For Zhiyong in his previous life, although life was cruel, making decisions was simple.
Under normal circumstances, people are people and ghosts are ghosts. To him, the world is black and white.
Although ghosts are humans who actively accept or are forced to become ghosts, they (most of them) cannot survive without eating humans, and they are destined enemies.
In this situation similar to the competition for survival, swordsmen do not need to know the causes and consequences of a person turning into a ghost, the rights and wrongs, they only need to kill the man-eating evil spirits and prevent humans from being harmed.
Before meeting Nezuko, Giyuu's judgment was that simple.
After meeting Nezuko, he only added one more step to "determine whether it was an exception" before killing the ghost, but there was essentially no difference.
However, things are different now.
In this world, those who wantonly harm human beings are also human beings.
How to treat these people has always been a real struggle and pain for Yiyong.
After all, how many ninjas have not suffered a lot of blood debt?
He still remembered that a few years ago, Uchiha Itachi killed a pair of grandparents in Takigakure who were "suspected of inheriting some secret technique" because of Genbe's orders.
The grandson among them was only about the same age as Sasuke.
If Giyuu treats all ninjas who have committed such "evil deeds" as "ghosts", then he will first have to face his family and tribe - among the Uchiha who admire strength and are known for their extreme arrogance, such a
Are there only a few “evil people”?
Yiyong knew this, but it was impossible for him to do anything to his hard-won family.
He is also a selfish and discriminating person, always deliberately trying to avoid putting himself in such difficult situations.
The same reason extends by extension, and he cannot attack other ninjas with "dark histories" for similar reasons, otherwise it would be a naked double standard.
So, what kind of people must be dealt with like ghosts?
Although Yiyong didn't think about it clearly, he had a general standard in his mind.
Someone who tried to kill him, his family, and his friends.
People who are wantonly hurting and killing others.
If left untreated, it is likely to lead to the death of a large number of people.
For example, Yiyong killed the ninjas who ambushed him in the Yunin Village Inn and the crazy evil cultists without mercy.
But before the other Kirigakure jounin who spread mist in Yunin Village had a chance to take action, he just knocked them unconscious and handed them over to Yunin's custody.
Even so, in just a few days, dozens of lives had fallen in his hands.
Many of them are only a little older than when Tanjiro lost his family...
They do all kinds of "evil deeds" not because they are ghost-like "evil people", but because they have been taught from childhood that they must ruthlessly take the lives of others.
These people have never had the opportunity to choose their own lives, and they have never even known that there are other ways to survive.
【Is there really no other way?】
While Yiyong was thinking this, the sword showed no mercy, but the confusion and pain accumulated in his heart increased day by day as the number of humans he killed increased.
Until he saw the mountains of bones in the belly of Wan She, and saw Orochimaru's experimental base with his own eyes, and saw the eyes belonging to the tribe, which were stored in the refrigerator deep underground like grapes that could be chewed at any time...
…
Yiyong's suppressed emotions along the way can no longer be hidden in the calm water.
Because his emotion towards Orochimaru is no longer pure indignation, but mixed with a strong personal grudge that he has never felt against other enemies!
He didn't know who the specific owner of these Sharingan was.
But Giyuu knew that if Shisui hadn't arrived in time, Itachi's eyeballs might have become one of these trophies!
Suddenly, Itachi's face in his memory gradually overlapped with his sister who was killed in the previous life, opening a scar deep in Yiyong's memory.
The sister blocked the window and the ghost with her body, and her bloody hand slipped from his cheek...
[Yiyong, you must live...]
The possibility of almost losing a loved one again made Yiyong angry.
"Orochimaru, how can I find him?"
Huge killing intent rushed into Giyuu's brain, almost overwhelming his self-control, and the color of his Sharingan eyes quickly changed from gentle purple-red to violent blood-red.
Although his tone was still as cold as ever, his grip on the pharmacist's neck was getting heavier and heavier just like his breathing.
What he didn't notice was that what he was using was not the breathing of water, but the rhythm of breathing of the moon. It seemed that only in this way could the Sharingan "perfectly" play its intended role.
