The bright moon hung high in the sky.
Shinji watched as his colleagues finished eating and drinking, then stood up to pay the bill.
After bidding farewell to his colleagues, he walked home alone.
As soon as he entered his house, Shinji used the act of squatting to take off his shoes to carefully sense the situation inside his room.
This is?
Although it was only a subtle difference, Shinji still detected a tiny bit of Chakra on the room's beam.
It seems like… an insect?
Aburame clan?
Shinji calmly walked into the room, his mind pondering whose doing this was.
Hiruzen?
Unlikely, after all, as the Third Hokage, he would have many more methods for planting such things. And if it wasn't Hiruzen, then there was only one obvious option.
The Root leader, Danzo!
While thinking, Shinji took out a change of clothes from the bedroom wardrobe and walked towards the washroom to get ready to wash up.
As for that insect, there was no rush.
Only after entering the washroom did Shinji drop the expression on his face, inwardly wondering why Danzo had suddenly sent his subordinates to monitor him. It seemed he hadn't done anything out of line recently.
Hmm?
Thinking of something, Shinji casually turned on the showerhead, and immediately the sound of water filled the entire washroom.
Is it because of Naruto?
A definitive rhetorical question flashed through his mind, and the expression on Shinji's face gradually turned cold.
He had been living cautiously in this world for over a decade, and he had finally gotten the system. If he were to be restricted by such a scoundrel, then it would be a waste of his trip to this world.
Since he was already here, he might as well go all out.
Shinji turned off the showerhead, and the sound of water immediately ceased. After changing into clean clothes, he opened the washroom door and walked out.
Seeing the insect that had started flying erratically around the room while he was in the washroom, his heart stirred.
With a flick of his right hand, a kunai appeared in his palm, which he then threw out fiercely.
He said, "It seems summer is coming, and the insects are starting to come out and annoy people."
Bang!
As his words fell, the kunai pinned the insect to the beam, making a sound.
Having done all this, Shinji rubbed his neck, ready to go straight back to his room to sleep. After all, being a teacher was not easy.
...
In a certain underground location in Konoha, the Root headquarters.
Torune, who had been following behind Danzo, suddenly stopped.
Fu, who was beside him, asked in confusion, "Torune, what's wrong?"
Hearing the sound, Danzo, who was walking ahead, also stopped and turned to look.
Torune, wearing a mask that only exposed his mouth, bowed slightly and respectfully said to Danzo, "Danzo-sama, the surveillance insect I sent out just died."
Danzo's single eye, not covered by bandages, narrowed slightly as he frowned and asked, "Was it discovered?"
Torune pondered for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "I don't think so. The last information received indicated that the person being monitored thought it was an ordinary insect."
Torune possessed special abilities even within the Aburame clan, his body harbored highly poisonous nano-sized venomous insects.
It was for this reason that Danzo took notice of him. As for his insect control secret jutsu, he believed no one in his clan could surpass him.
He knew that before this, he had already used this method to monitor no less than ten jonin.
It made no sense that those Jonin hadn't noticed, but an ordinary Chunin from the Academy would.
"Continue, pay attention to concealment. I need to know his every move." Danzo said no more, turning and speaking indifferently.
Having said that, he proceeded deeper. He still had many things to attend to.
If Shinji hadn't been appointed as Naruto's homeroom teacher by Hiruzen, he wouldn't have even given him a second glance.
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
Torune knelt on one knee behind him, responding loudly.
...
Arriving on the second floor, Shinji entered his bedroom and pushed open the window, leaning against the window to look outside.
Having been in this world for so many years, when he was alone, he preferred to be in a high place, watching the comings and goings of the world. It was a different kind of relaxation and he could also clear his mind and think about things.
Thump—
A barely noticeable footstep sounded on the adjacent rooftop. It interrupted Shinji's contemplation. He collected his thoughts and subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.
A dark figure lightly stepped onto the rooftop and sped forward. When it landed on another rooftop, Shinji clearly saw the figure's attire. It was Anbu clothing, and the mask on the figure's face resembled a cat, but without many patterns, instead having a red inverted triangle drawn on the forehead.
Itachi?
Looking at the figure, it was almost certainly him. If he remembered correctly, the day Sasuke enrolled in the Academy was when Itachi was carrying out a mission.
And this mission involved Itachi's opportunity to join the Anbu, right?
As Shinji watched the gradually departing Itachi, Itachi seemed to sense something and glanced at him.
A ripple flashed in the eyes beneath the mask, but he did not pause, continuing towards his original destination.
Shinji roughly determined the direction. It was the Hokage Building.
He stopped pondering, reached out to close the window, and the next instant, the lights in the room dimmed.
The Uchiha clan massacre, it must be coming soon, right?
However, first and foremost, he needed to become stronger, that was the right path.
Thinking of this, Shinji closed his eyes.
Next, it would depend on how much of a surprise his students could bring him.
— — —
Hiruzen stood on the terrace of the Hokage Building, puffing on his pipe, his eyes gazing at the statues of the past Hokage above. Finally, his gaze lingered on the slightly younger statue of the Fourth Hokage, his thoughts drifting far away.
Thump—
The sound of a foot landing broke his reverie. Hiruzen collected his thoughts, turning to look.
The mask that had been on Itachi's face was now removed, and a remarkably young face appeared before Hiruzen in the moonlight.
Looking at Itachi, who was kneeling on one knee, respectfully waiting for him, Hiruzen asked after a long while, "Mission accomplished?"
"Lord Third, it has been completed."
A flat, emotionless voice came from Itachi's mouth, as if nothing could capture his attention.
Hiruzen nodded upon hearing this, placing his hands behind his back, and approached Itachi.
"Today is your brother's first day at the Academy. I saw him, he has a strong youthful spirit."
Itachi, still kneeling on one knee, showed no change in expression. If one observed closely, however, a hint of guilt could be seen flashing in his eyes, which were usually as deep as an abyss.
As an experienced ninja, Hiruzen naturally noticed, but said nothing.
Instead, he asked, "Itachi, do you remember that Chunin I asked you to observe half a year ago?"
Although his question was a bit vague, Itachi reacted immediately, saying, "I remember, Lord Third."
Hiruzen nodded slightly upon hearing this, and asked, "What do you think of him?"
"Very ordinary but his alertness is good."
These brief words came from Itachi's mouth, the latter part having been added due to his recent experience.