To catch the thief, first catch the king.
This was a thought in Araki's mind. Moreover, the female ninja was standing still and hadn't moved. In addition, the ninjas from Kumogakure had already discovered many traps by moving forward.
Following this method, it's equivalent to ensuring the female ninja won't fall into any more traps, meaning a direct confrontation is needed.
Araki is more accepting of this approach.
It's just a fight!
After sparring with Little A, Araki had even greater confidence in his own strength, but he knew he hadn't reached Nankain's level yet. However, this didn't prevent him from being confident when facing this female ninja.
After all, the aura emanating from this female ninja and the confidence revealed in her facial expression were not as good as Nankain's. Even though she was Jonin from Kumogakure, her strength had just reached the Jonin.
Instantly.
Araki walked step by step toward the female ninja. His steps were very steady and there was no urgency, but it gave people the feeling that he was not walking in a straight line.
"Court death!"
However, at that moment, one of the Kumogakure ninjas immediately focused his gaze on Araki, and with a flash, he rushed directly towards Araki.
Pfft!
Just as the ninja appeared not far in front of Araki, a thick cloud of smoke suddenly enveloped him.
They accidentally triggered the poison trap that Araki had set up.
The paralyzing poison gas was injected directly into the man's body, causing his Byakugan to roll back and he to collapse to the ground, unconscious.
"That's definitely courting death."
Araki took a diagonal step forward and quickly appeared in front of the unconscious Kumogakure ninja. A Chakra Scalpel appeared at his fingertips and swiftly sliced across the Kumogakure's neck.
There was no sensation of profuse bleeding; instead, a very thin line of blood appeared at the nape of the neck.
It was this seemingly indistinct line of blood that directly robbed this Kumogakure ninja of all his life.
The whole process was incredibly fast, almost instantaneous. Even the Kumogakure ninjas present didn't have time to react. Araki's movements were fluid and seamless, without any hesitation, as if he had trained extensively. It was simple, even elegant.
After completing these actions, Araki continued walking with a very peculiar gait towards the female ninja.
Araki's actions immediately attracted the attention of the Kumogakure ninjas present. Many of them focused their gaze on Araki, and some even felt restless, wanting to attack Araki.
"Your mission is to capture that woman!"
Just then, the female ninja who was the leader of the Kumogakure ninjas spoke in a commanding tone.
She had been observing Araki and, through his behavior, discovered something that shocked him.
That's Araki's walking gait!
This isn't the gait of a normal person walking; it's more like they're dodging something. So, it's easy to guess that there must be some traps set up around them that could be triggered at any moment.
As for whether this young man was coming to challenge her or to use her as bait to lure the ninjas of Kumogakure into a trap, she had no idea and was unwilling to think about it any further.
Just as Araki had imagined, the female ninja became noticeably more cautious after learning that the surrounding area might be filled with various traps.
Upon hearing the female ninja's command, the Kumogakure ninjas immediately refocused their attention on Kushina. However, they didn't just stare at Kushina; they also diverted some of their attention to Minato beside her.
As for Araki, they completely ignored him!
A few steps later, Araki appeared in front of the female ninja from Kumogakure. He stood quietly in place without launching an attack, maintaining a relatively safe distance between them.
This safe distance was determined by Araki and Little A after their sparring session. Based on the attack capabilities of the Kumogakure ninjas, if they entered the Lightning Release Chakra mode, their speed would increase significantly, and this burst of speed would be amplified on their bodies, creating even more powerful attacks. Therefore, a certain running distance was required.
Speed can be increased by maintaining this distance, but Araki has made the distance relatively close. Although the distance between the two people does not seem too close, it is actually insufficient to support the speed that the Lightning Release Chakra Mode can unleash.
Do you want to be my rival?
Upon seeing Araki, the female ninja frowned deeply, a strong sense of disdain flashing in her eyes.
After all, to her, this was simply a case of the boy opposite her overestimating himself.
In this mission, she originally had no intention of taking action; simply leading her subordinates here as an overseer was sufficient.
At the same time, she had another thought in mind: she wanted to find out where Nankain had gone and why he hadn't completed the mission for so long.
"That's right."
Araki nodded, looking very relaxed, with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, revealing a relaxed arc, and adopting a half-smile, without any sense of facing an enemy.
"Dealing with you is the same as dealing with them. However, before I make my move, I want to ask you a question: if you don't get out, will anyone else come?"
Araki's voice rang out slowly. His tone was very polite, as if he were asking the female ninja in front of him for advice, but in reality, he directly asked his question without seeking her opinion at all.
It was precisely this way of speaking that made the female ninja frown even more deeply, feeling extremely displeased. Being questioned like this by a Genin made her feel very uncomfortable.
However, upon further reflection, she discerned something unusual in the boy's words.
"Have you met Nankain?"
The female ninja didn't answer Araki's question. Instead, she asked Araki a question in return. After all, her mission here was to provide supplementary information to Nankain. If Nankain had successfully completed her mission, she wouldn't have needed to come here at all.
