Naruto: Threads of Crimson

Arriving at the village gates, we saw her—the person we were supposed to be escorting—and I couldn't help but stare for a moment.

'Is that really her?' I thought as I gave a once-over to the short, frail-looking woman. She had the kind of face you'd expect to see giving out sweets to kids in a park, not heading out on a diplomatic mission. Her hair was silver, pulled back into a neat bun, and she clutched a cane in one hand, though she didn't seem to need it.

Reika-sensei stepped forward, her tone respectful but direct. "Excuse me, ma'am. We're here to verify that you're the one we're supposed to be picking up for a mission?"

The old woman turned to face us, her eyes squinting slightly. "My name is Lady Sachiko. I'm waiting for a ninja squad to escort me back. Are you them?" Her voice was polite but sharp, like someone used to being in control.

Reika smiled and gestured toward us. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Reika Yamanaka, your team leader, and these are my two genin, Shiro and Shisui. We're the squad assigned to escort you to Yugakure."

Lady Sachiko's eyes lingered on Shisui and me, her gaze growing cold as she took in our young faces. "They're sending children on these trips now?" she said with a note of disdain. "That could be seen as disrespect toward Yugakure. Are you certain this isn't some kind of joke?"

I saw Shisui's ever-present smile waver slightly, and my own grin faded quickly. Her words hit like a slap. We had trained hard to be here, and the way she brushed us off felt unfair.

Reika's smile, however, remained firmly in place, though I could sense the edge beneath it. "Rest assured, Lady Sachiko, we wouldn't have been assigned this mission if we weren't deemed capable. Konoha takes the safety of its diplomatic envoys very seriously, especially during wartime. We wouldn't want a diplomat to... disappear unexpectedly."

The subtle warning in Reika's tone seemed to hit its mark. Lady Sachiko's frown deepened, but she said nothing more about our age.

"Let's just go," she muttered, turning away with a huff. "I don't have all day to spend on this nonsense."

Reika turned her head toward us and rolled her eyes with a playful smirk as if to say, You get used to people like this. I couldn't help but grin slightly at her expression, though I still felt the sting of Lady Sachiko's words.

Without further delay, Reika took the lead, positioning herself in front of Lady Sachiko. "Alright, here's the plan. I'll stay at the front, and I want you two to take her flanks—Shisui on the right, Shiro on the left. That way, we form a triangle around her. If we're attacked, I'll stay close to her for protection, and you two will handle any threats. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei," Shisui and I responded in unison, quickly moving into position as we set off out of the village, heading toward the northwest border.

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The journey started off quietly, the sounds of the forest surrounding us as we moved along the path. The sun hung lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground, and the crisp evening air began to settle in.

"You know," I said after a while, scanning the trees around us for any signs of danger, "I've been thinking. Your mom might actually have the best cooking in the entire Uchiha clan, Shisui."

Shisui shot me a look, raising an eyebrow as if I'd just said something blasphemous. "Are you serious right now, Shiro? Every time I leave your house, I feel like my taste buds have just ascended to a higher plane of existence. You can't really believe what you're saying."

I chuckled, refusing to back down. "Oh, I believe it. No matter when I go over to your place, your mom always has the most incredible dishes ready. It's impossible not to leave stuffed."

Shisui paused, considering for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Alright then. How about this? Reika-sensei, you have to come over to each of our houses and try both meals. You can settle this once and for all and tell Shiro that he's wrong."

Reika, who had been keeping a sharp eye on the road ahead, glanced back at us with a raised eyebrow. "I'll tell you what. Once you both make it through your first year as genin without getting yourselves killed, I'll consider it." Her tone was stern, but there was a playful undertone to her words.

"Sensei, don't dodge my question," Shisui pressed, his face deadpan as he turned his gaze toward the front of the group where Reika was walking.

Reika rolled her eyes but there was the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Fine, one day I'll come over and eat at both your houses. How about that?"

Shisui's smile returned, bright and triumphant. "Sounds good to me, as long as I can prove that Shiro is wrong."

"Yeah, good luck with that, bud. The only way that would ever happen is if we were both trapped in some genjutsu," I muttered, eyes scanning the darkening trees around us. The sun was slowly dipping beneath the horizon, casting long shadows through the forest, making everything feel a bit more tense.

Before he could respond back, her expression shifted back to business. "That said, I need both of you to focus right now. We're nearing the border, and this is where bandits are most likely to attack. It's getting darker, and they'll use the shadows to their advantage. Be alert."

