"Kid, not bad work."
Jūzō wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and spoke with a tinge of appreciation.
"Not really. I think it's just because I'm starving. When you're hungry, everything tastes good…"
Itachi slowly finished his last bite of meat, rubbed his belly contentedly, and leaned against a large tree.
After resting for half an hour, the two resumed their journey.
---
"Here comes trouble."
By evening, they both came to a halt and exchanged glances.
Jūzō spoke softly, his tone calm.
"Just as expected…"
Hearing Jūzō's words, Itachi glanced at the giant executioner's blade on Jūzō's back, feeling slightly at a loss for words.
But that blade was Jūzō's lifeline; there was no way he'd part with it.
"What kind of people do you think they'll be?"
The two stood boldly in the middle of the road, not bothering to hide their presence.
Jūzō, seemingly unconcerned, casually chatted with Itachi.
"I don't know what kind of people they are, but I know one thing for sure—they're here to cause trouble for you."
Itachi spoke flatly, casting a glance at Jūzō's long, manicured nails painted in a garish color.
He had nails too, but he never bothered painting them...
---
"Fair enough…"
Jūzō didn't argue with Itachi's observation. He'd encountered situations like this plenty of times before. But no matter what, he couldn't part with the executioner's blade. It was his faith.
"We've already been exposed. Let's get this over with…"
From the shadows, a ninja emerged and spoke in a cold, detached tone.
Three more figures followed, stepping out slowly. They wore headbands tied around their foreheads or arms, but they weren't all from the same village.
"What's your business here?"
Seeing the four approach with hostility, Jūzō asked dismissively, a tinge of scorn in his voice.
As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the wielder of the executioner's blade, he had every reason to be confident in his strength.
"Jūzō Biwa, you've got quite the bounty on your head. And now you've even picked up a kid, huh?"
The leading ninja's tone was playful, but a flicker of caution flashed in his eyes.
This target was no pushover.
---
"So, you're here for me after all. Let me ask: Your eyes, throat, heart, or waist—where would you like to be attacked first?"
Hearing the enemy's arrogance, Jūzō began forming hand seals, his voice icy and emotionless.
As his words fell, thick fog began to rise around them.
The white mist grew so dense that visibility dropped to less than a meter in moments.
At first, Itachi was taken aback, but then he quickly understood.
He realized the fog, while thick, wasn't very effective.
Then it dawned on him—Mist-style jutsu required water to work effectively.
There was no water source nearby, so Jūzō had forcibly created the fog using only his chakra.
As Jūzō's figure disappeared into the mist, Itachi activated his Sharingan, scanning the area.
Through the Sharingan, the fog appeared slightly thinner, but it was still far from transparent.
Itachi now understood why Kakashi had needed to rely on his summoned creatures when he fought Zabuza.
Even with a complete pair of Sharingan, Itachi could barely see. Kakashi's single Sharingan would've been at an even greater disadvantage.
---
Observing the Mist-style jutsu reminded Itachi of another jutsu: Darkness Technique, a ninjutsu designed to counter the Sharingan.
This thought left Itachi contemplative; it reinforced the principle of balance—everything had its counter.
Still, he felt no fear. After all, these jutsu were designed to counter the Sharingan, but he wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan. He had no reason to panic.
With Susano'o at his command, he felt invincible.
"Ahhh!"
A scream pierced through the fog.
"Don't be afraid! He's just one man. Let's grab the kid!"
Jūzō's ruthless actions had already reduced the four bounty hunters to three.
The remaining three, despite their fear of Jūzō, quickly regrouped.
In this line of work, they were always prepared to gamble with their lives.
They decided to focus their attention on the smaller target—Itachi.
---
Hearing the three bounty hunters plan to come after him, Itachi's hands moved deftly, producing four kunai.
Without hesitation, he hurled them toward the source of the voices.
Under Jūzō's astonished gaze, the bounty hunter who had shouted and charged toward Itachi was struck down.
The kunai pierced through his vital points with precision, leaving his body riddled like a pincushion.
Itachi's skill was evident with that single move.
Just by hearing the enemy's voice, he had determined their position and pinpointed their weak spots.
This level of precision wasn't something an ordinary person could achieve.
Of course, it helped that the one shouting had been the first to speak earlier, so Itachi had already noted his voice and general build. With instinctive analysis and swift action, he had effortlessly targeted the man's vital points.
Watching their comrade, who moments ago had been barking orders, turn into a lifeless husk in the blink of an eye left the remaining bounty hunters stunned.
---
The remaining two bounty hunters were utterly defeated.
However, before they could even kneel and beg for their lives, Jūzō easily took their heads.
...
As the thick fog quickly dispersed, Jūzō stood silently before their corpses.
"Kid, not bad..."
Jūzō glanced at Uchiha Itachi with a hint of admiration in his voice.
However, Itachi had no intention of responding. Instead, he walked over to the corpse of the bounty hunter Jūzō had killed, crouched down, and pulled out the kunai he had thrown earlier. He wiped it clean on the corpse's clothes before putting it back into his ninja tool pouch.
Then, he began searching the body...
"Damn, kid..."
Seeing Itachi's skillful movements, Jūzō stopped mid-sentence and hurriedly squatted down as well, beginning to rummage through the corpses himself.
There were three bodies, and he needed to quickly loot them for any valuables. Otherwise, that shameless kid would undoubtedly take everything without hesitation...
...
Under Jūzō's somewhat wary gaze, Itachi casually retrieved a ninja tool pouch. After a quick inspection, he found a few hundred ryō, along with some kunai and shuriken.
Satisfied, Itachi pocketed them and put them into his own ninja tool pouch.
Then, he stood up, showing no interest in competing with Jūzō—the seemingly fierce but actually childish and greedy man—for the rest of the spoils.
Seeing Itachi stand up and realizing he wasn't going to fight over the loot, Jūzō let out a quiet sigh of relief. Then, a thought struck him.
He'd never had the habit of looting corpses before...
"Damn it, this kid's rubbing off on me... But, it feels kinda satisfying? This strange sense of fulfillment?"
Jūzō grumbled internally.
...
"Are you done yet? You're taking forever..."
Watching Jūzō fumble around one of the corpses for ages, Itachi felt a bit exasperated.
What's with that ugly face and that weird smile...?
Jūzō completely ignored Itachi's remark.
Instead, he kept searching the corpse intently, as if he were on a treasure hunt.
"How about I keep watch while you finish up?"
Seeing Jūzō's unusual behavior, Itachi asked seriously.
Jūzō froze upon hearing Itachi's words, looking a bit confused.
When Itachi saw Jūzō's puzzled expression, he realized he might have overthought things. His face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"Never mind. Carry on..."
Beneath his straw hat, Itachi quickly regained his composure, and the fleeting redness disappeared without a trace.
---