Chapter 192: Fugaku: "Itachi was influenced by his environment."
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha clan compound.
"Fugaku, you've been looking at it for two hours." Mikoto Uchiha leaned against the doorway, her beautiful face showing a complex expression, as she watched Fugaku Uchiha stand motionless in a room.
She sighed softly, saying, "Even if you stay in Itachi's room all day, he won't come back."
A hint of dejection appeared on Fugaku Uchiha's usually expressionless, stern face.
The longing and sadness in his eyes could not be hidden.
"Mikoto, the Uchiha clan should not be like this."
Fugaku Uchiha had been silent for who knows how long before he finally spoke: "The Uchiha clan shouldn't pursue [Absolute Justice], because it will make the Uchiha go from one extreme to another."
"Itachi was worried that the Uchiha clan would become too extreme. He feared that such a Uchiha clan would harm Konoha. He was even more afraid that over time, he wouldn't be able to control the situation."
"Perhaps he didn't choose to descend into darkness on his own. Instead, it was people like Setsuna Uchiha and Ikeizumi Uchiha who kept pushing him in that direction."
"If there hadn't been Setsuna Uchiha who was determined to stage a coup, if there hadn't been Ikeizumi who was so extreme he would even kill the Hokage's son..."
"Would Itachi have fallen into darkness?"
Mikoto Uchiha was stunned. She thought about it seriously and was about to say something, but Fugaku Uchiha interrupted her.
It turned out that Fugaku hadn't been looking for an answer from her; he was just talking to himself.
"No."
Fugaku Uchiha took a deep breath and said, "The reason a person becomes so unyielding is because of their environment."
"On the outside, there was the Hokage's expectations of Itachi and the influence of the Will of Fire on him. On the inside, there was the radical faction led by Setsuna Uchiha and the [Absolute Justice] led by Ikeizumi Uchiha."
"These four factors are the main reasons why Itachi became someone we, as his family, barely recognized."
Seeing that her husband's emotions were a bit off, Mikoto Uchiha finally spoke up.
"Fugaku, let what happened in the past stay in the past. If Itachi were still alive, he probably wouldn't want to see you so worried and sad."
Mikoto Uchiha comforted him softly: "Itachi was a good child who would proactively share the burden so that you, his father, wouldn't have to work so hard."
"Your obsession will only keep Itachi from resting in the Pure Land."
Mikoto Uchiha silently added in her heart: 'If you're so obsessed with Itachi's death, something bad will definitely happen.'
Mikoto Uchiha was also well aware of the radical ideas that were difficult to erase from the Uchiha bloodline.
She knew that even if her husband seemed calm and composed on the surface, the radicalism and arrogance inherent in the Uchiha bloodline could not be worn away.
She was afraid that in his obsession, Fugaku would suddenly come up with some strange idea.
And that strange idea could very well lead to Fugaku getting into trouble.
"Hmph..."
Fugaku Uchiha let out a heavy sigh. His lone figure looked particularly lonely. With his back to Mikoto Uchiha, he said, "Mikoto, Itachi was a person who considered everything very carefully. Especially after he learned from Ikeizumi that he would destroy the Uchiha clan in the future, he may have already been planning the clan massacre in his heart."
"That also means that he prepared many backup plans, measures, and contingencies during the process. Perhaps in his many plans, he also anticipated that he might die at someone's hands before he could even carry out the clan massacre."
"I am thinking about what backup plan he left behind."
When Mikoto heard this, she knew her husband hadn't taken anything she had said to heart.
A look of disappointment flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Mikoto Uchiha said, "Fugaku, I just hope you don't say these strange things to Sasuke when he comes back. You've already let Itachi become that way; you can't let Sasuke, who chose a special ninja way, also become like Itachi."
"You're right."
This time, Fugaku Uchiha listened, which was very rare for him. "We can't let Sasuke follow in his footsteps."
Mikoto was taken aback, then a smile appeared on her face. "That's more like it."
She continued, "I'm going out to buy some ingredients. I'll make Sasuke a few of his favorite dishes tonight."
Mikoto Uchiha's footsteps grew fainter and fainter.
Fugaku Uchiha remained standing quietly in Itachi Uchiha's room.
"Konoha..."
"Sasuke..."
"..."
"Ikeizumi..."
Fugaku felt a bit flustered.
An hour passed quickly. In that time, Izumi first passed Inoichi's message to Ikeizumi Uchiha, then hurried back to the Nara clan compound.
She brought back the information about Orochimaru that Inoichi Yamanaka had collected from Nao Hekawa, as well as the Yamanaka clan ninja who had just returned to Konoha, and found Ikeizumi Uchiha again.
After a brief pause to catch her breath, the young girl said, "Ikeizumi-senpai, I've brought them!"
Ikeizumi Uchiha took the information file but didn't rush to open it.
Instead, his gaze fell on the slightly uneasy Yamanaka clan ninja in front of him.
"You will help me find Gato," Ikeizumi Uchiha said to him. "Afterward, the Military Police Force will give you a reward."
"No, there's no need!"
Anzei Yamanaka quickly shook his head. He was just a low-level Konoha Chūnin and couldn't muster any confidence in front of Ikeizumi Uchiha, even though his Clan Head had told him not to be so nervous. He continued frantically, "As long as there's a chance to help [Absolute Justice], I'll definitely do it without seeking any reward."
Ikeizumi Uchiha glanced at him and said, "But you need to set an example for others who are still hesitant about [Absolute Justice].
Let them know that cooperating with the Military Police Force to eliminate evil is not a scary thing. They can also benefit from it, giving them a positive reinforcement."
Anzei Yamanaka was stunned.
"[Absolute Justice] doesn't expect everyone in the ninja world to worship or believe in it. But it also can't let those who have hope for justice be overly afraid that [Absolute Justice] will harm them. The only ones who should be afraid of justice are those with evil hearts."
Next to him, Izumi Uchiha frantically pulled out a small notebook and a fountain pen from her clothes.
With a swift hand, she recorded every word Ikeizumi-senpai had just said in detail.
Mhm!
These words from Ikeizumi-senpai were definitely not just for this Yamanaka clan ninja; they were probably also for her and Anko.
Ikeizumi Uchiha paid no mind to the young girl's little actions.
He opened the interrogation file, which contained all the information about Orochimaru that Inoichi Yamanaka had filtered out.
The most crucial piece of information was the specific location of one of Orochimaru's secret labs in the Land of Fire!
Ikeizumi Uchiha's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, he asked the nervous Yamanaka clan ninja, "Where is the subordinate of Gato you know?"
Anzei Yamanaka gave him an address.
Ikeizumi Uchiha closed his eyes, recalling a detailed map of the Land of Fire, and connected the two locations and Konoha Village with a single line.
"I can take care of it on the way."
He said.
......................
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