Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 210 Mei Terumi: Why help us if there's no benefit for us?
"...We...we've been discovered, haven't we?"

Mei Terumi's voice trembled slightly, without her even realizing it.

She felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, each beat heavy and rapid.

You can even clearly hear the drumming sound of the impact on your chest and the buzzing of blood flowing in your eardrums.

It felt as if my heart was about to break free and jump out of its restraints.

As an elite Jonin of Kirigakure, she had experienced countless life-or-death crises, even participated in the Fourth Shinobi World War, and carried out many ninja missions with near-death experiences... But never before had she felt her mental endurance to the limit as she did now.

Mei Terumi's facial muscles seemed to stiffen slightly out of control.

She tried to remain calm, but found it difficult to even make a natural expression.

Deep inside, a primal warning stemming from her biological instincts was frantically urging her to turn around immediately and use every means possible to escape this suffocating place!
But the remaining rationality pierced this impulse to survive.

She knew very well that being targeted by that god-like being...

Running away is a foolish act that will only hasten your death.

then.

She could only stand there stiffly, filled with an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

"indeed……"

Qing, standing to the side, was in an even worse situation than her.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, feeling his mouth was so dry it was completely parched.

His expression was as stiff as a marionette.

Ao's right hand, almost uncontrollably, reached into the ninja tool pouch at his waist and gripped one of the cold kunai tightly.

The cool touch of the kunai's metal handle, transmitted through his palm, became his only, insignificant source of security at that moment.

"Lady Terumi Mei... what should we do now?"

Ao has always considered himself Mei Terumi's strongest confidant and strategist, always able to provide valuable advice when this future Mizukage candidate encounters difficulties.

But at that moment, his mind went completely blank.

Qing couldn't understand... what meaning would any scheme or strategy have in the face of such an absolute power disparity?
after all……

The Fourth Mizukage, leading over thirty elite Kirigakure ANBU members, even used the power of the Tailed Beasts... what was the final result?
It was a total annihilation! It was the fall of the Shadow!
It was also the defeat and demise of the Tailed Beasts!
What could Qing, an elite Jonin from Kirigakure, possibly do even if he risked his life?
Are we supposed to pull out a kunai from our ninja tool pouch and use that short piece of metal to stab that "lava giant" that's taller than a mountain?

What a joke!

"……call!"

Mei Terumi exhaled a heavy breath, as if trying to squeeze out all the fear and pressure in her chest.

She struggled to lift her head, forcing herself to meet the cold gaze that, though thousands of meters away, still felt as real as a physical weight pressing down on her heart.

"Now that they've discovered us, and there's nowhere left to hide..."

Mei Terumi's voice carried a resolute air of desperation, though her tone remained somewhat tense: "Then why don't we... go there ourselves! And ask him face to face what Uchiha Ikezumi is trying to do by intruding into our Land of Water!"

Upon hearing this, Qing's brows twitched violently, and she hurriedly said, "Lady Terumi Mei! This... isn't this a bit too reckless? This is too dangerous!"

"What if... what if Konoha uses this opportunity to declare war on Kirigakure? Wouldn't we be walking into a trap if we went there?"

"That Uchiha Izumi might kill us without hesitation!"

Mei Terumi suddenly turned her head, her sharp gaze fixed on Ao, and retorted, "Do you think he'll let us go if we don't go over there? Do you naively think we can outrun him?"

She paused, her tone becoming even heavier: "Don't forget... Juzo Biwa may have already defected to Konoha."

"With this rogue ninja who knows Kirigakure like the back of his hand leading the way, even if we escape back to the village, where can we hide? The entire Land of Water probably holds no secrets for him!"

Qing opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that any words seemed so pale and powerless at this moment.

He watched as Mei Terumi took heavy but firm steps, walking step by step toward the direction where the Susanoo was.

In the end, Qing could only grit her teeth.

With a tragic expression on his face, still tightly gripping the kunai in his ninja tool pouch, he quickly followed Mei Terumi.

But his tense body and constantly scanning eyes revealed his true nature.

This revealed his extreme inner unease.

……

When Mei Terumi and Ao, under immense psychological pressure, finally arrived at the core battlefield.

That breathtaking, complete Susanoo, like a vanishing mirage, transformed into specks of crimson chakra light that slowly dissipated into the air.

