Complete Guide to Countering Uchiha

"Establish a 'Psychology Clinic'" and "report anything that requires my attention"—he'd been assigned an S-rank, top-secret mission. The Third Hokage had secured a "Psychology Clinic" without spending a thing or offering any tangible reward.

Only talking about the mission and not the pay—wasn't that just taking advantage of him?

As expected, anyone who wanted to be a boss had to learn to dangle a carrot first.

Kazuhiko sighed inwardly. He also knew there was no room to refuse this mission.

"Lord Hokage, it's wise to prepare for failure before hoping for success. What if I can't complete the mission?"

Treating Tsunade was bound to be difficult.

Tsunade's hemophobia wasn't an ordinary psychological problem.

It was severe PTSD—a case of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She wasn't simply afraid of blood. Her fear was a life-threatening physiological conditioned response tied to war, death, and the loss of loved ones.

Treating Tsunade's hemophobia with Psychological Genjutsu was out of the question. They weren't on the same level, and any Genjutsu Kazuhiko cast would be obviously fake. Tsunade would see through it at a glance.

And if he tried to treat her with actual psychological therapy, the first problem would be:

How could he bring up Nawaki in front of Tsunade without getting sent flying?

She might be afraid of blood, but her strength was genuinely at Kage Level. Beating Kazuhiko to a pulp would be no trouble for her.

The Third Hokage smiled faintly and met Kazuhiko's gaze.

This Uchiha was very different from the others.

He wasn't arrogant and dismissive of everyone after awakening the Sharingan, nor was he gloomy and repressed.

Instead, he was practical and spoke his mind.

"Your ideas about psychological medicine are excellent, and Placebo Therapy is valuable as well."

"Even if you fail, Konoha Medical Headquarters will still establish a Psychology Clinic, and all the medical ninja will come to recognize this approach to treatment."

To the Third Hokage, sending Kazuhiko to treat Tsunade's hemophobia was simply a practical trial of psychological medicine.

Whether it succeeded didn't really matter.

After all, Tsunade had been suffering from hemophobia for years. Even if Kazuhiko failed to treat her, what would happen?

Konoha would lose nothing.

But if he succeeded, Konoha would regain a Kage Level fighter in her prime.

And it would prove Kazuhiko's loyalty to Konoha beyond a doubt.

Loyalty wasn't something you could prove with words alone.

Healing Tsunade—that was the real pledge of allegiance Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted.

"Then what if I cure Lady Tsunade's hemophobia?"

Kazuhiko asked again. He would have to find a way to complete the mission.

He still had a worldline mission to impeach the Third Hokage and support a new Hokage.

Treating Tsunade's hemophobia would bring him closer to the future Hokage, killing two birds with one stone. It couldn't be better.

Even if he couldn't cure Tsunade's hemophobia through medical treatment, Kazuhiko still had the [Trait] card up his sleeve.

Cruel personality traits like a love of killing and a craving for blood weren't uncommon among ninja. As long as he was willing to draw enough cards, curing Tsunade by giving her a trait would actually be easy.

The Third Hokage looked a little surprised. He hadn't expected Kazuhiko to ask that.

"If you really can cure Tsunade's hemophobia..."

"Konoha will grant you access to the Konoha Secret Technique Protection Order."

"You'll be allowed to learn the Yamanaka Clan's basic mental support techniques."

The Konoha Secret Technique Protection Order was equivalent to the "Village Treasure-Level Secret Technique Protection Act."

Its purpose was to protect Konoha's non-Kekkei Genkai, non-forbidden, purely clan-inherited secret techniques and newly developed techniques, preventing them from being leaked, stolen, or copied.

The Sharingan was strictly prohibited from being used to learn or copy them.

Teaching anyone outside the clan required unanimous approval from the Hokage and the advisory council, and even then, only basic support techniques could be taught. Core techniques were never to be shared.

Anyone who secretly taught the techniques, leaked them, or defected with them would immediately be listed as an S-rank missing-nin and killed without exception.

The Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques, including the Mind Body Switch Technique, Mind Body Disturbance Technique, and Mind Body Transmission Technique, could directly invade a person's consciousness and mind to read thoughts, control the body, and communicate.

If Kazuhiko could obtain these techniques, they would be a tremendous help in treating the Uchiha's eye-opening problems in the future.

The Third Hokage's reward was already quite generous.

Kazuhiko would have liked to ask the Third Hokage for the forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Seals as well, but that was obviously unrealistic.

After all, the Scroll of Seals was known as the "Book of Tobirama"—or, as some called it, the "Complete Guide to Countering Uchiha."

The Second Hokage had invented various Water Release techniques to counter the Uchiha Clan's Fire Release.

He'd invented the Flying Thunder God to counter the Sharingan's dynamic vision.

He'd invented the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to confuse the Uchiha's Sharingan.

And he'd invented the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to deprive them of their sight and make them completely blind.

What would happen if Kazuhiko, an Uchiha ninja, got his hands on forbidden techniques designed to counter the Uchiha?

If he really figured out how to counter them, how would Konoha deal with the Uchiha in the future?

So the Third Hokage had offered him the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques, which were indeed the best fit for Kazuhiko. He'd clearly thought the reward through carefully.

Kazuhiko said, "All right. I'll make sure the mission succeeds!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled.

"Excellent. I'm glad you have that confidence."

"There's no time to waste. I want you to set out as soon as possible. An Anbu Ninja will escort you while you search for Tsunade."

"You have one day to prepare."

Kazuhiko added one last safeguard:

"I have one final request. The Anbu Ninja escorting me needs to be strong. If I bring up a past she doesn't want to talk about in front of Lady Tsunade, I'm worried an ordinary ninja won't be able to protect me..."

It sounded as though Kazuhiko was afraid of Tsunade's temper, but really, he wanted protection in case Danzo suddenly went berserk.

"Hahaha..."

[Hiruzen Sarutobi's affection for you increased]

The Third Hokage laughed heartily.

"Fine! I agree."

"Hiruzen, do you really believe an Uchiha will do everything in his power to treat Tsunade?"

After Kazuhiko left, the Hokage advisor Utatane Koharu emerged from the hidden room, her brows knitted tightly.

As a student of Senju Tobirama, she firmly believed that the Uchiha were born evil.

The Sharingan Kekkei Genkai meant they could easily undergo drastic changes in temperament and rebel because they weren't satisfied with the status quo.

Would a doctor from a clan like that help Konoha treat one of its Kage Level fighters and watch Konoha grow stronger?

Utatane Koharu didn't believe it for a moment.

"He's different from the other Uchiha. I can't see any hatred in his eyes."

The Third Hokage walked to the window and looked down.

"You know he helped Uchiha Shota awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan."

"According to the surveillance, Shota's personality didn't become extreme. If anything..."

"He became more dependent on his family and enjoyed spending time with them even more. His awakening was similar to Shisui's."

Kazuhiko happened to be leaving the Hokage Building just then. The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes as he watched Kazuhiko's retreating figure.

"Whatever the outcome, there's no harm in letting Kazuhiko give it a try."

At Eri's Courtyard, it was dinnertime.

Kazuhiko pushed the rice around in his bowl, his tone casual.

"Mom, Dad, I'm leaving the village on a mission tomorrow."

When his mother, Eri, heard that her son was going on a mission, she raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of mission?"

"An S-rank, top-secret mission."

His father, Hideki, reacted strongly.

"An S-rank, top-secret mission!?"

"You brat, have you lost your mind?"

"No! I won't allow it!"