Chapter 123 - 23

Chapter 23: Naruto's InterrogationNaruto listened quietly, the food in his bowl seemingly losing its taste.He put down his chopsticks, rested his hands on his knees, and leaned forward slightly. His blue eyes stared straight at Uchiha Itachi, swirling with long-suppressed emotions."Then..."His voice was soft, yet as sharp as an ice pick."Why?""Why does Konoha treat the descendants of the heroes who protected the Village like this?""Why treat me like a monster, isolating, ostracizing, and cursing me?""Why has even just being fed, clothed, and growing up like a normal child become an impossible luxury?"His barrage of questions was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, shattering the illusion of warmth in the room.Uchiha Itachi's hand, resting on his knee, tightened almost imperceptibly.Naruto did not stop; his gaze became even more aggressive."Itachi, do you think this is right? What if... what if this happened to you, or to Sasuke? What would you think? Could the Uchiha Clan accept it?""If one day, Sasuke were also isolated and reviled by the entire Village, living in a cold house, eating expired food, just because he was the descendant of some 'hero' or'sinner'... could you accept it?"Sasuke... The name was like a key, instantly unlocking the most hidden, most terrifying box in Uchiha Itachi's heart. His pupils contracted almost imperceptibly for a moment, and his breathing hitched for an instant.He couldn't help but think of his own countless restless nights, of his best friend Uchiha Shisui's eyes—losing their luster, closing, and never opening again—of his father's increasingly radical words at family meetings, and of the seemingly gentle but actually cold surveillance and precautions from the Village's high-level officials...The Village... Was it truly the warm place of light that Hokage-sama described? Was it truly worth sacrificing everything for, even the potential cost of sacrificing his younger brother in the future?He had come with a mission: to monitor the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, instill the will of fire, and ensure the "weapon" remained stable and controllable.But now, in this small room filled with the aroma of food, facing the blood-chilling, irrefutable interrogation from the victim himself, his repeatedly instilled beliefs wavered violently for the first time."Naruto..." Uchiha Itachi's voice was somewhat dry. He tried to answer using the words he had been taught countless times, "This is all... for the Village. Konoha is the home of all villagers. Sometimes, to protect the greater collective, individuals must make sacrifices... This is the will of fire, burning oneself to illuminate others, becoming the nutrients for Konoha's vigorous growth, endless and ceaseless...""Then what is the true meaning of the Village's existence?" Naruto interrupted him unceremoniously, his voice rising slightly, "It's to protect 'comrades', right? That's the first thing taught in the Ninja Academy."Uchiha Itachi fell silent; he found he couldn't continue fluently.Indeed, the Village existed to protect comrades; so why sacrifice "comrades"?To a "comrade" like Naruto, who was sacrificed and ostracized, what was the Village? A cold machine that extracted everything from them and then discarded them?This wasn't fair."The descendant of a hero is ostracized, struggling even for basic food and clothing—is this the so-called will of fire? Is this the future my parents sacrificed themselves to trade for?"By this point, Naruto was almost laughing in anger. A nameless fire, mixed with long-accumulated grievances, anger, and confusion, burned fiercely in his chest.He leaned forward abruptly, resting his hands on the low table, closing the distance with Itachi. His blue eyes, burning with flames, locked tightly onto Itachi's dark eyes, and he pressed him, word by word:"Itachi, answer me.""If the one being treated this way was Sasuke—your most important younger brother—would you accept it? Would you agree with this kind of'sacrifice'? Would you be willing to let it happen?!"Would you be willing to let it happen?! These four words exploded in Uchiha Itachi's ears like a thunderclap.He had experienced countless life-or-death situations and faced powerful and cunning enemies, but never before had he felt such immense pressure and... fear, as he did now, being questioned so bluntly and sharply by a 5-year-old boy.What he feared was not Naruto, but the potential future described in his words—Sasuke being abandoned, ostracized, and used by the Village, struggling in loneliness just like Naruto...He was not afraid of sacrificing himself for the Village, but he was afraid that his sacrifice would be worthless, and even more afraid that it would implicate Sasuke, plunging him into an irredeemable situation!If even the Village he trusted and was loyal to could not be relied upon, and could not give his younger brother a fair future... then what had everything he had done—enduring humiliation and bearing the burden, maneuvering between the clan and the Village—actually been for?What should he do?Uchiha Itachi's face turned slightly pale. For the first time, obvious wavering and struggle appeared in his eyes, which were usually as calm as water. His hands, resting on his knees, had his nails deeply embedded into his palms, leaving crescent-shaped white marks.Naruto stared intently at him, while also closely monitoring the panel in his consciousness that only he could see.[ Uchiha Itachi ] [ Current Affection: 66 → 58 → 62 → 55... ]The numbers fluctuated violently, up and down, just like his chaotic state of mind at that moment.It's working! Naruto felt a sense of certainty in his heart.He had long noticed the anomaly of this Uchiha Itachi; as a genius of the Uchiha Clan and an elite of the Anbu, he showed unusual friendliness and... some kind of complex guilt toward him, the "Nine-Tails Jinchuriki"?His mission was clearly to monitor and control him, but his words and actions, especially his deep, almost obsessive care for Sasuke, meant that he was not an impenetrable wall.Sasuke was his Achilles' heel, and also the breakthrough point."Kurama, you said earlier that you really hate the Uchiha, right?"Naruto communicated quietly with the Nine-Tailedinside him within his consciousness.[ "Hmph, a bunch of guys blinded by fake ocular jutsu, arrogant yet fragile! Especially that bastard named Uchiha Madara!" ]The Nine-Tailed's unhappy snort came through; whenever the Uchiha were mentioned, its tone was always full of disgust."Then what if... we had the chance to turn the tables and use these 'fragile' Uchiha, deceive them, and make them work for us? Wouldn't that also be interesting?"Naruto tried to guide it, while simultaneously stabilizing the Chakra in his body that had become somewhat restless due to the mention of the Uchiha.[ "...Hmm?" ]The Nine-Tailed's snort paused for a moment; it seemed to have become a little interested.[ "Brat, what are you trying to do?" ]