The First Meeting of the Two, Biwa Juzo

Looking at the empty clan grounds, Sasuke sat blankly at the entrance of his home.

It was as if he could see those familiar figures passing by his side.

"Why did you do this? Come out..."

Thinking of this, Sasuke shouted into the air as though Itachi were standing right in front of him...

A single tomoe Sharingan quietly emerged in his eyes, then vanished again.

His body then went limp, and he collapsed onto the steps...

An ANBU member appeared beside Sasuke and picked him up.

In the original story, Sasuke had awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan in one eye and a one-tomoe Sharingan in the other.

But due to the butterfly effect, Sasuke had only awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan, and it was highly unstable.

Moreover, he was far too young and physically frail to withstand the Sharingan's drain.

Seeing Sasuke faint, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of watching any longer.

He had not noticed Sasuke's fleeting Sharingan.

He had only glanced over from time to time.

Compared to Sasuke, the arrangements for the clan grounds behind him interested him more.

That was what he thought, but clearly, it could not be done that way.

Besides, the Uchiha Clan's grounds were on the outskirts of Konoha Village, and no one wanted to go to such a godforsaken place.

Thus, the Uchiha Clan completely came to an end, joining the Senju Clan as a tiny pebble in history.

In a few years, it was likely that no one would even know the Uchiha Clan's name.

"What? The teammate assigned to me is a twelve-year-old kid?"

Having just completed a mission, Biwa Juzo found Pain's words hard to believe.

"His strength is more than sufficient. He wiped out the famed Uchiha Clan by himself."

Pain spoke calmly.

Since Obito's identity had always been concealed, Pain hid all traces of Obito's involvement and credited every accomplishment to Itachi alone.

"Leader, is the Uchiha Clan you mentioned the Uchiha Clan I know?"

Hearing Pain's words, Biwa Juzo swallowed and asked seriously.

Pain lightly nodded at Juzo's question and said nothing more.

As an organization with dreams, they could not spend too much time on such matters.

So after making the important point clear, he stopped paying attention to Biwa Juzo before him and quietly looked over the information in his hands.

Looking at Juzo, who still had not recovered from the shock, Pain frowned slightly.

"Go find him yourself. Bring him here afterward. I have something to tell the two of you."

Seeing Juzo still standing before him, Pain felt somewhat annoyed.

"Yes, Leader."

Sensing that Pain was subtly dismissing him, Juzo tactfully left.

But as he left, his mind was elsewhere.

He kept thinking about what kind of existence a child who could destroy his own clan at the age of twelve must be.

Would he be difficult to get along with?

When they went on missions, should he stay on guard in case he died without even knowing how...

At that moment, Juzo had many thoughts, and he was also immensely curious about Itachi.

After all, that was the Uchiha Clan...

"Who is it?"

Hearing the knock on the door, Itachi, who had been silently refining his ninjutsu, frowned slightly.

He did not like being disturbed.

Especially now, when he was studying ninjutsu, a form of cultivation almost like pursuing immortality.

Having only just begun exploring it, he found himself wanting more.

After all, memories were one thing. Even experiencing something firsthand could not compare to personally experiencing it.

"I'm Biwa Juzo, your future teammate."

Looking at the young and handsome Itachi who opened the door, Biwa Juzo spoke softly.

That slight furrow in Itachi's brow in particular set alarm bells ringing in his heart.

"Oh, it's our first time meeting. Nice to meet you."

Looking at Biwa Juzo before him—short black hair, no eyebrows, sharp teeth, a large cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, bandages wrapped around his ears and neck, and red stripes painted across the lower half of his face—

Itachi's impression of him improved greatly.

After all, this strange-looking fellow was a good partner.

In the original story, he was the man who had died protecting him.

Seeing Itachi's gentle face, several question marks appeared in Juzo's mind.

Someone capable of such an utterly deranged act as exterminating his own clan—no matter how he looked at that gentle face, he could not sense any gentleness from it...

"Mm, how about we get something to eat? We may have to go out on a mission tomorrow."

Juzo did not let down his guard. To be honest, he did not want a teammate like Itachi.

But he had no right to choose his teammates...

So, left with no alternative, he could only try to get closer to Itachi and find out what kind of person he really was.

Ever since learning of Itachi's achievements, every trace of contempt in his heart had vanished.

That was the reality of the ninja world. As long as you had strength, you could earn others' respect and fear.

"Sure."

Itachi enthusiastically agreed to Juzo's suggestion.

Juzo had expected to be rejected, so he was a little stunned when he heard Itachi's response.

He felt that this kid simply did not follow the usual script.

It left him not knowing how to deal with the kid at all.

Already not good with words to begin with, he was even more at a loss for words now.

"What do you want to eat?"

The two walked down the road one after the other as a light rain drizzled down.

Each of them held an oil-paper umbrella.

"I want something sweet."

Looking at Juzo leading the way ahead of him, Itachi replied softly.

But he only glanced at him once before surveying the surroundings.

Seeing how calm and composed Itachi was, Juzo could not make heads or tails of him.

He had been so enthusiastic just now, so why had he suddenly become so distant...

Still, Juzo said nothing. He actually preferred this kind of atmosphere.

He himself was not much of a talker.

If Itachi had been a chatterbox, he would not have known what to do.

After all, this kid looked fierce. If Juzo failed to respond to him and made him unhappy, then Itachi might stab him in the back during a mission. Juzo would have a hard time dealing with that...

He had a clear understanding of his own strength.

He was not weak, but he was somewhat lacking when facing true powerhouses.

After all, the Akatsuki members were all powerful people with their own specialties.

His occasional interactions with his companions had given him a clear understanding of himself.

"Don't eat too many sweets. Watch out for cavities."

Juzo led Itachi to a shop and said this softly.

"Life is bitter, so eating more sweet things helps balance it out."

Itachi replied quietly to Juzo's words.

But he merely stood in front of the shop without going in or ordering anything...

Because he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have no money on him...

Or rather, he could be more confident and remove the "seemed to."

He was a penniless pauper.

"Two handsome gentlemen, what would you like? Our desserts are the finest in Hidden Rain Village!"

Seeing the two standing blankly in front of the shop, the shopkeeper hurriedly spoke.

If Juzo had not been standing there looking so fierce, he would have wanted to chase them away...

How was he supposed to do business with them blocking the entrance...

"Um, I left in too much of a hurry and forgot to bring money..."

After thinking for a moment, Itachi spoke expressionlessly to Juzo.

His face did not redden, nor did his heart skip a beat.

"This..."

Looking at the expressionless Itachi, Juzo inwardly drew a sharp breath.

This guy's skin is way too thick. They had only just met, and he was already making such an unreasonable request.

Juzo silently complained to himself.

But his expression remained unchanged.

"It's fine, I have some. Order whatever you want. It's on me."

While inwardly marveling at Itachi's terrifying audacity, he outwardly remained calm.

All he could think was, Hurry up, eat, and let's get out of here.

It was not easy for him to earn money. He could not let this kid Itachi waste it recklessly.

"Then thanks!"

Hearing Juzo's words, Itachi smiled slightly, his eyes narrowing like crescent moons.

Then they returned to normal.

"Give me two of each."

Itachi's finger continuously pointed at the desserts.

Juzo remained expressionless, but his heart was bleeding.

It was as though he could constantly hear coins clinking beside his ears...

And those clinking coins were about to enter someone else's pocket...