Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 399 Correcting Uchiha Itachi

Aokiji looked at Itachi's surprised expression: "Is it strange? Why would I give Danzo this role?"

Itachi nodded, asking his teacher like a student, "Yes."

Are you familiar with the concept of black gloves?

"Black gloves?"

Aokiji had an "I knew it" look on his face: "It's normal for someone your age not to know. In this world, there are some jobs that are inconvenient to do in public because you're afraid of getting your hands dirty. That's when the black gloves come into being. If you're ever exposed, you can shirk all responsibility and even use the excuse of being kept in the dark to gain sympathy and whitewash yourself."

Itachi made a connection, his voice low and menacing: "Root..."

"That's right, that's how Root was born. If the Third Hokage hadn't been protecting Danzo, do you think Root would have thrived?"

"..."

"Danzo has done so many things over the years, who do you think benefits the most? Isn't it that Hiruzen Sarutobi?"

Aokiji spoke in a cold, disdainful tone:

"I think Hiruzen Sarutobi was probably right there when Danzo gave the order. For example, when Danzo sternly declared that he would kill our entire clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi put on a hypocritical face and said, 'Stop! The Uchiha clan are our comrades. I don't want to use this method. Please, Itachi, buy me some time. There's still time for things to calm down. I'll do my best in return.' And then, that was it..."

Itachi looked shocked.

What Aokiji said matched the content of the meeting at that time very well, and even the lines were almost identical.

Aokiji laughed and said, "Judging from your expression, it seems my guess was pretty accurate."

Itachi nodded: "Almost the same."

Aokiji curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Hmph, singing in unison, how shameful."

Itachi showed a pained expression.

"You think the higher-ups killed me to give the Daimyo a reasonable explanation, but let me tell you, the higher-ups have wanted to kill me for a long time. What I did just gave them the perfect excuse."

"Why... did it have to go this far?"

Why?

Aokiji sneered, "Isn't it obvious?"

"It's simply because my surname starts with Uchiha. The village has been targeting the Uchiha for a long time, you don't deny that, do you?"

Itachi nodded.

Aokiji continued to project his values: "No need to answer so decisively. I'm afraid in your heart, the Uchiha clan is a narrow-minded clan, and that you deserve this treatment entirely, right?"

Itachi was taken aback upon hearing this. After a long pause, his black and white Sharingan eyes turned blood red, revealing three tomoe as if he wanted to see through his opponent with these Sharingan eyes.

The feeling he got from Aokiji was that he knew him almost better than he knew himself, which was unbelievable.

They've only been in formal contact for a short time.

Aokiji shrugged and chuckled softly, "Don't look at me like I'm a monster. I know you so well. We're just the same kind of people. We've shown a maturity far beyond our years since we were young. It's just that we've taken different paths."

Itachi looked at Aokiji with a puzzled expression.

"I think you've already secretly investigated my past, haven't you?"

Itachi nodded truthfully.

"Then you should also know what kind of person I was in the past."

Itachi thought about the results of his investigation. He didn't know until he investigated, and the more he investigated, the more he discovered that Aokiji was definitely an oddball when he was a child.

It's hard to imagine that it would be associated with the current Aokiji.

Aokiji's face showed a hint of self-deprecation: "Back then, because I didn't want to be a ninja, I deliberately did those things. Looking back now, it's really a dark history that's hard to talk about."

"deliberately?"

Aokiji teased, "Although it sounds like I'm bragging, I guess I'm a genius. If I had shown extraordinary talent from a young age, guess what I would have done?"

"..."

"I guess I'll be sent to the battlefield at such a young age... An eagle that hasn't grown up is just a fledgling. Am I out of my mind to go to the battlefield so early? Isn't that just courting death?"

Itachi: ...

He felt that Aokiji was subtly referring to him, like the guy whose head got squeezed by the door.

But he had no reason to refute it.

After all, even he almost died in an accident back then.

Aokiji sighed, "But alas, I'm like a firefly in the night, shining so brightly that I can't hide it. Even though I've hidden myself so deeply, I've still been discovered in the end. Sigh, those adults in the clan are really annoying..."

Itachi: ...

Aokiji's smile faded, replaced by a more serious tone: "Although these words were somewhat sarcastic, it was precisely this experience that gave me more time to think independently about the world, preventing me from becoming like you, someone who takes advantage of being a tool and feels superior, being sold out while still indulging in self-pity."

Itachi: ...

Aokiji clapped his hands, steer the conversation back to the main point: "Alright, let's get back to the point. Where was I?"

He waved his finger and continued, "Oh, right, speaking of narrow-mindedness, that's something I need to talk about properly."

"Don't think that only the Uchiha clan has this kind of thing. Everyone has this kind of thing, because it's human nature. Just like how one's feelings for one's children are always greater than those for outsiders."

Aokiji countered, "Am I right?"

Itachi nodded.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi probably subtly instilled in you a way of looking at things from the perspective of the overall interests of the village."

