"Those lowly civilians… do they even have the right to decide my life or death?"
Gatō was truly agitated. To him, the lowly civilians of the Land of Waves were no more than the slaves he once commanded.
Even if it meant death!
He would never allow the very people he oppressed to decide his fate.
Absolutely not.
"Lowly? Haha… there is no such thing as lowly in this world. Only hearts as filthy and despicable as yours," Genya said, looking at Gatō with unwavering seriousness.
"Why are you unwilling to let them decide your life or death?"
He knew that if Gatō were handed over to the civilians of the Land of Waves, the punishment awaiting him would be merciless. How he had once exploited and harmed them… they would repay him in kind.
"No… no! You can't do this!" Gatō shook his head frantically, trying to break free, to escape.
But… no matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free!
He knew that once the Land of Waves civilians had him, the cruelty he once inflicted upon them would return tenfold—perhaps even worse.
Genya ignored Gatō, turning to Uchiha Furin. "Take him down. Hand him over to the people of the Land of Waves. Tell them—Gatō's life or death is theirs to decide!"
However…
Uchiha Furin nodded and was about to signal a few clan members to drag Gatō away when Genya stopped them. "No need to fetch the civilians… they're coming themselves!"
At that moment, he looked ahead, a trace of interest on his face.
Huh?
Uchiha Furin also turned to look. Far ahead, a cautious group of civilians was slowly approaching.
Even from a distance, they stopped and observed carefully, moving with extreme caution.
There were many of them, but even as they got closer, their steps remained wary, careful.
It seemed they were deeply alert about approaching here.
Maybe it was because in the past, Gatō had cast too large a shadow over them, and they didn't dare to approach.
"Come over here, we're not bad people!" Uchiha Furin called out to the cautious figures, unable to help explaining.
These people had always lived under Gatō's shadow and didn't even dare to come close.
But they still hesitated. They were afraid that Genya and the others were tricking them, planning to attack once they got closer. For now, the distance still gave them a chance to run.
"Jōgen… is that really you?"
At that moment, Tazuna rubbed his eyes and looked at the elderly man leading the group, unable to hide his curiosity.
"Huh?" The old man froze, squinting at Tazuna, his voice hesitant. "You… you are Tazuna?"
Then his tone grew excited.
"Yes, I'm Tazuna!" Tazuna nodded earnestly.
"You've finally returned. We've all been waiting for you!" The old man stepped forward excitedly. The people behind tried to pull him back, but they couldn't stop him.
Tazuna ran forward too, and the two old men embraced!
It seemed that when they were younger, they must have shared a deep friendship.
"I'm here. I've come to build the bridge for you!" Tazuna said as they talked with excitement.
They spoke for a long time, tears streaming down their faces, as if there were countless stories they needed to share.
After some time, Tazuna finally thought of Genya and the others. He guided the old man over. "Jōgen, let me introduce you. This is Uchiha Genya, and this is Kurenai Yuhi."
Tazuna introduced each of Genya's companions to Jōgen.
Jōgen nodded seriously, his heart full of gratitude. "I knew Konoha wouldn't just leave us alone!"
"Wait… it wasn't Konoha this time. It was our Uchiha Clan helping you!" Genya reminded him.
Although the Uchiha could do good deeds without taking credit, their reputation couldn't be left to someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Huh?" Jōgen was shocked. He looked at Genya, unsure what to say. Wait… who's behind this kid? Is that Gatō, all bruised and beaten?
Impossible. How could Gatō be in such a state? And why is the villa on fire?
For a moment, more questions crowded Jōgen's mind.
"Jōgen, here's what happened," Tazuna began. He explained how Konoha had refused his request for help, how he issued the mission himself, and how the Uchiha Merchant Association had come and wiped out Gatō's men!
They quickly explained everything in simple terms. "So… this man is Gatō?" Jōgen asked, though his eyes were locked onto Gatō as if he wanted to tear him apart on the spot.
"That's right. He's Gatō." Genya nodded, then signaled Uchiha Furin to throw Gatō toward the old man. "From this moment on, Gatō is yours to deal with."
Jōgen's mind was still a little blank, as if happiness had arrived too suddenly.
This? The problem that had troubled them for so long was solved just like that, and on top of that, they were being allowed to deal with Gatō personally!
The Uchiha clan heir… he was a good man. Better than even the people of Konoha.
"Everyone, come here! Look at him!" Jōgen lifted Gatō up and called out to the others. The villagers had already been watching from not far away, and when they heard him shout, they all hurried over.
"Gatō?"
"Is that really Gatō?"
"How did he end up like this?"
Someone recognized Gatō at a glance and couldn't help but speak in shock.
"It was the Uchiha clan's heir. They dealt with Gatō and all his men." Jōgen told everyone, though his tone remained surprisingly calm. "And they handed Gatō over to us."
"Thank you, sirs! Thank you!" the people cried out, overwhelmed with emotion.
After expressing their gratitude to Genya, they immediately began discussing how they should deal with Gatō.
"So what should we do with him?"
"Of course we cut him into pieces!"
"He killed my brother. I want him to pay with his life!"
"Yes! He has to pay!"
"Make Gatō pay with his life!"
Each sentence grew firmer, their voices filled with righteous fury.
"You… you people dare to punish me?" Gatō still tried to bargain for his life. "You filthy commoners, if you lay a hand on me, I'll make sure none of you die peacefully!"
Gatō still hadn't begged for mercy. He kept threatening the people he saw as worthless peasants.
"I'm going to kill you! I'll avenge my sister!"
While Gatō was still shouting, a seven or eight‑year‑old boy with a quiver on his back pulled out an arrow and stabbed it straight into Gatō's body.
Puff. Puff. Puff.
He stabbed again and again, but none of the blows hit a vital spot.
Gatō's screams filled the air.
"Kill him!"
"Make him suffer!"
Once the boy made the first move, the others rushed forward.
In an instant, the villagers surrounded Gatō, their blows landing one after another. His screams grew weaker and weaker.
These villagers hated Gatō to the core. They didn't want him to die quickly. They wanted him to feel every ounce of pain he had inflicted on them.
Kurenai watched everything with mixed feelings.
She walked to Genya's side and whispered, "Genya… is this really okay? We could have killed him ourselves. Why give him to them?"
Genya cut her off, his voice firm. "This is the justice they deserve."
"The hatred in their hearts runs too deep. They need their enemy's blood to ease it. All we need to do is watch."
****
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