He was astonished to discover that these three people were no less talented than the three people from the Land of Rain.
Especially Araki...
It was becoming increasingly incomprehensible to him.
Half an hour later, Jiraiya's team set off again, heading towards the border where the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind meet. The four of them leaped back and forth on tree branches, their figures light and their speed extremely fast.
Gradually.
over time.
Another half-day has passed.
During this process, they encountered no obstacles. The wild animals in the forest seemed to have already rested, and they did not encounter any ambushing ninjas. It was as quiet as walking through the forest in Konoha.
Araki heightened all his senses to the limit, trying his best to perceive the changes in the surrounding atmosphere, but there was indeed nothing there, even quieter than the day before.
"Let's take a break."
Jiraiya stopped on a tree branch, and after expressing his idea, he didn't jump down immediately. Instead, he looked at Araki and said, " Araki, could you check if there are any poisonous creatures around, like snakes, so we can rest in peace?"
"Yes."
Araki's lips curled into a slight smile. He had once again witnessed the saying "once bitten, twice shy" from Jiraiya. Even though it was just a rest, he was still cautious and let him check. However, he had noticed that Jiraiya had already carefully examined the place before stopping.
He then leaped to the Ueki and looked down at the surrounding area.
From the trees to the grass, and the surrounding terrain, feel the atmosphere around you; everywhere exudes harmony and tranquility, without any problems.
" Jiraiya-sensei, this is fine, there are no poisonous creatures here," Araki said, jumping back onto the branch.
"Very good." Jiraiya's expression relaxed considerably. He said, "Rest here for half an hour and replenish our Military Rations Pill. We've covered about half the distance now, and the dangers will only increase from here on out. You must remain vigilant at all times."
"Yes!"
Minato and Kushina responded in unison, and they sat down under the tree roots to replenish their energy.
Before sitting down, Minato made a point of checking the tree trunk and branches to make sure there were no venomous snakes coiled up on them, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Araki slowly closed his eyes, adopting a resting posture. By now, he was almost certain that this was not a difficult task at all. Jiraiya been verbally urging them to be more intense, telling them about the potential dangers on the road ahead, but in reality, there were none.
This is an artificial attempt to create an atmosphere!
Even Araki was fooled at first!
Araki remained vigilant throughout the journey, occasionally sensing the presence of wild beasts, but they were always quite far away, as if their route was precisely designed to avoid them.
I didn't notice it at the time, since I was in the middle of it.
Now that I've come to my senses and thought about it carefully, I suddenly realized that this might be Jiraiya's job. Jiraiya often leaves Konoha and is very familiar with the outside world, so he naturally knows which path can avoid more risks.
That way, even wild beasts wouldn't pose a problem; the Aoda was purely accidental, let alone any ninjas lying in ambush.
perhaps...
Those few ninjas from Kumogakure were an accident!
At this point in time, the Second Shinobi World War has just ended, and all the villages are in a period of recuperation. Even Sunagakure is taking a breather and has no energy to harass Konoha in the Land of Land of Fire.
Doing so would be pointless and could even provoke a war. At this stage, whoever enters into a war will be put on the defensive and easily taken advantage of by other villages that are just watching.
In that case...
Araki silently began to deduce in his mind...
He believed that this mission itself was not difficult; it was just that compared to the previous D-Rank Mission, this C-Rank Mission required traveling a longer distance, hence the upgrade in level.
As for this large box...
Araki turned to look at the box he had just put down. He didn't open the box, nor did he try to sense it, but he had a feeling that the contents might not be ninja tools, Shuriken, or Kunai, otherwise it would be heavier.
It could be other things, such as daily necessities or supplies.
There is no doubt that the front lines need to be garrisoned, but war is unlikely to break out, so there is little consumption of war supplies and no need for replenishment.
As he pondered, Araki realized that he seemed to be getting closer and closer to the truth. As for Jiraiya's repeated emphasis on not being careless, it was probably to create a tense atmosphere for them, to let them experience in advance what kind of approach they would need to take when they were on a mission to fight against ninjas.
