Chapter 291: Everything for Konoha Village
"Extremely promising?"
Seeing even the respected Lord Mizuki prove so short-sighted, Itachi immediately felt utter desolation in his heart.
He was intelligent and sensitive. Plus his cold personality remained unmoved by interests or emotions, often enabling him to observe coldly from outside perspectives.
This let him avoid being deceived by superficial prosperity, directly penetrating that false flourishing to see the truest, most core problems.
He saw village changes with complete clarity.
Unsettled hearts proved a polite description. Most families had already given up on themselves.
Currently many families desperately extracted clan benefits—like final madness before death.
Even if Konoha Village eventually collapsed, they needed sufficient wealth supporting escape elsewhere to live in other neutral nations.
Desperately stuffing people into "Hero Trial" queues merely represented clans' helpless choice for desperate self-preservation amid despair.
Everyone mutually understood these matters tacitly without declaring them—only concealing from Kazuma and his group from the capital.
Oh, those kept in the dark also included lower-rank shinobi.
They might deceive Kazuma and Lord Sora Tani, but how could they possibly deceive Itachi, who'd grown up in the village since childhood?
What Kazuma and others saw might be Wood Release ninja emerging one after another, smooth village reconstruction, village strength recovering. But what Itachi saw was changing village atmosphere.
He personally witnessed village hearts scattering bit by bit through repeated failures, watching ordinary shinobi tempers growing increasingly irritable daily.
If this were the past Itachi, perhaps he'd directly secretly eliminate those parasites dragging the village down. But after experiencing Uchiha Yasushi's matter, Itachi had ultimately grown considerably—no longer making such simple, brutal decisions.
He could only discover problems but lacked ability solving them.
He'd originally thought perhaps Lord Kazuma had other arrangements, so he shouldn't speak rashly. But now truly couldn't avoid speaking.
"Lord Mizuki, have you paid attention to various clans' activities?"
"Oh, all clans are currently very dedicated. Everyone's working hard toward village reconstruction!" Mizuki answered confidently.
"No, Lord Mizuki—these are all appearances. They're actually secretly exploiting lower-rank shinobi, desperately extracting clan benefits."
"Oh my, Itachi—you're being overly sensitive." Mizuki appeared dismissive. "Politics often requires some compromises toward clans."
"Village reconstruction requires clan efforts. As long as they don't go too far, the village won't reproach them."
"Lord Jiraiya didn't understand this principle, offending all clans until even his own life couldn't be preserved."
"Lord Kazuma won't make such mistakes."
"But this way..." Itachi still planned continuing persuading Mizuki, but Mizuki raised his hand, interrupting.
"Itachi, I know you're also thinking of the village. But even if the village currently has some minor problems, they can gradually be smoothed over with time. Absolutely no need risking opening that Box of Ultimate Bliss."
"Perhaps you don't realize—the Land of Grass was once a powerful nation. Yet overnight it perished, most likely related to that Box of Ultimate Bliss."
"Before obtaining complete intelligence on the Box of Ultimate Bliss, I firmly oppose you opening it."
"Alright, that's settled. I still have work. Go rest first."
Mizuki casually tossed the scroll containing the "Box of Ultimate Bliss" back into Itachi's arms, waving to signal his departure.
Itachi numbly lowered his head while exiting. Standing in the square center, looking around in all directions, his heart felt lost.
People came and went around him. Many busied themselves here and there, seemingly indeed possessing some semblance of Konoha Village's prosperous appearance. But careful observation revealed these people wore wooden expressions with few smiles, heavy melancholy concentrating between brows.
Forget comparing to Konoha's prosperous times—even compared to several months ago just after Fourth War ended, far inferior.
Back then, though villagers had experienced many casualties, behind sorrowful faces shone dawn's hopeful light.
But now, though this village destruction killed few people, most people's faces filled with confusion, unease, panic, bewilderment...
Various negative emotions made Itachi—someone with strong perception—feel as though a massive stone constantly pressed his heart, unable to rest day or night.
He wandered numbly through streets, unconsciously arriving near Hokage Rock.
Due to consecutive upheavals previously, new Hokage Rock carvings had never been re-carved. This area now remained one massive solid stone wall.
He blankly raised his head viewing that blank position above—where Third's stone statue once stood.
He'd never missed Third as intensely as now.
In his confused state, he desperately needed others' guidance.
Compared to Kazuma and Mizuki's methods, he always felt Third seemed more suitable as village leader.
While Third still lived, no matter what tremendous difficulties the village encountered, Third seemingly always had solutions.
Whenever, wherever—Third always gave people feelings of reliability and trustworthiness, never letting people fall into panic.
This was something Kazuma and Mizuki could never achieve.
Therefore, though Third had used him for clan self-extermination, though Third had betrayed him by bowing apologetically to Uchiha Yasushi—as long as it benefited the village, he could accept all this.
As long as it benefited the village...
Itachi lowered his head viewing the scroll in hand. After standing stunned for ages, he finally steeled his determination, slowly opening the scroll.
Konoha Village's current state—relying solely on conventional means proved completely impossible for reversing the situation. Only by thinking outside the box, using extraordinary methods to inject the village with a stimulant shot, could the current deadlock possibly break, letting Konoha Village regain vitality.
The scroll opened. With a "poof," a massive metal box approximately five to six meters long and wide was released.
The box surface bore inscriptions reading "All Things Return to Ultimate Bliss." Each of the box's four sides featured a demon god relief—respectively displaying joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness expressions.
This box's volume and weight proved considerable. Upon landing, it produced a tremendous "boom," splashing countless dust particles while immediately attracting nearby shinobi attention.
Immediately shinobi rapidly charged over, loudly shouting:
"Itachi, what are you doing?"