"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but the order came from the Third Lord Hokage. Araki, what do you mean by asking these questions?" Jiraiya frowned, vaguely sensing that Araki seemed to want to say something but didn't fully express it. This feeling made him feel as if something was being hidden from him.
I was just asking casually.
Araki smiled and waved his hand, showing no other emotion whatsoever, as if everything was just as he said, a casual question. However, Jiraiya did not take Araki's words seriously.
This is simply unbelievable.
Jiraiya stared at Araki with a puzzled look. His mind was racing with thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fathom Araki's mindset, as the latter still seemed concerned about the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Could it be that Araki is very concerned about the Chunin Ninja Exams?
Or did Araki actually discover something?
Jiraiya fell into deep thought, for he had not received an answer from the desert, and the more Araki hesitated to speak, the more he felt that there might be something he had not yet discovered.
After saying that, Araki didn't speak again, nor did he make any further comments about the Chunin Ninja Exams. Even though Minato and Kushina asked Jiraiya some questions afterward, neither of them gave Jiraiya the same feeling.
Jiraiya was silently observing. For some reason, every question Araki asked made Jiraiya think for a moment before answering, wondering if there was anything Araki might not be able to say well, but that had some hidden meaning.
at the same time.
Araki began to ponder his own thoughts.
Whether he had some kind of mind-reading ability or not, when he heard about the Chunin Ninja Exams, he instinctively thought of Kumogakure ), because Kumogakure had been constantly appearing in his field of vision lately, and their only goal was Kushina.
He wasn't entirely clear on Minato exact timeline in which Kumogakure had been operating during this period, but he knew that the future Fourth Raikage was probably a child around the same age as Minato or even a little older.
So the one who only has the name of Kumogakure now should be the Third Raikage, the one who is known as the strongest Raikage, someone who couldn't even handle the Eight-Tails.
At this point, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki should not be Killer B!
Killer B should have become the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki later on, but Araki didn't know who the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was at that time.
Araki does know a lot about the ninja world, after all, he watched the Naruto anime. He understands the cause and effect of many things that happened during that time, but he can't remember the timeline of everything very clearly, especially things outside of Konoha, which is a blind spot for him.
For example, he was very clear that Killer B was not the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and he also knew that the Eight-Tails was still in Kumogakure, but he didn't know who the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was. The same logic applied to Sunagakure, because he knew that Shukaku was also in Sunagakure, but he didn't know who the One-Tail Jinchūriki was, since Gaara hadn't been born yet in this era.
These problems are objective realities. The wheels of history will not stop turning just because he is not paying attention. Right now, his perspective is focused on Konoha. He has some understanding of Konoha's longitudinal history, but he is not very clear about what other villages have experienced or what era they were in. Therefore Kumogakure gives him a mysterious feeling.
The only thing Araki was certain of was that Kumogakure was very interested in Kushina, or rather, very interested in the Nine-Tails ' assistance.
The fact that the Kumogakure could show such interest indicates that they have made significant progress in the power of the Eight-Tails.
Even if Killer B isn't the current Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, that person might still have a strong ability to control the Eight-Tails, making him a very powerful asset to the Kumogakure.
The Kumogakure must have benefited from this.
Only in this way can they be so devoted to the Nine-Tails. Indeed, only the Nine-Tails can surpass the other eight tailed beasts. The other seven Tailed Beast are not something that the Kumogakure would easily take a liking to, given their fighting strength.
In an instant.
Araki fell into deep thought, because he was certain that Kumogakure was very interested in the Nine-Tails, which was why they had repeatedly invaded Konoha in hopes of abducting Kushina.
While they were out on a mission, they saw ninjas from Kumogakure at the gate. Although he wasn't sure if these people were related to them, at least he had seen people from Kumogakure again.
This indicates that Kumogakure is continuously and actively engaging in various activities in other villages, which is also due to their strong fighting power, which was not depleted during the Second Shinobi World War.
This is why they can act even more recklessly and escalate their expansion into other villages.
I wonder if the events in Sunagakure are related to Kumogakure?
Araki suddenly had this thought in his mind, because the way Sunagakure acted was really too incomprehensible. They really wanted to kidnap Kushina, but they couldn't find a motive.
If he remembered correctly, Sunagakure hadn't even been able to fully control the One-Tail Shukaku, which was still sealed away, so there was even less reason for them to take away the Nine-Tails as well.
Since Sunagakure has no way to control the Nine-Tails, taking Nine-Tails away would only add another ticking time bomb to their lives. It wouldn't be converted into combat power, and could even cause great damage to the village and threaten the safety of the people inside at any time due to the Tailed Beast's rampage.
