Becomes a Rebel Ninja After Annihilating the Hyuga Clan

Chapter 87

Mei Terumi slowly raised her head, surrounded by endless white tendrils, each appearing to possess some kind of sentience. They collided, swayed, and seemed to be gloating over their defeated prey.

Above, a masked figure sat calmly atop a bizarre tree covered with countless eyes. The azure eye beneath the mask was as deep and cold as an ancient well, indifferent and profound.

The setting sun pierced through a dissipating cloud, casting a fiery red light through a circular hole in the sky. This light illuminated Hashirama behind him, making him appear like a cold, aloof deity looking down on the world.

“Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!”

Mei Terumi expelled a greenish acidic mist from her mouth, instantly dissolving the surrounding white tendrils into black sludge.

After completing this, her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

She urgently addressed the remaining ten or so Kirigakure ninjas:

“The path is clear. You all must go now. I’ll cover the rear.”

“But…”

“Let’s go together, Lady Mei!” Chojuro cried tearfully. He had been tightly bound by a tendril from the start and was saved by Mei Terumi at great risk to herself.

Mei Terumi shook her head lightly, having already sensed Hashirama’s intentions.

Everyone could leave, but she couldn’t.

Wiping the blood from her face, she spoke with a tired voice:

“That Hashirama doesn’t care if you live or die. So, if you leave now, you might live. If you stay, you will die.”

“His target has always been me. If I leave, none of you will survive.”

“Now, go!!!”

After Mei Terumi's words, the Kirigakure ninjas exchanged silent glances. One of them knocked out the crying Chojuro, who was ready to sacrifice himself to create a path for Mei. Before the white tendrils could grow back, they quickly fled towards the exit.

They were decisive, knowing their continued presence was futile. This was the Kirigakure ninja’s way—prioritizing the mission. Accompanying Mei Terumi in death held no practical value. The enemy was too formidable, and after so many battles, they were heavily depleted. Running now wasn’t to save their own lives but to deliver critical information.

Konoha’s forces.

Hyuga Neiki.

Senju Hashirama.

Possible Kirigakure spies.

The Kengakure in the Land of Waves.

These pieces of information needed to be carried by these Kirigakure ninjas. They had to survive.

Soon, the remaining soldiers, under the cover of their leader, successfully escaped the confines of the bizarre white forest.

Watching them disappear, Mei Terumi's gaze softened. She turned back to face Hashirama, her expression calm and resolute.

“Why do you look relieved?” Hashirama tilted his head, one hand supporting his chin. “Do you really think they can escape?”

“What do you mean?” Mei Terumi frowned.

“Nothing much. Just like the reason you encountered me today, if they dare to harm any islanders out of frustration during their escape, I won’t let them leave the Land of Waves alive.”

Hashirama’s gentle voice carried a chilling undertone. Though Mei Terumi believed her subordinates wouldn’t commit such atrocities, she couldn’t help but frown.

Was he being hypocritical, or did he truly care about the safety of the people of the Land of Waves?

Regardless…

“We didn’t kill innocents!” Mei Terumi stressed each word, refusing to bear moral blame that wasn’t hers.

A chuckle came from behind the mask. Hashirama extended a hand, pointing lightly in a direction. “There’s a mountain village over there. Over four hundred people died a few hours ago. The leader… was this one.”

A shriveled corpse was lifted by a white tendril. It was the Kirigakure Jonin, Kisame. Seeing the familiar face, Mei Terumi shook her head, either in disbelief or shock.

“In addition, over eight hundred innocent islanders were caught in your war with Konoha, displacing more than five thousand. Considering such grievous losses, is killing a few of you too much?” Hashirama retorted.

“And what about Konoha? They chose this battlefield, leading to the deaths of so many in the Land of Waves. They are the true culprits. Have you confronted them?” Mei Terumi questioned, not disputing the number of casualties caused by Kirigakure ninjas.

“There are many reasons, but I’ll give you one: because I am Senju Hashirama, the founder of Konoha.”

“Konoha’s current brutal and domineering state is my responsibility.”

“I will make amends for my mistakes soon.”

The massive Byakugan God Tree slowly receded, returning to a small sapling. This indicated that its Byakugan essence was depleted. Further consumption would require the lives of fifty thousand people from the Land of Waves.

Hashirama descended to the ground, touching the tiny eyes on the sapling.

In this battle, Hashirama hadn’t exerted much effort. Aside from dealing with a few Kirigakure ninjas who could harm the God Tree, he mainly expended a large amount of chakra and Byakugan essence to temporarily evolve the sapling to its mature stage. The resulting attack methods were so numerous that even Hashirama was amazed at the God Tree’s terrifying power in its mature form.

And this was just the mature stage. There were still the flowering and fruiting stages. What kind of power would the God Tree possess then?

It truly was a technique of immense potential, worthy of the vast amount of Byakugan essence and the full power of the Izanagi Space used to obtain it.

The sapling retracted into the ground with a “swish,” returning to Kengakure at the mountain’s peak. As a sapling, the Byakugan God Tree could still move freely. However, it would lose this ability upon reaching maturity, at which point it could only extend its influence through its root system.

Mei Terumi didn’t notice the sapling’s sudden disappearance. Even if she had, she would have assumed Hashirama had canceled the summoning, limited by her knowledge.

