I'm the Bad Guy Now!

Mei Terumi's injuries have been treated by Kato Osamu and are temporarily out of danger, but her feelings are complicated and hard to describe.

"Perhaps this decision was a mistake from the very beginning..."

Looking at the man before her, his eyes slightly closed as if he were immersed in his own world, her mind kept flashing back to Kato Osamu's expressionless treatment of her, his gaze fixed on her body as if it were just a moving mass of flesh and blood. The inexplicable contrast sent a chill down Mei Terumi's spine.

Wine, women, wealth, and power—this man seemed to have no weaknesses whatsoever, leaving her with no way to take advantage of him.

"Sincerity, huh... heh..."

For some unknown reason, Mei Terumi clenched her fist slightly, but then slowly relaxed it. Her thoughts seemed to drift back to many years ago, and a vague idea echoed in her ears.

Will the village get better?

Amidst the rising mist, the girl's thoughts drifted to a place thousands of miles away, where scenes from that land kept replaying in her mind: Blood Mist, infighting, fear for everyone, war, death, and weeping.

A complex mix of emotions welled up on her face as she carefully examined them. A strange thought suddenly surged into her mind—the death of Karatachi Yagura and Zabuza Momochi power seemed to have genuinely made Mist Shinobi a better place.

Previously, Mei Terumi, being part of a clan, seemed to think about everything from the clan's perspective, as if everything should prioritize the clan's interests. Although some clashes of thoughts in her mind led her to occasionally have other ideas, now, having stepped out of the Mist Shinobi environment and re-examining the series of events that have occurred in Mist Shinobi over the years, things seem to have become clearer.

"Ms. Mei Terumi, soaking in a hot spring after treatment is a good thing; it can promote recovery..."

"But if you want to stay in the water any longer, I think you'll most likely faint here..."

Kato Osamu glanced at Mei Terumi, who was tilting her head back and whose thoughts had drifted off somewhere, frowned slightly, and slowly rose from the hot spring, looking down at her.

"Is... is that so..."

Mei Terumi, suddenly snapping out of her daze, frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then continued to look up silently at Kato Osamu.

Her expressionless face, seemingly devoid of even a trace of shame, left Mei Terumi with a sense of helplessness.

"Why did it turn out like this...?"

Mei Terumi slowly got up, seemingly a little confused, and reached for a towel from the side, wrapping it around herself.

Although the body could be considered a weapon for ninjas, especially female ninjas, she had never thought of using it, let alone against the man in front of her.

"It seems... to be somewhat effective..."

For some unknown reason, Mei Terumi's cheeks flushed slightly, despite her previously composed demeanor.

Anything related to sex, when kept secret, can always spark countless fantasies, but if it's laid bare, it's just that—nothing special, and utterly boring.

Kato Osamu and Mei Terumi were currently in a hot spring resort that had been rebuilt after the great battle. Perhaps due to the aftermath of the battle, not many people dared to go out for entertainment, and there were only about three to five people in the entire resort.

After a major battle, Hot Spring Alley was almost reduced to ruins. Fortunately, most people were not seriously injured, and only a very few unlucky ones fell and bled while scavenging for gold and silver in the ruins.

The owner behind Hot Spring Alley seemed to have arrived from elsewhere just a few days ago, rallying nearby residents to carry out reconstruction work on Hot Spring Alley.

Since ancient times, the entertainment industry has always been one of the most profitable industries. But even so, three days ago, the owner of the Hot Spring Alley, who rushed over with several ninjas, looked at the Hot Spring Alley that had been almost razed to the ground and seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Master Ninja, please restore this place to its original state!"

Wearing Forehead Protector the Kusagakure, several ninjas of varying ages exchanged glances, a hint of hesitation in their eyes. Although the Kusagakure, under its new leader, had begun to transform, shifting its focus from the original six-level (Super S, S, A, B, C, D) missions centered on ninja combat to a focus on building scale.

"Lord Ryusei, according to the village's requirements: C-Rank Construction Mission —a medium-sized project—can be completed by a Construction Division ninja squad within three days."

This level of reconstruction has completely exceeded...

"Indeed..."

"It barely qualifies as A-Rank Construction Mission, but strictly speaking, it should be classified as B-Rank Construction Mission —a large-scale engineering project involving the paving of large roads and the construction of large-scale houses, with a workload within five times that of a C-level mission. Or it might involve contact with ninjas from other villages, requiring a combat squad for protection."

