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"If you refuse, we'll have no choice but to kill you right here!"
Juzo Biwa's expression froze for a second. Wasn't Mangetsu Hozuki's demand basically 'stay or die'!? And having a child speak so confidently in front of him felt incredibly strange.
Hatake Kuroshi, however, didn't seem to mind. Frankly, most of the people who defected from Kirigakure back then... hadn't really committed heinous crimes; they simply couldn't stand Yagura Karatachi's bloody mist rule.
Relaxing the conditions for missing-nin to return wasn't a big deal. Besides, Kirigakure was currently quite short-staffed. Juzo Biwa without his sword was certainly not as formidable as with it, but he should still be a decent ANBU-level asset.
"...You can take this sword back. I don't want to die just yet."
At the entrance of Kirigakure, a green, vertical pitcher plant, half-buried in the ground, silently observed the unusually developed village.
"Can't blend in. Although it looks like anyone can enter, there are quite a few ANBU guarding secretly."
"Well, it's also a sanctuary capable of preventing all assassinations, so it's somewhat expected."
Black Zetsu frowned, muttering in a voice only the two could hear.
The white half of the body slightly narrowed its eyes, calmly surveying the surroundings.
Although only two receptionist ladies seemed to be standing there, ANBU members were secretly hiding nearby, all eyes fixed on Zetsu.
Normally, they were the ones monitoring others, so they were naturally extremely sensitive to gazes.
Being suddenly stared at by others now didn't feel good.
"Then how about entering directly through the gate? Didn't Itachi and the others enter directly through the gate?"
White Zetsu blinked, offering a suggestion.
"That's the only way."
The entire pitcher plant stood up and walked towards the Kirigakure gate.
"Welcome to Kirigakure. The entrance fee is six ryo. Please pay separately for hot springs, water park, and accommodation."
"For other requests, please present pre-booked credentials."
The receptionist lady standing in front of Kirigakure looked at Zetsu, pausing bewilderedly for a moment.
Then, maintaining professional conduct, she revealed a standard smile, her tone gentle and friendly.
Zetsu looked blankly at the sign beside the receptionist lady. Paying to enter the village? What kind of nonsense was this?
Apart from Kirigakure here, all other villages either allowed infiltration or used armbands to represent outsiders.
He wasn't even wearing clothes, how could he have a place to keep money?
Zetsu had just emerged from underground, without even clothes on his body, split black and white down the middle.
Completely naked, looking very unreliable.
"So strange. Although we've seen many strange people here."
"But wanting to enter without clothes feels somewhat inappropriate..."
The two receptionist ladies whispered cautiously. Although professional ethics were important, the person before them was simply bizarre beyond convention!
"I have no money..."
As soon as White Zetsu finished speaking, the voices of the two receptionist ladies instantly grew louder.
"In broad daylight, actually streaking out naked! This is too indecent!"
"Security! Security! Take him away! Don't let him come near!"
As soon as the receptionist ladies shouted, several ANBU members jumped out from nearby, grabbed Zetsu, and dragged him aside.
Although Black Zetsu was unwilling, the current situation was clearly unfavorable for them.
"Can't be helped. But this mission isn't difficult anyway."
"Itachi and Juzo Biwa should be able to handle it."
White Zetsu spread his hands helplessly, speaking lightly.
Kirigakure really knows how to make money.
...
"If he doesn't get treatment soon, this guy might die from blood loss. Better take him back quickly."
"We're going to catch up. Finish cleaning up here and head home early."
After Juzo Biwa handed over the Executioner's Blade, Hatake Kuroshi pointed at him and reminded him.
"Yeah! Got it! I'll take him back right away!"
Mangetsu Hozuki nodded enthusiastically, then pulled out a scroll from his tool pouch.
Currently, he had little interest in the Ninja Swords.
However, the Ninja Swords were good items, after all, and belonged to his village; they couldn't just be left here.
"Speaking of canceling the S-rank missing-nin pursuit, shouldn't you need to consult with the Elders?"
"Even if you say you'll do your best to cancel it, there's still a possibility of failure."
"What do you plan to do then?"
Juzo Biwa stumbled as Mangetsu Hozuki pulled him along while packing things up, looking back at Hatake Kuroshi, who was already distinctly separate from them.
