The sky had barely brightened when Uchiha Mikoto arrived with Uchiha Itachi.
Yamanaka Inoichi had prepared for this. He asked his wife, Yamanaka Rino, to receive their guests, then slipped out through the back door and hurried to the Nara Clan's home, where he hauled Shikaku Nara out of bed.
Inoichi grabbed Shikaku by the collar and raced home with him, telling him what had happened the night before along the way. "Help me assess the situation, so Mikoto's treatment doesn't lead to any serious problems."
Shikaku Nara grumbled, "Yamanaka Chujiu's plan was pretty thorough. Why not let him handle it? Why'd you have to drag me out of bed?"
Yamanaka Inoichi said, "I don't care. You're my partner, so you have to help me figure this out!"
"Don't forget, you said the situation in the village was tense and that we all needed to be cautious. You insisted that any contact with the Uchiha had to be evaluated by you."
Shikaku Nara sighed. "All right, all right. We'll do it the usual way. You go back and meet Mikoto, and I'll listen in from next door."
Yamanaka Inoichi nodded. "Fine. Just don't get distracted this time. Make your signal more discreet. Don't let anyone catch you again."
Shikaku Nara gave an embarrassed grin. "Heh, I'll try..."
A few minutes later, Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head in front of Mikoto. "Chujiu's diagnosis should be right, but to be on the safe side, I need to examine him again."
Uchiha Mikoto was deeply moved and thanked him repeatedly.
Yamanaka Inoichi gathered chakra and used the Mind Body Switch Technique to examine Uchiha Itachi's brain, starting with his completely harmless surface memories and analyzing them layer by layer.
At the same time, Yamanaka Inoichi deliberately tried to reassure Uchiha Mikoto. "Mental illnesses don't arise for no reason. Aside from the few that stem from one's bloodline, most are caused by an unhappy family life or the shock of some major upheaval."
"Fugaku has a steady temperament, and you're an excellent mother, Mikoto. There's absolutely nothing wrong with his bloodline."
"Uchiha Itachi is only five. He hasn't suffered abuse, so even if he does have a mental illness, it shouldn't be too severe."
"...Oh, damn!"
Yamanaka Inoichi's expression changed. He'd heard the details from his younger brother, Chujiu, but he'd still found it hard to believe Fugaku could be so irresponsible.
Following the mental pathways Chujiu had described, he quickly found a host of related psychological problems.
Peeling back the layers of those issues, Yamanaka Inoichi discovered the real problem. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder!"
"This... This is a mental illness that can only develop after experiencing the most brutal combat on a battlefield. How could a child like Itachi have it?"
Uchiha Mikoto raised a hand to cover her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs as she explained, "Itachi's father... Fugaku... took him to the battlefield a year ago..."
"Fugaku said... it was to toughen him up..."
Yamanaka Inoichi was furious. "That's outrageous!"
"Who takes a child that young to a battlefield?"
"Has Fugaku lost his mind?"
Mikoto quickly regained control of her emotions and asked, "Inoichi, can Itachi be cured?"
Yamanaka Inoichi fell silent.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was already a very difficult mental illness to treat, and Itachi's age made matters worse. The treatment would be more than ten times as difficult.
But the real problem was that the patient was Uchiha Itachi.
The boy was a genius of the Uchiha Clan and would most likely awaken the Sharingan.
Everyone knew that for the Uchiha, the pain of battle and the loss of a beloved comrade were often what triggered the awakening of the Sharingan.
Yamanaka Inoichi wasn't sure whether his treatment might cause some unforeseen change and permanently prevent Uchiha Itachi from awakening the Sharingan in the future.
Besides, although he'd prepared himself the night before to use this opportunity to get ahead of Shimura Danzō and dispel any suspicion that he was closely connected to the Uchiha Clan, now that the moment had come, he wasn't so sure.
Shimura Danzō had already bared his fangs, barking at the Uchiha like a mad dog.
The Third Hokage's position was unclear. He'd loosened the restraints on Shimura Danzō and let him act freely.
Yet Shimura Danzō hadn't gone straight after the Uchiha. Instead, he'd used the opportunity to put pressure on the other ninja clans.
He was not only forcing them to distance themselves from the Uchiha, but also extorting talent from each clan, conscripting gifted young—and even very young—ninja into Root.
By now, everyone knew what Root was.
Any good child sent there was either brainwashed into becoming one of Danzō's die-hard loyalists or turned into a corpse for no reason at all.
Sometimes there wasn't even a corpse—just a cold report marked "missing."
No one wanted to hand their children over to Shimura Danzō, let alone children with exceptional talent.
But after the Fourth Hokage's death, Shimura Danzō had ruthlessly expanded Root.
He'd put the most pressure on the clans best suited to Root: the Aburame Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, the Kurama Clan, and Hatake Kakashi, the last surviving member of the Hatake Clan.
Yamanaka Inoichi hadn't dared to directly refuse Shimura Danzō. Instead, he'd cited the lack of a clear order from the Third Hokage as a reason not to comply with Danzō's demands.
If he treated Uchiha Itachi, Shimura Danzō might seize the chance to attack the Yamanaka Clan with everything he had.
If he didn't, he'd be standing by and watching a Konoha prodigy's potential go to waste.
Yamanaka Inoichi was truly caught between a rock and a hard place. Even Shikaku Nara, listening next door, couldn't come up with a solution that satisfied everyone.
At this critical moment, Yamanaka Chujiu stepped forward. "Senior Uchiha Mikoto, the atmosphere in the village is far too tense right now, and the Uchiha Clan is at the center of it all. As the clan head, my older brother shouldn't personally treat Uchiha Itachi."
"I was the first to diagnose Itachi, so I'll treat him."
"Please rest assured. My secret techniques are just as good as my brother's. I guarantee I can cure Uchiha Itachi."
He turned to Yamanaka Inoichi. "Big brother, we may be brothers, but I'm not the clan head."
"As an ordinary ninja of the Yamanaka Clan, even if Shimura Danzō tries to cause trouble, it'll be much harder for him to drag the whole clan into it through me."
Uchiha Mikoto wasn't a foolish beauty. She understood the Yamanaka Clan's predicament and knew that the brothers were taking a huge risk.
Deeply touched by their thoughtfulness, Mikoto accepted Yamanaka Chujiu's offer and handed him the money she'd prepared in advance.
Yamanaka Chujiu took the money and immediately passed it to his older brother, Inoichi.
Yamanaka Inoichi didn't refuse. He pulled a Brass Key he'd prepared earlier from his robes and handed it to Yamanaka Chujiu.
"This is the key to the Mental Sealing Array at Konoha Hospital."
"The Mental Sealing Array can amplify the effects of secret techniques while reducing chakra consumption. Take Uchiha Itachi to Konoha Hospital."
Uchiha Itachi immediately stepped forward and bowed. "Senior Yamanaka Inoichi, thank you so much."
"Senior Yamanaka Chujiu, thank you for your effort."
Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Let's get going."
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