Only one thought echoed in Kazeo's mind: 'Why the hell are we in front of the T&I Department? Is it because I flickered without hand signs?'
'No… if that were the case, I'd be here alone—not with my whole team. Did he bring us here to witness an execution? Or maybe… to train our mental resilience?'
His gaze shifted toward his teammates, who were also eyeing him curiously. He quickly looked away, reminded of their conversation yesterday—the one where he confidently told them Itachi might fight them next day.
(Flashback)
"Wait," Kazeo said. "Aren't we going to talk about our strengths and abilities? We don't even know each other's fighting styles. If sensei's planning to fight us tomorrow, we'll need some kind of strategy."
Daichi paused and nodded. "Hmm, you're right. One of my genin friends also said most teams do that early on."
Ren raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Win? Against Itachi-sama? Did you two hit your heads or something?"
Kazeo blinked at him. 'What's with this guy? Is he some kind of diehard fanboy? Though... he isn't wrong.'
Still, he replied, "No one said we have to beat him in a straight-up fight. I heard from a senior that it's more like a test—something about taking bells from him."
Daichi nodded. "Yeah, I've heard the same. He said, It's the same test most teams get every year… but still, a lot of them fail. Some even get sent back to the academy. But do you really think we can take a bell from him? He's a jōnin."
"Well, other teams have passed, so we can too. Somehow." Kazeo shrugged. "Anyway, let's go over what we can do. Maybe we can come up with some combos for tomorrow. I'll start. I'm a sensor—my range is about three hundred and fifty meters. I mostly use wires and kunai in battle, like you saw with the boar. My main chakra nature is Wind, but I've also learned some Earth jutsu for defense. My genjutsu and taijutsu are decent. Mid-range is where I do best. And yeah, I can use the Body Flicker too."
He turned to Ren. "Your turn."
Ren eyed him for a second before saying flatly, "I don't want to tell you."
"What?" Kazeo frowned, confused. 'What the hell? Did I offend him or something? We literally met like an hour ago.'
Before Kazeo could respond to Ren's cold reply, Daichi jumped in, cutting through the tension. "Wow! You're the youngest out of the three of us and you've already dabbled in everything. No wonder you took the first rank—even ahead of the clan kids. Teach me a thing or two later, alright?"
Then his tone shifted slightly as he asked, "But I've got a question—if you're a sensor, why didn't you sense the boar earlier?"
"Oh, that?" Kazeo scratched the back of his head. "I forgot to use it in the heat of the moment. The mission came up so suddenly, it slipped my mind. I remembered on the way back though. Don't worry, I'll work on it so that doesn't happen again."
He changed the subject quickly. "Anyway, now you tell us about your abilities. Ren can go after you."
Ren opened his mouth to say something, but Daichi was already talking.
"Okay! My main chakra nature is Water. I'm decent at taijutsu and mainly fight at close range. My genjutsu's passable—not great. I can perform D-rank jutsus like Water Whip, Water Shield, Wild Water Wave, and Water Claw."
He finished and looked toward Ren. "Alright Ren, your turn. We've both shared our stuff—it's only fair. You already know what we can do."
Ren was clearly about to refuse again, but Daichi's persistence finally wore him down. With a glare, he activated his one-tomoe Sharingan and looked directly at Kazeo.
"Fine. I'll tell," he said, voice low. "But first—just answer me one thing. Did Shisui-sama teach you, Kazeo? Don't even think about lying."
"Well, yeah, he taught me," Kazeo admitted. "About a year ago, he approached me and said he'd been watching my training for a few months. Said he was impressed. After some small talk, he corrected my fighting form and started giving me tips. He didn't come regularly, just now and then—mostly to tweak my jutsu and guide my fighting style."
Ren's eyes returned to normal as he muttered, "I expect no less from Shisui-sama. He even turned a guy like you into a prodigy." He paused, then added with a straight face, "Tell me the tips he gave you."
Kazeo smirked. "Tell us your abilities first. Then I'll think about sharing those precious tips."
Ren didn't waste another second and started listing off. "I'm good at taijutsu too, and I use the Uchiha clan's style. My Sharingan lets me see chakra flow and cast genjutsu. I'm excellent with shuriken and kunai. Aside from the academy basics, I can perform a few Fire Release jutsus. But my main element is Lightning—you saw it in the fight earlier. I've also learned a C-rank jutsu called Lightning Current. And yeah, I can use the Body Flicker technique too. Shisui-sama taught me that as well!"
Kazeo blinked, surprised. 'Shisui taught him too? So that's why he's been acting cold with me… maybe he sees me as a rival or something because we had the same teacher?'
"Ah, I think I forgot them," Kazeo replied casually, wiping imaginary sweat off his forehead. "If I had some ice cream in this heat, maybe it'd jog my memory."
