Shūji was a shinobi.
Itachi was also a shinobi.
"Uchiha... Itachi?"
Shūji looked at the boy standing before him, dressed in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Calling him a "boy" seemed inadequate—"child" was more accurate.
Eight years old, with a childish face still bearing traces of baby fat, yet those jet-black eyes were like deep pools, devoid of the liveliness and innocence that should belong to a child.
"Yes, Shūji-senpai." The child responded softly.
Though he had taken over this body for half a month and had mastered everything he needed to practice, Shūji had come to accept that despite being only fourteen, he was already a shinobi who had been cutting people down for several years. However, he still wasn't mentally prepared for taking a child out to do the same.
Even if that child was Uchiha Itachi.
His face showed no abnormality as he pulled out the mission scroll. Just as he was about to explain the mission details, his nose caught a sweet, fragrant aroma.
It was nine in the morning. Several sparrows hopped along the eaves, chirping crisply. The fresh air lifted the spirits, and the warm sunlight felt pleasant.
Shūji followed the scent with his gaze. It was a wagashi-ya¹, a traditional sweets shop. The diligent owner had opened early and was currently making rice dumplings.
"Uchiha—ahem, I'll just call you Itachi directly." Shūji's throat bobbed involuntarily.
"All right, senpai." Uchiha responded, still calm and subdued.
"Want to eat something?"
Itachi finally looked up, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes. He followed Shūji's gaze.
The sweets shop. Dango...
Uchiha Itachi hesitated: "This... Shūji-senpai, the mission..."
"The dango look freshly made." The young man's body turned toward the shop as he took a step forward, muttering to himself, "Freshly made food tastes best, and what I ate this morning wasn't nearly enough... It's still early morning, eating more won't be a problem..."
As the senpai was a chūnin² and the mission leader, it would be improper to oppose his decision once made.
Thinking this, Itachi followed Shūji into the shop. They sat down, and Shūji ordered four skewers of dango, all three-colored, plus two cups of tea to cut the sweetness.
The tricolor dango were arranged on small blue dishes, emanating a warm, sweet fragrance. The translucent rice dumplings—pink sakura-flavored, green matcha-flavored, and white plain—were neatly arranged, their surfaces decorated with fine sugar crystals that sparkled enticingly in the sunlight.
Shūji first rinsed his mouth with clear tea. When he set down his cup, he discovered only two skewers of dango remained.
He blinked, confirming he wasn't mistaken, then shifted his gaze to Uchiha Itachi across from him—the pale cheeks were slightly puffed out, a bit of sugar frosting still clung to the corner of his mouth, and those usually impassive eyes were now slightly narrowed, revealing an expression of satisfaction like a cat that had stolen fish.
"Shopkeeper, two more skewers, please." Shūji couldn't help but laugh, pushing the remaining dango toward Itachi.
A faint blush rose on Uchiha Itachi's cheeks, but his slender fingers reached over without hesitation. Sunlight streamed through the latticed window, casting dappled shadows on the wooden table between them.
The dango were sweet, soft, and good.
Another sip of tea—very good.
Shūji exhaled contentedly.
Itachi also set down his teacup with satisfaction.
Shūji unrolled the mission scroll: "This mission is to eliminate bandits. There are no portraits of the targets, only that they were originally plundering along the border of the Land of Rivers³. When the Land of Rivers authorities pursued them, they crossed the border and fled into the Land of Fire.
"When the Daimyō's⁴ residence received word and dispatched soldiers, they escaped again to the Land of Rain.
"When both countries had decided not to pursue further, the bandit group reappeared on the Land of Rivers border to commit crimes, so the Land of Rivers entrusted this mission to the village.
"According to intelligence transferred from the Land of Rivers, there are no shinobi among the bandits.
"However, they've shown keen awareness in avoiding battle and escaping during several pursuits, with no casualties.
"Their numbers are between fifteen and twenty.
"Since there's no expectation of encountering shinobi, the mission is ranked C-level. Considering their numbers, the reward is fifty thousand ryō⁵."
After briefly explaining the mission situation, Shūji pushed the scroll to Itachi to let him review it as well.
"Although this is a temporary team, I'll explain my capabilities. I specialize in ninjutsu, with good range and power. You don't need to worry about combat aspects of this mission."
The original Shūji had served in a border combat squad. During their last patrol mission, they encountered a large Cloud Village⁶ force. Two teammates died in battle, and only he escaped with heavy injuries and crucial intelligence. He was sent back to Konoha Village for treatment, and when he awoke, the consciousness inhabiting the body was no longer the original Shūji, but the current one.
He wasn't clear whether his situation was possession or awakening. In any case, he possessed all fourteen years of this body's memories, plus over twenty years of memories from an ordinary person in another world. Shūji didn't want to dwell on these matters—there was no point.
After recovering for half a month, he planned to take on a mission as rehabilitation exercise and to reintegrate into this world.
Since the mission description indicated they'd be dealing with ordinary people, with the difficulty lying in tracking and finding them, he had originally planned to do it alone, but the village still assigned him a teammate.
"Senpai needn't worry about me." Itachi introduced himself earnestly. "I can use shinobi tools, know some genjutsu, and can perform some Fire Release. If you judge that I'll affect the mission, senpai can abandon me at any time."
Father had said the person before him was an excellent shinobi.
"Although it's a C-rank mission, the fact that they're pairing a chūnin with a genin⁷ at least indicates his strength is top-tier among chūnin, with no obvious weaknesses."
Uchiha Itachi disagreed with his father Fugaku on some matters, but regarding assessment of shinobi strength, he completely trusted this Police Force Captain's judgment.
Hearing such "mature" words, Shūji's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Since you say that, then you must completely follow my commands during this mission. Any problems with that?"
"Yes, senpai." Itachi nodded.
"Also, regarding the mission reward—"
"Senpai needn't consider my portion. Being able to learn from senpai is already my honor." Itachi appeared very humble, though for the Uchiha clan, this amount of mission payment truly wasn't worth mentioning.
But this didn't align with Shūji's principles.
He tapped the table lightly, his tone flat but leaving no room for argument: "Since we're doing the mission together, don't say such things. We'll split the reward sixty-forty. As a chūnin and team leader, I'll take ten percent more, but you'll receive every bit you're entitled to. Is this arrangement acceptable?"
"Yes, senpai." Itachi responded softly.
Reference Glossary:
Wagashi-ya – A traditional Japanese confectionery shop specializing in sweets made from rice, bean paste, and seasonal ingredients.
Chūnin – Middle-rank ninja; typically squad leaders with proven tactical abilities and leadership skills.
Land of Rivers – A small, neutral nation wedged between larger powers, lacking its own hidden village.
Daimyō – Feudal lord; the political ruler of a nation in this world, though military power rests with ninja villages.
Ryō – The standard currency unit in the ninja world.
Cloud Village – Kumogakure, the hidden village of the Land of Lightning, known for its aggressive military policies.
Genin – The lowest rank of ninja, typically recent academy graduates.
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