Chapter 211: Destroying Heart and Mind
Hiruzen found it strange that Uchiha Yasushi hadn't taken advantage of the chaos to cause more trouble.
He looked around for a long time but couldn't find where the enemy was hiding. After hesitating, he approached Neji, who was still struggling on the ground, looked down at him, and sighed:
"Neji, do you see?"
"That Uchiha Yasushi never showed his face. He was clearly just using you to weaken the village's strength."
"These Branch House deaths are purely because you foolishly trusted him."
"Do you regret it now?"
"Regret?" Neji struggled to support his body, half-sitting on the ground, raising his head with eyes full of contempt.
"Hah!"
He viciously spat the bloody foam from his mouth toward the Hokage looking down at him from above.
"I only regret not meeting him sooner!"
"I only regret my own strength was too weak!"
"I only regret not recruiting more comrades!"
"I only regret being born in Konoha Village!"
"If you want to destroy my heart and pin all the Branch House deaths on me, then you're dreaming!"
"All the Branch House willingly joined me in launching this coup."
"Before we began, we already knew today's outcome was possible."
"We die without regrets!"
"Hmph, stubborn fool!" Hiruzen grew angry as well, waving his hand and ordering: "Have the Torture and Interrogation squad question him thoroughly. See if that Uchiha Yasushi is secretly planning some other conspiracy."
"That's right - this traitor Neji must know plenty of enemy intelligence. We absolutely can't let him off easily!"
The surviving Main House members hated Neji with a passion. Hearing about torture, they immediately stepped forward, standing behind Hiruzen with fawning smiles:
"Lord Hokage, our Main House's Caged Bird seal has special effectiveness for interrogating Branch House members. Would Lord Hokage like us to try?"
Hiruzen naturally knew the Caged Bird seal worked excellently on Branch House members, but the conflict between Main House and Branch House had just ended. He didn't want to provoke the Branch House further at this critical moment. His brow furrowed as he prepared to refuse.
"This matter need not be-"
Hearing the Main House members' words, Neji's face turned deathly pale. He reached for a scattered kunai on the ground, wanting to give himself a quick death rather than endure the seal's torture.
But in the next moment, his pupils contracted sharply. He saw a wooden spike pierce through Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest from behind.
Then in the next instant, that wooden spike exploded in all directions, bursting through his body. Each branch carried blood and flesh, blooming like a crimson flower of death inside Hiruzen's body.
Hiruzen screamed, forcibly turning his head to see the Main House member who had just been smiling obsequiously at him now wearing an expression of vicious malice.
"Lord Hokage, have you considered the possibility that the one colluding with Uchiha Yasushi wasn't those incompetent Branch House members, but me?"
"You..." Hiruzen opened his mouth, but blood surged up his throat, blocking all his words.
"Lord Hokage!"
Nearby ANBU rushed forward to help, but before they could arrive, that Main House member leaped away and fled.
"Stop!" Itachi nearly went mad. This Main House member was one of those he'd protected behind Susanoo.
"This is all my fault!"
Itachi blamed himself completely, charging after the fleeing figure. But the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook violently. A massive tree erupted from below, its thick branches whipping toward him.
"This is Wood Release!"
"It's Uchiha Yasushi!"
Itachi activated Susanoo once more in shock and rage, slashing the branches apart with a single strike.
But the earth rolled like a dragon turning over. Tree after tree burst from underground, forming a dense forest. Branches waved like serpents, falling like a giant net from above.
"Damn it!"
Itachi frantically swung his blade, light flashing like snowflakes as he cut down the surrounding trees at their trunks.
But this delay allowed the "Main House member's" figure to disappear into the deep forest.
"Hahaha... Itachi, long time no see!"
"Have you missed me?"
"Because I've missed you terribly!"
Accompanied by mocking laughter, Itachi looked up to see Uchiha Yasushi's figure appear atop a distant tree.
"Uchiha Yasushi!"
Itachi roared, controlling Susanoo to charge into the forest, cutting and slashing his way directly toward Yasushi.
Yasushi casually controlled the Wood Release forest to block Itachi's advance while praising loudly:
"Thank goodness for you, Itachi!"
"I was worried my carefully placed chess piece might die in the chaos."
"If not for your help, achieving my goal would have relied entirely on luck!"
"Oh, Itachi - our cooperation is simply too perfect!"
"Damn you! Uchiha Yasushi, I won't let you escape!" Itachi roared with impotent fury, driving Susanoo forward with desperate intensity.
His heart overflowed with self-blame and regret for his own lack of caution.
He'd known the Hyuga rebellion was connected to Uchiha Yasushi - so why had he focused all his attention on the Branch House?
Why hadn't he noticed problems with the Main House members?
That Main House member had used Wood Release - obviously a fake.
Perhaps even the Main House's oppression of the Branch House had been instigated and intensified by Uchiha Yasushi's manipulation.
Damn it!
As the Hokage's guard, not only had he failed in his protective duties, but his mistakes had actually facilitated all of this.
What shameful humiliation!
Due to various reasons, Itachi's situation in Konoha Village wasn't good.
He had no friends around him. Everyone treated him with cold indifference.
Only the Third Hokage still cared for him, looked after him, never suspected him, and gave him absolute trust.
The Third had become Itachi's only spiritual pillar - just like Naruto once was.
But now, because of Itachi's mistake, the Third was severely wounded and probably dying. This made Itachi hate himself even more.
Uchiha Itachi, is this how you repay the Third's trust in you?
Itachi's mind was in complete chaos. He worried about the Third's safety behind him while desperately hoping to kill Yasushi and avenge the Third.
Reason told him that he wasn't a medical ninja - returning now wouldn't help the Third at all.
But emotionally, he couldn't help wanting to turn back and see the Third one last time.
Yet because of his dereliction of duty, he now felt too ashamed to face Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His mind filled with chaotic thoughts, making him increasingly frantic. The chakra emanating from his entire body grew ominously cold, his mental state growing more and more unstable.
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