Force * Contempt

The steward was drenched in cold sweat, which trickled down his temples and soaked his collar. "Your subordinate... your subordinate doesn't know either... Lords Kinkaku and Ginkaku clearly said... said it was foolproof..."

Bishamonten didn't look at him; he was staring anxiously at the chaos in the distance.

Where did this troublemaker come from?

What about the believers? Didn't they capture the girl, Tsuchigumo?

That good-for-nothing Jason talks a good game all the time, but when it comes to actually using him, he can't even handle a little maid.

And how could that Fury be on that young lady!

Ninjas are truly barbarians! They actually used such a deadly weapon on a woman about to be married! And they even agreed to let her marry!

Aren't they afraid that after this girl marries into the Ise Family, she might turn around and wipe out their entire family in a Fury?

If this method doesn't work, fine, but why wasn't the power of the Tailed Beasts on the big ship released?

The Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers confidently asserted that they could keep the power of the Tailed Beasts a secret.

What's going on now? Why did they take matters into their own hands? And the fight has escalated to this point; the Tailed Beast forms can be seen from halfway across the Land of Hot Water. There's no way they can remain "undetected" anymore!

He even broke the array within the Barrier! Are all Ninjas this reckless?!

And who was responsible for that giant?!

It appeared once before near Benzaiten Shrine, but the woman there insisted she didn't know who did it, claiming it was "a passing Ninja."

A passing Ninja? Could a passing Ninja possess that kind of Chakra?

Now that they've appeared alongside the Forest Sea, doesn't that mean they're the two from Konoha?!

Damn it!

What exactly went wrong?!

Bishamonten clenched his teeth.

His plan should have been foolproof.

He prepared the Tailed Beasts as his trump card and set up Formation as a cage; the Tsuchigumo's Fury was actually just a last resort.

He never expected that it wasn't until he carefully controlled most of the Tsuchigumo Ninjas that he learned the technique for the Fury was actually on the young lady.

He had planned to use the Tsuchigumo's method to destroy the city today if he could find a way, to do it more cleanly, or at the very least, to use the power of the Tailed Beasts to create a devastating blow.

If all else fails, send Jashin Cult followers to kill people.

In short, the goal is to create the illusion of an "Evil God descending to earth," to pique the interest of these Military Advisors in his plan, to slowly exterminate the existing human race, cultivate a new human race, and achieve the purification of this world.

But first, the girl from the Tsuchigumo ran away.

Then the Kinkaku and Ginkaku failed.

Now, those two Konoha Ninjas who should have been watching the show from the ship have conspicuously jumped into his chessboard, overturning all his arrangements.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions back into his chest.

No rush, there's still time.

Even if everyone at the Summer Festival dies, he can still use the excuse of "Evil God descending to earth."

He tilted his head and looked at the corridor behind him.

"Call Benzaiten," he said, his voice very low.

The manager hesitated for a moment, then nodded, turned and ran.

Bishamonten withdrew his gaze and looked back at the chaotic meeting place.

Tobirama's clone stood guard in the shadows of the corridor, watching as Bishamonten forced himself to appease the people.

He stood behind the Military Advisors, hands behind his back, a smile returning to his lips, explaining the recent turn of events in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Do not panic, everyone," he said. "This is merely the prelude to the Lord Jashin's blessing. The greater the power, the more signs it will give before its descent. The Forest Sea and the Giants we just saw were merely the aftershocks of the Evil God's might; the true Heavenly Punishment is yet to come."

The advisors looked at each other, some believing it, others still hesitant.

"Is this power truly something your Land of Hot Water could possess?"

"This is not the power of the Land of Hot Water, but the power of the Evil God." Bishamonten remained unmoved. "That god-like Giant, that Forest Sea like a tidal wave, that is the punishment brought down by the Evil God. Once the Heavenly Punishment is complete, the Lord Jashin will bestow upon you all the corresponding authority."

Tobirama leaned against the pillar, listening to the entire conversation from beginning to end, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

The area below had become a living hell, yet this man was still pontificating to several foreign advisors, piously promoting his Jashin Cult.

The advisors listened with great interest, showing no sign of finding the action cruel.

It's absolutely disgusting.

"Lord Jashin desires is to cleanse the world of its sins," Bishamonten's voice continued. "Once the sins are cleansed, the Evil God will bestow new blessings. Imagine, all of you, if there were no more strife, no more deceit, and everyone lived in peace and contentment, what a beautiful world that would be!"

The advisors now understood that Bishamonten had no intention of recruiting them into the religion; he was simply making a deal.

The Jashin Cult is his merchandise, and these advisors are his customers. As long as someone places an order, he can dismantle the entire Land of Hot Water as a Chips.

These people were just looking for a suitable reason to use this power, but they never expected that Bishamonten could utter such "righteous and awe-inspiring" words without changing his expression. It was truly admirable.

"You may all think about this some more," said Bishamonten. "A great war is inevitable in the future. Once the war begins, who among you wouldn't want to have an extra trump card up your sleeve?"

"The blessing from the Lord Jashin is real," said Bishamonten. "Those two just witnessed it; the Evil God's power is enough to rival the God of Shinobi. This is only the prelude. Once the Heavenly Punishment is truly complete, and you all possess such power, what will you have to fear?"

