Chapter 25 The Strong

"A truly...strong man?"

"Well, because a truly strong person would not bother swinging a sword at the weak." Ling's expression remained gentle. "Isn't there a saying? [The strong swing their swords at the stronger, and the weak swing their swords at the weaker]... I think it's great that Madara has compassion for the weak."

Before Madara could say anything, Uchiha Kenji spoke up, "You can fool around, but sooner or later you will fool your brother into submission."

"What do you mean by bluffing... I'm serious."

Uchiha Kenji pouted, "Then why Masaki? No, maybe it was Eiji? Never mind, I can't remember his face... Anyway, the last time that guy held back on a woman, you broke his nose with one punch."

"You're talking about Yashu," Ling snorted, frowning, "that idiot who was led astray by a few words from the target of the mission..."

Madara: ...I am also a mission target, right?

As if knowing what Ban was thinking, Ling turned his head and said, "Yashu's situation is different from yours. That time we accepted a guard mission, and Yashu sympathized with the spy who came to gather intelligence and had already shown hostility and force. Sympathy would have been fine, but he also wanted to help him escape... I was very merciful by only breaking his nose."

"That's true..." Uchiha Kenji sighed, looking at the open space near the stream in front of him, and his pace slowed down. "I remember Ling said something very handsome and scary at that time. Let me think -

[Just because I don't want to attack my tribe members doesn't mean I can't. Save your boring pity for others until after the mission. If anyone makes such a low-level mistake again, I will break his hands and feet and drag him all the way back to the tribe.]

You don't know, Madara, Ling was walking back with a bloody man in one hand, his expression was horrible, and coupled with those inhuman words... We thought he had killed Masaaki because he was angry. "

Madara was stunned, "Brother...did you say such a thing?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I said." Ling let Yata land on his shoulder, took out some beans for feeding birds from his arms, and after Yata finished eating, he lifted the spiritualism. "After all, for me, I only protect what I want to protect. I have already used up all my energy to protect what I should protect...

So when the other party's existence threatens my bottom line, I will act without hesitation, no matter who the other party is or what difficulties they have... even if I know that sometimes my actions are not morally justified. "

Madara withdrew his gaze from the white smoke exploding from Ling's shoulder, "Is it morally untenable...?"

"To put it simply, when I put myself in their shoes and evaluate the situation, I think they are right." Ling's smile was still gentle, "Let's use this mission to judge.

Madara should have realized that those [bandits] were simply villagers who had to find other ways out because the tax laws were too harsh. They did this based on loopholes in the law only because they couldn't survive. If it were me, I might even do something worse than them.

But even if I feel sorry for them, I will not hold back, because a good father here may be a parasite in the eyes of the lord, a villain in the eyes of the passing merchants, and a task target that is easy to solve and can earn a lot of commissions in our eyes, and a [hero] who dares to fight in the eyes of most villagers..."

Madara was stunned, looking even more confused, "If he is a hero in the eyes of most people, then aren't we doing something wrong?"

"Has Ban ever thought about what would happen if the villagers in the world imitated this place?"

Madara was not a dull person, and he quickly realized the result of people following suit, "... would be war."

"Yes, it is a war, and it is a resistance war that is destined to be large-scale." Ling's smile faded a little. "Although we are ninjas who exist because of war and conflict, we should be grateful for having something to do because of the war, but before someone can set their sights on the future beyond this era, this resistance war will only meaninglessly consume the country's foundation and our manpower...

Madara, this world is not a piece of paper with fixed information. No matter how you look at it, there is only one answer. The complexity of human nature means that everything in this world cannot be the best of both worlds... If one party gains benefits, the interests of the other party are doomed to be damaged. All we can choose is to protect the things related to ourselves and make changes in line with the development of the times. "

At this point, Ling reached out and ruffled Madara's hair. "Brother doesn't have the ambition to achieve world peace, nor does he have the strength to match that ambition, but if Madara wants to do it, brother will support you."

"Alright, alright, don't take this opportunity to teach your brother a lesson." Uchiha Kenji, who had just finished a quick reconnaissance of the surroundings, also came back. "I saw that the water quality of the stream is good. Go clean up the blood on your body first."

Ling turned his head and smiled, "Okay, I'll thank you for your hard work in building the camp."

Uchiha Kenji was not in a hurry to build a camp. Instead, he looked at Madara who was standing aside with his fists clenched and his lips pursed. "Why, are you still upset?"

"...Yes, a little bit." Madara lowered his head and looked at his hands. "Although my brother said so, I still don't know whether what I did was right or wrong, and some things are still a little..."

"Hmm - this is a common problem for newbies. I'll pass on some of my experience to you." Uchiha Kenji stroked his chin, "[If you show mercy to your enemies, your family will die.] Just remember this and act accordingly."

Madara looked up at Uchiha Kenji speechlessly, "...I understand this even if you don't say it."

"Then what's there to worry about?"

Madara looked away, looking a little awkward, "I just didn't expect that my brother..."

Uchiha Kenji immediately showed a look of understanding, "Ah, you didn't expect Ling to do something like attacking his clan members?"

Madara's body stiffened, and he nodded slightly, "I remember that my brother has always been a very gentle person, and if I remember correctly, the code of conduct says that you are not allowed to attack the tribe members..."

"Yes - indeed, but Ling never follows those rules rigidly... I knew it when he found out that we would feel uncomfortable with some tasks, so he broke the rules and took us to places like red-light districts, casinos, hot springs, and pubs to relax after the mission, and he kept it a secret from the clan."

Madara looked a little dazed. "But I heard from Brother Akihiko and the others that my brother is very tolerant of the tribe members, and he will not be too harsh on them even if they make mistakes during the mission..."

"That tolerance refers to Ling's tolerance for tribesmen who are unable to fully exert their strength due to their own lack of strength or psychological problems. He will try his best to find ways to help them overcome their shortcomings and maximize their value..."

Uchiha Kenji looked strange, "I say, Madara, you don't really think Ling is the kind of person who tolerates others without limits, do you? If that's the case, even if you are Ling's brother, I will laugh at you.

To be elected as the best of the same generation without any objection, it must be more than just relying on the charm of personality to convince peers. Except for a few people in our generation who really don't like fighting, we have all been suppressed by Ling in terms of force. In short, in a clan like ours that lives on fighting, strength is the best voice. Without strength, no matter how good your personality is, it is just empty talk. "

[Absolute power is the right to speak...? ]

Madara nodded thoughtfully, he understood.