Hong Malu, who had dared to carry out something like today’s rebellion, had never feared death in the first place.
Naturally, he had no fear of the blade in Gen’nosuke’s hand.
He was merely somewhat regretful.
Looking at the red-eyed people slaughtering one another, Hong Malu understood that things had reached a point from which there was no turning back.
It was time to lay everything bare before Lord Gen’nosuke.
The plan had been simple.
Take Gen’nosuke hostage and seize resources.
Force him into making such a grave mistake that he would have no way to retreat.
Then support Gen’nosuke as the leader of the red-eyed people and use the wealth he displayed to obtain even more assistance.
That had been the entire plan of the red-eyed people.
Unfortunately, the plan had failed.
The humble expression disappeared from Hong Malu’s face.
As he straightened his back, it became apparent that he was actually a refined and elegant young man.
"Heh heh. Lord Gen’nosuke, when exactly did we ever betray you?"
Hong Malu was clearly unwilling to accept the accusation.
If anything, he was even more defiant than Gen’nosuke himself.
Consumed by emotion, Gen’nosuke failed to notice the change in the young man’s demeanor.
He only wanted an explanation.
He needed an answer for the humiliation he had suffered.
That answer was something he owed the Kōga Group.
It was also something he owed Lord Kei.
Gen’nosuke considered himself an outstanding person.
He was unwilling to become the disgrace of the Kōga Group or the laughingstock of the Iga Group.
Everything was Hong Malu’s fault.
Hong Malu had betrayed his trust.
The red-eyed people were the ones at fault.
"Hong Malu, you promised me that you would return to the Land of Fire with me, that you would return to Konoha!"
"What you’ve done goes completely against the promise you made!"
The smile had remained on Hong Malu’s face ever since he straightened his back.
But now that smile looked unbearably sharp.
"Lord Gen’nosuke, I never promised you that."
Hong Malu’s smile wounded Gen’nosuke more deeply than any blade could have.
The enraged Gen’nosuke wanted to strike back.
The thin blade sliced across Hong Malu’s neck.
"Clown. Stop making excuses. Admit how despicable you are. You betrayed my trust."
Unfortunately, physical pain could not hurt someone whose heart had already turned to ash.
Even the blood flowing from his neck failed to make Hong Malu frown.
"Lord Gen’nosuke, think carefully about all the time we’ve spent together."
"You were always the one emphasizing all those things you talked about. I merely agreed to follow in your footsteps. I never promised to do all the things you wanted us to do."
Everything was simply what you assumed.
That answer did not satisfy Gen’nosuke.
"So you’re saying I was simply imagining our relationship?"
Faced with Gen’nosuke’s questioning, Hong Malu neither confirmed nor denied it.
"There’s no need to be angry, Lord Gen’nosuke. Who among us hasn’t been guilty of imagining more than what was really there?"
"Didn’t I also spend all this time imagining that the entire red-eyed clan would follow a benefactor like you, someone who cared about the poor, and that you would remain here in the Land of Rivers to lead us?"
"Perhaps then, we wouldn’t have to live in poverty anymore."
"Isn’t that exactly what we were trying to accomplish today?"
Gen’nosuke froze when he heard Hong Malu’s answer.
"So you weren’t trying to seize our wealth today."
"You were trying to drag me down with you."
Even Gen’nosuke had not expected that.
Hong Malu nodded.
"Yes, Lord Gen’nosuke. That’s exactly right."
"Temporary wealth can only help us survive for a little while."
"But if we had you, we’d have access to endless wealth. We could develop our own hidden village and build this place into something even more prosperous than the Land of Fire!"
Hong Malu gazed around at his surroundings with deep emotion.
"For that goal, we were willing to do anything."
But that answer obviously did not satisfy Gen’nosuke.
"You know that’s not what I wanted."
"You understand what I mean!"
"Hong Malu!"
"Heh."
Hong Malu’s smile became somewhat mocking.
"Lord Gen’nosuke, you are always telling me that I should understand what you mean."
"But when have you ever tried to understand what we wanted?"
"Do you even understand what I’m saying now?"
Hong Malu’s words left Gen’nosuke stunned.
Gen’nosuke began recalling every conversation he had ever had with Hong Malu.
And he realized that it was true.
Every time, he had been the one enthusiastically praising the Uchiha and talking about how wonderful life among them was.
Every time, he had hoped to lead the red-eyed people back to the Uchiha clan’s homeland.
Hong Malu, meanwhile, had done nothing more than repeatedly assure him that they would follow in his footsteps.
He had never promised anything else.
And "following in Gen’nosuke’s footsteps" could be interpreted in countless ways.
Gen’nosuke’s face twisted.
Perhaps from the very beginning, the trust and friendship had existed only in his own mind.
Perhaps all that admiration and longing had merely been an illusion Hong Malu had carefully created.
And Gen’nosuke had simply taken it for reality.
"Hong Malu, you lied to me!"
"You used me!"
His distorted expression became even more ferocious.
Yet Hong Malu continued smiling calmly, his expression as serene and spotless as ever.
"Lord Gen’nosuke, there’s no point talking about this now."
The beautiful young man had already prepared himself to die.
The enraged Gen’nosuke could no longer frighten him.
What a shame, Lord Gen’nosuke.
From the moment you personally bent down and taught us ninjutsu, we swore that we would follow in your footsteps and create a glorious future for the red-eyed clan.
After all, we had never encountered a benefactor who cared about us as much as you did.
Hong Malu’s voice was filled with regret.
"Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as we hoped."
"I never imagined that everything would end like this."
Hong Malu spoke with complete sincerity.
With death approaching, there was no reason left for him to deceive anyone.
But Gen’nosuke still refused to accept his own failure.
"You understand, Hong Malu."
"This isn’t what I want."
"I want to take the red-eyed clan back to the Uchiha."
"You should know that this is the future that would be best for all of you."
Gen’nosuke still wanted Hong Malu to realize how worthless his current actions were.
But the final moments of life were always filled with sentiment.
Hong Malu busied himself recalling every moment he had shared with Gen’nosuke.
The pride in Gen’nosuke’s voice whenever he spoke about the Uchiha.
The confidence he displayed whenever he described the Uchiha clan’s homeland.
The admiration that filled his voice whenever he spoke of his Lord Kei.
All of it truly made the Uchiha sound like a place worth longing for.
But that longing did not make Hong Malu want to join the Uchiha that Gen’nosuke described.
Instead, it made him begin to wonder:
Why couldn’t the red-eyed clan become like the Uchiha?
And so, the young generation of the red-eyed clan began working toward that goal.
Unfortunately, judging from the current situation, it seemed they had failed.
Hong Malu sighed.
"Lord Gen’nosuke, I understand what you want."
"But you never once asked what we wanted!"
"What you gave us was never what we wanted!"
Gen’nosuke could not understand.
Someone could actually refuse to join the Uchiha?
It was something he had never even considered.
He had always assumed the red-eyed people refused to relocate because they had reservations.
Because the elderly and children of the clan were holding them back.
He had never considered that the red-eyed people simply did not want to join the Uchiha.
They did not need a surname bestowed upon them by someone else.
That realization completely enraged Gen’nosuke.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
The furious Gen’nosuke swung his blade wildly.
Hong Malu’s actions had insulted Gen’nosuke’s pride as an Uchiha.
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