Although Uchiha Izumi felt completely scammed by the system, at least the mission was technically complete, which meant he wouldn't be erased. With a reluctant sigh, Izumi clicked "Mission Complete." Immediately, he received a mission reward pack. When he opened it, however, he nearly went berserk.
"You've got to be kidding me, damn system! The reward is… five kunai? Five measly kunai? Do you even realize how much I scrimped and saved to buy more than a dozen kunai just to ambush Itachi? And now you hand me five kunai as a reward? You're messing with me. You must be messing with me!"
"The mission itself wasn't difficult. You're the one who's stupid. Who else is there to blame?"
Hearing that cold, mechanical voice, Izumi felt like he was going to die of rage.
"You win. You must have been sent down from the heavens for the sole purpose of screwing me over."
"Actually, the reward isn't just the five kunai. They're just an added bonus. The true reward is mastery over shuriken and kunai throwing techniques."
Sensing Izumi's collapse into despair, the system finally stopped teasing him.
"Throwing techniques? The same kind the Uchiha clan is famous for?" The moment he heard this, Izumi's spirits lifted. At this stage, he desperately needed any skill he could get. In just three years, the Uchiha massacre would happen, and if he didn't have real strength by then, he'd be nothing more than cannon fodder.
"That's correct."
Suddenly, Izumi's mind was flooded with knowledge, while his body felt as though it had undergone subtle changes. Yet when he checked his personal stats, nothing seemed different.
"That's it? It's already over?"
"What else did you expect? Your ability with kunai and shuriken now matches that of an average Uchiha Chūnin."
At that, Izumi finally felt satisfied. The Uchiha clan's skill with throwing weapons was far superior to that of ordinary shinobi. To already be at the level of a clan Chūnin was a rare achievement.
Just as Izumi was about to exit the system to test his new abilities, he noticed a new mission flashing on the task list. When he opened it, his blood pressure spiked again.
"Ding. Main Quest acquired: Befriend Uchiha Itachi. Affection level must reach 100. Reward: ???. Time limit: one month. Failure = annihilation."
"Are you kidding me, system?! I just finished a mission where you forced me to ambush Uchiha Itachi, and now you want me to befriend him? And with a one-month time limit? With failure meaning annihilation again? Can't you threaten me with anything else? And why is the reward still a question mark? Don't tell me you're going to hand me a couple more kunai!"
"Oh? You don't like kunai? Then I'll change it to military ration pills instead."
The shameless voice of the system nearly drove Izumi into a frenzy. He swore then and there never to speak another word to it. If he did, he was certain he'd be enraged to death. He had originally wanted to try out his new abilities, but after this, he lost all motivation. Instead, he lay down on his bed and decided to rest.
What Izumi didn't realize was that from the moment he'd awakened, a pair of eyes had been secretly watching him. Every move he made was observed closely. Luckily, his conversations with the system all took place within his mind, or else Uchiha Itachi would have already learned about his secret.
Only once Izumi drifted into sleep did Itachi finally leave. Today's ambush still puzzled him. Izumi had never had any contact with him, yet suddenly launched a sneak attack. That flimsy excuse Izumi gave wasn't nearly enough to convince him.
The next morning, Izumi rose early, ate breakfast, and headed straight to Training Ground Seven. With his knowledge of the original story, he knew that the Itachi who attended school was only a shadow clone. The real Itachi usually spent his time with Shisui. If Izumi wanted to build a relationship with him, this was the only place he could wait. Besides, Itachi was already a Genin, so Training Ground Seven was the only chance to meet him properly.
Izumi couldn't walk up tree trunks like a true shinobi, but climbing them was still within his ability. He perched himself on a thick branch and waited quietly. But to his surprise, the person who arrived wasn't Itachi, but Shisui.
"Who are you?" Izumi asked, feigning ignorance. Though he recognized Shisui's face instantly, he had to act as if he didn't. After all, the real Uchiha Izumi had never met Shisui before.
"My name is Uchiha Shisui. You must be the little guy Itachi mentioned — the one who tried to ambush him?" Shisui was curious. Even among the notoriously battle-inclined Uchiha, no one would casually challenge Itachi. Yet seeing Izumi now, Shisui didn't sense the aggressiveness one would expect from a warmonger.
"I'm Uchiha Izumi. Yesterday, yes… I tried to ambush Itachi-nii. But it turned out he was only a shadow clone. If not for him saving me, I'd probably already be dead." At this, Izumi flushed red with embarrassment. Not only had his sneak attack failed, he had ended up being saved by his own target. It was humiliating — a secret he swore must never be revealed.
(The system: Video evidence secured, with multiple camera angles.)
"Itachi-nii, huh? So he's already earned that title. Did you come here today to wait for him again?"
"Yeah. Yesterday I only ran into his clone. I figured that if he didn't have any missions today, he might come here. And I don't really know anywhere else to look, so this was my only option."
"I see. And why are you looking for Itachi? Judging by your appearance, you're not here to try ambushing him again. Are you planning on challenging him head-on this time?"
"No, nothing like that. I want to learn from him. I can't attend the Ninja Academy right now, so the only option I have is to seek guidance from Itachi-nii. Shisui-nii, did you also come here to find Itachi-nii?" Though Izumi knew full well why Shisui was here, he had to play dumb. If Shisui caught on to anything unusual, things could get dangerous.
"Izumi?"
Shisui was about to explain his relationship with Itachi when, right on cue, Itachi appeared.
"Itachi-nii, I want to learn from you!" Izumi immediately dashed forward, leaving Shisui behind.
"Well now, Izumi's already calling you 'nii.' You should at least give him some pointers, don't you think?" Knowing Itachi's personality, Shisui suspected he would refuse, so he spoke up first.
"…Very well."
Since Shisui himself had spoken, Itachi couldn't refuse. He nodded his agreement.
Izumi had thought he would have to put in much more effort to convince Itachi. Instead, Shisui's single sentence had solved his biggest problem. As far as Izumi was concerned, if he could win Shisui over, then his relationship with Itachi would naturally fall into place.
The three of them walked deeper into the training ground. Before Izumi could even ask, Itachi suddenly demonstrated his shurikenjutsu.
"Focus on practicing the basics for now. This is shurikenjutsu. Train well."
"I understand, Itachi-nii!"
With Izumi occupied, Itachi and Shisui moved further into the grounds. Izumi didn't mind — he never expected them to stay by his side teaching him anyway.
Once they were gone, Izumi focused on his training. One after another, he hurled shuriken at the target. With the system's aid, it didn't take long before he was hitting the bullseye every time.