Ha! Tobirama sneered inwardly. I'll see if these people will still be attracted by your words when the facts expose their lies.

No, even if they are exposed, these people will not realize their mistake.

They came because they smelled blood. Even if they eliminate Bishamonten, as long as others demonstrate that they have power other than that of the Endurance One, they will be moved.

Tobirama began to understand Madara somewhat. That violent maniac had long understood human nature. There are certainly kind people, but there are also many villains who disregard humanity.

They don't realize that disaster is related to them until they are in dire straits. They won't give up until they are completely defeated.

The Big Brother said that Ninjas weren't ready to become leaders, but does that mean those who were originally in positions of power truly had the qualifications to become leaders?

This was the first time Tobirama had ever truly harbored murderous intent towards Ordinary People.

However, he remained patient and lay in wait.

Because he cannot touch these people yet.

He understood the situation clearly this time, just as he had expected.

If a war were to actually break out, even if Madara and Hashirama were incredibly strong, there would inevitably be times when they couldn't attend to their surroundings.

No matter how many Shadow Clones, it's all a waste of time if you can't see the enemy.

In this context, Military Advisors Uwagi the country's military stance.

Killing them would mean Konoha opposing the military of the five nations, which would constitute a declaration of war.

Going to war with five countries is not scary; what is scary is that the people they are trying to protect will suffer.

Even if they strike first and storm their home base to destroy their stronghold, what will happen to Konoha?

If they disregard martial ethics and attack our own village, then the other side can also storm Konoha and wreak havoc.

None of the people of Konoha are cowards, yet they have built beautiful houses, created wonderful Amusement Parks, and have their families and friends there.

Going to war means that all of this could be shattered at any moment.

This is something he, and they, cannot tolerate.

Tobirama closed his eyes, suppressed his killing intent, and listened for a while longer.

Realizing that Bishamonten had nothing more to say, he decided to dispel his avatar and return to report.

Just as he formed the hand seal, a powerful shout came from the direction of the venue.

"Listen up, everyone! Open your eyes and look carefully!"

"I am Uchiha Izuna! The Second-in-Command the Uchiha! Diplomat from the Konoha Special Administrative Region!"

"Humans should value harmony above all else! They should uphold the principle of non-disobedience! They should be devout and respectful to those who saved you! They should revere the order that saved you! But you have failed to do any of these things! You are in utter chaos! Utterly foolish! Therefore, I despise all of you!"

Tobirama was still confused about why Izuna was shouting all this, a super storm suddenly erupted, blowing him away instantly.

The wind pressure was so strong that nearby stalls were overturned and swept away, and the alley was completely destroyed, leaving not a single tile behind.

Throughout the entire Summer Festival —no, throughout the Land of Hot Water —everyone who hadn't entered the Formation was blown away.

People are like a string of beads, neatly arranged and lifted up by the wind, rising into the sky.

Madara and Hashirama were also caught up in this storm.

Chekku and his employer hid inside the Barrier, staring dumbfounded at everything that was blown away.

Let's rewind five minutes.

Izuna was still frantically trying to save people.

He felt like he was playing a strategy game that was doomed from the very beginning.

The fire was just extinguished here when it started burning again there. More than a dozen Shadow Clones were sent out, and all the information that came back was bad news.

If you save one person here, another person will lose an arm or a leg there. And this is a speedrun on the first playthrough, there are no save points, so you can't save them all, there's no way you can save them all.

To reduce his workload, he would simply carry the people away after rescuing them, regardless of their identities, and throw them all into the Barrier audience area.

The nobles were dangled in the air by the back of their collars, screaming in terror. When they landed, their faces turned pale, and they pointed at his nose and began to curse.

The Samurai and Ninjas were even less appreciative and drew their swords to chase and slash him.

Izuna completely ignored him.

Since we can't beat him anyway, let's just throw him in first.

He also sent Ordinary People to safe places.

They stuffed a few into roadside wells, a few into upscale shops—they used every available space to shelter from the wind and rain, and to protect against knives and arrows.

The workload has indeed decreased significantly, but the people treated this way are ungrateful.

"Who do you think you are to dare touch my collar!"

"Let me out! I want to go home!"

Why am I locked up with these lowly people?!

Some even tried to climb out of the Barrier, while others attempted to throw the ordinary civilians he had stuffed inside back onto the street.

Izuna was so busy he couldn't keep his feet on the ground, trying to stop one person but failing to stop another, and could only watch helplessly as they ran out to their deaths again.

"Damn! Are these guys crazy?!"

Just then, Wūwū Liánběi woke up.

He was bound tightly by the Earth Grudge Fear, struggled twice but couldn't break free, so he simply gave up and sneered, "Uchiha Izuna, what do you mean?"

Izuna was annoyed and didn't even turn his head. "Awake? If you're awake, shut up, I'm annoyed!"

Lian Bei persisted, "You think you can win me over by not killing me?"

Izuna: "?"

What is this guy saying?

