Chapter 30: Uchiha's Next Move (Please Keep Reading!)

Itachi realized that when it came to psychological attacks, Naruto truly spared no effort. This child appeared to be exposing his own methods, as if courting disaster, yet every word he said greatly increased the burden on Itachi’s mind.

The key was, none of Naruto’s statements contained any substantive information. Now Itachi knew that even genjutsu of the level of Tsukuyomi could be counteracted, and he understood the general idea of how to do so. But as for how it was actually achieved? He had no clue at all.

“You’ve noticed, haven’t you? Every detail here was perfected by me for your sake. The purpose is to increase your mental strain, so that you defeat yourself,” Naruto said.

Itachi nodded; that was indeed the case. It was precisely because of these details that his mental exhaustion multiplied a hundredfold.

In the end, Itachi had first been countered, then misled by Naruto, and finally defeated himself.

“All right, we’ve talked long enough and wasted quite a bit of time. Now, it’s time to finish this,” Naruto said, snapping his fingers.

In the next instant, the onlookers below suddenly straightened, their expressions turning serious, and every one of them faced Itachi.

“To eat or not to eat, that is the question.”

“The ninja world is nothing but a makeshift troupe, all the shinobi are merely actors on stage, and behind the scenes there are countless others pulling the strings…”

“Oh! Hashirama! Hashirama! Where are you? Why are you Senju Hashirama?”

“True strength is not seen with the eyes, but felt with the heart. That is why the Uchiha only possess eyes, while the Senju of the Forest have the body of a sage…”

Countless stray thoughts surged into Itachi’s mind like a tsunami, overwhelming him with a cacophony of voices. His spiritual power and chakra were drained at a terrifying speed. Within seconds, Itachi let out a howl and completely lost consciousness.

When he woke again, night had already fallen.

He was lying on a soft mat; Sasuke was at his side, clutching his hand with a face full of worry.

In the distance, Naruto and Kakashi had not left, keeping watch until he awoke before finally departing.

Such was the beginning and end of Itachi’s encounter with Naruto.

And that was also the reason why Itachi and Sasuke returned home so listless.

Sasuke’s dejection was simple: his brother, who in his eyes was invincible and omnipotent, had been defeated—defeated by Naruto, a peer of his own age.

Itachi’s despondence, however, stemmed from total mental exhaustion, the anxiety of defeat at Naruto’s hands, and the weariness of his soul.

After hearing Itachi’s account, Fugaku and Shisui were at a loss for words.

Fugaku, in particular, had a stomach full of things to say, yet not a single word could make it out; he didn’t even know where to begin.

He began to wonder: Was Naruto, the orphan left behind by his old friend, truly so powerful? Powerful enough to easily defeat Itachi with taijutsu, to toy with Itachi—who specialized in genjutsu—from beginning to end with sheer mental prowess and illusions? Or were all jinchuriki this strong?

Shisui was so shocked that he sprang to his feet.

“That Naruto is actually this strong! No, I have to find him!”

“Come back!” Itachi grabbed Shisui’s hand, stopping him. “What are you going to do with Naruto? What can you possibly do?”

“I’m going to ask him for a favor!” Shisui said anxiously, gripping tightly.

“What favor? How will you ask?” Itachi’s exhausted face was solemn:

“Are you planning to ask Naruto to disregard the Hokage’s orders when the time comes, to spare our Uchiha clan? Or do you want him to side with us?”

Though Shisui said nothing, his expression told Itachi that was exactly what he intended.

Itachi lowered his voice. “And what if he refuses? Have you considered what might happen if this information leaks to the Hokage?”

“Perhaps the Hokage won’t take any action, and maybe we could still negotiate.”

“But what if Danzo finds out? Don’t forget, he tried to seize your eyes this very afternoon!”

Shisui insisted, “Impossible! Naruto would never betray us! He’ll agree to my request!”

Itachi pressed, “How can you be sure? Are you planning to rely on Kotoamatsukami? My Tsukuyomi was useless against him—what good will your Kotoamatsukami do? He didn’t break free from my Tsukuyomi after a struggle—he played with it from the start! Can your Kotoamatsukami really affect him?”

Shisui calmed down, clearly having not considered this before.

Yes, what if Kotoamatsukami didn’t work?

At this moment, Fugaku interjected, “There’s another problem you haven’t thought of… What if Naruto pretends to be affected by Kotoamatsukami, but is really perfectly fine? What then?”

Indeed, what if he deceived me? What then?

Shisui began to sweat.

But how could that be? This was Kotoamatsukami!

Fugaku continued, “So you see it now. If someone you trust implicitly deceived you, what would you do?”

“For instance, what if Itachi lied to you, and he never met Naruto at all—his entire story was fabricated just to lure you into using Kotoamatsukami on Naruto?”

“Or, what if I, as the Uchiha clan head, never cared about the fate of the clan at all, and I deceived you into taking drastic action just to give the Konoha council an excuse to wipe us out?”

“If you really fell for it, have you considered the consequences?”

“How could it be?” Shisui forced a smile. “Itachi, Lord Fugaku, how could you possibly lie to me?”

Fugaku shrugged. “Just as you believe Kotoamatsukami can’t fail. Besides, you’ve been in the ANBU for so many years—you should know that even if you only speak the truth, you can still deceive people. Sometimes, the truth is more powerful than a lie.”

Shisui finally calmed down, slumping back in his seat.

“So what should we do now?” he murmured, disheartened. “I just want peace, for the clan and village to coexist in harmony, for everyone to be happy. Is there really no hope?”

Tapping his chin lightly, Fugaku suddenly asked, “Shisui, do you think it’s possible that Naruto isn’t under the Hokage’s control at all?”

Shisui and Itachi opened their mouths, but found themselves speechless.

“You’re both in ANBU. Had you heard anything before? That Naruto was this strong?”

Fugaku continued, “Not specifics about his strength—just rumors of unusual behavior, or his skill at making ninja tools. Had you ever heard anything?”

“No, absolutely nothing,” they replied in unison.

“Until today, I had no idea Naruto could craft ninja tools.”

“Me neither. I’ve never heard any of our ANBU colleagues mention anything extraordinary about Naruto.”

“Exactly. According to ANBU, aside from going to school, Naruto only went out late at night to buy supplies. He shouldn’t have been in the forest at dusk.”

“And today wasn’t supposed to be Kakashi’s shift to watch Naruto—it should’ve been another team. Why was Kakashi with Naruto today?”

“Does Kakashi also harbor doubts about the Hokage? He’s hidden so much important information from the Hokage! But why?”

Fugaku cleared his throat. “I think I know why Kakashi kept things quiet… He was Minato’s student. It’s only natural for him to protect Minato’s son. Perhaps he didn’t want the village to know of Naruto’s abilities, so he chose to conceal them.”

“Kakashi’s had a tough life—he’s lost too much because of the village’s many incidents. It’s only natural he would have grievances against the Hokage.”

Finally, Fugaku made a decision. “Here’s what we’ll do: Let Sasuke spend more time with Naruto. I’ll find a way to talk with Naruto myself, to see what he thinks. Perhaps the opportunity for our clan to break free lies with Naruto!”