Jiraiya was greatly shocked. He had never heard of such a thing before. However, it wasn't that he was ignorant; rather, it just so happened that he was teaching Nagato and the other two in the Land of Rain at that time, and he knew almost nothing about what was happening in the village.
"Here's what happened..."
Araki recounted Kushina's repeated attacks by Kumogakure and "frankly" explained that he was the one who dealt with the Kumogakure ninjas. After these subsequent events, and with Jiraiya her backer, bringing up past issues no longer had such a significant impact.
Araki recounted the process in great detail, but omitted the Corpse-Dissolving Water and his own strength at the time. Instead, he described using poison to paralyze the enemy before easily defeating them.
Since Araki has been using poison frequently lately, neither Jiraiya nor Minato were surprised or upset. Araki also knew that they wouldn't go to Tsunade-sensei taught him how to use poison.
Kushina smiled, saying nothing, and silently listened to Araki's version of the story. Gradually, she felt she was about to forget what the original version was about.
Chapter 8 Tsunade knew
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 8: Tsunade knew.
Araki has been deceived quite a bit since he arrived in Konoha, so he feels no pressure at all to rewrite the story based on the original facts.
Moreover, for Araki, these things were originally his doing; he was simply changing some of the process. In the past, it wouldn't have been so easy to get away with it, but now, with the improvement of his strength, or rather, the improvement of the strength he has demonstrated, many problems can be easily solved.
Gradually.
Araki's voice echoed inside the house.
Everyone listened intently to what had happened back then, their faces incredibly solemn. Especially with Araki's tone and deliberately suspenseful delivery, the story of the Kumogakure ninja invasion was told in a way that made everyone's heart pound and their curiosity incredibly piqued.
Jiraiya remained extremely silent. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing. Although he was in the Land of Rain at the Minato Araki, Kushina, and Kushina were not yet his disciples, he was still nervous after hearing it.
Minato Kumogakure was invading the Chunin Ninja Exams arena, he had heard that Kushina had been ambushed, but he hadn't mentioned the details at that time.
So much so that when he hears about these things now, his level of tension is no less than Jiraiya's.
His eyes remained fixed on Araki, his azure eyes slightly glazed over. It wasn't that he was lacking concentration, but rather that after hearing Araki's description, he felt as if he were there, experiencing firsthand the state of affairs of that time.
If it were me...
If I had encountered such a situation back then...
Then I'll definitely lend a hand, right?!
Minato silently questioned himself. After all, at that time, he and Kushina were not particularly familiar with each other, and they had barely exchanged a few words. He had been silently watching Kushina, but that was all; the two of them always maintained an insurmountable distance.
On the other side.
Kushina listened to the new story unfolding around her with a constant smile.
After a long while.
Araki has finished recounting everything that happened in the past.
"Call..."
They all breathed a long sigh of relief, as if they had gone through the experience with Araki, the imagery was incredibly vivid.
" Araki, are you implying that Kumogakure has been eyeing Kushina time?" Jiraiya a deep voice, stroking his chin.
"To be precise, they've set their sights on the Nine-Tails," Araki said.
"Yes, that's right. Kushina replaced Lady Mito. In the past, the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Lady Mito, and even if the Third Raikage had any ideas, he had to suppress them all. But when the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was replaced by a little girl instead of Lady Mito, it's understandable that the Kumogakure ninjas would be restless," Jiraiya continued his analysis.
"The main motive should be as Jiraiya-sensei said, but the most important thing is that Kumogakure has the method to open Konoha's barrier. That's definitely not something that Kumogakure ninjas could have figured out on their own. There's definitely something wrong with that." Araki took the initiative to express his thoughts this time. After all, at this point, he couldn't rely on guessing anymore; he had to say it directly to be more convincing.
"You mean, the traitor within the village was already planning these actions back then?" Jiraiya, and he exclaimed in surprise. It wasn't that the matter was hard to understand, but rather that it was something he had never expected.
In the past, at any point in time, Konoha was extremely sacred to Jiraiya!
But now, he felt as if Konoha had been defiled.
