"Yes!"
The three answered in unison.
Immediately afterwards.
Led by Jiraiya, the group arrived at the gates of Konoha.
Araki looked at the majestic gate and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. This wasn't the first time he had seen the gate of Konoha. During his years of training, he would occasionally pass by here. After all, it was a classic spot in the village, and now that he had transmigrated here, there was no reason not to see it.
However, he never went outside through the front door.
There are rules in Konoha that ninjas are not allowed to leave the main gate without a mission. Otherwise, they will be dealt with for disobeying orders, and those with serious offenses will be identified as missing-nin.
Araki wouldn't create such trouble for himself!
However, this was not the first time he had left Konoha. He had gone out once when the invaders from Kumogakure came to capture Kushina, but at that time he was not detected by the villagers.
On the surface, this can be understood as Araki leaving Konoha for the first time.
"This door is huge!"
Every time Araki walked to the gate of Konoha, he couldn't help but sigh. Visually, the gate was at least five or six stories high, with a huge passageway running through the middle of the wall.
Both doors have red lettering on them, and the symbol of Konoha is above the door frames. When the two doors are fully opened, there is a feeling of sudden openness and tranquility.
The door gave him the feeling that even a giant could pass through it.
"Yes! It's really big!"
Kushina echoed, saying that when she first arrived in Konoha, the enormous gate had given her a tremendous visual shock, to the point that for the first time she entered the village, she felt that everything in the village was much larger than that of Uzushiogakure.
Even though she had lived in Konoha for several years and had long since adapted to Konoha, she was still deeply impressed when she looked at it now.
"This gate was personally designed by the First Hokage Hashirama Senju!" Jiraiya said with a smile. "Many people who participated in the construction of the village thought that such a large gate was unnecessary. If the flow of people entering and leaving the village was very high, then a slightly wider gate could be designed, with smaller gates on both sides, so that the smaller gates could be used normally. However, the Lord First Hokage felt that that would not be impressive enough and would not reflect the village's inclusive nature, so he designed a single, wide gate."
"I see." Araki nodded silently. The door was quite grand, but opening and closing it daily might be a bit inconvenient.
While they were talking.
Jiraiya and his group had already reached the door.
There were no ninjas guarding the village gate, making it seem like anyone could come and go as they pleased. But this was all an illusion. On the high wall above the gate, there was a ninja on duty at regular intervals, intently watching the surroundings. No one who wanted to leave through the gate could escape their eyes.
Moreover, anyone who enters the gate will be seen by them and sensed by the barrier.
Outside the walls, there are several tall towers, each guarded by a few ninjas who stand watch over the roads leading to the village and the movements in the woods, doing their best to maintain the village's safety and reporting any potential problems as soon as possible.
"Don't we need to report this?"
At that moment, Minato raised a question. He was an excellent student in the Ninja Academy, knew and followed the village rules, and knew that he needed to report when he went out. That's why he asked the question.
"That's a good question. Feel free to ask me anything you have to say; I'll answer all your questions on the journey." Jiraiya said with a smile, "When we accept missions at the Hokage Building's mission center, if it's an outward mission, we need to report to our companions. That's equivalent to reporting, so no additional reporting is needed. However, in case of emergencies, you can tell someone you meet on the road and ask them to relay your message to the Lord Hokage. But, to be on the safe side, it's best to tell several people."
"Understood." Minato nodded, silently noting down these lessons.
While they were talking.
Jiraiya had already led the three of them across the gates of Konoha, officially leaving the village and stepping onto the ground outside.
This change caused fluctuations in everyone's mood to varying degrees.
In an instant.
The expressions on their faces changed, and their gazes unconsciously drifted towards the surrounding scenery.
The ground is still the same.
The same trees.
The sky is still the same.
The difference is... this is the world beyond the walls.
"Ahead lies the edge of the barrier protecting Konoha. Once we step out of that barrier, we will face real danger, one that you may never have imagined before. I hope you will not let your guard down," Jiraiya instructed in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
The three of them responded in unison again.
soon.
Jiraiya and his group passed through the village's barrier and strolled westward, now walking on the dirt road.
This wasn't a clearly defined road, but as more people walked on it, it became a road. The soil was compacted by footsteps, clearly distinct from the grass on either side. There were no trees, unlike the shady paths in the village; this was a wide, open road.
"Um?"
Araki frowned slightly, a big question mark popping into his mind. Not long after they came out, he sensed the presence of several people.
"One, two, three, four..."
"Eleven, twelve."
"A total of twelve people!"
"Keep your eyes on this side!"
"What's the meaning?"