"Ugh, I'll buy you as much ice cream as you want—just tell me!"
Seeing Ren getting too desperate, Kazeo decided to switch topics. "Leave it, we'll talk about that later. Let's focus on tomorrow's fight and how we'll approach it. First of all, Daichi, you really need to learn Body Flicker. You're a close-range fighter, right? It's essential for you—helps both in combat and getting to the battlefield faster. Start working on it today."
"Umm, I tried learning it before, but I could only pull it off like five times before my chakra ran dry. It's not like I didn't try, you guys are just monsters," Daichi grumbled. "But fine, I'll start again today. Anyway, what should our formation be during battle? Any thoughts?"
Kazeo said, "I think you should stay at close range, I'll hold the mid-range, and Ren can switch between close and long-range depending on the situation. What do you guys think?"
"I'm okay with that!" Daichi replied quickly.
"I'm not!" Ren snapped. "Why am I not the one fighting in close range with Itachi-sama? Daichi can just attack from a distance using his Water Whip. I need to sharpen my close-range skills alongside Itachi-sama!"
"But I want to fight in close range too," Daichi argued. "I need to perfect my moves as well. You already have the Uchiha taijutsu style, why do you even need to perfect it more?"
With that, both started bickering until Kazeo stepped in.
"Alright, enough. The original plan stays. Ren, you'll adapt depending on the situation. Daichi will fight in close range since he only has Water Whip as a mid-range option, and Water Wave requires a large amount of water—so it's not reliable in every setting. You and I will support him."
Since the two were adamant about their stances, Ren finally gave in—mainly because he couldn't find any flaw in Kazeo's reasoning to argue back.
For a moment, Kazeo considered bringing up the ice cream deal again, but quickly dropped the idea. He didn't want to get hounded by Ren right now. He was about to flicker away when something struck him. He paused and turned back.
"Wait, you guys—I wanted to ask something. Why didn't either of you react or even doubt Itachi-sensei when he said he was our Jōnin instructor? You accepted it way too easily. You do know he's just thirteen, right?"
"Not thirteen," Ren corrected without missing a beat, "He's thirteen years, eight months, nine weeks, and seven days old. Exactly."
Kazeo felt a shiver crawl down his spine. 'He's not a yandere… right?' 'Nah, he can't be. He missed the hours, minutes, and seconds part.' He chuckled quietly at his own thoughts, until Daichi's voice snapped him back.
Daichi took out a rice cracker, started munching on it, and said, "Well, it's not like you reacted either—you accepted it just as easily. Anyway, my reason's simple. I'd already heard about Itachi-sensei back in the classroom. The general classes had a whole fanclub for Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui. I heard about it in the first year and even joined for a while, but I left it in the fourth year when I got promoted to the elite class.
In that fanclub, they already had stories and even some photos of Itachi-sensei—like how he became a Chūnin at nine, and a few mission tales after that. So I already knew he was a prodigy and super strong. And if the Hokage personally assigned him to us, then obviously he's strong enough to lead a genin team."
Ren's eyes lit up slightly. "Wait—Itachi-sama and Shisui-sama had a fanclub?! I didn't even know! When was it formed? I've never heard about it!"
Daichi shrugged. "It was mostly known in the general classes. The elite students were always too busy training, so word never spread there. You can ask around the academy kids later. Now you tell us—why didn't you overreact when he was introduced as our sensei?"
Ren replied casually, "Because I already knew. My father told me beforehand."
"Whoa, your dad must hold a pretty high position in the clan then. What's his rank?"
"I don't wanna tell," Ren said bluntly.
They conversed for a few more minutes before finally dispersing to head back home. On his way, Kazeo thought, 'Oh shit! I completely forgot to talk about combination jutsus.'
He began thinking about the combos they could pull off with their elemental affinities, but after a while, he sighed internally, 'Well, leave it. It's not like discussing it now would suddenly make us a perfect team overnight. Besides, that mission today might've been a kind of test too—maybe he was observing our capabilities.'
'Now that I'm officially a genin, I can finally access C-rank jutsus. I'll head to the library tomorrow and see what's available. For today, I'll just train a bit and get some early rest. But… I still can't decide whether to keep the seal active or deactivate it during spar with Itachi.'
He soon reached his home and concluded with a lazy shrug, 'Well, I'll decide tomorrow.'
(Flashback ends)
Itachi, along with the genin, entered the building and silently made his way toward the same room where executions had once been shown during their academy classes. 'Are we seriously here to witness an execution again?' Kazeo wondered uneasily.
All four entered the dimly lit room—the setup was just as they remembered. A single metal chair stood at the center, bathed in pale light, surrounded by shadow. Moments later, two masked shinobi arrived, dragging in a chained man with a gag over his mouth. Without a word, they forced him into the chair, secured the bindings, and exited the room, their expressions flickering somewhere between pity and indifference.
