I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 545 In crowds, there will always be those harsh voices who are lenient towards enemies but exceptionally harsh on their own people.

If Tatsuma kills a thousand people who are unable to resist in a battle, he will become the most infamous person, the kind who will be remembered for his infamy for eternity.

But what if the number is reduced to only a few dozen? That's a situation that often occurs in a battle, since no ninja would avoid using ninjutsu on a ninja who is "incapacitated".

In particular, some large-scale ninjutsu or combined ninjutsu will inevitably affect some ninjas who have already lost the ability to resist. This is an unavoidable situation on the battlefield.

This level of personnel loss is quite common. Even if these people are Jonin, Special Jonin, or Bloodline Limit Ninja, on the battlefield, they are just "soldiers".

However, in reality, the consequences of the deaths of these dozens of Iwa ninja were not much worse than those of Tatsuma directly killing the more than a thousand Iwa ninja.

In particular, before killing the Iwa ninja, Tatsuma deliberately provoked him and then shifted some of the blame onto Onoki, since it was Onoki's decision that led Tatsuma to kill the Jonin.

The emotional effect among people is quite strange; when outsiders make mistakes, people's reactions tend to be exceptionally "forgiving."

Even in the future, when the topic is brought up again, some people will probably say, "That's war. Sakamoto Tatsuma just did what every ninja who participated in the war should do: win the victory for the village."

However, if one of their own makes a mistake, it becomes exceptionally unforgivable. Vicious words and harsh attitudes will be hurled at the offender, even if the offender is powerless to do anything about it at the time.

At this point, people will say things like, "Isn't incompetence the biggest mistake?" or "If you're incompetent, why not let someone capable take the lead?"

To the Iwa ninja, Tatsuma was an "outsider," while Onoki was one of their own. As the murderer, Tatsuma was not even as affected by the negative emotional stares he was receiving as the Onoki who had fainted from shock and anger.

Watching Onoki disappear into the forest, Tatsuma touched the scroll at his waist. Kari's corpse hadn't even been put to use yet, and Onoki had already fallen.

It's unclear whether Onoki is truly unconscious or faking it; the old man's acting is so convincing that even Tatsuma couldn't tell the difference.

Of course, judging from the reports that the system has not yet sent, Onoki is not actually unconscious. At the same time, [Malicious Perception] also tells him that the old guy Onoki is very resentful.

At this moment, all the Iwa ninja who were still conscious were utterly disheartened, regardless of the outcome of the battle, they just felt utterly dejected.

The Jonin and Special Jonin felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. Although they knew it shouldn't be like this, and it was definitely not true, they couldn't help but feel that everything they had done in the past to advance their careers was a mistake.

They couldn't help but feel sorry for their fallen comrades. The feeling of shared grief made them wonder if they would have been spared if they had remained Chunin or Genin instead of being promoted.

The bloodline limit ninjas were even more indignant. What had they done wrong? They had simply inherited or awakened the power of their bloodline limit, a quality that had previously made them extremely proud, but now felt like shackles.

Their throats were locked, their fates were locked. They didn't even dare to look up at Chenma, as if if they looked at him too much, they would be targeted by Chenma and become one of those bodies.

As for the larger number of Chunin and Genin, there was fear, but also a little bit of relief, even though they knew it shouldn't have happened.

They actually felt fortunate for their weakness and low status, and even began to think that perhaps it would be good to be a Chunin/Genin for the rest of their lives.

Although his status and treatment are not improving, and he cannot fulfill his childhood boast of becoming a ninja, if the price of promotion is becoming a sacrifice, then the current situation is actually not bad.

Some people even began to think that becoming a ninja might have been a mistake, even though ninjas could have many opportunities that ordinary people could not, but all of them came at the cost of their lives.

And what about ordinary people? Perhaps they spend their whole lives just busy doing nothing, just trying to maintain a less-than-ideal situation, but at least they are safe.

Like a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger, many people are like that. Before they have truly faced death, they do not find death scary.

The training of ninjas reduced their fear of death, but that fear was based on equal threats. In a fight between tigers, the outcome is unpredictable.

When facing an enemy of equal strength, their fear of death disappears, but what if it's a mouse meeting a cat?

Tatsuma was the cat that could kill them and toy with their lives, while they themselves could only tremble and pray that the big cat Tatsuma would take a nap and let them go.

Chenma was very satisfied with seeing such a variety of reactions. This was his goal: to dismantle them on a spiritual and willful level without giving them a reason to back down.

If such a thing were to happen, once the news were relayed back to the village, public opinion would only surge even more fiercely, pushing them toward the battlefield. And how much power could they possibly exert on the battlefield when they had already lost their morale?

Just like now, they are surrounded by far fewer Konoha ninja than they are numbered, yet they cannot muster the courage or the will to fight back and break through. They are as listless as death row inmates who have already broken down and are waiting for their execution.

"I'll fight you to the death!!!"

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed from within the Iwa ninja village, and a powerful figure leaped high into the air, charging towards Tatsuma at an unreasonable speed.

