Naruto Bloodline Theory? It's Trash

"Keep chasing him. We have to make him explain himself today."

Yahiko frowned, then headed downstairs...

In the shadows.

Hanzo of the Salamander watched the scene quietly, his face devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Why leave this place?"

He glanced at the high-rise building and fell into thought.

Then, as lights lit up household after household, Hanzo understood.

"Was it because he was afraid that, if a conflict broke out later, innocent civilians would be affected?"

All along the way, Hanzo had followed them while disguising himself as an old man, a middle-aged man, a young man... and various other figures.

He had continuously observed Mingren's actions.

He had many guesses.

Yet he still could not fully determine what this young man named Mingren intended to do.

In that case.

He would continue watching.

Splash...!

The tangled sounds of footsteps splashing through puddles rang out continuously.

In the night.

Several factions raced through the town.

"Hmm?"

Mingren, who was running, looked up and saw another group pursuing him...

The two parties stopped amid the curtain of rain.

Strange eyes with black sclera and crimson pupils.

Met eyes burning with pitch-black flames.

Before Asuka could speak.

Yahiko's group caught up.

On the open ground beneath the high-rise.

Akatsuki, led by Yahiko, Mingren, and Asuka's group... the three sides faced off.

Yahiko first glanced at Hanzo's Granddaughter, then immediately looked away and said to Mingren, "All those incidents lately were your doing, weren't they...?"

"So what if they were?"

Mingren responded coldly.

On Asuka's side.

She had received a letter sent by Konoha and had been preparing to inform her grandfather, Hanzo of the Salamander.

Yet she had happened to encounter Mingren here.

"So that means..."

Asuka swept her gaze over the dark surroundings.

"Grandfather is nearby...?"

The letter from Konoha had been written by Root of Ninjutsu, Shimura Danzō.

Its contents stated that Konoha intended to help Amegakure eliminate Akatsuki, using it as a bargaining chip in exchange for an alliance between the two nations.

Without question, it was an extremely sincere gesture.

But it also showed from another angle.

The Ninja World War had indeed inflicted severe damage upon every nation.

"Randomly killing people is wrong..."

Yahiko frowned, feeling as though Mingren had specifically targeted him...

I don't remember ever offending him...

Yahiko grumbled inwardly.

"Then are those evil people right?" Mingren stepped forward.

The members of the Akatsuki Organization stood quietly behind Yahiko without the slightest nervousness.

Partly because of their absolute recognition of and trust in their leader's strength.

But also because they still viewed Mingren through the lens of the past.

"Evil people... are of course in the wrong. But... this is the environment we live in. Unless the Land of Rain changes, criminals will keep appearing..."

Yahiko shook his head and sighed.

"Besides, though most thugs are scoundrels, they understand the rules to some extent and do not go too far or cross the line... The gangs and organizations they form on their own can effectively restrain newcomers... It is still better than desperate outlaws who truly have no regard for law or rules and cause all kinds of deaths... A Land of Rain with rules is better than chaos..."

"Ridiculous."

Mingren snorted coldly.

"You stand high above, passing judgment on the world and playing some grand game. But have you ever considered what those who are oppressed and harmed think and feel?"

"That is why we must change this country."

Yahiko spread his hands. His relaxed expression vanished, replaced by solemn seriousness.

"But the premise is that we must first resolve the Ninja World War. Once the war ends, we will naturally wipe out these cancers... We are not ignoring them. We are merely prioritizing what comes first, understand?"

"What you say sounds nice... but you have not realized that this is not an either-or question. You can keep painting your grand vision, while ordinary people like me work for immediate benefits. We do not interfere with one another, and we can even help each other. Is there a problem with that?"

Mingren immediately retorted.

Only children had to choose one or the other.

"..."

Yahiko was momentarily speechless.

Because on second thought, it seemed... Mingren made a great deal of sense.

Akatsuki could fight externally while someone dealt with the hidden dangers within... It did not seem to conflict at all...

Seeing the eloquent Akatsuki Organization leader rendered speechless by a direct rebuttal.

Hanzo could not help but laugh silently.

Because...

This was the first time.

However.

A clash of words was only a clash of words. He also understood that matters would not be as simple as the young man claimed...

"..."

Asuka quietly watched the exchange between both sides.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through her eyes.

Through their conversation, she understood that Amakawa Mingren had surely been working to eliminate the evil people of this country along the way.

For that, she felt only admiration and gratitude.

Doing what ordinary people could not do also gave her the feeling of breaking free from her shackles...

"Fine, even if what you say makes sense..."

Yahiko nodded, though his raised brows still showed that he was not entirely convinced.

"But after you kill this batch of evil people, new ones will emerge. When that happens—"

"Then kill them all."

Mingren spoke impatiently.

His matter-of-fact tone left Yahiko and the others stunned.

Even Hanzo's breathing froze for a beat.

"However many come, I'll kill them! I will not hypnotize myself into ignoring the harm right before my eyes just because new evil people may emerge in the future..."

Mingren clenched his fists as the fury in his heart began to burn.

"To you, things like order are what matter most. But to me... every act of violence inflicted by an evil person upon an innocent person could ruin someone's entire life!! Do you understand? What does a person's entire life mean? It represents everything they have! The world they live in, as seen through their own eyes!"

"I do not care at all about the grand vision or grand narrative you speak of! All I know is... every innocent person is a living life! They are worth protecting with my strength! They are not merely cold strings of numbers in your eyes, to be calculated as you please!"

A World Where Only Good People Deserved to Live

Mingren's powerful rebuke, along with the aura he released, directly intimidated everyone.

Even though some among them were stronger than Mingren.

In the clash of convictions, however, they were undoubtedly far smaller.

Because this was a contest of wills.

A pursuit and implementation of ideals.

Akatsuki, which embraced peace, was an organization that placed even greater emphasis on conviction.

Seeing his own side's momentum fall short, Yahiko said nothing more.

Nagato could not help but say, "Killing people... may indeed solve the immediate problem, but it will create a chain of hatred... Today, you kill him. Tomorrow, his friends and family will come to kill you... Revenge. It will not just be a war between good people and evil people. It will also create situations where good people kill good people... In the end... there will only be devastation everywhere..."

When would the cycle of vengeance ever end?

The chain of hatred would never end.

That was the conclusion Akatsuki had reached after years of thought, and it was also their guiding principle.

Resolving problems through peaceful means, diplomacy before force—that was Akatsuki's way of survival.

Nagato's sudden words directly restored Akatsuki's momentum.

Akatsuki's companions looked at him with admiration in their eyes.

In the shadows.

Hanzo's gaze dimmed for a moment.

After war, nothing remained but corpses scattered across the ground...

War brought nothing but destruction.

Without question, Nagato's words made great sense.

Asuka also fell into thought, wondering how she would refute him if she stood in Mingren's position...

"So what?"

The black flames in Mingren's eyes burned brighter.

"What is the source of devastation everywhere? Who committed evil first? Why should good people pay for what bad people have done?"

In the Original Work.

Hyuga Hinata was kidnapped.

Hyuga Hiashi killed Kumogakure's Ninja Leader with a single palm strike.

Afterward, Kumogakure turned the tables and accused Konoha instead.

Hizashi Hyuga died in his place, and only then was war averted.

But the problem was...