For Freedom

"I want Konoha thrown into chaos." Ning Qi smiled like a villain as he said it.

Everything was already beyond saving.

Looking at Ning Qi before him, Itachi shook his head.

Konoha had produced its greatest traitor.

War would inevitably break out tomorrow.

Although Konoha had made preparations, now that the intelligence had leaked, the Uchiha Clan's preparations would only be more thorough than Konoha's.

What a fanatical and ambitious clan they were.

They did not lack the courage to make hard decisions. Itachi could fully imagine that tomorrow's war between the two sides might very well destroy all of Konoha.

—Although the Uchiha Clan would certainly fail, the ambitious forces that had suffered greatly at Konoha's hands during the Third Shinobi World War would think they had found an opportunity and might very well return in force.

Once a conflict on such a scale began, the whole world would be left in ruins.

Thus, the Uchiha's defeat could not be proof of Konoha's success. It would only mean that the Uchiha would lose more thoroughly than Konoha.

—So thoroughly that the Uchiha would even lose the chance to die as innocent victims.

"Why?" Itachi's voice returned to calmness.

"I hate the Uchiha Clan because it bred ambitions it should never have had, disregarded the bigger picture, and was narrow-minded and selfish."

"What about you? Why do you hate Konoha?"

"What exactly are you planning to do?"

Within Tsukuyomi's genjutsu space, Ning Qi could not leave unless Itachi released him himself. Genjutsu: Substitute could help him resist mental damage from genjutsu, but it could not help him resist genjutsu itself.

Perhaps he could optimize the technique in that direction in the future.

But honestly, Ning Qi did not really care. The three days inside Tsukuyomi's genjutsu space were not even an instant in the outside world, and his goal had always been to prevent the Night of the Clan Massacre and allow the Uchiha rebellion tomorrow to proceed as planned.

"Actually, I don't hate Konoha," Ning Qi calmly corrected him. "It's just that a Konoha that is half-dead suits my interests better."

Itachi was clearly somewhat surprised. He stared at Ning Qi for a long time, thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "—The Hyuga Main Family?"

"You're going to make a move against them?"

Ning Qi raised an eyebrow.

As expected of Itachi. His mind worked quite fast.

Ning Qi's relationship with the Hyuga Main Family had never been good. Having been Ning Qi's friend and rival for ten years, Itachi understood this very well.

When they were children, Ning Qi had been bullied by those young masters of the main family who held the Caged Bird commands. Unable to stand it, Itachi often stepped in to help. He found it utterly absurd that those main family youths could obtain commands capable of controlling Ning Qi at such a young age.

As they grew older, such acts of bullying through status had become much rarer. But that might also have been because Ning Qi had learned to maintain the proper courtesy and reverence toward the main family.

Those young masters who had flaunted the commands in their hands when they were children were more like a lesson the main family had arranged to establish rules for Ning Qi.

The main family's young masters and ladies held something that could determine your life or death, so you had to understand rank and status—through such bullying methods, the main family instilled this truth into every branch family member who possessed both potential and a "rebellious spirit."

With that context, Itachi could naturally understand Ning Qi's hatred for the main family and the Caged Bird Seal on his own forehead.

"Yes. For freedom, this is a necessary step," Ning Qi said flatly.

For freedom, the main family had to perish.

For freedom, Konoha had to decline.

For freedom, war had to break out.

Ning Qi had originally planned to wait for Itachi to launch the Night of the Clan Massacre, then wipe out the entire Hyuga clan at the Hyuga Clan Council the next day and defect from Konoha. Other than making the name of Konoha's Twin Prodigies resound throughout the shinobi world, there would have been no other benefit.

Losing two top-tier prestigious clans in a single day, Konoha would surely decline and might even draw the covetous eyes of other ninja villages. This alone would be a tremendous blow. Konoha might not be able to assemble a sufficiently large pursuit force, and when war broke out, they might not even bother with Ning Qi after he vanished like a fish into the sea.

That had been Ning Qi's original plan.

It could only be called conventional. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

But after Ning Qi saw the surveillance footage of the Uchiha initiating their rebellion, he suddenly came to his senses.

He did not actually need to wait.

He did not actually need to flee either.

He should not have been the one hunted by Konoha.

He could absolutely be the one to invade Konoha.

Between Konoha and him, Konoha could be the one that needed to fear!

Directly igniting the war between the Uchiha and Konoha was far more satisfying than letting Itachi launch the Night of the Clan Massacre.

According to the original story, all the Uchiha's Sharingan would be divided between Danzo and Obito.

Konoha would not lose a thing.

War would not break out.

Even after defecting from Konoha, Ning Qi would still have to worry about Konoha's pursuit and bounty.

But once he changed things—prevented Itachi from exterminating the clan and handed the intelligence to the Uchiha Clan—all of the above would be reversed.

The Scroll of Seals.

The Sharingan.

As well as Danzo's Wood Release experiment records and many other things Ning Qi might not even have been able to touch before would all have a chance to fall into his hands.

Not to mention the many potential enemies of Konoha that would perish in this war.

This was an arrangement far grander than Genjutsu: Hell of This World.

The Uchiha and Konoha would fight fiercely.

Not just the Hyuga clan—he could turn all of Konoha into his hunting ground!!!

"Yes, all of this is for freedom," Ning Qi repeated.

Even Itachi could not help but marvel at the depth of Ning Qi's obsession.

A long needle lifted Ning Qi's forehead protector, exposing the blue seal beneath it. Even in this genjutsu space, it still displayed astonishing resilience.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you have freedom if the price of your freedom is the sacrifice of all Konoha." Itachi shook his head. He did not sympathize with the Hyuga Main Family, but clearly, if Ning Qi wanted to successfully destroy them, he would first have to drive all of Konoha into chaos.

Ning Qi, bound to the cross, glanced at him and sneered. "You think that's your call?"

Their current situation was almost theatrical.

Ning Qi, who had been born into the Hyuga, was here stopping Itachi, who had been born into the Uchiha, from destroying the Uchiha.

Meanwhile, Itachi, who had been born into the Uchiha, was stopping Ning Qi, who had been born into the Hyuga, from destroying the Hyuga Main Family.

It was as if Ning Qi were the eldest son of the Uchiha clan head.

And Itachi were the branch family genius who should have protected the main family.

"How many times has this been that we've fought?" Itachi suddenly raised his head and asked.

"The first time." Facing Itachi's puzzled gaze, Ning Qi's smile shone brilliantly. "Because this will be the first time you see me fight at full strength."

So he really had been hiding himself deeply... No wonder he dared stand before me with only half his chakra left.

Itachi shook his head. He now fully believed Ning Qi's bold claim.

"Actually, I had vaguely sensed it whenever we fought before."

"But you're not the only one who has hidden a trump card."

"I... won't let you stop me, Ning Qi."

Their positions were completely opposed, and neither could persuade the other. Ning Qi had Genjutsu: Substitute, while Itachi could do nothing to him in this Tsukuyomi space. In the end, they would still have to return to the real world and decide the matter through battle.

The genjutsu space was slowly fading away.

Ning Qi shook his head calmly.

"That isn't your call."