radicalducati Page 182
Page 182
A few clear birdsongs drifted in from outside the window, and the ward fell silent for a moment.
Tsunade looked at Itachi's slightly stiff expression, then suddenly smiled gently, her tone softening: "Don't make such a serious face. I'm not trying to scold you."
She took two steps closer and said earnestly, "At your age, to have such strength is already quite remarkable. Don't put too much pressure on yourself!"
She paused, raising an eyebrow slightly: "There can only be one Fourth Hokage. It's unrealistic for your clan leader to think he can cultivate another Minato Namikaze for the Uchiha clan!"
Upon hearing this, Itachi's previously tense lips tightened slightly, his eyes dimmed slightly, but his voice remained respectful and firm: "Lady Tsunade, thank you for your concern. But—"
He paused, then looked up and stared directly at Tsunade, a hint of determination in his eyes. "I respect Father's decision!"
Sasuke and Inahisa were both stunned.
Then, Tsunade sighed and shook her head helplessly.
It seems that my well-intentioned advice was mostly in vain.
"Sigh..." Tsunade gave a wry smile and said nothing more. "Get some rest."
She waved her hand, turned around, and walked out of the ward.
The door closed with a soft "click".
Inside the ward, Itachi let out a long breath, his expression returning to its usual calm.
Sasuke, however, remained standing there, still processing the information from Tsunade's words, his mind unable to calm down for a long time.
He recalled the events of just moments ago: the meaning behind Tsunade's words was crystal clear—
Nissan's training intensity was too high, which wore down his body. The source of pressure that made Nissan work so hard was his father!
Sasuke could hardly believe it.
In his memory, Nisan Uchiha Itachi had always been the most outstanding and excellent ninja.
In terms of both cultivation and character, no one in the entire Uchiha clan, or even the entire Konoha, could surpass him.
How could someone as perfect as him suddenly fall ill?
Sasuke had been completely baffled before, but now, everything seemed to have an answer—
Illness caused by overwork.
Nissan's illness was actually caused by overworking himself!
Thinking of this, Sasuke felt a complex mix of emotions: shock, heartache, and above all, incomprehension and a hidden resentment towards his father's actions.
His fists clenched involuntarily, then quickly relaxed.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
He vividly remembered his father's strict demands on him and his brother from a young age. He knew his father expected both brothers to bring honor to the family, but he never expected...
The father's demands on Nissan were so harsh!
“Nii-san…” Sasuke raised his head, looked at his pale brother on the bed, opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
While Itachi was deep in thought, he was brought back to his senses by the words and looked at his younger brother: "What's wrong?"
Sasuke pursed his lips, carefully choosing his words: "Um... what Tsunade-sama said earlier... is your illness really because of Father, brother?"
The weasel on the hospital bed paused slightly, then gave a gentle smile.
He didn't answer directly, but slowly raised his hand and ruffled his younger brother's slightly messy black hair.
“Sasuke…” Itachi’s voice was as gentle as a breeze, “It’s not entirely because of Father.”
As he spoke, Sasuke's slightly uneasy expression was reflected in his eyes. "What I hope for more is that you can grow up carefree."
boom--
Sasuke felt as if something exploded in his ears.
He stared wide-eyed at his elder brother, his gaze unwavering.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +1000!]
Itachi's warm hand was still resting on his head, gently rubbing it.
"N-Nisan..."
Sasuke's voice trembled, as if something was stuck in his throat.
He couldn't say anything more; he felt a thousand words stuck in his throat.
No wonder he always found it strange—
In my dreams, "myself" always has a silly smile on his face, just like a carefree, foolish son of a landlord.
Sasuke couldn't have imagined before how he could become so heartless, but now he suddenly understands.
It was precisely because Nissan shouldered all of his father's expectations and burdens that he gained the seemingly natural joy and freedom in his dreams.
……
Meanwhile, the people in the audience watching this scene had different expressions.
