Chapter 149: Illiterate Itachi!
At the Sarutobi clan compound.
No one expected Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had just left, to return.
However.
This time, Uchiha Ikeizumi did not enter through the front gate. Instead, he used a "transparent escape" to silently enter the Sarutobi clan compound.
Without anyone noticing, he walked up to a simple two-story house, jumped onto the second-floor balcony, and went inside.
Uchiha Ikeizumi heard a faint sob.
In the dark room, he could clearly see a ten-year-old girl hugging a pillow tightly, her frail body curled up under a thin blanket.
Tears and snot had already soaked the pillow.
"Wuwuwu…"
"Mommy… I'm so scared…"
"Daddy has become so scary…"
"It hurts so much… Daddy told me not to tell you, he said if I did, he would kill you, Mommy. And if I told anyone, he would kill me."
"Wuwuwu…"
Sakura Sarutobi, her face buried deep in the pillow, trembled uncontrollably. The horrifying experience she had at home three days ago kept replaying in her mind, making her feel that indescribable pain again.
The home that should have been her safe haven had become a place that hurt her. Her heart was already shrouded in fear and darkness.
But then, a faint sound of footsteps made Sakura freeze.
The footsteps were heavy. They didn't sound like her mom's.
Could it be…?
Her eyes grew wide with terror. Her body, which was already trembling, now shook even more violently. She tried to curl up into a ball, hoping to protect herself in this humble way.
Wait.
This sound of footsteps is so unfamiliar…
It doesn't sound like Daddy either.
Sakura's fear grew more intense. The anxiety made her constantly pray that her mother would hear the commotion in her room. But… her mom had come in more than an hour ago and told her not to leave the room tonight.
So… was her mom at home? And was she the only one in the house right now?
Trembling with extreme fear, she suddenly threw off the blanket.
She grabbed the thin blanket and threw it forward with a scream.
Then she scrambled off the bed, yelling "Mommy" as she tried to run out of the room.
But before she could even take two steps, a sharp pain made her fall to her knees, and tears streamed down her face.
"Lord Ikeizumi, she seems to be hurt…" Torajirō was about to say more but suddenly remembered something and fell silent.
And Torajirō's odd voice made Sakura instinctively look in the direction it came from.
The moonlight coming from the balcony allowed her to see a very fat cat.
And she also saw a pair of crimson eyes.
In an instant, the genjutsu from the Mangekyō Sharingan was implanted in her. A beautiful dream, specially woven for her, washed away the deepest fears and anxieties in Sakura's heart, and forced her to forget the painful memories she shouldn't have.
"Only a child of her age can have their deepest dark memories influenced by the Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu. If she were a little older, those dark and painful memories would stay with her for the rest of her life, never to be erased."
Uchiha Ikeizumi slowly let out a breath. He stared at Sakura, who had collapsed to the ground, as if she were sleeping.
"Lord Ikeizumi, she probably didn't dare to tell her mother about her injuries. I can smell the rot… But how could she have known that the only person she could rely on was a disgusting murderer? The nature of humans is incomprehensible to cats."
Torajirō said with a somewhat low tone.
"Do you remember where Tsunade lives?" Uchiha Ikeizumi asked Torajirō.
"Yes, I do," Torajirō said, brightening up.
"Take her to see Tsunade." Uchiha Ikeizumi walked over, picked up the thin blanket to wrap Sakura, and gently picked her up, making sure not to wake her.
As he reached the second-floor balcony, Uchiha Ikeizumi suddenly stopped and seemed to speak to the air. "I'm only taking her to Tsunade for treatment. Once she's healed, she will come back. As for how to explain to her what happened to her parents, I think that is your responsibility, as Konoha's Third Hokage."
Torajirō, who was following behind, was stunned. He sniffed the air and suddenly smelled a familiar scent.
"The Third Hokage?"
As Torajirō was about to be surprised, he saw Lord Ikeizumi leap from the second-floor balcony.
He quickly followed.
…
"…Sigh."
Outside Sakura Sarutobi's bedroom on the second floor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been standing at the door and had not entered, sighed. The complex expression in his eyes was beyond words.
He no longer felt any anger or dissatisfaction toward Uchiha Ikeizumi's actions tonight.
