"If you want to return to Konoha, I'll help clear up that matter from back then."
Aoba saw Uchiha Itachi fall silent and thought he was struggling over what happened in the past.
But Itachi had no mind to deal with that question right now. Instead, he asked with a hint of urgency.
"How has my mother been living these past few years?"
At the same time, his eyes stayed fixed on Aoba, as if trying to read something from his face.
He might not have realized that his Sharingan was showing.
The Sharingan is the eye that reflects the heart, and when members of the Uchiha clan become emotionally stirred, it reveals itself without control.
Even though it really had nothing to do with him anymore, still… He was worried he would somehow end up with a stepfather out of nowhere.
A stepfather the same age as his younger brother.
Aoba was a bit puzzled, 'Asking questions is one thing, but why does the Sharingan have to come out?'
"Aunt Mikoto is now the head of the Uchiha clan and also the Hokage's secretary. The Uchiha have already integrated into the village. I'd say she's very happy now."
"Then… then what about her daily life? Like socializing or something?", Itachi continued asking.
"Well… just normal life. But recently she's gotten a pretty close friend."
"A friend? Is it a woman?"
"?", Aoba finally reacted.
'This Uchiha Itachi is worried that Uchiha Mikoto might find him a stepfather?'
'With me around, how can I possibly let Aunt Mikoto be?'
Aoba cut off the dangerous thought in time.
"It's a woman."
Hearing this answer, plus the honesty on Aoba's face, Itachi clearly breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his usual calm, indifferent manner.
"When the leader makes a move on the Eight Tails, I hope you can bring Sasuke along."
Aoba paused for a moment, then understood, "You want to help Sasuke awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Sasuke's strength should already be enough to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, right?"
The Mangekyo Sharingan is a double-edged sword. If the strength does not match when opening it, it harms the user.
Back then he awakened it too early, which caused a bloodline illness.
Now his body was growing weaker by the day.
Itachi was not in the least surprised that Aoba knew about the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Aoba thought for a moment, "At Sasuke's current level, most Jonin are no match for him anymore."
"That's good," Itachi felt relieved. His younger brother was even more outstanding than he had imagined.
"Aoba, this is the last time I'll ask you for help. I also know the rules."
As he spoke, he took out a scroll, handed it to Aoba, and, for once, showed a smile like a joke.
"This is my savings from the past few years. Around ten million."
"This…", Aoba felt that the Uchiha clan were practically his benefactors.
Back then he relied on the seed money Sasuke gave him to obtain his medical talent, then later the one million from Itachi, and now another ten million.
But his moment of daze fell into Itachi's eyes with a different meaning, "Take it. This money is of little use to me."
"If you feel guilty taking it, then take better care of Sasuke and my mother later."
"Of course, no need to take care of them too deeply."
He added this sentence.
"I understand. You don't have to worry about Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke."
Aoba accepted the scroll, "But are you sure you won't return to the Konoha? You don't need to go this far. There are other ways to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. If you explain properly, Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke…"
Since this Itachi was not as inhuman as his original counterpart, Aoba thought there was no need to be so extreme.
Itachi shook his head, "I can't go back. No matter the reasons back then, I killed my father and my clan."
"I might be excused when it comes to the village, but toward my mother, Sasuke, and the clan, I've committed unforgivable sins."
Seeing Itachi insist, Aoba did not try further persuasion.
Since it was his own choice, all he could do was respect another's fate.
"When Pain heads to the Hidden Cloud, I'll find a way to bring Sasuke there."
"Thank you. Whether seven years ago or now, I thank you for giving me a second choice."
"With you by Sasuke's side, I can be at ease."
Itachi's thanks were sincere. He truly felt grateful to Aoba for preventing him from making mistakes he could never take back.
After speaking, Itachi's body dissolved into crows that scattered and vanished.
After finishing his talk with Itachi, Aoba did not return right away.
Instead, he used Flying Thunder God to go to a relatively hidden place.
With the ten million Itachi had given him this time, plus his own funds, he could buy another ability from the system shop.
He did not choose any of the strange Rinnegan eye techniques for now, but instead chose Hashirama Senju's Sage Body.
The soaring chakra was secondary. The key was the overwhelmingly strong Yang Release.
Most people in the ninja world had fragile bodies, but Hashirama was the exception because of the Sage Body.
Overall, with his strength now, forget Edo Tensei Madara. Even if peak Madara appeared, he would still have to take a couple slaps.
Nothing unexpected happened. After adapting to the new power, Aoba returned to the Hidden Rain.
Then he made his way back to the inn with practiced ease.
He did not go through the front door, but tapped on the window.
Someone knocking on a window in the middle of the night would scare most timid people to death.
But Konan only opened the window and rolled her eyes.
"Middle of the night and you avoid the door to use the window. What are you trying to do?"
"There's no knocking on doors in the middle of the night. Using the window has more atmosphere," Aoba slipped inside.
"You look like some kind of flower thief."
Konan muttered, then grabbed a stack of clean clothes from the bed and walked over.
"Do you want a bath? I already prepared the hot water…"
"Ah?"
Konan gave a startled cry as Aoba suddenly pulled her into his arms.
She hit his chest a few times, annoyed.
"What are you doing?"
Aoba said with amusement, "Since Konan-nee says I'm a flower thief, of course I have to match the role."
Once he said it, he picked her up and headed straight for the bathroom.
The fog-covered glass on all sides was already blurred, and only two silhouettes intertwined could be vaguely seen.
And a pair of hands pressed against the glass.
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