Chapter 21: The Genius Uchiha
Konoha Village—Ryuya's figure once again appeared in the village's Mission Hall.
"Look! That guy's here again!"
"We're done for—looks like today we're going home empty-handed again!"
…
The moment Ryuya appeared, he immediately drew the attention of some low-ranking ninjas in the hall. A few genin couldn't help but mutter complaints under their breath.
Ryuya paid them no mind. He continued doing things his own way, walking straight to the mission board to look for suitable D-rank missions.
Although the Fourth Hokage had limited the number of D-rank missions Ryuya could accept each month, he had still left him five slots.
Naturally, Ryuya had no intention of wasting those five slots—he needed both the money and the contribution points.
Just as Ryuya was busy browsing the missions, the surrounding chatter caught his attention.
"Look, it's members of the Uchiha clan! They're already coming out to take missions at that age—so confident!"
"What do you know? Don't you recognize the older one?
That's Uchiha Shisui, a super genius of the Uchiha clan!
Don't let his age fool you—he's a genuine jōnin!
In the recently ended Third Great Ninja War, the name 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' resounded throughout the ninja world!"
"What? That's Uchiha Shisui? He's way too young! The talent of the Uchiha elite is terrifying… Then who's the other one next to him?"
"The one beside Shisui seems to be the clan head's son—his name should be Uchiha Itachi."
…
Ryuya turned his head and immediately saw two figures entering the Mission Hall.
They were two ninjas dressed in Uchiha clan attire. Both were small in stature. The older one looked to be only around ten years old, while the younger was merely four or five.
They were none other than Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.
Seeing the two of them, Ryuya was slightly stunned.
These were truly genius Uchihas. Before power scaling collapsed, both of them had reached the very ceiling of combat strength in the ninja world at their peaks.
In the original story, Uchiha Shisui never truly appeared on stage; his name existed only in others' words and memories.
Yet even from those few fragments, one could glimpse his terrifying strength.
After arriving in this world, Ryuya had personally experienced the prestige of "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
Uchiha Shisui was a genius—among the talent-rich Uchiha clan, his aptitude stood at the very top.
A descendant of Uchiha Kagami, the Hokage's guard under the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, Shisui had displayed extraordinary talent from a young age. He had already become a jōnin at eight years old, far surpassing even the famously gifted Kakashi. His Body Flicker Technique and genjutsu were enough to reign supreme across the entire ninja world.
Compared to the people of this world, Ryuya knew even more clearly that Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami—possessed the power to directly rewrite another person's will, earning it the title of the strongest genjutsu in the ninja world.
It was a truly game-breaking ability capable of overturning any situation.
After the outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War, it was precisely the eye Shisui entrusted to Itachi that changed the course of the ninja world.
Compared to Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi's talent was in no way inferior.
Setting aside the bug-like ability of Kotoamatsukami, Itachi's growth speed and combat power were equally astonishing—and in terms of intellect and ideology, he even surpassed Shisui.
Itachi was a prodigy who began contemplating life, war, and existence itself at the age of four. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, once praised him as a ninja who possessed Hokage-level thinking from childhood.
In the Naruto world, Itachi's overt strength might not have been the greatest, but his combat intelligence and "cheat abilities" were matched by very few.
Looking at Itachi's life as a whole, calm, mysterious, and powerful were the most fitting labels.
Shisui and Itachi grew up together. Shisui was not only Itachi's mentor, but also his closest friend—someone Itachi respected like an elder brother.
Both of them also shared a strong "little-brother-complex."
After entering the Mission Hall, Shisui and Itachi ignored the strange looks from others and went straight to the mission board to look for suitable missions.
However, the missions they were browsing were all C-rank and above.
After watching the two of them for a while, Ryuya stepped forward and walked toward them.
Sensing his movement, both Shisui and Itachi turned their gazes toward him.
"Jōnin Shisui,"
Ryuya said with a smile as he came closer, giving Shisui a respectful greeting.
Though Shisui was young, he was already an officially recognized jōnin of Konoha, while Ryuya was merely a genin.
In a sense, Shisui could be considered Ryuya's superior—and in wartime, he would indeed have the authority to command a genin like him.
"Hello,"
Shisui's gaze swept over the Akimichi clan attire Ryuya was wearing, a hint of confusion flashing across his face.
"Jōnin Shisui, my name is Akimichi Ryuya. I'm a genin of the village. I noticed you seem to be looking for suitable commissions as well. I was wondering—are you still short on manpower? Could I join you on a mission?"
Ryuya looked at the two of them with a friendly expression and spoke politely.
If they had been any other Uchihas, Ryuya would never have taken the initiative to approach them. But Shisui and Itachi were different.
They were among the rare doves within the Uchiha clan—highly enlightened in thought, and consistently inclined toward the village and the Hokage faction.
As the Third Hokage once put it, these two were ninjas who had perfectly inherited the Will of Fire.
