When reasoning about honor and national duty failed, Tsunade decided to shake the Serpent-Cursed Soldiers to their core with hard, undeniable facts...
"Look here, uncle." Tsunade handed the data sheet to a middle-aged soldier.
"These human experiments are completely inhumane. With such a high mortality rate, this isn't research — it's mass murder!"
"..."
After a long silence, the man scratched his head and grinned awkwardly. "Uh... I can't read..."
Most of these people had been fishermen or farmers before; very few of them were literate. Tsunade nearly choked in frustration...
Gritting her teeth, she turned to a strong, young soldier instead. "Do you realize? In these experiments, only one person out of five survives!"
She let out a long breath after speaking. One in five. Surely this man understands how serious that is now!
But...
"What's that got to do with me?" The young man sneered dismissively. "I'm standing here alive and well, ain't I?"
"..."
Tsunade was stunned. She realized now that these men didn't care how low the survival rate was at all. The only thing that mattered to them was that they had survived.
As the saying goes: any disaster that hasn't happened to you is just gossip. These men secretly looked down on the four who had died as being unworthy.
They no longer saw themselves as ordinary civilians; they proudly called themselves The New Shinobi...
From that point on, no matter what Tsunade did or said, the soldiers remained extremely respectful, obeying her almost absolutely.
It seemed that if she had given the order, they would have even killed themselves without hesitation.
Yet, Tsunade could never bring herself to order them to die. They were nothing more than poor, deluded victims. She sighed, shook her head, and walked away.
Since she couldn't change the minds of those who had already tasted the "rewards" of this system, she decided to try her luck at the shrine — to cut off the source of these evil experiments.
The moment she appeared before the shrine, the crowd of commoners waiting to receive the "Divine Grace" dropped to their knees in unison.
Heads bowed low in reverent silence... an eerie, unsettling sight.
Tsunade was nearly getting used to everyone kneeling before her. She took a deep breath and shouted, "People! You likely do not know the ugly truth behind the divine power this cult claims to bestow!"
The crowd remained motionless, kneeling respectfully...
Seeing this, Tsunade's heart sank. She yelled at the top of her lungs, "There are no gods here at all! This place only exists to perform evil, cruel experiments on humans!"
Still, there was no reaction...
"Listen! In these trials, only one in five people lives!" Tsunade screamed, her eyes wide with urgency. "The other four die, and their bodies are thrown into the swamp!"
But even then, the commoners acted as if they had heard nothing, simply keeping their heads bowed in worship...
After a long pause, a leader finally stepped forward.
"I am the son of the Land of Rain's Feudal Lord." The handsome young man spoke with a look of unshakeable resolve.
"We know full well that only one among five is truly worthy of receiving divine power and surviving."
"You are the Feudal Lord's son... then why?!" Tsunade could not comprehend it. Why are these people so fanatical, knowing full well they might die?
"For mortals to seek the power of gods... that only one in five is chosen is already a great mercy bestowed upon us by the divine." The young man's eyes shone with fanatical excitement.
"Aside from the Land of Rain, is there any other nation where common people like us are given such an opportunity?!"
"Opportunity...?"
Tsunade was utterly stunned. They actually view these inhumane atrocities as an opportunity?
But it wasn't surprising that she couldn't understand. From the very beginning, she and they had been living in completely different worlds...
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