The Uchiha clan, which was wiped out entirely, lacked vision.

Chapter 235 Itachi's Resolve

Chapter 235 Itachi's Resolve

Jiraiya grew increasingly enraged, smashing the table to pieces with a single punch. Pointing at the crowd, he roared, "How shameless!"

"You're the ones who're turning black into white!"

"You've really gone to any lengths to launch a war of aggression and to deal with me!"

"You haven't mentioned a single one of the many powerful members of the Uchiha clan you've lost!"

"You actually killed your fellow villagers, and you still—"

"Alright, Jiraiya." Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, Kazuma arrogantly interrupted him, "What you're saying is obviously the mistake made by Uchiha Itachi."

"But our merits are merits, and our faults are faults; they should not be confused."

"Those who have made contributions should be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes should be punished. Only in this way can rewards and punishments be clearly distinguished and the villagers be convinced."

"Unlike you, who fail to reward those who deserve it and fail to punish those who deserve it, acting solely on your own whims and doing things recklessly, which is why you've alienated the villagers as you are now."

"I now acknowledge Itachi's achievement in wiping out the Uchiha clan, and recognize that his actions were righteous acts of sacrificing family members for the greater good, which brought great benefits to the village."

"Of course, Itachi also made a mistake by killing his fellow villagers, and he must be punished."

"I'll punish him—" After a moment's thought, Marius made his decision, "to atone for the village's sins."

"Itachi, are you convinced?"

Itachi immediately knelt down and respectfully replied, "I am completely convinced and will dedicate the rest of my life to serving the village and atoning for my sins."

"Haha, that's more like it!"

Kazuma beamed, bent down and reached out to help Itachi up, affectionately pulling him to his side. Then he raised his head and smiled at Jiraiya.

He didn't need to say a word, but he had already conveyed his meaning.

"Damn it!"

Jiraiya's anger surged, and he became increasingly certain that he had to stop Kazuma and his group from causing trouble, otherwise who knows what they would do to Konoha!

He knew then that saying anything more was pointless, so he leaped out the door and shouted, "Don't think you can defeat me just because you have Itachi!"

"For the future of this village, I will absolutely not back down!"

"Hmph!" Kazuma curled his lip, patted Itachi on the shoulder, and ordered, "Itachi, now it's your time to shine."

"Whether we can successfully rebuild Konoha Village depends on whether you can defeat Jiraiya."

"I understand." Itachi nodded solemnly, then leaped out and stood opposite Jiraiya.

Jiraiya instinctively lowered his gaze to Itachi's toes, and shouted, "We can't fight here, let's go outside the village!"

The two immediately leaped out and rushed towards the edge of the village.

He and Ma exchanged glances and hurriedly followed behind.

When they arrived at the Valley of the End, Jiraiya was already standing on Gamahiro's head, colliding head-on with Itachi's Susanoo.

The toads of Mount Myōboku are quite overpowered; some are so large they resemble tailed beasts, and they can withstand a direct confrontation with Susanoo without flinching.

Amidst the deafening explosion, massive waves surged up beneath their feet, crashing outwards in all directions.

Gamabunta pressed his body tightly against Susanoo, while Jiraiya and Itachi looked at each other across the distance, seemingly within reach.

Jiraiya clasped his hands together, clearly preparing a Sage Art. He was truly enraged and ready to fight to the bitter end.

Even at this point, Jiraiya still wanted to persuade Itachi one more time, not wanting him to make the same mistake again.

"Itachi, turn back now! Don't let yourself be used anymore!"

"That Kazuma is no good. His personality is similar to Danzo's; he's not someone you can trust!"

"Isn't it good to have something useful?" Itachi roared as he kicked Gamabunta away with his Susanoo.

"In life, you always need to find your place."

"From a very young age, I have been very clear about my own position."

"I actually know that the Hokage has been using me, and I also know about Danzo's hatred for the Uchiha clan, but—"

"I don't care!"

Susanoo raised his sword high and slashed fiercely at Jiraiya.

"While they were using me, I was naturally using them as well."

"They used me to wipe out the Uchiha clan, and I used them to keep the village at peace and prevent war from breaking out."

"but----"

"I failed the mission!"

Itachi's chakra was fluctuating violently, and the Mangekyou Sharingan in his eyes was spinning rapidly. Clearly, his emotions were very unstable, and his voice was filled with regret.

"I failed to eliminate the threat completely, allowing Uchiha An to escape, which led to the tragic consequences that followed."

"After the Third Hokage passed away, I lost my usefulness."

"Because Jiraiya-sama doesn't acknowledge my achievements and won't use me to do anything."

"A ninja who has no use has no reason to live."

"But now—" Itachi raised his arms high and cheered, "Lord Kazuma is here!"

"He is different from Jiraiya-sama. He understands the meaning of being a ninja, and he is willing to use me again."

"This is a good thing for me!"

Jiraiya was once again shocked by Itachi's twisted way of thinking, and exclaimed speechlessly, "Itachi, the meaning of a ninja's existence should be to protect, not to be used by others!"

"Who instilled this dark way of thinking in you?"

"Besides, haven't you always wanted peace in the village?"

"If I fail to stop Kazuma, the village will fall into war again, and many people will die!"

Itachi relentlessly chased after Gamabunta, hacking and slashing without stopping. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, creating a deafening explosion. Shockwaves rolled out in all directions, shaking the lake's surface as if it were about to boil.

But the intense fighting had little effect on Itachi; the fanatical emotions on his face remained undiminished.

"The reason I hate war is because war harms villages, kills many people, breaks up many families, and causes a lot of suffering."

"However, if this war benefits the village, providing it with abundant resources, ensuring many families have enough to eat, and accelerating the village's return to prosperity—"

"Then why should I reject it?"

"What?!" Jiraiya was surprised by Itachi's frankness and selfishness, and at the same time, he was angry at his stupidity and ignorance.

"Itachi, how could you think like that?"

"You only see the benefits of war for Konoha, but what about the people in those smaller ninja villages?"

"The people of the small ninja village are people too!"

"What wrong did they do to deserve this undeserved misfortune?"