"Mr. Mishima, the mission briefing only mentions the reconstruction of some damaged houses, numbering around a dozen..."

"But now—not only do the houses need rebuilding, but the foundations also need large-scale reconstruction, especially in places like hot springs where groundwater is abundant, and the quantity has increased several times over..."

The Ryuuseki Cang, already had a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. What he didn't say was that, according to his observation, this place was most likely destroyed in a ninja battle, which meant that there was a certain possibility of contact with ninjas from other villages, so it must be B-Rank Construction Mission or higher.

The Combat Division will also issue corresponding escort missions depending on the circumstances. Depending on the strength of the two sides in the conflict, the missions will be assigned to ninjas from the Combat Division.

Although the Construction Division does not undertake combat missions, they are not just tools for construction that only use Ninjutsu. Such false reporting of missions is bound to infuriate people.

"I... I never imagined it would be ruined like this..."

After negotiations, the ninjas, who adhered to the rules of Kusagakure, did not take action. However, the strength of these ninjas was not something that ordinary merchants could underestimate. The mission was upgraded from a C-rank mission to an A-rank mission, Mishima paid a large sum of compensation for this.

Before the Kusagakure support team arrived, Ryuuseki Cang and his team began the reconstruction work.

Earth Release Ninjutsu was improved and used for foundations and main construction. Although the load-bearing capacity of the foundation increased significantly, the foundations made of rocks treated by the Ninjutsu were much more solid. Most of the low-rise buildings that were originally one or two stories were transformed into six or seven-story buildings.

While there are tall buildings in the Shinobi World, most of them are exclusive to ninja villages and are constructed by earth- Earth Release ninjas. They are rarely seen in ordinary places. Moreover, the economic development of the Shinobi World is extremely uneven, and many places still rely on thatched huts and wooden structures, which have almost zero resistance to disasters.

Now, the Kusagakure has taken the lead in using ninjas to take on engineering projects in the Shinobi World, which can be described as pioneering. Moreover, it has established Construction Division and developed many new building types, becoming the only professional 'construction company' in the Shinobi World. This has attracted many big businessmen, and the Kusagakure has made a lot of money as a result.

Is this part of your plan?

Mei Terumi regained her composure, dressed in a kimono, and walked slowly along the streets of the Hot Spring Alley, one after the other, with Kato Osamu. Everyone was working busily, and when she saw the scene of ninjas wearing Grass Shinobi Forehead Protector getting along peacefully with civilians and helping each other, a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes.

"The ninja's mission mode has shifted from assassination and combat to economic development, thereby enhancing the harmony between ninjas and ordinary people and gradually changing their original perceptions..."

"If ninja villages could operate without relying on rewards for combat and assassination missions, but instead take on commercial missions using Chakra and Ninjutsu, once this was implemented on a large scale, it would definitely change the landscape of the Shinobi World..."

Mei Terumi spoke slowly, seemingly observing Kato Osamu's expression. Seeing that he didn't seem to have any particular expression, she couldn't help but frown slightly.

"It's too slow..."

"Furthermore, if all ninja villages follow suit, competition will inevitably arise, and this competition will eventually escalate into warfare. Ultimately, the ability to acquire funds will drive military development, and this money will only be used to research and develop more lethal Ninjutsu, leading to increasingly larger-scale wars..."

"The Ninjutsu used in warfare all share a common purpose—to kill as many enemies as possible..."

Kato Osamu walked slowly through the streets, a gentle breeze brushing his face. His voice, neither hurried nor slow, reached Mei Terumi's ears, yet it filled her with a deep sense of confusion.

"This creates a contradiction: developing the economy is for the sake of the village's prosperity, but as you might expect, economic prosperity will fuel the advancement of military power, and once powerful militaries start fighting, their lethality will increase even further..."

"But we can't let this stop development, or we'll fall into a vicious cycle..."

"Ha ha..."

"So, Mei Terumi, isn't your goal to strengthen Mist Shinobi? Then why care about the lives of people in other villages...?"

Upon Mei Terumi abruptly raised her head, her eyes wide with surprise. In her interactions with Kato Osamu these past few days, when had her thinking shifted from focusing solely on the wealth and power of Mist Shinobi to encompassing the entire Shinobi World?

When did it start...?

