Being at a ruler's side is like being at a tiger's side, Zaraki Kita thought, skipping past the prologue and opening straight to the first chapter.
"F-f-from the bushes… Naruto b-bursts o-out, scanning h-his surroundings, t-taking a deep breath… a-and charging in one go… t-toward the rock wall, b-beside it…"
Even she herself could feel how irritating her stutter was this time. Orochimaru had once said that after losing the ability to speak for a long period, she couldn't properly use her vocal cords. In her consciousness space, she didn't stutter at all—after all, even the vocal cords there were synthesized with chakra. Most of the time, in her thoughts, she could form a complete sentence without issue. But once those thoughts passed through the vocal cords and the complex movements of the mouth, they turned into this halting, broken speech. Of course, there was also her own anxiety—worrying she might say the wrong word, she spoke overly cautiously, and the result was this stumbling delivery.
In short—
Unfamiliar and unaccustomed.
Zaraki Kita didn't dare continue. The annoyance on her face was obvious.
"Did I tell you to stop?"
Konan brushed away a few stray tea leaves clinging to her delicate teacup and spoke flatly, her tone unreadable.
Zaraki Kita took a deep breath, glaring at the simple illustrated novel as though it were her mortal enemy.
"V-very g-good… h-he g-gathers… ch-ch-chakra… i-identifies… t-the t-targets l-located b-behind the r-rock wall… t-the n-number is… o-one, t-two, t-three, f-four… i-in t-total s-six p-people."
The stuttering was far worse than before. The ANBU hiding in the shadows burst into muffled laughter. Konan glanced at them once, then spoke calmly.
"Don't bother collecting this month's salary."
The ANBU instantly stopped laughing and began quietly sobbing.
Zaraki Kita couldn't read any further. She closed the book and set it aside, deciding it would be better to reason things out with Konan.
"M-my d-student, K-Karin, c-can d-do a-all o-of this t-too. S-she'd b-be m-more s-suitable as y-your g-guard."
"Can she beat you?"
"…A-are y-you t-trying t-to m-mock m-me l-like t-this?"
"Yes."
Konan's answer made far too much sense. Zaraki Kita realized she had no way to refute it.
She took a sip of tea, wondering why Konan was so intent on mocking her. Judging from the situation, Konan knew nothing about her; disliking her was probably due to her non-human identity. After a moment of thought, she set the teacup down and spoke again.
"I-I c-can l-leave t-the v-village."
"Been a rogue ninja for so long you don't want to come home anymore?"
Konan's words were deliberately ambiguous. Zaraki Kita let out a long sigh. From Konan's perspective, she was the village leader—well, nominally only half, but in practice the leader nonetheless. No leader was willing to tolerate betrayal by their subordinates; the way every village dealt with rogue ninja made that clear. Zaraki Kita had defected years ago, and Konan hadn't even known about it at the time. If not for Nagato granting her the status of an Akatsuki external member, Konan would likely have dealt with her immediately, given her usual methods. Being mocked a little now, made to suffer slightly—it was nothing in comparison.
Having figured this out, Zaraki Kita lowered her head slightly, showing clear remorse.
"S-s-sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Konan lifted the small, exquisite teacup and gently blew on the still-hot tea. Early spring tea—rich aroma, the room filled with the scent of tea.
"F-for d-defecting f-from t-the v-village. B-back t-then I d-didn't u-understand a-anything, I—"
SPLASH.
The scalding tea was poured straight onto Zaraki Kita's face. Konan set the cup down, poured herself another, and turned to look out at Amegakure beyond the window. In a tone as calm as if nothing had happened, she said,
"My temper isn't very good. You'd best choose your words carefully."
Zaraki Kita wiped the hot tea from her face. Her pale skin had reddened from the burn. She spoke softly.
"S-s-sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Konan asked again.
"F-for m-making y-you a-angry."
The answer was perfectly proper. After a moment of silence, Konan drained the tea in her cup and said flatly,
"Continue reading."