Konoha's Tatsuya

Konohagakure's mission hall. Once again, Tatsuya's figure appeared within its bustling interior.

"Look! It's that guy again!"

"Oh, no! I guess we're going home empty-handed again today!"

…

The moment Tatsuya entered, he immediately drew the attention of some of the lower-ranking ninja. A few genin couldn't help but grumble under their breaths.

Tatsuya, completely unfazed, continued on his usual path towards the mission bulletin board, searching for suitable D-rank missions.

Although the Fourth Hokage had limited the number of D-rank missions Tatsuya could take per month, he'd still left him with five slots. Tatsuya had no intention of wasting them – he needed both the commission fees and the contribution points.

As Tatsuya scanned the mission postings, the surrounding ninjas' chatter caught his ear.

"Hey, look! It's someone from the Uchiha clan! To think they're taking missions at such a young age… they must be really confident!"

"You don't know anything, do you? Don't you recognize the older one? That's Uchiha Shisui, the Uchiha clan's super-genius! He might look young, but he's a genuine jonin! During the recently concluded Third Shinobi World War, the name 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' echoed throughout the ninja world!"

"What? That's Uchiha Shisui? He's so young! The talent of those Uchiha elites is truly terrifying! Who's the Uchiha next to him?"

"The one next to Uchiha Shisui seems to be the Uchiha clan head's son… I think his name is Uchiha Itachi."

…

Tatsuya turned his head, immediately spotting two figures entering the mission hall.

They were two ninja clad in Uchiha clan attire. Neither was very tall. The older one looked to be around eleven or twelve years old, while the younger one was only four or five.

It was indeed Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

Seeing the two of them, Tatsuya was also slightly taken aback.

These two were true Uchiha geniuses. Before the power scaling went completely off the rails, both of their peak strengths reached the ceiling of the ninja world's combat power.

In the original storyline, Uchiha Shisui never truly appeared; his name was always mentioned by others or in flashbacks. Yet, even from those limited snippets, one could glimpse his overwhelming power.

After arriving in this world, Tatsuya had personally experienced the fearsome reputation of "Shisui of the Body Flicker."

Uchiha Shisui was a genius, and his talent was among the very best, even in the prodigy-filled Uchiha clan. Shisui was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, a member of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's guard. He'd displayed exceptional talent from a young age, becoming a jonin at just 11 years old – surpassing even the renowned "genius" Kakashi by a considerable margin. His Body Flicker Technique and genjutsu were both top-tier, arguably unmatched in the entire ninja world.

Compared to the people of this world, Tatsuya knew even more clearly that Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan possessed the genjutsu Kotoamatsukami, which had the power to directly rewrite a person's will. It was hailed as the strongest genjutsu in the ninja world.

This was a BUG-level ability that could completely turn the tide of any situation.

After the Fourth Shinobi World War broke out, Uchiha Itachi used an eye entrusted to him by Shisui to change the course of the ninja world.

Compared to Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi's talent was in no way inferior.

Excluding the BUG ability that was Kotoamatsukami, Itachi's growth speed and combat power were equally astonishing, and he even surpassed Shisui in terms of intellect and strategic thinking.

Itachi was an anomaly who, at the age of four, began pondering philosophical questions about life, war, and existence. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, once praised him as a ninja who possessed "Hokage-level thinking" from a young age.

In the Naruto world, Itachi's apparent strength might not have been the absolute highest, but his battle IQ and "hax" were rarely matched.

Throughout Itachi's life, "calm," "mysterious," and "powerful" were the most fitting labels.

Shisui and Itachi had grown up together. Shisui was not only Itachi's mentor but also his closest friend. Itachi regarded him with the respect one would give an older brother. Both possessed an extreme "little brother complex."

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi entered the mission hall, ignoring the strange looks from others, and headed straight for the mission bulletin board.

However, they were browsing missions ranked C and above.

After observing the two for a while, Tatsuya took a step and walked towards them.

Noticing Tatsuya's movement, Shisui and Itachi both turned their gazes towards him.

"Shisui-san," Tatsuya greeted Shisui with a smile, offering a respectful bow.

Although Shisui was young, he was an officially recognized jonin of Konoha, while Tatsuya was merely a genin.

In a way, Shisui could be considered Tatsuya's superior, and in times of war, he would have the authority to command genin like Tatsuya.

"Hello," Shisui replied. His eyes swept over the Akimichi clan crest on Tatsuya's clothing, a slight look of confusion on his face.

"Shisui-san, my name is Akimichi Tatsuya. I'm a genin of the village. I noticed you two seem to be looking for suitable missions. Are you by any chance short on manpower? Would it be possible for me to join your team?"

Tatsuya looked at the two with a friendly expression, speaking politely.

If it had been any other Uchiha, Tatsuya definitely wouldn't have approached them. But Shisui and Itachi were different.

They were two of the few "doves" within the Uchiha clan, possessing a high level of awareness and a tendency to act in favor of the village and the Hokage's faction.

