Chapter 23: What is a Villain?

A valley somewhere in the Land of Frost.

Yuto, wearing a conical hat, walked through the wind and snow.

The massacre three hours ago didn't affect his state of mind much—it was too thorough of a crush, and he had killed bandits who viewed human life as insignificant. He felt no pressure while killing them.

Yuto was not a pervert who enjoyed killing and gouging out eyes, nor was he a righteous enforcer of justice. He killed that group of bandits for one purpose only—to obtain a large amount of money!

The history of the world of shinobi is long, with well-established and self-consistent systems. Despite the presence of supernatural powers like chakra, with top-tier warriors capable of moving mountains and filling seas, everyone, including those strong individuals, still existed in the same world and society.

Living in a society naturally means forming bonds with others—relationships, kindness, morality, dreams...

In the shinobi world, money is still very important, even particularly important! Many years later, even an organization as powerful as "Akatsuki" couldn't completely detach from society and needed diligent members like Kakuzu to earn money. If the Akatsuki lacked funds, they couldn't afford those cool cloud-patterned robes.

Yuto, of course, needed money too.

Some bandits were exceptionally good at plundering wealth. If he converted all the loot from this raid, including jewelry and silver, into money, it would be equivalent to the reward for completing ten B-rank missions!

This was a large sum, enough to serve as Yuto's starting capital.

With less than half a year left until the Third Shinobi World War, he had to be prepared.

In the snow storm, Yuto ran toward his destination, his feet barely leaving shallow indentations in the snow, which soon got covered by falling snow, leaving no trace.

Along the way, although he didn't particularly observe, his Byakugan, activated at intervals for safety, still allowed him to see countless corpses buried under the snow.

Many of these were adults holding children.

If there were a heaven, one might think that dying in this posture would help children quickly find their parents... if there were a heaven.

Yuto sighed inwardly, feeling a mix of emotions. A few days ago, when Tsunade saw him off, he felt much the same.

Yuto knew very well that this probably proved he still had a conscience, understood compassion and gratitude, and was not a complete monster. In another environment, he might even be called a "good person."

However, even though Yuto still had human emotions and a baseline, he also knew what his role in this world was.

A villain! A nailed-down villain!

Whether he would be a minor villain who met an early end or the final boss who lived until the end, Yuto Hyuga was a villain.

What is a villain?

Disposition, moral level, strength, deeds... none of these are sufficient to determine whether someone is a villain.

The standard for being a villain has always been only one—whether they oppose the protagonist!

Standing opposite the protagonist makes one a villain.

Would Yuto stand against Naruto?

Since the age of three, when he was marked with the Caged Bird seal, Yuto could answer definitively.

—Yes, my future self will definitely be Naruto's enemy, with no room for compromise.

Hyuga is an enemy, so Konoha is an enemy, so Naruto is also an enemy. This is a very simple logic chain.

Actually, in the first few years, Yuto was somewhat resistant to becoming a villain.

Standing opposite the protagonist comes with immense pressure. Yuto dared to bet that if those villainous characters in literary works knew from the start that their opponent was the protagonist loved by the world, most would lose the will to fight.

Moreover, the psychological pressure on Yuto was even greater. As a transmigrator, he still had some baseline in his heart. He might be ruthless enough to do something terribly monstrous, but he wouldn't feel too comfortable doing it.

To be fair, Naruto, the protagonist of this world, is a good person from any angle.

Even if he talks a lot, he is still a good person.

Opposing a good person is actually quite an uncomfortable thing.

However, today, after killing all the bandits, as Yuto walked through the snow, looking at the countless buried corpses, his mood gradually calmed down.

He suddenly felt that even if the great good person Naruto became Hokage and the savior, this world hadn't changed... at least, it hadn't clearly become better.

Neji died, the branch family members still bore the Caged Bird seal; the world still had the five great shinobi villages, and the living conditions of the small countries had never been guaranteed; the nine tailed beasts still scattered across the land, and it was hard to say they had gained freedom.

In the years when the Six Paths level Naruto Uzumaki was invincible, maintaining the old world's order with the equally invincible Sasuke Uchiha, there was peace among the five great nations, shinobi put down their grudges, and civilians lived in peace... under Naruto's golden chakra, there were no contradictions, nor dared there be any.

Had the world changed? Yes.

Had the world not changed? It had never changed.

If we extend time to the entire history, in a sense, Naruto had almost done nothing.

While traveling, Yuto suddenly recalled the words of a writer he admired in his previous life:

"Almost all the evil villains in fantasy novels are charismatic and ideologically radical revolutionaries. They dare to imagine a completely different world order and can't wait to ignite the seeds of change before conditions are ripe."

"In contrast, all the great, bright, and righteous heroes are defenders of mainstream ideology. They are conservative, lack creativity, and besides fighting monsters and hugging girls at home, they have almost no other pursuits."

Running, Yuto put down the burden in his heart.

A villain is a villain. Opposing the Child of Prophecy even sounds kind of cool...

The young man suddenly chuckled.

With his thoughts swirling, Yuto unknowingly arrived at his destination—a deserted temple.

He was already familiar with such places. Using a Transformation Jutsu, he changed his appearance to that of an adult, donned his conical hat again, put on a wide robe, and walked in slowly.

Skillfully, he stopped at the third stone pillar from the right at the entrance, made a few hand signs, and pressed his chakra-laden hand onto it.

A secret passage appeared. Yuto walked down the stone-carved steps, and in the light of oil lamps embedded in the rock walls, he entered a spacious underground stone chamber.

"Welcome to the Land of Frost branch of the Bounty Station, sir," a woman wearing a mouse-faced mask said softly inside the chamber.

"Please state your name."

Yuto's lips curled slightly under the hat as he spoke the nostalgic alias he had chosen for convenience in the dark world

"Aizen Sōsuke."

TN: The raw name was Shinichi Kudo from Detective Conan. I'm changing it to Aizen Sōsuke because it seems more appropriate to me.

(End of Chapter)