Half an hour passed quickly.
Jiraiya and his group embarked on their journey once again.
There's still nothing going on.
This delivery journey, which could have been tedious, became much more engaging thanks to Jiraiya encouragement. Both Minato and Kushina remained focused, constantly sensing for any potential dangers and not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Of course, even though Araki felt there wouldn't be any problems, he was still sensing the surrounding energy. Under no circumstances would he risk his life, nor could he let his guard down based on his own speculation.
Another night has fallen.
Jiraiya always, Jiraiya explained the precautions for the night watch, agreed to Araki's request to keep watch, and then went into his tent to sleep.
This situation once again confirmed Araki's suspicions!
This mission was neither difficult nor dangerous, otherwise Jiraiya wouldn't be so relaxed. It was the same tonight and the night before; he went straight to sleep and slept so well, not at all like someone on a mission.
There's only one reason for doing this: they're completely confident of victory, utterly fearless, and have no worries about any unexpected situations. Even if there are unforeseen events, they believe they can easily handle them.
In an instant.
After understanding the difficulty of the mission, Araki began to stretch his joints, preparing to do some simple exercises around the tent while the others went to sleep.
Araki was immersed in his training, and the night seemed to pass quickly. The green Chakra appeared only a few times before dawn broke.
The situation remained the same as the day before.
After Jiraiya instructions to be careful on the road ahead, Jiraiya led the three of them toward the border.
Nearly ten hours later, as evening approached, Jiraiya finally stopped on a tree.
There was no afternoon rest like the previous two days, so Minato and Kushina's faces were covered with fine beads of sweat, and their physical strength was close to exhaustion.
" The Konoha's headquarters is just ahead."
Jiraiya's voice rang out softly. It wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears in the quiet forest.
Chapter 31 History has already provided the answer, hasn't it?
Upon hearing the sound, Araki immediately looked ahead. Just as he was moving forward, he sensed the presence ahead and vaguely guessed that they might be approaching the location of the camp. Just then, Jiraiya spoke up.
In an instant, Minato and Kushina also looked ahead.
Even from a distance, the forest seemed to have a clear dividing line; the trees ahead became increasingly sparse, while further away lay desolate yellow sand. Although the distance was not great, it felt like two completely different worlds.
"So this is the Land of Wind?"
Minato asked himself slowly with a puzzled expression, his face becoming serious. Back in the Ninja Academy, he had acquired extensive knowledge, understanding the locations and branches of various countries and ninja villages, as well as the differences in their terrain and topography.
But seeing it with your own eyes brings a completely different feeling.
As the saying goes, "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering." After seeing the harsh climate of the Land of Wind, Minato felt a strong sense of discomfort even before experiencing it firsthand. It's hard to imagine what kind of life the people living in the Land of Wind must go through.
In an instant.
Minato's face darkened.
His dream is to become the Hokage of Konoha, and the greatest Hokage, and then bring peace to the village and the entire ninja world.
Now that we've arrived here, not yet fully at the border, we can already feel the diversity of life. Based on these different living conditions, it's hard to say that people can fully understand each other.
"Yes, the Land of Wind is just ahead. In comparison, our Land of Fire has a much more favorable climate and environment."
Jiraiya glanced sideways at Minato, silently pondering something, but didn't elaborate. Instead, he kept observing the reactions of his three disciples through his eyes.
Minato's reaction was the most noticeable, and the change in his emotions was clearly perceptible. This made him realize even more deeply that Minato was the most emotional of the three disciples.
Kushina, on the other hand, didn't feel anything particularly noticeable. Or rather, she seemed more relieved to be approaching her mission destination. As the only sensory ninja in the team, she hadn't dared to relax at all along the way, always keeping her attention on whether there would be any enemy attacks. Especially after encountering the Kumogakure ninjas she had just met, her mind had remained extremely tense.
On the contrary, it's Araki...
