Chapter 293: Uchiha Itachi's Expectation
"It's just up ahead. Let's go."
Arriving at the inn where his main body was staying, Uchiha Itachi's Shadow Clone led the Goblin inside.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened.
Seeing the Shadow Clone standing outside, Uchiha Itachi paused slightly.
"Why are you here?"
He had ordered the Shadow Clone to remain behind and monitor the cave. If there was anything urgent, dispelling the clone would have been enough to transmit the memories. There was no reason to come here in person.
Unless something had gone wrong.
Then Itachi noticed the figure standing behind the Shadow Clone.
"…Who is that?"
The Shadow Clone stepped aside slightly.
"A Goblin that understands human language. He wishes to follow you and become your summoning beast."
"You can judge for yourself."
After speaking, the Shadow Clone formed a hand seal and dispersed with a soft poof.
All of its memories flowed back to Uchiha Itachi instantly.
A few minutes later, after filtering through the key information, Itachi looked again at the Goblin standing quietly in the room, now wearing human clothes.
"Come in first," he said calmly.
Ichikawa Ao made a soft sound and obediently walked inside.
The door closed.
Without hesitation, Uchiha Itachi activated his Sharingan.
In an instant, Ichikawa Ao's consciousness became hazy.
Itachi had no intention of trusting this Goblin easily. After all, just the night before, they had eliminated many Goblins. There was no guarantee this one was telling the truth.
He began asking the same questions again.
However, halfway through, Itachi suddenly paused.
He remembered something.
This Goblin couldn't speak.
With a slight frown, Itachi turned and went downstairs, borrowed paper and a pen from the front desk, then returned to the room.
He placed the items in front of the Goblin and gestured for him to write.
Under the influence of the Sharingan Genjutsu, lying was impossible.
"Are you allied with any human forces?"
'No.'
"Are there any other Goblins who survived?"
'I don't know.'
"Why did you return to the cave today?"
'To retrieve the greatsword and the bow and arrows.'
"What do you plan to do with those weapons? Attack humans?"
'Hunt small animals. Get food. Make traps.'
Uchiha Itachi's expression eased slightly. The answers aligned perfectly with what the Shadow Clone had observed earlier.
"One last question," Itachi said calmly.
"Have you ever attacked humans?"
This was the decisive point.
The Goblin's pen paused for only a moment before writing firmly:
'No.'
Uchiha Itachi nodded.
That was enough.
The Genjutsu was dispelled.
"You passed," Itachi said. "Do you have a name?"
'Ichikawa Ao.'
"Alright, Ichikawa Ao."
Itachi took out another sheet of paper and handed it to him.
"This is a basic Chakra cultivation method. Read it first. We'll be staying here for a while. You are not to leave this room without telling me."
On the paper were neatly written instructions—the most fundamental Chakra refinement technique.
Ichikawa Ao's eyes lit up.
He had gambled correctly.
Without hesitation, he prostrated himself deeply in gratitude, then carefully picked up the paper and began reading.
Uchiha Itachi watched quietly.
This Goblin claimed to have extraordinary learning ability, yet lacked any way to cultivate Chakra. Itachi wanted to see for himself whether that claim was true.
They were waiting for further instructions from the village anyway. Testing this Goblin cost him nothing.
Soon, Ichikawa Ao adjusted his posture exactly as instructed and began focusing inward.
Less than ten minutes later—
A faint but unmistakable Chakra fluctuation appeared.
Ichikawa Ao's eyes snapped open, filled with disbelief.
So this is Chakra…
He quickly calmed himself and resumed cultivation.
With the first step completed, the rest became much smoother.
Uchiha Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had sensed it clearly.
The Goblin had truly refined Chakra.
And far faster than any normal civilian ever could.
Interesting…
Before he could think further, the door suddenly opened.
"We're back!"
Naruto rushed in first, followed by Sasuke, then Yakushi Kabuto.
The three had just returned from the hot springs.
"That felt amazing—"
Naruto stopped mid-sentence.
"…EH?! Why is there a Goblin here?!"
His shout instantly drew Sasuke's and Kabuto's attention.
Ichikawa Ao was startled out of his cultivation. Seeing Naruto's blond hair and whisker-like marks, recognition struck immediately.
That's Naruto… The black-haired one must be Sasuke. And the man with glasses—Yakushi Kabuto.
He quickly changed from a seated posture to kneeling and bowed deeply, making polite greeting sounds.
Uchiha Itachi understood at once.
"Itachi-aniki…?" Naruto looked confused.
"Relax," Itachi said calmly. "Let me introduce him. This Goblin is named Ichikawa Ao. From now on, he will be following me."
"He's greeting you."
"Oh… uh, hello," Naruto said, scratching his head.
After that, curiosity immediately took over.
He flopped onto the bed and looked at Itachi eagerly.
"So, Itachi-aniki—where did you even find a Goblin like this?"
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