The immense sense of oppression gradually subsided, but the lingering heat and sulfurous odor in the air, along with the scorched ruins before them that resembled a painting of hell...

It constantly reminded them how real and terrifying everything that had just happened was.

Their gazes instantly locked onto the figure standing in the center of the scorched earth.

Wearing the distinctive uniform of the Konoha Police Force, edged with a flame-shaped fan emblem, short black hair, and a young yet extremely cold face...

This face was not unfamiliar to Mei Terumi and Ao.

After Uchiha Ikezumi "assassinated" the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and became famous throughout the ninja world, information about him and a relatively clear portrait of him had already been placed on the desks of the high-ranking officials of various ninja villages.

However, portraits and written descriptions are far less impactful than even one ten-thousandth of the impact of seeing it in person!

Especially since the other side killed the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure today!

Mei Terumi stopped a dozen meters away from Izumi Uchiha.

This distance is already an extremely dangerous warning range for ninjas.

She felt the ground beneath her feet was scorching hot, and even smelled a slight burning sensation from the soles of her shoes, but she could only endure the discomfort and focus all her attention on the young man.

At the same time, she also caught a glimpse of three other figures out of the corner of her eye.

Before anyone knew it, three people had arrived behind Uchiha Ikezumi—it was Biwa Juzo, an unfamiliar Uchiha girl, and a fat orange ninja cat.

'As expected... Juzo Biwa has completely sided with Konoha.'

Mei Terumi's last shred of hope was shattered.

At this moment, the entire scene fell into an eerie silence.

Only the gurgling sound of lava flowing in the distance and the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the ruins served as background noise.

Uchiha Izumi's calm yet deep eyes, as cold as a deep pool, gazed indifferently at Terumi Mei and Ao.

Mei Terumi felt as if she were examining two inanimate objects.

It made her skin crawl.

Mei Terumi braced herself, trying her best not to look away, and met the other person's gaze silently.

Qing, standing next to her, was clearly unable to withstand the mental pressure of this gaze. Her eyes involuntarily drifted to the side, and cold sweat trickled down her temples.

finally--

"Take me to Kirigakure."

Uchiha Ikezumi's voice rang out, calm and undisturbed, yet like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, instantly shattering the silence. It also caused Mei Terumi and Ao's hearts to skip a beat.

This did not relieve them; instead, it made their hearts leap into their throats!

"...Why?" Mei Terumi forced herself to calm down, knowing that she absolutely could not bring up the death of the Fourth Mizukage at this moment.

She could only ask the questions that were nagging at her, trying to keep her voice steady: "If I take you to Kirigakure... are you going to destroy Kirigakure? Konoha... are you going to use this opportunity to formally declare war on Kirigakure?"

She stared intently at Uchiha Ikezumi's face, trying to glean any information from those cold eyes.

"My actions have nothing to do with Konoha."

Uchiha Ikezumi's answer remained concise, directly distancing himself from any connection with Konoha Village.

This startled Terumi Mei.

Is he acting alone?

what does this mean?
Uchiha Ikezumi paused for a moment, then continued, "As for whether or not to destroy Kirigakure... we need to see if Kirigakure is truly beyond saving now."

"Hopeless?" Mei Terumi was taken aback again.

I don't understand this word.

At this moment, Ao, unable to contain his confusion and slight annoyance at being slighted, interjected, "What do you mean by saying our Hidden Mist Village is 'hopeless'? Does the Hidden Mist Village need the ninjas of Konoha to judge us?"

He had barely finished speaking...

"Meow~ It's because your Hidden Mist Village, from top to bottom, harbors countless sins!"

A strangely accented voice suddenly rang out.

When Mei Terumi and Ao instinctively looked in the direction of the voice, they found that it was the fat ninja cat perched on the Uchiha girl's shoulder who was speaking.

"...Sin?" Mei Terumi didn't understand.

"Within the Hidden Mist Village... many people's sense of right and wrong has long been eroded and distorted to a deformed degree by the Blood Mist policy."

At this moment, Juzo Biwa spoke up.

"This policy is like the most vile plague, spreading not only in the village but also throughout the entire Water Kingdom. It has bred countless dregs of morality that have been completely corrupted."

"In the hearts of these people... there is no longer any distinction between justice and evil! Power is everything, and killing is the truth."