According to the Third Hokage's words, these two had perfectly inherited the "Will of Fire."

Before Shisui and Itachi became double agents between the village and their clan, Tatsuya wouldn't have to worry too much about teaming up with them.

Of course, Shisui's formidable strength was also a reason why Tatsuya wanted to team up with them.

Working alongside such a powerful ninja would undoubtedly yield more commission fees and contribution points.

As for the danger, after this period of mental preparation, Tatsuya had already steeled himself to face the risks of life and death.

"You want to team up with us?"

Hearing Tatsuya's words, Shisui's expression turned a little strange.

In the village, the Uchiha clan was synonymous with aloofness and arrogance. Moreover, the Konoha Military Police Force, which they controlled, had arrested quite a few ninja who had broken the rules.

Therefore, non-Uchiha ninja were generally reluctant to approach Uchiha ninja, let alone actively team up with them.

Shisui had never encountered someone like Tatsuya, who proactively sought them out.

Tatsuya nodded, his expression serious. "Yes. Currently, the village is short-staffed, and many missions have piled up. If they remain unaddressed for too long, it will damage the village's reputation. Although I'm only a genin, I want to contribute to the village. However, since my teammates are currently training, I don't have enough manpower to take on C-rank missions or higher."

Hearing this, Shisui and Itachi's gazes towards Tatsuya changed slightly.

"Alright! However, we're planning to take on three A-rank missions. It will take about half a year, and there's a chance we'll encounter dangerous battles along the way. You should think carefully about whether you really want to join us."

After a moment of contemplation, Shisui nodded in agreement, then followed up with a serious inquiry.

Hearing the words "A-rank missions," Tatsuya felt a flicker of hesitation.

Although he had mentally prepared himself to face death, wasn't it a bit too reckless to jump straight into highly dangerous A-rank missions?

However, meeting Shisui's scrutinizing gaze – even though Shisui was shorter than him – Tatsuya resolutely nodded. "Don't worry, Shisui-san. As a ninja, I've long been prepared to sacrifice myself!"

He might be feeling cowardly inside, but he couldn't let it show on his face!

"Welcome to the team, Tatsuya-kun!" Seeing this, Shisui smiled and extended his right hand to Tatsuya.

Tatsuya's previous display had earned Shisui's initial approval.

"Thank you for accepting me, Shisui-san!" Tatsuya also reached out and shook Shisui's hand, his face beaming with excitement.

After the team was formed, Shisui quickly began accepting missions at the counter.

"Alright, now that we've accepted the missions, let's each go back and prepare. We'll set off together in two days," Shisui said to Tatsuya after about fifteen minutes.

"Don't worry, Shisui-san. I'll be there on time," Tatsuya assured him, thumping his chest.

Then, the three quickly parted ways. Shisui and Itachi headed back to the Uchiha clan compound, while Tatsuya returned home.

"Shisui-nii, are you really going to let him join our mission?"

Inside the Uchiha clan compound, Shisui and Itachi walked side-by-side. Itachi, who had remained silent during Shisui and Tatsuya's conversation, finally spoke.

"Yes! For years, our Uchiha clan has isolated itself from the village. The other ninja clans in the village are also unwilling to interact with us too much. The rift between the clan and the village grows stronger day by day. Tatsuya is a ninja from the Akimichi clan. The Akimichi clan is a ninja clan whose strength is second only to our Uchiha and the Hyuga clans. Since he's willing to approach us proactively, why should we reject him? Through this joint mission with Tatsuya, we can also show others in the village that Uchiha ninja can team up with other ninja." Shisui nodded.

"But, Tatsuya-nii is only a genin, and our missions this time are dangerous…" Itachi's expression showed a hint of worry.

Itachi understood the reasoning behind Shisui's words. He was simply concerned that if something were to happen to a ninja from a prominent clan like Tatsuya while on a mission with them, it would further worsen the image of the Uchiha clan ninja in the village.

"Itachi, don't underestimate Tatsuya. The Akimichi clan's strength is not to be taken lightly. His strength might not be inferior to yours!" Shisui turned to Itachi and said with a faint smile.

"Huh?" Itachi was surprised.

Although Itachi was only a little over four years old at this time, his strength was already comparable to that of an average genin.

Based on his prior knowledge and their brief interaction, Itachi hadn't noticed anything special about Tatsuya.

Seeing this, Shisui patted Itachi's head and said with a smile, "Itachi, the ninja world is a place where strong individuals abound. Never underestimate others, or you might suffer a great loss. Since it's a mission, there will naturally be danger, especially since these are A-rank missions. Now that we're a team, we need to learn to trust in the strength of our comrades. I just sensed that Akimichi Tatsuya's chakra reserves have reached the level of an elite chunin. Don't be fooled by his outward appearance! You don't need to worry about his safety. In an emergency, I will do my utmost to protect both of you."

Itachi opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything more.

For some reason, the perceptive Itachi felt that Tatsuya's motives for approaching them weren't entirely pure.