Chapter 288: Uchiha Yuuma
"Itachi-aniki… we've searched everywhere. Where could he have gone?"
Naruto's voice carried obvious frustration and disappointment.
Uchiha Itachi frowned slightly. None of this made sense.
There were no branching passages left unexplored in the cave. Logically speaking, Hyuga Castle should not have been able to vanish without anyone noticing.
"Kabuto," Itachi said calmly, "are you certain no one passed by you?"
Yakushi Kabuto hesitated this time. After a moment, he shook his head. "…I'm not completely sure."
Itachi crouched down and examined the ground, attempting to trace footprints.
However, most of the cave floor was solid rock with only sparse patches of soil. Any footprints disappeared after just a few steps, leaving nothing useful behind.
The attempt to track Hyuga Castle ended in failure.
"Forget it," Itachi said after a moment of silence. "We'll stop searching."
They had already combed the cave thoroughly. If he truly wasn't here, there was nothing more they could do.
Sasuke and Kabuto had no objections, but Naruto still looked reluctant. After all, Hyuga Castle had provided the information and entered the cave together with them—only to disappear without a trace.
Seeing Naruto's expression, Itachi spoke in a reassuring tone. "He may have already left ahead of us. Don't worry—we've checked the entire cave. He isn't here."
Naruto reluctantly nodded.
Following Itachi's earlier orders, Naruto had his Shadow Clones gather the Goblin hatchlings into piles, then watched as Sasuke used Fire Release to burn the bodies.
The same was done in the area where the adult Goblins had been killed.
Soon after, the group exited the cave.
Outside, in the nearby forest, the rescued women were waiting.
"Let's go. Back to town," Itachi said.
Naruto dispelled his Shadow Clones. A dozen clones vanished at once, their memories flowing back into his main body. Naruto barely reacted—those clones hadn't done much besides carrying torches.
"Why did you cancel them already?" Sasuke asked. "Don't we still need to carry the women?"
"Ah—right," Naruto said sheepishly.
Before forming hand signs again, he asked, "How many clones do we need?"
Sasuke turned to Itachi. "Ni-san, should we make stretchers? Or just carry them directly?"
Itachi glanced at the four women. Their eyes were unfocused, their expressions numb. His gaze paused briefly on their abdomens before he said, "They're pregnant. Use stretchers."
Sasuke nodded and turned back. "Eight Shadow Clones."
"Got it."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a series of soft bangs, white smoke erupted, and eight identical Narutos appeared.
Under Naruto's direction, the clones quickly cut wood and assembled four simple stretchers. Ropes taken from storage scrolls were used to bind them securely.
During the process, Naruto approached the women gently. "Can you still walk on your own?"
They nodded repeatedly. One middle-aged woman forced a smile. "Yes… we can manage."
Only then did Naruto have the Shadow Clones carefully help them onto the stretchers.
Yakushi Kabuto's gaze lingered on their swollen bellies.
Noticing this, Itachi said quietly, "Kabuto, is there something on your mind?"
Kabuto hesitated before replying in a low voice. "Itachi-sama… they're carrying the children of those monsters."
"You noticed as well," Itachi replied, his eyes darkening slightly.
Kabuto nodded. "Inside the cave, there were signs of childbirth. The Goblin hatchlings… they were born from these women. Given the number, there may have been others who didn't survive. Some remains showed signs of having been eaten."
After a pause, Kabuto asked softly, "Do we really need to bring them back?"
Itachi answered without hesitation. "Yes. They're still human lives. What happened to them wasn't their choice. They've already suffered enough."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "And if Hyuga Castle was telling the truth, their homes may have already been destroyed by the Goblins."
Kabuto fell silent and nodded.
——
Konoha Village.
Uchiha Clan grounds, the clan head's residence.
It was evening when Uchiha Mikoto returned home.
The moment she entered, she could barely contain her excitement. She went straight to share the news with her husband.
Uchiha Fugaku had been resting on the sofa. When he heard her words, his phone nearly slipped from his hand.
"…Really?" Fugaku asked, stunned.
Mikoto smiled and handed him the medical report.
His eyes immediately locked onto a single word.
—Pregnant.
Fugaku froze for a second, then his expression broke into pure joy.
Strictly speaking, the child Mikoto carried now was truly his.
"That's wonderful," Fugaku said quickly, helping her sit down with uncharacteristic nervousness. "Sit—be careful. Are you thirsty? I'll get you water—no, maybe juice?"
He busied himself back and forth, unable to hide his smile.
Mikoto laughed softly. "It's not your first time being a father. Why are you so flustered?"
Fugaku coughed lightly, smiling to himself. In a way… it is my first time.
That was something he could never say out loud.
Mikoto leaned against his shoulder, then suddenly said, "Husband, let's think of a name. If it's a boy… what should we call him?"
Fugaku didn't hesitate. "Yuuma."
"Yuuma?" Mikoto repeated thoughtfully. "That sounds nice. Why that name?"
Fugaku smiled faintly. "No special reason. I just like it."
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