But compared to the venomous snakes in the forest, he still fell far short.
The instant Araki sensed Sora Hyuga, he went on guard. He did indeed keep a low profile, did not want to expose his strength, and was unwilling to get into meaningless disputes with others.
But that did not mean he was weak and easy to bully.
Not many people in Konoha knew that he went out to train every night, but it was not a secret he absolutely had to keep hidden. At the very least, Biwako Sarutobi knew, which meant that the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi knew as well.
In that case, it would not matter even if he revealed some of his taijutsu ability.
It was just that...
Ibuki-sensei's sudden appearance had denied him that opportunity.
It had also kept him from exposing his strength here.
"If Ibuki-sensei hadn't stopped you, you'd already be lying in Konoha Hospital."
Araki muttered in a voice only he could hear. He had a very clear understanding of his own strength. If Ibuki-sensei had not made any decision just now, he could have easily dodged Sora Hyuga's punch and delivered a blow powerful enough to send him into shock and put him in the hospital.
Of course, this outcome was the best one for Araki.
Every bit of strength he had not revealed was a trump card.
A trump card had to be played at the most appropriate moment to have the most explosive effect. Showing his hand in such an ordinary little encounter would have been far too wasteful.
As for Sora Hyuga's provocation and the students' mockery, Araki did not care about any of it.
Right now, there was only one thing that mattered most to him: training hard to develop powerful chakra.
Araki also returned to the line under everyone's gaze, but once he was back in it, he had already lost all sense of presence.
The students had never paid Araki much attention. Their earlier interest had only come from Kushina, and many of them had wanted to use this mock battle as a chance to teach Araki a lesson.
Now that Araki's mock battle was over, they had nothing left to anticipate from him and turned their attention back to the ongoing mock battles.
With the ringing of the bell signaling the end of class, every student in the class had finished their mock battle.
After a short rest, the students returned to the classroom and took their seats.
Araki had watched the entire series of mock battles very carefully. He needed to clearly record every student's strength in his mind so that he could make the right judgments in future matters.
Among these battles, the ones that caught his attention most were Minato Namikaze's and Kushina Uzumaki's.
Minato Namikaze had dealt with his opponent with extreme ease, looking completely at ease and expending no effort at all.
At this point in time, Minato Namikaze's strength already far surpassed that of the students in his year. Not one of them was his match; it was difficult even to make him take them seriously.
A true genius among geniuses!
Araki had sighed inwardly while watching Minato Namikaze's mock battle. With his current strength, he could not say for certain that he would gain the upper hand if he fought Minato Namikaze.
As for Kushina Uzumaki...
Araki had fully witnessed the hot-tempered side of the little girl with twin ponytails who always smiled in front of him.
Kushina's fighting style was extremely simple and brutal.
She relied entirely on taijutsu!
It could not even be called taijutsu!
It was more like wild flailing backed by outstanding physical ability!
Whether she punched or kicked, there was no technique to it whatsoever, nor did she have any combat awareness or fighting instincts. She swung whichever hand was convenient and kicked with whichever foot was free...
It was very much like clicking whichever skill lit up while playing a game.
It was just that...
This way of fighting proved surprisingly effective!
Beneath her flying red hair, Kushina's face, stripped of its smile, looked like a devil's. Her rhythmless attacks left her opponent unable to fight back at all, until they finally crouched on the ground with their hands over their head and shouted their surrender.
The sight deeply shook the students present.
Only then did they realize that the gentle, ladylike Kushina actually had such a savage side.
Yet.
Only Araki understood.
Perhaps...
That savage side was Kushina's true face.
Everything before had merely been an appearance Kushina had deliberately created!
Ring-ring-ring-
As the bell signaling the end of school rang, Araki left the classroom at his own pace, just as he always did.
Just as he put his schoolbag back at home and walked into the grove, a strange feeling arose in his heart.
Someone's following me!
Araki's pupils contracted slightly, and he strode deeper into the forest beneath the light of the setting sun.
Chapter 20: You wouldn't want everyone in the village to find out about something like this, would you?!
Araki could tell very clearly that someone was following him. It did not feel like a wild beast. He had trained in these woods for more than three years and already knew the place like the back of his hand.
If it were a wild beast, it would not keep following him so closely. When hunting, a wild beast would either remain completely still, act as if it had not seen him, and let him leave, or seize the right moment to spring out and deliver a thunderous strike.
The unusual presence behind him did not feel like a wild beast at all. Instead, it kept roughly the same distance from him, neither close nor far, as though observing him.
To confirm his guess, Araki deliberately stopped after walking for a while and left a few openings, turning his back toward that unusual presence.
But...
After he stopped, the other party stopped as well.
They did not seize the opportunity to attack as a wild beast would have.
This made Araki even more certain that the one following him was a person.
"Someone from Konoha?"
"Or someone from another village?"
"Why are they watching me?"
"Could it be because of Kushina?"
A whole heap of questions popped into Araki's mind. In his three years of training here, this was the first time someone had followed him, and he was exceedingly cautious.
If the enemy doesn't move, neither do I. Until I've figured out the situation, I absolutely cannot rashly expose myself.
Araki quickly settled on an answer in his mind and continued darting deeper into the forest.
His pace alternated between fast and slow as he repeatedly tested his suspicions.
The person following him likewise sped up and slowed down, maintaining the same considerable distance throughout.
Gradually.
As time passed.
Night fell over Konoha.
The forest went from bright to dark, then to dimly lit.
A bright full moon hung high in the sky, its cool light dotting the dark forest and lending it a much greater air of mystery.
Another stretch of time passed.
Araki felt that he had already gone very deep. He would not normally go this far even when training.
If the person behind him still did not react, he planned to take a detour back.
As for why he would not retrace his steps...
Araki did not want to run into that person head-on either. Unless he had absolutely no other choice, he still hoped to prioritize playing it safe.
However...
At that very moment...
The figure following Araki suddenly picked up speed, no longer maintaining the distance between them, and the gap rapidly closed.
Here they come!
Araki's heart involuntarily tightened.
But he showed no sign of it in his expression, demeanor, or movements.
He did his best to remain calm.
In truth, he was also enduring a panic that was difficult to put into words.
After all...
Araki could only sense that something was following him through certain changes in its presence.
But whether it was actually a person, or who that person was, he had no way of determining.
From beginning to end, he had never turned around to check.
The person Araki worried about most was Orochimaru, because he possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. While this ability could not currently give him much combat power, it could bring him tremendous danger.
As long as it isn't Orochimaru...
Then it won't be that big a problem!
Araki also came up with several possibilities in his mind.
Among them were ninja from Kumogakure. From watching the Naruto anime in the past, he knew that Kushina had once been abducted by Kumogakure ninja during this period.
That very incident had made Minato Namikaze's moonlit princess carry possible.
But he could not determine exactly when the Kumogakure ninja would arrive, so he could not draw any reliable conclusions.
Another possibility was that it was one of the Third's people.
Now that Kushina had been assigned to live with him, the Third had already discovered that he went out to train every night.