Araki pondered silently. He sensed twelve streams of energy, all watching this direction. They were located on both sides of the forest, but not symmetrically. There were nine streams of energy on the left and three on the right.
The nine streams of energy on the left are further divided into three groups.
In a sense, he couldn't be sure if these people were together, but it was clear that they were four distinct teams.
strangeness.
Are these people staking out the location?
Surely their target isn't the supplies here?
Ninja from Sunagakure?
Araki pondered many questions in that instant, but found none. He glanced at Jiraiya out of the corner of his eye, but noticed nothing unusual on the latter's face.
Jiraiya must have discovered it!
Araki was certain in his heart that this level of concealment wouldn't easily fool Jiraiya. The reason Jiraiya hadn't said anything was probably to test their reaction abilities.
Araki glanced lightly at Minato and Kushina again.
Minato's bright blue eyes were filled with excitement. Although he seemed quite restrained, he still gave the impression of being on a picnic, and he certainly didn't notice the people around him.
Kushina was even more excited, constantly looking around, but her focus was on the squirrels darting back and forth in the trees and the occasional bird landing on a branch, without paying any attention to her surroundings.
Actually, you can't blame her. She's only just stepped out the door; who would have thought that an ambush was lying right there?
This is simply not logical!
" Jiraiya-sensei, why don't we speed up our journey? Isn't the front line in a hurry? Walking slowly here is just wasting too much time," Araki suddenly suggested, drawing everyone's attention as he spoke.
"Isn't this all for your own good? If we Ueki now, it will take a huge toll on your bodies. This path will end soon, and once we reach the end, we'll go straight into the forest," Jiraiya explained.
"Let's go into the woods now." Araki pointed to the woods on the right, the direction of which was exactly where the three streams of energy were hidden, and said, "The southwest should be the shortest route."
"Is that what you all think?"
Jiraiya's smile remained unchanged as he turned to look at Minato and Kushina.
"I have no objection," Minato said.
"I have no objection either." Kushina was equally indifferent to this matter.
"Since none of you have any objections, let's do as Araki says and head straight towards the forest." Jiraiya nodded, then gestured for the three of them to proceed towards the forest.
" Jiraiya-sensei, I think we need a formation once we enter the forest." Araki didn't move immediately, but stood still and spoke seriously, "I'm carrying supply boxes, so it's not suitable for me to be at the front, nor is it suitable for me to be at the back."
" Kushina is in charge of perception in the team, so it's more suitable for her to be in front of me."
" Minato can get a comprehensive overview from the back of the group, so whether Kushina or I are in danger, he can react immediately."
"So..."
Araki paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, and slowly said, "We'll trouble Jiraiya-sensei to lead the way. He can also act as a map guide, ensuring we're heading in the right direction."
"I agree." Minato nodded immediately and said, "I think Araki's point is very reasonable. Actually, I just thought about the same problem. If Jiraiya-sensei is the one who takes the lead, then whatever danger we encounter will be dealt with by Jiraiya-sensei. This will reduce our training opportunities, and since this is our first time leaving the village, we have no idea about the route ahead."
"I agree too!" Kushina nodded.
"..."
Jiraiya stood there dumbfounded, completely stunned. Just seconds before, he had been mischievously wondering how his disciples would handle such a sudden sneak attack, but now he was the one leading the charge.
This makes things complicated.
He clearly sensed that a three-person team was hidden in the woods ahead.
If he goes in first, then he will be facing these three people. Even if he pretends to know nothing, it will still serve as a warning to the three disciples behind him, so that they will not face an unexpected situation.
But...
The atmosphere has reached this point.
There was no other way.
"Alright, you guys follow me. Stay focused on the road, and if you encounter any trouble, try to solve it yourself first. Remember, I'll only help you in life-or-death situations!"
Jiraiya reluctantly explained.
In fact, he had already sensed the ninjas lying in ambush when he first came out.
Even he himself was unsure of the purpose of these ambushes, but he had a vague feeling that they had nothing to do with the ninja tools and supplies in Araki's possession, but rather served another purpose.
He had hoped to use this natural setup to teach his three disciples a lesson, since it was extremely rare to encounter such an ambush so soon after leaving the village.
But...
Everything is ruined.
There's nothing we can do.
We had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the lead.
Jiraiya took steps and walked into the woods. Not far in front of him were the hidden ninjas lying in ambush.
Kushina followed closely behind, then Araki, and finally Minato.
At this point, Kushina and Minato had not yet fully recovered from the excitement of leaving the village to carry out their mission, nor had they entered that tense state, and they were unaware of the danger lurking ahead.