Madara's base.
Izuna politely declined several White Zetsu's offer to cook and, led by a White Zetsu, arrived at a nearby town.
He chose to eat out.
He stopped in front of a dumpling shop. The villagers passing by all gave him strange looks.
The reason was the little white-haired Tobirama on his shoulder.
"Could you pull yourself back in?"
Izuna spoke to Little Tobirama, speechless.
"Pull your damn ass back in?"
Little Tobirama's taunt rang in Izuna's ear like a bot's reply.
"You damn bot."
"Your damn ass is a bot?"
Little Tobirama replied.
Izuna closed his eyes in speechless exasperation, though the White Zetsu accompanying him was also very conspicuous.
"Sir, um... I mean no harm."
The moment Izuna entered the shop, he felt the owner looking at him as though he were something pretending to be human.
Yes, the owner was already holding a large skimmer he had just pulled from the pot, staring nervously at Izuna and White Zetsu.
"You're not human!"
"No, I am human."
"Then what's that thing on your shoulder? Humans aren't built like that!"
"...Sir, could I have a bowl of dumplings?"
The owner still watched Izuna nervously.
"I'll pay."
"Right this way, sir."
The owner's expression did a complete about-face.
"What filling would you like?"
Well, with war breaking out recently and the unrest it brought, business had dropped considerably.
With less business, making ends meet had become harder too.
So, although the customer before him didn't look like a normal person, at least he could talk.
And he had said he would pay.
He must have been conjoined with his younger brother at birth, resulting in poor physical development that left him looking so thin and pale.
Then that very... peculiar-looking creature on his shoulder must have been his underdeveloped