Chapter 1: Shūji and Itachi
Shūji was a shinobi.
Itachi was also a shinobi.
"Uchiha... Itachi?"
Shūji looked at the boy in front of him, dressed in a dark blue shirt and shorts. No, 'boy' wasn't the right word. He was just a kid.
Only eight years old, his youthful face still held traces of baby fat. But his dark eyes were like deep pools, completely lacking the liveliness and innocence a child should have.
"Yes, Shūji-senpai," the child responded softly.
It had already been half a month since he'd taken over this body, and he'd managed to master all the necessary skills.
He had come to terms with the fact that, despite being only fourteen, he was already a shinobi who had been "cutting people down" for several years. However, he still wasn't mentally prepared to take a kid out to do the same.
Even if that kid was Uchiha Itachi.
He showed no sign of this on his face. He simply took out the mission scroll, but just as he was about to explain the objective, he caught a sweet scent.
It was nine in the morning. A few sparrows hopped on the eaves, chirping brightly. The air was filled with the scent of morning dew and earth, soothing the soul. The sunlight was pleasant and warm.
Shūji followed the scent with his eyes. It was a sweet shop. The owner was diligent, having opened early for the day. Right now, they were making fresh dango.
"Uchiha—cough, I'll just call you Itachi." Shūji's throat bobbed involuntarily.
"Of course, Senpai." Itachi's reply was just as soft and faint as before.
"Want to get something to eat?"
Itachi finally looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He followed Shūji's gaze.
The sweet shop. Dango...
Itachi hesitated. "But... Shūji-senpai, the mission..."
"The dango looks like it's fresh." The older boy turned towards the shop and started walking, muttering to himself, "Freshly made is always the best, and that stuff I ate this morning won't last... It's early, so eating a bit more is fine..."
His senpai was a Chūnin and the leader of this mission. Since he had made a decision, it wasn't Itachi's place to object.
With that thought, Itachi followed Shūji into the sweet shop. After they sat down, Shūji ordered four skewers, all three-color dango, and two cups of tea to cut the sweetness.
The three-color dango was served on small, green ceramic plates, emitting a warm, sweet aroma. The rice dumplings were glistening and translucent—pink for cherry blossom, green for matcha, and white for plain—all lined up neatly. They were dusted with a fine layer of powdered sugar that sparkled invitingly in the sunlight.
Shūji first took a sip of tea to cleanse his palate. When he set the cup down, he found only two dango skewers left on his plate.
He blinked, confirming he wasn't seeing things, and his gaze shifted to Uchiha Itachi opposite him. The boy's pale cheeks were slightly puffed out, and a speck of powdered sugar clung to the corner of his mouth. His eyes, usually as still as a deep well, were now narrowed slightly in a clear expression of bliss.
"Excuse me! Two more skewers, please!" Shūji couldn't help but laugh, pushing the remaining dango in front of Itachi.
Seemingly embarrassed, Uchiha Itachi lowered his head slightly, but he still reached out and took another skewer.
The dango was sweet, chewy, and perfect.
A sip of tea to follow. Excellent.
Shūji let out a happy sigh.
Itachi also set down his cup, satisfied, the faint, imperceptible light in his eyes not yet faded.
Shūji unrolled the mission scroll and began his briefing. "This mission is to eliminate a group of bandits. We have no visual intel, only that they were originally plundering near the Land of Rivers border. When the Land of Rivers forces pursued them, they fled across the border into the Land of Fire."
"The Daimyō's administrators were notified and dispatched soldiers, but the bandits fled again, this time to the Land of Rain."
"When neither country was planning further action, the bandits reappeared and struck again on the Land of Rivers border. Finally, the Land of Rivers formally submitted this mission request to our village."
"According to the intel provided, there are no shinobi among the bandits."
"However, they've managed to evade capture several times, avoiding direct conflict with sharp senses and escaping without any losses."
"The number of bandits is between fifteen and twenty."
"Because no shinobi combat is expected, the mission is rated C-Rank. Considering the number of targets, the reward is fifty thousand ryō."
After briefly summarizing the mission, Shūji pushed the scroll over to Itachi, signaling for him to read it.
"Even though we were just temporarily assigned, I'll state my abilities. I'm a shinobi who specializes in ninjutsu. My techniques have good range and power. You won't need to worry about the combat side of this mission."
His original self had been part of a border patrol unit. During their last mission, they encountered a large Kumo platoon. His two teammates were killed in action. He was the only one to escape, heavily wounded but carrying the intelligence. He was sent back to Konoha to recover.
The one who woke up... was not the original Shūji.
He didn't know if his situation was a 'possession' or an 'awakening.' In any case, he possessed all fourteen years of this body's memories, as well as over twenty years of memories as a normal person from another world. Shūji didn't want to get hung up on it. It was pointless.
After half a month of recovery, he planned to take a simple mission as 'rehabilitation' and to reintegrate himself into this world. He had planned to do it alone, but the village assigned him a teammate anyway.
"You don't need to worry about me, Senpai." Itachi sat up straight, introducing himself seriously. "I am proficient with shinobi tools, have some knowledge of genjutsu, and can use some Fire Style jutsu. If you determine I am hindering the mission, you may abandon me at any time."
His father had once said that Shūji was an exceptionally talented shinobi.
"Even if it's a C-Rank mission, for them to pair a Chūnin with a Genin... it means his skills are, at minimum, at the very top of the Chūnin level, with no obvious weaknesses."
While Uchiha Itachi disagreed with his father, Fugaku, on many things, he completely trusted the Konoha Military Police Force Captain's judgment when it came to a shinobi's strength.
Hearing such a "mature" statement, Shūji's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Since you've said that, you will follow my orders unconditionally for this mission. Understood?"
"Yes, Senpai," Itachi nodded.
"Also, about the mission pay..."
"Senpai, you don't need to consider my share. It is my honor just to be able to learn from you," Itachi said humbly. (Though for the Uchiha clan, such a small reward was truly not worth mentioning.)
But this went against Shūji's principles.
He tapped the table lightly, his tone calm but firm. "We're on a mission together, so don't say things like that. We'll split the pay 60/40. As the Chūnin and team leader, I'll take the extra ten percent. But you will receive every bit of the share you've earned. Any problem with that?"
"No, Senpai," Itachi replied softly.