Chapter 215: Jiraiya, What Are You Hesitating For?
Seeing that Jiraiya still only half-understood, Yasushi explained with a gleeful smile, "That's right, it's all those things you despise so much."
"But whether you're willing or not, whether you like it or hate it, these things exist objectively, independent of your will."
"The words you speak as the Fifth Hokage carry completely different weight than words spoken as an ordinary Konoha shinobi!"
"Itachi has lived in the Third's web of lies for all these years."
"The Third continuously brainwashed him, repeatedly telling him he possessed the Will of Fire, that he had the mindset of a Hokage, that what he did was correct, that all the mistakes belonged to me—the rogue ninja from Konoha."
"With the Third clearly expressing his stance, no one would ever tell Itachi that eliminating the Uchiha clan harmed the village, that his actions led to Konoha's current withered state."
"No one dares tell him the truth, but everyone shows it through their actions—avoiding him, refusing to speak with him, refusing to associate with him, responding to him with cold violence."
"Because everyone has a scale in their hearts. They all know exactly why their loved ones died, who the real culprit is."
"Of course they hate me, but does their hatred for Itachi really amount to any less?"
With Zetsu around, very little intelligence from Konoha escaped Yasushi's notice.
While Yasushi couldn't claim to know everything about Itachi's situation, he at least understood perfectly what kind of life the man was living now.
As Yasushi spoke, Jiraiya watched Itachi's body begin to tremble, his expression growing increasingly terrible.
Yasushi delighted in watching Itachi's transformation, making his explanation even more detailed.
"Someone as intelligent as Itachi—could he really not notice?"
"It's just that as long as no one exposes it openly, he can deliberately pretend not to know, keep playing dumb, constantly finding various excuses in his heart to rationalize."
"For example, 'I only care about the village's wellbeing, I don't mind what other shinobi think of me.'"
"Or perhaps, 'The village shinobi resent me because of the rogue ninja Uchiha Yasushi's crimes. They're not rejecting me, they're rejecting Uchiha Yasushi's clansman.'"
"You can't wake someone who's pretending to sleep. Avoidance is shameful, but it works! As long as you find good enough excuses, you can always push your mistakes to the back of your mind."
"But now it's different, Jiraiya. You just unconsciously revealed your true thoughts."
"You tore through that paper-thin facade!"
"In simple terms, Jiraiya, your words broke through Itachi's defenses!"
"He can't... pretend anymore!"
"Hahahaha... Jiraiya, if you don't want Itachi to collapse right here, hurry up and tell him a lie!"
"Just say something against your conscience—tell him he did well, that slaughtering the Uchiha clan greatly benefited the village. Itachi will definitely believe it!"
"You're the Hokage now. If you say it, he'll believe it! Your words can break his defenses, so naturally they can also let him continue deceiving himself. Come on, say it!"
Jiraiya stared blankly at Itachi and indeed saw him looking back desperately, his eyes filled with hope and pleading, practically begging:
"Please, Lord Hokage, tell me I didn't do wrong, that everything I did benefited Konoha."
"I..." Jiraiya opened his mouth, his lips moving for a long time, but he couldn't force out those words against his conscience.
"Hahaha..." Seeing this, Yasushi grew even more excited. "Why aren't you saying it? Jiraiya, just say it!"
"If you speak those words, you can save Uchiha Itachi's powerful combat strength, preserve a vital force for the village."
"If you speak those words, you'll become a qualified politician."
"If you speak those words, you'll definitely become an excellent Hokage who can lead Konoha to new glory!"
Yasushi seemed even more anxious than Itachi, his eyes blazing as he stared at Jiraiya, waving his arms and shouting red-faced, constantly urging him on.
"What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and say it!"
"Speak those words, kill that naive past version of Jiraiya, let yourself mature and progress, completely transform into a Hokage like Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
"I..." Jiraiya's throat felt parched, his whole body weak, his lips sealed as if by glue, unable to open his mouth.
Just one sentence, but he couldn't speak it.
He couldn't deceive his own heart. Deep inside, he simply believed this whole thing was wrong.
He couldn't accept the village preemptively exterminating an entire clan for something that hadn't actually happened, then claiming it was for the village's benefit!
It was absolutely ridiculous! So many shinobi, so many residents, so many elderly and children, all killed in a single night—how exactly did that benefit the village?
As for claims that an Uchiha rebellion would cause massive damage to the village, that was even more laughable.
Those red-eyed bastards had been threatening rebellion for decades. Besides Uchiha Madara who actually followed through, who else had ever taken real action?
They were all just loudmouths!
To put it bluntly, the Uchiha back then didn't have a single Mangekyo Sharingan. He, Jiraiya, could have beaten every Uchiha shinobi one by one himself. Who would dare rebel then?
Yet because of this trivial matter, that old snake Danzo Shimura made it into a huge issue, manipulating a foolish kid into carrying it out.
That's why Jiraiya had always looked down on Uchiha Itachi and rarely interacted with him.
But he also knew this whole affair was really the sin of his teacher and Danzo. Itachi was just the tool who executed it—a brainless tool at that.
So he personally felt no disgust or hatred toward Itachi.
Now seeing Itachi's broken, devastated state, Jiraiya actually wanted to help him, to pull him back from the edge of collapse.
But those words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out. He simply couldn't lie through his teeth like a politician, calling black white. He couldn't betray his own heart.
Normally, he might have spoken without thinking, just telling a lie to deceive someone—he'd done plenty of that in his lifetime.
But after Uchiha Yasushi's explanation, this simple sentence had become a battle between two philosophies.
One was the idealistic Jiraiya—right is right, wrong is wrong.
The other was the "mature" Hokage that Yasushi described, who would say anything for benefit or other reasons.
Speaking this one lie would be simple, but what about after? Would there be a second lie, a third?
Would he eventually become like his teacher—spouting righteous words while acting despicably, a politician capable of any dark deed?
After becoming Hokage, could he really maintain his true self?
His mind churned in chaos, various thoughts flooding in. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, but never knew what to say.