"Of course I've seen them." Araki nodded casually, as if chatting about everyday matters. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, because these people were going to die sooner or later anyway, and they didn't pose any threat to them. There was no need to send them all away so quickly. More importantly, he could obtain some intelligence. Then he smiled and said, " Nankain is our chief examiner!"
"You understand what I mean!" the female ninja said coldly.
"Before asking someone a question, shouldn't you answer their question first? If you hadn't left, would anyone else have come?" Araki still didn't answer the female ninja's question, but instead asked the question he cared about most again.
"Yes." The female ninja nodded, making no attempt to hide anything. After all, they had already gone this far, essentially tearing off all pretense of civility, and there was nothing left to conceal. She said, "I advise you to give up resistance. The order to capture Kushina was personally issued by the Third Lord Raikage; it's a top-level mission within Kumogakure. Even if we fail, you're currently inside Kumogakure, and there's absolutely no way you can leave!"
The female ninja's voice was filled with intense confidence. As she answered Araki, she raised her voice even higher, ensuring that her words were clearly heard by the Kumogakure ninjas present, as well as by Minato and Kushina.
In an instant.
Everyone present heard what the female ninja said.
The ninjas of Kumogakure showed great joy on their faces. After all, these words were like a reassurance to them, allowing them to feel more at peace.
After all, the entire Kumogakure seemed to be standing behind them, and the person backing them up was none other than the Third Lord Raikage in the Kumogakure. And standing in front of them were just three Konoha Genin.
Not to mention the Konoha Genin, even the entire Konoha wouldn't feel any fear in their presence. The wavering thoughts caused by the trap instantly vanished, and everyone looked at their ancestor with eyes gleaming like hungry wolves spotting their prey.
On the other side, Minato and Kushina also heard what the female ninja said.
Kushina didn't react particularly strongly.
Minato's expression turned somewhat grim. After all, those words had given him an intense sense of pressure, as if a mountain was pressing down on him, and he couldn't budge it no matter how hard he tried.
They're currently in Kumogakure, and if even the Raikage is targeting them, he has no idea how to leave.
However...
Just when Minato's mind was wavering.
Araki's voice slowly rang out, calming his mind once again.
"I see..."
Araki revealed a sinister smile and said, "Since you keep coming to your deaths, I'll keep you company to the very end!"
Where is Lord Nankain?
The female ninja didn't pay attention to Araki's words; she just thought they were just childish boasting. She was more concerned about Nankain, though she had a strange sense of foreboding in her heart.
Chapter 73 Children make choices
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 73: Only Children Make Choices
After asking that question, Araki already knew what was going on and understood that the Hidden Kumogakure didn't intend to let them off so easily.
This is like a reassuring pill.
Araki never expected things to go smoothly from the start. After all, they had already reached Kumogakure. Given Kumogakure's obsession with the Nine-Tails, they could send people to Konoha to capture people before. Now that the person had arrived in Kumogakure, there was no reason for them to give up.
This was something Araki had expected, so it wasn't surprising. In fact, receiving such a clear answer made him feel more at ease.
"The Lord Nankain you're thinking about..."
Araki's lips curled up even higher. As he spoke, his heartbeat began to rise sharply, and powerful streams of green Chakra surged forth, rapidly flowing into the cells throughout his body.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Araki's body emanated powerful Chakra fluctuations, and under these fluctuations, a hazy green hue enveloped his body.
"He's dead!"
As Araki said this, he revealed a bright smile, his white teeth reflecting a chilling, sinister light in the sunlight.
These words were spoken.
The entire room fell silent.
The Kumogakure ninjas, including the female ninja, were all dumbfounded. They stood there silently, as if they had been struck by a pressure point, staring at Araki with trembling eyes. The shock in their hearts was beyond measure, and their seemingly calm surface could not hide the turbulent emotions in their hearts.
"What did you say?!"
The female ninja from Kumogakure stared wide-eyed at Araki's words, her eyes filled with disbelief.
I can't believe it.
She couldn't believe it.
But from Araki's expression, she didn't see the slightest bit of deception; his demeanor clearly conveyed the truth.
Most importantly...
After Nankain entered the Chunin Ninja Exams arena, he disappeared along with all the other Kumogakure ninjas who went in with him to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams.
One thing she was certain of.
That means Nankain definitely didn't come out!
So when she entered the Chunin Ninja Exams arena, her biggest thought was that Nankain might be hiding somewhere with some kind of plan, and she didn't even consider the possibility that he might already be dead.
After all, their mission target was only three Genin.
However, after hearing these words from Araki's mouth, she felt there was a slight possibility, even if the possibility was very low.
"Now it's your turn!"
While the female ninja was still pondering matters concerning Nankain, Araki was already enveloped in a layer of green Chakra. He controlled this green Chakra and entered Lightning Release Chakra mode.
Based on the current situation, Araki felt that the modified version he used could no longer be considered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, since he didn't use Lightning Release attributes or Chakra at all, but rather a special kind of Chakra.
Let's change the name then!