"Sorry, sir, we're lost." Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head, chuckled, and went up to greet him, asking, "Do you know where we are? Which way does this road lead?"
Upon hearing this, the merchant from the caravan sized up the man from the Uzumaki, frowned, and said, "Isn't this... wait... you're a ninja?"
Naruto Uzumaki nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I am the Great Ninja! We're lost outside!"
Kakashi Hatake then added, "If possible, we'd like to offer you a ride."
The merchant from the caravan glanced at Kakashi Hatake, then at Naruto Uzumaki, and finally fixed his gaze on Sasuke Uchiha. The more he looked, the stranger his gaze became, a look that made Naruto Uzumaki's scalp tingle.
" Kakashi-sensei, I feel like this guy's gaze towards us is weird, like he's looking at us... well, it's really strange," Naruto Uzumaki whispered into Kakashi Hatake's ear.
Kakashi Hatake noticed the merchant's gaze, but he couldn't understand why the merchant was looking at him with such suspicion.
According to this merchant, ninjas exist in this world. Does this mean that being a ninja in this world isn't a respectable profession, but rather someone who engages in assassination or is a wanted criminal?
The merchants in the caravan remained silent for a long time before asking, "What are your names?"
Kakashi Hatake: "I am Kakashi Hatake, and I am currently the teacher of these children."
Naruto Uzumaki opened his mouth wide and proudly declared, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the man who will become Hokage in the future!"
The instant Naruto Uzumaki finished speaking, an unexpected event occurred. The merchant's face immediately turned grim, and he even began to stammer.
"Esteemed ninjas, we have other matters to attend to and will be taking our leave now. This is... the outskirts of a town, which doesn't have a name yet. If you need help, follow us, and we can take you there."
Kakashi Hatake narrowed his eyes at the merchants in the caravan. "Oh, really? That's wonderful."
Meanwhile, the Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed happily, "That's great, Uncle! You really are a kind-hearted person!"
Sasuke Uchiha, like Kakashi Hatake, narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the merchants of the caravan.
Something's not right. Ever since the merchants in this caravan discovered they were ninjas, their expressions have been strange, and now, after asking for Naruto Uzumaki's name, their faces have turned even uglier.
Something's definitely wrong. This merchant is suspicious, the whole caravan is suspicious, this merchant is definitely hiding something. Is it his identity as a ninja in this world, or something else entirely?
However, like Kakashi Hatake Sasuke Uchiha did not express his inner doubts. In Kakashi Hatake, he was, after all, a Jonin.
He's Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, after all. Even if something goes wrong, it doesn't matter; he has the ability to thwart any conspiracy.
Any schemes or tricks are no match for absolute power. Since the caravan offered to take them to a nearby town, that was certainly the best course of action.
So the four of them sat in the caravan's wagon and sped along the road toward the nearby town.
Sitting in the carriage, Naruto Uzumaki leisurely swung his legs, occasionally admiring the scenery outside the window. "Ah, not having to walk is so comfortable. Finally, I don't have to walk anymore."
However, Naruto Uzumaki's words received no response, Naruto Uzumaki immediately puzzled him.
In the past, either Sakura Haruno or Sasuke Uchiha would have responded to him, or at the very least, they would have insulted him, saying he was stupid or something. But now, not a single person responded.
Naruto Uzumaki looked up in confusion at the group of people present. Kakashi Hatake glanced at Naruto Uzumaki, then explained.
" Naruto, didn't you notice the problem with this caravan? That merchant's expression is really off, so there's something wrong with this caravan."
Sasuke Uchiha added, "That's right, especially after they learned who we are and your name, their expressions became even more unpleasant."
Moreover, just now, one of their caravan members broke away and rode off at full speed ahead. If there really is a town ahead, then he must be going to deliver a message.
Naruto Uzumaki stared at Kakashi and Sasuke Uchiha in shock. "What? That seemingly kind-hearted old man was actually suspicious? I didn't know that!"
Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha sighed and slapped their foreheads. Oh well, that's just Naruto Uzumaki's nature, he's a bit of a goofball, you get used to it.
"What do we do now? Sitting in this carriage, aren't we just walking into a trap?" Naruto Uzumaki asked anxiously.
Sasuke Uchiha crossed his arms and said with a slight smile, "You don't need to worry about that. Isn't Kakashi-sensei here? With Kakashi-sensei's strength, even if they go to report, there won't be any major problems. At the very least, we'll be able to escape unscathed."
Naruto Uzumaki finally breathed a sigh of relief, resting his hands behind his head. "Oh, I see. Then I'm not worried anymore. But is there something wrong with my name? Why did it make them look so upset?"
Sasuke Uchiha shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's related to your surname... We don't even know where this world is right now. Maybe your surname or your name has other meanings to them."
Meanwhile, in the town closest to the caravan, the capital of the Land of Light...
The messenger Sasuke Uchiha had mentioned who had broken away from the caravan and rushed here at breakneck speed to deliver the message, hurriedly entered the Konoha Military Police Force office located near the city gate.
"A sir from the Guard Force, a sir from the Guard Force, I need to report a crime!" the messenger said nervously. "We've spotted a group of people behaving very strangely near this town!"
The Uchiha clansman on duty at the Guard Force looked up. "Take your time, there's no rush."
The messenger, panting heavily, said, "Just outside the capital, not far from here, we spotted a group of people suddenly appearing by the roadside and stopping us."
They were acting strangely and had no idea where they were. When we asked them their names, they turned out to be surnamed Uzumaki! I suspect they are spies sent by the Uzumaki Clan to infiltrate our country!
Moreover, one of them even has the insignia of Lord Uchiha on him; it's obvious he's planning to infiltrate the Uchiha!