Chapter 74: As Long as You Accept the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, You’re One of Us

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: As Long as You Accept the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, You’re One of Us

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At this moment, Uchiha Izumi closed her Sharingan and spoke,

"Naruto, now that Sasuke has awakened the Sharingan, I’m afraid I’ll have to report this to the Third Hokage."

She was the person the Third Hokage trusted most.

Sasuke, who had just begun feeling like he was on top of the world again, suddenly tensed.

He could no longer maintain his Sharingan.

He immediately turned around, his face filled with anxiety.

"Don’t report it to the Hokage!"

The moment he said that, Sasuke’s pupils suddenly contracted again.

Why report it?

Why would the Third Hokage care whether he had awakened the Sharingan?

Wasn’t awakening the Sharingan perfectly normal for an Uchiha?

Once suspicion took root, whether people wanted to eliminate it or prove it, they would inevitably begin searching for every clue.

Sasuke had already begun suspecting that the Third Hokage had something to do with the Uchiha Clan’s extermination.

He had been thinking about it constantly lately.

And the conclusion he reached shocked him.

Everything ultimately came down to one thing:

利益.

Who had benefited the most from the destruction of the Uchiha Clan?

First, Uchiha Itachi.

Naruto had just said that the Sharingan could be awakened through intense emotional stimulation.

Killing the person most important to you was the fastest method.

Uchiha Itachi was one of the beneficiaries.

For the sake of power, he had slaughtered his own clan and awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Second, the higher-ups of Konoha.

Sasuke remembered how the Uchiha Clan members had frequently expressed their dissatisfaction with the village.

There had even been talk of a coup.

That naturally placed them in opposition to Konoha’s leadership.

And Uchiha Itachi had been an ANBU of the Hokage!

Sasuke still refused to believe that Uchiha Itachi had slaughtered his own clan simply for the sake of power.

There had to be some hidden circumstances.

And the most obvious people connected to those circumstances were the higher-ups of Konoha.

Then Sasuke remembered what had happened back then.

After he woke up, there had been two higher-ranking officials whose identities he didn’t know.

The moment they heard him name the murderer, they immediately relaxed and left.

Why had they relaxed?

Were they worried that he would discover the truth?

These were details Sasuke would never have noticed before.

But now that suspicion had taken root, he refused to overlook even the smallest detail.

And now, after hearing Uchiha Izumi say that even his awakening of the Sharingan had to be reported—

Could this prove that the Third Hokage didn’t trust him?

As for whether Uchiha Izumi herself had a problem, Sasuke never even considered it.

Because he had always thought that both Uchiha Izumi and Naruto were suspicious!

Uchiha Izumi had appeared on the night of the clan massacre, yet the Hokage didn’t seem to know about it.

She clearly possessed a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, yet she was only a Genin.

Within the Uchiha Clan, the Sharingan represented status.

A Three-Tomoe Uchiha’s authority was second only to that of an official clan elder.

Every Three-Tomoe Uchiha was a Jonin.

Yet Uchiha Izumi was merely a Genin?

She even had to survive by taking D-rank missions every day?

There was definitely something wrong with that!

Even Sasuke could spot the problem at a glance.

Yet the Third Hokage actually believed there was nothing wrong.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the fact that she had appeared on the night of the clan massacre and somehow survived!

Uchiha Izumi couldn’t possibly be weak!

Of course, Sasuke didn’t know that his conclusion came from looking at things from a completely different perspective.

He didn’t know anything about Uchiha Izumi’s life.

All he could do was compare her to the Three-Tomoe members of his clan.

He also firmly believed that Uchiha Izumi had been present on the night of the massacre yet somehow survived.

That was why he thought something was wrong.

But the higher-ups of Konoha knew Uchiha Izumi’s entire history and her daily activities.

From their perspective, there was nothing suspicious about her at all.

No one had ever guided her.

Every morning, she only did physical training in her room together with Naruto.

She didn’t even practice ninjutsu.

She didn’t even practice throwing kunai.

Uchiha Izumi was simply a complete slacker.

A Three-Tomoe Genin?

Wasn’t that perfectly normal?