Kabuto Yakushi sensed Giyuu's almost substantial murderous intention, and lost his judgment due to the instant lack of oxygen.
His face turned purple and his eyes turned white. At this moment, Yakushi Kabuto, who had a smart mind, forgot about the seals, the kunai hidden on his body, and the answer to beg for mercy. His survival instinct forced him to scratch and claw at Giyuu's arm desperately.
, just hoping to get a little respite.
However, the more his arms with protruding veins struggled, the more forcefully he responded righteously, and the murderous intent in his eyes became more intense.
Soon, Yakushi Kabuto's arm gradually became weak, and it hung on Yiyong's arm like a dead vine.
The glasses on the bridge of his nose slipped off due to sticky sweat and fell to the ground. Several cracks suddenly appeared on the thick lenses.
Following the crisp sound, scenes of flashback memory fragments emerged in the mind of the pharmacist who was left with only one breath——
In the Earth Kingdom Laboratory, he and Orochimaru agreed to create a Sound Ninja Village...
Deceived by Genbe's orders, he killed Nonoyu, the orphanage director who adopted him, and frantically asked him why he didn't recognize him...
In front of the puzzled and confused eyes of all his companions, he walked towards Danzo Shimura and asked to become a ninja, hoping to alleviate the plight of the orphanage...
Together with his companions from the orphanage, while treating injured ninjas on the front line, his conversation with Orochimaru...
Because he couldn't see the clock in the orphanage clearly, pharmacist Nonoyu put his round eyes on the bridge of his nose...
"From today on, your name is Kabuto..."
【Is my life over here? 】
As his breathing weakened, scattered thoughts echoed in his mind, like a sad speech at a funeral.
[He also said that he wanted to collect intelligence and find out who I am, but now...but there is no such chance again...]
The memory fragments gradually became dim as life declined, and Yakushi Kabuto's eyes slowly closed.
【After I die, will anyone really remember me as a person?】
[It turns out, this is what death feels like...]
It was at this moment that Yakushi Kabuto seemed to have crossed a dusty threshold.
The dark memories in his mind became bright again. What he saw in front of him was both fresh and unfamiliar, but he had no impression of it at all.
A blurry face suddenly appeared, and the facial features could not be seen clearly, but one could vaguely tell that it was a woman.
Yakushi Kabuto was hugged tightly to his chest by this woman, but his nose was filled with the smell of burnt wood and earth.
His vision was constantly turbulent, and his ears were filled with the woman's violent and panicked breathing.
【Who is she? Why do I see her? Why is she running? Is she on the run?】
The next second, the woman fell to the ground.
Yakushi Kabuto flew out and happened to fall in the middle of a bush. Severe pain was felt all over his body, but it was just covered by the dense branches and leaves.
He didn't make a sound, but covered his mouth tightly because the woman was making a vague "shhh" motion towards him.
Soon, the person chasing after him appeared. Yakushi Kabuto felt that his heartbeat was about to stop, and a frightening buzzing sounded in his ears.
However, the man who was chasing him did not stop. When he passed by the woman, he stabbed his knife into her vest, staining the blade in his hand red, and then left quickly, as if he had just stepped on an ant while running, without even saying a single unnecessary word.
explain.
The young Yakushi Kabuto was completely frightened by what he saw before him, and still did not dare to make a sound. The woman also lay motionless on the ground.
It wasn't until more than ten seconds later that the seemingly dead woman suddenly raised her head, facing the direction he was hiding, and said a few words with difficulty: "Run quickly, don't look back..."
Kabuto Yakushi couldn't bear it anymore and shouted: "Mom!"
It turned out that this was his memory before he was picked up by the pharmacist Nonoyu.
"Mother……"
In the real world, the dying Yakushi Kabuto whispered these two words with tears in his eyes.
But just these two words, like a hammer striking a bell, blasted into Yiyong's brain easily.
