Hearing this, Hamura was momentarily taken aback. "I don't want to hurt others with my power."
Upon hearing that, Shuushi laughed even louder. He didn't know whether Hamura truly meant those words, but his mood became increasingly complex. "So you think as long as you don't strike the blow yourself, the deaths won't be on your head?"
Hamura was stunned again—was that really what he meant?
"Hamura, even if you don't act personally, you're still teaching others how to kill. You're distributing your power to others and letting them do the killing. Isn't that still using your strength to harm people?"
"You're essentially trying to kill with borrowed blades, using our hands to slaughter others, deliberately allowing chaos and creating conflicts."
"Otherwise, since you clearly have the ability to end the wars yourself, why would you stay among us?"
Hamura froze completely, his brain temporarily going blank. He had only wanted to help speed up peace—how did he suddenly become the one stirring conflict?
So does help mean doing everything myself?
At this moment, the onlookers were equally confused, exchanging bewildered glances.
"What? What's going on here?"
"Is Master Hamura really tolerating these wars?"
"Is he truly someone like that?"
"Did you understand anything?" Someone in the crowd hesitantly whispered to the person beside him.
"Not at all," the other replied with a dazed expression, shaking their head.
"Being able to do it yet refusing to—that is true evil," Shuushi continued, a slight curve forming at the corner of his lips.
At this moment, Shuushi's words struck like a thunderclap, causing Hamura to involuntarily doubt himself.
Indeed, if it were him, no human currently alive could oppose him.
Yes, if he acted personally, the war's casualties could be greatly reduced...
But he simply didn't want to kill at all...
Wasn't he already saving lives and reducing losses?
Should he bear responsibility for these sins?
It wasn't even him who started these wars in the first place...
Either way, I'm the bad guy? Helping's evil, and not helping's evil too—how could this be?
His mind was in chaos, emotions fluctuating wildly. It felt as if countless voices were clashing fiercely in his mind, his facial expression shifting between clarity and bewilderment.
"He's right—if you'd stepped in, many wouldn't have died at all! You chose to stand by and let them die—that doomed them!"
"Why involve yourself so much? Why should you have to carry their weight anyway?!"
Suddenly, another light chuckle reached his ears. Hamura lifted his gaze and saw clear mockery on Shuushi's face.
It felt as if a needle pierced his heart—he completely lost composure, emotionally shouting out, "It's you! You're the real criminal! It's power-hungry people like you who ignite these wars!"
"How could it be me?" Shuushi gently shook his head. "I'm doing everything within my capability. Since I promised to lead everyone to victory, I charge ahead in every battle. I give my utmost to shoulder the responsibilities I must bear. Those who run away are cowards, true sinners!"
Everyone else was still completely lost—what the hell were they even talking about?
They still couldn't make much sense of it all.
Hamura could no longer remain calm. Shuushi had clearly identified the keywords that would stir his emotions—words like "coward" and "criminal" kept provoking him.
Looking at the man whose face bore a faint, ambiguous smile, Hamura felt a chill in his heart. In an instant, he seemed to understand exactly what the other wanted to do.
Because he possessed too many traits that deviated from normalcy, he was easily placed in situations difficult to defend.
If he wished to explain, he'd have to clarify everything completely.
As long as there remained even one question, it would be seized upon relentlessly, dismantling every word he spoke.
"Hamura, what's with that look on your face?" Shuushi smiled slightly before continuing, "Don't tell me you're planning to kill me to silence me." Then he ordered, "What are you all waiting for? Stop him!"
"But… Hamura-sama, surely that won't be necessary…" Others hesitated, their movements sluggish.
Shuushi swept his gaze over them, his eyes cold.
Within days, they would fully turn their allegiance to Hamura.
Hamura stared at him coldly. "You're not even worth it."
With that, he activated Body Replacement Technique, appearing beside someone and dodging the attacker's blade.
It was only now that the surrounding spectators began to panic. "Hamura-sama! What exactly are you doing?"
"What 'Lord'?!" Shuushi roared. "He's a criminal who let conflicts run rampant. The lives lost during the war were nothing but performances to him—as meaningless as a stage drama!"
"Attack! Kill him! Wake up, all of you!"
"You really aren't afraid of death, are you?" Seeing the man still shouting loudly, Hamura's eyes flickered with surprise.
Having made his decision, Hamura began observing the situation as if he were a bystander.
From the passing of Father and Mother to Shuushi's arrival at Tree Village—the time span was less than half a year.
In under six months, how had this person risen so suddenly and gathered a large group of followers?
If he had truly been that excellent, why hadn't Hamura heard anything about him during Mother's time in power?
Could it have been some kind of extraordinary chance or fortunate encounter?
Previously, he hadn't suspected this at all...
While he pondered these thoughts, the originally curious soldiers—over a dozen of them—had split into two groups: one half took up weapons and nervously charged at him, while the other escorted Shuushi away.
"You don't believe me either?" Hamura asked.
They said nothing, but their blades were already aimed at him.
Smiling bitterly, Hamura simply strode past them and pursued Shuushi's group.
Meeting the flicker of shock in Shuushi's eyes, Hamura drove his blade forward, impaling the man through the heart, then ripped it free.
Dark crimson blood sprayed forth, staining the ground as Shuushi's body crumpled lifelessly.
Witnessing this scene, everyone froze.
"Lord Shuushi is dead? Our leader is dead!"
"What?!"
"What do we do? What do we do now..."
Panic spread through the crowd in waves. The village instantly became chaotic.
Everyone looked at Hamura with hatred in their eyes but dared not approach.
Standing motionless, Hamura activated his Byakugan, examining Shuushi's corpse.
Chaos swirled around him — angry shouting, crying, screaming... even the clatter of things being moved around.
While Hamura paid no attention, the soldiers and villagers who originally lived here had already scattered in different directions to evacuate.
The sun dipped westward, night approaching, yet Hamura still remained in this place.
He'd pulled over a chair and sat close to Shuushi's body, staring off into the distance.
"Why are you still here?" Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice came over, clearly annoyed. "You're damn annoying!"
"I need to watch you die," Hamura replied without turning his head. "Can't play dead forever, huh?"
Behind him, Shuushi's eyes flew open. He shot up suddenly, clutching his chest, glaring coldly in Hamura's direction.
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