However, in that instant, Araki keenly sensed that an aura suddenly appeared at the spot where their Flying Thunder God Technique had landed.
This aura appeared out of thin air, as if it had also used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
But just as Araki noticed this aura, it suddenly vanished, disappearing completely without a trace.
"Um?"
A look of doubt flickered in Araki's eyes. Could there be other people in this world who Flying Thunder God Technique?
That doesn't make sense!
That was a technique researched by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju.
No one else should know this.
More importantly, even if someone else learns the Flying Thunder God Technique, they should have their own unique formula, rather than using Minato's formula.
So...
that is...
That aura could appear at a fixed point and leave just as easily, like peeking out to see the world outside...
Araki's expression suddenly turned serious as he thought of a name he had overlooked since arriving in the ninja world—the unsung hero behind the scenes of Naruto: Black Zetsu!
Araki immediately realized that, if his guess was correct, they must have made too much noise while using the Flying Thunder God Technique, which caught Black Zetsu's attention.
This is not a good thing for him.
Three days later.
Minato and his two companions, Jiraiya, returned to the gates of Konoha. They traveled at a slow pace, taking into account the time it would take to reach Kumogakure and avoid revealing that the Flying Thunder God Technique could be used against them.
There's a traitor in Konoha now. The enemy is in the open while we are in the shadows. If we can hide some of our strength, we should.
This was still a concept instilled in them by Araki.
Araki looked at the open gates of Konoha and knew that once he entered, the matter of Kumogakure would inevitably have to be brought to the forefront.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
Even he didn't know what kind of chain reaction it would cause.
Not only that.
Throughout the journey, he activated his senses to the maximum, sensing the sudden appearance of presences seven times, only for them to vanish quietly.
Each time, they appeared in a location far away from them, seemingly visible to the naked eye, yet not clearly discernible.
It is certain that...
The ever-appearing and disappearing aura was following them, and eventually led them to Konoha.
Chapter 7 The Barrier of Konoha
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 7: The Barrier of Konoha
Jiraiya and his group of four returned to Konoha without any trouble. They passed through the gate without any hindrance, which was not particularly unusual, since the gates of Konoha were always open and there was no apparent defense, but there were many sentries hidden in the shadows.
Upon seeing Jiraiya, the sentries naturally didn't think much of it.
" Jiraiya-sensei, we should sit down and talk about this."
Just after entering Konoha, Araki suddenly spoke, his voice so low that only a few of them could hear him.
This immediately drew everyone's attention back to them.
"Can."
Jiraiya nodded, then looked at Araki with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why didn't you say so on the way back?"
"This is where it's safe."
Araki replied with a half-smile, not making his words very clear, but only he himself truly understood the meaning behind them.
"Yes, that's true. We could be pursued by Kumogakure ninjas at any time on the road. We can only feel safe once we're back in the village. But, Araki, do you mean... we should talk before I see the Third Lord Hokage?" Jiraiya interpreted Araki's words as a fear of being caught by Kumogakure, since they had escaped from Kumogakure. Moreover, after hearing Minato's words on the road, he understood the danger involved, and thus naturally understood Araki's meaning. He then asked, "Or should we sit down and talk in detail after I see the Third Lord Hokage, or perhaps we can talk anytime? What do you mean?"
Let's talk before we meet the Third Lord Hokage!
Araki's voice was very firm. He knew exactly what he meant. There were some things that needed to be made clear before Jiraiya went to communicate with Konoha. However, he did not react to Jiraiya's misinterpretation.
The safety he was referring to didn't necessarily mean that the conversation had to take place in Konoha. If conditions allowed, he wouldn't mind clarifying these matters on the way.
Most importantly...
Throughout his journey back to Konoha, he could sense that faint, ever-present presence, watching them, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
If he hadn't known beforehand that there were no ghost stories in the ninja world, and that Andy had a character like Black Zetsu, he definitely wouldn't have been so calm.
Thinking about this, Araki suddenly felt that, in a way, being transported to a world he was relatively familiar with wasn't such a bad thing. He knew many things that might happen in the future, and he was also aware of some of the past history. He knew perfectly well who was hiding behind the scenes.
With these things, he felt a sense of security and control. If he were to travel to an unknown world, everything would be unfamiliar to him, and he would lose this feeling.
Since entering the gates of Konoha, Araki had been spreading his senses. There were many auras around him, all belonging to the people of Konoha. However, due to the large number of people in Konoha, he could not accurately distinguish the aura following them from the crowd.
Fortunately, that aura had a distinct characteristic: it didn't move easily. After appearing, it would disappear and then reappear, always at the maximum distance that they could see.
Such an appearance would be impossible for anyone other than someone with Araki's level of perception. Moreover, at that distance, even if one looked directly in the direction of the aura, it would be impossible to see anything clearly.
Based on this rhythm, Araki has not yet detected this special aura in his senses, but he cannot be completely certain that no one is following him.
" Jiraiya-sensei, could you please take us to a quiet place so that what we're saying won't be overheard by a fifth person?" Araki made his request immediately after a moment's thought.
"Okay."
Jiraiya nodded, waved to Araki, and then glanced at Minato and Kushina, signaling the two behind him to follow.
Actually, he wanted to discuss things with Araki and the Araki before meeting the Third Lord Hokage, which is why he asked that question.
soon.
The four of them then arrived at a house in a relatively secluded location.
From the outside, the house looks rather unkempt, with old wooden planks that appear to have been there for years. The owner also seems rather slovenly and doesn't seem to care much about maintaining it.
This is my home.