Aokiji chuckled and sarcastically remarked, "For example, something like you're looking at things from a new perspective in Naruto."

Itachi was taken aback.

You guessed right again.

When he was seven years old, the Third Hokage did indeed make this comment about him: "He is able to stand in the shoes of the Hokage when it comes to problems."

"Judging from your expression, I didn't guess right again, did I? No way, no way."

Aokiji smirked, his sigh tinged with boredom: "You really did have me figure you out perfectly."

"Why do you know this so clearly?"

Because I've read the comics...

Aokiji said calmly, "This is nothing, it's just basic stuff for politicians."

"..."

"Itachi, you know what? Actually, the phrase 'look at things from the Hokage's perspective' is a very insidious statement."

"insidious?"

Itachi is naive and doesn't quite understand this sentence.

"This is actually a case of flattery to kill, you know?"

"To praise someone to death?"

Itachi looked surprised.

He was terrified of encountering the term "praise to death" for the first time, but its literal meaning is not difficult to understand.

Aokiji said, "I think when you heard those words, you must have felt a little bit of secret joy, even if you didn't think so yourself. But you must have felt that way subconsciously, for no other reason than that's human nature."

Itachi: "..."

"The highest level of persuasion is not about eloquently spouting a bunch of grand principles, but about guiding the other person to reach their own conclusion. In this way, that person will firmly believe that they are right, and even stubbornly believe that everyone else is wrong."

Aokiji pointed at Itachi and said earnestly, "And that's your situation right now, you know? Think about it carefully, isn't that what I'm saying?"

Itachi broke out in a cold sweat; the thought was utterly terrifying.

"If you still don't understand, then I'll explain it to you again, what it means to look at things from the Hokage's perspective."

"To be honest, I'm getting a bit hoarse from talking so much. If it weren't for the fact that you're Fugaku and Mikoto's son, I wouldn't have wasted so much time talking to you; I would have killed you long ago."

Aokiji's cold laugh was filled with chilling killing intent.

Itachi felt the surrounding temperature drop suddenly; he knew the other person wasn't joking, but serious.

Aokiji exhaled, suppressing his killing intent: "The so-called perspective of the Hokage, in other words, is to view the issue from the perspective of the Hokage's interests."

"Benefit……"

Itachi murmured, pondering the meaning of these words. Although only two words had been changed, the nature of the entire sentence had been completely altered.

"As an elder, let me teach you a piece of advice; please keep it in mind."

"What are you saying?"

"When your enemy praises you, you'd better think about what stupid thing you did."

Itachi silently repeated it to himself a few times. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that the higher-ups seemed to always praise him and always commended him for some grand cause or overall situation.

Aokiji glanced at him: "You've been fooled by the higher-ups for so long, you've probably never looked at things from the Uchiha's perspective."

Upon being reminded, Itachi lowered his head in shame and was about to start thinking.

Aokiji coldly interrupted, "No need to think about it, I'll just tell you directly to save time."

Itachi listened.

Aokiji said, "The Uchiha and Senju founded Konoha and worked hard to make the village prosperous. Logically, our clan should have gained glory and status, but what was the result?"

"Not only did it not happen, but it got worse and worse. Gradually, the villagers looked at us with strange eyes, the gap between us widened, and we were increasingly disrespected. However, the culprit was the result of the interconnected high-level management. The Konoha Police Force, which seemed to be all-powerful, was actually just a security force with no real power. All the bad things were borne by our clan, while we didn't get any benefits. It's no exaggeration to say that we were Konoha's dogs."

"No, that's not it..."

Itachi looked uneasy, and his tone became erratic.

At this moment, even he himself didn't know what he was denying. Perhaps it was because Aokiji's words had deeply hurt him, and his subconscious was protecting himself.

Otherwise, the beliefs he has held all these years would be a joke, and he would be living like a clown.

"No, we are dogs, and we are dogs that bring our own dog food."

Aokiji's resentment wasn't just personal; it represented the pent-up emotions of the Uchiha clan over many years. At this moment, he represented not only himself, but also the entire Uchiha clan.

"The Uchiha clan considered resolving this peacefully through politics, but would that have been effective?"

"It's completely useless. The path to political advancement has been completely blocked. Even discrimination against the Uchiha has gradually become a form of political correctness. We feel deep malice and even despair."

"This generation sees no hope, and we will never see any hope in the future. What can we do at this point? We can only fight to the death with force, not only for ourselves, but also for our descendants. All we want is fairness."

"You might think that what we're doing here will cause huge turmoil in the village, resulting in many casualties, and that we lack a sense of the bigger picture."

"The flag bearer can arbitrarily decide the fate of the pieces for the sake of overall victory, but we are not pieces. We are living, breathing people with feelings. I am not content with what we have now, and we want to change things."

"Now, you're telling me what 'strategic thinking' means? Does 'strategic thinking' mean that's how Uchiha are born? Submissive, obedient, and like a piece of trash?"

(End of this chapter)