Naruto: Set a goal, conquer the universe.

Page 71

They never imagined that the person who wiped out his own clan for Konoha would also infiltrate the Akatsuki organization as a spy for Konoha.

What kind of feelings do these people have for Konoha?

No wonder the Third Hokage said that Itachi had a mind as advanced as that of a Hokage.

"No wonder he so readily revealed Akatsuki's purpose when fighting Asuma and Kurenai; he was conveying intelligence, wasn't he?" Naruto scratched his head.

He had previously felt that Itachi's behavior was strange, but it turns out he was a spy.

After listening to the Third Hokage recount the story of the Uchiha clan's annihilation, Sasuke clenched his fists, his Sharingan filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow: "Itachi, he always protected me?"

Two lines of tears slid down from the corners of my eyes.

Naruto patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

The Third Hokage paused for a moment, then slowly said, "The truth of this matter has been hidden for many years. I am telling it now in the hope that you will understand the tragedy of the Uchiha clan, which is not simply the result of hatred."

"It is a chain reaction caused by fear, misunderstanding and wrong decisions. As the new Hokage, Tsunade, you must remember this lesson and ensure the village's justice."

After hearing the Third Hokage's words, Sasuke was completely dazed and confused, his thoughts in utter disarray.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's situation.

"Third Hokage, Granny Tsunade, and the Perverted Sage, I'll take Sasuke back first. It will take Sasuke a little while to process this," Naruto said to them.

"I'm entrusting Sasuke to you, Naruto." Tsunade looked at the stunned Sasuke with worried eyes and said in a deep voice.

This is also a mental illness, and even she can't help with it.

"Don't worry, this guy won't be defeated so easily." Naruto waved to them, put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and the two disappeared instantly.

The Third Hokage sighed heavily, picked up his pipe, and took a deep drag.

"Old man, was the situation really that serious back then?" Jiraiya asked the Third Hokage.

"Yes, almost the entire Uchiha clan distrusts the Konoha leadership. The only one who can ease tensions with them is Minato!"

"If Minato were still alive, there might have been a peaceful solution to the Uchiha clan's problems!" The Third Hokage's face aged considerably as he mentioned Minato.

Upon hearing the Third Hokage mention Minato, Jiraiya's eyes dimmed slightly.

"Why did you tell Sasuke about this?" Tsunade asked, glancing at the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage stood up, went to the window, and looked out over Konoha Village.

"Naruto grew up amidst misunderstandings and loneliness, yet he never gave up his optimism. Sasuke, burdened by the blood feud of his clan's annihilation, once lingered in the abyss of despair, but because of Naruto's existence, he remained in the light and fought for Konoha."

“I have witnessed their hard work and growth since they were young, and now they are strong enough to become pillars of Konoha. We can no longer treat them like children!”

"What I need to do is simply talk to them on an equal footing, instead of hiding all the secrets from them like I'm coaxing a child. That will only confuse them and even lead them astray."

"The truth is painful, but they have the mindset to understand it and the ability to share the burden!"

"Tsunade, you absolutely cannot neglect your sincerity towards them just because their two children are still young." The Third Hokage used his lifetime of experience to instruct Tsunade on how to treat Naruto and the others.

Tsunade nodded solemnly.

In Konoha now, no one can ignore the strength of Naruto and his friends.

Before they knew it, these children had grown up. They were no longer fledglings who needed Konoha's protection, but the backbone of Konoha Village.

"Speaking of which, Tsunade." The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade, who was sitting in the Hokage's seat.

"In my capacity as former Hokage, I propose that the position of Assistant Hokage be formally abolished," the Third Hokage said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, both Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at the Third Hokage in surprise.

"Old man, why do you have such thoughts?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask.

“Your situation is different from mine and Minato’s. I was appointed Hokage by Tobirama-sensei in a time of crisis. At that time, I was too young and I was not familiar with how to manage the village.”

"Minato, like me, was too young when he took over as Hokage."

"So we need someone to assist us, but by the time I became familiar with Konoha's administration, I couldn't bear to remove them from their Hokage support positions!"

“But you are the current Hokage. You are different from Minato and me. You have plenty of experience in managing the overall situation, Jiraiya is there to help you, and Naruto and the others support you. You don’t need us old guys to interfere.” The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke, making his face somewhat blurry.

"We old folks can't keep up with the times. Take the Uchiha clan issue, for example. If Minato were still alive, he would definitely have found a peaceful solution!"

