"You guys are really close, huh?"
"I thought Sensei asked me to keep an eye on them so we could bring the rogue ninja back."
Hozuki Mangetsu suddenly leaned in after a short silence between the three of them, giving Itachi a curious once-over.
"Sensei?!"
Biwa Juzo stabbed his big executioner blade into the ground and leaned most of his body against it, raising an eyebrow as he listened.
If this teacher could get a kid barely in his teens made Mizukage, then he must be something special.
And that strange voice earlier… that had to be another one of his abilities.
Weird—everything about this guy felt strange.
Biwa Juzo really wanted to get out of this mess. He had just been fighting tooth and nail with the new Mizukage, and now here comes the guy's teacher.
Something told him he wasn't getting away today.
But now that the mood had suddenly calmed down, he couldn't bring himself to tell Itachi to run anymore.
Seriously, what was up with this shift in the mood? It changed way too fast.
"Of course we're close! We're practically family—closer than friends!"
"I'm not some big shot. Why would I care about catching rogue ninjas?"
Hatake Satoru threw his arms around Itachi and Shisui, who had both been a bit stiff ever since being recognized.
Then he turned and introduced them to the people standing nearby.
"Sugoiii!! Only an S-rank rogue ninja could be cool enough to be friends with Sensei!"
Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes practically lit up with little stars.
He really got excited just seeing his teacher.
Even though earlier, his attacks were all deadly and aggressive—he had practically been glued to them in the fight—and yeah, he clearly had the skill to be Mizukage.
But now, he was acting like a regular kid his age, fangirling over his teacher.
The contrast was so weird and didn't feel right at all.
Itachi and Biwa Juzo both glanced at Hozuki Mangetsu, silently judging him.
"In all kinds of ways, this kid's just... off."
Shisui let out a helpless sigh and gave Hatake Satoru a half-hearted pat on the shoulder.
"It's important to keep some personal space, even with people you're close to. You're way too clingy."
"The way you're standing makes it look like you've got a lover on each side."
Hatake Satoru quickly pulled his hands back with a dramatic "Tch—" like he was being forced to.
Next to him, Itachi's expression softened a bit, and he even gave a slight smile as he asked:
"But why did you guys come to Kirigakure Village?"
"Just felt like it! Plus, it's looking pretty good over there now."
"I showed up not long after you joined Akatsuki."
Hatake Satoru casually pointed to the village in the distance, where a few scattered lights were still on.
"It sounds kind of crazy, but if you were the one doing it, I guess it makes sense…"
Itachi still remembered when he and Biwa Juzo passed by Kirigakure earlier that day—how lively and developed it looked.
He wasn't sure what Kirigakure looked like before, but judging by Biwa Juzo's reaction back then, the place must've gone through a massive change in a short time.
Hatake Satoru and Shisui started excitedly telling Itachi about everything that had been going on.
Even though none of them lived in a village anymore, the two of them hadn't changed a bit—they were just as noisy and full of energy as ever.
Itachi didn't say much. He didn't really have anything to add.
Just listening to those two talk was already enough.
As a rogue ninja, everything he did usually didn't need a reason.
A mission was a mission. He was just the tool that got it done.
That's why most of the time in the Akatsuki, Itachi looked like an emotionless kid with a blank face.
"You're still the same as ever. That's really nice to see."
Itachi took a deep breath, feeling a mix of emotions, then gave a small smile.
"What's with you, Itachi? The youngest one here trying to act all mature?"
"Ah, is it because your coworkers are here, so you're putting on a serious act?"
Itachi took all the attention and pressure onto himself without hesitation.
Whether it was Itachi or the Mizukage from earlier, it seemed like just being close to Hatake Satoru made them relax without even realizing it.
The invisible wall between people just disappeared when he was around.
In a way, Hatake Satoru was a genius when it came to making friends.
"You pulled off in less than a year what others can't do in decades. That's impressive."
Biwa Juzo had worked under the Mizukage in the past.
Hearing this, it was pretty clear that behind the young Mizukage Hozuki Mangetsu, and the village's reconstruction and new policies, Hatake Satoru had a hand in all of it.
··················
Even though he was publicly called the Mizukage's teacher, in truth, he was the real mastermind behind Kirigakure Village.
But to be honest, for him, it didn't matter who the Mizukage was anymore. As long as that choking, bloody rule was over, that was enough.
And if we're being real, behind-the-scenes or not, the current state of the village showed that Hatake Satoru was doing a really good job.
Saying he single-handedly lifted the Land of Water's economy might be a bit of a stretch, but clearly, he was involved in many things.
"Oh~ are you praising me now? Do you want to come back and help rebuild the village?"
Hatake Satoru tilted his head with a big smile.
... ... ...
"When I became a rogue ninja, I never planned on coming back here."
"I just saw that my hometown's doing well now, so I figured I'd give you some praise."
Biwa Juzo shook his head, a bit confused.
Forget helping rebuild the village—if Itachi left now, he'd probably get caught right away, questioned for information, and dumped in the middle of nowhere.
Even if the buildings and people had changed, they wouldn't suddenly show mercy to rogue ninjas.
Hozuki Mangetsu and Hatake Satoru exchanged a glance, then Mangetsu stepped up on tiptoe to face Biwa Juzo.
"But you've basically been caught by us now."
"If you hand over the Executioner's Blade, we'll take you off the S-rank wanted list and let you come back."
"If you say no, we'll just kill you right here!"
Biwa Juzo's face froze for a second. That offer was basically "die or stay," wasn't it!?
And having a kid say it so confidently right to his face just felt… weird.
Hatake Satoru didn't seem to mind though. Honestly, most people who ran from Kirigakure back then—
They didn't do anything truly horrible. They just couldn't take Karatachi Yagura's bloody rule anymore.
So easing up the rules to let some of them come back wasn't a big deal.
Kirigakure was short on people anyway. Even without the blade, Biwa Juzo should still be Anbu level or close.
"…Fine. You can take the blade. I'm not in a rush to die."
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