A single, airy sentence instantly froze the air in front of the Naka Shrine.
The middle-aged clansman beside him had just opened his mouth to curse, but upon hearing Itachi’s interrogation, he forcibly swallowed his words back into his stomach.
Being personally interrogated by an Anbu Captain instantly escalated the nature of this incident from “a Genin acting crazy” to “spy infiltration.” Behind the roof tiles, the Root operative crouching there was writing so fast his charcoal pencil was practically smoking.
[ Uchiha Yuya expressed abnormal feelings toward Itachi in public in front of the shrine.
Itachi questioned the source.
The target is suspected of being mentally unstable, though a new type of coded communication cannot be ruled out!
] Youye stood where he was, cold sweat instantly soaking through his clothes.
A simple sentence had forcibly twisted the script from a pure romance anime into a spy thriller!
With the atmosphere in the Uchiha clan currently like a pressure cooker, let alone a fringe dead-last like him, even a stray dog passing by in the middle of the night would have to cover its mouth, not daring to bark!
Pride is worth nothing!
What can save his life right now is steering Itachi’s train of thought off-track!
The key is that sincerity is the ultimate move!
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes reddening, his voice trembling, yet he forced himself to shout: “Everything in the clan has been wrong lately!
Patrols have doubled, and there are more lackeys watching from the shadows!
The adults hold secret meetings every night, and when they come out, their faces look like they’re attending a funeral!” “I don’t know what big event is going to happen in the clan, but I just feel…
if I don’t say it now, I really won’t have the chance!” Once these words were out, the surrounding Uchiha clansmen instantly fell silent.
The relationship between the Uchiha and the Village had long been stretched to the breaking point; the air was thick with the scent of blood, and even a fool knew something big was about to happen.
The middle-aged clansman opened his mouth, held it for a long time, and only managed to choke out one sentence: “Nonsense!” Youye immediately went along with it, carrying out his “giving up” strategy to the end; the more pathetic he seemed, the safer he was!
“Right!
I am spouting nonsense!
A weakling like me, when the sky really falls, I’ll definitely be the first cannon fodder to be crushed to death!” “So I thought, since I’m going to die sooner or later, before I die, I have to do something I won’t regret, right?!” When he finished speaking, the whole scene was deathly silent.
Even the Root operative on the roof was stunned for two seconds, silently adding another note to his little book.
[ Target is on the verge of collapse due to long-term high pressure, suffering from severe death hallucinations.
Behavioral assessment: Pure mental breakdown.
] The young Uchiha on patrol turned green in the face and cursed loudly: “Trash is always trash.
Scared out of your wits, and you still dare to come here and pine after Captain Itachi?
Go take a piss and look at yourself in the reflection!” Itachi, however, completely ignored the mockery of others.
He took a step forward, expressionless.
The distance shortened from three meters to two.
A terrifying pressure, unique to a top-tier Anbu assassin, slammed into Youye like Mount Tai crushing down.
The hairs on Youye’s back stood on end, and his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
Just at the moment he was about to lose it, the system progress bar in his mind, which had been moving like a tortoise, finally “dinged” and filled up!
[ Ding!
Task completion assessment finished!
] [ Public disclosure rating: S-rank (The onlookers are very satisfied) ] [ Absurdity rating: SSS-rank (Utterly absurd) ] [ Target reaction rating: Exceeds expectations (Lord Itachi’s CPU is overloaded) ] [ Overall evaluation: You are truly shameless, but you are truly a survivor!
] [ Reward calculation in progress…
] [ Reward 1: Mental Resilience Enhancement unlocked (Current progress: 10%).
] [ Reward 2: Three Body Technique base proficiency instantly MAX!
] [ Reward 3: Chakra control improved.
] [ System reminder: Current mental resilience can only weaken conventional genjutsu pressure; it does not mean immunity to ‘Tsukuyomi’.
Host, please do not be reckless and try to take a Mangekyo head-on!
] [ Note: Three Body Technique MAX has been instilled, but the body still needs to adjust.
Forcing continuous use can easily lead to severe social death consequences like cramps or hand sign tangles.
] Youye almost couldn’t help but snort with laughter on the spot.
This was a huge win!
The first life-saving buff had finally arrived!
Although it didn’t drop a legendary cheat like the Rinnegan that could destroy the world, for him right now, these three things were exactly what he needed!
Mental resilience goes without saying; facing a genjutsu maniac like Itachi, being able to hold on for even one more second is a win.
Three Body Technique MAX is an even greater divine skill!
In the eyes of Kage-level big shots, this is just a basic skill, but for a weakling like him who failed three times, this wave directly evolved him from a “wheelchair athlete” to a “100-meter sprinter”!
As for Chakra control, that is the revolutionary capital for crazily milking the system in the future!
However, even though he was happy inside, he absolutely could not break character on the outside.
Itachi’s bottomless black eyes were still staring fixedly at him.
“Itachi-senpai!
You really don’t need to suspect me!
