Chapter 51: An Opportunity to Vent
"Itachi, have you made up your mind?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to puff on his pipe. The smoke-filled office seemed ready to swallow him whole, making it impossible to see his true face or guess what he was thinking.
"I will minimize Konoha's losses, and I will infiltrate the Akatsuki Organization as an undercover agent to uncover the conspiracy behind the Masked Man!"
"You will carry a lifetime of infamy, and your name will never be cleared in this life!"
"As long as you agree to let me take my Familywith me and allow me to preserve the last bit of the Uchiha Bloodline, I am willing to bear all of it!"
"And after that? Let the remnants of the Uchihacome back to seek revenge on Konoha?" Hiruzen Sarutobi voiced his greatest concern.
"This is Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan. I believe you are well aware of the Dōjutsu within this eye; it is powerful enough to completely rewrite a person's thoughts. The scenario you fear will never happen!"
*Puff... puff...*
Hiruzen Sarutobi weighed the pros and cons as the tobacco in his pipe burned away at an extremely rapid pace.
"And if I don't agree?" Hiruzen Sarutobi did not want to tolerate too many uncontrollable factors. After all, leaving things half-done always invites future trouble!
"Though my physical condition won't allow me to protect the Uchiha Clan for long, I can still manage to severely cripple Konoha single-handedly, just as Uchiha Madara once did."
Naruto suddenly gave a bitter smile. "Besides, someone with people to care about won't be too reckless. I believe someone of your shrewdness understands this well. Compared to an obvious danger, it's more reassuring to prioritize dealing with uncertain factors, isn't it?"
*Puff... puff...*
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, still puffing hard on his pipe, though his face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink.
Although he didn't want to leave any loose ends, the truth was as Naruto said: a person with attachments wouldn't go too far, especially a Ninjalike Naruto who possessed what was currently the Uchiha's peak power.
"I agree." Hiruzen Sarutobi made a compromise. "You may take your Family, but you must hand over Shisui's eye to me!"
"Once I have settled my Family, I will naturally hand the eye over to you. After all, just as you fear me using Shisui's eye now, I fear you just as much!"
Since it was a negotiation, Naruto naturally had to consider every angle, ensuring things were favorable to his side. Even if it meant tearing off the mask of civility and showing mutual distrust, it was necessary.
A 'win-win' is sometimes not just a lie, but a fuse that drags a person into the abyss!
In this world, fools don't live long enough to see the day a win-win arrives...
A few days after Naruto and Hiruzen Sarutobireached their agreement, on a night when the moon was perfectly round, the Uchiha Clansuffered a frantic attack.
"Itachi! You..."
"You actually betrayed the Family!"
"I'll wait for you in Hell..."
"Heh... I never expected the biggest traitor would be you!"
"..."
The wails of the Uchiha clansmen were like the soul-reaping chains of the Black and White Guards, shackling Naruto's heart without any hope of release. At this moment, Naruto actually felt a surge of self-loathing; he hadn't expected he would go this far for a mandatory System task.
"But this is just a game!" Naruto's state of mind adjusted quickly. "For the mistakes I've committed, I will do my best to compensate Sasuke after I return... But for now, all I can say is sorry!"
*Clap! Clap! Clap!*
That hateful and unforgettable sound of clapping echoed in Naruto's ears again. The Masked Manappeared beside Naruto like a ghost once more, accompanied by several followers.
"So Kamui doesn't just allow him to travel through space at will, it can also bring others along!" Naruto silently noted this intel, thinking it might be useful later.
"Truly spectacular, wouldn't you say, Itachi?"
"Mind your own business!" Naruto said with a cold face. "Even though I'm about to join your organization, my killing intent toward you remains unchanged!"
"But Itachi won't make a move, will he?" The Masked Man was completely unfazed. "After all, you still have Family who need to survive under the protection of the Akatsuki Organization. If you kill me, you might not even have a place to stay!"
Naruto didn't bother wasting words with the Masked Man. Once the 'Uchiha Clan Massacre Night' task was complete, the first person Narutowanted to kill was him!
With the addition of the Akatsuki Organizationmembers led by the Masked Man, the speed of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation accelerated sharply, which actually lessened the guilt in Naruto's heart.
About two hours later, the noisy Uchiha district fell into total silence, and the long-awaited Systemnotification rang out in Naruto's mind again.
[Uchiha Clan Massacre Night task completed. Performing quality assessment for this task, please wait...]
[Quality assessment complete. The specific report and score are as follows:]
[From the moment you learned the date of the Uchiha Clan's massacre in advance, your performance has been remarkable. Both your actions and the various measures you implemented were quite effective.]
[Even at the final moment before the Uchiha Clan's annihilation, the Host found ways to delay and even potentially avoid the clan's destruction.]
[In terms of strength, courage, Heart-Nature, and wisdom, although the Host still has flaws, you have completely surpassed the passing line and even approached perfection.]
[In summary, this mandatory task is rated as 'Excellent'. Reward: 200 experience points. Current balance: 200 experience points. The Host can later exchange items in the Experience Mall and select rewards for this mandatory task.]
[Considering the Host has completed the advancement assessment, higher Systempermissions are opened to the Host in advance. Upon completion of this task, the Host's stay time in this life experience game is increased to 30 minutes.]
The surprise the System brought Naruto this time wasn't just the 'Excellent' rating and subsequent rewards; this extra 30 minutes of stay time was the System's greatest gift.
With the power Naruto now controlled, he could tear off his disguise and do the things he had wanted to do for a long time within those 30 minutes!
"Reverse Summoning Jutsu! Activate!"
Naruto decisively bit his finger. A trump card he had prepared long ago suddenly manifested. Amidst a plume of rising smoke, Naruto used the help of the Ninja Cat Clan to appear outside the Hokage Building in an instant.
This was a method Naruto originally intended to use to maximize his gains during the brief stay times of previous tasks. Although he had more time now, his plan to use Shisui's Mangekyo to steal the scroll of seals would still be carried out.
Not only that, but Danzo Shimura, Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, the Masked Man, and the Akatsuki Organization were also temporarily added to Naruto's kill list, thanks to this extra half hour!
The resentment, hatred, and helplessness he had accumulated over the years all erupted at this moment!
Even if this was just a virtual life experience game, being able to briefly vent the 'unresolved grievances' in his heart was a bargain he couldn't lose on!
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