Uchiha Mikoto Seeks Medical Help

The sky had just begun to brighten when Uchiha Mikoto arrived, bringing Uchiha Itachi along with her.

Inoichi Yamanaka had been mentally prepared for this; he had his wife, Yamanaka Rino, step forward to host them while he slipped out the back door, sprinting to the Nara residence to drag Shikaku Nara out of bed.

Inoichi hauled Shikaku along by his collar as they raced toward his home, briefing him on last night's events as they went. "You need to keep an eye on this for me," he urged. "I don't want Mikoto's treatment to spiral into a major problem."

Shikaku Nara grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Chujiu Yamanaka designed the plan perfectly well. Why didn't you just let him handle the reception? Why did you have to drag me out of bed?"

Inoichi Yamanaka retorted, "I don't care! You're my partner, and you're the one who has to give me ideas!"

"Don't forget, you were the one who said the situation in the village is tense right now. You demanded that we all be cautious and that any contact with the Uchiha must be evaluated by you."

Shikaku Nara sighed helplessly. "Fine, fine. Let's stick to our old method. You go back and meet with Mikoto directly, and I'll listen in from the next room to hear what she has to say."

Inoichi Yamanaka nodded. "Good. Don't let your mind wander this time. Make sure your signals to me are more discreet; don't let anyone catch us again."

Shikaku Nara offered an embarrassed laugh. "Heh, I'll try my best..."

A few minutes later, Inoichi Yamanaka shook his head in front of Mikoto. "Chujiu's diagnosis is likely correct, but for the sake of caution, I need to perform another examination."

Uchiha Mikoto was deeply moved, thanking him repeatedly.

Inoichi Yamanaka gathered his chakra and used the Mind Body Switch Technique to delve into Uchiha Itachi's mind, analyzing layer by layer, starting from the completely harmless surface memories.

At the same time, Inoichi Yamanaka deliberately tried to comfort Uchiha Mikoto: "Mental illnesses don't appear without reason. Aside from the rare cases stemming from bloodline traits, most originate from family misfortune or major traumatic shocks."

"Fugaku's temperament is very stable, and Mikoto, you are an excellent mother. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his bloodline."

"Uchiha Itachi is only five years old. He hasn't suffered domestic abuse. Even if he does have a mental illness, it shouldn't be too severe."

"...What the hell!!"

Inoichi Yamanaka's expression shifted. He had understood the situation from his younger brother Chujiu, but he had always felt that Fugaku couldn't possibly be this unreliable.

However, following the mental path Chujiu had described, he quickly discovered a multitude of derivative psychological issues.

Peeling back the layers of mental trauma, Inoichi Yamanaka found the root cause: "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder!"

"This... this is a mental illness that only occurs after experiencing the most brutal combat on the battlefield. How could a child like Itachi have contracted this?"

Uchiha Mikoto reached up to cover her mouth, suppressing the urge to cry as she explained, "Itachi's father... Fugaku... took Itachi... to the battlefield a year ago..."

"Fugaku said... this was training for the child..."

Inoichi Yamanaka was furious. "Absurd!"

"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's illness be cured?"

Inoichi Yamanaka fell silent.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was a notoriously tricky mental illness to treat, and the patient being only five years old made it ten times more difficult.

But what was even more critical was that the patient was Uchiha Itachi.

This kid was a genius of the Uchiha Clan; there was a high probability he would awaken the Sharingan.

It was common knowledge that Uchiha often awakened their Sharingan through the pain of battle or the loss of beloved teammates.

Inoichi Yamanaka wasn't sure if his treatment might cause some unexpected change that would seal off the possibility of Uchiha Itachi ever awakening the Sharingan.

Furthermore, although he had prepared himself mentally last night, intending to use this opportunity to play a game of preemptive suspicion-clearing against Danzō Shimura and distance himself from the Uchiha Clan, he now felt uncertain as the moment arrived.

Danzō Shimura had already bared his fangs, barking at the Uchiha like a mad dog.

The Third Hokage's stance remained unclear; he had loosened the restraints on Danzō Shimura, allowing him to act freely.

And a free Danzō Shimura wasn't just targeting the Uchiha; he was using the opportunity to pressure other ninja clans.

He was not only forcing everyone to distance themselves from the Uchiha but also extorting talent from the various clans, conscripting young—even very young—genius ninjas into Root.

By now, everyone knew exactly what kind of place Root was.

No matter what kind of promising child was sent in, they were either brainwashed into becoming Danzō's loyal puppets or turned into corpses for no reason at all.

Sometimes there wasn't even a corpse, just a cold, heartless "missing in action" report.

No one wanted to hand their children over to Danzō Shimura, especially not children with exceptional talent.

But after the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself, Danzō Shimura had been frantically expanding Root.

The ones he pressured the most were the clans most suited for Root: the Aburame Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, the Kurama Clan, and the last surviving member of the Hatake Clan, Hatake Kakashi.

Inoichi Yamanaka hadn't dared to refuse Danzō Shimura outright, instead using the excuse that the Third Hokage had given no clear orders to reject Danzō's demands.

If he treated Uchiha Itachi, Danzō Shimura might use it as a pretext to launch a frantic attack on the Yamanaka Clan.

If he didn't treat Uchiha Itachi, it would be equivalent to watching a Konoha genius wither away.

Inoichi Yamanaka was truly caught in a dilemma, and even Shikaku Nara in the next room couldn't think of a way to satisfy both sides.

At this critical moment, Chujiu Yamanaka stepped forward at the perfect time: "Senior Uchiha Mikoto, the atmosphere in the village is too tense right now, and the Uchiha Clan is at the center of the storm. My brother, as the head of the Yamanaka Clan, is not in a position to treat Uchiha Itachi personally."

"Since I was the one who first diagnosed Itachi's condition, let me be the one to treat him."

"Please rest assured, my level of secret technique is no worse than my brother's; I guarantee I can cure Uchiha Itachi's illness."

He turned his head to Yamanaka Inoichi and said, "Big Brother, although we are brothers, I am not the clan head after all."

"As an ordinary ninja of the Yamanaka Clan, even if Shimura Danzō wants to find fault, it won't be so easy for him to implicate the entire clan through me."

Uchiha Mikoto was no mere pretty face; she understood the predicament of the Yamanaka Clan and knew that the Yamanaka brothers were taking a huge risk.

The understanding Mikoto was deeply moved, accepted Yamanaka Chujiu's plan, and took out the money she had prepared long ago to hand to Yamanaka Chujiu.

Yamanaka Chujiu took the money and immediately handed it over to his elder brother, Inoichi.

Yamanaka Inoichi did not decline; he took the Brass Key he had prepared from his bosom and gave 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 and reduce chakra consumption. You should take Uchiha Itachi to Konoha Hospital."

Uchiha Itachi immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Senior Yamanaka Inoichi, thank you so much."

"Senior Yamanaka Chujiu, thank you for your hard work."

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Let us set off at once."