Belief

Nawaki noticed Shinnosuke's strange mood and said with a relaxed expression, "Don't worry, Shinnosuke. Although these bandits have decent discipline, to a ninja, they are nothing more than ordinary people. I will send a shadow clone to scout the mountain stronghold, and we just need to wait here quietly."

After speaking, Nawaki performed hand seals with lightning speed. In less than a second, he had completed the True Clone Technique. Even Torifu Akimichi could not track his movements, nor could he distinguish the clone from the original.

In an instant, a figure identical to Nawaki appeared beside him. The clone nodded at the original, then went through the motions of performing a few random hand seals while whispering, "Earth Release: Rock Hiding Technique," before leaping off the tree and vanishing directly into the ground.

In truth, this True Clone only contained the chakra levels of a genin and could not possibly use the "Rock Hiding Technique." His ability to move through the earth at high speeds relied on the power of his Wood Element Avatar, requiring no chakra consumption at all.

Torifu Akimichi felt that Nawaki's shadow clone seemed quite weak, but since his own expertise lay in taijutsu and he had no deep research into ninjutsu, he did not comment further.

While Nawaki's original body and his companions waited silently in the canopy, his True Clone, having entered the underground, tapped into the organic network and sped toward the mountain stronghold.

Nawaki used the roots of plants to quickly bypass the stronghold gates from beneath the surface. As he traveled underground, he sensed the situation above. In less than ten minutes, he had toured the entire stronghold, identifying the heavily guarded buildings. He found the warehouses, the kitchens, and the prison cells holding the slaves. To his shock, not only were the warehouses overflowing with supplies, but the cells held thousands of people. It seemed these bandits had just completed a raid and were currently waiting for their backer to arrive and collect the "goods."

Most of the civilians captured and held in the cells were teenagers and young children; there was not a single middle-aged or elderly person among them! These civilians could not all be orphans without parents or relatives; the fate of the others was self-evident.

The prison was filled with an atmosphere of despair and sorrow. In the eyes of the older teenagers, beneath the deep-seated grief, there was also an overflow of rage and hatred.

As for the young children who were too small to understand, having witnessed the brutal deaths of their loved ones and now being locked in these dark, gloomy cells, they were filled with fear and helplessness. Hunger, cold, and the presence of strangers constantly stimulated them; they seemed capable of nothing but crying.

Yet, the older "inmates," filled with rage but having nowhere to vent it, would not even grant them that small right. Several children had already been beaten for being "noisy."

Of course, even in such circumstances, there remained a portion of people who maintained their "kind" nature. They naturally stepped forward to protect the children while rebuking their enraged companions. Unfortunately, they were ultimately a minority and could not punish the perpetrators, eventually having to compromise by taking on the "responsibility" of ensuring the children stopped crying!

The children could not understand the advice of others; the more they were urged, the more they cried, as if it were their instinct. Faced with the mockery of the abusers and the cold indifference of the majority, how long could their "kindness" last? Perhaps soon, some among them would be unable to suppress the fire in their hearts and would join the ranks of the abusers.

This small prison was a microcosm of the Shinobi World, filled with the law of the jungle and the collision of various human natures.

Watching the tragedy in the cells, Nawaki felt a sense of disgust toward this chaotic and cruel world, while simultaneously cherishing his own happiness even more. In this world, weakness was truly the original sin. How many people who survived in such a cruel environment and encountered such misfortune could keep their minds normal and uncorrupted? At the same time, deep in people's hearts, there was an extraordinary yearning for the light. Perhaps this was the reason why so many ruthless villains in the original story were "talk-no-jutsu'd" into redemption by Naruto? Because the simple and kind-hearted Naruto could easily awaken that yearning for light within people. But all of this was built upon the foundation of power. If the positions were reversed, who could guarantee that their own heart would not be lost?

Perhaps because he had told so many lies that he had started to believe them himself, Nawaki, as a transmigrator, felt a sense of mission and justice for the first time. He wanted to save these civilians and punish those bandits—not for wish power, and not for any economic or strategic gain. Casting aside the interference of calculations and interests, he simply wanted to do it! This was likely what the protagonists in the web novels of his past life called "acting from the heart." After Nawaki made his decision, a notification from the Wish Power System rang in his soul: Ding! The host has realized their true heart and formed an "Original Vow," triggering the mission "Clear Mind": Exterminate all bandits in the Land of Fire and rescue all hostages to receive 100,000 points of wish power!

The system's sudden mission prompt took Nawaki by surprise. Ever since he created the system, he had received many tasks, such as "Early Graduation" or "Konoha Genius." These were main quests issued by the system after analyzing his environment. There were many such tasks, like "Become the Hokage's Disciple," "Obtain a Title in the Shinobi World," or "Become the Fourth Hokage." It could be said that all of Nawaki's actions and schemes over the years had revolved around these main quests. However, the wish power gained from these tasks was generated by the emotions others felt toward him; Nawaki had never thought that he could generate wish power himself. "System, what is this 'Clear Mind' mission about?"

"The host has formed a great vow from the heart after being moved by the scene. If completed, you can obtain a large amount of wish power. The principle is similar to the great vows of Buddhism."

"Buddhist great vows? Do you mean Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's 'I will not become a Buddha until the hells are empty,' or Amitabha Buddha's Forty-Eight Vows?"

"Correct. Both Buddhist sages made great vows from their own hearts. After Amitabha Buddha realized his vow, he relied on the vast wish power to open the Western Paradise and become its leader. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva also used the wish power of his great vow to advance his cultivation; though he did not become a Buddha, he attained the realm of one. The vow the host has made is not a reach, but it is selfless and desireless, born from the heart. Therefore, upon completion, you will receive 100,000 points of wish power."

"I see." Nawaki, hiding underground, was lost in thought. 100,000 points of wish power was neither too little nor too much for him now; it would take over a hundred days of accumulation to earn. However, the system's explanation of the "Original Vow" opened a new door for him.

How similar this "Original Vow" was to the "conviction" he often used to perform his "talk-no-jutsu" (deception). Was it possible that the manga protagonists who always had "conviction" on their lips were able to create miracles and erupt with incredible power because of this connection to wish power? The more Nawaki thought about it, the more likely it seemed. It appeared that "conviction," which he had always ignored, was truly an important factor that could not be overlooked.