"Thank you, senior." Chiya nodded.
"Stop calling me 'senior.'" The Anbu Ninja removed his mask, revealing a Forehead Protector worn over his face. His tone softened, too. "Since we'll be comrades from now on, just call me Tenzō. That's the codename Lord Hokage gave me."
As he spoke, he glanced at Kyoka Suigetsu at Chiya's waist. "That's a fine sword, but it's a little too conspicuous. As Anbu, we value secrecy above all else. I recommend using the standard-issue Ninja Blade from now on."
"Understood, senior." Chiya nodded. So this was Yamato, the Wood Release Ninja from later on?
"I've told you so many times not to call me 'senior.'" Tenzō gave a helpless, rueful laugh and let out a sigh. He patted Chiya on the shoulder, then turned to leave. "All right, get changed here. I'll introduce you to the other members afterward."
A moment later, Chiya had changed into his uniform, chosen a smiling mask, and put Kyoka Suigetsu in the System Inventory.
By the time he came out wearing his mask, a group of Anbu Ninjas—including Kakashi, Yamato, and Uchiha Itachi—had gathered outside to wait for him.
Since Chiya had fought Kakashi before, he wasn't given a hard time by the Anbu when he first joined, unlike Uchiha Itachi in the original story.
"Chiya, how are you settling in? Getting used to things?" Kakashi came over and removed his dog mask.
"Thanks to you, everything's gone smoothly." With his mask on, Chiya seemed like a different person, acting extremely deferential in front of Kakashi.
"That's good to hear." Kakashi turned his head toward a nearby tree trunk. Uchiha Itachi, wearing a Fire Fox Mask, was perched on it. "Itachi, come over here."
"Yes, Captain Kakashi." Uchiha Itachi used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared in front of them, removing his mask.
"This is Uchiha Itachi. You two were classmates, so I assume you already know each other. I won't bother with a formal introduction," Kakashi said. "Chiya, only you and Itachi know about the top-secret mission Lord Hokage assigned. I won't interfere any further. You two can discuss it yourselves."
"From now on, you just need to report to the Anbu on time. Under normal circumstances, I won't assign you any additional missions."
"Yes, Captain Kakashi," Chiya replied respectfully.
"Come with me." Uchiha Itachi gave Chiya an expressionless look, put his mask back on, and vanished in a flash.
Chiya followed close behind with the Body Flicker Technique.
Before long, the two of them arrived at an elevated spot in Konoha.
From there, they could get a clear view of the entire Ninja Academy.
"I never thought you'd get involved in this." Uchiha Itachi watched Uchiha Sasuke listening attentively in the classroom and spoke in a low voice. "Is it because of Izumi?"
Chiya leaned against a nearby pillar and folded his arms. "And you? You're the heir to the Uchiha Clan and the clan head's eldest son, yet you became a spy sent by the Konoha High Command to infiltrate the Uchiha. That's pretty ironic. Is it because of Uchiha Sasuke?"
"I didn't expect you to know even that." Uchiha Itachi turned around and fixed his cold, dark eyes on Chiya. "Chiya, you're clearly not as simple as you seem."
"Likewise." Chiya removed his mask, his expression calm.
"Before we discuss the real matter, there's something I want to confirm." Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they had become Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Their gazes met. Genjutsu: Sharingan!
Chiya stiffened. His pupils instantly went blank, but the next second, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. His body turned into cherry blossom petals that drifted around Uchiha Itachi, gradually surrounding him.
The Three-Tomoe in Uchiha Itachi's eyes spun rapidly as he performed Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, the technique he had used in the original story to reflect Yuhi Kurenai's genjutsu.
Strangely, although the genjutsu was dispelled, it wasn't reflected back at Chiya. The latter had been standing right where he was the whole time, watching Uchiha Itachi with an amused smile.
"That was close. The Sharingan really is impressive. I almost had your genjutsu reflected back at me. Good thing you only have Three-Tomoe right now. If you'd awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, I'd have been in trouble."
Chiya looked as though he'd just had a fright, but his tone was remarkably casual, as if he didn't take the Mangekyō seriously.
Then he added, "So, did you confirm what you wanted to?"
"More or less." Uchiha Itachi gave Chiya another long look.
He then thought of the mysterious person who had stolen Shisui's right eye, and grew even more wary of Chiya.
Turning around, he put his mask back on and said seriously, "I'll let the Uchiha High Command know that you've been promoted to jonin and joined the Anbu. Because of Izumi, they'll approach you with an offer to betroth her to you."
"As long as you keep walking Izumi home like usual during this time, someone will come to you."
"That'll give you a chance to infiltrate the Uchiha."
"It's that simple?" Chiya couldn't help feeling that something was off. The Uchiha were a little too easy to fool.
"Exactly that simple." With that, Uchiha Itachi vanished in a flash, disappearing from Chiya's sight.
"He really is a genius. By now, he's probably already suspecting me of stealing Shisui's right eye."
"But how can his emotional intelligence be so low? Someone like him got tricked by the Konoha F4 into wiping out his clan. He didn't even spare the civilians who knew nothing about the coup. What a tragic man."
Chiya murmured to himself, then vanished in a flash.
Not long after he left, a giant green pitcher plant emerged from the building's wall. It slowly opened, revealing a strange body that was half black and half white. It was the combined form of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
"Who's that guy? He can actually shrug off the Sharingan's genjutsu. He's pretty impressive," White Zetsu asked.
"Itachi didn't use the Mangekyō Sharingan. If they really fought, the outcome would be uncertain. But the chakra that kid unleashed the instant he cast his genjutsu was nothing to scoff at. Looks like Konoha has another genius," Black Zetsu replied. His voice was hoarse and harsh, like dry leaves rustling in the wind.
"What should we do, then? Should we go tell Obito—no, Madara?" White Zetsu continued.
"No need. We can tell Madara later. A genjutsu user without the Sharingan can't affect our plans in the slightest. Our most urgent task is finding the person who stole Shisui's right eye."
With that, Black Zetsu controlled the pitcher plant as it sank back into the wall and disappeared, as if it had never been there.
As the saying went, while the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole lurked behind. Not long after Black and White Zetsu left, Chiya emerged from the top of the wall and murmured, "Looks like that guy once accidentally saw my Kyoka Suigetsu, too. Otherwise, with its ability to conceal its presence, I really wouldn't have been able to detect it."
Before you continue