Mei Terumi opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but then fell silent. Fighting against Konoha, fighting against other ninja villages, fighting within the village itself—over the years, Mist Shinobi had suffered countless deaths and injuries. Almost every household had someone who had perished on the battlefield. This kind of hatred could not be easily erased, and she could not utter any words of forgiveness on behalf of others.

"Then let's fight! Let's fight even more fiercely, until the ninja village is destroyed..."

"That's probably what the Akatsuki is thinking..."

"Start a war, let the ninja villages fight to the bitter end, and then step forward to completely wipe out all the ninja villages and unify the entire Shinobi World!"

Mei Terumi's voice trembled slightly, as if she had confirmed her guess, but her gaze involuntarily turned to Kato Osamu, as if awaiting final judgment.

She was merely naive, not stupid. Through their conversations over the past few days, she had vaguely gleaned some clues from Kato Osamu's words, but she found it hard to believe that such a simple idea contained the lives of countless people...

"This is just the opinion of a portion of the population..."

Kato Osamu looked at Mei Terumi with a hint of surprise. If before it was just to plant a mole and make Mei Terumi his own, now he was slightly more impressed. This woman was a very intelligent woman.

"Call..."

Mei Terumi didn't know how to describe her feelings. She was shocked that her guess had been confirmed, but Kato Osamu's statement that it was only the opinion of a portion of the people added to her confusion...

"The Akatsuki is roughly divided into three groups, each with its own plans."

One was led by Nagato Uzumaki, who used the concept of "feeling pain" to make people in the world feel pain so that they could let go of their hatred. He was also the main force that destroyed the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Another faction, led by Obito Uchiha, uses the name Madara Uchiha to construct a new world through a specific plan;

Finally, we all joined the Akatsuki with our own purposes, just like you and me...

Kato Osamu didn't hide anything and told Mei Terumi all the information he knew about the Akatsuki. Mei Terumi was slightly taken aback, as if the information she had been trying so hard to obtain had been so easily obtained, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

However, if it were a few days ago, she would have risked her life to send out the information, but now, the moment the thought crossed her mind, it plunged her into deeper doubt.

"If this division continues for so long, the war will never end... Is unification the right path?"

"No... no... it can't be..."

"The village..."

A hint of fear flickered in her eyes. She didn't know why she had such a thought, but once it surfaced, it clung to her like a leech, impossible to shake off...

Is this really the best approach?

Mei Terumi seemed unable to find a suitable reason to refute him. Her emotions, which had been in turmoil, gradually calmed down. Looking at Kato Osamu with a hint of expectation in her eyes, she could say that the past few days had truly overturned her previous beliefs.

"Do you think anyone who can become a strongman in this Shinobi World hasn't fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood? These people all have their own unwavering beliefs; it's never the rhetoric of a ninja village or some illusory idea that can sway these determined individuals..."

"Mei Terumi..."

Kato Osamu slowly turned around, a slight smile on his face, and looked into Mei Terumi's eyes. At that moment, the smell of sulfur in the air, the shouts in the streets and alleys, and all the sounds in the world seemed to disappear, leaving only a faint hum in her ears.

"I've said it before, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon..."

Mei Terumi stared blankly at Kato Osamu's slightly shimmering eyes. A strange feeling welled up in her heart. Now, she seemed to understand a little about why the Akatsuki was able to gather so many Kage Level powerhouses.

"A steadfast belief, a belief that made them unwavering even in the face of death, a belief that drove them to go despite the criticism of millions..."

"Are they the ones who did the right thing?"

Hearing Mei Terumi's murmur, Kato Osamu slowly shook his head, chuckled softly, and continued walking forward at his own pace, observing the Grass Shinobi working diligently around him. He knew in his heart that all of Mei Terumi's thoughts were based on her not having seen the other Akatsuki members. If she had seen these 'strange' individuals first, she probably wouldn't have thought that way anymore...

"However, it wouldn't be considered deceiving her..."

Mei Terumi stood quietly in place, her mind a jumbled mess. She desperately needed someone to clear her head. She looked up at Kato Osamu's unhurried back, reached out her hand, but didn't know how to start.

"So... what's your plan?"

"Your thoughts!"

"You say it's only the opinion of a few people, so you don't agree with them, right...?"

"Is that so?"

Her pace quickened involuntarily as she chased after Kato Osamu's retreating figure, Mei Terumi's voice filled with urgency and expectation.

The sunlight falls fairly on everyone's head, but only a very few people actually look up at it...

Grandpa, the author you follow has come back to life...