CH_133

Early morning of the fourth day.

It was the day he was supposed to leave for the Land of Seas.

The same Anbu from before came to remind Tōji to set out early.

Truth be told, Tōji had had opportunities to meet Minato over the past three days—but he hadn't taken them.

His reasoning was simple: it was fine to change nothing.

Because he'd already found a way to solve his biggest problem.

Though Tōji would have preferred Minato to be the village's leader, would that really have been to his advantage?

Not necessarily—so it was better to do nothing.

To be practical: helping was a favor, not helping was simply reasonable. Since there was no personal bond to begin with, it was better to stick with reason.

And so, Tōji deliberately avoided meeting Minato—so he wouldn't develop any favorable impressions or emotional attachment to him.

Thus, early that morning, Tōji said goodbye to his parents, informed the old clan head, and quietly set off.

For now…

Though he had no surefire way to protect Kokubō Genta, Tōji hadn't done nothing—the day before, he'd spoken to both Neru and Natchi, telling them he was going on a long-term mission and asking them to keep an eye on Genta while he was away.

Natchi said he too would be leaving the village soon for a long-term mission, so he couldn't promise anything.

Neru, however, agreed without hesitation. After all, she'd already joined Konoha Hospital and could check on Genta occasionally. She also had a general understanding of Kenji's situation.

And since her promotion to chūnin, Neru had gradually returned to normal social interactions—she was becoming more approachable.

Even if this arrangement wasn't foolproof, it was the best Tōji could do. After all, he couldn't remotely control things in the village—he wasn't some Flying Thunder God master…

Heading east, the most convenient route to the Land of Seas was to take a boat from a coastal port in the Land of Fire and sail straight to the destination.

Tōji naturally chose the route that required the least thinking.

For now, even the sea route to the Land of Seas was under Konoha's control, so there weren't many concerns—as long as Tōji didn't draw attention.

Konoha had given Tōji a cover identity as a war orphan, with the new name "Inoshishi" (Wild Boar).

Actually, the name wasn't bad—in the Naruto world, words like pig, boar, or wild boar were used to describe fierceness and bravery.

Though Tōji himself didn't like being called "Pig"…

And this cover identity wasn't entirely fabricated. It was based on a real person who'd lived on a small island called "Jirō Island" in the Land of Seas.

The real "Inoshishi" and his family of three had all passed on long ago—and Tōji bore a slight resemblance to him, which was enough.

Jirō Island had very few residents to begin with, since resources were scarce—or rather, the entire Land of Seas fit the description of a "small country with few people."

And those who'd been close to the real Inoshishi were even fewer.

Tōji was quite satisfied with Inoshishi's personality profile: introverted and reclusive!

The less social interaction, the easier it was for Tōji to hide.

If things went smoothly, he might only need to spend a few months to a few years as a fisherman in the Land of Seas… maybe occasionally passing along some important information.

Of course, that was the best-case scenario…

Tōji had never considered himself lucky.

If he were truly Inoshishi, he would've been content—

No one to worry about in the Naruto world. No ties, no restraints… no home to return to. But he could stay far from war, work at sunrise and rest at sunset. When he grew older, if he was fortunate, he'd marry and have children—if not, he'd grow old alone.

『Why wasn't I reincarnated as someone like that…』 Tōji thought. 『No—if that were the case, I'd be the dead real Inoshishi!』

…

It took Tōji five days on the road to finally reach the Land of Seas.