And you must return home by five in the afternoon, no going out, to avoid your true identity being discovered.

For ninjas with scarce chakra, the activity time during the day does not exceed three or four hours; they need to go back to rest.

Everyone living here wears a mask that disguises their true identity.

There are no conflicts here, nor is it affected by the wars outside.

Likewise, people here do not have the privilege of love, familial affection, or friendship.

In the daily pretense of being someone else, they've likely long forgotten their original identities.

And this is the source of the village elder's distress.

He seems to have forgotten almost everything about the past.

Names, family, lovers, villages, countries... everything outside has been forgotten.

The memories that return are only of ninja techniques, that he seemed to be a famous S-class renegade ninja in the past, and remembers being a beloved village elder of the Valley of Hypocrisy.

This is all that the village elder can recall.

Returning home, the old village chief walked to the mirror, he did not undo the Transformation Jutsu, because this is what he truly looks like now.

He doesn't need to live with a mask of disguise.

Because he is a relic of the age, no one can remember his name, and no one remembers his past.

Enemies, lovers, relatives, friends, they are all dead now.

Yet even so, he still forgot the past.

Only by abandoning the past can you survive in the Valley of Hypocrisy.

This is the rule he set for himself.

But recently there has been something that displeased him greatly, someone trying to investigate the existence of the Valley of Hypocrisy, which could destroy the peace here.

Fortunately, those people have all been captured.

Next, they only need some thought guidance to become part of the Valley of Hypocrisy.

◎

"What a fake village."

During the daytime, Ruri, who saw everything in the cave village, exhaled slowly.

Everyone here lives wearing masks.

Pretending during the day, returning home to regain true form at night.

Everyone talked about 'peace' when meeting, wearing a perpetually blissful smile.

The Valley of Hypocrisy truly lives up to its name.

This made Ruri feel utterly nauseated and deceitful.

Compared to the people here, a particular man's hypocrisy doesn't seem as repugnant.

Kakuzu nodded and said: "Indeed, there is no more hypocritical existence than these people chanting peace slogans. This is just enforced peace and happiness, not the so-called 'Pure Land.' It's no wonder this place is called the Valley of Hypocrisy."

Kakuzu also once dreamed of peace. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

But as he gained more experience and grew older, he realized this only exists in ideals.

Peace and war are inherently opposites.

Peace is the continuation of war, and war is the continuation of peace.

Just like light and shadow, everything is like this.

Moreover, the people living here are all renegade ninjas who betrayed their country and village.

A renegade ninja either fulfills their personal desires, conflicts with village ideals, or is betrayed by the village leadership, like him, and leaves in anger.

Even so, they struggle desperately in the hell of reality with numerous scars.

The renegade ninjas in the Valley of Hypocrisy seem like a denial of his life.

The peace created by those in disguise can only be a false peace.

The world is neither cruel nor gentle.

The world is just the world.

What do human-derived tragedies have to do with the world?

Kakuzu felt an urge to destroy this village established by escapists of the past.

But he held back.

If he seriously argued with the people here, it would only lower his dignity.

Moreover, he wasn't a Bounty Hunter anymore.

Even if he wiped out all the disguise-laden renegade ninjas here, he couldn't exchange it for money at the Underground Black Market.

He wouldn't engage in such unprofitable business.

"I'll leave the rescue work for the Nokizaru Group to you, and the village elder to me; he might know the whereabouts of the Blood Mist Faction."

Said Ruri.

Then, from the ground in front of her, emerged a figure made of clay.

It was the Earth General.

It had already scouted ahead here and was familiar with the environment.

"The Earth General will take you over; I'll leave it to you."

With those words, Ruri vanished from her spot.

The Earth General glanced at Kakuzu, turned, and swam towards a certain direction, signaling Kakuzu to follow quickly.

◎

The village built inside the cave is supported by giant trees in its space.

The trees cut down outside are all transported here.

The village chief's house is just a small cabin, no different from others' houses.

Most people here lived alone, only a few settled here with family.

Inside the cabin, the village chief had the lights on, sitting in front of a tabletop cluttered with scrolls.

Having forgotten everything from the past, his only entertainment is researching ninja techniques here.

Suddenly, the lights on the ceiling flickered.

The old village chief's ears perked up immediately, sensing an intruder in the house.

He lifted his wrinkled face and looked towards the dim corner of the room.

An aloof-looking woman was standing there unnoticed, her black ninja suit blending with the darkness.