Pipa Juzo paused, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.

After pausing for a few seconds, he took a deep breath and continued, "Unprovoked murder, extortion, rape of women and children, massacre of compatriots with bloodline limits, all under the guise of 'eliminating unstable factors'..."

"Such atrocities may exist in other parts of the ninja world. But nowhere is it as widespread and rampant as in the Land of Water today."

"The tragedies that unfold here every day are counted in the tens of thousands. Behind every number is a living human life."

"Those whose souls have been completely twisted by the blood mist, their existence is meant to bring more chaos and suffering to the Land of Water. They are like malignant tumors attached to the body of the nation, constantly spreading and eroding everything."

"It was because I could no longer bear to see the Land of Water become like this that I chose the identity of 'Hidden Mist Ninja' and became a fugitive... seeking another possibility."

Pipa Juzo's rough hands unconsciously caressed the cold, familiar hilt of the Executioner's Blade.

His face was taut, and his expression was more serious and earnest than ever before.

“After defecting, I chose a path that I believed might be able to get the Water Kingdom, this dilapidated ship that has been off course for too long, back on track.”

"That is... to let 'absolute justice' thoroughly cleanse this already filthy water kingdom."

This was the first time that Juzo Biwa had so frankly and at such a lengthy level analyzed his inner thoughts and motivations in front of others.

Mei Terumi listened in silence.

She had previously learned about Uchiha Ikezumi's concept of "absolute justice" from intelligence reports, so she was not unfamiliar with it.

However, hearing such "idealistic" remarks firsthand from a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a rogue ninja known for his ruthlessness, still had a tremendous impact.

At this moment, Qing, unable to contain himself any longer, widened his eyes and glared at Biwa Juzo, saying, "Biwa Juzo, you brought a Konoha ninja to the Land of Water and killed the Fourth Mizukage. Is this how you put the Land of Water back on track?"

Despite Ao's questioning, Juzo Biwa's expression remained unchanged.

Kirigakure said, "Now, from the highest-ranking Mizukage to many of the ninja below, their souls and hands have long been rotten to the core by the blood mist."

"Is it wrong to kill a fourth-generation leader who is steadfast in implementing this policy and cut off the most important link in this chain of corruption?"

This audacious statement left Qing speechless.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't find any words to refute it.

Mei Terumi was also pulled back to reality from her complicated thoughts. She looked at Uchiha Ikezumi, who remained expressionless, and tentatively asked, "So... Uchiha Ikezumi, the mighty 'Lava Release Beast,' what is your purpose in coming to the Land of Water..."

"It's not that Konoha is invading Kirigakure, but rather that they're helping the Land of Water by carrying out a major purge? And also to end Kirigakure's Blood Mist policy?"

This conclusion left her feeling momentarily dazed.

This was completely different from the worst possible outcome she had envisioned—"Konoha launched a massive invasion, and Kirigakure was engulfed in war!"
even……

Is it done with an absurd "good intention"?
Uchiha Ikezumi calmly met Terumi Mei's probing gaze, and his answer was quite frank: "That's one way to understand it."

Those few simple words left Mei Terumi completely dumbfounded.

This……

This completely overturned her understanding of the relationships between ninja villages and the behavior of ninjas!

A top expert from another village travels to another country, kills the village's leader, and then tells you—he's there to "help" with an internal purge?

"Why...why?" Mei Terumi felt her thoughts were a bit confused, and she subconsciously asked the most crucial question, which was also the point she couldn't understand the most.

"What benefit do you gain from doing this, for yourself and for Konoha? If there's no profit to be made, why are you interfering in the affairs of our Land of Water?"

In her view, any action taken by a ninja must be driven by self-interest.

The interests of the village, the interests of the ninja clan, and the interests of individuals.

Even if it contains any one of these, it can be explained.

However, Uchiha Ikezumi's answer extinguished all her speculations: "To uphold absolute justice, to seek justice for countless innocent people who have been wronged, and to personally send those heinous villains who trample on life into the infernal hell they deserve..."

His voice remained calm.

Why should there be any incentive to do something like this?

Mei Terumi: "..."

Terumi Mei was speechless.

This Uchiha ninja from Konoha, his thought process...

Feel……

This is very abnormal!

……

……

(End of this chapter)