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Chapter 47
They were definitely Root—no doubt about it. Their declarations like "I have no emotions" were also true.
But they were still real, living human beings. How could they truly become machines?
Being mocked so harshly by Naruto, the Root captain was practically fuming, his nose almost crooked with rage.
If not for Lord Danzō's explicit orders not to harm the jinchūriki's life, they would have bombarded Naruto with ninjutsu long ago. How could they let him act so arrogantly?
Suddenly, the captain realized this might be a provocation tactic. Normally he would have sneered and focused on the mission.
But today, Naruto's words were so unbearable—he'd never even heard some of them before. The taunting was dialed up to maximum.
Even worse, Naruto kept coming up with fresh insults without repeating himself. It was downright insane.
The Root captain suddenly remembered that this could be Naruto's provocation. The best counter to provocation is to ignore it.
People with strong mental fortitude might even mock the one trying to provoke them.
The Root captain was clearly that type.
He sneered coldly at Naruto: "A simple provocation tactic won't give you even the slightest chance of winning."
Ahead, Naruto closed his mouth in surprise and looked at the Root captain, correcting him: "No, no, no—you're wrong."
The Root captain sneered back: "Heh heh… so you think your provocation actually works on me?"
Naruto shook his head: "What I mean is—this isn't provocation."
"I'm just… purely mocking you."
Root captain: "…"
…
At the border of the Land of Rain, two ninjas wearing black cloaks with red clouds stood silently in the falling rain.
The tall one with a shark-like face extended his massive, pot-sized palm to shield Uchiha Itachi from the rain.
The never-ending light rain pattered softly on the ground.
The scene looked strangely harmonious.
But suddenly, before Uchiha Itachi and Kisame appeared a ninja dressed as Konoha ANBU.
The moment he arrived, he collapsed to the ground, rolling in agony. One second he was perfectly healthy, the next he looked sicker than Itachi.
He tore off his mask, pulled a small bottle of white liquid from his pocket, and gulped it down.
Kisame grinned, showing two rows of sharp, menacing teeth.
He commented: "Every time we waste a life. Konoha's methods are really ruthless."
Uchiha Itachi spoke calmly: "It's just Root's methods."
The two stood straight, silently watching the Root ninja gradually calm down.
Finally, the Root ninja spoke to Itachi: "My codename is 'Fire.' Lord Danzō sent me with important information."
"Recently, the ninja academies of Konoha and Sunagakure are holding a joint competition in the northeast of the Land of Fire."
"During the competition, someone with a grudge against Uchiha Sakyo plans to kill her."
Itachi didn't speak. His eyes remained calm, as if the person being talked about wasn't Uchiha Sakyo at all.
After Fire finished, he looked up at Kisame. The man stared back with wide, round shark eyes. From the outside he looked completely normal, but on closer inspection, Kisame's movements seemed eerie.
Almost… like a puppet being controlled.
And the one controlling Kisame was clearly Uchiha Itachi, with his Mangekyō Sharingan activated.
Fire knew his words had aroused Itachi's suspicion.
But this was his mission. He had to lure Itachi to the competition site and let him personally witness the real Uchiha Sakyo attacking Tenraku Kumo.
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