[Yiyong, don’t become a cold-hearted person in order to cope with a cold world. Can you promise your mother? 】
Uchiha Mikoto's voice suddenly sounded, causing the scarlet in his eyes to fade quickly.
Giyuu let go of the hand that was about to kill Yakushi Kabuto, silently took two steps back, and recalled everything that had just happened in disbelief.
【What's going on? Have I lost my self-control?】
This is an unprecedented situation.
What he was asking just now was nothing more than venting his anger. He didn't even have a chance to speak to Kabuto Shishi.
"Hey, why did you let go? Did you think the teacher would break his neck?"
The ghost lamp Shuiyue behind the half-tree man poked his head out and said with a little disappointment in his tone, "The teacher just now was more handsome than usual, but it's a pity that he only lasted a few seconds."
In the aesthetics of Gui Deng Shui Yue, being handsome probably means being scary.
"Shut up."
Jiuwei stretched out his paw, slapped Gui Deng Shuiyue twice on the nose, and snorted meaningfully: "You don't understand anything."
[If this brat becomes like an ordinary Uchiha, I will be in trouble in the future.]
Although this idea sounds strange.
But Giyuu’s kindness towards people and his soft-heartedness that is different from his clansmen have always been what Kyuubi “appreciates” about him the most——
At least that means that this ridiculously strong brat will not become a nasty guy like Uchiha Madara in the future, and he will not use tailed beasts as a tool to be wantonly used, because he cares about other people's feelings - even if they are stronger than others.
He is a thousand times weaker than ant-like humans, but he still cares about them.
On the other side, the pharmacist Kabuto, who was barely alive, held his throat and retched for a while. His white hair was stuck to his forehead due to sweat. His whole figure seemed to have been caught in a heavy rain, and he looked embarrassed and crazy.
He raised his head, and the look in his eyes through the gaps in his hair was not one of rejoicing that he had narrowly escaped death, but one of deep unwillingness and anger.
"Why……"
His voice was as hoarse as tearing.
Obviously speaking out would make him miserable, but Kabuto Yakushi kept asking: "Why stop? Why don't you kill me?"
As he asked, tears flowed uncontrollably, and the previous questioning gradually turned into a hoarse roar: "I almost knew it! I almost knew it! Why? Why didn't you continue?! It was obviously almost there!
!”
Having said this, Kabuto Yakushi crawled to Giyuu's side while still kneeling, grabbed the latter's right hand, and pressed it hard on his blue throat, with indescribable madness and persistence in his eyes.
"Please! Keep going! Keep going! I still want to see, I still want to know! Who am I? Who am I? I will know soon..."
Yiyong looked at him indifferently, his dark eyes swallowing up all the surrounding light, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Kito Suigetsu rubbed his nose and said in confusion: "What happened to that guy? Has he gone crazy? Or Orochimaru did something to his brain..."
The development of things left him confused.
Then, he saw Yiyong's hand actively close to Yakushi Kabuto's skin, and a theatrical smile appeared on his face again.
But Yiyong didn't squeeze it, and instead his hand emitted a bright green light. He was repairing Yakushi Kabuto's damaged vocal cords.
The hope that had just been ignited in Yakushi Kabuto's eyes was extinguished the moment he saw the green light that represented life.
He seemed to have been drained of all his strength, and he sat on his knees, his eyes straight, as dull as the Ksitigarbha statue on the roadside, and he just murmured and asked: "Why... why..."
As the treatment progressed, his voice became clear and audible from hoarse and hoarse.
"I don't know what you just saw."
Yiyong said, "But I know that most mothers in the world want their children to live well."
He stretched out his right hand, whipped out a stream of water, rolled back the glasses under the refrigerator, and placed them on the bridge of the pharmacist's nose.
Before Yoshiyong finished speaking, when Yakushi Kabuto could barely see clearly, Yoshiyong turned sideways and pointed at the water jars containing the "tree men". Many of them were short boys and girls, and now they were no longer breathing.
,
"Their mother should have the same wish for them."
Kabuto Yakushi stopped asking nervous questions.
