Student Yamanaka Chujiu Bows to You!

Ever since Uchiha Itachi learned the concept of the Execution Line yesterday, he had sincerely accepted Yamanaka Chujiu from the bottom of his heart.

His admiration for Yamanaka Chujiu's wisdom (borrowed knowledge) blossomed into a faint faith, which was sensed by the Heart Severing Realm and subsequently connected.

In the dream of their connection, Uchiha Itachi once again received the infusion of Yamanaka Chujiu's philosophy, solving the problem that had plagued him for an entire year: how to achieve peace.

The answer was that peace could not be achieved out of thin air; it required brave souls to stand up and hold war at bay, outside the paradise of peace.

However, these brave souls were not gods; they could not withstand the damage of being attacked from both front and rear. Therefore, there must be no threats lurking behind those who stood to block the war.

Unfortunately, there was a massive threat within Konoha: Shimura Danzō, who eyed the Uchiha clan like a tiger stalking its prey, along with the Root organization he led.

Even more unfortunately, the reason Shimura Danzō posed such a great threat was that the Third Hokage was shielding him.

Uchiha Itachi immediately reached a conclusion: to protect peace, one needed brave souls; to protect those brave souls, one had to confront Shimura Danzō; and to eliminate Shimura Danzō...

One had to take down the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Although the details of the dream could not be recalled, a shift in cognition would not automatically roll back just because the details were missing.

Thus, Uchiha Itachi underwent a massive transformation overnight.

First, his stance had changed.

Yesterday's Uchiha Itachi was a supporter of the Third Hokage, a member of the Hokage faction; today, he was an opposition member against the Third Hokage.

Secondly, his relationship with Yamanaka Chujiu had changed. Before falling asleep, he had only a preliminary approval of Yamanaka Chujiu, but upon waking from the dream, it had reached the level of a spontaneous, intense sense of closeness.

Therefore, when Yamanaka Chujiu reached out his hand, Itachi subconsciously reached out to take it, obediently following him as they left the home of Yamanaka Inoichi.

Yamanaka Inoichi, Yamanaka Rino, and the secretly observing Shikaku were unfamiliar with Uchiha Itachi, so naturally, they did not know how strange this behavior was.

But Uchiha Mikoto was different; she was completely stunned, her mouth hanging open in shock.

Uchiha Itachi had been like a little adult since he was small, rarely showing the affectionate gestures of an ordinary child. Ever since he learned to walk, he hadn't even held his father Fugaku's hand.

Now, as he held hands with Yamanaka Chujiu, it was as natural as if they had done so countless times, as if it had long since become a habit.

Mikoto tried her best to hide her shock and followed them out.

The treatment process went very smoothly.

Yamanaka Chujiu brought Uchiha Itachi to the Konoha Hospital, used his influence to enter the Advanced Treatment Zone, and used the Brass Key to unlock the key nodes of the Mental Sealing Array, activating it.

With the amplification of the sealing array, he easily channeled his own spirit into Uchiha Itachi's brain, performing a series of operations such as sealing, blurring, and logically connecting memories.

Because Uchiha Itachi's thoughts had been updated the previous night, forming a complete logical pathway, this single treatment was enough to clear the obstacles in his new logic and shield him from past psychological shadows, making the treatment a complete success.

Uchiha Itachi still yearned for peace, but he no longer harbored the delusion of bringing total peace to the ninja world; instead, he set his goals on protecting Konoha, protecting the Uchiha clan, and protecting his own family.

With a clarified goal and the path to realization infused by Yamanaka Chujiu—along with specific efforts and steps—the pressure weighing on his heart vanished.

When Yamanaka Chujiu led Uchiha Itachi out of the sealing array, that face, which hadn't smiled since he was four, bloomed with a natural smile: "Mother, I'm better."

Uchiha Mikoto was overjoyed, hugging her eldest son and kissing him: "You're better, my son is better!"

Countless people in the hospital witnessed this scene. No one cared about the Uchiha status; everyone let out kind laughter, and some even applauded, causing Uchiha Itachi to blush deeply.

But he didn't shy away or push his mother away; instead, he gathered his courage and kissed her back.

Uchiha Mikoto felt so happy she could fly, tears falling unknowingly, yet her smile was even more radiant.

A moment later, Mikoto regained her composure and pulled Yamanaka Chujiu aside: "You have been busy from morning until afternoon treating Itachi; it must have been so exhausting."

"Regardless, please let me treat you to a meal at the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant to express my gratitude."

This kind-hearted woman had no idea that this interaction, which exceeded the boundaries of doctor and patient, was nothing but trouble for Yamanaka Chujiu.

But Yamanaka Chujiu smiled and nodded: "I am indeed hungry, so I won't stand on ceremony with you, Mikoto-senpai."

At this moment, Uchiha Itachi realized the issue, but when he wanted to warn his mother, he was interrupted by Yamanaka Chujiu's smile.

Itachi understood Chujiu's meaning with absolute clarity: It's fine, it's exactly what I wanted.

He was slightly puzzled as to why he could see a smile and completely understand Yamanaka Chujiu's meaning, yet he felt no doubt that he had misinterpreted it.

This was Yamanaka Chujiu's first believer. Through the connection established by the Heart Severing Realm, he understood and trusted Yamanaka Chujiu as a matter of course, without needing any reason.

Soon, Uchiha Itachi cast even the last shred of doubt to the back of his mind, happily enjoying a grand feast with his mother and Yamanaka Chujiu.

When the meal ended and Yamanaka Chujiu left the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant, he felt the familiar, cold emotion without any surprise.

It was a Root ninja dispatched by Shimura Danzō to monitor him.

Judging by the extreme coldness of the emotion, the Root ninja monitoring Yamanaka Chujiu had almost no self, brainwashed to a fanatical degree.

The moment the threads of his thoughts coiled around them, the two Root ninjas were controlled without any resistance, turning into Yamanaka Chujiu's living puppets in the blink of an eye.

Yesterday, to stop the Uchiha ninjas from rushing into the Shanty Town, Yamanaka Chujiu had spent eight living puppets at the chunin level.

Although he only gained two today, their strength was greater—they were definitely elites among chunin, and they were capable of executing missions freely within the village. All things considered, it was enough to make up for his losses.

So, this wasn't surveillance at all; they were simply delivering gifts to his doorstep.

Thanks for the donation, old friend Danzō!

Well, good things come in pairs!

Yamanaka Chujiu turned on his heel and headed to the Shanty Town with two Root ninjas, where he selected the twenty highest-quality corpses from those processed by Root and sealed them into the storage scrolls he carried with him.

Ten minutes later, these corpses had become experimental materials for Orochimaru, while Yamanaka Chujiu reaped a delightful fortune.

Orochimaru asked once more, "Have you considered it?"

Yamanaka Chujiu stowed the money away, flashed a brilliant smile at Orochimaru, and then dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, kowtowing three times in rapid succession.

"Teacher Orochimaru, your student Yamanaka Chujiu pays his respects!"

Orochimaru: "..."