Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 214 Meeting is Fate

As dawn broke, the first bus slowly pulled out of the station, embarking on the road out of the city. It was the second day of the new year, and diligent vendors and small business owners were already preparing to return to Wande City to continue their business. The early morning bus wasn't as crowded as before the New Year, but it was still almost full. The shuttle bus system had been in place for a while, and the locals' initial novelty had worn off; most were huddled in their seats dozing. Looking around, the most excited people on the bus were undoubtedly the visitors from out of town.

"How can a carriage with this configuration have such a cheap ticket?"

"We used to travel on foot, right? Has anyone here ever ridden in a horse-drawn carriage before?"

"Brother Qianqiu, you must have ridden in one before. How did it feel? Can it compare to yours?"

"It certainly can't compare in terms of comfort, but... this car doesn't seem to be as bumpy."

"Look how well this road is built! No wonder it's not bumpy."

There were seven people in the carriage. When four of them were talking excitedly about the train, the others couldn't get any rest either.

"Hey, could you guys keep your voices down?" The black-haired youth sitting next to Qianqiu suddenly interrupted the conversation. He looked furrowed and quite displeased.

"Sorry, sorry! We were a little too excited because it was our first time seeing a 'shuttle bus'." Chiaki, who was standing closest to the bus, put his hands together and apologized sincerely, while also keeping his voice down.

The group looked around and realized that the only two unfamiliar passengers were staring at them, and the older man sitting further away was clearly awakened by the noise.

"You're from out of town, aren't you? Never seen the world before." The uncle wasn't angry; instead, he grinned and teased him.

The five "outsiders" of varying ages blushed, some remained unmoved, while others, with their cheerful personalities, readily admitted it.

"Yes, we did come from other countries, specifically to experience the scenery of the place of origin."

The man asked in confusion, "What origin?"

"Haven't you heard of 'Hui'?"

The young man who first broke down the barriers between the two sides became interested and asked in return, "Are you here to find 'Hui'?"

The youngest and fastest of the five was stopped by the older one. The middle-aged man looked like an intellectual who had been immersed in books. He smiled amiably and said, "To be precise, we are actually here to find the author of a book. We have been fortunate enough to read his works and chat with his followers. We are deeply fascinated by his ideas, so we wanted to meet him in person. We heard that 'Hui' comes from Wande, so we wanted to try our luck."

The young man was clearly stunned, but the older man reacted even more strongly, exclaiming, "You're not talking about that book, are you? For a while, the storyteller in the teahouse was reading it every day!"

"Your teahouse allows us to talk about this?" Qianqiu was shocked, because that book circulated entirely underground in the Land of Earth; not a single word could appear in public. Every sentence in it shattered existing understanding, unfolding a completely new world that people dared not even imagine, but at the same time, it strongly rejected the old world and could be labeled as rebellious. Because of the book's exposure, the highly respected gentleman almost got imprisoned; it was only after he pleaded with his father and said some very strong words that the matter was barely averted.

"Why can't we say it? Shouldn't everyone learn from Lord Jinlun's words?"

The older man spoke so matter-of-factly that it made a group of young people feel a pang of sadness. However, the man who had suffered greatly did not think so. He admired Hui's courage from the bottom of his heart. Not everyone dares to say "no" to the existing world.

"Sir, do you think those statements are correct?"

The middle-aged man waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I'm just a rough man, don't call me that! I don't understand those grand principles, but Lord Jinlun said that once the landlords are overthrown, my life will get better and better. Hey~ look, I'm already riding in a carriage, aren't I?"

“Haha, that makes sense.” The man chuckled, then turned to another “local” and asked, “What about you? Do you feel life has gotten better?”

The black-haired youth also smiled, a smile that seemed to contain a hint of relief and a sense of acceptance.

He said, "It couldn't be better than this."

Now that they were chatting, the several-hour journey became less tedious. The group readily exchanged names and backgrounds, and talked about their hometowns.

The gentleman from the Land of Earth was no ordinary person. His name was Fujiwara no Toyonari, a renowned noble craftsman in the Land of Earth. The fact that he possessed a surname alone indicated his deep ancestral connection to nobility. Chiaki was one of his most promising students. He hadn't revealed his surname, but this didn't hinder "Hui's" intelligence network. Chiaki's full name was Taira Chiaki, and the Taira clan was the surname of the daimyo lineage in the Land of Earth, inherited only by direct descendants. His status was self-evident.

As for the other three, one needs no introduction, while the other two are ordinary people with unremarkable backgrounds. Although Fujiwara-sensei was a nobleman and teacher, he also lectured, and his choice of locations was unpredictable, sometimes even a roadside teahouse. Taki and Yuuga were students who stood out among the commoners and were chosen by Toyotomi.

When introducing the last person, Feng Cheng's attitude became noticeably gentler, and he no longer carried the authority of a teacher.

“This is our savior. Without him, we probably wouldn’t have made it this far safely.” Feng Cheng patted the man next to him on the shoulder. “Mr. Kawana is a wandering knight. I haven’t even asked him where he’s from yet.”

"The Land of Fire," Kawana answered readily. "I already told you to just call me by my name."

"A knight-errant from the Land of Fire actually swam all the way to the Land of Earth?" Doctor Quicksand's statement was very unconvincing.

Kawana retorted gently, "Dr. Liusha's conversation is full of descriptions of foreign countries; he must have traveled to many places."

"I am a doctor, I can't just wait for patients to come to me, there will always be people who are too sick to walk."

Feng Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "Sir, you are truly a model of a doctor's benevolence. Alas, many doctors in my area have long forgotten these virtues."

“There are still good doctors. When I was a child, I had a high fever and became delirious. A village doctor came to my door and saved me, but unfortunately he left the village not long after.” The lively Youhe recounted her childhood experience. “It’s so much better here. Every town has a clinic, and they’re quite well-maintained. I just don’t know how good their medical skills are.”

"The clinic has been open for many years, and their medical skills are excellent. Last time I had a terrible cough, I went there for treatment, and the medicine cured me instantly!"

......

The lively, warm carriage contrasted sharply with the quiet, cold forest. While everyone was chatting enthusiastically, two people's thoughts wandered away from the noise, constantly watching the world outside the carriage.

One was, of course, the coachman. He was an experienced driver, and his horse frequently traveled this route, so a nap now and then wouldn't be a problem. The other was Kawana, who was constantly "watching" the dense forest. He knew that two dangerous figures were following closely behind at a leisurely pace.