Communicating with Little Animals

"Konoha sure is impressive."

At an underground bounty exchange, Sasori, dressed in an Akatsuki uniform and looking incredibly bloated, mocked them softly.

"I've met that child before. He was a good kid. I never expected him to end up taking this path too."

Orochimaru, who was also wearing the uniform, ignored Sasori's mocking tone. A sinister smile appeared on his face as he spoke with some emotion.

"The Uchiha Clan, such a troublesome clan, was actually wiped out by a twelve-year-old brat. A twelve-year-old S-Rank Rogue Ninja... truly remarkable."

Seeing that his annoying partner was ignoring him, Sasori immediately lost interest.

"Orochimaru, you're not bad yourself. You managed to assassinate the Kazekage at such a young age. If that achievement were exposed, the entire ninja world would be shocked."

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips, smiling with a feminine sort of wickedness.

Seeing Orochimaru's irritating appearance, Sasori could not be bothered to respond.

He hated effeminate men the most.

"The organization has gained another member. Work hard and make some money..."

A masked man with green eyes spoke in a delighted voice. Holding a small notebook, he stuck a finger into his mouth, rubbed it across his tongue, and then flipped through the notebook.

He made even reading notes look like counting stacks of cash.

"We should go!"

Just as Kakuzu was getting absorbed in it, a voice came from nearby.

Kakuzu paused slightly.

"What an annoying bastard!"

Kakuzu muttered softly, his patience with this partner dropping a little further.

If he got the chance, he would kill this garbage partner too!

"Itachi, what do you think about this mission?"

Juzo and Itachi walked out of Pain's office.

"I think about it while standing."

Itachi walked ahead without looking back.

He merely replied in a flat tone.

Feeling that Itachi had become a completely different person the moment he accepted the mission, Juzo felt somewhat helpless...

"Um..."

Looking at Itachi ahead of him, Juzo had not wanted to say anything, but he still spoke softly.

"What now?"

Itachi turned to look at Juzo and asked somewhat impatiently...

"You're going the wrong way..."

Questioned by Itachi in that impatient tone, Juzo felt rather depressed...

But he still spoke quietly...

Juzo's words made Itachi pause slightly, his footsteps coming to a stop.

"Oh. You know the way, so you lead..."

Itachi spoke calmly, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.

It was as though he did not know what shame was.

Juzo had a bad feeling. Being partners with such a solitary, shameless brat might be difficult...

Of course, what he did not know was that Itachi was doing it deliberately.

He simply did not want others to see through his true personality and expose his inner thoughts.

Besides, constantly acting like a poker-faced man was no fun either...

After finally coming to this world, he wanted to enjoy life properly. If he always looked expressionless, mature, and withdrawn, no cute girls would like him, right...

More importantly, he felt that with his current strength, he should not be in much danger as long as he did not encounter an overly troublesome opponent, so he was getting a little full of himself...

After all, in the current ninja world, their organization could be considered the most dangerous one...

"The target of this mission is a ninja with a bounty on his head. Our task is to find that ninja and bring his head to the bounty exchange."

After leaving Amegakure, Juzo did not hurry onward. Instead, he explained the details of the mission to Itachi.

"Okay."

Itachi had no intention of interrupting. He merely answered flatly to show that he was listening.

Juzo suddenly lost interest in talking...

Watching Juzo continue on ahead without speaking, Itachi simply took out a conical hat, placed it on his head, and straightened it.

He should have a bounty on his head now too. As for the amount, it should not be small.

It was better not to expose himself if he could avoid it.

After all, Akatsuki was not the only group in the ninja world that worked as bounty hunters and killed ninja with bounties on their heads.

He was still a rogue ninja. Once his whereabouts were exposed,

Konoha would take action as well. That would be quite troublesome.

The two traveled at an unhurried pace, as though they were sightseeing.

After traveling for several hours, Juzo stopped.

"What is it?"

Looking at Juzo, who had stopped ahead of him, Itachi had not sensed anyone nearby, so he was somewhat confused.

"Why did you put on such an ugly hat..."

Hanzo had turned around to answer Itachi, but when he saw that Itachi had somehow put on a conical hat, he was stunned.

"This hat is pretty good. It blocks the sun and hides my face well. As a rogue ninja, it's better to be careful."

Itachi responded flatly to Juzo's words.

"You're quite cautious, brat."

Hearing Itachi's words, Juzo lightly praised him.

"I just don't need unnecessary trouble."

"Let's rest for a while. At our speed, it'll take roughly two days to reach the destination."

Hanzo did not respond to Itachi's words.

He disliked that ugly hat, so he did not wear it while out in the wilderness.

Only when passing through more populated areas would he take the hat out of a sealing scroll and put it on.

Of course, even if he wore the hat, the exaggerated Kubikiribōchō on his back would mercilessly give away his identity...

At most, it was just a bit of psychological comfort.

"What a boring part of the journey... It would be nice if we had a summoning beast for transportation..."

Hearing Juzo's words, Itachi commented with some feeling.

Juzo did not respond to Itachi's remark.

All of his strength revolved around his Kubikiribōchō.

Summoning beasts were merely external tools to him, so he was not particularly interested in them.

"Can you cook? We've been walking for so long. Shouldn't we eat something?"

Itachi formed hand seals and produced some water, taking several satisfying drinks before realizing that he was a little hungry.

"Why cook? It's such a hassle, and lighting a fire in the wilderness could easily cause trouble. Just chew on soldier pills. They're nutritious."

Remembering the taste of soldier pills from his memories, Itachi's face turned green.

"You go ahead. I'll go find some cute little animals and communicate with them..."

Watching Juzo eat soldier pills, Itachi felt a wave of disgust.

They were expensive and tasted awful.

Eating them in an emergency was one thing, but eating them normally was truly unbearable...

"Oh, right. These are some supplies I bought for you..."

Seeing that Itachi was about to leave his sight, Juzo took out a small scroll and tossed it to him.

Hearing Juzo's words, Itachi paused slightly and caught the scroll Juzo had thrown over.

He then opened it.

Inside, he found kunai, Explosive Tags, and similar items.

"You just defected, so you probably didn't have much money on you. I bought some for you, but remember to pay me back."

Seeing the items in his hands, Itachi was about to say something.

Then he heard Juzo's words, and warmth spread faintly through his heart.

"Then thanks."

The corners of Itachi's mouth rose slightly, revealing a faint smile.

"Remember to pay me back. I just don't want your combat ability to be affected and then affect my performance."

Hearing Itachi's thanks, Juzo spoke casually.

Hearing Juzo's words, Itachi did not continue the conversation. With his back to Juzo, he picked up the kunai Juzo had given him and gave it a wave before choosing a direction and walking away. His figure soon disappeared into the forest.

"That brat... he really is still just a brat..."

Watching Itachi's departing back, Juzo murmured softly.

Then he remembered the little animals Itachi had mentioned. The soldier pill that had seemed fairly edible a moment ago suddenly became difficult to swallow...

"Wait for me. I'm going to communicate with some little animals too..."

Juzo hurriedly got to his feet and chased after Itachi in the direction he had left.