Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 87 "Family"

"What's wrong with him?"

It's not surprising that Hashirama was depressed, but Shisui's depression was a bit alarming. Naruto landed and immediately saw a pale-skinned figure crouching in the corner, only recognizing Shisui through chakra. The sensory feedback was extremely negative, which is unusual for Shisui, hence the question.

"Ignore him." Fugaku rarely spoke up, his face clouded with anger, his expression no less so than the dark aura surrounding Shisui's head. However, Fugaku's anger was not resentment.

Completely baffled, Naruto silently shifted his gaze to Tobirama. The reliable Second Hokage didn't seem too keen on answering the question either, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter a single sentence.

"Itachi Uchiha said goodbye to him."

"What?!" Naruto was startled, but he wasn't worried about Shisui's mental state. Instead, he was concerned: "Why did he suddenly say goodbye to the doctor? His illness is incurable!"

"Are you doubting my medical skills?" Zhi Shui's eerie voice came from the corner of the wall. Although he turned his head, most of his face was hidden in the shadows, making him look almost like a ghost.

Naruto used to be terrified of ghosts and monsters, and although he can now control it, he still feels uneasy and actively avoids their gaze.

"...Oh...how is his health now?"

"It's perfect, it couldn't be better." Shisui pouted, looking extremely aggrieved.

When Shisui first discovered Itachi's poor health, he worked tirelessly, devouring tons of medical books, consulting renowned medical experts, and mobilizing half of the "Hikaru's" medical department to design a treatment plan for Itachi. To get Itachi to cooperate with the treatment, he went to great lengths to coax him into coming to the clinic for regular checkups. Unexpectedly, just as Itachi was finally recovering day by day, his body becoming so strong that he was about to collapse without using the Mangekyou Sharingan, he suddenly came to say goodbye, saying he would never come to the clinic again. This left Shisui so distressed that he almost unleashed his Sharingan on the spot.

Waaaaah, how could you just use someone and then throw them away? Itachi wasn't like this before... And because of his huge emotional fluctuations, his shameful thoughts were accidentally discovered by Lord Fugaku. If it weren't for the fact that he was one of the few surviving members of the Uchiha clan, he would have been doomed.

Knowing that Itachi was temporarily alright, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't considered why Fugaku was so angry, assuming it was because Shisui, the only clue he had to find out about his eldest son, had been cut off. He immediately comforted him, "It's alright, it's alright. My 'omniscient' plan with Hashirama is still in progress, isn't it? Once the seeds are scattered, even if Itachi runs into the middle of nowhere, we'll be able to find him. Isn't Shisui a traveling doctor? It's not impossible for us to bump into him all over the world."

Upon hearing this, Shisui jumped up, his eyes shining with almost frightening anticipation. But... why was Uncle Fugaku even angrier?

The search for Tsunade was tedious and monotonous. Hikaru already knew Tsunade's location and had subtly passed the information to Konoha spies. Jiraiya was simply following the clues; finding her was only a matter of time. Moreover, he had Naruto with him. Tsunade's chakra was so special that Naruto was confident he could point the way whenever she appeared within two hundred miles. However, Jiraiya didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about finding Tsunade; his main goal was a publicly funded vacation—just enjoy himself. He indulged in all sorts of fun and games.

Sasuke couldn't stand following Jiraiya for more than a day. He started to doubt Jiraiya's reliability and then dragged Naruto into a sparring match. Naruto was now completely compliant with Sasuke, paying for whatever he wanted, cooking whatever he wanted to eat, and acting as his sparring partner. The two sparred as they walked, but Sasuke soon became unhappy again.

"Every time you fight me, how much of your strength do you actually put in?"

How do you respond to that? He doesn't even know what it's like to give it his all!

"Uh... 70%?"

"That's more than that, isn't it? Adding the One-Tailed Beast makes it so powerful, and you haven't even used Sage Mode yet." Jiraiya, never one to miss a chance to stir things up, added fuel to the fire. "I think there's a 50% chance it's not going to work."

"Perverted sage! Shut up!" Naruto jumped up and down in a panic.

"Sage Mode?" Sasuke realized the key point while feeling frustrated. He thought it was just a gimmick, but there really are sages?

Jiraiya smiled mysteriously and winked at Naruto, "Hmm~ Naruto, give him a performance."

Naruto suddenly understood Jiraiya's thoughts. At his age, he wouldn't be showing off like a child; it was probably just another tactic to lure people into becoming his apprentices… Speaking of which, Sasuke really could use Sage Mode, but he couldn't absorb it on his own. Would it have been different if he had learned it from a young age? Could he have learned the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku? If he did, would he look more like a human or a toad? Stop! I can't think about this anymore… Toad-form Sasuke, how terrifying!

While he was lost in thought, it didn't stop the Sage Mode from taking shape. Sasuke stared intently at him, using his Sharingan. He clearly saw that some chakra of a special color had appeared out of nowhere in Naruto's body, blending harmoniously with the original chakra. Then he noticed that Naruto's eyes, which were looking at him, had changed color.

Golden...it looks even more like the sun...

"Is this Sage Mode? It just looks like it has a bit more chakra." Sasuke was actually quite curious, but he was just being stubborn and unwilling to express it directly.

"You brat, this is a technique that can only be learned in three places in the entire ninja world!" Jiraiya didn't understand Sasuke, which is why he was so excited.

Naruto had long seen through Sasuke's stubbornness. He approached Sasuke with a smile and mysteriously extended a hand. Sasuke was puzzled, but he took the hand—the decision he regretted most.

His vision suddenly spun, and when he regained his balance, he had reflexively found a foothold and stepped onto it. Then, he realized that he was standing on Naruto's half-raised hand, which the other could even adjust the height of his hand at will without trembling at all.

...Is this really a strength that a human being can possess?

"How about that? Sage Mode is amazing, isn't it?"

Faced with that smiling face, Sasuke hesitated for a second, but still stepped on it.

There was no other reason than that the face was too close to his feet.

The summoning scroll for Mount Myōboku was signed, and the hand seals for the summoning jutsu were completed. Sasuke fared much better, summoning a real toad on his first attempt. That golden color, that mysterious blush—wasn't it a little Gamabunta? Naruto squatted by the side, holding the Gamabunta, watching all afternoon, until Sasuke had almost summoned all of Gamabunta's companions, finally collapsing from exhaustion.

Sasuke is still young, so it's normal that he doesn't have much chakra.

"Is this guy Jiraiya's new apprentice?" Gamakichi nudged Sasuke's cheek with his frog paw, leaving a noticeable mark.

Naruto said seriously, "Yes, he's my best friend, someone I grew up with. You can't bully my family, you know."

"Family? The kind related by blood?" Gamabunta asked. The toads of Mount Myōboku have a long-standing tradition of being related by blood; it wouldn't be wrong to call them family.

Naruto paused for a moment. Brothers in spirit shouldn't count as blood ties, right? The Senju and Uchiha were indeed from brother clans, but if you really want to count, there are far too many people in the entire ninja world who can be related to the Sage of Six Paths by blood.

"No, we are not related by blood." Though not related by blood, their bond is stronger than brothers—doesn't that prove their close relationship even more?

"Huh? Does that mean we're family?" Gamakichi's little brain wasn't quite up to par, and his words were full of childlike innocence. "No blood relation, but we're family, so isn't that marriage?"

what?