Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 6 Uchiha

The single hut was no longer sufficient for their needs, so Naruto generously provided his genjutsu array, which he used to fool the Anbu. He believed that Tobirama and Shisui would soon figure it out. It was crucial to keep everyone's identities hidden in this area. Fortunately, the daimyo of the Land of Rivers didn't have strong control over remote areas, and so far, no one else had discovered this place. As for how large to hide it before revealing it, that wasn't a concern for the time being.

Because there were so many more children, Naruto visited a little more frequently, but only about four times a month. He was surprised to find that Tobirama and Shisui were actually very good at taking care of children. The timid and sensitive children he met at first were now chasing after him and playing. However, Naruto wasn't a real child after all, and when he couldn't handle things, he would cheat with the Flying Thunder God Technique. This time, his landing point was the mark on Uncle Tobirama's body, and he often broke into the laboratory hidden in the cave.

Thanks to Orochimaru's provision of experimental equipment, research on White Zetsu has made a breakthrough. Tobirama discovered that the active cells on these creatures proliferate wildly upon absorbing chakra, and their rejection rate is almost zero. As long as their developmental form can be controlled, any organ or tissue can be obtained—a true boon for the disabled and those suffering from organ failure. However, despite the low rejection rate, they still possess the property of outward invasion. Until this problem is solved, these white things will remain confined to the laboratory.

"I told you not to come into my lab so casually." Tobirama, holding a dropper, poked his head out from the sterile table with a disgruntled expression. Luckily, the materials for this experiment weren't precious, otherwise he would definitely have given that brat a good beating.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto's apology was always sincere. He clasped his hands together above his head, blinked his bright golden eyes, and said, "Let me hide for a bit! They insist on seeing if my beard is real!"

Tobirama's expression relaxed; he seemed to want to laugh but held it back, yet no matter how you looked at it, it exuded a sense of schadenfreude.

"They'll be going to sleep soon, just bear with it a little longer."

Naruto dared not sit down in the lab; who knew what had been on the floor before? He looked around nervously, but didn't try to study the things he'd never understood in his entire life. His thoughts wandered, and he soon noticed something else.

"Uncle Tobirama, did you carry all these things back by yourself?"

He knew how fragile precision instruments were. Every time he went to Orochimaru's base, Suigetsu would keep a close eye on him, not letting him touch anything. The Flying Thunder God Technique he learned emphasized speed and precision in its activation, without any concept of shock absorption. After all, it was a living person being teleported, and people would change their landing posture on their own. Besides, he was thick-skinned and could withstand the bumps.

"What else? You're not here."

"...Was there any damage during the transport?"

Tobirama put down what he was holding, knowing he wouldn't be able to conduct the experiment anymore. "You want to ask why I was able to land successfully without damaging these instruments?"

Naruto nodded, eager to learn.

“It’s simple.” Tobirama’s expression hardened, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes. “I’ll have Shisui use Susanoo to hold them. If he dares to break them, I’ll beat him up.”

Naruto: "..."

Tobirama quickly regained his composure and asked, "The foundation of the Flying Thunder God Technique is teleporting objects. You've even mastered the second stage now, so why are you asking about this?"

"I was thinking, could the Flying Thunder God Technique be activated more conveniently? For example, anyone could send something to a designated location simply by inputting chakra."

“Impossible.” As the developer of ninjutsu, Tobirama had of course made similar attempts, but all of them failed. “Although we seem not to be moving, space is actually constantly in motion. Even with the Flying Thunder God mark, sensing and capturing the mark is not an easy task. The user of the Flying Thunder God you mentioned must have the potential to learn it. You know how difficult that is, right?”

Naruto retorted disapprovingly, "Nothing in this world is absolute. What if there were a reference point?"

So, the next time they met, Naruto unsurprisingly landed at the starting point leading to the moon.

"Where is on the other side of the passage?" Tobirama's eyes burned with excitement, as if a navigator had discovered a new continent.

"The moon," Naruto answered truthfully, but added, "I don't recommend you go there now."

“I’m not that stupid.” Tobirama withdrew his gaze, looked intently at Naruto, and asked, “If the Flying Thunder God Technique is indeed successfully simplified, where do you plan to use it?”