As the sun dipped lower, Lady Sachiko's pace slowed until we were barely walking at half the speed we had been. Reika-sensei, noticing this, signaled for us to stop. "We'll set up camp here for the night. Shisui, get the tents up. Shiro, scout the area. Make sure no one's lurking in the treeline."

Nodding, I knelt down, gathering chakra into my palm. 'Time to use the chakra web,' I thought. I wove the energy together, spreading it like a spider's web before slamming my hand into the ground, allowing it to disperse.

The familiar sensation of the 3D map filled my mind as I focused on the vibrations beneath the surface. I could feel the subtle tremors of life all around—birds perched on branches, a wolf chasing prey through the underbrush, insects crawling through the soil. But something else caught my attention. 'Wait, five distinct sets of footsteps...' 

'Five people, all clustered in those bushes.' I mentally traced the source of the vibrations. They were too organized, too deliberate. My chest tightened as I realized what it meant.

"Uh, Reika-sensei," I said, trying to keep my voice down, "we've got five people watching us from those bushes over there." I pointed in the direction, roughly seven hundred feet away.

Before anyone could react, the five figures leaped from the bushes, grinning wickedly, their weapons drawn. Lady Sachiko screamed in surprise, her frail body recoiling from the sudden threat.

"So, the little brat actually sensed us," sneered the man in front, clearly the leader. He was tall and scarred, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Impressive for someone so young. It's a pity you won't live long enough to grow into that potential."

I glanced at Shisui, and he gave me a nod. My Sharingan flared to life, the singular tomoe spinning around my pupil as I locked eyes with the leader.

One of the other bandits noticed my eyes immediately and whispered, "Boss, he's got a Sharingan. If we kill him and yank his eyes, we could sell them for a fortune on the black market."

The leader's face twisted with sudden rage, and without warning, he turned on the bandit who spoke and plunged his sword into his abdomen.

"What... why, boss?" the man choked out, staring down in disbelief as blood poured from his wound. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach as his life drained away.

The other bandits recoiled in horror, their confidence shattered. "He killed Mu!" one of them cried out in disbelief.

"Is it because of what he said?" another bandit stammered, a bald-headed man with a kunai drawn and trembling in his hand. 

"He's lost it!" shouted the tallest of the group, unsheathing a tanto and charging toward the leader, clearly thinking their boss had turned on them.

What none of them realized, however, was that their leader hadn't gone mad at all—he was trapped in a genjutsu I had cast the moment our eyes met. He believed he had already killed me and was now chasing down Shisui, mistaking his own comrades for enemies.

A small, satisfied smile played on my lips as I watched the chaos unfold. Shisui, too, had a similar expression, his usual lightheartedness replaced by grim focus.

"It's an illusion," I explained quietly to Lady Sachiko, who stood trembling behind us, eyes wide with confusion. "I used my Sharingan to trap the leader in a genjutsu. Right now, he believes he's fighting and killing us. He'll probably take out the rest of his men before we even have to lift a finger."

Lady Sachiko's expression shifted, understanding dawning on her face as she watched the bandits turn on each other in a frenzy. Reika-sensei stood calmly by, observing the chaos with her arms crossed. But when she glanced at me and Shisui, her eyes hardened.

"Good work with the genjutsu," she said, her voice steady. "But make sure you leave two alive. I want both of you to get your first kills."

My heart dropped. The casual way she said it—it hit like a stone in my stomach. I swallowed hard, glancing at Shisui, who looked just as hesitant as I felt. The excitement of the fight suddenly faded, replaced by a cold reality.

'First kills?' I thought, my mind reeling. I knew this would happen eventually, but...

Still, we both nodded, acknowledging her order. "Yes, Sensei," we said in unison, though the words felt heavy in my mouth.

As the last of the bandits fell by their own leader's hand, I tightened my grip on my kunai. This was the life we had chosen—the life we had trained for. I glanced at Shisui again, and in his eyes, I saw the same doubt reflected in my own. But there was no turning back now.

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(A/N: So I've kind of decided on a route to go with Shiro. I want him to rely heavily on genjutsu, ninjutsu, and also another aspect that I won't say yet. There will still be plenty of ninjutsu and whatnot, but Shiro is going to use genjutsu in a similar capacity as Kakashi uses his shadow/lightning clones.)