Chapter 260: The Dividing Katsuyu Sage
Fortunately, there would eventually be a time when the bitterness ended and the sweetness began. As long as [Absolute Justice] was thoroughly executed on the soil of the Land of Water, this country could be reborn...and at that time, it would also be time for her, an executioner with hands stained with blood, to retire with honor.
Uchiha Ikeizumi stared into Mei Terumī's eyes for a good while. Even under the gaze of those blood-colored eyes, Mei's gaze did not dodge in the slightest; she was in pain, but she was psychologically prepared to sacrifice everything.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Uchiha Ikeizumi summoned the Katsuyu Sage for the first time in a long while, and in one go, he summoned a super-giant Katsuyu whose size was several times that of a Tailed Beast. Standing on the land of the Hidden Mist Village, it looked like a veritable small mountain.
"Lord Ikeizumi, what are your orders?" The super-giant Katsuyu extended its antennae and "looked" around. It had been a long time since a contractor had summoned it to such a massive size, which made Katsuyu feel a bit unaccustomed.
Every slug in the Shikkotsu Forest is essentially a part of the Katsuyu Sage; however, due to differences in size, different "slugs" have different personalities, and their postures when communicating with contractors are naturally different as well.
"Katsuyu Sage, she has volunteered to execute [Absolute Justice] in the Land of Water on my behalf. I hope you can help supervise the execution of justice." Uchiha Ikeizumi would not adopt a laissez-faire attitude just because he trusted Mei Terumī; that was not how justice should operate.
"Is that so? How do you wish for me to do it?" Katsuyu's antennae moved slightly, looking at Mei Terumī with some curiosity.
Although it strongly agreed with Uchiha Ikeizumi's philosophy, its experience over the past thousand years told it that very few people could truly accept [Absolute Justice]. Even those willing to keep themselves pure were a minority, let alone those determined to follow the philosophy of [Absolute Justice] while recognizing it.
A spontaneous follower like Uchiha Izumi was rare enough; it hadn't expected that there would be humans in the Land of Water who identified with and were willing to follow Lord Ikeizumi.
"I want you to split into enough small slugs to act as my eyes. Let the Mist shinobi take them along to sweep away the evil entrenched in this land!" Uchiha Ikeizumi gazed at the Hidden Mist Village in the rain curtain. Admittedly, a large part of the reason for the notorious "Bloody Mist" could be blamed on Uchiha Obito.
But long before Uchiha Obito arrived, the shinobi of the Land of Water were famous for their bloodthirstiness and cruel methods, even giving birth to perverts like the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who took pleasure in killing.
From this, it could be seen that evil was likely already deep-rooted in this land. Therefore, no matter how determined Mei Terumī appeared, Uchiha Ikeizumi would not easily hand everything over to her.
"Understood, I will cooperate fully."
Katsuyu's massive body slowly squirmed, splitting into hundreds of small slugs about the size of pillows. Three of them crawled onto the shoulders of Genji, Mei Terumī, and Ao, respectively.
Mei Terumī and Ao's bodies were exceptionally stiff, but they did not dare to voice any objection, watching helplessly as the small slugs crawled onto their shoulders.
On the battlefield, Mei Terumī would not show the slightest fear regardless of the enemy's strength, but now this slug represented Uchiha Ikeizumi's will. Even if her female instincts revolted against this mollusk, Mei did not dare to show any expression of disgust.
"Please endure it for a bit; I will try not to touch you too much." Sensing Mei Terumī's abnormality, the small slug perched on her shoulder spoke softly.
"You can talk?!" Mei Terumī looked at the small slug on her shoulder with some lingering fear. Originally, she only thought the small slugs were offspring of the giant slug, acting at most as Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes and ears. What she didn't expect was that the small slugs also possessed the ability to think and communicate.
Fortunately, she discovered this now. Otherwise, if someone tried to pull some small stunts later and was seen by them, the opportunity for the Mist shinobi to execute [Absolute Justice]...which Mei had fought so hard to obtain...would be squandered.
"It has been a long time, Lady Katsuyu." Without waiting for Katsuyu to answer, Genji, who had a complex expression on the side, took the initiative to greet her. Then, as if introducing her or perhaps as a reminder, he spoke: "Lady Katsuyu is the summoning beast of Konoha's Princess Tsunade. Every small slug is equivalent to a clone of Lady Katsuyu."
Compared to new-generation shinobi like Mei Terumī and Ao, Genji, who had lived through the Warring States period, clearly knew much more information about Konoha.
"That is correct. All slugs are me, but different slugs have different personalities~" The small slug on Genji's shoulder was noticeably more lively, its two small antennae twitching constantly.
Mei Terumī gave a somewhat forced smile. The underlying meaning in Genji's words was a warning to her and Ao. This old man might not have the decisiveness of previous Mizukages or Mei herself, but he remained a pillar of the Hidden Mist Village.
"Go. Summon all the Mist shinobi here whom you believe can execute justice!" After Katsuyu finished greeting them, Uchiha Ikeizumi finally looked at Mei Terumī. Being watched by those blood-colored eyes felt like being pricked by a needle, and Mei's whole body trembled slightly. "The Katsuyu Sage will act as my eyes, watching as [Absolute Justice] descends upon this nation!"
"...Yes, Lord Ikeizumi!" After a moment of silence, Mei Terumī took a deep breath and answered categorically.
At this point, there was no room for regret. Compared to letting Uchiha Ikeizumi go on a killing spree in the Land of Water and completely shattering the future of the Mist, Mei Terumī would rather bear more infamy...that way, there was still a possibility for the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village to continue.
Watching the figures of Mei Terumī and Ao gradually disappear into the rain, Genji sighed inwardly. He then bent down and spoke to Uchiha Ikeizumi in a slightly humble tone, "This is not the place to talk. Why don't we go to my humble abode first to converse? I wonder what you think, sir?"
"There is no need for that. Everything I do is for justice. As long as the Mist can practice justice in the Land of Water, there is nothing to worry about!" Uchiha Ikeizumi looked at the white box above Genji's head. In his long life, this elder of the Land of Water was naturally not spotless. However, he was still a "White Name," and his sin level was even slightly lower than that of Mei Terumī, who had accidentally injured civilians.
...Considering the environment of the Hidden Mist Village and Genji's status, it was practically a miracle!
Although [Absolute Justice] allowed for no compromise, every crime Genji had committed had a record of compensation behind it, and he had basically obtained the forgiveness of the victims. To achieve this level was quite commendable.
Since entering the Land of Water, Uchiha Ikeizumi...who had seen many "human-like orangutans"...inevitably looked at Genji with a different eye. Even his habitually cold tone softened slightly.
"Thank you for your understanding, sir." Genji looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi with a bit of surprise. Having seen many proud and arrogant Uchiha, he had originally thought this Lord Ikeizumi would be a second Uchiha Madara, but the actual situation seemed quite different.