Love Sister-in-law or Love Gold

Uchiha Kazuhiko felt a flicker of joy upon seeing the triggered World Line Mission, but immediately couldn't help but retort:

So, no matter what I do, you're convinced I'm destined to die by Itachi's blade, right?

Are you looking down on me, Big Tiger, with this mission?

I refuse to believe that with my astonishing perseverance and a lifetime of insights, I cannot change fate and save this Uchiha family!

When the time comes, let Obito and Danzo come together; should I avoid their edge?

I choose three. I want to see if the blade in Uchiha Itachi's hand is sharp, or if it's harder than my own unyielding integrity!

"Hmph, hmph~" Itachi's chuunibyou-esque declaration and the World Line Mission made Kazuhiko snort with laughter:

"Want to make a bet? I bet you'll definitely come back to obediently pick up your medical report."

Itachi turned his head, shot Kazuhiko a sidelong glance, and walked away, leaving behind only the sight of his proud head.

An 18-year-old Genin—if you weren't a medical ninja recommended by Shisui-nii, you wouldn't even be qualified to see me, hmph!

"Looks like you don't dare to bet with me."

Itachi remained silent, quickly disappearing past the office door.

Under normal circumstances, provocation works wonders on an Uchiha.

It is well known that ninjas of the Uchiha clan are the competitive type; even if they can't win with their hands, they refuse to admit defeat with their mouths—take Obito, for example.

If they can win, well, then, "polish my shoes" (in a French accent)—a representative figure being Sasuke.

For someone like Itachi to treat provocation as if it were nothing is truly rare among the Uchiha.

"Got personality. I'm starting to like you a little."

In the clinic lobby, Itachi spotted Uchiha Shisui waiting for him at a glance.

To Itachi, Shisui was his older brother, someone he could trust completely.

It was precisely because of this that Itachi had come here to undergo a bizarre psychological diagnosis.

Thinking of how Kazuhiko had used Genjutsu to transform into Shisui's likeness, he felt incredibly annoyed.

In Itachi's eyes, such a clumsy imitation was undoubtedly a desecration of his brother.

Itachi walked toward Shisui, who was observing the crowd, and sat down beside him in tacit understanding, staring blankly at the flow of people in the clinic along with him.

It was a scene that might look boring to an outsider, but Itachi inexplicably liked it.

He didn't know what Shisui was looking at, but he liked the feeling of the two of them being together—he could drop all his defenses, didn't have to worry about the disturbances of the outside world, and didn't have to carry the pressure of being a genius.

Itachi didn't lean against the back of the chair; instead, he braced his hands on the edge, swinging his small feet in a relaxed manner, letting his mind go completely blank.

Shisui tilted his head to see this scene and smiled:

"The psychological diagnosis seems to be working quite well."

Thinking of Uchiha Kazuhiko, Itachi curled his lip and didn't respond. After all, he was a doctor recommended by Shisui, so he couldn't speak ill of him to his face, so he changed the subject:

"There doesn't seem to be anything interesting to look at in the crowd, right?"

Shisui looked toward the flow of people in the lobby. "This? I'm thinking about something."

"What?"

"Even though the medical standards at the Konoha Hospital Headquarters are higher and there are more medical ninjas, the Uchiha always crowd into the clan clinic, preferring to wait in long lines rather than go to the headquarters for treatment."

"Why is that?"

Itachi continued to swing his small feet, not wanting to think at all.

It was rare for Shisui to be on leave from the Anbu, and every moment they spent together was precious.

So, thinking about things like this could just be left to the other person.

"Because our Uchiha clan is sick."

"The Uchiha clan is sick?" A look of confusion appeared on Itachi's small face.

Shisui smiled. "That's an interesting way to put it, isn't it!"

He reached out and pointed at the people queuing in front, continuing:

"I asked them, and they told me things like 'I come here because I trust my own people more,' 'I hate being gossiped about,' 'Uchiha ninjas are always pushed to the back of the line at the Hospital Headquarters,' and so on. Everyone's reasons seem strange and varied, but the essence is actually—our Uchiha clan is sick."

"Kazuhiko-nii said that one must look past the phenomena to see the essence; the reason for this phenomenon is that both we, the Uchiha, and the entirety of Konoha are sick."