"Lord Lord Loess!"

"loess!"

The Iwa ninja exclaimed in surprise, watching as Huang Tu, using a not-so-skilled Light and Heavy Rock Technique, charged towards the Great Demon King. Some of the older ninjas seemed to be trying to pull Huang Tu back.

However, Huang Tu's outburst was too sudden, and everyone else was still immersed in their own emotions. Therefore, even if they wanted to stop Huang Tu, they could only watch helplessly as he charged towards Chen Ma.

Chenma turned around in mid-air, looked at the incoming yellow earth, and narrowed his eyes.

This yellow earth is trying to thwart his plan.

Although Huang Tu felt that he lacked the political ability of Onoki, his years of exposure to the world and his unwavering sincerity allowed him to seize a decent opportunity.

If he could hit Tatsuma, even with just a light punch, even if it didn't cause any damage, it would be a shot in the arm for the Iwa ninja whose morale was at its lowest point.

By doing this, they can bring Tatsuma down from his "pedestal," making him no longer aloof and unattainable, turning him from a mountain weighing on Iwagakure's heart into just a slightly stronger enemy.

Huang Tu's eyes were bloodshot, his body was stretched into a reverse bow, his left hand formed a contrasting mudra, and his right hand, which was hanging back, began to condense rock and soil.

"Earth Release! Rock Fist!"

"Earth Release: Weighted Rock Technique!"

With the force of the rebounding bow, the fist slammed into Tatsuma. At this moment, Huang Tu was not thinking about any way to break the deadlock, nor was he thinking about how to attack Tatsuma more effectively.

He was simply using all his strength, focused solely on striking this Konoha ninja who had brought countless harms to their Iwagakure village.

Below, Onoki lay on the tangled roots of a tree, his lips tightly pressed together, no breath coming from his nostrils. Suddenly, one of his tightly closed eyes opened a crack, and through the layers of leaves, he could barely make out the handsome figure of his son.

He also hoped that his son could achieve something, even if it was just throwing a punch.

And he used Earth Release! That was his idea. His son was clearly on the same wavelength as him. Although his son's Earth Release skills were not yet up to par, and he had not even fully mastered the Light and Heavy Rock Technique, it could only help him run faster and jump higher.

However, as long as it's Earth Release, Tatsuma can no longer resist it using methods that counteract it, and other methods... surely his son can achieve something?

Seeing the giant fist of rock and earth coming at him, Chenma also raised his hand and began to form a hand seal, but this hand seal...

Orochimaru's eyelids twitched. If he remembered correctly, this seemed to be a lightning release ninjutsu that he had developed.

What's going on? Why is Tatsuma using Lightning Release at this time? Doesn't he know he doesn't have the talent for Lightning Release?!

"Sizzle~"

But in the next instant, golden lightning flashed and covered Tatsuma's hands, and Orochimaru's snake eyes shrank to just a vertical line.

Impossible! How could Tatsuma possibly use Lightning Release ninjutsu?! Unless he has been hiding his Lightning Release talent from the outside world, but... that would mean Tatsuma has to hide it since he was only five or six years old, which isn't worth it.

But what is this in front of me?!

After questioning him, Orochimaru's eyes lit up with excitement. He was determined to study Tatsuma's body carefully when he got back, to see what changes had occurred during the year that he hadn't undergone a physical examination.

He licked his lips and looked at Tatsuma with anticipation.

"Lightning Release! Serpent Lightning!"

Chenma struck down with his palm, but the thick rock and soil surrounding his fist, covered in yellow earth, crumbled and vanished under the penetration of the lightning, offering absolutely no resistance to Chenma's attack.

"Ah! Hiss~"

Huang Tu let out a cry of pain, then forced himself to endure it, glanced at his fist which was cracked from his knuckles to his wrist, and continued to glare at Chen Ma, adjusting his body to continue his attack.

"Painful Heavenly Kick!"

But before he could change his stance, Chenma delivered a split kick to Huangtu's shoulder, sending him plummeting toward the ground.

"Boom!"

A loud bang resounded, and even some dust and settled golden pollen swirled up again. Looking at the center of the dust and smoke, Chenma formed hand seals once more.

"Lightning Release! Swift Lightning Arrow!"

Lightning gathered in his palm, ready to be launched, but at that moment a short figure, resembling a dark red cannonball, emerged from the forest.

"Dust Release! Limit Break Technique!"

Ōnoki ultimately couldn't bear to see his son get hurt again, and the semi-transparent chakra box instantly expanded, about to engulf Tatsuma.

But then, a flash of silver light appeared, and Chenma's figure appeared on the canopy of a towering tree in the distance.

Onoki, however, was panting heavily. The Limit Separation Technique had consumed too much energy and was a test for him, but he still gained nothing.

He looked at the still calm Tatsuma, like a defeated general who had delivered his final blow but could only return in disappointment. He lowered his head and said unwillingly:

"Sakamoto Tatsuma, you win. I've lost."

Chenma smiled because he had heard the system's announcement.

"Ding~"

(End of this chapter)