"Hidan, do you still remember your Nindō (Ninja Way)?"
Uchiha Ci's eyes sharpened as he looked directly at the brat in front of him.
Under this sincere and fiery gaze, Hidan's eyes unconsciously dodged. He murmured:
"My Nindō..."
"Right!"
"Your Nindō!"
"You look up at the sky with those big nostrils of yours, confidently giving a thumbs-up to yourself!"
"You shout loudly that you, who have nothing, will become the Yukage (Hot Water Shadow), end the chaos in the Land of Hot Water, drive all foreign ninja from this land, and become the next Demigod!"
Uchiha Ci looked directly at Hidan, the corner of his mouth lifting in a slight, teasing smile:
"You said that yourself. Do you need me to help you remember it further?"
Hidan's face showed a trace of embarrassment, his expression complex. He stuttered in retort:
"That... that was just—"
However, before he could finish, Uchiha Ci cut him off, his tone cold:
"You want to say it's just big talk? Empty boasts? Lies?"
"That the real world is far more cruel than that?"
He tightened his grip on Hidan's collar. The tomoe swirling in his scarlet eyes was full of intensity.
"Don't be stupid!"
"Deny your own heart, deny your own will, deny your own dreams, then accept 'reality,' fill your empty mind with pipe dreams, march yourself to the gallows, and bow your head before an existence more powerful than Yugakure—"
"Then what difference is there between you being alive or dead?!"
"Wait, I—" Hidan was choked by these words, as if trying to defend something, to find a legitimate excuse for his actions, to convince Uchiha Ci and convince himself.
To prove that his actions were correct, the best choice when there were no choices left.
But Hidan was unable to finish his sentence.
Because, deep down, he also knew:
The Evil God Cult's method—to stop killing by killing everyone—was nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst.
Uchiha Ci sighed and said in a deep voice:
"Hidan!"
"You are strong-willed, prepared to die, wanting to use your own sacrifice to exchange for the Evil God's favor!"
"But I tell you, this is just escapism!"
Uchiha Ci's words were like a hammer, striking Hidan's heart hard, smashing and tearing down the barriers he had built up inside.
After peeling off the sugar-coating of the Evil God Cult, what remained inside was nothing but stinking shit!
This forced Hidan to confront reality.
His face flushed red and then pale. Veins bulged on his forehead. One hand suddenly grabbed Uchiha Ci's wrist, the one holding his collar.
He wanted to break free, but with his strength, how could he be a match for Uchiha Ci, who was already a Genin?
In the end, he could only redden and shout at Uchiha Ci:
"Enough! Uchiha Ci, enough!"
"Get out of here! I don't need your pity! I don't want to listen to your preaching!"
"I've heard enough of that kind of talk over the past ten years here in the Land of Hot Water!"
"How could you possibly understand my situation? My pain?!"
"Should I say, 'As expected of a ninja from a great village'?"
"Aren't you disgusted by that condescending face you're making right now?!"
Yet, facing such a hysterical Hidan, Uchiha Ci smiled.
"Oh yeah?"
He harshly lifted Hidan by the collar and slammed him back to the ground, his expression gradually turning ferocious.
Then, like a final dungeon boss villain humiliating the level 1 brave carrying the starter village sword, dismissing his so-called dream as worthless!
A fierce light flashed in Uchiha Ci's eyes as he scolded harshly:
"Listen up, you brat—"
"I'm not preaching to you; I'm proving to you—"
"That my Nindō is superior to yours!"
Uchiha Ci let go of Hidan, stood up, and looked up at the full moon in the endless night sky, his eyes growing profound.
He was silent for a moment, then looked down and said indifferently:
"Hidan."
"The Land of Hot Water, you see, is just a small corner of the entire ninja world!"
"Your goal is just a single stop on my Nindō. It's something I will accomplish sooner or later!"
"And my Nindō—"
Uchiha Ci's pair of scarlet Sharingan suddenly opened wide.
His tone abruptly changed.
Becoming cold and emotionless, he stated calmly:
"—Is to overthrow the existing Five Great Nations, unify the entire ninja world, and end the endless wars that have continued since the Warring States Period!"
"To bring eternal peace to this world!"
"This is what I must do. Even if I face life and death, I will not hesitate!"
"I want to use my eyes to light up the entire world!"
As his words fell, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Hidan's eyes were wide with shock. The girl with long brown-red hair, and Shennong, who sat silently in the corner as if he didn't exist at all—
Their gazes all fell upon Uchiha Ci.
Their eyes flickered, as if deep in their hearts, they were stirred by Ci's words.
Hidan couldn't help but swallow hard, looking at Uchiha Ci in astonishment.
"Ci, you..."
Before Hidan could speak, the girl with long brown-red hair stood up from the tree stump. She looked at Uchiha Ci calmly, as if looking at an arrogant madman.
Then, she asked coldly:
"What will you use to accomplish your Nindō? How dare you promise such a thing? What confidence do you have to achieve something no one has ever accomplished?"
"Before you stand the Five Great Nations and the entire ninja world!"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, hailed as the strongest Hokage; the Third Raikage, A, who possesses the strongest spear and shield; ninja who have surpassed the limits of Kekkei Genkai, reaching the realm of 'No Kekkei Genkai Elimination'; the Sannin; Demigods; Tailed Beasts and their Jinchūriki..."
"So many famous ninja and legendary beings wouldn't dare to speak such grand words!"
"You—why?!"
The girl's words were loud and harsh, like a sharp knife thrust at Uchiha Ci's throat, leaving him no room to retreat.
And Uchiha Ci had no intention of evading this question at all.
As a chosen one born of heaven.
His mission had been determined from the very beginning. So now, he could speak without the slightest hesitation or doubt:
"What matters is never saying it, but doing it! It's about not running away!"
"No one stands at the summit from the beginning. No matter how difficult, it's done step by step."
Then, he looked at the shocked Hidan and said calmly:
"Hidan, I'm no different from you."
"Compared to the entire ninja world, all I have is this insignificant life!"
"But I just need to ensure my feet are on the path."
"As long as I stand at the forefront of this road, my back will naturally attract countless people to look towards me!"
"Even if I fall, eventually, thousands upon thousands of 'me' will rise up behind me!"
Uchiha Ci's words were resolute, his eyes firm, and spoken without any hesitation:
"In the end, this dream will definitely be realized!"
"And I have already taken the first step towards achieving my ideal!"
"Now, it's just the second step—"
"Start from the Land of Hot Water!"
"Start from here!"
"I will end the chaos in this land!"
"Bring peace to this country!"
[You have accepted a new mission—end the Chaos in the Land of Hot Water with your own hands.]