Apparently not Dropped. Author Just Posted 4 Chapters!
——
After Mei Terumi said that, she felt completely drained—then came a kind of fear and unease she couldn't even put into words. The moment those words left her mouth, it meant she had placed herself on the opposing side of the entire Land of Water: its powerful merchants, its nobles, and even the daimyo.
Before Uchiha Chizumi even responded, Elder Yagura—no, Yagura wasn't it; it was Elder Genji—already felt the world spin. He wanted nothing more than to faint on the spot.
As an elder who had helped the First Mizukage build Kirigakure, Genji had lived across the Land of Water's countless islands for nearly a century. What the wealthy merchants, nobles, and the daimyo were really like—he knew it all too well.
If Uchiha Chizumi "purged" the entire Land of Water the same way he had dealt with Kirigakure's ninja, then among those rich merchants and nobles, the number who could survive would probably be countable on one hand.
"My lord—please, you mustn't!" Genji pleaded, trembling, forgetting even the terrifying slaughter Chizumi had just carried out. "The Land of Water lies overseas—its trade depends entirely on seaborne merchants. And with tens of thousands of islands, governance relies on nobles and the daimyo. You can't…"
Genji could even endure Chizumi's "atrocities" in Kirigakure—but he couldn't stand by and watch him use the same methods on those important figures.
To put it bluntly, ninja were consumables. Even if Chizumi's rampage left Kirigakure badly wounded, as long as those "big shots" remained willing to bankroll the village, it could recover sooner or later.
But if the village's "patrons" were all slaughtered…
"Can't what?" Uchiha Chizumi only gave Genji a calm glance, and that was enough to make the venerable elder go cold all over. "Do you mean that because those wealthy merchants monopolize sea transport, and because those nobles and the daimyo rule the Land of Water, they're allowed to trample on fairness, ignore justice, and live free of consequences forever?"
Chizumi wasn't releasing even a shred of killing intent. His expression hadn't changed much, and neither had his tone. Yet Genji still swayed on his feet, as if the pressure of Chizumi's presence was crushing the air from his lungs.
"My lord, that isn't what Elder Genji means…" Mei quickly supported Genji. The Blood Mist didn't care about honoring the old or cherishing the young, but for Genji to be respected as an elder in Kirigakure, his integrity had to be acknowledged by nearly every shinobi there. Mei was no exception. "Kirigakure and the Land of Water aren't like Konoha and the Land of Fire. The same approach won't necessarily work everywhere…"
Mei lowered her posture as much as she could, but in the moment she couldn't think of any real way to deal with Chizumi. She could only grab a temporary excuse and try to persuade him.
"Then prove it to me." Chizumi's gaze fell on the three of them. "If you claim Konoha and the Land of Fire's methods don't necessarily fit Kirigakure and the Land of Water, then act—under the banner of [Absolute Justice]. Show me how Kirigakure's justice is carried out!"
"Let us carry it out?" Genji and Ao were struck like lightning. Watching Chizumi execute justice had already terrified them—now they were being asked to use the same methods against the village's patrons. How was that any different from forcing them to stab themselves?
Mei pressed her thin lips together. At this point, Kirigakure had no other choice…
"If you're unwilling to carry it out, then I will." Chizumi's expression didn't change. He wasn't trying to force them. [Absolute Justice] was, of course, correct—but justice did not require every person to submit. As long as someone didn't stand on the opposite side of justice, they wouldn't become his enemy.
As Chizumi turned and started walking toward the direction outside the village, Genji felt as if he could already see the storm of blood about to descend. Yet his body wouldn't obey him—he couldn't move. Chizumi's [Absolute Justice] felt like a boulder pinning his chest, leaving him unable to breathe.
"Please—wait!" But just as Genji neared despair, Mei finally stepped forward. Her body trembled slightly, and even her voice sounded painfully strained. Yet even under Chizumi's oppressive stare, she didn't retreat at all. "Please leave the Land of Water's justice to Kirigakure. That will reduce unnecessary resistance. Even if it's for justice—if fewer people who shouldn't die end up dying, isn't that better?"
Even though Chizumi had shown overwhelming strength, if a Konoha shinobi started slaughtering through the Land of Water, then even in the name of justice, many people who couldn't see the situation clearly would end up—actively or passively—standing against him.
The worst-case scenario was that the nobles might drag large numbers of civilians with them to oppose justice. [Absolute Justice] allowed no compromise—so in the end, even more innocent lives would be sacrificed.
"You should understand this," Chizumi said decisively. His voice was icy, his tone unwavering. "Anyone who opposes [Absolute Justice] is already guilty of sheltering evil. To resist those who eliminate wrongdoing is, itself, evil!"
The three of them had no doubt: even if a thousand, ten thousand so-called "innocents" stood in the way, he would crush them without hesitation.
At least, in their eyes, the black-haired young man before them had become a world-ending demon god named "Justice." Every step he took was through mountains of corpses and seas of blood—and now this "god of justice" had set foot in the Land of Water, about to bring down the blade of judgment upon the nation.
"I understand! Please believe in our resolve!" Mei shouted, forcing back a sob in her throat. "If you believe someone deserves to die—no, if they are evildoers who violate [Absolute Justice]—then Kirigakure's blade will show no mercy!!!"
The more she loved this country, the more she had to harden her heart.
If Chizumi were a pure invader and butcher, Mei would fight him to the death. But Chizumi cared only about [Absolute Justice]. If he weren't so strong, Mei might still have been weak enough to think about compromise—she might even have stood against him "for the greater good."
The only mercy in this misfortune was that Chizumi possessed power great enough to crush anything. Faced with a single-choice question—justice or destruction—Mei, perhaps the finest of the new generation of Kirigakure shinobi, made a decision crucial to Kirigakure's future.
A heavy rain fell from the sky onto Kirigakure's land, washing over ground that had only just been soaked through with blood. In the rain, Mei's heart felt like it was being gnawed apart by worms—she knew her decision would make Kirigakure the Land of Water's cursed "accomplice," spat upon by all.
But Mei also knew this: if they did not become that "accomplice"—
far more people in the Land of Water would die.