"An order from Konoha's leadership? No, you're lying. Why would they send you to wipe out the Uchiha Clan!" Tsunade's face was filled with shock, her voice rising involuntarily, her eyes full of disbelief.
She never imagined that behind the seemingly peaceful Konoha, such a shocking secret was hidden. She muttered to herself, "Why would Konoha do this? The Uchiha Clan is one of Konoha's strongest forces!"
Even now, her heart was still in turmoil, completely unable to understand why Konoha's leaders would make such a decision.
Tsunade had known nothing about this before. To her, the Uchiha Clan's growing reputation in the ninja world was absolutely a benefit to Konoha.
Take the Uchiha Merchant Association, for example. As their influence expanded, Konoha's influence grew bit by bit. It should have been a mutually beneficial situation.
"Because Konoha had been targeting the Uchiha Clan at the time, it caused discontent among the Uchiha. That's why someone tried to stage a coup!" Uchiha Itachi said calmly.
Yet the form created by his spiritual projection trembled slightly. That memory was clearly an unhealed wound for him, something he did not wish to recall.
"And then… you chose to side with Konoha?" Tsunade asked in shock, staring at Itachi. Her expression grew heavier, her thoughts constantly shifting, mostly filled with horror.
"I heard Uchiha Fugaku and his wife were killed in that attack!"
She looked at Itachi again, her eyes full of disbelief.
If this was all true, he had obeyed Konoha's orders and personally killed his own parents.
"That's right. I killed my parents with my own hands." Itachi met Tsunade's incredulous gaze and simply nodded, his tone carrying a trace of bitterness that was hard to hide.
"Cough… this was my first mission. If I hadn't done it, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to complete the missions that followed."
His voice was low, each word seeming to carry endless pain and helplessness.
"Those were your parents!" Tsunade could hardly believe her ears, her eyes filled with shock.
She remembered how, on the battlefield, she had lost both her lover and her younger brother, and from that moment on, she had fallen into a deep despair, sinking endlessly into hopelessness.
But Itachi… he had actually taken action against his own parents with his own hands, and endured pain that no ordinary person could even imagine. She felt a trace of sympathy in her eyes as she looked at him.
"For the sake of Konoha. For the civilians of Konoha, I had no choice but to do this!" Itachi's gaze was firm as he looked at
Tsunade, as if explaining himself to her, and also as if finding a reason to keep going:
"If the Uchiha really had launched a coup, the ones who would have been hurt were Konoha and its civilians!"
Tsunade clearly saw a glimmer in Itachi's eyes as he explained why he had done it.
She understood. All these years, Itachi had survived on this belief alone. If that belief ever wavered, his heart would completely collapse.
Tsunade sighed, calming the complex emotions stirring inside her, and then asked, "Who ordered you to carry out this mission?"
"The Third Hokage was in charge, under the orders of Danzo Shimura!" Itachi coughed dryly twice, his body trembling slightly, as if even recalling that past caused him immense pain.
He paused before continuing, "That day, the ones who followed me into the Uchiha clan were Root ninjas. We were so close to completing the mission… but because of him!"
At the mention, Itachi's mind flashed to the figure standing before him, wearing a monkey mask: Uchiha Genya.
Genya had been about the same age as his younger brother back then, but his strength surpassed Itachi's.
If it weren't for Obito taking him away, and Hiruzen Sarutobi intercepting Genya, Itachi might already have been dead.
But he never understood why, later on, Genya spared him.
"The Third Hokage in charge? Orders from Danzo?" Tsunade murmured, her tone heavy. "They wanted you to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan?"
"Yes," Itachi nodded slightly, his expression sorrowful.
Tsunade fell silent, thinking over and over in her mind. If there were really people in the Uchiha clan who wanted to stage a coup, then they could have just dealt with those individuals. Why destroy the entire clan?
She shook her head lightly, then said with certainty, "The extermination of the Uchiha clan could not have been the Third Hokage's order. I know his character!"
Having followed Hiruzen Sarutobi for so long, she knew in her heart that he was not a man so cruel and ruthless.
"No… this matter, the Third Hokage was the mastermind behind it!" Itachi's voice grew cold. He had once trusted Hiruzen completely, giving everything of himself to Konoha without reservation.
But after everything that had happened, Itachi had come to understand much more.
"Forget it. I don't want to discuss these things with you," Tsunade said slowly, looking at Uchiha Itachi's serious expression. "You're telling me this just because you want me to treat your illness?"
As for deeper topics, she really didn't want to ask or hear them. These harsh truths had already drained her.
Once she returned to Konoha, she would ask Hiruzen Sarutobi about the rest.
"I can't die yet!" Itachi nodded firmly. His eyes revealed a strong will to survive, a determination tied to unfinished matters.
"In fact, when I first saw you, I observed your condition," Tsunade said, her expression growing serious. "It seems to be an illness caused by long-term high intensity battles. If that's the case, I might not be able to cure it."
She remembered her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, who had left behind a lingering illness after fighting Madara. Coupled with the wear from past battles, it had caused his early death.
Seeing Itachi's condition now, Tsunade felt a deep sense of helplessness.
"Is that so?" Itachi's eyes showed a flicker of disappointment. The light in them dimmed instantly. He lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.
Tsunade felt a pang of sympathy at his dejected expression. She continued, "Of course, I need to examine your body closely. If possible, I might be able to extend your life for a while."
"Just extend it for a while?" Itachi seemed unsatisfied with this answer, but he understood how rare this opportunity was. He nodded, accepting it.
Then the illusionary space began to collapse. The surroundings gradually blurred until everything returned to normal.
Tsunade remained standing, cold sweat covering her forehead. Her body trembled slightly, as if she hadn't fully recovered from the shocking conversation.
"Tsunade-sama, what happened just now?" Shizune hurried over, worry etched across her face. She carefully wiped the sweat from Tsunade's forehead, her voice full of concern.
Earlier, Tsunade had suddenly paused while preparing to attack. It had only lasted three seconds, but Shizune had sensed something was wrong and immediately rushed to check on her.
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