Chapter 25: The Tea of Danzo

After leaving the alley, the group didn't head to the Root base. Instead, they arrived at a tea house built under the willow trees by the Konoha River.

"Lord Danzo has been waiting for a while. Please, come in."

Yūgao Aburame stepped aside, making a gesture of invitation.

The tea house was roofed with wooden tiles, covering less than a hundred square feet. The entrance, in particular, was quite low, a mere two feet square.

"Is this a dog hole? How am I supposed to get in with such a small entrance?" Dan frowned, given his large size.

Seeing this, Itachi, worried that Dan might misunderstand, took the initiative to explain:

"Uncle, guests must bow and kneel to enter the tea house. It's not to make things difficult, but to embody the spirit of equality and humility in the tea ceremony. Any guest entering in this way signifies leaving their status and rank at the door, entering a world beyond the mundane. I think Lord Danzo invited us to meet in the tea house to show us equality and friendliness."

Although his speech was slightly impaired due to his missing tooth, Itachi tried his best to clarify the etiquette of the tea ceremony. Born into a prestigious family, he had been exposed to such knowledge from an early age, under the influence of his clan leader father.

"Itachi is correct."

Yūgao Aburame expressed approval of Itachi's explanation and warned Dan lightly, "Mr. Dan, Lord Danzo has humbled himself. If you continue to act arrogantly, you should not enter."

"Uncle, let's go in."

Itachi didn't want Dan to feel too awkward. After speaking, he went to the entrance, took off his shoes, and crawled in.

However, Dan remained unyielding.

He walked to the entrance, grabbed the lattice window above it, and pulled.

With a ripping sound, the entire window was removed by Dan under Yūgao's stunned gaze and casually tossed aside.

"Now the hole is bigger."

Dan muttered to himself, his burly body heading towards the entrance, squeezing into the tea house.

Yūgao frowned and followed him in, while the two Root members stood guard at the door.

The tea house was simply furnished.

Despite its small size, it had tatami mats, a tea table, a tea stove, and tea utensils. There were flowers in the corner, and a scroll hanging on the wall with the characters "Harmony, Respect, Purity, Tranquility" written on it.

The master of the tea house, Danzo, was dressed in a kimono, sitting with his eyes closed at one end of the tea table, his body straight, his hands on his thighs.

He looked very formal.

Itachi quietly walked to the opposite side of Danzo, also kneeling in a standard posture, looking serious and respectful.

Dan didn't like kneeling.

So he just sat down next to his nephew, his massive weight causing the entire tea house to shake slightly.

This made Danzo open his eyes.

From the moment he entered, Dan had been doing as he pleased, completely disregarding the rules, losing all the respect he should have shown.

However, Danzo seemed not to mind, and slowly said to Dan:

"Uchiha Dan, I finally meet you. You are indeed as the rumors say, a man who doesn't sweat the small stuff."

"You flatter me, Lord Danzo."

Dan casually crossed his legs and got straight to the point, "You didn't invite us here in the middle of the night just to drink tea, did you?"

"Don't rush, young

man."

Danzo said, and despite only having his left arm to work with, he skillfully brewed tea. It was clear he was well-versed in the art of tea ceremony.

Soon, a bowl of steaming, emerald-green matcha tea was pushed in front of Dan by Danzo's single hand:

"Please."

"I don't like tea," Dan said.

"How will you know if you don't try?" Danzo replied lightly, his words carrying a double meaning.

Dan frowned but still picked up the tea bowl and drained it in one gulp.

"Ptui!"

The moment the tea entered his mouth, Dan felt an unusual bitterness and immediately spat it out, spraying Danzo's face.

The next instant...

"How dare you!"

Several voices rang out simultaneously, and several Root ninjas appeared from nowhere, holding various weapons like kunai and ninja blades to Dan's throat.

A small tea house could actually hide so many people.

"Everyone, stand down."

Danzo, however, remained calm and ordered his subordinates in a deep voice. Then, he took out a handkerchief from his clothes and leisurely wiped off the bitter tea on his face.

He had offered Dan tea as a test.

Danzo believed that Dan had deliberately spat tea on him as a childish provocation, something only a child would do.

The young man before him was simple-minded and physically strong, with a very immature personality.

Such a person was actually the easiest to control.

"I'm sorry." Dan apologized sincerely, because he really couldn't help it.

"No harm done."

Danzo forgave Dan's offensive behavior, showing neither anger nor irritation, revealing his deep and unfathomable tact, as well as the demeanor of the Hokage's advisor.

He temporarily ignored Dan.

He brewed another bowl of bitter tea, pushed it towards Itachi, and said:

"Itachi, I've said before, your life will be full of chaos. Drink this calming tea, it can alleviate your inner anxiety and pain."

"Thank you, Lord Danzo."

Itachi was moved. He bowed to Danzo, then held the tea bowl with both hands, brought it to his lips, and drained it.

Danzo had been kind to him. Without his recommendation, he wouldn't have been able to join the Anbu.

He had also promised Danzo that he would be his eyes and ears, monitoring the Uchiha clan.

"Uh..."

After drinking the matcha tea, Itachi suddenly widened his eyes and puffed up his cheeks, feeling a strong sense of nausea and discomfort.

If it was just bitter tea, he could bear it.

But the problem was, Itachi had just drunk a liter of chicken breast smoothie, and his stomach was already uncomfortable. Now, with a bowl of bitter tea in his stomach, it was like adding fuel to the fire.

His stomach churned, and his face quickly turned pale.

A few seconds later...

"Blech~"

Itachi couldn't hold back any longer and vomited a large amount of unidentifiable liquid.

Yellow and green, with the smell of chicken feces, bitterness, and the sour smell of digestive juice... all mixed together, filling the small tea house.

"You said you wouldn't vomit, and yet you did?"

Seeing this, Dan lightly patted Itachi's back while frowning and sternly reminded his nephew, "In this way, all the protein you took in today has been lost. When we get home tonight, you must eat ten boiled egg whites."

Seeing this scene, Danzo finally frowned.

Was the tea he brewed really that hard to drink?

No, it was clear that this uncle and nephew had conspired together, not giving him any face.

Uchiha Dan was one thing, but what surprised Danzo was Itachi, who should have been respectful to him, but now embarrassed him in front of everyone.

Was he influenced by Dan?

Taking a deep breath, Danzo tried to calm his emotions. He looked directly at Dan and suddenly said:

"Dan, you should know that Itachi's entry into the Anbu was recommended by me, right?"

Upon hearing this, Dan nodded, "I just found out."

Danzo: "…"

Suppressing his anger, he spoke again in a deep voice:

"To be honest, when the Second Hokage established the police force, it was actually to exclude the Uchiha clan from the power center of Konoha. Therefore, Izuna, Koharu, and Homura strongly opposed any Uchiha joining the Anbu, but I still recommended Itachi, staking my reputation. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Dan pretended not to know, humbly seeking advice.