Naruto Uzumaki twitched his nose, his blue eyes filled with emotion: "So... there's such a story behind Sasuke's brother Itachi."
Naruto had seen the gentle Uchiha Itachi in his dreams several times before.
Every time he appeared, he was polite and understanding, and very kind to his younger brother and clansmen.
"Sasuke's father is such a terrible person!"
Naruto angrily curled his lip, "They don't even care about the life of their own son? That's outrageous!"
[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
Kakashi frowned slightly upon hearing this, instinctively wanting to reprimand Naruto for speaking ill of his elders in such a way—
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.
Thinking of Itachi Uchiha in real life, Kakashi felt a heavy weight in his heart.
To be honest, Naruto's statement wasn't entirely unfounded.
Fugaku deserves such praise.
After all, that man did many truly unbelievable and ruthless things back then—
Driven by the family's ambitions, they sent their eleven-year-old son into the Anbu as a spy, forcing Itachi, who had just turned eleven, to choose between Konoha and the Uchiha clan...
How many fathers could be so heartless?
Fugaku deserves the most credit for how Itachi turned out to be like that in real life!
A hint of sadness flashed in Kakashi's eyes. He shook his head, unwilling to think about it any further.
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
"call--"
He let out a soft breath, clearing his mind of his chaotic thoughts.
Compared to these old stories, he is now more concerned with another pressing issue.
He was still more concerned about Obito's situation.
Kakashi turned his head to look to his right.
Jiraiya-sama was sitting leisurely in a chair on the other side, staring at the screen with great interest, seemingly also moved by what had just happened.
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat: It's rare to see Jiraiya-sama here today!
Thinking of this, he lowered his voice slightly and asked Jiraiya, "Lord Jiraiya, um... have you found any clues?"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya withdrew his gaze from the screen and turned to Kakashi: "A clue? I only arrived near Kannabi Bridge tonight, and haven't had time to investigate in detail yet."
Kakashi was slightly taken aback, realizing he had acted too hastily: "I'm sorry, I was too impatient."
"Haha, it's alright." Jiraiya patted Kakashi on the shoulder twice and laughed heartily. "I understand how you feel. Don't worry, I, Jiraiya, will personally investigate and find out the truth! After all... he's also Minato's student!"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi nodded, a hint of nostalgia and sorrow flashing in his eyes: "Yes! Thank you for your help."
Naruto, who was standing to the side, was initially indignant on Itachi's behalf, but at this moment he keenly caught the key words.
He suddenly raised his head, his azure eyes staring straight at the two elders. "Dad's student?"
Jiraiya and Kakashi were taken aback.
The two exchanged a glance, both inwardly cursing – they had completely forgotten that Naruto was right beside them!
They had an unspoken agreement to keep Naruto from knowing anything about "Obito" for the time being, lest the little guy cause any trouble in a moment of impulsiveness.
Jiraiya smiled and said, "Yes, one of your father's students! He went missing during a previous war, and I'm currently searching for information about him."
Naruto scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.
Then he suddenly remembered the photo he had seen at Kakashi's house, a picture of Kakashi and his father.
Besides Kakashi-sensei and his father Minato, there is also a short-haired girl and a boy wearing goggles in the photo.
"Could it be those goggles?"
Jiraiya was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Kakashi: "Has Naruto seen him before?"
Kakashi nodded with a wry smile: "That's right, Naruto has seen his picture!"
Naruto grinned upon hearing this: "I actually quite like him! You perverted sage, you absolutely have to find him!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he gave Naruto a rather strange look: "What? You said you like him!?"
[Ding! Jiraiya's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +1000!]
……
the other side
VIP seating.
The weasel crossed his arms over his chest, disappearing into the darkness. He stared at the huge screen in front of him, his expression deep and unreadable.
The events in the dream didn't surprise him much.
He wasn't surprised by Itachi's choice; if he were in Itachi's shoes, he would have made the same choice.
He wasn't surprised by his father's actions; no one knew Fugaku better than Itachi Uchiha.