I can’t even get enough to eat every day; which spy organization would be blind enough to pick me?” He raised his head, forcing his eyes to show three parts admiration, three parts grievance, and four parts reckless abandonment: “I just think you’re strong, super strong!
Those old stubborns in the clan are all afraid of you, but I think, being able to make everyone afraid, that is what a real man is!” The Root operative on the roof, having just changed to a new charcoal pencil, heard a “snap” as it broke again.
What the hell is all this?!
It just had the flavor of a spy thriller, how did it suddenly veer back into a boys’ love romance anime?!
The Root operative rubbed his temples, which were about to burst, and forced himself to continue writing: [ Target’s speech is extremely chaotic, but emotional expression is inexplicably coherent.
Suspected to have developed some kind of twisted admiration for the strong due to an extreme lack of security, viewing Itachi as a spiritual anchor.
] If Youye could see this report, he would definitely kowtow to this master of overthinking.
Yes, yes, yes!
Open up the perspective!
This is exactly the direction of the over-interpreting!
However, Itachi was not completely fooled by this combination of moves.
He still stood there like an ice sculpture, so quiet it made one’s scalp tingle.
The file on Uchiha Yuya had long been carved into his mind.
Orphan, extremely poor talent.
No abnormal contacts, no mission records.
Judging from his physique and Chakra, this person didn’t even have the qualifications to be cannon fodder for a spy.
But the way he had just deflected and attacked with his words was seamlessly evasive.
But if it were a disguise, what was the point of paying such a price of public social death?
To be treated as a pervert by the whole Village?
Itachi’s CPU rarely experienced a brief overload.
But he didn’t continue to press.
The variable in front of him could not be categorized for the time being, but there was no need to execute him on the spot.
Seeing Itachi silent, the middle-aged uncle, fearing trouble, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: “Captain Itachi, this kid is usually missing a screw in his head.
I’ll take him back right now and hand him over to the Konoha Military Police Force for two days!” Youye was so moved he almost recognized him as his godfather on the spot.
Good people have a safe life!
Uncle, you provided this stepping stone just in time!
But before he could take the opportunity to climb up, Itachi slightly raised his hand, stopping the middle-aged uncle.
“Uchiha Yuya.” The cold voice sounded again.
Youye immediately straightened up, his demeanor being that of someone cowardly yet extremely polite: “Yes!” Itachi looked down at him, his thin lips slightly parted, and uttered two words: “Go back.” Youye blinked his eyes, professionally acting out the “heartbroken boy rejected by his idol” until the very last second: “Then…
my confession…” The patrolling clansman nearby really couldn’t listen anymore and roared: “You still dare to ask?!” Itachi directly ignored the noise from others and left behind a meaningful sentence: “Do not do meaningless things again.” No acceptance.
No rejection.
No explanation.
This scum-like way of handling things is truly Itachi!
“I…
I understand.” He turned around and walked back, stumbling; his lonely back was enough to make anyone who saw it sad and tearful.
Having only walked a few steps, undisguised mockery from the clansmen came from behind.
“He really lost the Uchiha clan’s face completely!” “From now on, beat him every time we see him; never let him get within half a step of the shrine again!” Youye did not look back.
But in his mind, he was conducting an extremely calm and crazy review.
First, the social death mission was completed perfectly, and the life-saving reward was safely in hand!
Second, Itachi did not have the intent to kill, nor did he drag him to the Anbu prison.
But the third point, which is also the most fatal one— He was completely targeted by Itachi!
This move at most just pulled his upper body out of the gates of hell; his lower body was still soaking in King Yama’s oil pan!
In front of the Naka Shrine.
Until Youye’s disheveled figure completely disappeared at the corner of the street, Itachi turned his head and looked at the middle-aged uncle next to him.
“Is he usually like this?” The middle-aged uncle was startled, shaking his head like a rattle-drum, eager to clear his relationship: “Absolutely not!
This kid usually couldn’t even fart after being hit with three sticks; he would take a detour when seeing people.
Today’s crazy behavior is something I’ve lived long enough to see!” Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Recently, has any outsider been in contact with him?” “Impossible.” The uncle swore, “He lives in a remote area, and he’s a dead-last who can’t do anything; even dogs don’t want to bother with him.
Recently, he hasn’t even gone to the training ground, just staying at home every day, waiting for death.” Itachi quickly went over this information in his mind and did not ask further.
The patrolling clansman next to him leaned in and suggested viciously: “Captain Itachi, should I have the Konoha Military Police Force watch him secretly for a few days?
In case this kid causes any more trouble, it won’t be easy to explain to the Clan Head.” Itachi didn’t respond, turned around, and walked toward the stone steps of the shrine.
…
“Bang!” The dilapidated wooden door of the small courtyard was slammed shut.
Looking at the golden system reward panel in his mind, the corners of his mouth finally curled up wildly.
The first step to surviving, I’ve made it!
From today on, on Itachi’s “clan extermination list”, I’m afraid that “Uchiha Yuya” will have a big emphasis mark drawn on it!