“Little Renye, do you think there’s something wrong with what I did?”
On the road, Senju Hashirama suddenly asked.
When he decided to let go of the Takigakure Village higher-ups earlier, he noticed the conflicted expression on little Renye’s face, as if he didn’t approve of his actions.
Hearing this, Renye hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, and then shook his head,
“Uncle Hashirama, as long as you’re happy.”
“Is that all?” Hashirama raised his eyebrows, his wide sleeves flapping in the evening wind.
He could see the confusion in Renye’s eyes, just like Tobirama’s gaze when he let the Uchiha clan members go back then.
“If it were Tobirama, he’d probably call me soft-hearted right now, wouldn’t he?”
Renye said with considerable agreement, “I think Uncle Tobirama is right.”
Hashirama: “…”
He had thought Renye was different from Tobirama and would understand his good intentions.
Unfortunately, Hashirama was wrong; Renye, like Tobirama, couldn’t stand his act of letting enemies go.
One could only say that Renye, this child, was indeed raised by Tobirama…
“A Ninja should be decisive in killing, and absolutely not do something like Uncle Hashirama did.” Renye continued, “Life is only once; letting an enemy go is increasing your own risk of death.”
After all, not everyone knows how to repay kindness…
What if he let the enemy go, and then the opponent launched a sneak attack right after?
For Renye, such a saintly act with a high risk of backfiring could never happen to him.
The reason Hashirama could do this was simply because of his powerful strength.
No one in the Ninja World could threaten him, which allowed him to do whatever he wanted.
If an ordinary Ninja dared to do something like that, the grass on his grave would already be three meters high.
Senju Hashirama suddenly looked up and laughed loudly, his laughter startling the birds in the forest.
He reached out and placed his hand on Renye’s shoulder, saying earnestly, “Little Renye, you are still too young; you don’t understand the benefits of what I’m doing…”
Before Renye could answer, he continued, “Letting go of enemies is sowing the seeds of peace. Every time you put down your blade and choose dialogue, you are building bridges of understanding for people with different stances.”
“As long as people understand and tolerate each other, the Ninja World can usher in true peace…”
Renye’s mouth twitched, feeling a bit helpless: “Uncle Hashirama, you’re starting again.”
These past few days, Hashirama had been constantly instilling his philosophy of peace in him.
He was tired of listening to such meaningless nonsense.
But Hashirama could babble on for half a day every time, and he could only silently endure it.
Renye subconsciously quickened his pace, and Hashirama quickly followed, continuing to elaborate on his understanding of peace.
After an unknown amount of time, Hashirama finally stopped talking, nodding with satisfaction, seemingly very pleased with his speech, his face full of lingering enthusiasm.
He subconsciously looked at Renye, but found that the boy wasn’t listening at all; he had cotton stuffed in his ears at some point.
Hashirama sighed helplessly, “Little Renye, I believe you will understand the meaning of my words someday…”
He had always preached his views on peace, but it seemed no one agreed with him.
Whether it was Madara, Tobirama, or Renye, it was always the same.
He thought that as long as he was sincere and tolerant enough, he could melt the ice of hatred, but reality was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing his enthusiasm.
He suddenly felt that he was so lonely, trekking alone on this path of peace.
Even those close to him didn’t agree; could those enemies who were let go truly understand his painstaking efforts?
This sense of unacknowledged frustration made this powerful Ninja unable to help but feel a hint of powerlessness and confusion.
Renye looked at Hashirama’s slumped figure and felt a pang of pity for a moment.
He began to reflect, wondering if his actions had been too excessive?
Uncle Hashirama was clearly trying so hard to promote his understanding of peace, but he had found it annoying…
Thinking of this, Renye took off his earplugs: “Uncle Hashirama, I think your philosophy is very good.”
Hearing this, Hashirama suddenly looked up, the gloom in his eyes instantly dissipating, replaced by a radiant glow.
He excitedly clasped Renye’s shoulders, his voice trembling slightly: “You… you think so too?”
“I always thought no one in this world understood my persistence, everyone thought I was crazy, saying I was dreaming…”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he stared intently at Renye, “But you actually understood!”
Seeing Hashirama’s appearance, Renye felt a sense of unease, as if something bad was about to happen.
Sure enough, Hashirama then pulled Renye and began to describe his views on peace in the Ninja World…
Renye watched Hashirama babble on and on in front of him, his face utterly numb.
He wished he could slap himself twice; why did he have to open his mouth when it wasn’t necessary?
At this moment, he profoundly understood the “value” of “silence is golden.”
Hashirama didn’t notice Renye’s expression and continued to chat eloquently with him.
That night, Hashirama seemed to say a lot, but Renye didn’t hear a single word.
He kept asking himself in his heart, “Why did I have to speak?”
— — — — — — — —
“I didn’t encounter the mission target, so I can finally return to the Village to report.”
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron, Kakuzu’s mouth curved upwards uncontrollably.
He had originally thought that accepting this SSS-rank mission meant certain death, so he had nervously camped outside the Hot Spring Village for three days.
He hadn’t expected that the heavens would bless him, and he didn’t see Senju Hashirama!
This way, Kakuzu wouldn’t have to fight the Ninja God.
He didn’t know what the higher-ups of Takigakure Village were thinking, sending him to assassinate Senju Hashirama.
But there was no other way; executing missions was a Ninja’s duty.
Even if this mission had a high probability of costing him his life, as a member of the Village, he had no choice but to comply.
The current Kakuzu didn’t know the truth, so he hadn’t turned dark yet and still loved the Village very much.
This was the benefit of being brainwashed from a young age…
“Hehehe, I seem to be the only one who accepted a mission to assassinate the Ninja God and managed to return unscathed.” Kakuzu’s mouth curved upwards, unable to be suppressed.
Such a legendary experience would definitely be capital for bragging in the future.
Someone who could complete an SSS-rank mission and return unscathed—his strength goes without saying, right?
Anyway, he wasn’t lying.
It was true that he accepted the assassination mission, and it was also true that he returned unscathed…
Just then, two people appeared in his line of sight.
At first, Kakuzu didn’t pay attention, thinking he had just encountered two strangers.
A middle-aged man and a teenager.
But when his peripheral vision swept over the middle-aged man, the smile on his face instantly froze.
He saw the man wearing a light green robe, with shoulder-length hair falling freely, and a few strands brushing his chiseled face.
He took out the portrait and compared it carefully; wasn’t this the Ninja God?!
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Kakuzu’s forehead.
Damn it, how did he encounter Senju Hashirama in a place like this?!