Chapter 101: Itachi, You Know Me Best
The writhing branches shifted with deliberate care, gathering the captured shinobi from throughout the forest and dragging them toward Yasushi's position. They accumulated behind him in a grotesque display, a collection of his prey.
Under Yasushi's twisted sense of amusement, the branches had bound each prisoner in a style resembling crucifixion. They hung suspended beneath towering trees, completely drained of strength, unable to move a muscle.
On the left side dangled Hiruzen Sarutobi and several elite clan shinobi. On the right hung numerous ordinary Konoha shinobi.
The contrast was stark. The right side held greater numbers, but most were common shinobi, primarily chunin and genin. The left side held fewer captives, but every single one was an elite.
Two groups hanging opposite each other, a clear division between them.
The Iwagakure fodder had been too troublesome to keep around, taking up space. Yasushi had already tossed them all out of the forest.
Onoki watched from above, his heart pounding with terror. He quickly sent hand signals, ordering his subordinates to catch the expelled shinobi. The entire Iwagakure force retreated, refusing to carelessly interfere in the business between Yasushi and Konoha Village.
"Well then, Itachi."
"The choice is now in your hands. I swear on my authority as the current clan head of the Uchiha that between these two groups, I will only kill one batch. The other will remain completely unharmed, and I'll let them leave."
"So, do I kill Hiruzen Sarutobi and release these Konoha shinobi?"
"Or do I slaughter all these Konoha shinobi and release Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage?"
"Or let me put it more bluntly—I want you to show me whether you're truly loyal to Konoha Village?"
"Or whether you're loyal to your masters within Konoha Village?"
Yasushi smiled pleasantly as he gestured left and right, indicating that Itachi should make his choice.
Actually, Yasushi would have preferred to make Itachi kill someone with his own hands. But he knew that haste makes waste. He had to take things step by step, slowly boiling the frog in water, letting Itachi descend bit by bit into darkness.
Games, after all, should progress gradually, one level at a time!
"Itachi, don't believe him!" Even captured, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to stay quiet. He struggled and shouted, "He's lying to you!"
"Think about his hatred for Konoha Village!"
"He'll never let us go!"
Yasushi's brow furrowed. With a slight hook of his finger, a branch grew horizontally, forming a gag that sealed Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth completely shut.
"Well then, Itachi, you should be the one here who understands me best."
Yasushi looked at his beloved "good brother" with a smile full of cruel anticipation.
"Of course I hate Konoha Village, and I definitely intend to destroy it completely."
"But I won't accomplish something like that so simply. That would be too boring!"
"I'll give you chances to struggle. Then, just when you think you've found hope, I'll thoroughly crush that hope and plunge you into complete despair!"
"Making you suffer—that's what I want!"
"You can all struggle desperately, use every method to resist. Who knows? Maybe you'll turn things around and save Konoha Village?"
"The shinobi world is so vast—anything is possible!"
"So you should definitely hold onto hope. Maybe it'll actually come true!"
"Look, right now I'm giving you room to choose, aren't I?"
"I promise you again—between these two groups, I'll only kill the ones you choose."
"After I'm done killing, I'll leave Konoha Village and stop interfering with your war against the Four Villages."
"If you choose to save Hiruzen Sarutobi, then Konoha Village will lose many elite shinobi."
"If you choose to save your comrades, then Konoha Village will lose the Third Hokage... though actually, that might be good for Konoha Village!"
"If you choose nothing, trying to save both, then the result will be that Konoha Village loses everything."
"And that will also anger me. I'll continue roaming this battlefield, continuing to find new multiple choice questions for you."
"Well then, the situation is laid out right here. You can choose freely."
"Come on, tell me—who do you choose to die?"
Looking at Uchiha Yasushi's face full of malice, watching those eyes practically glowing with anticipation, Itachi felt his heart sink into an abyss.
Of course he didn't want to choose! If he could, he would naturally want to kill Uchiha Yasushi and save everyone!
In fact, if killing Uchiha Yasushi here meant sacrificing everyone present, he wouldn't even blink.
But the problem was that reality wouldn't develop according to his wishes.
His current strength compared to Uchiha Yasushi had already fallen short by a significant margin. Against Wood Release, he couldn't find any method to defeat Uchiha Yasushi.
How had a perfectly good ambush plan turned into this situation? How had Yasushi done it?
How could an Uchiha use Wood Release, something no one had been able to use since the First Hokage?
Though it seemed like Uchiha Obito could also use Wood Release? Did they share some secret connection?
Itachi gasped heavily, his mind completely chaotic.
Seeing Itachi caught in this dilemma, Hiruzen Sarutobi—hanging from the tree—grew frantic, making muffled noises. No matter how he twisted his body into a pretzel shape, he couldn't break free from the Wood Release restraints.
As the Third Hokage who thoroughly understood how Uchiha Itachi operated, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Itachi's personality far too well.
Put nicely, Itachi knew how to think with a Hokage's mindset. Put harshly, he was cold-blooded!
When others considered problems, they might act from emotion or calculate personal benefits. Their actions always involved numerous considerations, accounting for every angle.
But Itachi was different! Itachi's way of thinking was relatively extreme. He didn't use emotion as his measuring standard, nor did he care about personal interests.
He only cared about one thing—the village!
But for him, the village was an abstract concept, a collective whole rather than any individual or particular clan.
This meant that in his eyes, everything was like numbers that could be compared for size.
Moreover, clan feelings held no additional weight for him. The village's interests were paramount!
Everything for the village!
For the village, he could exterminate the Uchiha clan from which he came.
Because after carefully weighing everything, he felt the village's side was heavier, while the Uchiha were merely one clan within the village—naturally their weight was lighter.
He'd even refused to spare the elderly, weak, or children, preventing grown Uchiha survivors from seeking revenge against the village.
This extreme personality was perfectly suited for manipulation!
As long as you found the right angle, you could easily make Itachi trap himself in his own mental maze, walking in whatever direction you wanted him to go.
Previously, he and Danzo had been able to manipulate Uchiha Itachi. Now Uchiha Yasushi could naturally do the same!
Without Itachi even speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew what choice he would make!
He grew increasingly frantic. Releasing his grip, he threw away the Adamantine Staff, hoping the Monkey King Enma would find an opportunity to disrupt the situation and interrupt Yasushi's game.
But although Yasushi was playing games, his attention on others remained sharp.
The moment Monkey King Enma transformed and appeared, massive numbers of branches immediately wrapped around him. In an instant, all the chakra in his body was absorbed completely. He could only look helplessly at his old master before canceling the summoning jutsu, disappearing from the spot in a puff of white smoke.
Yasushi glanced at the restless Hiruzen Sarutobi. With a slight hook of his finger, he gave the former Hokage some special attention.
The branches around Hiruzen Sarutobi accelerated their chakra extraction. Immediately, all strength drained from his body. He could no longer move, no longer cause trouble.
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