"But we have no choice but to resort to this stupid method of 'cutting off our own flesh to save our lives'!"

"I proposed the idea of ​​becoming Hokage, and I should be the one to end it!" the Third Hokage said in a deep voice. This was his plan. Since he was going to retire, he would take a few old friends with him.

Let's all enjoy our retirement together and stop taking advantage of our age.

He glanced at Tsunade. "This is the last thing I, as your teacher, can do for you."

He helped Tsunade clear away most of the political struggles, giving her a clean and straightforward Hokage position.

Upon hearing this, Tsunade gave the Third Hokage a deep look: "Thank you, teacher!"

Naruto and Sasuke returned to the house using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

After Sasuke sat down on the tatami, Naruto turned around, took out the tea set, and carefully brewed a pot of hot tea.

The moment boiling water is poured in, the tea leaves unfurl and tumble in the pot, and a refreshing aroma soon fills the air.

A gentle, warm aroma of tea drifted slowly through the quiet room, mingling with the subtle scent of herbs and wood from the tatami mats, quietly soothing the barely perceptible tension in the air.

Chapter 113 Itachi's Extreme Behavior

"Sasuke, what do you think after hearing what the Third Hokage said?" Naruto asked softly after taking a sip of his fragrant tea.

The veins on Sasuke's back bulged, clearly indicating that he was still very excited.

He looked down at his hands and shook his head violently, saying, "I don't know. My mind is a mess. My life goal has always been to kill Itachi and avenge the Uchiha clan, but now I'm being told that Itachi has been protecting me all along. I... I really don't know what to do."

Naruto tapped the table lightly and said, "Now is the time for your big brother Naruto to step in and analyze this for you."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto.

"First, we need to confirm one thing: the Uchiha clan wants to launch a coup. Sasuke, do you think this is true or false?" Naruto said.

“It should be true. I remember the atmosphere in the clan was very tense at that time. Every adult had a serious expression on their face. They would hold a small meeting every day or two, and a large meeting every three to five days. Now that I think about it, they were probably plotting a coup!” Sasuke nodded in confirmation.

Although he was young at that time, he was not stupid. On the contrary, with his keen mind, he had already noticed everything.

But everyone treated him like a child and never talked to him about clan affairs.

He's clearly a member of the clan too.

“Okay, then we confirm that the Uchiha clan does indeed harbor thoughts of a coup and has already planned to carry it out.” Naruto nodded.

"Sasuke, now think about it, if the Uchiha clan were planning a coup, what would you do?"

"Should we join the others in staging a coup, or should we follow Shisui and Itachi to act as a bridge of peace between the village and the clan?"

"You know, although the Uchiha clan is very strong, what would happen if they used the power of the entire clan to attack the entire Hidden Leaf Village?"

Sasuke's face twitched slightly: "The Uchiha clan will be destroyed, and Konoha will be severely weakened!"

This is an obvious result.

Given the size of Konoha Village, the Uchiha clan simply couldn't shake it. Not to mention that Konoha has so many clans with bloodline limits and various secret techniques, the sheer number of ordinary ninjas could exhaust the Uchiha ninjas.

After all, they are human beings, not gods.

"In that case, what is your choice?"

"I'll probably support Shisui and Itachi's choice to prevent a war between the village and the Uchiha clan." Sasuke glanced at Naruto and nodded to confirm his thoughts.

“Okay.” Naruto looked at him. “That means you think Itachi’s ideas are not wrong. What’s wrong is his extreme behavior, right?”

Sasuke thought for a moment and then nodded silently.

"So, let's start analyzing what caused Itachi to exhibit such extreme behavior!"

"Wasn't it because the Uchiha clan was about to launch a coup, and Itachi chose to wipe out the Uchiha clan in order to stop the battle between the village and the clan?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

This is the reason for his distress: on one side is his family, and on the other is his village. Both are dear to him, making it difficult to choose.

"Yes, but not entirely! The Third Hokage once said that because Shisui and Itachi were willing to act as a bridge of peace between the Uchiha clan and the village, the conflict between the two sides had eased. However, due to one incident, the conflict was reignited and became even more intense!" Naruto said, shaking his head.

"Shisui's death!" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, and he blurted out the words instinctively.

"Yes, you once said that Shisui's strength was among the top in the Uchiha clan, but such a master died for no reason, and neither the village nor the Uchiha clan could find out the truth!"