More importantly, doing so would exacerbate the conflict between Sunagakure and Konoha, potentially leading to war. Currently, there has been no negotiation or friction between the two villages, but this is only based on the premise that Kushina has not been kidnapped.
Because Kushina remained in Konoha, the Nine-Tails was not lost, and all the ninjas from Sunagakure who guarded the border had died, both sides tacitly agreed to the matter, and neither side mentioned it, so it was left unresolved. After all, no substantial damage had been caused, and neither side wanted to start a war.
But...
Both sides were well aware that if Kushina were successfully kidnapped by Sunagakure, Konoha would definitely not stand idly by, and it would inevitably lead to war.
In other words, Sunagakure was risking war by launching an attack on Konoha to take Kushina away, but Araki couldn't find a reason for Sunagakure to do so. So now he had to suspect that Sunagakure might have taken Kushina away to hand her over to Kumogakure.
In this way Kumogakure gained a more powerful Tailed Beast, further consolidating its position in the ninja world. At the same time, Sunagakure also gained a necessary backer, providing it with a strong support system to rely on during the intense depletion of resources in the Second Shinobi World War.
Of course, all of this is just Araki's speculation, but he feels that even if it's not the truth, it's not far from it.
All of this made him feel very certain, and one of the most important reasons was the Chunin Ninja Exams that were currently underway.
He had a vague feeling that the purpose of the Chunin Ninja Exams was to bring them to the Kumogakure Kumogakure, so that the Nine-Tails might become theirs.
But don't the people of Konoha know about this?
Araki believed the answer was no. The higher-ups in Konoha must have known very well that someone had made the decisive decision, and that person was the same one who had brought in Kumogakure to invade Konoha.
As he thought about this, a name came to mind.
Shimura Danzō.
Araki didn't have a preconceived notion that Danzo might have done Danzo, and then try to pin these things on Danzo to see if it made sense. Instead, he analyzed these events one by one and concluded that Danzo was the most likely person to have done such a thing.
First, this person must be a high-ranking member of Konoha who knows that Kushina is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Under such limited conditions, the number of people who can be selected is already very small.
Secondly, that ninja constantly negotiated with people from other villages, whether it was Kumogakure or Sunagakure, and he did a lot of work in those areas. Danzo had a previous case like this, which was not in the current historical timeline, but during the Nagato incident, he made some deals with Hanzo of the Salamander in advance. In other words, Danzo has a criminal record, and he is capable of doing such things.
Finally, Araki felt there must be a reason he hadn't yet figured out, which was Danzo's reason for doing this.
Araki couldn't think of any reason why the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could be sent out of Konoha. Even if Danzo was involved in some kind of dark justice, his heart still belonged to Konoha. Even if his personal inclinations were mixed in with many things, he still prioritized protecting Konoha. He still had a certain degree of his original intention, although that original intention was being corrupted by power.
So what exactly made Danzo do this?
Araki couldn't figure it out. Without understanding the motive, he couldn't be completely certain that Danzo did this, and such speculation couldn't be entirely valid.
Could it be related to the fact that the Uzumaki Clan hasn't been wiped out yet?
Araki was still pondering. He rubbed his temples, thinking that if he could go to the Uzumaki Clan, many things might come to light.
But now might not be the right time, because if we go now, we might alert the enemy and prevent the planned tactics from being used.
Although this approach is somewhat dangerous, Araki still leans towards Kumogakure. He wants to use whatever methods he has within Kumogakure. By making these methods public, it won't be as difficult to break through. If he's constantly being watched and doesn't know when the other side will make a move, he'll feel even more pressure.
While Araki was thinking, Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya-sensei talked a lot about the Chunin Ninja Exams, gaining a deeper understanding of some of the things involved and learning what they needed to prepare and study during this period.
"We don't have much time left. In the next few days, I will give you a crash course training, and then we will set off for Cloud Rock Village. I hope all three of you can pass the Chunin Exams and become Chunin. This is not only an improvement, but also a way to bring glory to Konoha."
Jiraiya looked around at the three of them and said...
Chapter 49 Heading to Kumogakure
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 49: Heading to Kumogakure
Araki looked at the stiff Minato and Kushina, knowing that the two were in a relatively excited state, after all, they were going to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams in the coming period.
As a transmigrator, Araki knew very well that rumors circulated that the strongest people in Konoha were Genin.
