Chapter 49: Truth and Illusion

Uzuki Yugao was panicking.

Seeing through people's hearts...

Did that mean Natsuhane had already seen through her intentions?

She had foolishly believed she had gained his trust, resorting to extreme measures, even degrading herself physically...

"Natsuhane! You're so cruel!"

She felt utterly exploited...

Uzuki Yugao bit her lip hard, drawing a trickle of blood...

Natsuhane didn't say much, just smiled and shook his head, gently tapping Yugao's cheek. He spoke softly, "Wake up, Yugao..."

In a flash, her consciousness spun. The next second, she opened her eyes wide...

She found herself lying on an unfamiliar bed.

"Where is this...?"

Natsuhane sat in a nearby chair, his face emotionless as he responded, "My house..."

"Your house? But your house... doesn't look like this?"

"What you saw and experienced just now was merely an illusion created by my Sharingan..."

Uzuki Yugao was speechless.

Her clothes were still intact.

It seemed Natsuhane was telling the truth.

"Natsuhane, you saw through my intentions with your Mangekyo Sharingan, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Hmph..." Uzuki Yugao snorted coldly, "Then why didn't you kill me right away? Are you some kind of pervert? You had to disgust me mentally to satisfy yourself?"

"Huh?" Natsuhane was taken aback.

"Hey, hey, hey! Be reasonable. When did I disgust you? You were the one enjoying it mentally. From beginning to end, I was just sitting here, doing nothing!"

Uzuki Yugao's face turned red instantly. "So, so what! That makes you a pervert! Why make me go through that mentally? You... you're filthy!!"

"Oh, heavens..." Natsuhane sighed deeply, waving his hand dismissively, too tired to argue further.

"What? Not answering because you're guilty? Admitting it?"

"Admit it, my foot! This girl is so stubborn!"

Natsuhane's frustration slipped into his hometown dialect.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Uzuki Yugao couldn't understand a word Natsuhane said.

But she wasn't surprised. Through her investigations, she had heard that those who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan often had mental issues, occasional gibberish was normal.

"Natsuhane! After what you did to me, your filthy mind must be satisfied, right? Now, are you going to start on me for real? Hmph, let me tell you, you're mistaken! I'd rather die than submit!"

As she spoke, Uzuki Yugao tightened her clothes and drew a kunai hidden in her kimono.

Natsuhane steadied himself, sitting back in his chair. "Yugao, you have a lot of prejudice against me."

"Am I wrong, you pervert?"

Natsuhane shook his head.

"No, the reason I did this was to see how determined you were to follow the Hokage's orders."

"Yugao, your actions in the illusion were surprising. I never thought you'd go to such lengths for the Hokage's orders. Is that really you?"

Uzuki Yugao froze.

Natsuhane looked at her with pity and regret.

Yes...

Illusion or reality, she had entered Natsuhane's room for the mission given by the Hokage, using every shameless method to please him.

She had even spent the past half month frequenting the pleasure quarters, learning from the people there...

She had turned herself into this...

All for one order from her leader.

Natsuhane continued.

"Yugao, you're a smart woman. Instead of blindly following orders, why can't you question why your leader gave you such a disgraceful task? Do you think it's really for the village?"

"No, it's because he fears the power of the Uchiha will threaten his position."

"That's what hurts me the most. Our clan is part of Konoha, always has been, but the Hokage treats us like this, both in the past and now..."

"Yugao, your loyalty shouldn't be to him. Do you think gaining his approval will elevate you?"

"Don't fantasize. The only one who'll rise is him. Look at you now, doing these pathetic tasks..."

"Is it worth it?"

Natsuhane's words rang like a bell, shaking Uzuki Yugao's wavering heart.

For years, she had followed Hiruzen Sarutobi as an elite member of the Anbu, understanding his actions clearly.

Anbu missions were always harsh and peculiar, sometimes even targeting their own. Such tasks were common.

Anbu members had no complaints, as they adhered to one principle: just do it, don't speak of it.

Once a mission was assigned, it had to be carried out unconditionally.

This was absolute loyalty and absolute trust in their leader.

Uzuki Yugao had grown up with Hiruzen Sarutobi's teachings, never wavering in her loyalty.

But today, she wavered.

Once loyalty wavers, past events become clearer.

Two years ago, during the Uchiha massacre, she was part of the cleanup crew. They knew it was Itachi Uchiha's doing, and even saw him nearby, but Hiruzen didn't order them to pursue...

She didn't understand.

Half a month ago, her team had been involved in Danzo's interrogation, eventually following Hiruzen's order to help "crazy" Danzo escape the interrogation room.

The truth was once again obscured.

She didn't understand.

Why did the Hokage do that?

But perhaps out of habit, she didn't think deeper, trusting him without question.

The leader's actions must have deeper meaning.

Until today, with today's events, everything flashed before her eyes like a movie...

Truth and illusion, real and fake.

What was real?

What was truly real?

In the end, the only truth seemed to be the constant concern and oppression of the Uchiha clan.

As for "protecting Konoha," it seemed like an empty phrase. She hadn't really seen it... really hadn't...