Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Special Travel Group

After booking a room at the Pokémon Center, Amu quickly called Matsukasa Town to check in with Grandma Leixi and Sister Kiyomi, assuring them all was well. Then, he delivered Pikachu and Gengar to Professor Giantwood and swapped back the Exeggutor and Nidoking that had been automatically sent there upon capture.

Only then could they finally set out quietly.

After lunch, Kazuha led everyone toward the Sky Tower. Along the way, she impatiently started making calls to Heiji.

Fortunately, Heiji and Conan solved the case quickly!

By the time Amu and his group arrived at the Sky Tower, the two were already waiting there.

Heiji wore a baseball cap and looked sun-kissed; one might have mistaken him for someone from Alola…

But in truth, Heiji was also a native of Kinjo City, just like Kazuha, speaking with a heavy regional accent. Amu’s language skills, a divine gift from the Path of the Gods, were in the Federation’s standard universal tongue.

“So, how’s the case?” Kazuha asked casually.

“Heh, need I say?” Heiji adjusted his baseball cap, exuding confidence.

“Tch, you should have just handed it over to Kinsa and the others…” Kazuha muttered, pouting.

“Alright, alright, let’s head up!” Ran, worried about their bickering—especially fearing Heiji might upset Kazuha again—quickly intervened.

Enzo then introduced Amu and Kasumi to Heiji.

The group took the elevator to the tower’s summit. Suddenly, Amu felt uneasy—he wished he’d caught a flying Pokémon. He had a bad feeling the tower might be bombed.

He could only hope that Heiji and Conan, having just handled the case, were now "cooling down."

“Shinichi, who exactly is this guy? Their looks are weird,” Heiji whispered to Conan.

“First, don’t call me ‘Shinichi’!” Conan quickly corrected.

…

Though it was the summit, they still had to wind their way around. The area displayed many exhibits about Kinjo City’s history.

“Speaking of Kinjo City, it’s a famous historical site from the ninja era… Look, here’s a restored historical map based on records,” Heiji explained in front of a prominent, enormous map.

Amu glanced over and couldn’t help but feel speechless.

He’d only vaguely heard of this before and hadn’t thought much of it—after all, ninjas appeared in many Pokémon stories. But now…

Near Nibi City’s approximate location was written “Land of Earth”; west of Tokiwagi City read “Land of Wind”; Kinjo City at the center was labeled “Land of Fire”; the northeastern area around Kairan City and surrounding coastal mountains was “Land of Thunder”; and the Orange Archipelago was “Land of Water.”

This was far too familiar!

“I’ve heard about this too! Kinjo City is the capital of the Land of Fire, right?” Enzo suddenly said.

“Enzo…” Ran quietly scolded her.

Conan gave her a look that said, “You really don’t know much.”

Sure enough, those nearby who overheard wore amused expressions, leaving Enzo feeling embarrassed.

“No, it’s not the capital. It was the most important ninja village of that era! You’ll see it shortly…” Heiji began to explain.

Enzo blushed and glanced around nervously. “You all knew that? Amu, this is your first time hearing it too, right?”

Amu indeed had just learned this. He had been busy studying pharmacology and trainer skills, with no time for history—especially just the history of one region!

“Well, I didn’t know, but I didn’t say anything,” Amu replied with a slight smile.

Enzo: …

Soon, the group reached the actual observation deck at the summit, surrounded by transparent floor-to-ceiling glass. Walking the circle, they could almost overlook the entire Kinjo City urban area.

Turning westward, Amu saw what Heiji had referenced—the “thing” they wanted them to see.

On the western city side stood a deliberately preserved massive cliff face, carved with seven enormous heads.

“Look, that’s Kinjo City’s most famous Hokage Rock! The heads of the Seven Hokage are all carved here,” Heiji proudly introduced.

Amu: …

At least don’t say ‘Hokage’ aloud! It feels so out of place!

“Amu, what’s wrong?” Kasumi noticed Amu’s odd expression.

“N-nothing, I just lack experience…” Amu replied honestly.

Amu didn’t understand this world but tried to convince himself to adapt—like now, listening to Heiji introduce Hokage Rock in Kinjo City.

Since they had already seen the statues of the seven Hokage, Amu wanted to confirm something: “Excuse me… What’s the name of the most famous Hokage?”

“When it comes to Hokage, the most famous is definitely Uzumaki…” Heiji started to say.

Suddenly, an old man nearby interrupted, “It’s obviously the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!”

The old man was short and stout, slightly balding, but his eyes gleamed stubbornly when discussing “the most famous Hokage.”

Heiji didn’t want to argue with an elder over which historical Hokage was more famous. Yet, he noticed the badge the old man wore on his chest.

“But… sir, that badge you’re wearing is the Uchiha clan’s crest, isn’t it?” Heiji asked, sounding skeptical.

“Clan crest?” Amu murmured, puzzled.

“That’s a relic from when surnames and clans still mattered… Oh, and I’ve heard that in the Kanto region, the first to advocate for the abolition of surnames was the First Hokage. But it wasn’t until the Federation era that surnames lost their importance,” Kasumi explained.

The original intent of abolishing surnames was to weaken hereditary succession and, thus, private ownership. Some sociologists believe that the Federation era’s more harmonious society fundamentally relied on this.

Yet, it was obviously not absolute—after all, Enzo was rarely called “Suzuki Enzo,” but it didn’t change the fact she was the eldest daughter of the Suzuki family!

Amu was not a sociologist and didn’t dwell on it.

The balding old man, seeing Heiji’s doubt, was unfazed and explained, “About this badge…”

“Uchiha brother, why are you still here? The Hokage will be angry!” A young man with slightly protruding teeth approached and greeted the old man.

“Ah, sorry, Sarutobi, I lost track of time…” the old man replied.

Heiji and the others looked puzzled: “Uchiha? Sarutobi?”

Clearly, this was no coincidence. Their names—or rather, “codenames”—were tied to the historical ninja clans.

The old man explained, “Forgive me… Actually, we’re a special travel group! We all met online and are enthusiasts of ninja culture, especially fond of the Land of Fire’s Konoha ninja village. So the five of us agreed to assign identities while visiting Kinjo City these days. We represent the Senju clan, Uchiha clan, Sarutobi clan, Hyuga clan, and Uzumaki clan.”

“Eh? Then after that… it’s not just the codenames and badges that differ, right?” Kazuha asked with interest.

“That’s right. Throughout the day, the Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Hyuga members have to obey Senju’s orders—usually just buying water or carrying bags,” the one called Sarutobi explained.

“But at night, Senju must treat Sarutobi and Hyuga to dinner,” a middle-aged woman who still looked young added.

Amu couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t the Uchiha’s role a bit harsh? They have to obey orders but don’t get treated to dinner?”

“Exactly. But Uchiha has one privilege: after dinner, they can ask Senju for one thing. If Senju refuses, Uchiha can punch him,” the woman explained.

Amu: …

This game’s symbolism is a bit too real!