As for Naruto—

Sasuke felt that he was the biggest problem of all.

Ask him anything, and he knew the answer.

He was Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

He had supposedly helped Konoha achieve victory in a war when he was only three years old.

Even Uchiha Izumi listened to him.

And now—

Sasuke suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He had awakened the Sharingan, and Uchiha Izumi wanted to report it.

Did that mean Uchiha Izumi also reported Naruto’s information?

Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

He was far more important than an orphaned Uchiha like himself.

There was simply no comparison.

If Uchiha Izumi also had to report Naruto’s information, didn’t that mean she had actually been sent by the Third Hokage to monitor Naruto?

But Uchiha Izumi listened to Naruto.

She even had to inform Naruto before reporting anything to the Hokage...

Then did that mean everything Uchiha Izumi reported had been authorized by Naruto?

"Gasp..."

Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath.

He subconsciously looked toward Naruto.

Seeing this, Naruto asked meaningfully,

"Sasuke, did you think of something?"

"No."

Sasuke immediately shook his head.

He was beginning to regret everything.

Why did I have to think so much?

I’ve learned things I shouldn’t know!

Will they silence me?

Uchiha Izumi was someone who had survived the night of the clan massacre.

That meant she couldn’t be weaker than Uchiha Itachi.

And if she had been able to make Uchiha Itachi keep her secret, then even Uchiha Itachi must have been wary of Uchiha Izumi.

And Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki...

Sasuke’s pupils contracted again.

Could the person Uchiha Itachi was wary of actually be Naruto?

No!

Naruto couldn’t transform into the Nine-Tails.

Back then, he had been controlled by the Hokage.

Wait!

Thinking about what Naruto had just said—

If you kill the person most important to you, you can awaken the Sharingan...

Then could Uchiha Izumi have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?

Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyo after slaughtering his clan.

Uchiha Izumi had awakened hers after her mother was killed.

Both of them had awakened the Mangekyo on the very same night!

But then why hadn’t Uchiha Izumi joined forces with Naruto to kill Uchiha Itachi?

Could it be because they had to transform into the Nine-Tails?

Or were they worried that two Mangekyo users would compete for control over the Tailed Beast?

Wait!

Thinking about how Naruto and Uchiha Izumi had seemingly deceived the Hokage together—

Could they be taking the Hokage into consideration?

Were they worried that transforming into the Nine-Tails would cause too much commotion?

The more Sasuke thought about it, the more terrified he became.

But suddenly, Sasuke realized something.

He had no conflict with Naruto or Uchiha Izumi!

In fact, they could even be said to be on the same side!

Their enemy was Uchiha Itachi.

They were both wary of the Hokage.

Once Sasuke figured this out, he was no longer afraid of being silenced.

Instead, he felt as though he had finally found his people.

But Sasuke still needed to confirm something and complete his theory.

"..."

"Naruto, did Izumi-san awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Naruto, an actor worthy of an Academy Award, immediately changed expression.

His eyes became cold and murderous.

"Sasuke, you know too much."

His voice carried a faint killing intent.

Sasuke’s heart tightened.

He immediately promised,

"I won’t tell anyone!"

Naruto shook his head.

"You’re too weak."

Sasuke’s eyes immediately dimmed.

That’s right.

He was too weak.

Uchiha Izumi could control him effortlessly.

How could someone like him possibly keep such a secret?

"Then what are you going to do to me?"

Sasuke had already given up.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I have a cursed seal here called the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."

"This cursed seal has only one function: it prevents you from revealing our secrets."

"If you try to speak about them, your entire body will go numb. If you forcibly break the seal, you’ll die."

"If you’re willing to have it placed on you, then you’ll be one of us."

"Okay! But you have to tell me the truth about the clan massacre."

Sasuke agreed without the slightest hesitation!

As long as he could learn the truth behind the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, he was willing to do anything!

It was only a cursed seal.

He wasn’t even a Genin yet.

What could Naruto possibly want to scheme against him for?

If there was anyone to blame, it could only be himself for being too clever and thinking too much!

Leaning against the kitchen doorway, Uchiha Izumi couldn’t help shaking her head with a laugh.

What a foolish kid.