Life as Uchiha Itachi

"We'll talk about it tonight." 

Hearing Itachi's somewhat reflective words, Jūzō spoke softly. 

In Jūzō's view, Itachi simply overthought things. 

After all, he was also an S-class rogue ninja and a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Despite knowing many of Kirigakure's secrets, he was still alive and well. 

Even though he was a rogue ninja, deep down, he didn't think Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Villages, was any weaker than Konohagakure. 

As for Itachi, his identity was even more intriguing. The Uchiha clan was reduced to just him and his brother. 

Sharing the same bloodline and Kekkei Genkai as the legendary Uchiha Madara, Itachi's younger brother was protected within Konohagakure, where no one dared to make a move. 

Itachi himself attracted the attention of the entire ninja world—no one could resist studying such a powerful bloodline with immense potential. 

Jūzō could already imagine how many people would come after Itachi if his identity were exposed. 

Thinking of this, Jūzō glanced at the hat Itachi had tossed aside, feeling a surge of emotion. 

"Fine, I'll get some rest." 

Hearing Jūzō's words, Itachi lay down on the mat and closed his eyes to rest. 

Watching Itachi lie down, Jūzō fell silent. 

"This kid doesn't understand the concept of respecting elders..." 

After a moment of silence, Jūzō muttered a complaint. 

Feeling a bit bored, he rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a wooden carving he had partially shaped. 

Taking out a kunai, he began carving. 

After a few strokes, he froze. 

The figure in his memory had somehow become blurry. 

Too many details—he could barely recall them... 

Time flew by, and as Jūzō looked at the barely touched carving he had worked on all afternoon, he sighed and tucked it back into his pocket. 

He opened the door and called for the staff to bring some food, planning to eat and figure out the rest of the evening later. 

The sound of the door opening roused Itachi from his light sleep, and he silently sat up. 

"The food will take a while. Why are you awake already?" 

Watching Itachi drink water, Jūzō asked softly. 

"I'm done sleeping. I noticed the noise outside has quieted down. By the time we're done eating, it should be the right time." 

After taking a sip of tea, Itachi placed the cup on the table and spoke calmly. 

Seeing Itachi get serious, Jūzō said nothing, opting instead to pace around the room. 

After sitting on his knees all afternoon, the blood flow in his legs had been restricted, leaving them numb. 

Despite the number of guests at the inn, the food arrived surprisingly quickly. 

The aromatic dishes soon filled their room. 

The two ate in silence, embodying a certain decorum of not speaking during meals. 

In no time, the dishes were wiped clean. 

Itachi, out of habit, began picking his teeth. 

The sight left Jūzō speechless. 

"Kid, look at me—I've got sharp teeth and no such issues. But you, barely thirteen, and already struggling with food stuck in your teeth? Lay off the sweets." 

"..." 

After the staff cleared their dishes, the two donned their hats and left the inn. 

Night had fallen, and the once-bustling streets grew quieter as the shops closed. 

Only a few people remained: those heading for a drink or a meal, others walking off their dinner, and the occasional loafing troublemaker wandering the streets. 

"Together or separate?" 

At a fork in the road, Jūzō asked softly. 

"Together. For now, we're just scouting the area. No need to overcomplicate things." 

Itachi responded indifferently. 

"Alright." 

As they walked, Itachi couldn't help but grumble internally. 

Their outfits were far too conspicuous... 

Passersby often gave them strange looks. 

But Itachi understood the reason. 

Who in their right mind would be wearing a straw hat at night? 

Even with the streetlights, their attire stood out like a sore thumb. 

After a few hours of walking, they had roughly covered the small city, but Itachi couldn't pinpoint where the rogue ninja might be hiding. 

In a city teeming with a mix of people, trying to deduce the target's location through psychology felt particularly challenging. 

However, their efforts weren't entirely fruitless. 

Itachi noticed many others seemingly pursuing the same goal. 

If Kakuzu were here, he'd probably be ecstatic. 

Itachi had spotted numerous individuals—some masked, others using chakra cloaks or transformation jutsu to hide themselves. Many of these shady figures were likely on the bingo book's wanted list. 

With Kakuzu's keen sense for gold, he would undoubtedly make a killing. 

"Did you find anything?" 

Back in the room, Juzo asked softly. 

In response, Itachi shook his head, indicating he had no ideas. 