He stared blankly at the experimental subjects in the room, feeling differently about these "materials" for the first time. It was as if he was just one of them.
"If you would answer my questions and save me some time..."
Yiyong walked to Yakushi Kabuto's side and gently pressed his shoulder, "There will be more mothers in the world who can realize this wish."
"Mist Hidden Village."
Kabuto Yakushi tried hard to recall the face he saw in the revolving door just now, and subconsciously gave the answer Giyuu wanted.
"He plans to create some misunderstandings, incite the Taketori clan to attack Kirigakure Village, and then take the opportunity to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage..."
"He's also going to kill Gouju Shicang?"
Gui Deng Shui Yue exclaimed, "Isn't that the same as our purpose?!"
Giyuu also frowned when he heard this, wondering what Orochimaru was writing by doing this.
"Killing the Fourth Mizukage and extracting the tailed beast from him is Orochimaru's pledge to join an organization. In addition, it is also to collect the body of the Fourth Mizukage..."
"Tailed beast?" This time it was Kyuubi's turn to be surprised, "He is plotting against that turtle?"
"What is a tailed beast?" Guiteng Shuiyue asked, but unfortunately no one answered him.
Because both Kyuubi and Giyuu were thinking solemnly at the moment.
"When did he leave?" Yiyong asked.
"Three days ago. This plan is not complicated. Maybe he has succeeded."
Kabuto Yakushi took off his glasses and gently stroked the cracks on them.
He didn't have much psychological pressure to betray Orochimaru, because Orochimaru had allowed him to do so, and he didn't say anything.
"In that case..."
Yiyong lowered his eyebrows and looked at Kyuubi.
"Lama Ninth, be prepared, we have to rush there as soon as possible."
Although Kyuubi had always looked down on Three-Tails, a lazy fellow who spent all their time sleeping, they were both tailed beasts and he didn't want to see that big turtle being grabbed around by humans, so he nodded hurriedly.
"Ready to go at any time."
"Eh eh eh?"
Ghost Light Suigetsu had a grimace on his face, "Are we leaving after we have just arrived here? Teacher, rest is also very important. Besides, it will take several hours for Ranmaru to wake up. Who can show us the way?"
"No, this time we are going to Kirigakure Village alone, with Nine Lamas and me."
Yiyong made up his mind and used Breath of Fire·One Style along the way to rush over in a straight line as fast as possible at all costs.
During the Nine-Tails Rebellion nearly ten years ago, thousands of people were killed and injured in Konoha, mostly ordinary people who had no ability to protect themselves.
Now that the matter involves a tailed beast, and the operator behind it is Orochimaru, who will never take human life seriously, it is really hard to say what will happen. Every second of delay, Giyuu will feel a sense of guilt.
on oneself.
"What about us?" Kiden Suigetsu was a little frightened, "Are Ranmaru and I staying here?"
Yiyong nodded: "I have a task entrusted to you, and I need you to stay here. If you can handle it well, I will teach you sword skills when you come back."
The depression on Gui Deng Shuiyue's face was wiped away, and his eyes almost glowed: "Teacher, tell me!"
"During my absence, I need you to cooperate with him and take good care of the people imprisoned here."
Giyong pointed at the silent Yakushi Kabuto on the side, arousing the latter's idea.
"Those children with blood stain limits cannot control their own abilities. Don't let them out for the time being, but I need you to explain the truth of the matter to them and tell them that someone will take them away soon."
"with him?"
Glancing at Yakushi Kabuto, who was also surprised, Gui Deng Shuiyue looked a little embarrassed, after all, he had only been deceived once.
"Who knows what other plots he has up his sleeve."
"He is a medical ninja. Many of the people imprisoned are injured. Since I have to leave, these people can only be treated by him."
"How are you sure that I won't do anything to him while you are away?" Yakushi Kabuto asked tentatively.
"I'm not sure, so..."
Yiyong stared at him, suddenly knelt down on one knee, put his palm on the ground, and summoned a slug the size of a van, "I will find helpers to monitor you."
