My Heart and My Actions Are as Clear as a Mirror

By burning down a mountain and wiping out twelve Root elites, including their top commander, this deal looked like an incredible bargain to Shiba Seika. It was absolutely worth it!

Not to mention that they had been the unequivocal victors tonight.

An unequivocal victory meant that the dead could no longer speak!

So the next moment, he turned to Kenjiro and asked, "Kenjiro, how did the villagers feel when you evacuated them from the foot of the mountain earlier? Did anyone complain?"

Kenjiro hesitated, but answered honestly. "Some did. A lot of people were furious, and some were grieving."

"Good."

Everyone was stunned by Shiba Seika's response. How could that possibly be good?

His next words made everyone present widen their eyes.

"Tomorrow, go tell the villagers that we killed every last one of those evil Konoha ninjas who set fire to the mountain, and that our Akatsuki Organization has once again protected the peace of the Land of Rain."

Some were shocked. Some stared wide-eyed. Others couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.

But Shiba Seika wasn't done. He turned to Konan.

"Konan, you took care of the two Root shinobi who escaped to the foot of the mountain, right?"

"Yes."

"Are their bodies still there?"

"They are. It's just that one of them is a little... broken."

Shiba Seika was taken aback. He hadn't expected gentle Konan to have it in her to be so ruthless.

He didn't even realize that this was entirely the result of his own words and example.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat and continued as though nothing had happened.

"A little broken is fine. Bring back whichever part is most recognizable, and show the villagers that this is the culprit behind their mountain burning down.

"Then have a few of our members use the Transformation Technique to blend into the crowd. They can stir people up and work together to fan the villagers' anger until it boils over."

The more they heard, the more alarmed they became. Their expressions as they looked at Shiba Seika shifted from shock to awe, and finally to numb acceptance.

All their unspoken thoughts came down to one sentence: "Just as expected of you, Captain Seika."

No one asked, "But weren't we the ones who started the fire?" No one was foolish enough to ask that.

If they needed an explanation for something so basic, Shiba Seika might as well have never led them all this time.

Before leaving, Shiba Seika patted the shoulder of one of the Water Release shinobi who had come with Nagato.

"I'll leave putting out the fire to you. Remember, if anyone asks, say it was the crime of Konoha's shinobi."

The man smiled wryly. "Leader Yahiko probably won't accept that explanation."

Shiba Seika only smiled faintly and said nothing.

Compared to when he'd first crossed over, he had become a completely different person. His strength, reputation, subordinates, and influence within the organization had all grown. He no longer needed to worry about Yahiko's attitude like he had back then.

Especially now that Konan and Nagato were both gradually taking his side. Yahiko's opinion mattered far less to him than it once had.

So what if Yahiko didn't accept it?

He'd already killed the men, started the fire, and burned down the mountain.

He didn't believe Yahiko would really risk everything to oppose him and make a move tonight.

After giving his instructions, he planned to head back and get some rest.

Just before they parted, Konan suddenly came over and said, "I'll take you back."

Remembering that Konan could fly, Shiba Seika didn't refuse.

The nearest village was quite a distance away. There was no need to make things harder for himself, right?

As they flew through the air, Shiba Seika could clearly tell that Konan wanted to say something but didn't know how to bring it up.

He was sincere with her, so he spoke first. "If you have something to say, go ahead, Konan. Don't hold back. We're comrades, aren't we?"

Only then did Konan let go of her hesitation and ask quietly, "Seika, isn't what we're doing too despicable? Is this really the ideal we're striving for?"

Shiba Seika wasn't discouraged by her question. On the contrary, he was delighted.

Because Konan had said, "what we're doing," not "what you're doing."

That meant Konan now saw herself as an accomplice in tonight's actions.

That alone was enough to fill Shiba Seika with relief.

He replied without haste, "Konan, do you remember the lesson I taught you a little over a month ago?"

A little over a month ago was when Shiba Seika and Konan had gone to investigate the hoarder Ando.

It was also the moment when Konan's entire worldview had begun to be reshaped.

"I remember."

"Then today is the second lesson I'm teaching you. Konan, often, only the victor has the right to define justice. The loser can only eat dust.

"Even the most beautiful ideal is nothing but an illusory mirage without victory to support it.

"There's no point in stubbornly clinging to kindness when it gets you nowhere.

"Think about the last Great Ninja War. After Konoha invaded the Land of Rain, even if a few people—your teacher Jiraiya, for example—held fast to their principles, did that make any difference? It didn't lessen the suffering of the Land of Rain by much.

"By contrast, we won this time. Even though we burned down an entire mountain, we still have a chance to do our best to make things right for the villagers afterward.

"Only the living have the right to hold on to their ideals!"

There was certainly an element of sophistry in his words, but that wasn't important.

Shiba Seika didn't actually need to convince anyone. He only needed to steady Konan's emotions.

Because he knew Konan's heart had always been with him and with the Akatsuki Organization.

She just needed an anchor to keep her faith firm.

So, in the end, he told Konan:

"If you feel lost, think more about the companions by your side. Think about everyone's smiling faces, then tell yourself with conviction—

"My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is righteous!"

"..."

Konan didn't reply for a long while.

Something about it felt off to her. Those words just seemed especially out of place coming from Shiba Seika...

But after repeating them to herself several times, her heart miraculously settled.

She couldn't help laughing softly. That Shiba Seika might be full of twisted arguments, but he really does have a strange kind of magic.

After they returned, Shiba Seika—who had been busy all night—fell straight into bed and slept, completely unaffected by the fire raging several kilometers away.

When he woke, good news came in pairs.

He had another piece of good news: the system's observed outcomes had updated again!

This time, he didn't need to wait for the effects to play out. The fact that Yūno Ryōma had died and Root had suffered devastating losses was enough to alter the course of the River of Fate!

For the first time ever, the probability of Shiba Seika dying of old age had broken through to 7.9%!

The probability of him failing to survive the coming year had dropped below 55%!

At the same time, Root's severe weakening had noticeably increased the odds, in his fated outcomes, of him eventually escaping Konoha alive.

Before dying of old age, he now had another possible future: escaping Konoha, wandering the Shinobi World, and dying in the Fourth Great Ninja War more than a decade later.

That outcome also had a probability close to 10%.

In that moment, he couldn't help sighing.

The Shinobi World really was a place where people devoured one another.

Taking out your enemies truly was always the fastest way to improve your odds of survival.