Chương 1: Shuji and Itachi

Shuji was a ninja. Itachi was also a ninja.

"Uchiha... Itachi?" Shuji looked at the young boy standing in front him. The boy wore a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and matching shorts. Calling him a young boy felt like a stretch; he was really just a kid. Eight years old, with traces of baby fat still clinging to his young face. Yet those dark eyes were like deep pools, completely devoid of the innocence and spark typical of children his age.

"Yes, Shuji-senpai," the child replied softly. Shuji had taken over this body half a month ago, spending the time mastering everything he needed to know. While he had come to terms with being fourteen years old, being a ninja, and having spent years slicing people up, he still was not mentally prepared to take a kid along to kill people. Even if that kid was Uchiha Itachi. He showed no sign of hesitation. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the task scroll.

But just as he opened his mouth to explain the mission, a sweet, rich aroma caught his attention. It was nine in the morning. A few sparrows hopped along the roof eaves, chirping crisply. The morning air carried a refreshing blend of dew and damp earth under a warm, clear sky. Shuji followed the scent to a confectionery shop down the street. The shopkeeper had opened early and was busy preparing fresh dango.

"Uchiha... Cough, I'll just call you Itachi." Shuji's said.

"Understood, senpai," Itachi answered, his voice remaining quiet and calm.

"Want to grab a bite?" Itachi finally raised his head, a faint trace of surprise flickering in his eyes as he followed Shuji's gaze toward the store. A sweet shop. Dango... Itachi hesitated.

"Um... Shuji-senpai, the mission..."

"The dango looks fresh," Shuji said, turning his body toward the shop and taking a step forward. He muttered under his breath, "Freshly made food tastes the best anyway. Besides, whatever I ate earlier didn't fill me up at all. Nothing wrong with eating a bit more in the morning..." Senpai is a Chunin and the team leader for this mission, Itachi thought. Since he made the call, it wouldn't be right to say no. Itachi followed Shuji into the sweet shop.

Once seated, Shuji ordered four skewers of three-color dango and two cups of green tea. The dango arrived on small turquoise plates, steaming with a warm, sugary smell. The translucent rice dumplings were arranged in neat rows: pink cherry blossom, green matcha, and plain white, lightly dusted with sugar crystals that sparkled under the morning sun. Shuji took a sip of tea. But when he set his cup down, he noticed only two skewers remained on his plate. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road.

If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He blinked, checking to make sure he wasn't seeing things, then shifted his eyes to the kid sitting across from him. Itachi's pale cheeks bulged slightly, a tiny speck of sugar clinging to the corner of his mouth. His usually calm, unreadable eyes were narrowed slightly, showing that he was quietly enjoying himself.

"Shopkeeper, two more skewers," Shuji chuckled, pushing the remaining dango on his plate toward Itachi. Looking slightly embarrassed, Itachi lowered his head a fraction, but his hand still reached out to pick up another skewer. The dango was sweet, soft, and chewable. Perfect. A sip of hot tea right after made it even better. Shuji let out a satisfied breath. Itachi also set his cup down with a content look, the rare glint of delight in his eyes not yet fully faded.

Unrolling the mission scroll on the table, Shuji began the briefing.

"Our target is a band of bandits. We don't have portraits, but we know they originally operated along the border of the Land of Rivers. When local authorities pursued them, they crossed into the Land of Fire."

"The Daimyo's estate sent troops, but the bandits fled into the Land of Rain."

"Just as both nations decided to drop the matter, the gang reappeared along the Land of Rivers border to strike again. That's when the Land of Rivers sent the request directly to our village."

"According to the Land of Rivers, there are no shinobi among the bandits."

"However, despite facing multiple pursuit attempts, they've managed to evade combat with sharp instincts and zero casualties on their side."

"Numbers are estimated between fifteen and twenty."

"Since no ninja combat is anticipated, this is classified as a C-rank mission. Given their numbers, the payout is fifty thousand ryo." After giving a brief overview, Shuji pushed the scroll toward Itachi, signaling him to read through it.

"Even though this is a temporary squad, I'll lay out my capabilities. I specialize in Ninjutsu, with good range and power. You won't need to worry about combat management on this run." The original owner of this body had served in a border patrol squad. During their last patrol, they ran into a large squad of Cloud shinobi. Both teammates were killed, and only Shuji managed to carry the intel back while critically injured. He was brought back to the Leaf Village for emergency treatment.

When he finally woke up, the soul inside was no longer the original Shuji, but him. He didn't care to figure out whether it was possession or an awakening of past memories. He possessed all fourteen years of this body's memories, along with over twenty years of memories as a regular person from another world. Overthinking it was pointless. After half a month of recovery, he decided to take a mission to get some light training and ease himself into the world of Shinobi.

Since the mission description specified fighting regular civilians, the main challenge was tracking them down. He had originally planned to take it solo, but the village assigned him a teammate anyway.

"You don't need to worry about me, senpai," Itachi said, adjusting his posture and offering a formal introduction.

"I can use ninja tools, have a basic grasp of Genjutsu, and know a few Fire Release techniques. If you judge that I am dragging the mission down, you may abandon me at any time." His father had once mentioned that Shuji was an exceptionally capable shinobi. Although it is a C-rank mission, pairing a Chunin with a Genin means his skills are at the absolute top tier among Chunin, with no obvious weaknesses.

Itachi disagreed with his father, Fugaku, on many matters, but when it came to assessing a ninja's combat strength, he trusted the Chief of the Leaf Police Force completely. Hearing such an unnaturally mature statement, Shuji raised an eyebrow.

"If you put it that way, you'll follow my orders completely during this mission. Any problem with that?"

"No, senpai," Itachi nodded.

"Also, regarding the reward..."

"You don't need to consider my share, senpai. Being able to learn from you is already an honor." Itachi spoke with genuine humility, though for the Uchiha clan, a portion of a C-rank reward was hardly significant anyway. But that went against Shuji's principles. He tapped his fingers lightly against the table, his tone calm but firm.

"Since we're on a mission together, don't say things like that. We split it sixty-forty. As a Chunin and the team leader, I take an extra ten percent, but you get every single ryo you earn. Does that work for you?"

"Yes, senpai," Itachi replied quietly.