This group feels excessively casual, whether opening Kirigakure's gates wide or handling missing-nin.
"Elders? You mean Genji and the others?"
"Who cares about them? He's always nagging, just a boring old man!"
Mangetsu Hozuki ran forward without looking back.
Juzo Biwa was momentarily speechless. Kirigakure, whether the village itself or this new Mizukage, felt completely different from the past.
Stay in this place? Quite interesting.
"You kid..."
"I'm the Mizukage now, think carefully before you speak."
Mangetsu Hozuki bluntly interrupted Juzo Biwa, effectively shutting him up.
Sure enough, letting this kid be Mizukage is just absurd.
Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui didn't walk too far with Itachi, just heading to a dessert shop they frequented.....
All dessert-only shops closed after 9 PM.
Only this one had been forcefully extended to 24 hours by Hatake Kuroshi. After all, designing, thinking, and developing required quite a bit of brainpower.
Working late into the night, mind nearing shutdown, only to find no desserts available... felt, to Hatake Kuroshi, akin to a smoker without cigarettes.
Hatake Kuroshi led the two to a window seat.
It was already past midnight; the surrounding shops had clearly closed for the night.
Besides streetlights, only a few inns remained lit.
Dessert shops were mostly places girls frequented; the decorations were particularly pink.
The staff member taking their order couldn't help but glance over curiously a few extra times.
During the day, with more people, it might not have been so conspicuous, but it was already midnight.
Three grown men sat around a table, ignoring the slightly strange glances, ordering various sweets and chatting happily.
Shouldn't men usually be drinking beer and chatting at this hour!?
So strange.
"Edamame fresh cream daifuku, super delicious~"
"The recipe for this was my suggestion!"
Hatake Kuroshi looked at the plate brought by the staff member while proudly showing off to Itachi.
Shisui had to nod reluctantly on this matter.
"Although I don't want him to be so smug, it really is delicious."
Having the spare time amidst work to research flavors for his favorite food... it's hard to tell if this guy is too idle or too busy.
"Amazing, Kuroshi-kun."
"Although I didn't expect you to be here in Kirigakure, such a huge reform... if it came from your hands, it actually feels quite reasonable."
Itachi held the three-colored dango dipped in sauce, speaking relaxedly.
"The implication being that I always do things that feel absurd to you?"
Hatake Kuroshi bit into the daifuku, puffing out one cheek.
"Pretty much. You should have some self-awareness about this sort of thing."
Only a cup of tea sat before Shisui. Having eaten sweets consecutively with Hatake Kuroshi for several days before, his teeth were faintly starting to protest.
He even suspected if the teeth of these two sweet-toothed individuals were made of iron; how had they not decayed yet?
Hatake Kuroshi tilted his head, made a face at Shisui, then looked towards Itachi opposite him.
"Tch—Ah, right. Isn't there an old acquaintance of yours in Akatsuki too? Orochimaru."
"Doesn't he quite like you?"
Itachi's hand holding the dango paused, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.
"Like... not really. But there is indeed such a person. He kept wanting to team up with me."
"But Pain never agreed, so it didn't happen."
Hatake Kuroshi's mind flashed through some fragments; it was probably after Juzo Biwa died that Orochimaru made a move on Itachi.
Stalkers are really disgusting.
Hatake Kuroshi raised his finger while holding the teacup with sugar cubes.
"Well! Be extra wary of him. That guy is no good."
"Compared to liking you, he probably likes your eyes more."
Itachi choked slightly, raising his eyebrows lightly.
"I am aware of the 'liking eyes' part."
"How sought-after the Sharingan is, I can see clearly from Shisui's case."
Can we please steer away from the 'liking him' topic already?
"?"
Shisui, silently drinking tea beside them yet still getting caught in the crossfire, had a question mark appear above his head.
Stop calling him naive and clueless already! Almost a year has passed, why is he still being picked on!
"But what about afterward? Where do you guys plan to go?"
Itachi looked at the largely completed construction of Kirigakure outside. Hatake Kuroshi promoting that child to Mizukage here likely meant he wouldn't stay here long-term.
"After the situation here stabilizes, I plan to travel."
"Anyway, renovating this place was just something I did on the side~"
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