"Grandpa, look… they only had this much money."
Itachi handed the small pouch containing barely 1,000 ryō to Isamu.
Isamu stared at it in silence.
"You've got the nerve to rob travelers with only this little money?"
"You three really are hopeless."
Smack! Smack! Smack!
He gave each of the three robbers a light slap on the head.
"B-Big Brother!"
"If we had money, we wouldn't have become robbers!"
"Please show mercy!"
Isamu nodded thoughtfully.
"…Fair point."
"I'm in a good mood today, so I won't bother lowering myself to your level."
"You three can stay hanging there."
"If you're capable, get yourselves down."
"If not…"
"…wait for someone to rescue you."
"Whether you live or die after that is your own problem."
Turning around, he waved toward Itachi.
"Itachi."
"Keep moving."
"Don't stop."
"Yes, Grandfather!"
With that, Isamu floated back into the air while Itachi continued running beneath him.
As for the three unlucky robbers…
They remained dangling upside down from the tree, tears streaming down their faces.
Three days later…
The group finally entered the Land of Valleys, a small nation bordering the Land of Fire, the Land of Rice Fields, and the Land of Iron.
Although tiny, it still possessed its own hidden village and shinobi.
At the foot of Mount Tuo, the three stopped before a mountainside littered with shattered boulders.
Isamu smiled.
"Heh…"
"It looks like Tsunade is somewhere nearby."
Itachi blinked.
"Grandfather, how do you know Grandma is close?"
"There are two reasons."
"First…"
"My sensory ability."
"I can detect someone's location from thousands of miles away…"
"…provided they aren't using techniques that conceal their chakra."
"Second…"
"Tsunade's chakra still lingers here."
"It hasn't dispersed yet."
"She definitely hasn't gone far."
"She should be in one of the nearby towns."
"I see…"
Itachi looked at his grandfather with newfound admiration.
A sensory range of thousands of miles…
Grandfather is incredible.
Beside them…
Karura couldn't help feeling nervous.
She was finally about to meet Isamu's legal wife.
What if Tsunade refuses to accept me?
And judging from these smashed boulders…
She seems rather hot-tempered…
Isamu immediately saw through her worries.
"Don't overthink it, Karura."
"Tsunade isn't that narrow-minded."
"I'll explain everything to her."
Karura nodded quietly.
"…Alright."
"Then let's go."
"The person we're looking for is close."
"It's getting late."
"We need to find Tsunade before nightfall."
This time…
Instead of flying…
Isamu walked alongside Itachi.
Once they had left the Land of Fire, the danger level had increased considerably.
Walking together was much safer.
About half an hour later…
Isamu suddenly stopped.
Karura instantly stepped in front of Itachi, shielding him.
Itachi looked confused.
But he remained silent.
If Grandfather and Grandmother reacted like this…
…there had to be a reason.
"Heh…"
"Hiding in ambush is pointless."
"You might as well come out."
His voice echoed through the forest.
Silence.
Nothing happened.
After several moments…
Isamu frowned.
"What?"
"Can't you hear me?"
"Do I have to drag every one of you out myself?"
Finally…
A cold voice drifted through the trees.
"Hehehe…"
"You discovered us."
"You're more capable than you look."
"But you're not our target."
"So don't interfere."
"So you've finally spoken."
Isamu smiled faintly.
"But hiding while talking…"
"…is rather rude."
"Why don't you come out and meet me properly?"
Another voice answered coldly.
"Kid."
"Don't push your luck."
"If it weren't for our mission…"
"…you'd already be dead."
"Don't seek your own death."
"Heh…"
"No one's talked to me like that in a very long time."
"You say I'm courting death?"
"Then let's see."
"If you won't come out…"
"…I'll force you to."
His Rinnegan suddenly appeared.
Asura Path!
A mechanical arm extended from his shoulder.
The mechanism unfolded—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of chakra shells exploded into the forest.
Unable to remain hidden…
Five figures finally leaped out.
The bombardment was simply too dense.
Staying hidden would've meant certain death.
Isamu examined them carefully.
All five were roughly the same height.
They wore identical clothing.
Each had a thick fur pelt wrapped around the waist, with the long tail trailing behind them.
"Heh…"
"They almost look like Super Saiyans."
He looked at the fur tails with obvious curiosity.
One of the strangers frowned.
"Who are you?"
"Someone capable of attacks like that isn't some nobody."
"State your name."
"When asking someone else's name…"
"Shouldn't you introduce yourselves first?"
The leader answered proudly.
"We are members of the Xuanyuan Clan."
"The Xuanyuan Clan…"
Isamu rubbed his chin.
"That sounds familiar."
"Wait."
"Give me thirty seconds."
"I've got too much information in my head."
"I need to find where I remember it from."
He immediately began thinking.
The five members of the Xuanyuan Clan twitched.
Is this guy insane?
He's searching his memories in the middle of a confrontation?
Even Karura and Itachi were speechless.
Searching for information about your enemies…
…while standing right in front of them…
Only Isamu would do something like that.
A few moments later…
His eyes lit up.
"Ah!"
"I remember now!"
"So you're the Xuanyuan Clan…"
"…the shinobi hunters."
"I finally remembered."
"So it's you."
"No wonder you seemed stronger than ordinary shinobi."
The Xuanyuan Clan members looked surprised.
"You know who we are."
"Now state your own name."
"Easy."
"My name is Uchiha Isamu."
He smiled.
"So…"
"Are any of you interested in working for me?"
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