Hahahaha!
Araki saw the expression on the face of this Anbu Ninja, and that the other Anbu Ninja all had the same expression, and felt a surge of pleasure. He immediately threw his head back and laughed loudly.
For him, nothing could be more comfortable than this.
"If you hadn't reminded me just now, I would have gone straight over and exposed your true colors. But if I had done that, wouldn't I have been outmaneuvered by you?" Araki asked meaningfully.
"..." The Anbu Ninja said again.
"You're wearing masks, so you're very likely Anbu Ninja. Even if you aren't, you're people with important identities who are afraid of being exposed. These kinds of ninjas often have various special skills. If I rashly get close, I'll be the one who suffers," Araki said calmly.
"..."
The Anbu Ninja remained silent.
only...
This silence was not the same as the previous speechlessness.
Instead, after hearing Araki's last words, they immediately fell into a deep sleep.
"Let's start collecting the spoils."
Araki immediately flipped over each of the Anbu Ninja one by one, removing their masks and revealing their true faces.
Almost everyone had dark brown skin, and in terms of race, they were completely different from those of the Land of Fire. They were typical ninjas of the Land of Lightning, especially in the village where they had just settled, where everyone had this characteristic.
" Kumogakure "
Araki silently uttered three words. In fact, just by seeing these people's appearances, without needing to know their identities or see their ninja Forehead Protector, it was enough to determine their affiliation.
These people may not be Anbu Ninja; they wear masks simply to conceal their overly obvious directional features.
Now that Araki has confirmed he is a ninja from Kumogakure, a Taiseki has been lifted from his heart.
Ultimately, it was Kumogakure who wanted to capture Kushina!
In the time that follows.
Araki began searching the bodies of these Kumogakure ninjas.
A hot spring resort in the village.
Jiraiya lay in the pool, staring wide-eyed at the other end of the wooden partition. There was a small gap in the partition; it was unclear whether it was there before or Jiraiya had created it.
"Wonderful!"
"Wonderful!"
"That's wonderful!"
"..."
Jiraiya's eyes had turned into hearts, his cheeks were flushed, and all he could see were beautiful women around him, with noisy chatter filling his ears, making him feel as if he were in a fairyland.
During this time, he stayed with his three disciples in their cultivation, without even having the chance to reward himself.
We're finally almost at Kumogakure! Once we get there, we'll have to be on high alert, preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams. This is a rare moment of relaxation.
Since that's the case.
Then it must be done.
As for the three little ones, they can continue their training if they wish. With Araki and Minato supporting him in terms of self-discipline, he has no worries whatsoever.
If you don't want to practice Buddhism, then give yourself a little vacation, which is a rare treat.
If he were always by their side, the three disciples wouldn't be able to relax. Yes, that's right, so by coming to gather materials themselves, they were actually creating some time for themselves to rest.
Jiraiya this thought in mind, Jiraiya felt even more at ease and no longer felt anxious, so he continued to enjoy the view.
After Araki left.
Kushina and Minato exchanged a glance. Now only the two of them were left in the room. The atmosphere hadn't changed, but Minato was a little nervous.
Let's wait a bit.
Kushina immediately spoke up, setting the tone. She had complete trust in Araki, so after receiving Araki's instructions, she didn't hesitate at all and directly expressed her truest thoughts. Of course, there was also a reason why she spoke first: she was worried that if Minato spoke first, he might leave now, and then it would be difficult for her to persuade him otherwise.
"Um!"
Minato nodded, his reaction taking Kushina by surprise; Kushina had assumed he would go out with Minato.
Kushina had long noticed that when Minato encountered Araki, he would always unconsciously compare or compete with him, and Minato would often follow Araki's lead in whatever he did.
Based on her deduction, Minato should be looking for Araki...
She hadn't expected that Minato actually cherished this time alone with her. Even though they didn't say anything, just being quiet like this made him quite content.
Gradually.
over time.
Ten long minutes passed.
"It's time!"
Kushina said impatiently. Ten minutes used to be nothing to her, but just now, while waiting, she felt like time was passing incredibly slowly, as if she had been waiting for a very long time. She then said, "As Araki instructed, he hasn't returned after ten minutes. We can go out and play now."
"Okay."
Minato pursed his lips. He also wanted to go out, but he wanted to stay here with Kushina even more. However, when he saw the joy and excitement in Kushina's eyes when she mentioned Araki, and the trust she placed in Araki, he felt a strange unease.
