Chapter 035: The Little Mouse of the Poop Dance Troupe

Chapter 035: The Little Mouse of the Poop Dance Troupe

The saying "the death penalty can be avoided, but living punishment cannot" perfectly described Senju Wakama's current situation.

If Tobirama had simply flown into a rage and beaten Senju Wakama up, Wakama would have accepted it as the end of the matter.

But Tobirama, being the rational one, suppressed his anger and didn't lay a hand on him. Instead, he made a strange request.

Tobirama demanded that Senju Wakama give him a "gift" as a sincere apology, and the matter would be considered settled.

This "gift," as specified by Tobirama, had to be a live, spiritually attuned mouse.

When Senju Wakama first heard this request, his brain short-circuited.

A live mouse, and one with spiritual awareness at that? Where was he supposed to find such a thing?

Tobirama explained that he had noticed how well Tsukuyo got along with animals and wanted to study how to interact with them.

He mentioned that he had once tried to communicate with sparrows, but the birds were too timid. After being caught, they ended up scaring themselves to death.

Mice, on the other hand, had better mental resilience.

Tobirama reasoned that since Senju Wakama spent the most time with Tsukuyo, he would be better at identifying which mice had spiritual awareness.

After much deliberation, Senju Wakama agreed to Tobirama's request.

A live, spiritually attuned mouse? No problem.

Wasn't Tsukuyo is "Poop Dance Troupe" exactly that?

Those little mice danced around poop every day, singing "squeak squeak squeak." They definitely met Tobirama's requirements.

The dance troupe had plenty of mice. Losing one wouldn't affect their performances.

Senju Wakama decided to find one of these spiritually attuned mice immediately and set up a "meeting" between it and Tobirama.

Before dawn, Senju Wakama and Tobirama left the clan's territory and headed to the area where the "strange animals" roamed.

This was where the animals put on their bizarre daily performances.

The mice of the "Poop Dance Troupe" lived there.

...

At dawn.

The sky began to lighten.

The stubborn gray clouds that had been blocking the sky finally cracked open.

The gentle morning sun bathed the Naka River forest in a pearl-like glow.

The dense forest still clung to the remnants of the night's darkness and terror.

"Squeak squeak squeak... squeak squeak squeak..."

Early in the morning, the mice of the Poop Dance Troupe began their rehearsal.

Even without Tsukuyo present, they diligently practiced, showing remarkable enthusiasm. It was quite a sight.

However, since Tsukuyo wasn't there, the area they circled around was empty, lacking the usual steaming pile of strange poop.

Even without the poop, the mice's bizarre behavior was unsettling enough.

Senju Wakama and Tobirama hid nearby, silently observing the strange scene.

Tobirama whispered expressionlessly, "What are those mice doing?"

"Dancing. Tsukuyo taught them," Senju Wakama replied truthfully.

Tobirama looked puzzled. "Why would Tsukuyo teach mice to dance?" Is she out of her mind?

"Probably because it's fun," Senju Wakama said without changing his expression.

Tsukuyo teaching animals to do such strange things did have an element of entertainment, but the ultimate goal was to attract the attention of that Uchiha boy.

Senju Wakama didn't reveal this truth, though.

Tobirama was silent for a while before saying, "They seem smart, but also not that smart..."

Senju Wakama sighed, looking at his brother. "Tobirama, these are ordinary animals. You can't judge them by the standards of summoning beasts."

Summoning beasts were already strange creatures trained for combat.

The rodents dancing in front of them were just ordinary pests. For their intelligence to reach this level was already impressive.

If they were as smart as summoning beasts, why not just keep summoning beasts as pets?

But Tobirama had specifically asked for a spiritually attuned ordinary animal.

Tobirama frowned for a while before reluctantly nodding. "Fine. How do you plan to catch one alive?"

Senju Wakama gave Tobirama a sidelong glance. "I'll try first."

With that, Senju Wakama stealthily approached the dancing mice.

Tobirama followed closely behind.

When it was just Senju Wakama approaching, the mice showed no unusual reaction.

But as soon as Tobirama got close, the mice stopped their circular dance, froze for a moment, and then began screeching in alarm.

Tobirama: "..."

Senju Wakama crouched down nearby and pulled out some fragrant nuts. He clenched his fist and extended it toward the mice.

The mice seemed to recognize Senju Wakama. They sniffed the air and scurried toward his fist.

They sniffed around, looked at each other, and squeaked among themselves.

Tobirama watched this scene with fascination.

Senju Wakama explained softly, "Tsukuyo said that when dealing with small rodents like guinea pigs, hamsters, or rabbits, you should start with a clenched fist."

"They're intelligent but also timid and cunning. If you open your hand and reach out to them, they'll think a large predator is opening its mouth to eat them, and they'll run away as fast as they can."

Tobirama listened silently, deep in thought.

After explaining, Senju Wakama slowly opened his hand and distributed the nuts to the dancing mice.

The mice, familiar with Senju Wakama and seeing him bring food, stared at him with their beady eyes before taking the nuts and stuffing them into their little mouths.

These mice, cared for by Tsukuyo, never lacked food. Their fur was smooth, though most of them were still juveniles and not as robust as adult mice.

One of them was particularly friendly and seemed to enjoy the attention. It approached Senju Wakama's hand.

Senju Wakama, imitating Tsukuyo, reached out and gently stroked its head and back. The mouse looked delighted, holding the nut in its paws and making "squeak squeak" sounds.

Strangely, its squeaks, though typical of a mouse, carried different tones, almost as if it were speaking human language.

However, Senju Wakama, not being Tsukuyo, couldn't understand what the mouse was saying.

Tobirama stood behind his brother, squinting at the "talking" mouse.

Senju Wakama smiled at the mouse in his hand. "Let me introduce you. This is Tobirama. Don't you think he looks a lot like Tsukuyo? Much more than I do, right?"

The mouse tilted its head in a human-like manner, its beady eyes studying Tobirama for a moment before nodding repeatedly.

Its actions clearly showed it understood human speech.

Tobirama's expression turned strange, and he couldn't help but mutter, "This one will do."

Hearing this, Senju Wakama paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

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