NOVPUBThe abrupt change left Elder Aoyama, who was on the verge of being choked to death, utterly stunned, followed by intense pain surging through his head. The sudden bout of dizziness compelled him to emit a gut-wrenching scream, "Ahhhh!" as a seal within his mind shattered, unleashing a deluge of memories.
In that instant, Elder Aoyama recollected a harrowing incident that had occurred a few days prior.
Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Shinichi, and Uchiha Itachi had surreptitiously infiltrated his mansion and launched an attack against him. Initially, he assumed that the Uchiha Clan sought vengeance on the entire Hyuga Clan due to Kuroto's ascension as the Godaime Hokage. However, he was astounded to discover that their aim was not to kill him; instead, they employed peculiar techniques known as ‘Tsukuyomi,' a formidable Genjutsu, and ‘Transcription Seal,' an intricate Fuinjutsu.
Elder Aoyama, unfamiliar with either of these techniques, teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. Amid the haze of pain and confusion, he vaguely recalled another individual entering the room. At that moment, a glimmer of hope flickered in his heart. Residing in the heart of the Hyuga District, he clung to the belief that the arrival of any Hyuga, regardless of their position within the main or branch family, and irrespective of their strength, would perturb the three Uchiha, potentially compelling them to retreat.
"Sa… save me!" Elder Aoyama screamed at the top of his lungs, desperately seeking salvation from the dire situation.
However, the glimmer of hope that had briefly flickered was abruptly extinguished by the words that emanated from the mouth of that person, "Itachi? Is it done?" he heard, to which Itachi nodded in affirmation.
The mysterious person smiled with satisfaction, "Hmm… that takes care of all three elders… now, regardless of which elder Aoki comes after… he won’t be leave–"
Before Elder Aoyama could completely hear the conclusion of that sentence, he succumbed to unconsciousness.
The following day, upon awakening, everything seemed normal, and he had no recollection of the events that transpired the night before. However, now that the sealed memory had resurfaced, Elder Aoyama found himself deeply shocked and immensely frightened.
Nothing made sense to him. Aoki, whom he believed he had executed by activating the dreaded ‘Caged Bird,' had not only survived but appeared before him, alive and seeking revenge. Moreover, it appeared that Aoki had unraveled the supposedly unsolvable ‘Caged Bird' curse. The inexplicable turn of events left Elder Aoyama bewildered and terrified.
Furthermore, the fact that someone in the village was aware of Aoki's survival and anticipated his pursuit was also disconcerting.
That person didn't hesitate to exploit him and the other three Elders of the main family, orchestrating a trap to catch Aoki off guard while he was consumed by his thirst for revenge!
"Who was that man who knew that Aoki is not dead? He was undoubtedly not Uchiha Fugaku, so who was he?"
"How come Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Shinichi, and Uchiha Itachi complied with that mysterious man's directives?!"
"Since when did Uchiha Itachi possess the Mangekyou Sharingan?"
"What precisely did they do to my Byakugan?"
"Were we, the elders, simply bait to lure Aoki out of hiding?"
One after another, questions inundated his mind, causing him to plunge into an inexplicable state of confusion. It was arduous for him to elucidate all this, and subconsciously, he turned to Hinata Aoki, who was in a daze before him.
………
Tsukuyomi Space
Amidst the scarlet surroundings and the faintly visible colossal Sharingan in the sky, Aoki swiftly realized that he had fallen victim to a Genjutsu, one that was exceptionally unusual.
"Damn, I was careless!" muttered Aoki, grinding his teeth in frustration.
Thanks to the bolstering effects of the Hyuga Clan's Giant Tenseigan, his resistance to Genjutsu was undoubtedly top-notch in the Shinobi World. Ordinary Genjutsu wouldn't affect him at all, and even top-tier Genjutsu would be rendered ineffective, as long as he remained vigilant and cautious.
However, the thrill of holding another person's life in his hands as he sought revenge against one of the three Elders of the main family led him to lower his guard, falsely believing that nothing could harm him. Consequently, he fell prey to this Genjutsu. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Recalling the genuine shock displayed by Elder Aoyama, Aoki pondered, "That expression was certainly not an act, which implies he had no knowledge of this trap… someone else must have orchestrated it?"
The unexpected emergence of the Mangekyou Sharingan pattern on Elder Aoyama's Byakugan, even unrecognizable to Aoki, along with the appearance of the colossal Sharingan in the Genjutsu space, unmistakably pointed to the involvement of the Uchiha Clan.
"But who precisely?" mumbled Aoki with a furrowed brow, and contemplated, ‘Could it have been Uchiha Fugaku?'
