Then it could happen at any time!
Araki even had a hunch that it was very likely when Jiraiya-sensei went to gather materials, when there were only three of them, which was the period when their strength was at its weakest.
With Araki Jiraiya took them out for sushi, and after they finished eating, he found them a place to settle down.
Throughout the entire process, Araki felt that these people were watching them, which further convinced him that they were the target of these people. It wasn't a random selection of targets, but a deliberate act of targeting them, which was a completely different matter.
"You can rest here for a while!"
Jiraiya glanced around at Minato and the other two, his tone calm but revealing an barely concealed urgency. He said, "I'm going to find inspiration. I'll be back in a while, and then we'll be together in Kumogakure!"
"Where are you going to find inspiration, Jiraiya-sensei? Do you want me to come with you?" Kushina immediately asked.
These words sent a shiver down Araki's spine.
No way!
If you go along, you won't be gathering material, you'll be gathering material...
You become the material itself!
"I'll talk to you about this later. Right now, focus on preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams, get some rest, conserve your energy, and don't embarrass the village!"
Jiraiya launched into a long string of high-sounding words, with a very simple reason and a similarly simple purpose: he simply didn't like the three of them ruining his plans!
"Yes."
The three, including Araki, responded in unison. Preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams was a very good reason and excuse. It could be said that nothing could overshadow the Chunin Ninja Exams at the moment, so if Natural also brought up this reason, then they would have no way to refute it.
immediately.
Jiraiya left the house.
He was humming a little tune, completely in a state of blissful tranquility.
I'm so suffocating!
Jiraiya casually remarked that he had been busy with his three disciples' training for some time now, which had consumed almost all his time. He hadn't had much time to gather material or find inspiration, to the point that he felt his writing process was being blocked.
If I don't gather material now, I won't be able to write the book!
Jiraiya leaving the house, Jiraiya seemed oblivious to the pairs of eyes watching him from all sides, and headed straight for a hot spring resort, clearly impatient to get there.
"What Jiraiya-sensei said is true, but how are we supposed to prepare in this time? We were all ready before we set off," Minato said weakly. He didn't know when he started to complain about Jiraiya-sensei, but he never said it directly to the teacher's face.
"Exactly!" Kushina nodded in agreement.
Araki didn't participate in the discussion; instead, he continued to sense the eyes watching him.
Just as he had expected, as Jiraiya-sensei left, these shadows were getting closer and closer, but they remained cautious and did not appear quickly, clearly intending to launch a sneak attack.
To some extent, this shows that these people have very high requirements for the success rate and do not want anything to go wrong here. If the mission fails and Araki and his group are allowed to enter Kumogakure, things may become even more serious.
"How about we go out and have some fun?" Kushina immediately suggested. She hadn't sensed the approaching danger yet, but felt that there were still things to do in this unfamiliar village.
"This isn't a good idea..." Minato frowned slightly. Although he thought the same thing, he didn't want Jiraiya-sensei to find out.
"Do you think it's possible that this is a trap set by Jiraiya-sensei?"
Just then, Araki suddenly spoke up, saying something that surprised everyone present. He continued, "If Jiraiya-sensei were watching us nearby, and we went out, we would be caught red-handed. In fact, Jiraiya-sensei would have a lot to say to us."
"This..."
Minato really wanted to play, but he didn't particularly want to be discovered by Jiraiya-sensei, which made his feelings quite complicated.
"Let me go out and scout ahead," Araki said calmly, then walked towards the door.
"I'm going too." Kushina followed closely behind.
"You can't go!" Araki suddenly became very serious, a change from his usual demeanor, which even surprised Kushina.
I have my reasons for doing this.
After Araki finished speaking, he looked at Minato and Kushina and added, "If I don't return within half an hour, we can leave. It means I've scouted the outside area and it's safe!"
"But if I'm back within half an hour, it means you won't be able to have fun even if you go out, do you understand what I mean?"
After saying that, Araki ignored Minato and Kushina and strode out of the house.
The moment he left the house, his body underwent a noticeable change, transforming himself into Kushina's appearance through the Wood Clone Tree.
Araki needs to be sure whether these people are really here for Kushina. If they are, it would be better to deal with these potential threats as well!
After all, he is now in the form of Kushina, the prey of those who are watching him, but isn't he also the hunter who wants to hunt them down?
Chapter 51 Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
Konoha: Nobody knew I could Wood Release! Chapter 51: Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
Araki used the Wood Release Transformation Technique to transform into Kushina's appearance, and from her appearance and the aura she exuded, there was almost nothing wrong with her.
