Chapter 125: Sequence 9 - Secrets Supplicant
Seeing him still frozen at the doorway, Mikoto blinked with gentle concern. "What's wrong? Please come inside."
"No, it's nothing." Uchiha Kazuki smiled reassuringly while secretly activating his spiritual vision. He stepped into the room, casually glancing around before asking with practiced nonchalance: "By the way, Mikoto-sama, how has the protective charm I gave you been working? Has it been effective?"
"Speaking of which, I haven't properly thanked you yet~"
Mikoto pursed her lips delicately, gracefully brushing a strand of dark hair from her temple. She responded softly: "Thanks to your charm, I've been sleeping remarkably well these past several weeks."
Having extracted the confirmation he needed through this simple exchange, Uchiha Kazuki had developed a rough understanding of the situation. He adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. "Where is Itachi currently? I'd like to see the child."
"Of course~"
Mikoto replied gently, leading him deeper into the bedroom.
This was the newborn Uchiha Itachi. Observing the infant lying peacefully on the futon, swaddled in soft white cloth, Uchiha Kazuki couldn't help but feel a profound pang of complex emotion.
Who could have possibly known that this innocent child would eventually become the root cause of the Uchiha clan's complete annihilation?
"Isn't he absolutely adorable!"
Mikoto tenderly lifted Itachi into her arms, whispering affectionately: "Itachi, look—your future master has come to visit you!"
Her large, expressive eyes held unmistakable longing—like a young girl eagerly awaiting praise and approval. Looking toward Uchiha Kazuki beside her, she stated with obvious pride: "You have no idea—this child is extraordinarily well-behaved! He doesn't cry or fuss at all, and he even opened his eyes immediately after birth!"
Madam, you're making it sound as though I'm somehow responsible for all this...
Uchiha Kazuki sighed internally, though he probably did bear some indirect responsibility for the situation.
Seemingly sensing the arrival of an unfamiliar presence, little Itachi in his mother's protective embrace slowly opened his eyes. Just as Mikoto had described, upon seeing a stranger, he neither cried nor showed distress. Instead, he quietly observed Kazuki with remarkable focus, babbling softly while reaching out one tiny hand—as if he'd discovered something genuinely fascinating.
"Oh Look at that! This child really likes you"
Witnessing this interaction, Mikoto hugged her son closer, her maternal heart swelling with even greater joy.
"Yes, this child... possesses remarkable intelligence."
Uchiha Kazuki gazed intently at Itachi, his eyes subtly shimmering as he observed the infant through his activated spiritual vision.
Sure enough—it was almost exactly as he'd hypothesized!
Within Itachi's spiritual body resided an extraordinary characteristic. Though not completely formed, it was substantial enough to rival a genuine 'Sequence 9' Beyonder.
"It's an extraordinary characteristic from the Hanged Man pathway. His mental world contains trace corruption from the True Creator's aura." He adjusted his glasses while exploring Itachi's astral body more deeply. As expected, the child's mental landscape wasn't pure or clear, but rather shrouded in layers of shadowy darkness.
Probing even deeper with his spiritual senses, he could faintly detect incomprehensible murmurs.
This corrupted voice proved all too familiar to Uchiha Kazuki—it was unmistakably the murmuring of the 'True Creator.' However, because the infant's sequence remained extraordinarily low, the contaminating effects weren't particularly pronounced yet.
It had to be acknowledged—this represented an entirely unexpected windfall.
A chess piece casually positioned had unexpectedly created a natural-born Beyonder!
"Sequence 9: Secrets Supplicant?"
Uchiha Kazuki contemplated internally, his analytical gaze fixed on baby Itachi.
Influenced extensively by that corrupted charm talisman, Mikoto had existed in a prolonged state of spiritual delirium and corruption throughout her pregnancy. This ultimately resulted in her child being born inherently possessing the extraordinary characteristics of the Hanged Man pathway!
"It seems you've taken quite a liking to Itachi as well~"
Mikoto smiled sweetly upon noticing him staring silently at the child for an extended period. "When Itachi reaches three years old, he can formally begin studying under your guidance. You absolutely must teach him well then~"
"Yes, of course."
Uchiha Kazuki returned her smile with quiet determination. "I will definitely educate this child properly and thoroughly."
Setting all other considerations aside—
Simply because Itachi naturally possessed Hanged Man pathway characteristics, Kazuki would cultivate him meticulously.