Jiraiya's gaze seemed to drift to Araki from time to time. The boy's face was expressionless and devoid of any emotional fluctuations, making it difficult for Jiraiya to understand him and discern his inner thoughts.
This situation is quite rare!
Jiraiya didn't have many disciples, but he had seen enough young people, and he was very observant. He had also traveled to many places, so he could almost judge what a person was thinking just by their expressions and actions.
However, it wasn't as effective with Araki. Jiraiya felt like he was seeing through a fog, finding the boy too mysterious.
"No wonder the people of Sunagakure would participate in wars for the sake of their survival!"
At that moment, Minato once again sighed from his heart. He had learned this reason from books before, and it was a secret known to everyone in the ninja world, but at that time he had not been able to fully understand it.
After all, he was always in Konoha at that time, and he could feel the fresh air in the forest every day, as well as the pleasant feeling of having mountains and water.
Because he could feel things every day, he often overlooked them and didn't think there was anything in the environment that was worth waging war over. Even though he had read descriptions of the environments of places like the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth in books, it was really hard to imagine what it was like to be a desolate wasteland where you couldn't see a single tree until he saw it with his own eyes.
"That's right, that's the core reason, and the reason I believe there might still be Shinobi World War in the future!"
Jiraiya nodded, resonating with Minato's sentiments, especially after traveling the world, which gave him a clearer understanding of these matters.
"I've been to every country in the ninja world. Since the ninja world was established, there have been two major Shinobi World wars. Before the rules of the ninja world were fully defined, there were countless wars, large and small. The vast majority of these battles were due to issues of survival environment," Jiraiya explained.
"Is the problem in the Land of Wind the most serious?" Minato asked curiously.
"Actually, no..." Jiraiya pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, " The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth are quite similar, both being lands eroded by wind and sand. However, the Land of Wind is more prone to scorching sun and drought, with vast, boundless deserts, while the Land of Earth is desolate and barren, with bare rocks eroded by wind and sand everywhere. This greatly affects the survival of plants and animals, so the cost of living in these two places is quite high. However, they can produce their own unique products, allowing them to meet their daily needs through trade, but they simply cannot produce them."
"What do you mean?" Minato didn't quite understand and pressed for an answer.
"Take the Land of Wind for example. You only see the surface—barren land covered in fine sand, unable to grow crops. But gold can be sifted from that sand, allowing them to trade for food with other countries like the Land of Fire. This doesn't severely hinder the country's development, and it can still be ranked alongside the Land of Fire as one of the five great ninja nations of the ninja world." Jiraiya paused here, the faces of his three other disciples flashing through his mind. He slowly shook his head and sighed, "The most difficult environment belongs to the Land of Rain. It's a place of perpetual rain, where sunlight never shines. Not only is it unsuitable for the growth of plants and animals, but even other industries struggle to survive, leaving the people of that land in an extremely impoverished living environment. Most importantly, there's no hope of improvement. For the next few decades, even a century, the Land of Rain will find it difficult to escape that predicament."
"Call..."
After hearing Jiraiya's words, Minato took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm himself down, but his mood only grew heavier.
He is a rather sentimental person. When thinking about problems, he occasionally tries to see things from the other person's perspective. This allows him to better understand the situation and, through mutual understanding, hopes to resolve any potential conflicts.
Now that he has experienced the environment here, he is more acutely aware of the problems. It is precisely because these most fundamental issues have not been resolved that the possibility of war still exists in the ninja world.
"This is a problem we can't solve on our own." Jiraiya shook his head. Having traveled the world, he understood these things more deeply. He knew exactly what Minato was thinking, but there was nothing he could do. If it were solvable, his predecessors would have solved it long ago.
"I understand." Minato nodded, his hands clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white from the force. He felt a strong sense of resentment, but Jiraiya's words did not cause him despair. On the contrary, they made him feel a heavy burden and a sense of challenge, realizing that there were many more things waiting for him and much work to be done.