Daichi gulped, then hesitantly asked, "Sensei, who is this man? Are we… here to watch another execution?"
Itachi stood quietly for a moment, then spoke in his calm, level voice, "The man in front of you is Shimara Haruki. He was a genin who turned rogue. Thirty-five years old. He's been captured and convicted of multiple counts of rape and murder."
He paused, letting that sink in, before continuing, "And no, you're not here to watch anything. You're here to perform your first kill."
All three genin turned sharply toward him, shock and confusion in their eyes. Kazeo was the first to speak, voice cautious, "First kill...? But… isn't that something we face later? During real missions, when the situation calls for it? I thought it was protocol to go through D-Rank missions first."
Itachi's gaze didn't waver. "My methods are different. Missions don't wait for you to be mentally ready. If you hesitate at the wrong moment—on a battlefield or even a low-ranked mission turned wrong—someone will die. Maybe you. Maybe your teammate."
He said it calmly, without malice or drama, but the weight in his words was unmistakable. "That's why we're doing this now. To test not your skills, but your resolve."
There was silence for a long beat. Then, slowly, Ren stepped forward, his face composed but his fingers trembling slightly.
"I'll do it, Itachi-sensei," he said.
His voice was steady, but Kazeo noticed the slight tension in his stance. Ren hesitated, then asked, "His crimes... could you repeat them again, Sensei?"
Though he said the words with confidence, Ren's hands were trembling. He asked, "What were his crimes, Itachi-sensei? Could you… repeat them again?"
Itachi gave a small nod, understanding that sometimes, clarity could shape resolve.
"This man, Shimara Haruki, was once a genin of this village. He assaulted a twelve-year-old civilian girl. For that, he was sentenced to six months in prison, but was released early because of his past service during the war and so-called good behavior."
His voice remained calm and cold as he continued.
"After his release, he attacked an eight-year-old orphan. That earned him five years behind bars. And just last year—after getting out, he assaulted a four-year-old girl… and killed her."
Itachi's eyes darkened slightly. "He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Before they could take him away… I brought him here for this."
Ren's jaw clenched as the fury began to burn away the guilt. He stepped forward, kunai in hand. The moment the blade touched the man's neck, a small drop of blood slid down and Ren's hand froze.
The prisoner whimpered behind the gag, muffled sounds escaping in desperate gasps—"Oompf… oompf…"
Seeing the hesitation, Itachi's voice cut through the silence.
"Is that how you intend to follow me? With hesitation like this?"
Ren flinched. The words echoed deep in his chest. He inhaled slowly, then exhaled—long and steady. And then, in one fluid motion, he drove the kunai into the man's neck and pulled it free.
Warm blood spilled across his hand and clothes. The prisoner convulsed for seconds… then fell still.
Ren returned to his position silently, a storm brewing in his chest. His throat burned as he fought back the bile rising up. Clenching his fists, he thought, 'I've cut into animals over a hundred times, killed them, even watched executions… yet this still shakes me. I need more training if I want to be someone worthy of following Itachi-sama.'
His thoughts halted as he heard Itachi speak, voice quiet but firm.
"You did well."
"T-Thank you, Itachi-sensei," Ren replied, his voice catching slightly from the burning in his throat.
"You alright? That looked tough," came Daichi's voice beside him—anxious, unsure.
Ren turned to him, noticing the tight grip Daichi had on his own clothes.
Clearing his throat, he nodded. "I'm fine now. It's just… hard before you do it. Once you plunge the kunai, it gets easier."
Daichi gave a small nod, then hesitantly stepped toward the blood-stained chair, now dripping crimson from the corpse. Seconds later, two ANBU operatives entered, removed the body, and brought in the next criminal.
As the man was restrained in the chair, Daichi's hands trembled. The weight of what he was about to do settled over him. His breaths grew shaky.
Watching the hesitation, Itachi's voice cut in—still composed, but sharper now.
"Is that how you plan to earn enough money for your father? With this kind of resolve?"
Daichi's eyes widened. "B-But—"
Itachi didn't let him finish.
"You were asking about bounty missions just yesterday. How do you expect to collect a bounty when you can't even eliminate a convicted criminal?"
He paused briefly, his eyes firm.
"Do it. Or be ready to return to the Academy."
Daichi stood frozen for a moment longer, jaw clenched… then stepped forward. With a single motion, he drove the kunai into the prisoner's throat and quickly pulled it out.
Blood poured down, and Daichi stood motionless for a second before quietly walking back to join Ren.
Within a minute, the corpse was removed, and another criminal was brought in. Itachi, like before, calmly explained the man's crimes. But this time, after finishing the explanation, he reached forward and removed the gag from the prisoner's mouth.
The man immediately started pleading, panic overtaking him.
