Shuji was a ninja.
Itachi was a ninja too.
"Uchiha... Itachi?"
Shuji looked at the boy in front of him in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Boy wasn't quite right. He was a child.
He was eight. Baby fat still rounded his young face, yet his eyes were black pools with no trace of a child's sparkle or innocence.
"Yes, Senior Shuji," the child answered softly.
He had been in this body for half a month and had already practiced everything he needed to relearn.
He had accepted that, at fourteen, he was a ninja who had been cutting people down for years. What he had not prepared for was taking a child out to do the same.
Even if that child was Uchiha Itachi.
His face showed nothing. He pulled out the mission scroll and was about to explain when his nose caught a sweet fragrance.
It was nine in the morning. Sparrows hopped along the eaves and chirped. The air smelled of dew and earth. The sunshine was gentle and warm.
Shuji followed the scent. A sweets shop. The owner was diligent, open early and making dango now.
"Uchiha... ahem. I'll just call you Itachi." Shuji's Adam's apple bobbed.
"Understood, senior," Uchiha replied, light and even.
"Want something to eat?"
Itachi finally raised his head, a little surprise in his eyes, and followed Shuji's gaze.
A sweets shop. Dango.
Itachi hesitated. "About the mission, Senior Shuji..."
"Those dumplings look fresh." The youth turned toward the shop and walked, murmuring, "Fresh is always best, and what we ate this morning barely counts. It's early. Eating more is fine."
He was the chūnin, the leader for this mission. Since he had decided, Itachi had no grounds to object.
Thinking that, Itachi followed Shuji inside. Once seated, Shuji ordered four skewers of dango, all tri-color, and two cups of tea to cut the sweetness.
The tri-color dango sat on small blue-green plates, warm and fragrant. The mochi gleamed, pink with sakura flavor, green with matcha, white plain, lined up neatly. A dusting of fine sugar caught the light.
Shuji rinsed his mouth with tea. When he set down the cup, only two skewers remained.
He blinked, then looked across at Uchiha Itachi. The boy's pale cheeks were slightly puffed. A bit of sugar clung to the corner of his mouth. His usually calm eyes narrowed a fraction, a hint of contentment in them.
"Boss, two more," Shuji said with a laugh, pushing the remaining skewers toward Itachi.
A touch abashed, Itachi lowered his head, but his hand still reached for a skewer.
Sweet. Chewy. Good.
A sip of tea. Perfect.
Shuji let out a pleased breath.
Itachi set down his cup as well, the faint sparkle in his eyes not yet gone.
Shuji unrolled the mission scroll and began. "Our task is to eliminate a bandit group. No portraits. We only know they raided along the Land of Rivers border. When Rivers tried to pursue, they slipped into the Land of Fire.
"The daimyo's residence received word. When troops were dispatched, the bandits fled to the Land of Rain.
"Both countries were ready to stand down when the bandits showed up at Rivers' border again. Rivers then entrusted the mission to our village.
"Intelligence transferred from Rivers indicates there are no shinobi among them.
"Even so, they've repeatedly sensed pursuit and avoided battle with sharp instincts. No casualties on their side so far.
"Estimated headcount is fifteen to twenty.
"With no expectation of fighting ninja, it's ranked C. Considering their numbers, the pay is fifty thousand ryō."
He finished the outline and slid the scroll to Itachi, signaling him to read it through.
"Since this is a temporary team-up, I'll state my capabilities. I specialize in ninjutsu, with both range and power to spare. For this mission, we shouldn't need to worry about combat."
He had been with a border-combat squad. On their last patrol they ran into a large Cloud force. Two teammates died. He alone, badly wounded, carried the intel back. He was sent to the Hidden Leaf Village to recover. The one who woke wasn't the old Shuji anymore, but the current one.
He didn't know if it was possession or awakening. He had all fourteen years of this body's memories, and more than twenty years of memories as an ordinary person from another world. He didn't intend to dwell on it. No point.
After half a month of recovery, he planned to take a mission as rehab, and to ease himself back into the world.
Because the targets were ordinary people, the hard part would be tracking them. He had planned to go alone, but the village still assigned a teammate.
"Please don't worry about me." Sitting straight, Itachi introduced himself earnestly. "I can use ninja tools. I know a little genjutsu. I can use some Fire Release. If you judge I would hinder the mission, you can abandon me at any time."
His father had said Shuji was a highly capable ninja.
"Even for a C-rank mission, pairing a chūnin with a genin means his strength is top-tier among chūnin, with no clear weakness."
Itachi often differed with his father, Fugaku, on many matters. But when it came to judging a ninja's strength, he trusted the Leaf Military Police captain's eye completely.
Hearing such "mature" words, Shuji lifted a brow.
"Since you say that, you'll follow my command completely on this mission. Any problem?"
"No, senior," Itachi answered with a nod.
"Also, about the pay—"
"You don't need to consider my share, senior. Being able to learn from you is honor enough." Itachi was humble, and for the Uchiha, this commission wasn't worth much anyway.
That didn't fit Shuji's principles.
He tapped the table lightly. His tone was even, yet left no room to argue. "We're on a mission together, so don't say that. We split sixty-forty. As chūnin and team lead I take an extra share, but not a single coin of your due will be missing. Any issue?"
"No, senior," Itachi replied softly.
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