I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 622 War is so that the survivors can inherit the legacy of the dead.

"Don't look at me like that. Isn't what I want to see exactly what you were doing before?"

Seeing Ai, Hozuki Shuuzuki, and the others' expressions turn angry and distorted, Tatsuma shrugged.

Ai felt dizzy and looked around at the barricades that formed a circle around him. It turned out that this place was not just something that looked like a gladiatorial arena, but that Chenma had deliberately built it into a gladiatorial arena.

How could there be such a person? Wars are always fought for interests. Even if we take it to a simpler level, they are still fought for victory or defeat. Who starts a war with the aim of annihilating the enemy?

Even when the two armies were facing off, Ai never considered annihilating the Mist Ninja, because there was no need for it; all that was needed was to win the war.

Pursuing the enemy with the remaining strength is too costly. The cost of a force of three thousand ninjas killing the first fifteen hundred to win the battle is only a fraction, or even a tenth, of the cost of killing the remaining fifteen hundred.

Wars have always been fought this way. For an army of several thousand men, losing a few hundred men in a single battle is already a huge cost. Usually, it's a slow, attrition-based war, where victory is achieved through the advantage gained in battle after battle.

But what did Chenma do? He fenced off a piece of land, trapped thousands of ninjas within it, and only allowed one side to survive. This is not war. This is beast fighting!

"Impossible! I'd rather join forces with the Hidden Mist Ninja and kill you, the Fourth Hokage!"

Ai replied angrily, and Chenma said, "I am not your father, and I am not afraid of being surrounded."

One sentence instantly extinguished Ai's anger. This guy knew about his father's ordeal, so he deliberately blocked the way to prevent him from returning to help.

Moreover, even if he followed Tatsuma's wishes and killed all the Kirigakure ninja to escape successfully, his team suffered heavy casualties. How could such a remnant force possibly support his father?

The smartest course of action is undoubtedly to avoid falling into Tatsuma's trap and to refrain from making enemies of the Mist Ninja. Unless Tatsuma dares to carry out a massacre, the final stalemate will result in Tatsuma leaving, and the war between the Mist Ninja and the Cloud Ninja will return to its previous pace.

If his father hadn't been in trouble, Ai would have chosen this method. But his father was waiting for him to rescue him, and every second he wasted here reduced his father's chances of survival.

Moreover, the Mist Ninja might not do as they wish, unless the Cloud Ninja concedes some benefits, such as delivering the previously promised compensation to the Mist Ninja.

In contrast, Hozuki Shuugetsu's emotions were much more stable, not only because he had no worries, but also because...beast fighting was a routine operation in the Blood Mist Village.

He even began to scrutinize Ai and the Cloud Ninja forces, plotting how to make the best use of this location to annihilate the Cloud Ninja.

As for dealing with Tatsuma, he wasn't stupid. Tatsuma could severely injure A in an instant, and his speed was so fast that even he himself couldn't quite understand it. Coupled with the abnormal reaction of the Three-Tails, he knew that Tatsuma could not be an enemy.

The only concern is whether Tatsuma will go back on his word. For example, when the two sides are fighting to the death and a winner is finally decided, Tatsuma might attack the exhausted remnants of the victor.

Noticing Hozuki Shuugetsu's gaze, Tatsuma replied, "You seem to have some concerns?"

Hozuki Shuuzuki nodded and said, "Who can guarantee you'll keep your promise?"

"Even during the operation in the Land of Water, I never betrayed my promise. Surely you don't not know who I am?"

Hozuki Shugetsu certainly knew this, but the stakes were too high, and he dared not gamble lightly. After all, if it were him, he wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by.

But at this moment, A and Killer Bee exchanged a glance. In terms of keeping promises, Tatsuma seemed to be beyond doubt. Even as a ninja who used lies as a means, Tatsuma seemed to be an outlier among those who kept their promises.

Tatsuma kept his promise and returned the two tailed beasts that had once held hostage to Kumogakure.

If we assume that Tatsuma will keep his promise, then the next step is to annihilate the enemy while preserving our own strength as much as possible!

"Lightning Release: Unstoppable Lightning Blade!"

Just as Hozuki Shugetsu was still pondering, Killer Bee and A suddenly launched an attack. Killer Bee was imbued with the Eight-Tails' chakra, while A was enveloped in lightning.

Killer Bee, now more agile, circled around to the other side, while A charged forward from the spot. Although his left leg was still somewhat inconvenient, with the activation of chakra, he was able to unleash considerable power.

"Bang!"

Their arms collided, Hozuki Shuugetsu's head flew high into the air, and A shouted, "Kill the Mist Ninja with all your might!"

Killer Bee had already turned around and rushed towards the direction of the Mist Ninja, his chakra constantly gathering and transforming into octopus tentacles and the body of a monstrous bull.

"Tailed Beast Ball!"

Compared to the Tailed Beast Ball that seemed like a difficult birth two years ago, Killer Bee's application of the Eight-Tails' power has now reached an unprecedented level among all Jinchūriki. The rhythm of launching the Tailed Beast Ball is no different from that of the Eight-Tails itself.

Even in controlling the launch of the Tailed Beast Ball, the combined power of the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast makes it more stable and controllable than when the Eight-Tails launches it on its own. This is the perfect Jinchuriki.

Tatsuma narrowed his eyes. Although the absolute strength hadn't improved much, Killer Bee's combat ability was probably two levels higher than it had been two years ago.

Its influence on the battlefield is probably even greater than that of Kushina and Kurama, but it's hard to say how it would be in a one-on-one fight.

"Water Release: Water Gun Technique!"