She was contemplating Hashirama’s earlier words, examining his figure and recalling his actions and speech. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized the truth:

“…You’re really the God of Shinobi… Senju Hashirama?”

“What do you think?” Hashirama asked blandly.

Mei Terumi’s thoughts were a mess. She leaned towards believing he was lying, but the Wood Release techniques he displayed were dizzying. Who else but Senju Hashirama could control such a terrifying white tree with so many eyes?

She stared at Hashirama’s mask, wondering what he looked like beneath it. If he was truly Senju Hashirama, how old would he be?

How did he survive until now?

Why was he in the Land of Waves instead of Konoha?

She had many thoughts, but ultimately, she sighed and asked the most pertinent question:

“…Why have you targeted me, Lord Hashirama?”

Hashirama was about to answer when he sensed something and looked in a certain direction.

Mei Terumi, puzzled, followed his gaze.

Rustling noises grew louder, like the buzzing of many bees.

Finally, numerous figures emerged from the forest. Mei Terumi’s eyes widened as she realized they were villagers of the Land of Waves, carrying pots and pans, supporting each other.

Leading them was an elderly man with a white headscarf, leaning on a cane.

Perhaps familiar with Hashirama’s ways, they didn’t approach. They muttered among themselves on the battlefield littered with corpses, then a furious young man raised his sword and began hacking at a body on the ground.

Only after chopping the body into several pieces did he stop.

Witnessing this, Mei Terumi’s face changed.

“What are they doing?!”

Insulting the bodies of Kirigakure ninjas?

Even if they lost, did they deserve such humiliation?

Hashirama said nothing, merely watching.

Soon, under the elderly man’s direction, the villagers knelt in a wave, crying and shouting.

“Thank you, Lord Hashirama, for delivering justice!”

“Thank you, Lord Hashirama, for avenging us!”

“Thank you, Lord Hashirama!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

Mei Terumi looked at the ever-calm Hashirama, then at the kneeling villagers.

Finally, she understood.

Her expression became incredibly complex.

Undoubtedly, the news that their war with Konoha had caused severe losses to the Land of Waves was true.

These people were sincerely worshiping Hashirama and genuinely despised the Kirigakure ninjas who brought them disaster.

“They’re thanking you, aren’t they?” Mei Terumi’s voice was low.

“No, they’re requesting me,” Hashirama replied coolly. Ignoring the kneeling villagers, he led Mei Terumi towards the Kengakure’s base on the mountain.

“Requesting you?” Mei Terumi didn’t catch the implied meaning in the villagers’ simple words.

“Gratitude is a form of request. They hope that by showing gratitude, I’ll stay in the Land of Waves to protect them from future invasions like Kirigakure’s.” Hashirama explained.

Mei Terumi’s face twitched. She hadn’t thought villagers

’ gratitude could be interpreted this way. Though angry at their disrespect for the Kirigakure ninja corpses, she understood their simple feelings.

They knew clearly who treated them well and who didn’t.

Such simple people would be heartbroken to hear Hashirama’s interpretation of their gratitude.

Moreover, it seemed…

“You don’t care much about those villagers,” Mei Terumi asked, puzzled.

Despite his harsh view of their gratitude, Hashirama still stood against Kirigakure for their sake. Wasn’t this contradictory?

Hashirama glanced at Mei Terumi, seeing through her thoughts. He shook his head, saying, “Protecting them has nothing to do with them.”

“My goal is to correct the world’s mistakes, to give everyone the power to protect themselves.”

“It’s just that my first step fell in the Land of Waves, on these people.”

“You might find me harsh, but that’s my view.”

“—The best way to achieve peace isn’t to rely on a savior, but to find a way for people to become their own saviors.”

“I can’t stay in the Land of Waves forever. The seeds of peace must spread to every corner of the world. Until the last fruit of peace matures, they must strive to become heroes who can prevent disaster.”

Mei Terumi frowned. Having only just encountered him, she didn’t have enough information to fully understand Hashirama’s words.

Correcting the world’s mistakes?

Achieving world peace?

These grand ideals lacked practical actions to support them. So Mei Terumi could only inwardly mock Hashirama’s “lofty ambitions.”

“So, Lord Hashirama, what do you want from me?” Though unbound, Mei Terumi had experienced Hashirama’s power firsthand. She was a de facto prisoner.

“Have you taken a liking to my beauty?” She coyly lifted her skirt, revealing smooth legs.

Hashirama didn’t even glance at her, speaking blandly as he walked:

“The Mist Village’s bloody mist policies need correction. I don’t want excessive slaughter in the process, so I need someone suitable to contact various factions in Kirigakure.”

Hashirama’s indifference didn’t shake Mei Terumi’s confidence in her looks. After all, he was from decades ago; not accepting modern openness was understandable.

However, his words surprised her. Though he had sent Zabuza and Haku to propose cooperation, she hadn’t taken them seriously. It wasn’t until her entire team was nearly wiped out by Hashirama that she understood Haku’s warning:

“Let Lord Hashirama talk to them.”

Before “talking,” who could have guessed the heavy price of “talking” to Hashirama?

Mei Terumi rubbed her forehead:

“If you need my cooperation, just say so. Why…”

Hashirama’s gaze silenced her. She remembered they had initially approached Kengakure to “crush” the newly formed ninja village.

A silent sigh fell.