The moment the latter's fat body appeared, Kabuto Yakushi guessed the identity of the living creature, and an unbelievable look flashed between his eyebrows.
"I really made a right decision. I didn't expect you to call me out so soon."
The gentle and lively voice of the live beetle sounded, which did not match its bulky body.
Its tentacles trembled in the air, and suddenly turned to the row of water jars containing "Treants", "Huh? I feel Lord Hashirama's breath?"
The suspicion in Yakushi Kabuto's mind was confirmed, but his doubts were even greater.
[Why did Tsunade-hime’s psychic beast sign a contract with an Uchiha tribesman?]
"We'll talk about this later, I need your help."
After Yiyong briefly explained the situation here, the living creature immediately understood and popped out a clone the size of an arm, which stuck to the back of the pharmacist's pocket.
"If he wants to do something bad, I will drain his chakra immediately. If necessary, I will dissolve him directly with acid! During this period, leave this little humanoid slug to my protection!"
The live snake said the scariest things in the cutest tone.
"Who are you calling a little slug?" Gui Deng Shui Yue retorted loudly: "You and I are not the same thing!"
"Okay, that's it."
Giyuu turned around and went to the refrigerator filled with Sharingan. He took out boxes of relics belonging to the clan and put them into scrolls, intending to take them back to the clan and put them in the Minami River Shrine.
After taking out all the Sharingan, he noticed an extra layer at the bottom of the refrigerator, and a dark cloud suddenly appeared on his forehead.
【Is it more Sharingan? 】
The thought flashed across my mind.
Yiyong opened the drawer and discovered that there were rows of test tubes inside, which contained something like skin debris.
"What is this?" Yiyong pulled out a test tube and looked at the pharmacist.
"It's the cells of the first Hokage." Kabuto Yakushi explained briefly, "This is an important material for the wood escape experiment."
[After so many years, do cells still have activity? What an amazing vitality.]
Giyuu pinched the test tube and suddenly remembered the gardener who could stimulate the growth of plants that he saw in Senju's former residence before leaving Konoha - according to Anjuro, that gardener was a member of the First Hokage's clan.
etc.
Yiyong was stunned.
[Strong vitality means a strong body; Wood Escape... Butterflies were unable to inherit the flower breath of the style due to insufficient conditions? 】
[If the first Hokage’s cells were used to resurrect the butterfly, would she be happy? 】
[It can make up for all the shortcomings of her original body, so this should be a good choice. 】
Considering that there was still one type of Moon Breath that he had not completely mastered, Yiyong did not make an immediate decision, but put the box of test tubes into the scroll.
However, unexpectedly, the volume of the scroll has reached the upper limit.
Giyuu didn't hesitate and took out a few summer homework books to make room for Hashirama's cells.
Finally, he summoned Ghost Light and Water Moon and handed the wooden box that had been hanging on his waist to the latter.
"Suigetsu, if it's Orochimaru who comes back, use the acid from the live snake to destroy him."
Yiyong's tone was extremely solemn, and Gui Deng Shuiyue lost his usual playful smile. He nodded honestly and took the box containing the head.
Then, he said with some worry: "But teacher, that Orochimaru shouldn't be your opponent, right?"
"I have to prepare for the worst. But you don't have to worry."
Considering Kito Suigetsu's timid characteristics, Giyu added: "At the latest two days, someone stronger than me will arrive here. Even if Orochimaru comes back, he will only die. If I don't come back, you guys
Just listen to that guy. He has flaming hair and is easy to spot."
After saying that, he waved to Kyuubi: "Let's go."
Upon hearing this, Kyuubi jumped up and climbed on Giyuu's head. He left without even looking back.
Gui Deng Shuiyue stood at this end of the corridor, watching Yiyong's figure gradually disappear, and suddenly there was a sense of loss on his face.
"I'm not worried about myself...Teacher, you must be careful."
At this time, Orochimaru, who was hundreds of kilometers away, didn't know.
The biggest nightmare in his life is coming at full speed.