Before Shisui and Itachi became double agents caught between the village and their clan, teaming up with them on missions was actually something Ryuya didn't need to worry too much about.
Of course, Shisui's overwhelming strength was also a major reason Ryuya wanted to team up with them.
Going on missions with such powerful individuals meant higher rewards and more contribution points.
As for danger—after this period of mental preparation, Ryuya had already steeled himself to face life-and-death situations.
"You want to team up with us?"
Hearing Ryuya's words, Shisui's expression turned a bit strange.
Within the village, the Uchiha clan was synonymous with aloofness and pride. On top of that, the clan-controlled Military Police Force had arrested quite a few offending ninjas over the years.
As a result, non-Uchiha ninjas were usually reluctant to get close to the Uchiha, let alone主动 ask to team up with them.
Someone like Ryuya, who approached them on his own initiative, was something Shisui had never encountered before.
Ryuya nodded, his expression serious.
"Yes. The village is currently short on manpower, and many missions have piled up. If they remain unattended for too long, it would seriously damage the village's prestige.
Although I'm only a genin, I still want to contribute my part to the village.
However, my teammates are all focused on training lately. Without enough manpower, I can't accept missions above C-rank on my own."
Hearing this, the looks in Shisui's and Itachi's eyes subtly changed.
"All right,"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Shisui nodded in agreement, then spoke solemnly.
"However, we're preparing to accept three A-rank missions. The duration will be around half a year, and we may encounter dangerous battles at any time. You'd better think carefully about whether you truly want to join us."
When he heard the words A-rank missions, Ryuya hesitated internally.
Although he had already prepared himself mentally to face death, jumping straight into extremely dangerous A-rank missions—wasn't that a bit too risky?
Still, meeting Shisui's scrutinizing gaze—despite Shisui being a head shorter than him—Ryuya firmly nodded.
"Please rest assured, Jōnin Shisui. As a ninja, I have long been prepared to sacrifice myself!"
He might feel nervous inside, but his outward momentum could not falter.
"Welcome to the team, Genin Ryuya,"
Shisui said with a smile, extending his right hand.
Ryuya's earlier performance had already earned Shisui's initial approval.
"Thank you for your recognition, Jōnin Shisui!"
Ryuya stepped forward, grasped Shisui's hand, and spoke with visible excitement.
After forming the team, Shisui quickly began accepting missions at the mission counter.
"All right. Since the missions are taken, let's each go back and prepare. We'll set out together in two days,"
Shisui said to Ryuya after finishing up about fifteen minutes later.
"Don't worry, Jōnin Shisui. I'll definitely be there on time,"
Ryuya said, patting his chest in assurance.
Soon after, the three of them split up. Shisui and Itachi headed back to the Uchiha clan grounds, while Ryuya returned home.
"Brother Shisui, are you really going to let him join our mission?"
On the road within the Uchiha compound, Shisui and Itachi walked side by side. Itachi—who had remained silent during Shisui's conversation with Ryuya—finally spoke up.
"Yes,"
Shisui nodded.
"For many years now, our Uchiha clan has isolated itself from the village, and the other ninja clans have been unwilling to interact with us. The rift between the clan and the village has only grown deeper by the day.
Ryuya is a ninja of the Akimichi clan. The Akimichi are one of the strongest clans in the village, second only to us and the Hyūga. Since he's willing to approach us proactively, why should we shut him out?
Through this cooperation, we can also let others in the village see that Uchiha ninjas aren't incapable of teaming up with other clans."
"But Brother Ryuya is still only a genin,"
Itachi said with concern.
"The missions we're undertaking are dangerous."
Itachi understood Shisui's reasoning, but he worried that if something went wrong with a clan-born ninja like Ryuya during their mission, it would only further damage the Uchiha's image in the village.
"Itachi, don't underestimate Ryuya,"
Shisui turned to look at him and said with a faint smile.
"The strength of the Akimichi clan is not to be underestimated. His strength may not be inferior to yours."
"Hm?"
Itachi looked surprised.
Although Itachi was only a little over four years old, his strength was already no weaker than that of an ordinary genin.
From what he knew and from their brief interaction, Itachi hadn't noticed anything particularly special about Ryuya.
Seeing this, Shisui reached out and gently patted Itachi's head.
"Itachi, the ninja world is filled with hidden experts. Never underestimate others, or you'll suffer for it.
Since it's a mission, danger is inevitable—especially an A-rank one.
Now that we're a team, we must learn to trust our comrades.
I've already sensed it: the amount of chakra within Akimichi Ryuya has reached the level of an elite chūnin. Don't be fooled by his appearance so easily.
You don't need to worry about his safety. In an emergency, I'll do everything I can to protect all of you."
Hearing this, Itachi opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing more.
For some reason, the perceptive Itachi felt that Ryuya's reason for approaching them was not entirely simple.