The streets of Konoha were crowded, and on the main roads, it was hard to walk freely.
The chūnins ensured the safety of the village, so walking among the civilians, while others ran from side to side across the rooftops.
I walked for a long ti, observing all those places I was used to seeing in the ani, until my stomach rumbled with hunger.
Then I rembered one of the most interesting places I hadn't been to yet: Ran Ichiraku.
As I walked, I felt a little lost at first, but after a while, the streets started to feel more and more familiar as mories flooded back into my head.
'It's strange to know I haven't really experienced any of this, and yet all these mories feel so vivid,' I thought.
Upon entering Ran Ichiraku, that unforgettable aroma and the comforting sound of bowls being served hit in a wave of emotions, making my stomach growl even more.
It was a simple but cozy place, just as I rembered from the ani.
Teuchi, the owner, was behind the counter with a warm smile.
"Welco to Ichiraku! What would you like today, young Senju?" he asked, in a friendly tone that made anyone feel at ho.
"A large pork ran, please," I replied as I sat down at the counter. "Oh, and by any chance, do you have wasabi? Hehe..." I chuckled awkwardly, knowing that unfortunately they wouldn't have mayonnaise here.
"Sure, of course I do! I'll put so on your plate, young man," he said, beginning to prepare my ran.
While I waited, I watched the other custors and the small interactions around . It was almost surreal to be there, experiencing sothing I had only seen on screen before.
The bowl of ran was placed in front of , and with the first sip of broth, I felt as if my soul was being recharged, and my energy slowly began to return.
*
[System Activated: Energy Recovery]
Chakra: 126/130
Stamina: 100/100
*
'Oh! So even eating helps recover energy? I knew this craving had to be worth it, hehe,' I thought to myself as I smiled alone.
After finishing my ran, I paid Teuchi and thanked him for the al. He smiled again.
"Co back anyti, young man! Ichiraku will always have its doors open for the ninjas of Konoha."
With a full stomach and feeling refreshed, I decided to explore the village a little more.
That's when I rembered another iconic place: the dango shop. I walked through the busy streets, following the mories that were now etched in my mind.
Soon, I arrived at the place with relative ease.
The dango shop was charming and busy, but not as crowded as the center of the village. I ordered a simple dango and sat at one of the outdoor tables to enjoy the calm of the place.
As I nibbled on the sweet treat, I noticed a familiar figure approaching.
It was him.
Itachi Uchiha, still young, wearing his Konoha headband and traditional ninja outfit. He seed to be in a peaceful mont, wearing a serene expression, but with that enigmatic air so characteristic of him.
He placed his order at the shop and, to my surprise, ca over to my table.
"You're Senju Riku, right?" he said.
I swallowed hard. I was about to have a conversation with one of the most legendary characters in the Naruto universe.
"Yes, that's . And you are... Itachi Uchiha." I tried to sound casual, but it was hard not to sound impressed.
He smiled slightly. "I rember training with you a while back. You seed quite promising. How are your studies at the academy going?"
"Oh, they're... going well," I replied, trying to hide my nervousness. "Sensei Daikoku had us practice basic jutsu today. It was a good refresher."
Itachi nodded. "So, you must be close to graduating, right? It's good to see you've improved your skills."
He placed his tray on the table and began to eat calmly, as though it were just a casual conversation. But sothing in his gaze told that he was evaluating , even if subtly.
"Have you already decided what you want to do after graduation?" he asked, suddenly.
It was a difficult question to answer, especially since this was my first day in that universe. I knew the things that were going to happen, so I wanted to make my own story there, and seeing Itachi reminded of sothing very important that would probably happen soon: the Uchiha clan massacre.
"Not yet… I'm looking forward to doing missions for the village — for now, at least. You already take on so missions, right?
What's it like?" I asked, masking my thoughtful expression while I considered what I could do about it.
"I see," he said, eating one of the dumplings on his plate.
"Yes, I already do missions, but none as interesting as you might imagine. Maybe you..."
Itachi seed to ponder what he was about to say, but decided to remain silent. I was surprised by his reaction, but before I had ti to comnt, he continued talking as he got up from the bench.
"We'll et again, Riku. Until then, keep improving."
Itachi walked away from the dango shop, his posture calm and almost carefree. As I watched him disappear into the crowd, I felt an urge to try to find out more. Maybe I could change the course of history.
*
[System Activated: NPC Information]
[Analyzing...]
Na: Itachi Uchiha
Age: 13
Ninja Rank: Genin
Level: ???
Known Skills:
???
Warning: Analysis incomplete. Additional information requires a higher level of interaction.
*
'Hm… That's it?' I thought, crossing my arms. It was disappointing how little the system seed willing to reveal. The "Genin" rank didn't make sense; I knew he was much more than that. Maybe it was so kind of knowledge limitation.
As I wondered why, another notification appeared before .
*
[New Mission: Find out more about Itachi Uchiha]
Initial Objective: Observe his interactions and habits to understand his true motivation.
Rewards: ???
[Do you wish to accept the mission? YES/NO]
*
I let out a quiet laugh, sowhat incredulous.
"So now I have to spy on Itachi? Great, system. As if that were easy." But I felt a twinge of excitent at this new mission. It was as if I were about to embark on an adventure in a ga. A mission like this could bring more answers — both about the progress of the massacre plans and how to solve this giant problem.
Without a second thought, I clicked YES on the screen.
While the mission was still fresh in my mind, I turned my attention back to the dango shop. The place was quiet again, and people were going about their business as usual. I picked up what was left of my dango, took a distracted bite, and started thinking about how to tackle this new task.
"If I'm going to do this, I should start small — observe, get to know people. I can't just go around asking everyone about him, or I'll attract the wrong kind of attention," I muttered to myself, trying to co up with a plan.
I rested my elbow on the table and sighed.
"Great. It's just the beginning, and it already feels complicated. But I like it."
With my mission activated and my curiosity piqued, I got up from the table, adjusted my clothes, and decided it was ti to take the next step. The streets of Konoha were still bustling, and I knew that sowhere, the answers I was looking for were waiting.
Now, all I needed was to figure out how to find them.
...
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