only...
Tsunade thought that Araki would be more restrained because of this nickname.
But what actually gave her a stranger idea was that Araki wasn't threatened at all, but instead, because of those repeated calls of "brother-in-law," he was "bullying" Nawaki even more.
Araki strolled back home.
A full week has passed since Dan Katō died.
During this period of time.
He had not heard any information about Dan Katō at all.
It felt like something was happening in a world that didn't belong to him; he had no right to know, after all, his level was too low.
The ninja world is strictly hierarchical.
The fundamental reason why Araki knew about Sora Hyuga's situation was simply because they were classmates.
In Konoha, people die almost every day, and disappearances are commonplace. Not every incident can be made public, as that would cause panic among the residents.
but...
The matter of Dan Katō won't end so easily!
Dan Katō is Jonin of Konoha, a very valuable resource that is extremely difficult to cultivate. The loss of any Jonin would be incalculable and would definitely attract the attention of the Konoha leadership.
only...
How will this situation develop?
Araki, that remains completely unknown!
This feeling is like in the world before I traveled back in time, if an elite CEO went missing, the police would investigate, but it wouldn't cause a huge uproar.
This is especially true in the ninja world.
Information is never equal!
A minority possesses the most information, while the vast majority of people have no access to information outside their daily lives.
Especially in a world like the ninja world, where information is scarce.
This actually had one advantage for Araki: it didn't interfere with him at all, allowing him to continue doing his daily tasks very easily and diligently.
Not long after.
Araki had already returned home.
"You're back!"
"You're back!"
As he opened the door, two welcoming voices rang out from inside the house, both very clear female voices that went straight into his ears.
This has become a daily occurrence recently.
Uchiha Mikoto seemed to regard this place as her home and had no intention of leaving.
"Um."
Araki gave a faint reply and walked straight toward the two people.
" Araki, these are the latest blank talismans we've replaced today. Any extras have been converted into cash."
Kushina immediately stood up, handed a bag to Araki, and had a satisfied smile on her face.
She got this through Mikoto.
However, she wouldn't attribute the credit to Mikoto; instead, she would enjoy it all on her own.
To some extent.
Even she herself couldn't explain exactly what happened.
She and Mikoto were clearly very good friends.
They get along very well with each other.
It's precisely on Araki's issue.
Kushina didn't want to say much to Mikoto, and more like she was asserting her dominance, she spoke first.
"Thanks!"
Araki took the bag, smiled and nodded at Kushina, then asked, "Do you know how to make a scroll?"
"You've already started making the scroll?" Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing this.
"Actually, no, I just saw a scroll at Tsunade-sensei and thought it was quite interesting, so I wanted to study it. I just didn't know if you knew how," Araki said casually.
"Hmm... actually, I know how to make it." Kushina pursed her lips, about to say the rest, when she sensed Araki's expectant gaze and saw Mikoto watching from the side. She steeled herself and said, "I'll give it to you in a bit!"
"Thank you!" Araki thanked her again. He understood that such a scroll held extraordinary significance for Kushina, so he added, "I won't tell anyone else."
"Uh-huh."
Kushina was an impatient person, and upon thinking of this, she immediately walked towards the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Snap! Snap!
Kushina patted her face repeatedly, and found that her cheeks were burning hot, as if they were on fire.
" Kushina!"
What's wrong with you?!
" Sealing Jutsu are a secret of your Uzumaki Clan!"
"How could you just give it away so casually!"
"Oh dear, oh dear!"
"But I can't refuse Araki like that!"
"The last one!"
"I won't give it to you anymore!"
"It's just Sealing Jutsu for making scrolls, nothing particularly precious, it should be fine, right?"
"..."
Kushina comforted herself with one sentence after another, her voice not loud, only audible to herself. So after saying these words, she immediately began to search for the scrolls that recorded these Sealing Jutsu.
" Araki, why aren't you thanking me?" Mikoto asked, blinking her big eyes.
"Why?" Araki asked calmly.
"I got these blank talismans from the ninja tool shop!" Mikoto said with a smile.
"But I asked Kushina for help." Araki's tone remained indifferent.
"Hmph! You blockhead!" Mikoto rolled her eyes at Araki.
"..."
Araki was speechless after hearing this. How am I considered a blockhead? Does this make me a blockhead?
"You want to make a scroll?" Mikoto asked again.
I'd like to try.
Araki nodded. There was no point in hiding it, since Mikoto would be the one exchanging ninja tools at the shop for a while, so hiding it wouldn't make any difference. It was better to just be frank and say it.
"You're so amazing!"
Mikoto's eyes seemed to sparkle; this time, it wasn't a compliment, but a serious statement.
"You're learning Taijutsu from Might Duy. I asked him, and the hardships you've endured to reach your level in Taijutsu are unimaginable to ordinary people!"
"You're also learning medicine from Lady Tsunade, and you can become medical-nin in the future. I have a friend who is medical-nin, and she's complained to me countless times about how difficult it is to study medicine."
"You deliberately let Kushina win the final exam, which means you were confident you could get at least 70 points. You're practically a genius!"
"You can also make Explosive Tag. These are very difficult to make, requiring extremely high precision in Chakra, and also demanding a lot of patience and time to accumulate proficiency."
"Now you also need to make scrolls..."
"Is your energy limitless?"
Uchiha Mikoto's dark eyes were filled with doubt, as if she had a great deal of curiosity about the person in front of her.
In the past, when Kushina talked about how amazing Araki was, she was dismissive, thinking that he was just a student at the Ninja Academy. No matter how good he was, how far could he go? After all, the strongest person in her grade was Minato Namikaze.
But...
After she personally met Araki.
Ever since that day Araki spoke those honest words to her.
Araki's image in her mind underwent a dramatic change.
Everything has changed!
Uchiha Mikoto discovered that Araki's body was like a treasure trove filled with all sorts of treasures. She didn't have the key to the treasure trove, but she could see many strange and wonderful things inside through the crack in the door, and she was extremely curious about the other things inside.
In comparison.
Whether it's Uchiha Fugaku, the genius boy of their Uchiha Clan.
It was Minato Namikaze from the same Ninja Academy, who was hailed as a once-in-a-century talent.
Neither of these two people gave Araki the same sense of calm and composure as a mountain.
You're right.
Araki nodded, seemingly casually, but actually very seriously. After he finished speaking, Uchiha Mikoto was completely dumbfounded.
"What do you mean is right?" Mikoto was stunned. She was clearly asking a question, so how did it become that she was right?
"You were right about your last sentence," Araki said.