This is one of the special abilities of the Wood Release Transformation Technique.
With the aid of Wood Release Chakra, the Transformation Technique can be made to be extremely realistic. Even if a familiar person is in front of you, it would be difficult to distinguish them if you were just observing them statically.
Of course, this is only a change in appearance and cannot be a true and complete simulation. After all, habitual movements and mastery are still completely different, and it is easy to be exposed if you are not careful.
but...
For Araki...
Currently, she is merely pretending to be Kushina.
There are absolutely no problems.
Not to mention that he had spent a long time with Kushina and had a very strong understanding of her daily habits and familiar movements, even acquaintances might not be able to tell in a short time, let alone those ninjas who were observing from afar and might only have a photo as their source of information.
After Araki left the house in the Kushina, he immediately felt several pairs of eyes watching him.
The feeling of being stared at was exceptionally strong.
"Really!"
Araki immediately understood. At this point, he could be certain without much explanation that those watching this place, regardless of which village's ninja they were, were targeting Kushina.
In an instant.
Araki quickened his pace, heading towards the village gate, the direction they had come from.
As he moved, the gazes that were watching him followed, and the auras that he had already locked onto were all moving and converging towards him.
Not a single stop!
This further convinced Araki that these people's only target was Kushina; the others, including himself and Minato, were simply not worth mentioning.
After all, they're not even worth being watched like this.
The fact that not a single person was left to keep watch shows that these people didn't care about Araki and Minato at all; their only target was Kushina.
"Then let's have some fun!"
Araki wasn't particularly surprised by this phenomenon; it seemed to be all within his expectations. After all, he had guessed from the beginning that these people's target might only be Kushina. So, since a target had appeared, it wasn't worthwhile to waste too much energy on useless people.
Most importantly, he felt that the other party's actions were exactly what he expected, and that he could wipe them all out in the coming days, saving him a lot of trouble.
It now perfectly matches his expectations.
Araki retraced the route they had taken into the village, walked directly out of the village, and looked at the two towering peaks that seemed to have reached a relatively quiet place.
but...
These people don't seem to have any intention of making a move yet.
Let's walk a little further then.
After all, it's not particularly safe to carry out a crime here, as it's quite close to the village. If they're not careful and get discovered, they could be exposed.
Of course, the ninjas following behind him thought the same thing.
They all had an indescribable feeling in their hearts. After receiving this mission, they had anticipated that it would be somewhat difficult, especially since Konoha Sannin of Kushina, was Jiraiya with Kushina.
They devised many different plans, which allowed them to prepare for various unforeseen circumstances.
But to their utter surprise, their target, Kushina, walked out of town all by herself right under their noses. This was completely unexpected and beyond their wildest imagination.
So much so that even after following her out, they hesitated to make a move for a long time, because they still couldn't tell if it was a trap or a simple act, and they also had no idea why Kushina would go out alone at this time.
However, after they followed her a distance, they discovered that there was no one else with Kushina; she was all alone, and she had gradually moved to a relatively safe distance. They could make their move here without anyone noticing.
They were already mentally prepared to take action in the bustling city center. Even if they were discovered, they were determined to make the mission a success. They only cared about the success rate; nothing else mattered to them.
Now that they've reached this point, they've discovered that the mission is far simpler than they initially anticipated; they can now abduct the person almost without any risk and without making a sound.
The explanation given to the village leaders in the past was that they did not admit that they walked on the road themselves. They claimed it was a frame-up and that they could not say so without evidence. It was a completely shameless explanation, which was nothing more than relying on the village's power.
But now there is a completely different way to explain it.
That means there's absolutely no need for explanation.
Kushina disappeared after leaving the town on her own, and no one knows where she ended up.
If we must assign blame, then it is the responsibility of Konoha and Jiraiya, one of the Jiraiya Sannin, since the ninjas responsible for monitoring these matters saw Jiraiya enter the hot spring resort.
This is a golden opportunity.
Thinking this, the ninjas present exchanged glances. From their eyes, it was clear that they all believed this was a rare opportunity, and it was time to make their move.
Since they understood each other's thoughts with just a glance, they all rushed towards Wood Transformation, Kushina, without prior arrangement.
This action was entirely under Araki's control.
He noticed almost everyone.
Of course, he also saw what these people were doing. Not everyone was launching a major attack on him; rather, a few people were very coordinated in blocking his possible escape routes.
For a moment, Araki had a very strong feeling that if it were Kushina instead of him who was being held captive here, it would be like being caught in an inescapable net, and no one could leave easily.
but...
Araki was prepared for this.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh...