Chapter 1: Shūji and Itachi
Shūji is a ninja.
Itachi is also a ninja.
"Uchiha... Itachi?"
Shūji looked at the boy in front of him, dressed in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and shorts. No, he shouldn't be described as a boy; he was more like a child.
At eight years old, his youthful face still bore traces of baby fat, but his pitch-black eyes were like deep pools, devoid of the liveliness and innocence typical of a child.
"Yes, Senior Shūji," the child responded softly.
Although he had taken over this body for half a month and mastered everything he needed to practice, he had accepted that he was only fourteen years old yet had been a ninja for several years. However, he wasn't mentally prepared to take a child out on missions, even if that child was Uchiha Itachi.
He showed no sign of his internal conflict, simply pulling out the mission scroll and preparing to explain the task when he caught a whiff of a sweet aroma.
It was nine in the morning, and a few sparrows chirped crisply as they hopped along the eaves. The fresh air was invigorating, and the sun was warm and pleasant.
Following the scent, Shūji saw it came from a wagashi shop, a sweet shop. The shopkeeper was diligent, opening early and now making rice dumplings.
"Uchiha—cough, I'll just call you Itachi." Shūji's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
"Okay, Senior," Uchiha replied in his usual gentle tone.
"Want to grab a bite?"
Itachi finally looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes as he followed Shūji's gaze.
A wagashi shop, dumplings...
Uchiha Itachi hesitated, "But, Senior Shūji, the mission..."
"Dumplings, they seem freshly made." The young man turned toward the wagashi shop, taking steps forward and muttering to himself, "Freshly made things are the best, and what we had for breakfast wasn't enough... Eating more in the morning is fine..."
As the Chunin and leader of this mission, since he made the decision, it wasn't right to object.
With this thought, Itachi followed Shūji into the wagashi shop. After sitting down, Shūji ordered four skewers of dumplings, all three-colored, and two cups of tea to cleanse the palate.
The three-colored dumplings were served on a small green dish, exuding a warm, sweet aroma. The glutinous rice dumplings were translucent, with pink cherry blossom flavor, green matcha flavor, and white original flavor neatly arranged, their surfaces dusted with fine sugar, glistening invitingly in the sunlight.
Shūji rinsed his mouth with tea, and when he set the cup down, he noticed only two skewers of dumplings remained.
He blinked, confirming he hadn't miscounted, and looked at Uchiha Itachi across from him—his pale cheeks slightly puffed, a bit of sugar at the corner of his mouth, and his usually calm eyes now slightly narrowed, showing a satisfied expression like a cat that had stolen fish.
"Boss, two more skewers, please." Shūji couldn't help but laugh, pushing the remaining dumplings toward Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi's cheeks flushed slightly, but his slender fingers reached out without hesitation. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on the wooden table between them.
The dumplings were sweet, glutinous, and delicious.
A sip of tea, perfect.
Shūji let out a contented sigh.
Itachi also set down his teacup, satisfied.
Shūji spread out the mission scroll: "This mission is to eliminate bandits. There are no portraits, only that they originally plundered at the Land of Rivers' border. When pursued by the Land of Rivers, they fled into the Land of Fire."
"When the Daimyo's residence received the news and dispatched soldiers, they fled to the Land of Rain."
"When both capitals decided not to take further action, the bandits reappeared at the Land of Rivers' border, prompting the Land of Rivers to commission this mission to our village."
"According to the intelligence from the Land of Rivers, there are no ninjas among the bandits."
"However, they have been able to evade capture with great sensitivity, suffering no personnel losses."
"Their numbers range from fifteen to twenty."
"Since there's no expectation of combat with ninjas, the mission is classified as C-rank, with a reward of fifty thousand ryo."
After briefly explaining the mission, Shūji handed the scroll to Itachi for him to review.
"Although this is a temporary team, I'll share my abilities. I'm a Ninjutsu specialist, with both range and power. This mission doesn't require combat considerations."
His original body was from a border combat squad. During the last patrol mission, they encountered a large Kumogakure force, resulting in the deaths of two teammates. He was severely injured but managed to bring back intelligence, leading to his return to Konoha for treatment. When he awoke, he was no longer the original Shūji but the current one.
He wasn't sure if his situation was possession or awakening. Regardless, he had all the memories of this body for the past fourteen years, along with over twenty years of memories from another world as an ordinary person. Shūji didn't want to dwell on it; it was meaningless.
After recovering for half a month, he planned to take on a mission for rehabilitation and to reintegrate into the world.
Since the mission involved dealing with ordinary people, the challenge lay in tracking them down. Originally, he planned to do it alone, but the village assigned him a teammate.
"Senior, you don't need to worry about me," Itachi earnestly introduced himself. "I can use ninja tools, know some Genjutsu, and can perform some Fire Release. If you determine that I might hinder the mission, you can abandon me at any time."
His father had said the person before him was an excellent ninja.
"Although it's a C-rank mission, having a Chunin and a Genin team up at least indicates his strength is top-tier among Chunins, with no obvious weaknesses."
Uchiha Itachi often disagreed with his father Fugaku on various issues, but he fully trusted the judgment of the Konoha Police Force Captain regarding a ninja's strength.
Hearing such "mature" remarks, Shūji's eyebrows slightly rose.
"If that's the case, you must follow my instructions completely during this mission. Is that okay?"
"Yes, Senior," Itachi nodded.
"Also, regarding the mission reward..."
"Senior, you don't need to consider my share. Being able to learn from you is already an honor," Itachi said humbly, though for the Uchiha clan, this mission's reward was indeed insignificant.
But that didn't align with Shūji's principles.
He lightly tapped the table, his tone calm yet firm: "Since we're on this mission together, don't say such things. The reward will be split sixty-forty. As the Chunin and team leader, I take an extra ten percent, but you won't miss out on a single bit of your share. Is that arrangement okay?"
"Yes, Senior," Itachi replied softly.