Chapter 15: Confrontation! The Culprit Behind the PoisoningOf course...Naruto did not say that.( ⁎ ⁍ ̴ ̛ ᴗ ⁍ ̴ ̛ ⁎ )"At the time, I just wanted to track that Chakra and see if I could take them down while I had the chance...""Even so, you shouldn't have been so reckless." There was clear reprimand in Uchiha Itachi's eyes.Naruto had acted on his own without even saying a word, which really irritated him."I did say something..." Halfway through his sentence, he swallowed his words, frightened by Uchiha Itachi's fierce glare.Seeing this, Naruto immediately drooped his eyebrows, his eyes reddening as he put on a pitiful expression and muttered softly:"I just wanted to take these people down to prove how strong I am... That way, maybe Yuki Uchihawould like me."As he said the last part, his teary mouth secretly curled into a mischievous smirk.(Naruto and Hinata are the official couple, rest assured! I won't mess with the original pairings!)[Resentment points from Yuki Uchiha - 999...]"It didn't add any? Does that mean she likes me? Wait, that's not right! Why did it deduct resentment points?!"The scene went dead silent in an instant, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.Yuki Uchiha, being flirted with in public by a child half her age, felt her cheeks flush bright red in an instant."Naruto! You child, really..."Fortunately, while they were traveling earlier, Naruto had intentionally or unintentionally expressed his affection for Yuki Uchiha, so these words didn't make everyone suspicious.Ever since Sandaime arrived, Uchiha Itachi had already explained all the details since they left the Village, so in that light, the kid wasn't exactly lying.Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand and gave him a flick on the forehead: "What time do you think it is? Stop fooling around."Naruto covered his head and muttered aggrievedly: "I was originally just observing near Heiyu Village, but then someone suddenly appeared...""That person was a pervert! He came right up and lifted my clothes, then pinched my stomach really hard!""And then... then I didn't know anything anymore!"Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze suddenly turned serious, his brow furrowed deeply as he fell into deep thought.He knew better than anyone that the seal hub for the Nine-Tailed inside Naruto was exactly located on his lower abdomen, and those who knew about this..."Could it be..."The suspicion and speculation in his eyes churned for a moment, but in the end, he forced them down and sighed softly:"Forget it, as long as you are safe and sound, that is all that matters."Just as he finished speaking..."It's bad! It's bad!"A child's heartbreaking screams suddenly erupted from outside.The next second, a small, thin figure slammed the door open and stumbled into the room.It was the same little boy carrying a water bucket that Naruto and his group had met when they first arrived.The child was crying so hard he could barely breathe, his small body trembling violently, tears covering his entire face, his voice so broken it was almost impossible to hear:"Ninja-sama... older brothers and sisters... please... save my dad..."The rest of his words were completely drowned out by his sobbing and crying.Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed abruptly, and Kakashi and Might Guy both stood up at the same time."The well... the well in the Village... someone poisoned it..."Before he could finish, cries and panicked footsteps were already echoing from outside.The group followed the little boy out of the house, and the sight before them made everyone's hearts sink.The well at the entrance of the Village was surrounded by villagers who were pale and clutching their stomachs, groaning in pain.Some children had already fallen into a coma, their small bodies twitching slightly, their breathing so weak it was barely visible."Sandaime-sama... please, save my child!""My son is only five years old... He drank two sips of the well water and collapsed..."Hiruzen Sarutobi walked quickly to one of the unconscious children, placed his fingertips gently on the child's wrist, and probed with Chakra. His expression instantly sank to the extreme."It's a potent toxin... The culprit is so ruthless, leaving no chance of survival."Yuki Uchiha immediately took out medical Ninjatools, her Chakra turning into a soft green light covering the child's forehead, but as soon as it made contact, her brows furrowed tightly:"It's no use... The toxin is spreading too fast; ordinary medical Ninjutsu can only slow it down, not eradicate it!""It must be the people from Heiyu Village who poisoned it!" Matsumoto, who had appeared from somewhere nearby, shouted."That's impossible, isn't it? The people from Heiyu Village were all captured yesterday; how would they have had time to poison it?"Yuki Uchiha's question hit the spot like a stone.The certainty on Matsumoto's face instantly froze, and he stammered for a long time without being able to form a complete defense.Uchiha Izumi readily took up the conversation and explained:"Matsumoto, you might not know, but the people from Heiyu Village were all dealt with and subdued by Uchiha Itachi and Naruto yesterday.""Since the Hokage arrived, he hasn't left the Villageeither, so they wouldn't have had a chance to come back and poison it."The embarrassment on Matsumoto's face was practically overflowing; his eyes darted around in a panic, and he squeezed out a few dry laughs from his throat:"Is, is that so... Uh, I've been busy attending to the villagers, so I really haven't been paying much attention..."Before his words had even fully faded, a bizarre scene suddenly occurred.Matsumoto's eyes suddenly lost their luster, and his pupils became completely hollow.His whole body uncontrollably knelt to the ground, his facial muscles twisted violently, as if he were enduring extreme pain and struggle, and broken murmurs came from his mouth:"Don't... It was me... Please don't..."After only a few short seconds, he suddenly snapped back to reality, gasping for breath with sweat dripping down his face.Deep fear still remained in his eyes, as if he had just experienced an incredibly terrifying nightmare.A cold figure stepped forward slowly, Uchiha Itachi's scarlet Sharingan slowly rotating.Killing intent and pressure silently spread out. He looked down at Matsumoto, who was slumped on the ground, his tone as cold as ice:"Take it out."Matsumoto shuddered, instantly realizing that the incredibly real pain from just a moment ago was all the Genjutsu of the Uchiha youth before him.He dared not offer the slightest resistance, reaching tremblingly into his side bag.He tremblingly pulled out some pills, opened his palm, and handed them to Uchiha Itachi.Yuki Uchiha hurriedly took one, used medical Chakra to carefully examine it, and the wariness in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by surprise:"That's right, the medicinal properties are mild and can neutralize the toxins in the well water; it's exactly the right cure for the children's symptoms!"Hiruzen Sarutobi took the antidote and quickly ordered:"Immediately lead the villagers to crush the antidote and dissolve it in clean water, and prioritize giving it to the children who are most severely poisoned! Hurry!""Matsumoto, why did you do this?" Uchiha Izumistepped forward, her tone full of incredulous questioning.She had seen how attentive and caring Matsumotowas toward the villagers.Who would have thought that he would use his convenience to cruelly poison innocent Villagechildren?Now that things had come to this, Matsumoto gave up on hiding anything, his eyes filled with nothing but indifferent apathy.He was just an ordinary person; it was impossible for him to escape from the hands of Konoha Ninja.He raised his head abruptly, his resentful gaze fixed firmly on Naruto, and he gritted his teeth:"If you want to blame someone, blame this brat! If he hadn't insisted on dragging me along with him, I would never have ended up in this situation!"Naruto flew into a rage on the spot, pointing at his own nose with a speechless expression:"What the hell! How can you blame me?!"
