After saying this, Terumī Mei felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body. Immediately afterward came an indescribable panic and unease. The moment those words left her mouth, it meant she had effectively placed herself in opposition to the powerful merchants and nobles of the entire Land of Water—even the Daimyō.
Before Uchiha Keizumi had even spoken, Genji already felt the world spinning around him, as if he might faint on the spot.
As an elder who had helped the First Mizukage establish Kirigakure, Genji had lived across the many islands of the Land of Water for nearly a century. Naturally, he understood perfectly well what sort of people the wealthy merchants, nobles, and even the Daimyō of the Land of Water truly were.
If Keizumi were to sweep through the entire Land of Water the same way he had dealt with the Kirigakure shinobi, there probably wouldn't be more than a handful of those wealthy merchants and nobles left alive.
"Your Excellency, you mustn't!" Ignoring the fearsome reputation Keizumi had just established through bloodshed, Genji pleaded in a trembling voice. "The Land of Water lies overseas—its transport and trade rely entirely on maritime merchants. And with countless islands scattered across the nation, governance depends on the nobles and the Daimyō. We cannot—"
Genji could even endure the "atrocities" of Keizumi slaughtering freely within Kirigakure, but he could not stand by and watch him apply the same methods to those powerful figures.
To put it bluntly, shinobi were nothing more than expendable resources. Even though Keizumi's actions had greatly weakened Kirigakure this time, as long as those influential figures continued to support the village, it would sooner or later recover its vitality.
But if the village's "financial backers" were all killed by Keizumi…
"Cannot what?" Keizumi merely glanced calmly at Genji, yet that single look made the highly respected elder feel a chill run through his entire body. "Your meaning is that because those wealthy merchants monopolize maritime transport, and because those nobles and the Daimyō are the rulers of the Land of Water, they can trample justice and ignore righteousness while continuing to remain beyond the law?"
Keizumi had not released even the slightest trace of killing intent. His expression and tone had not changed much from beginning to end. Yet Genji's body still swayed unsteadily, as though the pressure of Keizumi's presence alone was making it difficult for him to breathe.
"Your Excellency, that's not what Genji meant…" Fortunately, Mei stepped forward in time to support him. The Bloody Mist Village did not particularly emphasize respect for the elderly, but the fact that Genji could become a universally respected elder within Kirigakure meant his integrity had been recognized by nearly every Kirigakure shinobi. Mei was naturally no exception. "Kirigakure and the Land of Water are different from Konohagakure and the Land of Fire. The same methods may not necessarily work everywhere…"
Mei tried her best to lower her posture, but for the moment she could not think of any effective way to deal with Keizumi. She could only hastily find an excuse to persuade him.
"Then prove it to me." Keizumi's gaze fell upon the three people before him. "You say the methods of Konohagakure and the Land of Fire may not suit Kirigakure and the Land of Water. Then act according to the principle of Absolute Justice, and show me how Kirigakure intends to carry out its justice."
"Have us carry it out?" Genji and Ao looked as if they had been struck by lightning. Merely watching Keizumi carry out justice had already filled them with fear and dread. Now it was their turn to use the same methods against the village's financial backers—how was that any different from forcing them to stab themselves?
Mei pressed her thin lips tightly together. At this point, Kirigakure had no other choice...
"If you are unwilling to carry it out, then I will do it myself." Keizumi's expression did not change in the slightest. He had no intention of forcing them. Absolute Justice was, of course, correct, but justice did not compel everyone to obey it. As long as one did not stand in opposition to justice, one would not become his enemy.
As he watched Keizumi turn and walk toward the direction outside Kirigakure, Genji seemed to see a storm of blood and slaughter rushing straight at him. Yet his body felt as though it had lost all control and could not move. Uchiha Keizumi's Absolute Justice was like a massive boulder pressing down on him so heavily that he could barely breathe.
"Please wait!" Yet just as Genji was on the verge of despair, Mei finally stepped forward. Her body trembled slightly, and even her tone was filled with unusual pain. But even while facing Keizumi's intensely oppressive gaze head-on, Mei did not retreat in the slightest. "Please allow Kirigakure to carry out the justice of the Land of Water. That way, some unnecessary resistance can also be reduced. Even if it is for the sake of justice, it is still better if fewer people who do not deserve to die end up dying, isn't it?"
Even though Keizumi had already displayed overwhelming strength, he was still a Konohagakure shinobi carrying out a massacre in the Land of Water. Even if it was for the sake of executing justice, there would still be many people unable to see the situation clearly who would, whether actively or passively, stand against him.
In the worst-case scenario, the nobles of the Land of Water might very well coerce large numbers of civilians into resisting justice. Yet Absolute Justice allowed no compromise, and in the end it would only lead to even more innocent lives being sacrificed.
"You should understand that those who oppose Absolute Justice have already committed the crime of sheltering wrongdoing. Resisting those who eliminate evil is itself evil!" Keizumi declared decisively. His voice was extremely cold, his tone unwaveringly firm, leaving no doubt that even if a thousand or ten thousand so-called "innocent people" stood in front of him, they would still be crushed without mercy!
At least in the minds of the three people before him, the black-haired young man standing there seemed to have become a world-destroying demon god named "Justice." Every step he took was over mountains of corpses and seas of blood. And now this "Demon God of Justice" had already set foot on the land of the Land of Water and was about to bring down the blade of judgment upon this country.
"I understand! Please believe in our resolve! As long as you deem them deserving of death—no, as long as they are villains who violate Absolute Justice, Kirigakure's blades will show absolutely no mercy!!!" Mei shouted loudly while forcibly suppressing the sob in her voice. The more she loved this country, the more she had to harden her heart.
If Keizumi had been a pure invader and butcher, Mei would have fought him to the death even at the cost of her life. But Keizumi cared only about Absolute Justice. If his strength had not been so overwhelming, Mei might still have entertained weak thoughts of compromise, even standing against him for the sake of the so-called greater good.
Yet amid misfortune there was at least one small blessing—Keizumi possessed power sufficient to crush everything. Faced with the single-choice question of justice or destruction, Mei, who was very likely the most outstanding individual among the new generation of Kirigakure shinobi, made a choice that was crucial for Kirigakure.
A torrential rain fell from the sky onto the land of Kirigakure, washing over the ground that had just been soaked with blood. Standing in the rain, Mei felt an unbearable pain gnawing at her heart like snakes and insects. She knew full well that the decision she had made would cause Kirigakure to become a reviled "accomplice" within the Land of Water.
But Mei understood clearly—if they did not become this "accomplice," then even more people in the Land of Water would die!