The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 569 So Tsunade chose me

Minato Namikaze's eyes were filled with a frenzied resistance and resentment.

"Kushina was so innocent, so kind, so soft-hearted, how could she suddenly become like this? How could she be so cold to me? You must have used some insidious methods to alter her memories and manipulate her mind!"

"Uchiha Mitsunori, how cruel you are! Why did you do this to her?"

Uchiha Sanfeng looked at his hysterical, self-deceiving, and pathetic appearance as if he were a pitiful wretch.

He stared directly at Minato Namikaze, as if to expose all the cowardice and escapism deep within him to the light of day.

"Do you really think her transformation was due to my illusion?"

His tone was icy, carrying a chilling edge: "Minato Namikaze, you are too naive and too cowardly. You are just afraid to face the truth, afraid to admit reality, afraid to admit that Kushina's transformation was never because of me, but because of yourself, because of your cowardice, because of your escapism, because of your inherent selfishness and irresponsibility."

He paused, the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth growing even stronger, his tone more playful yet chillingly cold, as he clearly said, "You and Jiraiya are so alike, exactly the same cowardice, exactly the same inability to face the truth, exactly the same tendency to run away, exactly the same selfishness, exactly the same chilling nature."

Minato Namikaze was jolted, as if struck by lightning. His body froze on the spot, and the anger on his face instantly solidified, replaced by confusion and astonishment. He even held his breath for half a second.

Jiraiya, his master, was the person he respected and admired most. In his heart, his master was powerful, brave, and omnipotent, the goal he wanted to emulate his entire life. But now, Uchiha Mitsuru was saying that he was just like his master, equally cowardly and equally prone to running away?

He spoke, his voice trembling slightly, filled with disbelief, and his tone was full of refutation: "What do you mean? What does this have to do with Master? Kushina's matter has nothing to do with Master. Don't talk nonsense here, don't slander Master!"

His emotions surged again, his eyes filled with anger and resentment, as if Uchiha Sanfeng's words were the greatest blasphemy against his master.

"Nonsense? Slandering him?" Uchiha Mitsunori scoffed, his tone calm yet carrying a power that struck straight to the heart. Every word was like a sharp blade, piercing Namikaze Minato's heart: "I just want to tell you that some truths cannot be ignored just because you run away from them; some responsibilities cannot be avoided just because you shirk them; and some people are not necessarily perfect just because you admire them."

"Your master, Jiraiya, is the best example, a living example of how cowardice destroyed everything."

He spoke slowly, his tone calm, yet he gently unveiled a long-buried, unknown past, tinged with a cold sarcasm and a faint sigh: "Jiraiya has loved Tsunade since he was a child. I doubt anyone in the entire Hidden Leaf Village knows this. As his disciple, you were by his side every day, so you should know better than anyone how deep and unwavering his feelings for Tsunade are."

"He did so many things for Tsunade, even when he was rejected by her, even when he was beaten and scolded by her, he never gave up and never backed down."

"But everything changed during the Second Shinobi World War." His tone turned somber, and a chilling glint appeared in his eyes: "Tsunade learned that the deaths of her beloved younger brother, that lively and adorable brother full of hope for the future, as well as a large number of innocent Senju clan members, were all orchestrated by Hiruzen Sarutobi. They were all tragedies he caused to consolidate his power and control Konoha."

"Those Senju clan members were all innocent. They did nothing wrong, yet they were brutally slaughtered and their bodies were torn apart because of Hiruzen Sarutobi's ambition. When Tsunade learned the truth, she was heartbroken and devastated. But she was not defeated by despair. She clung to her last hope and went to find Jiraiya... the man who always said he loved her, would protect her, and would stay with her for life."

"She wanted to join forces with him, to overthrow the rule of Hiruzen Sarutobi and others, to seek justice for her dead brother and the dead Senju clan, and to avenge their blood feud."

"But what was the result?" Uchiha Mitsunori looked at Namikaze Minato's increasingly pale face, at the growing panic and evasiveness in his eyes, and at the increasingly obvious trembling of his body. He spoke slowly, his tone full of mockery and disdain: "Jiraiya was afraid. He was utterly afraid."

"He was afraid to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi, afraid to confront the Third Hokage who was high above and held the power of Konoha; he was afraid to bear the consequences of failure, afraid that if he failed, he would be disgraced and lose his life; he was even more afraid to face those cruel truths, afraid to face Tsunade's grief, afraid to face the cowardice in his own heart."

"In the end, he chose to escape, to retreat. Under the pretext of searching for the so-called 'Child of Destiny,' he fled to another place in a sorry state, avoiding her and leaving Tsunade alone in Konoha, a place full of intrigue and darkness, in despair, in endless pain and hatred, leaving her to face everything alone."

"It was because of his escapism, his cowardice, his irresponsibility, and his broken promises that the two of them ultimately failed to be together. Tsunade also saw through his true colors, saw through his cowardice and selfishness, saw through his inherent escapism, and completely lost all feelings for him, giving up on him entirely."

His tone was cold and resolute, his eyes full of mockery: "That's why she was completely heartbroken and ultimately chose me... a person who dared to face the truth, dared to fight against the darkness, dared to provide her with shelter, dared to avenge her, dared to take on all responsibilities, and wouldn't let her face all the suffering alone."

"And you, Minato Namikaze, you are exactly the same as Jiraiya, just as cowardly, just as escapist, just as irresponsible. You will eventually repeat his mistakes and lose everything you cherish."

He turned slightly to the side, no longer looking at Minato Namikaze's disheveled appearance.

The wind in the courtyard still blows, and the swirling petals still fall, but the wind has become colder, and the petals more desolate.

Minato Namikaze stood frozen in place, his face as pale as paper, devoid of any color, his lips trembling slightly, yet he couldn't utter a single word.

Every word from Uchiha Sanfeng was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart and causing him to lose face.

He wanted to refute, to defend himself, to loudly proclaim that he wasn't that kind of person, to loudly proclaim that he wouldn't run away like his master, to loudly proclaim that he would protect Kushina, and to loudly proclaim that he would take full responsibility.

A tremendous sense of powerlessness instantly overwhelmed him. His body trembled slightly, his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turned blue, his nails dug into his palms, and blood continued to drip from his fingers, staining the bluestone slab with a small, glaring red.