"Of course, it will be used to save on transportation costs, so that even the most remote villages will be able to eat." Naruto earnestly envisioned the future. "Isn't a world where no one goes hungry something to look forward to?"

"...I understand. I will do my best."

Time flies, and spring has passed in the blink of an eye.

Sasuke trained harder and harder, and came home later and later. Naruto couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had to bring his own food to prevent the two kids from starving.

While picking fruit from trees, he "accidentally" discovered that chakra gathered at his feet had an adhesive force, and thus learned to climb trees.

While fishing, he discovered that gathering chakra in his hands allowed him to support himself on the water's surface, and thus learned to tread water.

As for the change in chakra attributes, Naruto is racking his brains trying to figure out how to achieve it by accident in a reasonable way, but obviously that's a bit too difficult.

"Damn it, let's do it again!" Once again, Sasuke was thrown to the ground, but he still refused to admit defeat and struggled to his feet.

Naruto dared not let this little devil continue. Sasuke must have been provoked by something today. His dark clothes were all dusty from being thrown around, but he still wouldn't stop. If they kept fighting, he would damage his foundation.

"No, Sasuke, I'm so tired!" A true man can bend and stretch; it's not shameful to whine to your best buddy!

Sasuke was in a bad mood, but he also subconsciously cared about Naruto's condition. The two little ones lay side by side on the ground, breathing heavily. Sasuke stopped clamoring to continue. After lying there for a while, he suddenly asked in a muffled voice, "Am I really that weak?"

Naruto, who had always been overshadowed by the genius, was stunned and immediately jumped up, "How is this possible! Sasuke is obviously super amazing!"

"Hmph! Aren't you even more powerful, since you always defeat me?"

"No way! I have to use all my strength to fight Sasuke to a draw every time!" Naruto started lying through his teeth.

Sasuke was still pouting, but he was clearly a little happier, and his eyes and brows were smiling. After a while, he closed his eyes and began to breathe steadily and evenly; he had fallen asleep.

“…Sasuke?” Naruto poked the little dumpling’s cheek, but as expected, there was no response.

He actually fell asleep; he must be incredibly exhausted. Itachi just returned, and Sasuke is like this now—something must have happened again… Isn't that obvious? The negative emotions throughout the entire clan compound are almost overflowing; the Root organization is being mobilized frequently—that day is fast approaching.

Naruto scooped Sasuke up, placed him securely on his back, and headed without hesitation towards the Uchiha clan's territory. He had never attempted to approach that area before; he didn't want to cause Sasuke any more trouble. But now, he had to go.

Hopefully, these secret agents won't cause any trouble.

"Grandma, do you know where Sasuke's house is?"

Naruto successfully entered the Uchiha clan's territory, and the Anbu didn't follow. However, the Third Hokage's chakra remained constantly by his side, indicating that they had changed their method of observation. Ignoring the strange and hostile stares from the street, Naruto found the most friendly shopkeeper among the crowd.

The elderly grandmother, with her white hair, glanced at little Sasuke on Naruto's back, smiled, pointed the way, and even slipped him a string of three-colored dumplings. Naruto waved goodbye with a smile and quickly found the clan head's house. Clan Head Fugaku wasn't there, nor was Itachi; only Aunt Mikoto was home. He knocked on the door somewhat nervously, afraid that Sasuke's mother wouldn't invite him in, given his awkward position. But Aunt Mikoto was gentler than he expected, inviting him in without hesitation and insisting that he stay for dinner.

Naruto's nose stung with tears. The maternal love he had experienced was too fleeting, while Sasuke had lost it all after having it. He realized how pathetic he had been when he was young, constantly telling Sasuke to give up his revenge! And he still was!

They did get back quite late today, well past dinner time. While Aunt Mikoto was heating up their food, Naruto woke up little Sasuke. Sleep can be re-entered, but food is a must! Besides, this was Naruto's first time visiting Sasuke's house, and he wanted to learn more about Sasuke's little hobbies.

Sasuke was a little surprised to find himself home the moment he opened his eyes, but not much. His strong desire for Naruto to stay the night after dinner, however, shocked Naruto. Could it be… that Sasuke actually didn't like living alone, but had never said so out of pride? Thinking back to Sasuke's lonely figure over the past decade, Naruto once again cursed himself for being a jerk, and without any hesitation, shared half of Sasuke's bed.

