Chapter 1: Shuji and Itachi
Shuji is a ninja.
Itachi is also a ninja.
"Uchiha... Itachi?"
Shuji looked at the boy in front of him, dressed in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and shorts... No, he shouldn't be called a boy; he was more like a child.
At eight years old, his tender face still bore traces of baby fat, but his pitch-black eyes were like deep pools, devoid of the liveliness and innocence a child should have.
"Yes, Shuji-senpai," the child replied softly.
Although he had taken over this body for half a month and mastered everything he needed to practice, he had accepted that, despite being only fourteen, he was already a ninja who had been killing for years. However, he was not mentally prepared to take a child out to kill.
Even if that person was Uchiha Itachi.
He showed no abnormality on his face, just took out the mission scroll, intending to explain the mission when he caught a whiff of a sweet aroma.
It was nine in the morning, and a few sparrows were chirping on the eaves. The fresh air was refreshing, and the sunlight was warm and pleasant.
Shuji followed the scent to a wagashi shop, a sweets store. The owner was diligent, having opened early and was now making rice dumplings.
"Uchiha—cough, I'll just call you Itachi." Shuji's Adam's apple moved involuntarily.
"Okay, senpai," Uchiha replied lightly.
"Want something to eat?"
Itachi finally looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes, following Shuji's gaze.
The wagashi shop, the dumplings...
Uchiha Itachi hesitated, "This... Shuji-senpai, the mission..."
"The dumplings seem freshly made." The boy turned towards the wagashi shop, stepping forward and muttering to himself, "Freshly made things are the best, and what I had this morning was inadequate... It's fine to eat more in the morning..."
Senpai was a Chunin, the leader of this mission, so it wasn't right to oppose his decision.
Thinking this, Itachi followed Shuji into the wagashi shop. They sat down, and Shuji ordered four skewers of dumplings, all three-colored, and two cups of tea to cut the sweetness.
The three-colored dumplings were served on a small green plate, exuding a warm sweet aroma. The rice dumplings were translucent, with pink cherry blossom flavor, green matcha flavor, and white original flavor neatly arranged, topped with fine sugar crystals that sparkled invitingly in the sunlight.
Shuji rinsed his mouth with tea, and when he put down the cup, he found only two skewers of dumplings left in front of him.
He blinked, confirming he wasn't mistaken, and looked at Uchiha Itachi across from him—his pale cheeks slightly puffed, a bit of sugar on the corner of his mouth, and his usually calm eyes slightly narrowed, showing a satisfied expression like a cat that had stolen fish.
"Boss, two more skewers," Shuji couldn't help but laugh, pushing the remaining dumplings towards 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, sticky, and good.
A sip of tea, very nice.
Shuji exhaled happily.
Itachi also put down his teacup contentedly.
Shuji spread out the mission scroll: "This mission is to eliminate bandits. There are no portraits, only that they originally plundered on the border of the Land of Rivers and fled into the Land of Fire when pursued by the Land of Rivers."
"When the daimyo's mansion received the news and dispatched soldiers, they fled to the Land of Rain."
"When both countries decided not to take further action, the bandits reappeared on the border of the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rivers entrusted the mission to the village."
"According to the information transferred from the Land of Rivers, there are no ninjas among the bandits."
"But they have been able to avoid battles and escape during pursuits without any casualties."
"Their numbers range from fifteen to twenty."
"Since there is no expectation of fighting ninjas, the mission is C-rank, but considering their numbers, the reward is fifty thousand ryo."
After briefly explaining the mission, Shuji pushed the scroll to Itachi for him to see.
"Although it's a temporary team, I'll talk about my abilities. I'm a ninja specializing in ninjutsu, with both range and power. This mission doesn't require consideration of combat aspects."
The original body was from a border combat team, and during the last patrol mission, they encountered a large force from the Hidden Cloud. Two teammates died, and only he returned heavily injured with the information, leading to treatment in the Leaf Village. When he woke up, he was no longer the original Shuji but the current one.
He wasn't sure if his situation was possession or awakening. Anyway, he had all the memories of this body for fourteen years and over twenty years of memories from another ordinary world. Shuji didn't want to dwell on these things; it was meaningless.
After half a month of recovery, he planned to take on a mission for rehabilitation and to reintegrate into the world.
Since the mission involved dealing with ordinary people, the difficulty lay in tracking and finding them. He originally planned to do it alone, but the village still assigned a teammate.
"Senpai, don't worry about me," Itachi introduced himself seriously, "I can use ninja tools, know some genjutsu, and can use some fire release. If you think I'll affect the mission, you can abandon me at any time."
His father said the person in front of 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-notch among Chunins, with no obvious weaknesses."
Uchiha Itachi disagreed with his father Fugaku on some issues, but he fully trusted the judgment of this Konoha Police Force captain regarding ninja strength.
Hearing this "mature" statement, Shuji's eyebrows slightly raised.
"Since you say so, you must follow my command completely during this mission, okay?"
"Yes, senpai," Itachi nodded.
"Also, about the mission reward..."
"Senpai, you don't need to consider my share. Being able to learn from you is already an honor." Itachi was very humble, but for the Uchiha clan, this task reward was indeed insignificant.
But this didn't align with Shuji's principles.
He gently tapped the table, his tone calm yet firm: "Since we're on a mission together, don't say such things. The reward will be split sixty-forty. As a Chunin and team leader, I'll take an extra ten percent, but you won't get a penny less than you deserve. Is that arrangement okay?"
"Yes, senpai," Itachi replied softly.