Seeing that Itachi could still speak normally, Naruto thought the potion seemed quite gentle and stable.
"What, doesn't it hurt?"
Itachi shook his head. "A little, but not much. Less than using Susanoo."
"That makes sense."
Half an hour later, Naruto slowly withdrew his palm. Thanks to the Perfect Healing Potion, Itachi could now get up and walk around.
"To think a potion with such miraculous effects exists. Incredible."
Seeing Itachi looking so astonished, Naruto said, "This is the proudest creation of someone working under me-Orochimaru."
Itachi's expression shifted. "How did you bring someone as dangerous as Orochimaru under your command?"
"That's not something I can explain in a sentence or two. Anyway, just know that I trust him as much as I trust Sasuke."
Itachi nodded slightly. "I believe even Orochimaru couldn't fool you. By the way, Naruto, let me tell you a secret. In the future, watch out for a masked man..."
Ten minutes later, not a single person remained in the woods riddled with ravines.
Beside a quiet river.
Kisame sat crouched beside a fire, with no one else around. He took a golden-brown grilled fish off the fire and spoke to the empty air nearby. "Mr. Itachi, won't you eat a little?"
Whether the empty air actually answered him was unclear. Kisame sighed and put the fish back on the grill. "Your health keeps getting worse. At least eat properly, will you?"
Rustle...
Just then, a long-haired man wearing a Red Cloud Cloak strolled out of the nearby grass.
With his chronic ailments cured, Itachi had never felt so relaxed, both in body and mind.
Seeing Kisame talking to himself beside the campfire, he dispelled the genjutsu.
"What? You wouldn't eat when I offered earlier, but now you're too hungry to resist?"
Kisame teased Itachi as