Chapter 287: Mysterious Disappearance
A stench like that of a dead, rotting rat—one that had been trapped in the cave for days—filled the air, thick and nauseating.
Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly, raising a hand to cover his nose as he took a few cautious steps forward. His foot sank into something wet and viscous, like mud mixed with stagnant water, sticky enough to cling stubbornly to his boots.
He hadn't brought any lighting tools with him. In the suffocating darkness, he could only move by pressing one hand against the rough cave wall, inching forward step by step. Before entering, he had deliberately torn a button from his clothes and placed it at the cave entrance.
That way, he would be able to find his way back.
After advancing for some time without encountering any danger, Fugaku gradually became certain of one thing—this cave was the Goblins' true nest.
Their real nest in this world.
And that strange door… it was precisely because of it that the Goblins had been able to travel to the Naruto world.
He had no idea how much time had passed. In the absolute darkness, the very concept of time seemed to dissolve.
Suddenly, a faint ray of light appeared ahead.
Fugaku's eyes sharpened. Subconsciously, he quickened his pace.
When he finally stepped out of the cave, the dazzling brightness forced him to raise an arm to shield his eyes. After a moment of adjustment, he lowered his hand and surveyed his surroundings.
A forest.
Turning back, he saw that the cave entrance was extremely well hidden, surrounded by dense undergrowth. Unless one came very close, it would be nearly impossible to notice it from a distance.
It was clearly nighttime in the Naruto world.
Yet here, it was broad daylight.
Fugaku's heart stirred.
He hadn't expected his luck to be this good—to stumble upon a passage that connected two different worlds.
Excitement rose within him as he began planning his exploration. He needed to determine exactly which world this was.
Preferably… one he was familiar with.
Meanwhile, back on the other side.
Naruto rushed back to Uchiha Itachi's position, only to find that Uchiha Fugaku was nowhere to be seen. His expression changed instantly, and he reported the situation without delay.
"He just… disappeared?"
Uchiha Itachi fell silent.
A living person vanishing right under their noses was not something he had anticipated.
Earlier, when the Goblins returned, his attention had been momentarily diverted. Since Fugaku hadn't posed any threat, Itachi hadn't kept his focus on him.
"Itachi-aniki, what should we do?" Naruto asked anxiously. "Should we look for him?"
Although they had only met Fugaku tonight, he was still a fellow villager. In a place like the Land of Hot Springs, encountering someone from the same village was rare. They had just fought side by side to eliminate the monsters—only for him to vanish without a trace.
"Naruto," Itachi said calmly, "are you certain? Did you check carefully?"
Naruto nodded hard. "I checked everywhere. I even moved the piles of Goblin hatchling corpses. He's not here."
"Then we'll set this aside for now," Itachi decided. "We'll escort these people out first. After that, we'll return and conduct a thorough search."
He planned to obtain torches, have Naruto create Shadow Clones, and use them to systematically inspect the cave. Flashlights alone couldn't illuminate every corner—some hidden paths could easily be missed.
"Alright!"
Itachi left behind a Shadow Clone holding a flashlight at the cave entrance. If Fugaku suddenly reappeared, they would know immediately.
Then, Uchiha Itachi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Yakushi Kabuto led the rescued women out of the cave.
Outside, Itachi gave them two options: if they knew the way home, they could leave on their own. Otherwise, they could wait and return to the nearby town together once the inspection was complete.
Escorting them individually wasn't feasible. Once they reached town, the women could return home safely during the daytime.
Still shaken from their abduction, the women chose the second option without hesitation.
With adult ninja present, it was the obvious choice.
Itachi nodded and instructed Naruto to have his Shadow Clones gather firewood. For ignition, he directly used Fire Release, forming a controlled blaze on the ground.
Soon, burning torches lined the cave entrance, illuminating the surroundings almost like daylight.
After leaving several Shadow Clones behind to protect the women, they re-entered the cave.
Around ten Shadow Clones advanced ahead, each holding a torch and lighting every corner as they moved deeper. Even side passages near the entrance were assigned clones, ensuring nothing was overlooked.
Eventually, they returned to the area where the Goblins had been slain.
Since there had been no time earlier for close inspection, Itachi crouched down to examine the adult Goblin corpses carefully. They were similar to the hatchlings—most stood around one and a half meters tall.
Their weapons varied wildly: swords, hammers, axes, even bows. The craftsmanship ranged from crude to barely passable.
"They don't use ninjutsu?" Itachi murmured.
He hadn't seen a single Goblin perform ninjutsu during the battle. Some summoned beings—like Enma, the Third Hokage's companion, or the toads of Mount Myōboku—were capable of using chakra techniques.
Even within the Uchiha clan's contracted summons, there were a few who could use ninjutsu.
Yet these Goblins clearly possessed intelligence. They had their own language and could wield weapons effectively.
So why couldn't they use chakra?
Upon closer inspection, Itachi made a startling discovery.
There was no chakra circulating within their bodies at all.
His brows knit together.
After a moment of thought, he sealed several Goblin corpses into a storage scroll. He intended to bring them back to the village and have Orochimaru study this strange species.
This was Itachi's first encounter with creatures like Goblins.
The name itself had come from Fugaku—who had now vanished without explanation.
Once they found him, Itachi was determined to ask where these Goblins originated.
Were they unique to the Land of Hot Springs?
With that in mind, Naruto's Shadow Clones gathered the remaining corpses together. Once the search concluded, they would incinerate them with Fire Release.
They continued onward.
At last, they reached the deepest stone chamber—the place where the Goblin hatchlings had been exterminated.
A second batch of torches was raised; the first had already burned out along the way.
Under the flickering firelight, nothing in the chamber could remain hidden.
Itachi and the others searched carefully for secret passages.
None were found.
Even the shallow pool of water was examined thoroughly—but there was no sign of any hidden entrance.
"…Unbelievable," Sasuke muttered. "He just vanished."
Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the depths of the cave:
"Uchiha Fugaku! Where are you?!"
Only silence answered him.
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