Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 216 Entering the City

Naruto eventually entered the city with his shiny white hair. Thank goodness, when they were doing the publicity, they at least remembered not to release the photo too early, and not many people actually recognized him. It was during the New Year holiday, and those working overtime in various government offices were either unable to go home or their department leaders were setting an example, so they were lucky enough to be matched with an Uchiha goalkeeper.

Normally, shuttle buses undergo a check when tickets are purchased, so at the city gate, they only need to count the number of passengers before being allowed to pass. However, buses from Hokuchen are extremely rare, and even the drivers are usually from their own faction, so they are rarely checked. The Uchiha on guard duty watched the approaching bus, and something felt off. Hui hadn't done anything special when modifying the bus, but Hokuchen's bus had more star decorations than other buses. That bus was usually used to transport non-ninja passengers, since the Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't something everyone knew.

So, the idle gatekeeper glanced into the carriage and was immediately met with the smiling face of a white-haired man. The man first waved playfully at him, then put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. The carriage sped past, but the gatekeeper's gaze followed it intently until it disappeared around the corner.

"What are you looking at?" The young man and woman carrying large bags peeked out from behind the gatekeeper, but didn't see anything of interest.

"It's nothing." As an excellent ninja, quickly composing himself was a must. He unconsciously straightened his back, but spoke gently, "Here to sell vegetables again? I suggested to you before that you could apply for a cart."

“Hey, we’re just doing a small business. It’s not like we can’t carry it anymore. The vehicle belongs to the village collective, and there are people who need it more.”

The gatekeeper remained silent. This leadership team had recently undergone a rectification campaign; those with serious conduct issues had all been sent in for a trial run, some still not out. This time, Jinlun entered the city without disguise, most likely not for inspection, but for a holiday. They all knew their leader had given him a long-awaited vacation.

"Where should we go first?" Naruto asked.

Hashirama asked in confusion, "Didn't you insist on coming here first? Besides, you were the one who provided the evidence chain for the last rectification. Don't you know this place better than we do?"

Naruto was speechless. "I thought you guys wanted me to rest because you had a plan, but it turns out you just came up with this on a whim?"

"...Hahaha, how could that be?" Hashirama especially liked to let out exaggerated laughter when he felt guilty, so much so that the eyes of half the street turned to look at him.

Mikoto, who had been smiling the whole time, pulled Naruto's arm so that it was linked with hers, turned around and walked away, saying as she went, "Let's go to the newly opened Cangbei Pavilion in the south of the city. It used to be the city lord's resort manor, but now it has been transformed into a garden and opened to the public. It's a new attempt at tourism."

Even though Mikoto is a ninja who spends most of her time at home, it can't be ignored that she's still an excellent ninja. With a deliberate speed boost, she moved with incredible agility, instantly leaving Hashirama behind. The answer is simple: a mother doesn't want to deal with these unreliable individuals who have been using child labor for years. Of course, the guilty Hashirama wouldn't get angry; he pretended nothing was wrong and followed, taking Naruto's remaining arm. Thus, the three of them magically formed a gradient line based on their height; if they didn't all look quite young, they really would look like parents on a children's outing.

"...Actually, we can just walk normally." Naruto weakly offered his opinion after receiving stares the whole way. Because of his sensory abilities, many passersby who appeared unaffected but were inexplicably shocked or pleased were probably just imagining things and making a mistake.

"That's good. Madara and I do the same when we meet outside the battlefield. It's a sign of a good relationship!" Hashirama said decisively.

“It’s okay. Your mother and I are good friends. You’re her child, so you’re my child too. I used to do this when I took Itachi out. Sasuke is a bit more mischievous than his brother, so I had to hold his hand so he wouldn’t run away.” Mikoto said this with great seriousness.

Having been an orphan for two lifetimes, Naruto had a question mark popping into his head. His understanding of family relationships was entirely based on trial and error, and he'd already run into quite a few obstacles with Boruto. So family can be like this? But Hashirama and Madara... oh, they seem to call each other brothers too. His imagination was unconsciously stirred by Aunt Mikoto's description, and he immediately pictured the Uchiha family outing. Little Sasuke looking rather cute with his hand being held, and Itachi expressionlessly clinging to Aunt Mikoto... Oh no, how funny is this?

In short, Naruto, who had just turned fourteen, was still a child in the eyes of the two adults, and avoiding any appearance of impropriety with a child was not a consideration, even if he was using the Golden Wheel's body. While the Golden Wheel in his working state certainly needed to maintain a dignified and reliable image at all times, Naruto in his personal life didn't need to. They were afraid the child would run away in the blink of an eye, after all, Naruto had a criminal record!

After this unusual group set off, another vehicle entered the city through the same gate. Every member of the Uchiha clan recognized Shisui; the gatekeeper glanced at Shisui, who was disguised as a traveling doctor, several times while checking heads, but ultimately pretended not to know him and walked off. They even got off at the same terminal station and discussed their next move under the same gate tower.

"Remember to come to my restaurant for a meal! I'll waive the cost of your drinks and snacks!" The uncle with the clearest goal was the first to wave goodbye. He ran a restaurant in the north of the city and had brought quite a lot of luggage with him, all of it ingredients. Luckily, the carriage had a special place to put the luggage.

"Are you able to carry all this stuff?" Kind-hearted Youhe helped the uncle unload the goods; he knew best what weight those bags were. "How about I take them to you?"

Taki tugged at Yuuka, frowning, and said, "We're in an unfamiliar place here. Do you want to wander around alone? Don't forget what we encountered when we went to the Land of Rain."

"Nothing happened except for that one time, right? Why would a poor student like me be targeted?" Youhe didn't care about these things. He was the king of the kids in the surrounding villages, an outgoing person who could get along with anyone.

Taki couldn't hold Yuuka back, so he looked to his teacher for help. Toyonari glanced at Kawana, and only felt relieved when he saw that she didn't react. He was just about to grant his student's wish, because he also believed that practice was the only truth, and that letting students go out and experience the world was much better than just studying.

"No need, no need. We have car rental shops in town. You can rent rickshaws anytime, it won't cost much. You are guests, how can we let guests do it?" The uncle was the one who broke the deadlock. He waved his hand and said with his blessing, "I don't know where to find Lord Jinlun either, but I still wish you a good time."