Kazuhiko-nii?

Itachi frowned slightly. What kind of status does he have to be worthy of Shisui-nii calling him 'nii'?

And what kind of bizarre theory is this? The Uchiha and Konoha aren't people; how could they be sick?

Shisui didn't notice Itachi's aversion, immersed in the theories Kazuhiko had fed him, speaking eloquently.

"We are born in Konoha and taught to love Konoha, yet we are treated by Konoha as internal enemies who might rebel at any moment—isolated, monitored, and discriminated against."

"Our Uchiha clan has been branded with the label of 'dangerous elements.' For various reasons, our clansmen have gradually developed a fixed mindset that 'the whole world is against us.' This has led to an extreme distrust of the outside world, trapping us within the small circle of the Uchiha."

"It is precisely this identity fragmentation, this sense of abandonment and paranoid cognition, that has made all of us Uchiha sick. To use the diagnosis from Kazuhiko-nii, it is—"

Shisui looked at Itachi, who had stopped kicking his feet. "We all have psychological issues and are in need of a psychiatrist. This is the original intention behind Kazuhiko-nii pioneering psychotherapy, and it is the reason I insisted on bringing you here."

Itachi's small mouth parted, and he suddenly didn't know what to say.

Putting himself in their shoes, he realized that the problems entangling his heart were indeed exactly as described.

Whether he should love Konoha, love the Uchiha, or perhaps love his older brother and younger brother—Itachi found himself unable to clearly distinguish between them.

He wanted to maintain the peace and tranquility of Konoha village forever.

However, the clansmen were in constant conflict with Konoha, and radical factions would even shout slogans about "armed seizure of power" and "supporting a coup" from time to time.

On one side was the peaceful, beautiful life of Sasuke in Konoha; on the other were his parents and clansmen preparing to seize power. This was the root of the pain for Itachi and Shisui: they were people of Konoha, but they were also Uchiha.

And so, after the Third Hokage threw the multiple-choice question "Do you love Konoha or the Uchiha?" at Itachi, his condition worsened, his brain completely crashed, and he chose to love Konoha.

To use an inappropriate analogy:

Would you rather love your sister-in-law or gold?

Because Itachi hadn't read enough books, he chose to love the gold, and the result was that he lost both the person and the gold.

The ideology Uchiha Kazuhiko wanted to instill in them now was, simply put, to make them love a Konoha that included the Uchiha. This was also the direction Shisui had been striving toward.

Kazuhiko speculated that it might have been precisely because of this obsession that Shisui, after witnessing the death of a comrade, awakened Kotoamatsukami—a technique capable of rewriting another's will—in a desperate attempt to control the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, to achieve the ultimate goal of a Konoha with the Uchiha.

Unfortunately, he was ambushed by Danzo, who stole his eye, and his mission failed before it could even begin.

However, even if Shisui had successfully controlled Fugaku, a war between the Uchiha and Konoha would actually have been unavoidable.

This was because Senju Tobirama had already deeply implanted the theory that "Uchiha equals Hamas" into Konoha.

Therefore, even if Shisui had used Kotoamatsukami to prevent the Uchiha's "bloodless revolution," Konoha would not have sat idly by and watched a "Hamas" member who had awakened the Mangekyo continue to lead the Uchiha clan.

In fact, after witnessing the terrifying power of Kotoamatsukami, the destruction of the Uchiha would only have accelerated.

Because those high-ranking officials in Konoha, who had the "Uchiha equals Hamas" ideology rooted in them, would only have become more terrified and anxious at the prospect of Kotoamatsukami being used on themselves.

Therefore, it wasn't just about "training" Shisui and Itachi; the entire upper echelon of Konoha needed to be "trained" as well!

"Then how should we get them to go to the Hospital Headquarters?"

Itachi crossed his arms and looked at the crowd, beginning to ponder. "Or rather, how do we cure the Uchiha's illness?"

"That question is very complex. But Kazuhiko-nii said, 'Stand tall, foster unity, strive for equality, and uphold justice.'"

"Stand tall—what does that mean?"

"The Sharingan of the Uchiha is the foundation that allows us to stand tall. It is precisely this power that prevents our clansmen from being bullied and keeps Konoha from being engulfed by the flames of war..."