I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 696 I painted as well as Raphael when I was 14, but I spent my whole life learning to paint like a child.

"I'm fine now, there's no need to waste any more chakra."

Inside the Senju clan's territory, Nono was about to get up. Now that she had recovered, she began to feel a little embarrassed. Although physical contact was inevitable during treatment, she felt a bit awkward with so many children watching.

Tatsuma did not answer, but continued to pour life force and chakra into Nonou's body. Soon, Nonou was even covered with Tatsuma's chakra cloak.

When Nono's body could no longer withstand any more chakra and life force, Tatsuma stopped and said, "I should have let you rest properly, but now..."

"I need you to find Tenka and Sento; they are also seriously injured. Use my chakra and life force to heal them, and then go find the others. Don't be stingy with your chakra."

Nonou nodded, realizing why Tatsuma had given her so much extra chakra and life force. Tatsuma stood up, suppressing his anger and killing intent, and said to the children around him:

"Tonight, everyone stay here and don't leave the clan's territory. No matter what happens, stay here. Kabuto and Yamato, you're in charge of taking care of everyone."

Kabuto and Yamato nodded. Before they could ask what had happened to Nonou, Tatsuma and Nonou left the clan compound. Tatsuma appeared outside Kushina's house and broke down the door to go inside.

"You're back?"

Inside the room, Tsunade, who was continuously casting medical ninjutsu on Kushina, turned around nervously and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Tatsuma. Tatsuma nodded and looked at Biwako and the others who were equally nervous, and nodded again.

"Kushina, don't erase the Flying Thunder God Technique seal I left in your house next time. Otherwise, in an emergency like today, I'll have to break down the door. A door costs you a week's salary."

Tatsuma squatted down beside Kushina and spoke in a calm tone, comforting the somewhat distracted Kushina. Kushina snapped back to reality and subconsciously said, "Who told you to make Minato work overtime every day?"

Although her voice was still weak, it was clear that her consciousness hadn't truly been damaged. Tsunade quickly added, "Without the Nine-Tails, Kushina..."

"It's alright. We don't necessarily need the Nine-Tails. We just need its chakra. Although our strength might decrease a lot, let's save our lives first."

Tatsuma clasped his hands together and extracted the power of the Tailed Beast from the cells of the Divine Tree within his body. He then performed a glass-like process, and soon a ball of orange-red chakra condensed in his hands.

Tatsuma pressed the Nine-Tails' chakra into Kushina's body, then formed a hand seal with one hand, quickly completing the sealing technique and covering the abdominal wound that Tsunade had already healed.

The sealing technique stabilized and then disappeared. Kushina's complexion gradually warmed up from pale, and her gray lips regained some color, but she was still very weak overall.

"I'm leaving Minato and Kurama to you."

Kushina, who had just recovered a little, grabbed Tatsuma's sleeve and said something. Tatsuma nodded, not reacting much to Kushina's first request to him, and simply said:

"I don't want a day when a child keeps asking me where his father is."

Upon hearing this, Kushina turned to look at Naruto, who was being held in Biwako's arms. Tears welled up in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, for making you experience so many bad things since birth."

Kushina murmured, loosened her grip on Tatsuma's sleeve, and drifted off to sleep. It seemed that with Tatsuma's promise, she no longer needed to hold on to worry about Minato's condition.

Tatsuma stood up and said, "Teacher, I'll leave this place in your care."

"Yes, one accident is enough."

Tsunade nodded, and Tatsuma looked up, his body rising into the air, the Great Sun Sage's face appearing on his face, as he rushed towards the high sky above the center of Konoha.

With his head bowed and eyes lowered, he scanned the surrounding area. In the short time since his return, the village, which had been in complete disarray, seemed to have become orderly. The worries on people's faces also subsided after they saw him.

At the same time, the spontaneous act of helping others without any conflict of interest seemed to have made him realize something.

"Can he destroy all obstacles and demons, and defeat the enemies of beginningless afflictions? He represents the Tathagata's protection of all beings, and his great compassion in devouring their afflictions and karmic obstacles—is this the Vajra Tooth Bodhisattva I aspire to be?"

"The ability to understand all worlds and respond accordingly to the needs of sentient beings, to bring them joy and benefit, to attain the wisdom of accomplishment, and to benefit both oneself and others—this is the unfailing accomplishment I aspire to."

Setting aside all his past experiences, the scheming mind he had developed, and his selfish thoughts, and acting solely out of the common sense of a human being, Tatsuma realized that what he truly sought was his former self.

Humans are truly fascinating; after spending half their lives trying to become someone else, they yearn to return to being themselves.

Tatsuma suddenly thought of a painter from his past life who said, "I could paint as well as Raphael when I was 14, but I spent my whole life learning to paint like a child."

Just like Tatsuma himself, he learned early on what an "elite" should know: scheming and selfishness. But after being troubled for many years, he finally realized that what he longed for was actually the humane version of himself.

"I became a ninja, but gradually forgot that I was human. I became the Hokage, who was like a chess player, but forgot that I was just an insignificant piece in the game. Only now do I realize that I am who I am."

Chenma clasped his hands together, and the immortal-like face on his face was subtly changing. The large sun on his forehead shrank into a small auspicious mole. Chenma closed his eyes, and that special vision appeared in his mind.

It is a special vision that combines Kagura's Mind's Eye, Byakugan, and Sharingan. Even without the Outer Path Differentiation, it seems that one can use that power.

"This is the heretical Heavenly Eye."

Even with his eyes closed, the entire village, large and small, near and far, inside and out, was presented in Tatsuma's mind. Even things that he couldn't see with Kagura's Mind Eye, Byakugan, or Sharingan alone were now revealed.

"It really was you, Zetsu."

Tatsuma opened his eyes and his gaze fell on a certain spot. His focus shifted slightly, as if following something, and finally settled on a hot spring inn.

"This time, you won't get away so easily."

Tatsuma murmured, his chakra surging within him. As for the Nine-Tails, which was wreaking havoc on the terrain outside the village, it didn't even get a second glance from Tatsuma.

The technique that I had always wanted to perfect but couldn't find the right method for now naturally took shape.

"Heretical! Seven-Jeweled Fearless Body!"

Wood Release quickly condensed into three Dharma bodies: the Vajra Yaksha King with a large black flame mouth who devours all evil karma; the Great Compassionate Vajra Tooth Bodhisattva who holds a lotus in his fleshy hands and devours the delusions and karma of sentient beings; and Amoghasiddhi Buddha who manifests in all forms and benefits both himself and others.

The three external bodies were all extreme manifestations of a part of Tatsuma's personality and emotions. Tatsuma suddenly laughed and muttered to himself, "Wouldn't this be considered the ninja world version of 'slaying the three corpses'? Never mind, let's get down to business."

He merely conjured a thought, and it was as if his own body were moving. His three avatars formed hand seals, and the surge of chakra within them, located at the center of the sealing barrier, directly affected the sealing barrier that enveloped the entire village.

"Heretical! The Vajradhatu Dharma Seal is Complete!"

Originally a sealing barrier primarily focused on perception, it instantly transformed into a sealing barrier technique comparable to the Four Red Yang Formation after being infused with Tatsuma's chakra.

"Even you can't just come and go as you please, right? Hide well, let's start playing hide-and-seek."

(End of this chapter)