Seeing Itachi's reaction, Juzo sighed in frustration. He removed his straw hat and hung it on a nearby rack. Then, he walked to the floor mat and plopped down heavily. 

Itachi watched Juzo and couldn't help but feel a twinge of helplessness. 

Juzo wasn't stupid—not like some people whose bodies and brains were nothing but muscle. 

He simply hated using his brain. 

"Let's rest for a bit. There might be something interesting to see tonight," Itachi said after thinking for a moment. 

"Let's hope so." 

Juzo took a sip of tea, found it dull, and pulled out a jar of sake from a sealing scroll. He poured himself a clean cup, drank deeply, and responded. 

You could tell Juzo's frustration came and went quickly. 

Itachi, seeing this, sat across from him, skillfully picked up a cup, filled it, and began drinking too. 

"Your alcohol tolerance is terrible. Don't drink too much, or you'll screw up if something important happens," Juzo said, pained to see Itachi pouring a large cup of sake. It felt like a waste of good liquor. Juzo quickly finished his own drink, refilled the cup with tea, and sealed the jar of sake back into the scroll in one fluid motion. 

"…" 

Itachi stared blankly at the scene, stunned. 

"I didn't expect you to be like this, Juzo…" 

Juzo ignored Itachi's scrutinizing gaze and stared silently at his cup, lamenting the lack of snacks to go with the alcohol. 

After spending so much time with Itachi, the once-honest Juzo had picked up a few of his habits. 

Knock, knock, knock. 

As the two finished their drinks—Juzo remaining calm while Itachi's face flushed red and his eyes grew hazy—a knock came from the door. 

"Who is it?" 

Seeing Itachi slightly drunk, Juzo stayed seated and asked toward the door. 

"Your honored guest…" 

After a moment of silence, the person outside responded with an odd answer. 

"…" 

Juzo was momentarily at a loss for words. 

Itachi, however, snapped out of his haze, his eyes suddenly clear. 

"Say, 'Daddy,' and I'll open the door…" 

Itachi's voice shattered the silence, leaving Juzo dumbfounded. He'd noticed Itachi wanted to say something and was curious what the now-clear-eyed Itachi would come up with. 

He hadn't expected that. 

Itachi was definitely drunk. 

And it wasn't just Juzo—outside the door, a bounty hunter with ulterior motives was equally shocked. 

The bounty hunter, realizing there were more people involved than expected, had planned to form a temporary alliance with other hunters to capture the target. Dealing with rogue shinobi from a major village like Konoha was no joke; he feared interference from Konoha or other major villages. 

That was why he'd approached at night with this idea in mind. 

But he hadn't expected the people inside to act so unpredictably. Now he didn't know whether to go in or leave. 

Calling someone "Daddy" felt too embarrassing, especially since the tone inside made it sound like something suspicious. 

Annoyed with himself for even entertaining the thought, the bounty hunter muttered a curse and left. 

"What does 'Daddy' mean?" 

After the person outside left, Juzo stared blankly at Itachi and asked. 

Itachi glared at Juzo. 

"It means 'father.' You should read more books…" 

Feeling bored, Juzo leaned back as Itachi began to doze off. 

Suddenly, a powerful chakra burst erupted nearby. 

Both of them instantly woke, donned their hats, and disappeared out the window in a flash of movement—impressively stylish. 

Why not use the door? Neither of them had a good answer. 

From the rooftop, they saw more people had arrived than expected. 

The surge of chakra was like a spark igniting chaos, drawing everyone to its source. 

The two perched atop a roof, watching the battle between two figures below. 

Itachi sighed, thinking how nice it would be to have sunflower seeds right now. 

"When do we make our move?" 

Noticing one of the fighters smash the ground with ease, Juzo recognized him as their target, Yamamoto Kisu. He leaned closer to Itachi and whispered. 

"It seems the people's power is stronger than I thought. The target surfaced quickly…" 

Itachi sighed softly, not directly answering Juzo. 

"Do you think you can take him down and get out safely with so many people around?" 

When Juzo didn't get a response, he asked again, slightly impatient. 

Itachi responded with a question of his own. 

"They're all small fry. Let's execute Plan A—split up and clean up the mess in one go," Juzo said, annoyed, feeling as though Itachi was questioning his ability. 

Clearly, Itachi wasn't the only one affected by the alcohol. Juzo, too, was feeling bold.