Within the Uchiha Clan, Aoki recollected the distinct Mangekyou Sharingan patterns of both Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Shinichi. The only individual whose Mangekyou Sharingan pattern remained unfamiliar to him was Uchiha Fugaku. Considering that Fugaku had only revealed one of his Dojutsu abilities during his battle with Hatake Kakashi, it was entirely plausible that his other power was this Genjutsu.
As Aoki's suspicion leaned towards Uchiha Fugaku, an abrupt change occurred within the Genjutsu space. The figure of a person he least expected to see materialized before him, leaving him astonished. He questioned, "Uchiha Itachi?"
In just a moment, Aoki recollected the identity of the person. Before he could react, he found himself tied to a cross, rendering him immobile. He struggled relentlessly, attempting to break free from the restraints. However, his efforts were in vain, and he sneered coldly, "So what if you managed to catch me off guard? This is merely a Genjutsu… you don't truly believe that whatever you do will have any effect on me, do you?"
Itachi remained silent and approached Aoki with a calm demeanor. Aoki smirked, "Do you seek information? Humph… you are ten years too young to make me divulge anyth–!" His words came to an abrupt halt as Itachi swiftly plunged a Kunai into his leg, causing him to howl in agony, "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
It was logical to assume that the body he currently inhabited was nothing more than an advanced puppet, exceptionally well-crafted yet still a puppet. Hence, in the physical world, he shouldn't experience any pain regardless of the injuries the puppet sustains.
However, Aoki couldn't deny the pain he was feeling; it was real and excruciating. He came to a startling realization, "This is not physical pain… no one knows where my real body is, so it's impossible to harm it… which means this is spiritual pain… this Genjutsu is far from ordinary. Whatever occurs here will directly affect my soul!"
As the reality of his predicament dawned upon him, Aoki felt terror envelop him. Yet, his expression soon changed, and fear transformed into indifference and then into a cruel, cold smile. Despite the exceptional nature of this Genjutsu, it remained just that – a Genjutsu. No matter how long it persisted, it wouldn't last more than a few seconds, perhaps a minute at most. How much damage could Itachi inflict upon his soul in such a brief duration?
Even if someone attacked his ‘body' during this time, at worst, it would only result in the loss of a puppet. Thus, he deduced that nobody could truly kill him.
With that realization, Aoki made a resolute decision to endure and persevere through the ordeal, gritting his teeth and refusing to yield.
Of course, once free from the Genjutsu, he had no intention of letting Uchiha Itachi off the hook. The next target of his revenge would be Itachi, and the mere thought of the numerous ways he could torture him brought a menacing smile to his face.
"Uchiha Itachi… I must admit, I underestimated you and the Uchiha Clan… the depths of intrigue within your clan run deeper than anyone could imagine… Tsk… Tsk… there are four Mangekyou Sharingan users in the Uchiha Clan, and no one in the entire Shinobi World is aware? Impressive," he remarked.
"But you see, you made a grave mistake… if you hadn't interfered with my revenge, I wouldn't have cared about you. But now, every member of the Uchiha Clan will meet their demise one by one… slowly and painfully. And after that, your family… your father, your mother, your sister, your brother, and your fiancé… all of them will perish before your very eyes! Just wait and watch!" Aoki threatened with malice in his voice.
In response to his words, Itachi remained indifferent and silently stabbed him again.
"You?!" Aoki gasped in surprise, enduring the pain as he once again stared at Itachi.
The trap set by the Uchiha Clan was undoubtedly ingenious. They not only anticipated his desire for revenge against the elders of the main Hyuga Clan but also manipulated the clan's elders in secret, without anyone even noticing, while leaving traps in their eyes.
As Aoki reflected on the situation, he became increasingly perplexed. He had delved into Hizashi's memories before, and he was confident that the Hyuga Clan remained unaware of this. Thus, the Uchiha Clan had effectively deceived the Hyuga Clan to concoct their plot against him, even manipulating one of the clan elders in the process.
Regarding the recent Genjutsu, everything about it caught him off guard – the timing, the method of activation, and the sheer intensity of its impact. However, the more he pondered it, the more bewildered he became. He couldn't fathom Uchiha Itachi's true intentions. If it was merely to inflict pain on his soul, such an elaborate and well-prepared trap seemed too absurd and senseless.
"Humph… do your worst… as soon as I break out of this Genjutsu… I will make sure to ‘repay' this favor," Aoki snorted, glaring at Itachi.
At this moment, Itachi smiled indifferently and remarked, "In that case, let me take care of you for the next 240 hours in this World."
Aoki was taken aback, "2… 240 hours?!"
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