Jiraiya smiled slightly and opened the front door. A strange smell wafted out, but it wasn't overpowering. The three of them quickly adjusted and found it to be pleasant.
" Jiraiya-sensei, how long has it been since you cleaned your house?" Kushina asked, pinching her nose and frowning, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
"This... um... I don't know... I can't remember clearly," Jiraiya said, scratching his head.
"How could you not remember that?" Kushina, somewhat puzzled.
" Jiraiya-sensei, have you cleaned this house since you met us?" Araki casually after taking off his shoes, wiping his fingers on the shoe cabinet. His fingertips were covered in dust, showing that it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, or rather, it had been there for years.
"Probably not." Jiraiya gave an awkward smile.
"..."
Minato and Kushina both fell silent. They had no idea that this so-called "can't remember" was actually due to the passage of time that they couldn't recall it.
Araki really understands Jiraiya-sensei better!
Both of them had their own different feelings, and their gazes towards the room became even stranger. They couldn't say anything expressing their dislike, but they still went inside. They immediately felt the air inside making their skin itch.
"That's nothing," Araki immediately smoothed things over for Jiraiya-sensei, saying, " Jiraiya-sensei must have been too busy. If I'm not mistaken, he probably cleaned up once after returning from the Land of Rain!"
"Um... no..." Jiraiya shook his head awkwardly again, but although his actions looked awkward, he didn't actually show any embarrassment.
"..." This time, Araki fell silent. If the house hadn't been cleaned since returning from the Land of Rain, wouldn't that mean it remained Jiraiya-sensei went Land of Rain? Even he was starting to feel a bit disgusted. However, he still tried to smooth things over, saying, " Jiraiya-sensei taught three disciples in the Land of Rain. He stayed there for over a year, so it's normal that no one cleaned the house. I was negligent just now. It must have been cleaned before he left Konoha for the Second Shinobi World War."
"Actually, it's not..." Jiraiya raised his hands, rubbed his forehead, looked up at the ceiling, and pretended to be thinking. Then he said, "It was probably when I was about your age. At that time, I was studying with Hiruzen-sensei, who is now the Third Lord Hokage. I remember cleaning it once back then, but I can't remember if I cleaned it again after that."
"..."
Everyone, including Araki, fell silent. It sounded like a ghost story; no normal person could be so disheveled.
All I can say is...
As expected of Jiraiya-sensei!
" Jiraiya-sensei, you take a break for a bit. I'll quickly tidy up; I'm faster!"
As Araki spoke, he immediately set off. He couldn't bear to discuss the matter further in a less-than-ideal environment.
He didn't plan to clean all the rooms, but instead found the relatively simple dining room. There were no complicated decorations, and no particularly hard-to-reach corners, making it the easiest place to clean.
"Ah..."
Jiraiya was about to call out to Araki, he discovered that Araki had already disappeared.
"I'll go help!" Just then, Kushina suddenly stood up and quickly chased after Araki.
"I'll go help too!" Minato followed closely behind.
A dozen minutes later.
A restaurant that would make the three of them quite comfortable was presented to them.
As Araki cleaned, he kept sensing the surrounding energy, confirming that he hadn't detected anything unusual. At this point, he still couldn't be sure if the person following him was Black Zetsu. However, it seemed that the other party didn't intend to directly enter the barrier of Konoha.
Will we be discovered?
Araki had this question mark pop into his mind.
According to his memories of Naruto, Black Zetsu used to roam freely in Konoha. He could alter the inscriptions on the Uchiha Clan's stone tablet and help Madara Uchiha obtain Hashirama Senju's flesh and blood to open the Rinnegan. It seems that there were no restrictions on him within Konoha.
" Jiraiya-sensei, I have a question. Is the barrier around our Konoha really that powerful?" Araki asked tentatively, using a topic that was of great interest to him to start the conversation.
"Of course!" Jiraiya said confidently, "After Hiruzen-sensei became Hokage, he specially trained the Barrier Team. With the help of the Uzumaki Clan, they developed an extremely powerful barrier. Unless someone uses Chakra in a special way, even a fly flying into the village will be caught."
"Didn't the Third Lord Hokage have one before?" Araki suddenly realized a crucial question.
"Hmm, no, back when Konoha was first established, with a powerful ninja like the Lord First Hokage, Konoha didn't need a barrier at all. Even if ninjas from other villages came, they wouldn't dare!" Jiraiya said, a hint of longing in his eyes. "It's just a pity I didn't experience that era; I only heard about it in stories and don't know what it was like. But speaking of which, it was precisely because Konoha didn't have a protective barrier during the Lord First Hokage 'Lord First Hokage time that the village suffered a combined attack after his death, which led to the First Shinobi World War. It was at that time that the Third Lord Hokage decided to create a barrier for Konoha in the future, so that they could be prepared for any enemy attack!"
"I see!" Araki now completely understood. If the person following him was indeed Black Zetsu, then Black Zetsu hadn't found a way to break the barrier yet. Or rather, there was nothing in Konoha worth breaking, because Madara Uchiha was the most perfect opportunity the latter had received after so many years of perseverance. It was better to focus his attention on Madara Uchiha.
"Why did you suddenly ask about the barrier?" Jiraiya frowned slightly, vaguely sensing that there was some secret here, but he also had a feeling similar to that of the Kumogakure. Because he didn't understand, he couldn't guess what these words were trying to express.
"Actually, this matter is somewhat related to what happened today." Araki took a deep breath, instantly switching gears and immersing himself in the discussion, and said, " Kushina was once attacked by ninjas from Kumogakure in the village..."
"What?!"