Just then, Hozuki Shuugetsu, who had lost his head, suddenly raised his hands, making a gun shape, and aimed at Ai, who was still in place directing. His head, rolling in the air, helped his body to aim more accurately.

"Be careful!"

Behind him, someone from the Cloud Ninja forces reminded him, and Ai turned around in confusion, only to see two drops of water.

"Bang! Bang!"

The water droplet struck right between Ai's eyebrows, causing the thin layer of lightning armor on his body to rapidly deform under its impact, like a shaken jelly.

"Boom!"

In just a moment, Ai's Lightning Release armor was shattered, arcs of electricity scattered, and his body was sent flying.

Hozuki Shugetsu reached out and caught his own head, which had fallen off, and put it back on his neck. The junction turned into clear water and glued back together in an instant.

"This is truly a mastery of water manipulation; even Hozuki Gengetsu couldn't surpass it."

Just a few steps away, Tatsuma exclaimed that Hozuki Shugetsu's speed was clearly no match for the A and B duo, Killer Bee, so he had long been prepared to strike back.

However, achieving this is extremely difficult. After all, the AB duo are not inexperienced young people. If Hozuki Shuugetsu uses part of the Water Transformation Technique too early, the two of them could probably tell from the feel of it.

If the water-transforming technique is used little by little at night, then the AB combination's lightning-heated blades will really sever his head.

Hozuki Shugetsu gave Tatsuma a polite smile, his mustache twitching slightly, making him look like Hozuki Gengetsu, whom Tatsuma was quite familiar with.

He said, "Compared to the elders of my clan, I am still far from being good enough. I truly hope to avenge them."

As he spoke, he did not restrain his malice towards Tatsuma, and Tatsuma tolerated his hostility, saying, "I do hope that day will come."

"snort!"

Hozuki Shuugetsu's smile vanished. He turned away and stopped communicating with Tatsuma. Instead, he transformed into a puddle of water and quickly returned to the Mist Ninja group to begin coordinating a counterattack.

At this moment, Killer Bee's Tailed Beast Ball had already plowed a deep trench in the ground and crashed into the barricade, instantly sending flames soaring into the sky. Tatsuma narrowed his eyes and glanced at the huge Eight-Tails.

This guy seems to want to try something else.

He raised his leg and stomped on the ground. The Wood Release chakra instantly penetrated deep into the earth, connecting with the tree roots of the barricade. The fire was extinguished, the smoke dissipated, and under the expectant gaze of the Eight-Tails, the barricade seemed to remain unchanged.

No, there are still changes. There are many pieces of wood on the ground, but Tatsuma's Wood Release has such a strong recovery ability that even the damage caused by the Tailed Beast Ball can be restored to its original state in a very short time.

The Eight-Tails suddenly glanced at Tatsuma with a guilty look, but seeing that Tatsuma's eyes seemed to have no emotional fluctuation, it quickly turned its huge head back.

Breaking out amidst the chaos is clearly not an option, unless they use a series of Tailed Beast Balls, but that would be a direct challenge to the rules set by Tatsuma.

Since that's the case, the Eight-Tails looked at the Three-Tails, which was curled up on the edge.

"I'm sorry, but from the moment we were assigned to humans, perhaps this is our new fate as tailed beasts."

The Eight-Tails took a deep breath, and chakra gathered in its mouth again. This time, it aimed at the Three-Tails. The Three-Tails looked up, disbelief in its single eye, and then quickly curled into a ball, moving around without distinguishing friend from foe.

"Shadow Caress!"

The Three-Tails transformed into a giant wheel, rampaging across the battlefield at incredible speed and with an unpredictable trajectory. The Eight-Tails was unable to control its Tailed Beast Ball to aim at it, even with Killer Bee's assistance.

"Bang!"

Finally, having no other choice, they fired a shot towards the direction of the Mist Ninja, but at that moment, the Three-Tails suddenly changed direction again, sprang up from the ground, and ran over the Eight-Tails' face.

Moreover, using the Eight-Tails as a springboard, they instantly charged into the ranks of the Cloud Ninja.

The Three-Tails initially didn't want to fight, preferring to let the humans fight to the death. However, it couldn't accept the Eight-Tails attacking it. So, let's see who can last the longest.

Although it was eaten by Tatsuma and its size was much smaller than before, a year of recovery has restored some of the power that a tailed beast should have. Even the Eight-Tails cannot control it!

Looking at the chaotic battlefield, Tatsuma asked, "A performance like this is quite rare, isn't it? What are your thoughts?"

"Huh? Are you talking to us?"

Yamashiro Aoba, who had been swallowing hard, finally came to her senses. Santoku and the others also seemed to wake up from a dream. They had been in a daze ever since Tatsuma started negotiating with Ai and Hozuki Shugetsu.

They never expected that Tatsuma could actually orchestrate such a tragic scene with just a few words. To be honest, they suddenly felt fear towards Tatsuma.

Even if he is their Hokage, isn't this kind of method going too far?

"Because Konoha is strong enough, these weapons will fall on others. If Konoha were weak, these weapons would be used to dismember Konoha."

Maruhoshi Kosuke, being the oldest, was also the quickest to process what was happening before him. He subconsciously tried to comfort Tatsuma's decision, and Yamashiro Aoba and the others nodded in agreement, as if it made sense.

Chenma nodded in agreement, saying, "Human rights are a luxury during wartime, and everyone involved in the war is still struggling to survive."

War, in essence, is the inheritance of the legacy of the fallen. The more people die, the more the survivors inherit; hence, it is a silent cruelty.

(End of this chapter)