[Side Quest: Omniscient and Omnipotent—Part One]
[Please cultivate and accommodate a Sequence 1 characteristic of the Hanged Man pathway]
[Reward: Hanged Man Pathway Uniqueness]
At that precise moment, a line of semi-transparent system text silently materialized before his vision.
Staring at those floating words, Uchiha Kazuki's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as profound calculations churned through his mind.
"Mikoto-sama, I'm afraid I have other urgent matters requiring my attention, so I should take my leave now."
He smiled politely with practiced courtesy. "I still have several responsibilities to handle with the ANBU. I'll come visit Itachi again very soon."
Looking mildly disappointed, Mikoto bit her lower lip reluctantly but could only whisper her acceptance: "Alright then... please come see Itachi frequently. This child genuinely likes you very much~"
Whether that sentiment represented Itachi's feelings or her own remained ambiguous.
To this observation, Uchiha Kazuki could only offer a polite smile before swiftly departing.
Ever since learning in advance that Kirigakure and Iwagakure were planning to launch coordinated warfare against Konohagakure—
The village, operating under direct Hokage orders, suspended accepting external missions and continuously recalled Jōnin previously stationed at distant outposts, preparing systematically for the inevitable coming conflict.
Even legendary shinobi like Tsunade and Jiraiya received official recall orders, though characteristically, neither seemed inclined to comply immediately.
A metaphorical storm was brewing ominously. A palpable atmosphere of tension enveloped all of Konohagakure.
Yet Uchiha Kazuki—the primary instigator behind all these escalating events—seemed almost detached from the chaos, forgotten by most as he repeated his mundane routine of 'reporting to work' and 'leaving work' daily.
To successfully complete his system mission requirements, he had resumed his medical practice at Konoha Hospital.
Numerous shinobi suffered from various ailments, with even more experiencing significant psychological trauma and stress disorders.
However, Uchiha Kazuki didn't treat just anyone indiscriminately. He carefully selected only elite Jōnin patients, offering them seemingly routine psychological counseling sessions. During each appointment, he exercised extreme caution—subtly implanting psychological suggestions through conversation, then utilizing his Dream Walker abilities at night to gently hypnotize them through their dreams.
"Thank you so much, Kazuki."
Nara Shikaku expressed genuine gratitude, seated across from him in the consultation room. "If it weren't for your skilled treatment, I honestly wouldn't know how to handle this situation!"
"It's perfectly alright, Shikaku-san."
Uchiha Kazuki smiled with gentle reassurance. "Many men experience these particular intrusive thoughts during stressful periods. You really don't need to blame yourself so severely."
"Hearing you say that genuinely makes me feel considerably better."
Nara Shikaku smiled with visible relief, stroking his hair absently. "You have no idea, but recently when sleeping, I kept having these disturbing dreams about... ahem... myself and Danzo together, you understand?"
"Uh-huh, I completely understand."
Uchiha Kazuki's polite smile froze momentarily as he desperately wished he could claim ignorance.
"Thanks entirely to your professional treatment, I feel dramatically improved now!"
Nara Shikaku seemed to have genuinely regained his spirits and confidence. "Now I finally won't have to endure being constantly nagged by my wife at home anymore! Just wait and see how I handle things when I return tonight!"
With that bold declaration, he straightened his shoulders proudly and strode confidently from the clinic.
Watching Nara Shikaku's departing figure, Uchiha Kazuki rubbed his temples wearily and sighed softly: "Tsk... if it weren't for Danzo's situation causing widespread psychological trauma, I genuinely wouldn't have been able to complete this particular mission so efficiently."
Thanks inadvertently to Danzo's gender transformation, which had caused profound psychological disturbances among Konoha's Jōnin corps, he'd successfully completed his assignment during this period—hypnotizing ten elite Jōnin total.
[Side Quest: A Qualified Psychologist—Part 5]
[Please hypnotize or control at least ten elite Jōnin/Kage-level shinobi (10/10) ✓]
[Reward: Arianna's Evernight Talisman]
"Evernight Talisman..."
Uchiha Kazuki stared contemplatively at the newly acquired mystical item, his thoughts drifting involuntarily: "Speaking of which... if I called out 'Mother Evernight,' would the Goddess actually respond to save me?"
[End of Chapter 125]
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