a few campfires.

Some of the Konoha ninjas who had gathered there did not look well. Some were even clutching their stomachs. Very few of them were sitting. Most of them chose to stand or lie on their sides.

Inside the command center, Chenma, draped in a fox fur coat, had a serious expression and eyes filled with endless scrutiny and suspicion. Coupled with his furrowed brows and tightly pursed lips, one could tell from his gaze that he was preoccupied with something extremely important.

He wasn't sitting steadily; he was barely touching the edge of the chair, with his calves taut and one in front of the other. Anyone who had received ninja training would know that Tatsuma was ready to act at any moment.

Opposite him were Ino-Shika-Cho, Nawaki, Tenka, and Sento. At this moment, many inexplicable emotions flashed across their faces, including contemplation, caution, and suspicion.

"I already investigated this morning, and the only ones capable of doing this, and who have been to that place, are just a few of you."

Chenma's words chilled the already cold atmosphere in the command room even more, as if the room had been frozen solid, and the men were so overwhelmed by his presence that they couldn't lift their heads.

Seeing that even after all that, some people still wouldn't tell the truth, Chenma slammed his hand on the table, suppressing his anger, and said, "I wanted to resolve this behind closed doors, but it seems some people don't want that."

I'm giving you one last chance. Who is it?!

His icy gaze swept over the group of men, and he roared, "Which bastard went to the mess hall and secretly added extra chili peppers to the dinner?! You won't admit it, huh?!"

"Once I find out, I'll make him experience what a spicy asshole feels like! Putting chili peppers in to keep warm?! A ninja must endure what ordinary people cannot! Don't you understand?!"

"Pfft~"

Shikaku burst out laughing, but was glared at by Tatsuma's murderous eyes. He quickly raised his hands and said, "Tatsuma, you know me. I won't do something so troublesome."

I went to the mess hall yesterday just to inform them to deliver the daily meals directly to the command room or my room.

Tatsuma nodded. This seemed like something Shikaku would do. He looked at Inoichi, who shrugged and said, "Tatsuma, you know me. I'm a plant lover. My purpose in going there was to ask them to give me more meat and as few plants as possible."

"Um?"

Tatsuma reserved the right to question this answer, and looked at Choza. Choza smiled sheepishly and said, "Tatsuma, you know me. I am the least likely person to do such a thing."

Mildly spicy food can stimulate appetite, but overly spicy food can suppress it; I ate two fewer bowls of rice last night because of this. My purpose in going there was to ask if they could make potatoes into potato chips instead of mashed potatoes.

Tatsuma was fairly convinced of this answer, since Choza had previously complained that making potatoes into mashed potatoes was a complete waste of ingredients. His gaze shifted and landed on Nawaki.

Nawaki quickly explained, "Tatsuma, you know me. How could I possibly rely on external things to keep warm?! Ice and snow are the best stage to showcase passionate youth! My purpose last night was to have an extra meal."

"Tatsuma, you know me, I'm just like Nawaki! We even ran into each other last night, we were both going to have lunch after extra practice. We even had a match last night, and I ate two more eggs than Nawaki!"

"Nonsense! I ate three eggs before you arrived, so I actually ate one more than you!"

Before Tatsuma could ask, Sento quickly explained, and then started arguing with the unconvinced Nawaki. Tatsuma rubbed his temples, and only after the two of them stopped arguing did he look at the last one, Tenka.

Before Tianfeng could speak, Qiandou said, "Tianfeng, just admit it, you're born to do these dirty things! And you're also the one who's most afraid of the cold. Don't think I don't know, you secretly went to the logistics department and asked for an extra blanket."

Tianfeng's face darkened, and he said, "That was because the snow and ice melted and soaked my bedding, that's why I applied for it, and..."

He looked at Tatsuma and said, "Tatsuma, you know me too. I can't eat spicy food either. To be honest, I spent the whole night here last night. I went to the mess hall because they had trouble starting a fire, so I went to help them."

"Fine, fine, everyone has a legitimate reason, right?! But it's a fact that half the people in the entire camp are feeling unwell because they ate too much spicy food! A major battle is imminent, who is disregarding the village's interests?!"

Chenma slammed his hand on the table again, his leg muscles tensing even more, and at the same time completed a high-quality Kegel exercise.

His eyes turned icy as he said, "If it weren't for you, this would have been an extremely serious invasion by a foreign enemy! An enemy of Konoha is trying to break our bodies in this way!"

Hearing Tatsuma make it sound so serious, Nawaki and the others, who hadn't taken it seriously before, started to frown and think about it. They had thought it was just a prank, but Tatsuma's reminder made it seem a bit serious.

Only Shikaku still looked at Tatsuma with a smile. He knew this bastard too well. He clearly couldn't handle spicy food and wanted revenge, but he had to find a reason.

He himself wasn't seriously "injured," after all, he had a small appetite, felt unwell for a while before going to bed, but was fine after waking up. However, Tatsuma's appetite was even more terrifying than that of the Akimichi clan.

At this moment, Tatsuma probably still has a lot of chili peppers left in his body. This doesn't seem like an injury or illness; if it were, Tatsuma would have healed himself in no time.

