Chapter 259: Mei Terumī's Resolve
After she finished speaking, Mei Terumī felt a sense of total exhaustion, followed by an indescribable terror and unease. The moment those words left her mouth, she was essentially standing in opposition to the wealthy merchants, the nobility, and even the Daimyō of the entire Land of Water.
While Uchiha Ikeizumi had not yet uttered a sound, Genji already felt the world spinning, wishing he could faint on the spot.
As an elder who worked alongside the First Mizukage to establish the Hidden Mist Village, Genji had lived on these large and small islands of the Land of Water for nearly a hundred years. He knew exactly what kind of character the wealthy merchants, nobles, and even the Daimyō of the Land of Water possessed.
If Uchiha Ikeizumi were to scour the entire Land of Water in the same way he dealt with the Mist shinobi, those among the wealthy merchants and nobles who could survive could probably be counted on one hand.
"Sir, you mustn't!" Ignoring the terrifying and majestic slaughter Uchiha Ikeizumi had just carried out, Genji pleaded tremulously: "The Land of Water is located overseas; transportation and communication rely entirely on various maritime merchants. Furthermore, thousands of islands depend on the nobility and the Daimyō for governance. It cannot—"
Genji could even endure the "atrocity" of Uchiha Ikeizumi's killing spree in the Hidden Mist, but he could not stand by and watch him use the same methods on those "great figures."
To put it bluntly, shinobi are nothing more than consumables. Even if Uchiha Ikeizumi's current wave of killing severely depleted the Hidden Mist's vitality, as long as there was support from those great figures, the village would eventually recover its strength sooner or later.
But if the village's "gold donors" were all slaughtered by Uchiha Ikeizumi—
"Cannot what?" Uchiha Ikeizumi simply gave Genji a calm look, which made the highly respected elder feel a chill throughout his body. "Are you saying that because those wealthy merchants monopolize maritime transport, and because those nobles and the Daimyō are the rulers of the Land of Water, they can trample on public principles, ignore justice, and continue to remain at large forever?"
Clearly, Uchiha Ikeizumi did not release a single shred of killing intent; even the expression on his face and the tone of his voice had not changed much from beginning to end. Yet, Genji's figure was still swaying, as if he were being suffocated by Uchiha Ikeizumi's aura.
"Sir, Genji did not mean that—" Fortunately, Mei Terumī supported Genji in time. The "Bloody Mist" did not care much for respecting the elderly or loving the young; for Genji to become a respected elder in the Hidden Mist Village, his integrity was recognized by almost all Mist shinobi, and Mei was naturally no exception. "The situation of the Mist and the Land of Water is different from Konoha and the Land of Fire. The same method may not necessarily apply everywhere—"
Mei Terumī was lowering her posture as much as possible, but in the short term, she couldn't think of a way to deal with Uchiha Ikeizumi, so she could only find a temporary excuse to persuade him.
"Then prove it to me." Uchiha Ikeizumi's gaze fell upon the three people in front of him. "You say the methods of Konoha and the Land of Fire aren't necessarily suitable for the Mist and the Land of Water. Then take action with [Absolute Justice] as your tenet, and let me see how the justice of the Mist is to be executed!"
"Let us execute it?" Genji and Ao felt as if they had been struck by lightning. Watching Uchiha Ikeizumi execute justice had already made their hearts tremble with fear; now it was their turn to use the same methods to deal with the village's financial backers. How was this different from forcing them to stab themselves?
Mei Terumī tightly pursed her two thin lips. As things stood, the Hidden Mist had no other choice—
"If you are unwilling to execute it, then I will." Uchiha Ikeizumi's expression did not change; he had no intention of coercion. [Absolute Justice] is, of course, correct, but justice does not force everyone to obey; as long as one does not stand in opposition to justice, they will not become his enemy.
Watching Uchiha Ikeizumi turn and walk toward the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Village, Genji felt as if he could see a storm of blood approaching. However, his body seemed to have lost control and could not move. Uchiha Ikeizumi's [Absolute Justice] was like a giant boulder weighing him down until he couldn't breathe.
"Please wait a moment!" However, just as Genji was on the verge of despair, Mei Terumī finally stood forward. Her body trembled slightly, and even her tone of voice was exceptionally pained. Yet, even facing Uchiha Ikeizumi's oppressive gaze, Mei still did not retreat in the slightest. "Please leave the justice of the Land of Water to the Hidden Mist to execute. This will also reduce some unnecessary resistance. Although it is for justice, it is always better to have fewer people die who shouldn't have to die, right?"
Even though Uchiha Ikeizumi had already displayed overwhelming strength, as a Konoha shinobi, he was carrying out a massacre in the Land of Water. Even if it were to execute justice, there would still be plenty of people who couldn't see the situation clearly and would—either actively or passively—stand in opposition to him.
The worst-case scenario was that the nobles of the Land of Water would likely coerce a large number of civilians to resist justice. [Absolute Justice] allows for no compromise, and in the end, it would only sacrifice more innocent lives.
"You should understand that those who oppose [Absolute Justice] have already committed the crime of harboring criminals. The act of resisting those who eliminate evil is likewise evil!" Uchiha Ikeizumi said categorically. His voice was exceptionally cold and his tone exceptionally firm, leaving no doubt that even if ten thousand so-called "innocents" stood in the way, they would be crushed by him without mercy!
At least in the minds of the three people before him, the black-haired youth seemed to have become a world-destroying demon god named "Justice." Every step he took was through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. And now, this "Justice Demon God" had stepped onto the soil of the Land of Water, about to swing the blade of judgment against this nation!
"I understand! Please believe in our determination! As long as they are people you deem should die—no, as long as they are villains who violate [Absolute Justice], the blades of the Hidden Mist will show absolutely no mercy!!!" Mei Terumī shouted loudly, holding back a sob. The more she loved this country, the more she had to harden her heart.
If Uchiha Ikeizumi were a pure aggressor and butcher, Mei Terumī would fight him to the death even if it meant sacrificing her life. But it just so happened that the only thing Uchiha Ikeizumi cared about was [Absolute Justice]. If his strength weren't so great, Mei might still have weak thoughts of compromise, or even stand in opposition to Uchiha Ikeizumi for the sake of the so-called "big picture."
Fortunately, amidst the misfortune, Uchiha Ikeizumi possessed power sufficient to crush everything. Faced with the multiple-choice question of "Justice or Extinction," Mei Terumī—who was very likely the most outstanding individual among the new generation of Mist shinobi—made a choice of vital importance for the Hidden Mist.
Heavy rain falling from the sky splashed onto the land of the Hidden Mist Village, washing away the soil that had just been soaked in blood. In the rain, Mei Terumī's heart felt as painful as if bitten by snakes and insects. She knew deeply that the decision she made would cause the Hidden Mist to be reduced to a reviled "accomplice" within the Land of Water.
But Mei was very clear: if they did not act as this "accomplice"—even more people would die in the Land of Water!