But in reality, those servants did participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams, but they failed to become Chunin. Normally, in the ninja world, with its strict hierarchical system, everyone hopes to become Chunin through their own efforts, and ideally, even a Senior Chunin, as this is a way to change their fate.
Otherwise...
Therefore, the only way to achieve this is through cheating.
Strictly speaking, Naruto and Sasuke are both beneficiaries of bloodlines and are not ordinary people. Therefore, the Chunin Ninja Exams are still very important to ordinary people and are a major event in the ninja world.
Most Genin aspire to excel in the Chunin Ninja Exams and become Chunin, much like everyone hopes to pass the graduation exam at the Ninja Academy and become a Genin.
The sense of honor for Chunin is actually greater than that for Genin. Once you become Chunin, you become the leader of a squad, transforming from someone who takes orders to someone who gives them orders. While this brings more responsibility, it also brings more benefits, the most prominent being greater freedom.
Araki wasn't surprised by the two men's excited reaction; it was perfectly normal for him. In fact, the absence of such behavior would have prompted further reflection.
"For the next few days, we won't be going on any more missions. Instead, we'll be starting intensive training. I'll work on improving your weaknesses one by one. If there's anything you need to improve, feel free to come to me."
Jiraiya spoke again, quite satisfied with their reactions. After all, aside from Araki asking some tricky questions, Minato and Kushina had shown great interest in the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Although he couldn't discern any other expression from Araki's face, based on his understanding of Araki and their time together, he realized that Araki was always like this. Whether something joyful or sorrowful happened, he always maintained this expressionless face, like a piece of wood.
Therefore, Jiraiya naturally ignored Araki's behavior and concluded that the latter's expression had no reference value whatsoever and could be completely disregarded.
Two weeks passed quickly.
During this time, Jiraiya did indeed do what he said he would do: assist his three disciples and try his best to improve their strength. After all, they had only recently graduated and become Genin, so they were still somewhat lacking in strength.
Although they were already among the top tier of Konoha Genin, they were still some distance from the Chunin Ninja Exams, a fact they had deeply felt during this period.
His thoughts were actually very simple: even if he couldn't become a Konoha Chunin participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams, he absolutely didn't want them to suffer any loss of life.
With this in mind, Jiraiya wholeheartedly to teaching them from beginning to end. However, during this period, Minato and Kushina were more serious, while Araki focused on physical training.
Naturally, he still felt he needed to pay more attention to Araki, not only because Araki was his disciple, but also because he was Tsunade's disciple, so he planned to start by Chakra.
But...
What Jiraiya never expected was Araki Chakra far exceeded his imagination, reaching a level of consummate skill.
Araki could perfectly execute relatively simple Chakra control techniques, even surpassing some Jonin in skill. He could also easily master more complex Chakra control Araki. This left Jiraiya with many impressions, as he felt that many of the issues far exceeded his imagination and expectations.
Since that's the case.
Jiraiya also figured it out.
Araki might not need some basic guidance from me now, but rather some advanced guidance. However, that kind of guidance cannot be easily completed in half a month. Therefore, I am focusing more on Minato and Kushina. With one less person, I can be more focused.
Of course, this was on the premise that Jiraiya had consulted with Araki and confirmed Araki's idea, and that it was not just his own wishful thinking.
Araki was naturally happy to do so, because what he most wanted to train was his body. Only by making his body stronger could he have more Chakra and thus control more powerful Wood Release Ninjutsu.
but...
Because Jiraiya was Jiraiya by his side during the day, and he would go to Orochimaru's laboratory at night to study poison formulas, he simply didn't have time to investigate the location of Hashirama Cells in Konoha. As a result, there had been no substantial progress or breakthrough in the absorption of Hashirama Cells.
On the contrary, he gained a deeper understanding of the use of poison during this period. After selling Explosive Tag, Araki had saved up a small amount of money. In addition, Orochimaru's laboratory had a lot of raw materials, so he didn't need to pay extra for making poison. It was all within his control.
Under such circumstances, Araki's cultivation of poisons was greatly enhanced, allowing him to concoct many kinds of poisons, though he concocted even more antidotes.
During the mission to Sunagakure, Araki was given a heads-up: there were very few times when he needed to take action, and when he did, he used poison very infrequently.
He only used poison when he first left Konoha Kumogakure. The poison he used was not to defeat them, but to punish them. He believed that he could have won the war even without the Kumogakure.
Correspondingly, when facing Kushina in her Nine-Tails form, even if he had some poison, it would be completely useless against Tailed Beast Transformation. The only thing he could truly use was his Wood Release Ninjutsu.