Chapter 280 — Reunion
Uchiha Itachi stood lightly on a tree branch while waiting for the carriage to advance below.
Sasuke and Naruto were already very skilled at moving through the trees, keeping pace with Itachi without difficulty. As for Yakushi Kabuto, with Chūnin-level ability, he naturally followed with ease.
Along the way, they ran into a group of mountain bandits, but once the bandits noticed the Konoha forehead protectors, they fled without daring to fight.
Later, the group boarded a ship heading toward the Land of Hot Springs.
This time, however, they encountered a group of pirates. Since Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto were positioned on a higher deck, the pirates didn't see them at first and boldly rushed onboard. Before the pirates could even begin their usual pillaging, Sasuke, Naruto, and Kabuto quickly engaged.
Despite this being the first time Naruto and Sasuke had taken lives, they showed no hesitation—these were pirates guilty of many murders, and neither boy felt any guilt or psychological burden.
Kunai flew. One by one, pirates fell.
Within minutes, all enemies were eliminated.
The ship captain thanked them profusely, refusing to take any fare from the "young heroes from Konoha."
After landing, Team Seven escorted the luxurious carriage all the way to the client's manor. Once the mission was completed, the employer paid immediately.
Itachi wasn't in a rush to return to Konoha. He brought Naruto, Sasuke, and Kabuto to a restaurant for a proper meal before heading to the hot springs.
During the journey they had eaten nothing but military rations and the occasional fruit. Though filling, they were far from delicious.
On the way to the hot spring, Naruto still radiated the excitement of the earlier battle.
"Haha! Sasuke, your kill count was way lower than mine! I took down six pirates. You only took five! What's wrong, were you scared?"
Naruto bragged loudly.
Sasuke folded his arms and shot him an annoyed glare.
"Don't talk nonsense. I clearly took down seven."
He didn't bother arguing further—Naruto would only bring this up again and again if he kept responding.
"Tch! Seven? As if! I only saw five!"
Naruto squinted at him.
Just as Sasuke was about to snap back, a young man passed by.
He looked slightly older than them. As he walked past, he suddenly stopped, his expression startled. He turned around, eyes widening at the sight of Naruto and Sasuke.
Itachi sensed something and calmly glanced back, meeting the young man's gaze.
The moment the young man's eyes met Itachi's, he flinched in fear and quickly looked away, pretending he had merely turned around by coincidence. Without speeding up or slowing down, he walked off casually.
Itachi dismissed him immediately. The young man was a stranger—probably just curious. The feeling of being watched was likely accidental.
But the young man—Hyūga Jō—was far from calm.
His heart had jumped into his throat when he recognized Naruto and Sasuke. His first terrified thought was that they had come all the way to the Land of Hot Springs to capture him and drag him back to the Hyūga Clan.
But Itachi hadn't reacted at all.
That alone reassured him that this was not a pursuit mission.
Besides, a Hyūga branch family dispute wouldn't involve an elite Uchiha like Itachi.
"…Strange. Why are Naruto and Sasuke here?"
The question gnawed at Hyūga Jō.
Could they have discovered the rumors?
Recently, strange sightings had been reported in the Land of Hot Springs—someone claimed to have seen a green-skinned humanoid creature wandering the forest.
The description reminded Hyūga Jō of a Goblin-like being.
Now that he had regained his eyesight, he had naturally become interested in finding this mysterious creature. After all, no such being existed in the Naruto world.
So he suspected it might be some kind of unusually shaped summoned creature.
And in the shinobi world, strange-looking summons were often powerful.
If he could form a summoning contract… his strength could skyrocket.
As a transmigrator, Hyūga Jō believed firmly in his "protagonist halo." He had no system, but surely some miraculous creature would bow to him eventually.
Recently, he had been actively searching for this "green-skinned monster."
He guessed it was some kind of ape-like summon with emerald skin—something very Goblin-like.
But what if Konoha had already received the same information?
If so, then it made perfect sense for Naruto, Sasuke, and even Itachi to be here.
And if Itachi was here…
This was a chance.
"Itachi… Sasuke… Naruto… If I can reconnect with them, maybe returning to Konoha won't be as dangerous."
The Hyūga Clan could not compare to the Uchiha in sheer strength.
And since he no longer possessed the Byakugan, the Main Family didn't care much about him anymore—he was disposable.
'This might be my chance. If I convince Itachi to come investigate with me, I'll be safe.'
Hyūga Jō was still a bit wary—what if the creature wasn't friendly? His current strength, without his Byakugan, was barely Genin level.
Thanks to inherited memories he had managed to re-learn a few jutsu, but his combat ability was nowhere near the original owner's level.
Shuriken and kunai techniques would take more training to restore.
After thinking quickly, he made up his mind.
He turned around and jogged after them.
Soon, he saw Uchiha Itachi and the others stepping into a hot spring inn.
Hyūga Jō took a deep breath and followed them inside.
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