Seeing "That Lord" defeated by Shen in a single move, the Injured Ninja showed no sign of worry at all.
"Their relationship is really good... nothing like us..."
He watched the three members of Team One playing around, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Suddenly, he saw Nayou walking straight toward him, and his smile immediately turned bitter.
"That's right, it was me who brought them here. If they weren't strong enough, maybe they would have already..." Thinking this, the injured ninja closed his eyes.
He knew he wasn't what you'd call a good person—that's just how things worked in this brutal age.
The victor is hailed as king; the defeated branded a criminal.
In the ever-chaotic shinobi world, it was an unshakable law.
However, Nayou's next question puzzled him.
"Uncle, are you hiding something painful?"
Opening his eyes wide, the injured ninja stared blankly at her.
He suddenly understood—the child before him truly was just an ordinary child, unlike those like himself who had grown up amidst constant warfare.
"Just kill me already—it'll be better for you people..."
"Uncle, you definitely have your reasons, right? You can tell us. We Konoha ninjas will help you!" Nayou interrupted.
"That's impossible—even Konoha wouldn't be able to help us."
"But we can, Uncle! We're different from other ninjas. Even if Konoha can't help, there's still the Land of Fire..."
Hearing this, the injured ninja's expression twisted into fury.
Clutching his hands tightly, the veins on his neck bulging, he shouted, "Everything we have now is thanks to the Land of Fire! If it weren't for them forcing us into this place, we wouldn't have been pushed to the point of survival itself!"
"!!!" x4
Shen and Nawaki stopped fooling around, and even Orochimaru turned to look.
All three gazed at the man whose chest wound had reopened due to his emotional outburst.
"In chaotic times, no one but yourself matters. Kids—remember these words." After speaking, the wounded ninja shut his eyes again.
This time though, hot tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, as his entire being exuded a sense of preparedness for death.
Looking at the injured ninja before him, Shen connected previous suspicions with the conversation he'd just heard between him and Nayou, forming most of the truth in his mind.
"Is the Land of Fire really a country that drives commoners to the borders?"
"This old man doesn't seem like he's lying at all. If things really are like that..." Thinking this, Shen's gaze gradually sharpened.
He took steps forward, raising his right foot while gently hooking his right index finger.
"Swish"
A pitch-black blade shot out from his wrist.
Fixing the man with an intense glare, his whole body exuded an aura completely different from usual—one that absolutely should not exist within a seven-year-old child.
"Clop clop"
Eyes still shut, the injured ninja could only hear the sound of approaching footsteps. He knew his release was near.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Just because he's not a good guy doesn't mean he's evil!"
Nawaki stepped forward, spreading his arms to block Shen's path.
Yet, looking at the figure in front of him, Shen ignored that determined expression. Continuing to lift his foot, he coldly uttered two words: "Move aside."
Nawaki's expression remained firm. He was about to speak when a sharp pain hit him right in the gut.
"You son of a gun!"
Clutching his stomach and doubled over in pain, Nawaki still refused to move — the agony on his face did nothing to dull the fire in his eyes. A gaze full of persistence and unwavering resolve.
Instantly, white flashes flickered beneath Shen's feet. After passing Nawaki, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in what appeared almost like approval.
"Shen Uchiha!"
Looking at Orochimaru blocking his path just like before — this time with Nayou — he couldn't help but smirk slightly. "Why don't you both step aside?"
"Shen, why are you doing this?"
"Yeah, I hardly think you want to kill him."
Shen raised his gaze slightly and looked at the two with a subtle expression in his eyes.
Nawaki, my good sir, immediately understood and obediently stepped aside.
"Fine," Orochimaru said before stepping back too.
"Now then, old man, do you have any last words?" Shen placed the blade against the injured ninja's neck.
"No. I only hope that in my next life, I can be born into a peaceful world. Also, after my death, will you spare them? All the evil deeds were done by me alone."
"I, Shen Uchiha, promise you — I will spare the others." He accepted this request, then raised his right hand high.
The wounded ninja kept his eyes tightly shut. Right now, he could hear a whistling sound rushing toward him.
Knowing that relief was imminent, tears at the corners of his eyes instantly stopped, and a peaceful smile surfaced on his face.
[Drip]
Seconds ticked by — the only sound was the soft splash of a falling tear.
But the death he was bracing for… never came.
With great effort, he opened his eyes and was met with a wide, cheerful grin.
"Old man, just believe in me — I will definitely bring an end to this chaotic world!"
Shen's words sounded like thunderclap to the wounded man who had already mentally prepared for death, stirring wild waves in his heart.
However, the very next moment, his expression froze.
"Hey old man, don't forget — I'm Konoha's top tycoon, and the second young master of the Uchiha clan! I've got plenty of money; I certainly can help with whatever difficulties you're facing!"
Shen, who couldn't even hold his cool for three seconds, delivered the craziest line with a dead-serious tone.
Putting it all together, wasn't this exactly how he usually pulled the wool over people's eyes?
...
At this moment, the atmosphere became extremely strange — completely silent and motionless.
Even the Taketori Clan's so-called 'lab rat' — who had been shouting loudly just moments ago — was now staring blankly with widened eyes, his neck stiffened and body unmoving.
[Hu~] A light breeze whispered past. Except for one person, everyone involuntarily shivered.
Moreover, this wind seemed to fan the flames of Nawaki's growing anger. Holding his stomach with both hands, he shouted furiously, "Shen Uchiha! So you were just putting on an act? You've really made your good sir Nawaki furious!"
This loud shout brought Nayou and Orochimaru back to their senses. They had previously believed that whatever signal this shadow actor gave them must mean some brilliant trick up his sleeve.
At first, both of them felt a little impressed by the opening line and expected something deeper next.
The very next moment, however, they were met with that overly suggestive sentence, which left both utterly stunned.
The Injured Ninja felt the same way. The will to die he had previously summoned seemed to quietly return.
This time, it was Shen's turn to be taken aback. His past-life belief that money could solve everything left him completely stumped as to what he'd said wrong.
"Could it be because I'm not rich enough?" Fear instantly spread through his heart.
Indeed, if even a nation's wealth couldn't resolve certain issues, what good was being the richest in a village? That amount of money probably wouldn't even cover someone else's annual food and drinks.
Right now, Shen was extremely panicky. After arriving in the shinobi world, he finally realized he was stone broke.
He messed up the swag and got shut down instead.
"Money, you damn thing—you just wait! In a few years, I'll make sure to dominate you big time!"
A certain transmigrated soul rapidly mapped out numerous plans for getting rich in his mind—not the petty ones from before, but genuine schemes specifically designed to rip off the wealthy elite.
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