Journey

The Third Hokage was bewildered by the report in front of him in the Hokage's office in Konoha Village.

Just a few days ago, he had thought how great it would be if Uchiha Natsuki weren't around.

Today, on his desk was an application from Uchiha Natsuki requesting permission to leave the village on a journey.

Officially, the Uchiha clan was still part of Konoha, so any extended leave required the Hokage's approval. After all, Natsuki was a Jonin.

Natsuki's excuse was amusing—he claimed he needed to travel to gather materials to develop new dishes.

This reason, though seemingly far-fetched, was oddly convincing. The Uchiha clan had entered a period of rapid development thanks to substantial financial investments, and the inventor behind "Chinese Cuisine" was likely Natsuki.

Refusing his request was impossible; the Third Hokage couldn't find a valid reason to deny it. The ninja world was relatively peaceful now, with only the Land of Water causing internal strife while other countries focused on economic growth.

Moreover, Natsuki's submission of an application was a sign of respect. Even if he had left secretly, the Third Hokage could have done little to stop him.

...

Natsuki was packing his things in the Uchiha compound, unaware that the Third Hokage had believed his casual excuse.

In this world, carrying supplies was very convenient, thanks to storage scrolls. Since Natsuki could use Fire Release, cooking was easy, but he couldn't use Water Release, so he needed to stock up on drinking water.

Planning for an extended absence, Natsuki had treated Naruto and Sasuke to Ichiraku Ramen.

When Naruto finds out Natsuki is leaving the village, he almost can't finish his ramen.

To Naruto, Natsuki was the most important person in his life. Natsuki brought light into his world two years ago, and Naruto's life has improved significantly since meeting him.

Not to mention, Naruto had recently become Natsuki's student. The thought of Natsuki leaving so soon reddened his eyes, and he almost cried.

Natsuki hadn't expected Naruto to be so attached to him.

He patted Naruto's head. "It's okay. I'm just leaving the village for a while, not forever."

"You and Sasuke need to focus on building a strong foundation. Learn everything you can at the academy; you'll need it all in the future. I'll try to be back before you graduate."

Naruto wiped his eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

Sasuke felt a bit jealous when he saw Naruto's reluctance to part with Natsuki. But Natsuki was his teacher, too, so he figured his relationship with Natsuki was closer than Naruto's. Thinking this way, Sasuke felt better.

Natsuki had informed Sasuke of his departure earlier, so Sasuke was mentally prepared and didn't feel as sad.

Natsuki lowered his voice and told Naruto, "Naruto, I've given Sasuke your training plan. When I return, show me what you've learned. If you have any questions, ask your Uncle Fugaku, okay?"

Naruto was touched that Natsuki had even planned his training and nodded repeatedly.

Sasuke was excited about being Naruto's teacher again.

...

The next day, at the gate of Konoha Village.

Natsuki's silhouette stretched long in the early light.

Many people had come to see him off, mostly Uchiha business owners. As the Deputy Clan Leader, Natsuki had solved many problems for the Uchiha, significantly increasing their happiness.

The Hyuga clan members, including Hiashi and Hizashi, were also present. To them, the Uchiha had handed over the power of the Police Force, and Natsuki had once saved the Hyuga clan from disaster.

Their deepening cooperation had made the Hyuga and Uchiha clans as close as family.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage stood on Konoha's wall, watching Natsuki leave, feeling a sense of relief.

...

In a particular cave, figures stood on stone pillars, their images flickering.

"Leader, your jutsu is really useful. We can talk from any distance. It's true art, yeah!" One voice said exaggeratedly.

The others ignored him.

Standing at the forefront with his Rinnegan, Nagato said calmly, "We need more people to achieve our ideals."

With that statement, Nagato set the tone for the meeting.

Konan said, "To realize our plan, we need a lot of resources."

"Kakuzu, you're in charge of finances. What are your thoughts?"

Kakuzu, shrouded in grey and black, replied, "We are strong enough to sweep through the entire black market."

"But I've found another place that might have a lot of money."

"The Land of Fields, the Sound Village. There's a cuisine called 'Chinese Cuisine' spreading all over the Land of Fields. Who knows how much money it's making, and the source is in the Sound Village."

Scornful, Sasori scoffed, "Don't you know that's Orochimaru's territory?"

"Orochimaru is just a beaten dog."

Kakuzu had no fear of the so-called Sannin.

Because of Itachi's intervention, Orochimaru had never joined the Akatsuki, and the organization had no real understanding of his abilities.

Orochimaru, who had been silent for years, was not a significant threat to them.

Two half-green, half-white figures opened like aloe leaves. Zetsu spoke, "Orochimaru is nothing special, but there's Uchiha Itachi, a Mangekyo Sharingan user, and over a hundred Uchiha elites."

"The Sound Village is not a place you can go casually."

Kakuzu snorted. Having lived since the Warring States period, he knew how powerful the Mangekyo Sharingan was.

Seeing Kakuzu fall silent, Zetsu continued, "Although we can't go to the Sound Village, we can look for another person, Uchiha Natsuki."

"Who is that?" Kakuzu didn't know this rising star of the Uchiha clan.

"Uchiha Natsuki, the current Deputy Clan Leader of the Uchiha, a Mangekyo Sharingan user, who defeated Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, embarrassing the Hidden Cloud Village."

"He's a late bloomer, awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan at twenty, while Itachi did so at eleven. But his true talent lies in his business acumen."

"The 'Chinese Cuisine' in the Sound Village is likely his creation."

"In Konoha, all the Uchiha are involved in this business. The Uchiha clan is now incredibly wealthy."

Standing in the light and shadow, Konan remained expressionless but inwardly contemplated. She had only known Natsuki as a Mangekyo Sharingan user. She hadn't realized that the cuisine sweeping the ninja world might be his creation.

It would be a tremendous asset if they could recruit Uchiha Natsuki into the Akatsuki.

Curse that Zetsu. How much more information has he withheld?

"Perhaps we could recruit him into the organization," Konan suggested.

Zetsu chuckled. "That's convenient. Uchiha Natsuki just left Konoha and is on a journey. He won't be hard to find."

"Everyone else, continue searching for suitable recruits. Konan, go meet Uchiha Natsuki." Nagato gave the order.

Then, the projections vanished.