Little Sasuke was soft, smelled sweet, and was incredibly clingy. It took his invincible willpower to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night and quietly make his way to the master bedroom door.

Itachi didn't come back tonight; his chakra was at the shrine the whole time, as was Fugaku's chakra not long ago. And he wasn't worried about disturbing the young couple's sleep, because the sounds of their argument were leaking through the crack in the door.

"You know who he is, right? Why did you let him stay overnight?"

"He is Kushina's child, my best friend's child."

"But he's also the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Do you know how much pressure there is within the clan!"

"I just don't want a child to go home alone and encounter danger!"

"He is the greatest danger!"

"Fugaku! How could you say that to a child! How heartbroken Minato and Kushina would be if they knew?"

"...They are dead, Mikoto. From now on, the Konoha leadership is not to be trusted."

Forget about them. This is the last time.

There were suppressed sobs and heavy sorrow inside the door, and it wasn't just one person's grief. At that moment, Naruto knew he had made the right bet, but he couldn't feel happy at all. He raised his hand and politely knocked on the door, pretending not to hear the brief commotion inside.

Aunt Mikoto opened the door. Her eyes were red and her brows showed unconcealed fatigue, but she still smiled when she looked at Naruto and tried to block the view from inside the house.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Did we wake you up? I'm so sorry, I'll take you back to Sasuke's." It was clear that Mikoto really wanted to take him away; she was afraid her husband might do something.

Naruto smiled and shook his head, saying, "I came here specifically to find you."

The night was very quiet; there were no noisy insects chirping in early summer. Tonight, the night sky had no moon, only starlight.

Aunt Mikoto was stunned. She couldn't stop Naruto from walking in and meeting her husband's blood-red eyes. Fugaku wasn't about to activate his eye technique immediately; he was just observing. The child showed no abnormalities. He wasn't being manipulated or given any hints; he simply wanted to come over on his own.

Fugaku didn't understand, but as a composed clan leader, he wanted to see what this child could bring to the table. "Naruto-kun, how much did you hear?"

"About the fact that I am the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"

Mikoto closed the door and quietly walked to her husband's side, kneeling down. She was still somewhat dazed, unable to believe that Naruto, who knew everything, could be so calm.

What about your parents?

“I already knew that,” Naruto said, maintaining his smile.

Fugaku's expression remained serious. He couldn't guess who had leaked the information; it certainly wasn't from the Konoha leadership. What did it mean that this child chose to speak out when all of Konoha's surveillance methods had failed? What did he want to gain?

“You are the son of a hero, and you should have had a different life, but the villagers see you as a calamity, and they hate and reject you. In this respect, we are the same.”

“There is still a slight difference, Uchiha clan leader,” Naruto said with a smile. “I did not reciprocate with the same hatred.”

A brief burst of killing intent erupted inside the room. Perhaps out of consideration for the sleeping infant next door, or perhaps because Naruto showed no reaction, Fugaku withdrew his aura, but did not withdraw his Sharingan.

He found it laughable that he had been subtly mocked by a child, and that one sentence had clearly revealed the other's stance. He did want to hold onto his clan, but the chariot was already out of control and would only drag the driver down into the abyss.

"To be so magnanimous at such a young age, Konoha has indeed produced a decent Jinchūriki."

"Then why not try to control me?"

Naruto's words startled both Fugaku and Mikoto, and Mikoto visibly grew anxious.

“A perfect Jinchuriki isn’t good for your plans, is it?” Naruto said fearlessly, looking directly into those blood-red eyes. “Try it? I know you can do it, Clan Chief Fugaku.”

The qualitative change in chakra brought about by the Mangekyou Sharingan cannot be concealed. Those who are not familiar with it cannot perceive it, but who is Naruto? He has met almost all the Uchiha who have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. How could he not sense it?

The three swirling tomoe quickly intertwined, forming intricate patterns, resembling the external manifestation of a kaleidoscope. Fugaku's greatest secret had been exposed, and he could no longer remain silent, even though he had just been reprimanding his eldest son earlier.

I'm sorry, Minato. He promises he will make sure Naruto lives.