Could a good person do what Ikeizumi has done?
When this question popped into Hiruzen's mind.
He got the answer in the next second.
—No!
If there were so many good people in the ninja world, there wouldn't be so many evildoers, and it wouldn't be so twisted and sick.
Another question flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
Am I…
Truly a worthy Hokage?
…
"Lady Tsunade, why are you drinking again after you just got back from gambling?"
Meanwhile, in a room at a Konoha hotel, Shizune said helplessly, "It's almost dawn, Lady Tsunade. Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I'm feeling down. I'm drinking to clear my head," Tsunade said in a rather unladylike posture, grabbing a cup of sake and downing it in one gulp.
Shizune: "…"
When has drinking ever cleared a person's head? Doesn't it just make you more confused?
After drinking another cup, Tsunade suddenly said, "Shizune, what do you think? If a person has enough power to do something. But those things have nothing to do with him, and even if he doesn't do them, no one will condemn him morally."
"And if he doesn't do it, he gets to live in peace. In this situation… does he still need to do those things that he doesn't need to do?"
Shizune was startled. She thought seriously for a moment and replied, "Lady Tsunade, some things, you have to try them yourself to know if you should do them or if they have any meaning."
She scratched her head and said awkwardly, "I can't really explain it. And, you're my teacher, Lady Tsunade, but you're asking me this question. I don't know how to answer."
Knock—
Suddenly, a knock on the door made Shizune immediately alert. She was about to get into a fighting stance but then remembered that this was Konoha Village and there shouldn't be any enemies.
But why would someone come to see Lady Tsunade in the middle of the night?
Could it be Lord Jiraiya, who's always pestering Lady Tsunade?
With a hint of confusion, Shizune slid open the door.
"Huh?!" When an unexpected person appeared, Shizune's eyes widened. "Uchiha Ikeizumi?"
"Hmm? Uchiha Ikeizumi?"
Tsunade, who was in the room, lifted her drooping eyelids, a flash of surprise in her eyes. "Hey, hey, justice brat, why are you here? Wait, the little girl in your arms…"
Tsunade seemed to remember something, and she adjusted her unladylike, slightly revealing posture.
She frowned. "Could she be?"
"The daughter of Kazunori and Yaotsuki Sarutobi," Uchiha Ikeizumi said. "The injuries her father inflicted on her, she never told her mother. The wounds have become very infected."
"…Phew!" Tsunade let out a breath of sake. Her expression turned serious. "Put her down. I will heal her. When she wakes up, I'll see if I can counsel her. If not, I can try to take her as my apprentice and have her stay with me. Over time, I can see if I can help her overcome her psychological trauma and lead a healthy life."
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "I have given her a beautiful dream. When she wakes up, she won't remember those memories."
Tsunade was stunned. "Just like those kids in the Tōki-gai?"
"Yes." Uchiha Ikeizumi gently put Sakura down.
Tsunade was silent for a moment. "If all the Uchiha's Sharingan genjutsu were used like yours, the Uchiha clan's reputation would have been completely different in Konoha."
Shizune, who was beside her, finally understood what was going on.
She quickly said, "Lady Tsunade, why don't you let me handle it? Your fear of blood might…"
"No need."
Tsunade's eyes clouded over. She pulled back the thin blanket wrapped around Sakura, breathing in the scent of the severely infected wounds.
Holding back her emotions, she gently and with trembling hands, pulled down the sleeping Sakura's pajama pants as Uchiha Ikeizumi closed his eyes and turned away.
"The wound… has already stuck to the fabric of her pants."
Tsunade's hands were shaking.
And her voice was trembling.
"Shizune…" Tsunade bit her lower lip tightly and said in a low, trembling voice, "Bring me my medical tool kit."
"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune noticed that Tsunade's fear of blood had returned, and her condition seemed very bad. Her hemophobia was at risk of becoming worse at any moment.
"Hurry up!"
Tsunade's voice became louder.
"Yes!"
…
"Lord Ikeizumi?" Torajirō clearly noticed that when Lord Ikeizumi slowly opened his eyes, they were filled with a solemn killing intent.
But Lord Ikeizumi's killing intent was not directed at Tsunade or Shizune, but at the hopeless evil of the ninja world.