"Do you think the Uchiha clan is afraid? Are they worried? As long as someone is strong enough to threaten the village's safety, they believe they might be silently killed by the village!"

"That's why the conflict has become more radical."

"Speaking of which, do you know what the relationship is between Shisui and Itachi?" Naruto asked.

“They have a very good relationship. Shisui is a few years older than Itachi, and Itachi has always followed in Shisui's footsteps. The two have a very good relationship!” Sasuke said.

"Then, we can draw a conclusion about how Itachi awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan." Naruto nodded slightly.

"You mean, Itachi killed Shisui?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"No, Itachi didn't kill Shisui. It's possible that he saw Shisui before he died and witnessed his death, which is why he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Based on the Third Hokage's description of Itachi, he could roughly understand Itachi's character.

He is not a person who will stop at nothing to pursue power.

It's impossible that he would kill Shisui, with whom he had a very good relationship, just because he obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan; the only possibility is that he witnessed Shisui's death!

"Because of Shisui's sudden death, the responsibility of easing the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village fell entirely on Itachi's shoulders."

"Can you imagine how much pressure Itachi, who was about the same age as us, was under back then?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head blankly, recalling the time he spent with Itachi when he was a child.

When he was with him, Itachi always had a gentle expression, and when he trained him, he let him be as capricious as he wanted.

He couldn't feel at all the heavy burden Itachi was carrying.

He hid everything so well that he never revealed these things to him.

"Itachi, he carried everything on his own shoulders!" Sasuke raised his head, trying to hold back his tears. He remembered the night the clan was massacred, and Itachi's tearful expression as he looked at him.

Only now did he understand the complex emotions Itachi felt back then, the heartache and reluctance he felt.

He was a ninja who deeply loved his clan and Konoha, but he was forced to massacre his clan, become a rogue ninja, and leave his hometown.

"I think this heavy responsibility is just one of the reasons he went to extremes!" Naruto analyzed.

"One of the reasons? What other reasons are there?" Sasuke asked eagerly.

"The mastermind behind the annihilation of the Uchiha clan! They are pushing Itachi to this extreme." Naruto said with a serious expression.

"The mastermind?" Sasuke's pupils contracted, and his Mangekyou Sharingan couldn't help but reveal itself, a pure killing intent bursting from his eyes.

"Who? Who wants to wipe out the Uchiha clan?" he roared, his eyes fixed on Naruto.

"I can think of two right now! The person who killed Shisui! And that wild Uchiha who helped Itachi massacre the Uchiha clan!"

"I've seen what Itachi said to you in your memories. Itachi has actually given you some information!"

"He helped him slaughter the Uchiha clan and also possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan. If you really want to avenge the Uchiha clan, you should at least have the Mangekyou Sharingan to be qualified to go after him, otherwise you might be killed by him too."

"So, Sasuke, Itachi has actually been watching over your safety all along. To be honest, he really is a good older brother!" Naruto sighed softly.

Sasuke couldn't hold back his tears.

"The conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village is irreconcilable. You heard it too. No matter how much the Third Hokage restrained himself, he couldn't avoid fighting in the end because of the pressure from the Uchiha clan and for the sake of the village's peace. The annihilation of the Uchiha clan is inevitable."

"But by then, the Uchiha clan will no longer be a prestigious clan in Konoha, but a clan of rogue ninja despised by everyone."

"Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been difficult to reconcile. Itachi was only the same age as us at the time. Asking him to come up with a solution that satisfies both is too much of a burden. In order to protect the reputation of the Uchiha clan, Itachi chose to take matters into his own hands and bear the blame."

"It's a pity that Itachi had the opportunity to ease the conflict, but he ultimately had to go to extremes." Naruto couldn't help but sigh.

The most tragic thing is that there was clearly a chance for things to turn around, but all hope was cut off step by step!

Chapter 114 The Mastermind Behind the Uchiha Clan's Demise

"So, we have two more targets now." As he said this, a chilling killing intent flashed in Naruto's eyes.

"The people who killed Shisui, and that wild Uchiha! They are the masterminds behind the destruction of the Uchiha clan, and the real culprits who caused the deaths of Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto."

After listening to Naruto's analysis, Sasuke's previously muddled mind cleared up, and he couldn't help but clench his fists, making a crisp sound between his knuckles.

"That's right, that's exactly it. Those two are the real culprits behind the destruction of the Uchiha clan!" Sasuke gritted his teeth and roared in a low voice.