"What is going on?"
Araki was speculating in his mind, but he couldn't stop. For him, this was a gamble, and without absolute certainty, he couldn't easily make a move that might put him in a passive position; doing so would be far too dangerous.
but...
Araki wavered for only a moment before regaining his composure and running quickly.
Since the other party can keep up.
Let's see how much longer we can keep going.
Anyway, his heart could continuously generate green Chakra, so he could endure it for as long as it took, without any problem at all.
At least...
What he can be certain of is...
The other side definitely doesn't have his kind of uninterrupted power.
The more you expend resources on the other party now, the easier it will be to handle any problems that may arise later.
Gradually.
Time passed second by second.
Even Araki himself didn't know how much time had passed.
When he counted to 54 laps, he clearly felt the breathing of the person following him gradually weaken, and the speed was not as fast as before. The previously stable distance of 300 meters between them suddenly reached 450 meters.
He's tired!
The thought immediately popped into Araki's mind.
and...
seem...
This person is considering giving up.
So...
Perhaps now is the most suitable time!
"This is too difficult!"
Araki immediately shouted, his voice sounding like a helpless cry about cultivation, but it was actually directed at the person behind him.
"I feel like I can't keep going!"
"Maybe he got tired from running in the same position for so long!"
"It's so tiring without Might Teacher Duy!"
"So..."
I'll try running in the opposite direction!
Araki's eyes suddenly lit up, and he instantly turned around and started running back the way he came at an extremely fast speed, right in the direction of that wisp of air.
Let me see who you are!
Araki's sudden action immediately threw that figure into a panic. He then ran off in the opposite direction, trying to conceal himself as he ran. The two of them instantly changed positions.
On the surface, Araki still appears to be undergoing training.
But in reality...
Araki was chasing after that figure.
but.
Araki isn't afraid of running into that person.
He had already prepared his explanation.
The two figures began to run in a completely different manner from before. Araki could clearly feel that the mass of energy in front of them was becoming increasingly chaotic, and the distance between them was getting closer and closer, less than a hundred meters away.
This moment.
Araki saw a figure.
Wearing the attire of Konoha ninja.
It's not clear enough to see the details.
But just from that one glance, he could tell that the people following him were Konoha Ninja...
After reaching a gap of about 100 meters, Araki did not press on. His thinking was very clear: the figure in front of him could still run at this speed, which meant that he still had physical strength, just not as much.
He dared not gamble.
If the opponent is very strong.
As long as he has a breath left and can move, he will be in great danger.
This was a danger he desperately wanted to avoid, and he did have the opportunity to continue his escape.
Araki's reduced speed lessened the pressure on the figure ahead, giving the latter some breathing room. However, even under these circumstances, the opponent remained vigilant.
At this very moment.
This person is also helpless.
You were running along just fine, why did you suddenly turn around? There aren't many places to take cover on this road. If you rashly change your route, you'll easily expose yourself.
In this way...
It has returned to a tug-of-war phase.
It's just that the two people are in different positions.
Some time passed.
Araki clearly felt the figure in front of him begin to slow down continuously. Even if he maintained the same speed, he should be able to catch up in another three to five minutes.
The opponent is exhausted!
Now is the perfect time!
Araki suddenly gathered his strength, his core muscles exerted force, and he propelled himself forward at high speed.
Suddenly, the distance between the two people closed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, almost to the same level.
A figure appeared in Araki's eyes.
Wearing Konoha ninja attire.
tall.
Light blue hair.
The figure that had been facing away from him suddenly turned around.
His eyes were fixed on himself, a faint smile playing on his lips, as he calmly faced everything.
only...
Araki could clearly see the beads of sweat constantly streaming down the ninja Forehead Protector on the man's forehead.
He is...
Araki's pupils contracted sharply upon seeing the figure. He recognized the person; to be precise, he had seen him in the Naruto anime.
However, this person didn't appear in many episodes, so the impression wasn't that deep, but due to his special identity, he can still be clearly recognized.
Dan Katō!
Tsunade's lover in the original work!
As Araki ran, many figures flashed through his mind. He wondered if it was Anbu Directly Under the Hokage working for the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi; he also wondered if it was Root ninjas skilled in tracking under Shimura Danzō; and he even wondered if it was one of the tracking experts in the Uchiha Clan's Konoha Military Police Force.
He thought of almost everyone he knew in Konoha.
but...
He still overlooked Dan Katō.
He even forgot about this person's existence on many occasions; in a sense, Dan Katō was even less noticeable than him.
Araki carefully confirmed with Tsunade-sensei that Tsunade-sensei currently does not have a lover, and she is only familiar with the name Dan Katō, having met him a few times. They were not dating back to a time when they were not lovers.
That's a bit strange, isn't it?
Araki didn't stop when he saw Dan Katō. He only needed to confirm the man's identity; it wasn't time to start fighting yet, since he still didn't know Dan Katō's specific purpose.
Most importantly...
He had no idea whether Dan Katō was friend or foe.
"Just pretend you didn't see it!"
Araki muttered to himself, after all, he was currently cultivating, and when he encountered passersby during his cultivation, he would pretend not to see them, so it wasn't something that would arouse suspicion.
Our objective for today has been achieved.
They now knew who this person was.
Then we can study the matter later. There's no need to stay here; it's too dangerous, especially since Dan Katō is Jonin of Konoha.
" Araki!"
However, just as Araki was about to leave, a soft voice rang out, as if possessing magic, directly entering Araki's ears, causing Araki's head to tremble slightly and his running speed to stop for a moment.
this...
A flicker of panic flashed in Araki's eyes.
He hadn't expected that just hearing one sentence would have such an effect; this person's voice not only contained Chakra but also possessed the power of a soul.
He had never seen this kind of attack before; he had only seen some of it in the textbooks at the Ninja Academy, which recorded that some ninjas used secret techniques for soul attacks.