While they were talking.
Kushina and Minato walked out of their temporary residence one after the other.
Upon entering the vast village, the two were once again captivated by the scene before them. It was a foreign land, completely different from Konoha. Whether it was appearance, skin color, clothing, customs, or architectural style, everything was different. This was a sight that could not be experienced in Konoha, and just looking at it was pleasing to the eye.
I'll go check it out over there!
Kushina pointed to the row of food stalls, her eyes sparkling. She had never tried the food here before, and seeing the different kinds always made her itch with desire.
When they arrived here, Jiraiya-sensei in a great hurry, as if he had some urgent business to attend to and had to leave them at his lodgings. It wasn't even a quick visit; he went straight to his destination. He was nowhere near as free and comfortable as he is now.
"I'll go with you!"
Minato's heart tightened. He felt it was dangerous to let Kushina walk alone like this, so he followed her.
After searching through all the Kumogakure ninjas, Araki obtained a considerable amount of ninja tools and valuables. He selected some that were useful and put them in his ninja tool bag, while throwing away the rest.
There's nowhere to take it.
He did need ninja tools when he went to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams, but he had already equipped himself with them before leaving Konoha, so there was no need to resupply here, since there was no consumption involved.
However, Araki still took Forehead Protector from a ninja from Kumogakure.
He had used this item once before, and even he wasn't sure if he could use it again during the Chunin Ninja Exams. He just wanted to have it on hand, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
After preparing everything, Araki looked at the trees, which he had created using Wood Release Chakra. The mountains here were originally bare and white, with a surface full of rocks, which was very different from the landscape of Konoha.
"There's no need to waste the Corpse-Dissolving Water."
Araki's hands began to change hand seals, forming a Fire Style hand seal. This was a relatively basic Fire Release Ninjutsu, Flame Bullet, that he had learned from Jiraiya-sensei shortly after returning from Sunagakure.
Of course, he wasn't proficient yet and couldn't fully unleash the power of the Flame Bullet; it was just Small Flame Bullet.
That should be enough.
Araki learned this Fire Release Ninjutsu for one of his purposes: to ignite his Wood Release Ninjutsu.
His purpose in doing this was not to accumulate more harm, but simply to destroy the evidence.
Fire Style: Small Flame Bullet!
Araki took a deep breath, his chest swelled, and he suddenly exhaled a ball of fire.
The flames lack momentum, speed, and power; in actual combat, they would be easily dodged. However, burning on static trees poses no problem.
whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Almost instantly, flames began to rage through the woods.
Chapter 53 Cloud Ladder
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 53 Cloud Ladder
Are you all ready?
In his temporary lodging in the town, Jiraiya looked at his three disciples with a refreshed expression. He himself didn't know how long he had spent gathering materials, but when he returned, his three disciples had already returned as well.
As for whether they were practicing or going out to play during this process, he had no idea and did not want to investigate further.
In short, the time he had just spent had made him very happy, and it had instantly dispelled all his previous fatigue.
It's like when someone has been holding it in for too long, their overall mental state deteriorates.
He was naturally very glad that he had chosen to stay in this town at the last minute. After all, if he had missed it, he would have only been able to go to Kumogakure. Given his identity as a Konoha, he would definitely have attracted attention in Kumogakure, making it almost impossible for him to go there to retrieve the talent.
He was in a great mood during the research process and rewarded himself with a treat, which made him feel very happy and extremely satisfied.
"Ready."
Araki Minato and Kushina nodded simultaneously.
Two hours had passed since Araki left. After dealing with the Kumogakure ninjas, he returned to his residence. He had achieved his goal and had no intention of wandering around here anymore.
After all, doing so could very well be seen by some people with ulterior motives, and might ultimately lead to some less than ideal results, so we still need to be careful.
Not long after he returned, Kushina followed him back.
Then Minato returned.
None of the three mentioned what had just happened, as there seemed to be nothing noteworthy. Of course, Kushina hesitated several times, wanting to ask Araki why they had gone ten minutes early, but seeing that Araki was already in the process of making Explosive Tag, she kept her question to herself.
"These two are with you."
Just then, Araki suddenly reached into his ninja tool pouch and took out two small packets made of fallen grass leaves, which at first glance looked like herbal medicine packets.
"What's this?"