Lian Bei continued, "Don't even think about it! You've hindered my mission. If I don't complete the mission, I have no reason to live. Just kill me; don't even think about making me your subordinate."

Izuna turned around and looked at him expressionlessly.

Lian Bei continued, "Heh, still pretending? You're not killing me just because you want our Chinoike Clan to submit? Like the Tsuchigumo Clan, forced to relocate by you. Let me tell you, our Chinoike Clan is now one of the relatives of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning! Even if you beg me, I will—"

Izuna thought this guy was going to spout some nonsense, so he patiently let him continue, but after hearing a bunch of domineering CEO talk, he laughed in anger.

"You think I want to subjugate the Chinoike Clan?"

Lian Bei replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't that right?"

"You've got some nerve." Izuna turned his head to the side. "Kakuzu, knock him out."

Just as Kakuzu was about to make a move, Renbei spoke up again, "Even if your Clan Head wanted to marry our young lady, we wouldn't—"

Izuna suddenly turned around.

"Ha! You think I wanted to save you? Don't be ridiculous!"

His voice suddenly rose, drowning out the surrounding noise and drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

"You, who murdered innocent people, are guilty of heinous crimes! You deserve to die! I'm not keeping you alive out of kindness! It's because I think letting you go so easily!"

Halfway through his sentence, Izuna glanced around and noticed that the Ninjas who had been bound by Kakuzu had all woken up.

They were all exchanging glances or glaring at him with resentment.

Izuna clenched his teeth.

He stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by Ruins and the wounded. In the distance, the streets and alleys were still smoking and the houses were collapsed. The nobles inside the Barrier were cursing him, the assassins on the street were glaring at him, and the commoners he had thrown into the well were also cursing him.

He felt that his mouth was harder to press than an AK.

"You troublemaking Ninjas are all guilty! But it's not just you Ninjas!"

He abruptly turned towards the Barrier, pointing at the nobles who were being stopped by the guards but still trying to Barrier.

"You cowardly nobles!"

He then pointed to the Ordinary People who had been abandoned on the street, resignedly huddled up.

"And Ordinary People who disobey orders! They are all equally guilty!"

The nobles were stunned; some stared with their mouths agape, while others pointed at themselves with disbelief.

An Ordinary People scratched his head. "Shouldn't it be disobedient nobles and cowardly Ordinary People?"

"This is intertextuality, understand? It means disobedient and weak nobles and Ordinary People."

"Oh."

"You idiots! Don't think you can get away with just saying 'I'm innocent'!" Izuna roared. "You don't listen to advice, you don't obey orders! You can't tell right from wrong! Give you a little sunshine and you'll be all smiles; give you a little water and you'll overflow! Give you a little attitude and you'll run wild! You're a waste of air while you're alive, and a pollutant of the land when you die! To put it simply, I don't like any of you!"

There was a moment of silence within the Barrier, then chaos erupted.

"You! How dare you!"

"Just a Ninja!"

I will report Daimyo and punish you!

The bound assassins also glared at Izuna with bloodshot eyes.

Kakuzu stood to the side, and the brown-skinned, green-eyed youth was stunned.

Is this Lord Izuna... really that sharp-tongued?

Madara and Hashirama, who had just arrived, had strange expressions. As expected of Izuna... his cursing skills haven't diminished at all.

Just then, Mokushō returned.

He held the Seven Star Sword in his left hand, Benihisago in his right, Banana Palm Fan in his mouth, and Gold Rope around his neck. He looked like a fox adorned with the Six Paths Divine Artifact. He flipped down from the eaves and landed in front of Izuna.

Upon seeing Mokushō, Izuna took the Banana Palm Fan from his mouth.

The System Panel pops up.

[Mission: Find the culprit behind all this. Completed.]

[Reward: Six Paths Divine Artifact - Banana Palm Fan. Already issued.]

Izuna glanced at the fan, then at the people around him who were still cursing and swearing, and sneered.

"Listen up, everyone! Open your eyes and look carefully!"

"I am Uchiha Izuna! The Second-in-Command the Uchiha! Diplomat from the Konoha Special Administrative Region!"

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and raised the red feather fan high.

"Humans should value harmony above all else! They should uphold the principle of non-disobedience! They should be devout and respectful to those who saved you! They should revere the order that saved you! But you have failed to do any of these things! You are in utter chaos! Utterly foolish! Therefore, I despise all of you!"

Amidst the wails of the people, everyone— Ordinary People, nobles, and Ninjas alike—was sent flying into the sky.

Yes, on that day, everyone became equal.

Whether it's nobles with scheming plots, Ninjas killing for a living, or the three members of the Hiroyama Group, the Ise Family, and Ringo who broke free from their restraints and came to the scene only to be innocently caught up in it.

They all flew up into the sky, turning into Ichiyo speck of dust, swirling in the air with the wind.

Then they just kept spinning in the sky until the next morning.

That's right.

Chekku wrote these words in his diary with deep feeling.

That day marked the biggest turning point in history and the starting point of the revolution.

Everyone grasped the true meaning of nature on that day, and then forgot it all; it all vanished like a bubble.

Uchiha Izuna, amidst all that vomit... what kind of future did you see through the blood and tears?