REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!Chapter 103: Grateful for Itachi's Gift
It's over!
On the other end, the suspended Hiruzen Sarutobi finally gave up struggling. Tears streamed down his aged face as he looked toward Itachi with eyes full of sorrow and regret.
The other clan shinobi wore expressions of unbearable pain, turning their heads away one by one, unable to watch the horror across from them.
Only Itachi kept his face wooden, head lowered, as if nothing had happened at all.
"Huahhahaha!"
Uchiha Yasushi grinned from ear to ear, waving his hand to release the Wood Release. He let Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others fall from the trees.
Without chakra in their bodies, these people couldn't move for the time being. They could only lie on the ground gasping for air.
The setting sun's remaining light fell upon them all, illuminating their wretched state with stark clarity.
Uchiha Yasushi cupped his hands toward the group in mock respect, smiling cheerfully.
"Come, come, congratulations everyone on your lucky escape!"
"I'm an honest and reliable young gentleman. My word is my bond—when I say I won't kill, I won't kill!"
"That you all get to keep your dog lives—you owe it all to Itachi's gift!"
"You should really thank Itachi properly!"
"Itachi is one of the outstanding members of the Uchiha clan. Rounding it off, you could say the Uchiha saved you!"
"Come, everyone shout with me!"
"Grateful for the Uchiha's gift!"
"Long live the Uchiha!"
Yasushi shouted with raised arms, playing around with high spirits, thoroughly enjoying himself.
But unfortunately, all of Konoha's survivors refused to cooperate even slightly. Not only did they show no gratitude, they stared at Yasushi with eyes filled with bone-deep hatred.
However, Yasushi was a man of great magnanimity. He wouldn't hold such small details against them.
Yasushi lowered his arms with a grin, turning to wave farewell to Itachi.
"Itachi!"
"Today's fun has reached its end. Let's stop here!"
"I still have business to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
"We brothers have all the time in the world. We'll meet again another day! Hahahaha..."
Yasushi laughed heartily as he strode away, leaving Itachi standing behind him, fists clenched tight, teeth grinding.
How he wanted to seize this opportunity to ambush Yasushi, to kill him. But reason told him he couldn't do it!
If he rashly attacked, he would only give Yasushi more opportunities for his "games." Even the comrades he'd just saved would all die as a result.
The feeling of powerlessness gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake. That torment of having his enemy right before his eyes yet being unable to take revenge nearly tore his heart apart.
A pain of utter helplessness spread through his chest, growing worse and worse, piercing to the very core.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it all!"
Itachi felt waves of tightness in his chest. A mouthful of blood surged up from his abdomen, but he forcibly swallowed it back down, leaving only a bright red stain at the corner of his mouth.
The metallic sweetness of blood spread through his mouth—the taste of failure, proof of humiliation. He closed his eyes, suppressing all the pain and rage within his trembling body.
But soon, his attention was drawn away by a startled cry.
"Ah, Lord Hokage, there are people here who aren't dead!"
"What?" Hiruzen Sarutobi startled. "Quickly, save them! Check again carefully—see if there are others still alive!"
A group of people struggled up from the ground and checked each person one by one. They actually discovered quite a few survivors, though these people's limbs were all shattered, scattered on the ground like broken dolls—the kind that even if Tsunade herself returned, she couldn't possibly heal.
"Lord Hokage, these people..." One quick-witted shinobi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, inquiry clear in his eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment. Before he could make a decision, he heard Itachi interject from the side.
"This is what Uchiha Yasushi deliberately left behind."
"He needs these people to spread word of today's events to everyone in the village."
"Of course, if you want to silence them, Uchiha Yasushi certainly wouldn't object."
"In fact, he'd probably be even happier!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly felt a chill of alarm. He quickly shook his head. "Itachi, don't overthink this!"
"What silencing witnesses?"
"These are all shinobi from the village. How could the village possibly turn a blind eye? Of course we'll do everything we can to help them."
"Is that so?" Itachi said flatly. "Actually, they're already crippled. They won't be able to carry out missions anymore. They'll just waste food. Even if they were cleaned up, it wouldn't be such a big deal."
"Just say they died gloriously in battle. Give extra compensation. No one would be suspicious."
"Everyone here is trustworthy. No one would leak the information."
"As for outsiders' gossip—that's all enemy schemes to sow discord. Just control public opinion a bit. There's no need to pay attention to it."
Without Sasuke as an anchor point anymore, Itachi sank deeper and deeper into the abyss. The humanity within him grew fainter and fainter, his way of thinking gravitating toward some kind of extreme direction.
The people nearby who heard these words felt their hearts pound wildly. Some were tempted. Others frowned.
Rumors were like dull knives—when they killed, they were slow and painful!
A life bought by trading village comrades—once word got out, who knew how many people would curse their names behind their backs? The damaged reputation wouldn't just affect Uchiha Itachi alone. Everyone present would share the blame.
Looking at the earlier behavior of those victims, they'd clearly developed resentment toward the village. If these people woke up, they definitely wouldn't have anything good to say about today's events.
Even accounting for deference to the village's authority, they might not say too much bad about the village itself. But toward these surviving "comrades," they'd probably have plenty more complaints.
From this perspective, silencing these people here truly was the most reasonable optimal decision.
But this kind of thing could only be done, never spoken aloud. No one dared propose it actively.
Now seeing Itachi become the one to stick his neck out, they simply went with the flow, turning their gazes toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, waiting for their supposedly "wise and mighty" Hokage to make the final decision.
"Itachi, say no more!" Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Itachi sharply, waving his hand. "The village would never do such a thing!"
"They all sacrificed for the village. How could the village abandon them?"
His words rang with conviction, every wrinkle on his face carved with determination and righteousness—just like his performance all these years.
Everyone's thoughts varied, but they said no more, simply lowering their heads to focus on the rescue efforts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched them bustle about, but in his heart he sighed secretly, finding himself missing his old comrade Shimura Danzo.
The existence of Root truly had its necessity! Who should inherit the position of Root leader and rebuild Root?
Hiruzen Sarutobi drifted into thought for a while, then was startled awake by the deafening sound of explosions.
Though Iwagakure had retreated, the other three villages hadn't. They were still fighting fiercely.
He looked at the raging flames burning in the distance and the increasingly white-hot battle, his teeth itching with hatred.
This couldn't continue. Otherwise Konoha would be destroyed sooner or later.
Could it be that the only option was...
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted constantly. But the current situation didn't allow him time to think. He hastily summoned the Monkey King Enma again, gripped the Adamantine Staff, looked left and right, and immediately decided on the direction of attack.
When bullying, it's best to pick the weakest —Sunagakure, you're the one!
He raised the Adamantine Staff and led the Konoha forces charging toward Sunagakure's direction.
****
70+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces