Kushina and Minato asked in unison, both harboring a vague premonition, but they preferred to hear Araki's answer.
"These are two antidote packets."
Araki calmly said, "After our last attack by the Sunagakure's poison, I realized that my research on antidotes was still insufficient, and I hadn't made enough preparations. So, during this time, I prepared a comprehensive guide to antidotes."
"A complete list of antidotes?" Kushina and Minato responded almost simultaneously.
"That's right." Araki nodded and said, "This contains almost all the antidotes I've ever known in my life, and they all correspond to the poisons of Sunagakure. I've marked them all, so you can take a look at them later. This way, you can be prepared for any eventuality during the Chunin Ninja Exams and prevent similar incidents from happening again."
"This is amazing!"
Minato and Kushina's eyes lit up simultaneously. Neither of them had expected that the antidote could be presented in its entirety, which was tantamount to telling them that they were now immune to all poisons.
This small herbal sachet may look ordinary from the outside, but it actually possesses very powerful effects.
This way, even if they are poisoned, they can quickly find an antidote and return to a normal state.
Perhaps it won't be needed during the Chunin Ninja Exams.
However, if they encounter those who are masters of poison, it's equivalent to eliminating their most powerful aspect.
This method is quite effective.
" Araki, you did a great job!"
Jiraiya immediately gave Araki a thumbs up. He was quite surprised by the appearance of such a thing, because when he used poison techniques in Sunagakure, he had thought that it would be better if there was an antidote. However, he also knew that Araki was not a superman or Tsunade. It would be a surprise if he could produce an antidote, but it would be normal if he couldn't.
But at this very moment, Araki unexpectedly produced it, which was a completely unexpected surprise.
The existence of this thing brought him a lot of peace of mind, and he placed greater hopes on his three disciples going further in the Chunin Ninja Exams.
"I also prepared a copy for you Jiraiya-sensei."
As Araki spoke, he took out another herbal packet, but this one was larger than the ones he Minato and Kushina earlier. "To achieve the same toxic effect according to the dosage, Jiraiya-sensei would definitely have to bear more poison, so a stronger antidote would be needed. These antidotes were specially formulated according to Jiraiya-sensei's weight."
"Wow, there's one for me too, Araki, thank you."
Jiraiya's eyes widened even more, gleaming with a brilliant light as he looked at the herb packet handed to him. He was even more delighted than when the other two disciples received theirs.
This is his antidote.
He won't be participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams, so he definitely won't be able to use his skills Chunin Ninja Exams this one.
However, in many subsequent battles and life experiences, there will always be times when one comes into contact with poisons. At that moment, there may be more occasions where these poisons can be used in a logical and appropriate manner.
But we have nothing to give you.
Minato looked at the herb packet in his hand and felt a wave of helplessness. The best gift he could give before was his Flying Thunder God Bitterness, but that was already given, and he had nothing better to give in return.
Kushina faces the same difficulties.
For a moment, both of them looked at Araki, blinking their eyes repeatedly and putting on a pitiful expression.
"I gave you this herbal packet because the Chunin Ninja Exams are a team effort, not an individual one. So you don't need to return the favor. Just give it your best during the Chunin Ninja Exams. We don't need you to achieve any specific results, but just don't get injured," Araki said casually, waving his hand.
"OK."
Minato and Kushina nodded simultaneously, both of them smiling Kakuzu. With this herbal pack, they had a much better chance of winning the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Then the group exchanged a few more words, their mutual exchanging of advice all related to the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Let's go.
Jiraiya felt that it was about time, so he stopped the three of them from their discussion, left their temporary lodging, and headed straight for the Wind and Thunder Gorge behind the town.
This town has these two entrances and exits.
They came through the outer entrance/exit, but now they're going out through the inner entrance/exit. It's like a natural barrier; almost anyone who wants to come to Kumogakure has to pass through here.
Where is Kumogakure) located?
Kushina was still full of questions, because according to Jiraiya-sensei, they would soon arrive at Kumogakure after leaving this village, but after coming out, they did not see any trace of the village at all, which was completely different from what she had expected.
"Have you forgotten? Didn't I tell you? Kumogakure is on the mountaintop."
As Jiraiya spoke, he pointed towards the cliff face of one of the mountains, where some peculiar patterns could be faintly seen.
"Um?"
Minato stared intently, observing carefully. He had never been here before, so his curiosity was similar to Kushina's. He had never seen anything like this before, and he had no idea what the outcome of many things would be.
"Take a closer look." Jiraiya smiled knowingly, but his steps didn't falter. As he walked, he said, "If you can't see clearly, come closer and take a better look."
Honestly, I've been using this app to follow my favorite books lately. It has features like switching between different sources, multiple reading voice options, and it works on both Android and Apple devices.
Following Jiraiya's lead, the three, including Araki, walked forward, keeping an eye on what exactly was on the cliff face.
Araki's eyes were slightly better than those of the other two. He vaguely felt like a "zig", but he didn't know what it was. It wasn't until he walked forward for a while that his eyes narrowed slightly and he suddenly realized.
Is that a plank road?
Araki immediately asked his question. After saying this, the hairs on his body stood on end, because the steep mountain wall was almost a right angle of ninety degrees. How terrifying would it be to build a plank road on such a mountain wall?
The key issue is that the current ninja world is not a mechanized future world, but rather remains in a relatively ancient and backward state.
What an enormous undertaking it would take to build such a plank road!
Araki's eyes narrowed sharply, deeply shocked by the sight before him. He vaguely recalled seeing a plank road between the cliffs of Kumogakure in the Naruto anime, but it was nothing compared to the awe he was witnessing with his own eyes.
"That's right, that's it. We need to go up those steps," Jiraiya and said.
"What?"
Minato and Kushina both stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their ears. Then, they looked again at the faintly visible pattern. With Araki's reminder, they could see the shadows of some steps.
This direction made them both gasp, as building steps on such a steep mountainside was incredibly difficult.
The largest steps they had ever seen before were those of the Hokage Rock, which led to the top of the Hokage Rock statue. But those steps were nothing compared to this.
"You're surprised just because you saw this?"
Jiraiya smiled enigmatically, then said meaningfully, "When you arrive at Kumogakure, you'll be even more astonished, for there you'll find the rarest sight in the ninja world: a cloud ladder!"
What is a cloud ladder?
Kushina's curiosity was completely piqued at this moment; just hearing the name gave her a sense of great interest.
The steps on the mountainside in front of her were already quite awe-inspiring, but the cloud ladder that Jiraiya-sensei mentioned seemed even more impressive.
"You can see there are two mountains here, and if we want to climb to the top, we can only do so through the mountain with the plank road. However, the top of the mountain isn't Kumogakure, because..."
Jiraiya spoke halfway through his sentence, not finishing his sentence at that moment. This sudden pause greatly piqued the curiosity of the three of them.
The three people, including Araki, stared intently at Jiraiya, waiting for him to say what he would say next.
This reaction and state of mind greatly pleased Jiraiya.
Hehehe.
Jiraiya smiled smugly, then pointed to a mountain opposite and said, " Kumogakure is actually located on the summit of this mountain."
"Then how do we get there?" Kushina raised an eyebrow sharply, her mind now filled with even more questions.
"That's the cloud ladder I was talking about."
Jiraiya's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. He had once visited Kumogakure during his travels around the world, and the shock he felt then was no less than that felt by the three of them now.
Even now, when he recalls it, he still feels that the architecture of Kumogakure is full of ingenious craftsmanship.
"There's a bridge connecting two mountain peaks in Kumogakure, right above us, but it's hidden in the clouds and can't be seen from the outside. You can only see it from the mountaintop," Jiraiya explained. "That's why attacking Kumogakure is extremely difficult; it's heavily guarded, with natural defenses protecting it."
"Hiss..."
The three of them gasped in shock.
Araki looked up at the sky above him and thought about the possibility of a heavenly ladder thousands of meters above him. An indescribable sense of awe welled up inside him. Even he, a transmigrator in the ninja world, could feel such a strong sensation, let alone the other people who already existed in the ninja world.
This terrain advantage also gives Kumogakure a natural stronghold that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.
No wonder the Fourth Shinobi World Wars have rarely taken place at the Kumogakure's headquarters.
Only the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, could defeat him. Looking back now, Tobirama was seriously injured not because he was not strong enough, but because he was too strong.
"Now is not the time to be awestruck. The real awe will come when you reach the summit and see the Heavenly Ladder."
Jiraiya looked at the three people, thought of his past self, and then, without saying anything more, slowly walked towards the steps on the cliff.
Araki and his two companions followed, but although the cliff appeared close at hand, it was actually still quite a distance away.
Chapter 54 I Challenge You!
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 54: I Challenge You!
Led by Jiraiya, Araki and his two companions walked for another half hour before finally arriving at the foot of the mountain wall.
It's important to know that Araki and the others are ninjas, and they travel very fast. Even so, it still took them quite a while, which shows that what appears to be in front of them is actually quite far away.
"This is the final path, the only way. Everyone who comes to Kumogakure must climb this steep cliff; there is no other way." Jiraiya looked up at the steps, then took a step forward, saying, "Now we have officially entered the territory of Kumogakure."
Araki followed Jiraiya up the steps of the cliff, his senses fully activated, monitoring everything around him.
There weren't just a few of them here; there were many other presences, though they weren't visible to the naked eye.
Above them were several auras separated by a great distance, likely those of people who had arrived before them and were climbing the cliff steps. This was the first time Araki had ever encountered such a feeling. In the past, the auras he sensed were all in a two-dimensional space, but now, he was sensing a vertical dimension, as if they were standing right above him, presenting an extremely strange sensation.
Fortunately, his perception ability is centered on himself, sensing auras within a certain distance around him; otherwise, these auras would be very difficult to detect.
Besides those who were also heading upwards, there were some other people with fixed auras, who were probably guards and scouts from Kumogakure.
After all, Kumogakure is deep in the clouds. Even if there are natural barriers to defend it, people still need to be sent to guard it. The clouds are both a protective barrier and a barrier for observation. Those who need to investigate intelligence must go down to a certain place on the steepest cliff to conduct observation.
Araki was certain that no one was watching them now, which meant that those who wanted to sabotage the operation had indeed been killed by him. Of course, even if there were any survivors, they wouldn't have any further thoughts after they reunited with Jiraiya-sensei, unless they were foolish enough to court death.
That being the case, Araki remained vigilant. They were getting closer to Kumogakure, and any unexpected situation could arise. On this cliffside walkway, even more variables could occur.
Another half hour passed.
"Stop."
Jiraiya suddenly spoke up, halting the ascent, saying, "We've been climbing for quite a while now. Let's rest for ten minutes and recuperate before continuing."
"Yes!"
The three, including Araki, nodded in agreement at the same time, and then, without much hesitation, simply sat down on the ground.
"This is so high! It's completely different from what I imagined. I still can't see the top, I wonder how much further it is..."