"It's nothing."
The killing intent in Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes faded, and his expression returned to normal.
Only when there were almost no people around him would his expression show any noticeable emotion, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.
He quietly walked out the door, closed it, and left the hotel.
But then.
Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had a sudden feeling, looked to his left and saw a small figure in an ANBU uniform standing on a telephone pole twenty meters away.
A pair of crimson three-tomoe Sharingan eyes were locked on Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"Itachi Uchiha…"
Torajirō squinted his eyes. His back was slightly hunched, and his fur stood on end, as if he would lash out at any moment.
"Lord Ikeizumi, is this guy here to cause trouble?"
Torajirō said, "His eyes make this cat uncomfortable!"
"He's looking at an enemy," Uchiha Ikeizumi's gaze met Itachi's in mid-air. He said indifferently, "My actions tonight must have been a 'threat' to his beloved Konoha. But he won't cause any trouble tonight, because someone is watching him."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Itachi Uchiha, who was standing on the telephone pole and staring at Uchiha Ikeizumi, also seemed to have a sudden realization.
He turned his head in surprise to his right and saw Fugaku Uchiha standing in an alleyway.
Itachi frowned slightly.
"Father?"
Fugaku took a deep breath. He didn't hide his figure. Instead, he walked out into the open and looked up at Itachi. "Itachi, don't put the Uchiha clan in danger. The aftermath of a conflict between you and Ikeizumi would affect many innocent people in the village. If you truly love the village, would you want to see that happen?"
"If you do this, you won't save Konoha. You will only put it in a more dangerous situation. This… is not what you want to see, is it? Is it, Itachi?"
Itachi fell silent. In reality, he didn't know why he had come to find Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He just instinctively felt that the other person was a threat to Lord Hokage and Konoha.
His hostility had appeared naturally.
"I understand," Itachi mumbled.
—I can't kill Uchiha Ikeizumi inside Konoha. The commotion it would cause might be beyond my control. If I want to be his enemy, it must be outside Konoha. I should follow Asuma Sarutobi's plan, not Danzō Shimura's.
These thoughts flashed through Itachi Uchiha's mind.
What Fugaku said had one meaning, but when it reached Itachi's ears, it was filtered through his subjective mind and immediately took on a different meaning.
Itachi took a deep look at Uchiha Ikeizumi, who was not far away.
His body suddenly dispersed with a "pop."
Turning into a flock of black crows.
He disappeared in an instant.
Fugaku immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want Itachi to get into a conflict with Ikeizumi and cause an unpredictable outcome before he had reached his full "potential."
It seems… Itachi is still someone who listens. He is, after all, the child I am most proud of.
Then, Fugaku looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi, who was twenty meters away.
His eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
Fugaku's voice was not loud, but in the quiet night, Uchiha Ikeizumi could hear him clearly. "Ikeizumi, can I ask you a question? I'll go back after you answer."
Remembering the countless times Uchiha Ikeizumi had ignored him as the clan head and simply turned and walked away.
Fugaku immediately asked, "How… have you repeatedly gained the upper hand when confronting Lord Hokage and his people, and how have you always left them with no reason to harm you?"
The limited time forced him to ask the question directly.
Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced at him. "The moment you ask that question, you will never get the answer."
Fugaku was stunned. "Why?"
"You, as the Uchiha clan head, have a deep-seated lack of confidence; a sense of inferiority that radiates from your soul when you stand in front of the Third Hokage; a shamefully wavering stance; a mentality of giving up when faced with too much pressure; and an incomprehensible act of throwing a four-year-old child onto the battlefield…"
Uchiha Ikeizumi coldly pointed out one flaw after another, leaving Fugaku stunned and unable to respond.
He said silently, "You, who don't even know how to be a worthy father or a worthy Uchiha clan head, want to know the answer to your question?"
"What you should be doing is learning how to be a person and how to establish a correct moral compass. My suggestion is that you go back to the Ninja Academy and repeat your six years."
"Instead of asking me for answers."
"Oh, and…" Uchiha Ikeizumi added. "You'd better bring Itachi Uchiha with you. That neurotic illiterate needs to repeat his six years even more, especially the cultural classes."
Fugaku: "…"
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