Chapter 272: Power of a God
In the blink of an eye, over a hundred conservative shinobi...a force combined that would be sufficient to trample most nations in the shinobi world...had been turned to ash by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
The Mist shinobi who witnessed this were instantly silenced, their voices like cicadas in winter. Whatever objections they previously held regarding Mei Terumī's decisions, they now consciously clamped their mouths shut.
In the face of such a non-human monster, all resistance was nothing more than futility.
The only saving grace was that Ikeizumi practiced [Absolute Justice]; otherwise, the Hidden Mist Village might not even have the chance to continue existing.
Seeing that the Mist shinobi had finally calmed down from their agitation, Mei Terumī breathed a sigh of relief, yet she simultaneously felt a faint, lingering unease.
After witnessing Ikeizumi's overwhelming power, the fire of rage in the eyes of the Mist shinobi had quietly extinguished, replaced by a mixture of terror and submission toward this god-like might.
Clang... Clatter...
Accompanied by a series of kunai and shinobi blades hitting the ground, the Mist shinobi knelt one after another, completely surrendering at Ikeizumi's feet.
Even Mei Terumī sighed inwardly, bending her knee to offer the highest respect to the man before her who seemed like a deity.
Perhaps the ancestors of old felt this same sense of helplessness when facing Senju Hashirama...the very reason they bestowed the title "God of Shinobi" upon the First Hokage.
Human power ultimately cannot contend with a god; at this point, Mei could only console herself with such thoughts.
"...In the name of [Absolute Justice], I shall grant this land a new life..."
Ikeizumi, having deactivated the Perfect Susanoo, walked slowly toward the Mist shinobi. His blood-red eyes looked upon them calmly. "Those willing to follow me, stay. Those unwilling may leave now."
Having cleaned out two batches of "Red Names," the remaining Mist shinobi were now mostly "White Names." Although a few still bore boxes with signs of turning red, that level of sin was still within Ikeizumi's range of tolerance.
To be precise, the priority of liquidating that level of crime was slightly lower than the task of pushing the cause of justice in the Land of Water. Once [Absolute Justice] truly descended upon this sin-entangled land, it would not be too late to settle those previous accounts.
While the Mist shinobi were kneeling at Ikeizumi's feet, Uchiha Izumi...having consulted Biwa Jūzō...selected a town located between the Hidden Mist Village and the capital of the Land of Water as the first step for implementing [Absolute Justice].
The primary reason for choosing this town was its status as the largest black market in the Land of Water; it was likely the area with the highest density of sinners in the country.
Before even stepping into this "Seagull City," Izumi had mentally prepared herself for an eyeful of dense red boxes and a landscape filled with heinous outlaws. After all, this was a den of villains "highly recommended" by Jūzō himself...a place where murder and arson were likely daily occurrences.
However, to Izumi's surprise, her first impression of Seagull City was remarkably... good. It wasn't that there were no sinners, but the number of Red Names wasn't nearly as high as she had imagined.
The vast majority were ordinary people, ragged and sorrowful. The few exceptions were mostly White Names, with Red Names appearing only occasionally.
Rather than a town, Seagull City looked more like a giant slum. Low earthen houses, dilapidated shops, and roads long out of repair made it hard to believe this was one of the largest settlements in the Land of Water.
"Ahem. When I passed through here a few years ago, Seagull City wasn't this... decayed."
Facing Izumi's questioning gaze, even the thick-skinned Biwa Jūzō felt a bit embarrassed. But then, his eyes filled with killing intent. "Those vermin all deserve to die!"
"Let's split up and investigate the situation first. Ikeizumi-senpai taught me that without investigation, one has no right to speak."
Izumi nodded, placing the orange cat, Kojirō, who was perched on her shoulder, onto the ground. "Jūzō-senpai, don't be in such a hurry to kill. We cannot let a single bad person escape, but we absolutely cannot kill the innocent!"
"Tch. I get it."
Jūzō was a bit impatient, but he knew Izumi was the lead on this mission. Only her eyes could distinguish the sinners, so he could only grudgingly agree.
"Wait, meow! I have to move separately too? You're going to investigate evil and not taking me, meow?"
Only Kojirō, now on the ground, was extremely displeased. He was the "old" cat who had followed Lord Ikeizumi the longest! These two annoying human mounts didn't even consult him before making a decision!
"Since we're splitting up, the more perspectives and directions for the investigation, the better. Besides, those bad people will surely be on guard against outsiders."
Izumi raised a finger, mimicking Ikeizumi's tone of voice, and spoke seriously. "But if the one investigating is Kojirō-senpai, even the bad people will let their guard down, right?"
"That's true, meow! As expected, for such a crucial mission, this Great Meow must take action personally!"
Kojirō's feline face beamed with joy. He finally forgave these two rude juniors and, swaying his plump body, quickly vanished into the dilapidated alleys.
Watching Kojirō's departing back, Izumi rubbed her shoulder helplessly. Although it felt a bit mean to say, should Ikeizumi-senpai really consider helping Kojirō-senpai lose some weight?
"If you run into danger, remember to send a signal. The people here are not to be trifled with..."
Jūzō hesitated, but reached into his tool pouch, pulled out two specialized signal flares, and handed them to Izumi. "Be careful. Don't die."
Although the Uchiha girl before him was not weak, Jūzō didn't dare be careless. For Seagull City to be the Land of Water's largest black market and operate for decades, the power of the masterminds behind the scenes was beyond doubt.
In a frontal confrontation, with her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Izumi should have no problem dealing with an ordinary Jōnin. But the shinobi employed by the black market were likely rogue Mist ninja...ruthless bastards who were no joke to deal with.
"Yes, I understand. Jūzō-senpai, please be careful too."
Izumi did not reject Jūzō's kindness, though she didn't think she would ever have a use for those two flares.
While she usually played the role of an assistant behind Uchiha Ikeizumi, through the cumulative strength gained as a Follower of Justice, Izumi had long since ceased to be that naive newcomer from the Police Force.
If it truly came down to a fight...ignoring the gap in combat experience and mindset...Biwa Jūzō, whose strength was 70% tied to his Kubikiribōchō, might not even be a match for her.