Itachi let out a bitter smile.
He had once slaughtered his own clan for the sake of Konoha's so-called peace.
And yet Hiruzen had personally let Orochimaru—a criminal beyond forgiveness—walk free?
Orochimaru hadn't just shattered the peace of hundreds of families, he also possessed Kage-level strength.
Once he left, what would happen when he started attacking Konoha's ninja?
What if, someday, Orochimaru returned with followers to invade a weakened Konoha?
And all because Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to kill his former student?
Was this the "peace" Hiruzen had preached?
Itachi's faith crumbled completely.
For the first time, he began to doubt everything about Konoha's supposed peace.
If Hiruzen hadn't mentioned Sasuke… he might have stayed his hand.
But the moment Hiruzen brought up his brother—
Sasuke, who had become his last remaining sanctuary in this world…
Looking at Kaede standing there cold and detached, Itachi's heart sank.
"Kaede… was I wrong all along? But for the sake of my brother…"
As their eyes met, Itachi made his choice.
"Tsukuyomi!"
He had chosen his path—and would see it through to the bitter end.
As the familiar pressure of ocular intrusion began pressing against his mind, Kaede sneered coldly.
"Itachi, you're still so hopelessly deluded."
Itachi was truly beyond saving. To bend so easily to mere threats…
Even if he didn't raise a hand against Kaede, just remaining neutral would have been enough to protect Sasuke. Would Hiruzen really dare harm the boy with Kaede standing there?
So why fall for it?
There could be only one answer—
He had never cared about the rest of the clan.
To him, the near-thousand lives of the Uchiha were worth less than Konoha's so-called peace… or even just Sasuke's comfort.
Kaede showed no mercy.
Just like he had with Danzō, he immediately began devouring Itachi's ocular powers.
In a flash, Itachi clutched his eyes in pain, collapsing to his knees.
His Susanoo shattered, regressing from its second form into mere skeletal ribs before finally fading entirely along with the downgraded Sharingan—reverting to the basic three-tomoe form.
Watching the once-formidable Itachi now broken and writhing, Kaede chuckled with scorn.
"Brought this on yourself."
His gaze then snapped to Hiruzen, whose eyes betrayed rising panic.
"Let's see how you handle this!"
Kaede unleashed an ocular force even stronger than Itachi's, piercing straight into Hiruzen's mind.
In the blink of an eye—
The world spun wildly, and Hiruzen's consciousness found itself trapped in a crimson, oppressive landscape.
He was nailed to a cross, utterly immobile.
Dōjutsu: Tsukuyomi!
Kaede had rebounded the same technique he just absorbed… right back at Hiruzen.
One after another, duplicates of Kaede appeared around him.
Each one held a horrifying torture device.
Shlick! Shlick! Riiiip!
Without pause, they began their torment.
"AAARGHHHH!!!"
Even Hiruzen, a man of great composure, couldn't withstand the agonizing barrage. His screams echoed through the nightmare realm.
Expressionless, Kaede's voice echoed all around him:
"This is my Tsukuyomi, forged from the power of my Mangekyō. In here, you'll suffer for three full days—though in the real world, only a second will pass."
"One second down… 2 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds to go."
And with that, the next wave of punishment began.
Outside.
In front of everyone's eyes, Hiruzen suddenly dropped to his knees, convulsing uncontrollably.
Homura and Koharu gasped in horror.
"Dayum, Hiruzen?! What's wrong?!"
But Hiruzen could no longer respond. He was already broken.
Kaede looked down at him in disdain.
"One move and he's down? Pathetic."
Hiruzen was old. His body and spirit had both declined.
He might still technically qualify as Kage-level, but against a mental assault like Tsukuyomi, he couldn't last a single exchange.
Koharu's eyes flared with rage.
"Damn you! You did this?!"
Kaede sneered. "What, you got a problem with that, you old hag?"
"You little bastard!"
Koharu was livid.
Since becoming an advisor, no one had dared speak to her like this.
First he threatened her clan. Now, in front of the entire village, he publicly humiliated her.
The rage flooded her mind—and suddenly, she understood Kaede's true plan.
He wanted them disgraced. Stripped of Konoha's protection. Only then would he strike with full vengeance!
If things continued, they—and their entire clans—were doomed.
Koharu roared, "All Konoha shinobi, hear me!"
"This man has openly defied Konoha, harmed countless civilians, and even ambushed the Hokage! His crimes are unforgivable!"
"All of you—attack! Kill him!"
But earlier, even Hiruzen's orders hadn't swayed the crowd.
Why would they obey her now?
None moved.
Instead, the shinobi stared, unmoved.
They wanted to know more—what other sins had these elders hidden?
So long as Kaede didn't attack the village directly, they had no intention of stopping him.
After all, Hiruzen and his advisors had betrayed their trust completely.
Seeing their cold stares, Koharu felt her heart sink.
Had they… truly fallen from power?
But she wasn't just a woman—she was a vengeful old woman, one used to power.
In an instant, she made her decision.
Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she screamed, hoarse with desperation:
"What's wrong with you all?! Kaede is the enemy! He just destroyed countless families!"
"I admit—we made mistakes. Terrible decisions. But we did it all for Konoha's peace!"
"You can't let one enemy trample on Konoha just because of our failures!"
"Are you afraid of the explosive tags hidden in the village? Then think! Even if you let him go now, do you think Kaede—who hates Konoha to the bone—won't detonate them later?"
"I beg you! Take up your arms! If you drive him out, we'll go to prison willingly!"
These words—coming from the very top of Konoha's political hierarchy—struck a nerve with the shinobi.
She was right.
Whatever Hiruzen and the elders had done, Kaede was the enemy right now.
They couldn't let an enemy rampage through Konoha unchecked.
There would be time later to punish Hiruzen's crimes.
That was between them and the village.
It had nothing to do with Kaede.
And pinning their hopes on Kaede showing mercy later?
That was basically handing their families' lives over to a cold-hearted killer.
At last, they broke free from Kaede's carefully woven illusion of control.
Their eyes hardened.
They turned to face Kaede—ready to fight.
Kaede raised an eyebrow, surprised by Koharu's move.
"Heh… No wonder you held power in Konoha for so long. You really did snap them out of it. I underestimated you."
"But you've woken up too late."
"My true objective… has already been achieved."
(End of Chapter)
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