"P-Please! I won't kill again! Don't torture me anymore—I'll change, I swear! Just let me serve my sentence, I'll become a better person, just… don't torture me!"
Itachi's calm voice cut through the panic like steel.
"Kazeo, your turn. But this time, his mouth stays uncovered. In real missions, enemies don't always come silent. Learn to carry out the task even when they're screaming."
As he stepped back, the man's eyes widened, darting toward Itachi—the largest child in the room. "Kill me? What are you talking about?! You're just kids! You can't kill me—I have a twenty-year sentence! You can't execute me without Hokage's permission!"
Kazeo's steps faltered for half a second.
'Can I really kill someone like this… consciously? Last time, I was in an adrenaline rush when I killed that Root genin. But now—he's pleading, panicking... Is this why Itachi left his mouth uncovered? To see if I can do it without shutting out the noise? But why only on my turn?'
As he approached, kunai in hand, the prisoner's cries became more frantic.
"Kid, don't come near me! I said don't come near me! Please—please, I'm begging you! I swear, I won't kill again! I'll live like a saint, I'll do anything—just let me go!"
Snot and spit ran down the man's face, his body trembling in the chair, eyes wide with terror as Kazeo stood in front of him, staring at the human being he was supposed to end.
Kazeo's hands were already trembling, his body lightly shaking as he listened to the man's cries.
'I can't get used to it… no matter how many times I hear someone beg for their life. Will I be like this when I die?'
He shook his head and took a deep breath like the others had done earlier, trying to calm himself. But the man's pitiful voice—his endless begging—was making it worse.
'Can I really not do this? Even after all that experienc—'
His thoughts were cut off by Itachi's cold, emotionless voice.
"Do it. Is this the resolve you'll show when you find your grandmother's killers, Kazeo? Will you hesitate then too—just because they beg?"
"PLEASE, KID, PLEASE! Don't kill me—I won't do anything wrong again—no, I'll do anything you say! I'll even live as your servant—yes, I'll live as your servant! Just spare me! PLEASE!"
Itachi's voice came again, flat and unwavering. "Is your resolve that fragile, Kazeo?"
"Please… please…" the man sobbed, his voice thinning to a whimper.
Kazeo's head buzzed. The prisoner's begging and Itachi's cold authority clashed violently in his ears, pushing against his mind like a storm.
After nearly twenty seconds, unable to take it anymore, he shouted, "STOP! Both of you—just stop!"
And with a single motion, he drove the kunai into the man's throat. Blood sprayed—warm and wet—splattering across his face and chest. The prisoner gurgled for seconds, choking on his blood, before his body went still.
'I... did it. I killed him consciously. But… why don't I feel anything? No bile, no trembling, nor remorse—none of what I felt after killing that genin.' Kazeo thought, his expression blank as he returned to his position.
Noticing his silence, Daichi asked with concern, "Kazeo, are you okay? If you feel like throwing up, it's fine—no one's gonna judge you."
Kazeo shook his head. "I'm good. Thanks for asking." Then, after a pause, he added, "Sorry for not asking earlier… are you doing alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Daichi replied, though he still looked worried. "But are you sure you're okay? You're the youngest out of all of us. No one would blame you if you cried or threw up."
"I'm really fine," Kazeo answered with a small nod, but his thoughts told a different story.
'But that's the problem... it was too easy for me to digest. I felt nothing after killing him. Is it because I've already taken a life once before? Or... because I've already shed all my tears and buried my grief with Grandma? Whatever the reason, it's not right. I don't want to become someone who kills without feeling—without remorse. I don't want to turn into a cold-blooded murderer.'
Kazeo was lost in thought when Itachi's voice pulled him back.
"You all did well," Itachi said calmly, his tone level but firm. "Don't carry the weight of their deaths. They were the scum of this village—monsters hiding in human skin. Their lives were forfeit long before you came here. Take tomorrow off. Use it to settle your emotions, process what you've done. Write a report on today's experience and bring it with you the day after, 7 a.m., training ground six. Don't be late."
'So that's how Itachi-sama views it when he kills... He separates the action from the guilt.' Ren's eyes narrowed with a new fire. 'Fine. I'll try to see it that way too.'
After a few more words and some brief questions, the team quietly exited the room one by one. The metallic scent of blood clung to their skin and clothes, urging them to go clean up and wash the day off before it sank in any deeper.
-----
Seven in the morning, Team 2 once again stood in front of Itachi. He took their mission reports, sealed them into a scroll to read later, and gestured for the genin to follow him. They soon arrived at the Hokage Tower. Sensing their confusion, Itachi spoke in his usual calm tone, "We're taking another mission today."
'I hope this helps them… just as Hokage-sama suggested', Itachi thought as they entered the building and made their way toward the mission notice board.
[A/N:- Thank you Hudie for joining Patreon.
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