Chapter 325

It was early August.

In a small, obscure country.

After passing through three towns that had been completely massacred, Minato finally realized something was wrong. After a thorough investigation, he discovered clues deliberately left behind by the culprits.

The name Angra Mainyu, an ancient evil god.

Following the trail, Minato found the true culprits, radical followers of a fire-worshipping cult.

...

"Mr. Anli, someone is impersonating your name..."

Nighttime, in the forest, by the campfire.

After much consideration, Minato decided to bring this matter up, hoping the person in question would take action.

"Isn't this quite normal?" Shinji said indifferently, "Evil, greed, desire, it's all perfectly normal. They're just using my name as a convenient outlet for their desires."

"Burning, looting, and plundering..."

"Wait," Shinji interrupted, sounding calm, "In this world, who defines concepts like good, evil, order, justice, and wrongdoing? What's your basis for labeling their actions as evil?"

"Of course, it's..." Minato began but then fell silent.

"See? These concepts are all defined by humans. You use human definitions to label others as evil and yourself as righteous. The ironic part is that humans are the ones both validating and denying these labels. The only difference is that the majority sees you as righteous, while the minority sees you as evil.

But if you ignore the majority and minority, how are the actions of Konoha, which you consider just, any different from those you deem evil? What about the actions of the Five Great Nations compared to the evil you see?"

"I..." Minato was at a loss for words and eventually turned away, "I am a citizen of the Land of Fire, a shinobi of Konoha."

In other words, his loyalty lay with Konoha and the Land of Fire above all else.

"So, what right do you have to judge actions unrelated to Konoha and the Land of Fire? You've chosen to be relatively selfish, yet you can't ignore these things. You truly are a contradictory person."

Clenching his fists, Minato's eyes showed a glimmer of determination. "Mr. Anli, I admit that I'm conflicted about many things. I can't bring myself to fully condemn some actions of Konoha, nor can I turn a blind eye to scenes like this. But this has to stop! If this continues, this country... this country will be destroyed! They use their religious doctrine to justify their atrocities, blaming everything on you while they ravage this land. Doesn't that anger you at all?"

"Humans are just like that."

Shinji's indifferent response left Minato silent once again. His nonchalant acceptance of human evil left Minato feeling a deep sense of helplessness.

Then Shinji continued casually.

"And don't get it wrong; I'm not the god they worship. I was created to prove that human goodness is real, bearing the name of a hero and the essence of an evil god. My existence is to show that everything else is good by comparison.

So now, are you asking me, the root of all evil, to eliminate the good? Do you understand what kind of consequences that would have? The world's order would start to collapse, and the values you believe in would begin to reverse. Are you okay with that?"

"I..."

"However, if you want to do it, go ahead. But... when you realize that your actions are no different from theirs, don't blame anyone else."

With that, Shinji snapped his fingers, and Minato felt a binding force within him suddenly release completely!

For a moment, Minato thought about returning to Konoha but ultimately decided against it.

The priority was to deal with those exploiting the doctrine and using the name of Angra Mainyu. They had to be stopped quickly!

"Thank you, Mr. Anli."

After Minato left, Shinji looked up, glancing at a certain spot in the air.

"If you don't want the world to be destroyed just because you peeked, go kill yourself. I have no interest in killing frogs."

Just that one look sent a shiver down the thousand-year-old Great Toad Sage, who had been spying through a crystal ball after sensing Minato's chakra.

There was only one thought: This is definitely not a human!

Of course, the Great Toad Sage doubted Shinji's words. He had seen many powerful beings, even Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths.

None of them spoke with such arrogance...

"Gulp!"

At Mount Myoboku, deep in the temple.

The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, closed the crystal ball, feeling a sharp pain in his head. Countless images flashed through his mind.

All the sins and disasters, the root of calamity!

"Quick... let little Ji..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Great Toad Sage saw a true hellish scene and fell silent.

The Great Toad Sage knew that this vision was not a mere illusion caused by the man's mental shock but a real future scene!

It wasn't a dream prophecy but the consequences shown by natural energy when he was about to make a crucial decision!

The world itself was warning him not to bring doom upon it!

"Is this... a message from the world? If I don't comply, this world will soon..."

Two small frogs hopped over, arriving before the Great Toad Sage's throne.

Woken up in the middle of the night, Fukasaku asked urgently, "Great Sage, is there something important?"

"Ah, it's nothing, just... take care of Mount Myoboku from now on. My time has come..."

"What?!"

...

"Well done, thank you."

In the silent night, Shinji murmured softly.

"It seems you've gradually adapted to this substitute world. Anyway, as long as you like it."

To whom he was speaking or where the words were directed, no one knew.

The only response was a gentle breeze that happened to blow by.

...

How much sadness enveloped Mount Myoboku that night? How much blood stained Minato's hands, and how much darkness covered his heart? Only the people involved knew.

At dawn, Minato returned.

Seeing Minato's shadowed face and the blood still dripping from his kunai, Shinji smiled and stood up.

"Alright, let's move on."

...

In the following days, Minato was plagued by nightmares. Every night, he dreamt of countless people, shinobi, and ordinary citizens alike, charging at him with wide eyes.

It was as if they were possessed, showing no fear of death, pain, or injury.

For the first time, Minato fully realized the horror of religion. It twisted minds and spirits, deeply rooting the belief that everyone else was evil.

No matter what he said, they wouldn't listen.

They were fighting evil, and as embodiments of good, they would never retreat. In their eyes, Minato was evil, even in their dying moments.

In the end, Minato couldn't bear to look into their eyes. Although he believed he was good, so many people, until their last breath, steadfastly considered him evil.

This feeling was akin to how Mr. Anli was forced to be labeled as evil in his dreams. But unlike Anli, Minato was overwhelmed by their gazes.

And even though they were guilty of arson, murder, and looting, did it really affect him? Did it truly infringe upon his interests?

Was he just acting out of a sense of moral duty?

Minato dared not think further. He felt that if he continued down this path, he would truly become evil, similar to those people.

Perhaps he had already earned the name of a hypocrite long ago.

"Mr. Anli, it's been a month since Karin and the others set out. Are you sure they'll be alright? After all, they're just kids, and there's no leader."

Seeing Minato trying to conceal his emotions, Shinji laughed lightly, "Can't handle it? Can't bear being seen as evil by less than five hundred people?"

"I..." Minato faltered, his feelings complicated.

"They'll be fine. It's just a simple task. Besides, you're starting to sound like their mother. Should I turn you into a girl?"

"What? Is that possible?" Minato was shocked.

"If you wish."

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Not even a bit curious? Not even a little?"

"Uh... anyway, Mr. Anli, what about Karin and the others? Are you sure they'll be okay?"

"Don't worry. Didn't I already have them do a cat-catching mission? That's basic training."

Indeed, at the beginning of last month, Shinji announced a two-month summer vacation, which made the three kids cheer.

But the vacation assignment wasn't so simple.

A stack of documents, with eight targets of varying difficulty.

A team of three, no leader, success only.

Kimimaro as the captain, Haku as the vice-captain.

And a special requirement for Kimimaro: no using his bloodline limit, fight with what he's learned.

"That was just basic teamwork training. They need a teacher for proper guidance."

"I told you, don't worry. Don't compare them to your Konoha kids."

Suddenly, Shinji stopped, gazing at the nearby town, and whispered.

"Finally, a place with people..."