However, the burning sensation will not end until the chili peppers are completely expelled, since capsaicin is difficult for the body to absorb and digest.

"Knock knock knock~"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Tatsuma pursed his lips and said, "Come in."

The door to the command room was pushed open, and Shinnosuke peeked in, saying, "Everyone's here? Breakfast is ready. I brought over Shikaku-senpai's portion."

Shikaku and Tatsuma both worked in the command room, and he wasn't afraid of Tatsuma. He turned around, nodded, and said, "Put it on my desk, I'll eat it in a bit."

Shinnosuke nodded, put down his plate, and turned to leave, but stopped and said, "Shikaku-senpai, it's cold here, and the food will get cold quickly. It's not good for your health to eat it now."

I have some special chili peppers here, I'll give them to you. If you need more, just ask me for more.

As he spoke, he put down a medicine bottle, and the moment he looked up, the hairs on Shinnosuke's back stood on end. The killing intent was extreme, and the source of it was... Tatsuma-nii!

"Thump~ thump~ thump~"

Tatsuma stood up, his steps slow and heavy, walked to Shikaku's table, picked up the medicine bottle, and said, "Is this yours?"

"Ah? Hmm! This was a gift from the daimyo of the Frost Country when we visited him. It's very effective at keeping warm. I added some for everyone last night, and some people were complaining of feeling hot while they were sleeping."

Shinnosuke didn't understand, but he still didn't dare to hide it and told everyone what had happened. He scratched his head and gave a pure smile.

If Brother Chenma praises him, how should he humbly accept it?

"Bang!"

Suddenly, Shinnosuke felt a dizzying sensation, seeing stars, followed by pain in his chest and abdomen, and then a dull ache as his back hit something hard.

He struggled to stay conscious, forming the opposing hand seals to refine his chakra and revitalize his body. He looked at Tatsuma, who had made the move, with fear and confusion.

Holding the medicine bottle, Chenma fiercely ordered, "Grab him! Pull down his pants, I want him to taste the flavor of chili peppers in his ass!"

"Okay!"

Tenka was the first to step forward. With a flick of his sword, he bound Shinnosuke's hands and feet with steel wire.

"So it's because of you that I ate two fewer bowls of rice, huh?"

Choza stepped forward, flipped Tenka over, and plopped down on his back, trying to pull down his pants. Shinnosuke struggled, saying, "What happened?! What did I do wrong?!"

"Rip~"

The sound of tearing fabric rang out, and the sudden chill sent shivers down Shinnosuke's spine.

"No! No!"

Shinnosuke was on the verge of tears. He remembered when he first became a ninja, he was on a mission to wipe out bandits. At that time, a girl was almost violated.

That's probably how he feels right now. But back then, that girl met him, her "great hero," but now, who can save him?

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly, a voice as beautiful as heavenly music rang out, and Shinnosuke, whose eyes were wet with tears, felt as if he had seen an angel.

Holding several bottles of medicine, Nono watched this scene in the command room, then looked in surprise at Tatsuma, who was grinning and walking towards Shinnosuke.

So, Tatsuma-kun likes this kind of thing?! No wonder she had never known what Tatsuma-kun liked before.

"Captain Nonou! Help me!"

Shinnosuke pleaded, and Tatsuma stopped, his smile fading as he looked at Nonou. Nonou snapped out of her daze and said, "It seems everyone ate too much spicy food yesterday; everyone's feeling a bit unwell today. I prepared some stomach medicine; I was wondering if you needed any."

"Yes, we've caught the culprit; it was Shinnosuke who poisoned them."

Tatsuma gestured to the medicine bottle in his hand, then glanced at Choza. Choza got up from Shinnosuke, who quickly rolled over to cover his torn buttocks, then tightly clamped his legs, which were bound by wire, and said:

"Brother Chenma... I... I don't know. I thought everyone could handle spicy food, I didn't realize I really didn't poison anyone!"

Shikaku knew it was time for him to speak up. He said, "Shinnosuke's mistake was unintentional. Just have him apologize and make sure he doesn't do it again. As for what happens to others..."

"Your reasoning was quite good. This was a deliberate 'attack' by the Hidden Cloud Village, just in time to boost morale, right?"

Tatsuma knew he couldn't punish Shinnosuke for this reason, given Shinnosuke's status. He waved his hand, put down the medicine bottle, and said, "Nonou, you work with Shikaku to handle the aftermath."

Nono was a little embarrassed and said, "But... I've already reassured everyone that it's just mild food poisoning. I didn't expect to arrange it this way; I was just trying to keep everyone from panicking."

"Then send out another message saying that I don't want this incident to affect everyone's morale in the camp, and that it's a message that's being deliberately blocked. They'll interpret it themselves."

Tatsuma glanced at Shinnosuke and said, "As for your apology, there's no need. You should know how to make amends. Some 'secrets' are best left unsaid by you."

"Thank you! Thank you, Brother Chenma! I will definitely change my ways!"

Shinnosuke nodded vigorously. It's just in his father's name! This wasn't the first time he'd done it. Practice makes perfect, and he was quite the expert by now!

Konoha, inside the Hokage Building.

"Achoo!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his nose and muttered, "Could something have happened as soon as Danzo left?"

(End of this chapter)