Chapter 20: Uchiha Mikoto Seeking Medical Treatment

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Uchiha Mikoto arrived with Itachi Uchiha.

Yamanaka Inoichi had been mentally prepared for a long time; he had his wife, Yamanaka Rino, come forward to host them, while he slipped out the back door and ran to the Nara residence to haul Nara Shikaku out of bed.

Inoichi dragged Shikaku by the collar as he sprinted home, telling him about what happened last night, then said: "You need to keep an eye on this for me, so Mikoto doesn't cause any major problems while seeking treatment."

Nara Shikaku said with dissatisfaction: "Yamanaka Chujiu planned this out perfectly; why didn't you just let him handle the reception? Why did you have to drag me out of bed?"

Yamanaka Inoichi: "I don't care, you are my partner, you have to come up with ideas for me!"

"Don't forget, you were the one who said the situation in the village is tense right now and demanded that we all be cautious, and that any contact with the Uchiha must go through your assessment."

Nara Shikaku said helplessly: "Fine, fine, let's stick to our old method. You go back and meet Mikoto directly, and I'll listen in from the next room to hear what she says."

Yamanaka Inoichi nodded: "Good, don't lose focus this time. Send me signals more discreetly; don't let anyone discover us again."

Nara Shikaku smiled sheepishly: "Hehe, I'll try..."

A few minutes later, Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head in front of Mikoto and said: "Chujiu's diagnosis should be correct, but for the sake of caution, I need to perform another examination."

Uchiha Mikoto was moved and thanked him repeatedly.

Yamanaka Inoichi gathered his chakra and used the Xinzhuanshinzhishu to delve deep into Itachi Uchiha's brain, starting his analysis layer by layer from the completely harmless surface memories.

At the same time, Yamanaka Inoichi was deliberately comforting Uchiha Mikoto: "Mental illnesses do not arise without reason. Aside from a small portion stemming from hereditary conditions, most originate from family misfortune or major traumatic events."

"Fugaku's personality is very stable, and Mikoto, you are an excellent mother; there is absolutely no problem with the bloodline."

"Itachi Uchiha is five years old this year and has not suffered domestic abuse, so even if there is a mental illness, it shouldn't be too severe."

"……Holy cow!!"

Yamanaka Inoichi's expression changed. He had learned the situation from his younger brother Chujiu, but he always felt that Fugaku wouldn't be this unreliable.

But as he followed the mental path Chujiu described, he quickly discovered many derivative psychological problems.

Peeling back layers of psychological issues, Yamanaka Inoichi discovered the real problem: "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder!"

"This, this is a mental illness that can only be contracted after experiencing the most brutal combat on the battlefield. How could a child like Itachi get this kind of disease?"

Uchiha Mikoto reached out to cover her mouth, suppressing the urge to cry as she explained: "Itachi's father... Fugaku... took Itachi... to the battlefield... a year ago..."

"Fugaku said... this was training for the child..."

Yamanaka Inoichi was furious: "Absurd!"

"Who takes such a young child to the battlefield?"

"Is Fugaku insane?"

Mikoto quickly regained control of her emotions and asked: "Inoichi, can Itachi's illness be cured?"

Yamanaka Inoichi fell silent.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder itself is a very tricky mental illness, and the age of five makes it even more fatal; the difficulty of treatment has increased more than tenfold.

But what was even more fatal was that the patient was Itachi Uchiha.

This kid was a genius of the Uchiha Clan and would likely awaken the Sharingan.

It is common knowledge that Uchiha experiencing pain in battle, as well as losing beloved teammates, is often the catalyst for them to awaken the Sharingan.

Yamanaka Inoichi was unsure if his treatment would cause any unexpected changes that might seal off the possibility of Itachi Uchiha awakening the Sharingan in the future.

Furthermore, although he had mentally prepared himself last night, intending to take the opportunity to play a hand against Shimura Danzo to preemptively clear suspicion and step away from being suspected of having close ties to the Uchiha Clan.

But when the moment came, Inoichi lost his confidence.

Shimura Danzo had already bared his fangs, barking at the Uchiha like a mad dog.

The Third Hokage's attitude was unclear, and he had loosened the restraints on Shimura Danzo, allowing him to act freely.

And the free Shimura Danzo did not go directly to deal with the Uchiha, but instead took the opportunity to pressure other ninja clans.

He not only took the opportunity to force everyone to distance themselves from the Uchiha, but also extorted talent from various ninja clans, conscripting young or even very young genius ninjas to join Root.

By now, who doesn't know what kind of thing Root is?

No matter what kind of good child is sent in, they are either brainwashed into becoming Danzo's die-hard loyalists or become corpses for no reason.

There isn't even a corpse; it's just a cold "missing" report.

No one wanted to hand their children over to Shimura Danzo, let alone children with excellent talent.

But after the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself, Shimura Danzo crazily expanded Root.

He pressured the Aburame Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, the Kurama Clan, and the last remaining seedling of the Hatake Clan, Kakashi Hatake, the most—all of whom were most suitable for Root.

Yamanaka Inoichi did not dare to refuse Shimura Danzo directly, instead using the excuse that the Third Hokage had not given a clear order to refuse to execute Shimura Danzo's demands.

If he treated Itachi Uchiha, Shimura Danzo might use it as a pretext to crazily attack the Yamanaka Clan.

If he didn't treat Itachi Uchiha, it would be equivalent to watching a genius of Konoha die prematurely.

Yamanaka Inoichi was truly caught in a dilemma, and even Nara Shikaku in the next room couldn't think of a perfect solution.

At this critical moment, Yamanaka Chujiu stood up at the right time: "Senior Uchiha Mikoto, the atmosphere in the village is too tense right now, and the Uchiha Clan is at the center of the storm. My brother, as the head of the Yamanaka Clan, is not suitable to treat Itachi Uchiha personally."

"I was the one who first diagnosed Itachi's condition, so let me treat him."

"Please rest assured, my level of secret arts is no worse than my brother's, and I guarantee I can cure Itachi Uchiha's illness."

He turned to Yamanaka Inoichi and said: "Big brother, although we are brothers, I am not the clan head after all."

"As an ordinary ninja of the Yamanaka Clan, even if Shimura Danzo wants to find fault, it won't be so easy for him to implicate the whole clan through me."

Uchiha Mikoto was not a dumb beauty; she understood the Yamanaka Clan's situation and knew that the Yamanaka brothers were taking a huge risk.

The empathetic Mikoto was deeply moved, accepted Yamanaka Chujiu's plan, and took out the money she had prepared in advance to give to Yamanaka Chujiu.

Yamanaka Chujiu took the money and handed it over to his big brother Inoichi.

Yamanaka Inoichi did not decline; he took out the Brass Key he had prepared from his pocket and handed it to Yamanaka Chujiu.

"This is the key to the Mental Sealing Array at Konoha Hospital."

"The Mental Sealing Array can amplify the effects of secret arts and reduce chakra consumption. Take Itachi Uchiha to Konoha Hospital."

Itachi Uchiha immediately stood up and bowed: "Senior Yamanaka Inoichi, thank you so much."

"Senior Yamanaka Chujiu, thank you for your hard work."

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Let us set off now."