The same feeling also appeared in Minato's heart. He had the same thoughts in his mind. In the past, his impression of the village was that it was very secretive, but after these things happened, he felt like he had swallowed a fly.
but...
Unlike Jiraiya's constant loss within himself.
Minato had not completely lost hope in Konoha. He did not believe that Konoha had any fundamental problems, but rather that the problem lay with this particular group of people in Konoha.
"That's right."
Araki nodded emphatically, then said, " Jiraiya-sensei, this is something I wanted to tell you before you met the Third Lord Hokage."
If I'm not mistaken...
" The Third Lord Hokage might have known about this!"
"But he was unwilling to make the answer public."
"So..."
" Jiraiya-sensei!"
You need to be mentally prepared!
Araki spoke one sentence after another, his voice growing increasingly deep, creating a tense atmosphere while simultaneously arousing everyone's interest.
Not only that.
Araki continued to sense the surrounding atmosphere, making sure that no one was listening and that he was no longer being followed by that strange aura.
" The Third Lord Hokage knows about this?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"He must know." Araki nodded confidently and said, "From the attack on Kushina in the village, to the attack on Kushina while she was on a mission, and then to the attack on Kushina when she went to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams, there was a huge force behind all these events. There are only a few people who could do such things, so the Third Lord Hokage must know."
"This..."
Jiraiya took a deep breath. He suddenly realized that Araki's words might make a lot of sense. That was probably the case. However, as the Third Hokage's disciple, he had always hoped that the Third wouldn't be involved. Especially after he personally proved that the Third was innocent, he was even less willing to investigate the problem too diligently, for fear of bringing up something he didn't want to see again.
In an instant.
Because of Araki's words, Jiraiya needs to face reality.
" Jiraiya-sensei, this is just my speculation, there's no evidence whatsoever, you don't have to completely believe me." Araki casually waved his hand.
"What you said makes a lot of sense." Jiraiya sighed helplessly.
" Jiraiya-sensei, I suddenly thought of a question. Do you know where the cells of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, are located in the village?" Araki suddenly brought up a new topic, and the unexpected change made everyone present, including Jiraiya, pause for a moment.
"Why are you asking about the Hashirama Cells?" Jiraiya paused for a moment before speaking. He didn't directly say " Hashirama Cells," but instead respectfully referred to them as " Hashirama Cells." One of the biggest reasons for this was his respect for the First Hokage Hashirama Senju.
" Kushina is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. If you want to control the Nine-Tails, you need either the Lord First Hokage's Wood Release Ninjutsu or the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan. Right now, the Uchiha Clan is in the village and is at the height of their power. Releasing the Nine-Tails would actually be most advantageous for them!" Araki deliberately spoke in the direction of the Uchiha Clan.
"I don't think this matter has anything to do with the Uchiha Clan," Jiraiya said decisively. " The Uchiha Clan may seem very powerful, but that's just a historical illusion. Except during the Second Hokage's time, the village never used Uchiha Clan members as high-ranking officials. In other words, even if someone in the Uchiha Clan knew who the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was, they wouldn't know the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's exact identity. Those who know these things are ultimately the higher-ups of Konoha."
" Jiraiya-sensei, you think so too, which is why I asked where the Lord First Hokage's cells are stored. It might be related to the ultimate interests at stake!"
Araki cleverly introduced Hashirama Cells, and at the same time used this method to change the nature of Kushina's abduction.
After all, at this point in time, apart from the people of Kumogakure, very few people know that the Third Raikage once fought against the Eight-Tails and possessed the strength to suppress Tailed Beast.
So now it's a choice between two options.
The Uchiha still Hashirama Cells.
Faced with this choice, Jiraiya was completely drawn into Araki's specific rhythm. After careful consideration, he suddenly realized that Araki's words made some sense.
"The location of the Hashirama Cells isn't exactly a secret. Many people in the village know, including your Tsunade-sensei. So I don't think the Hashirama Cells play any decisive role here. Besides, even if you got the Hashirama Cells, it would be impossible to replicate Wood Release ninja." Jiraiya shook his head, without revealing the specific location.
"I understand." Araki nodded regretfully. From Jiraiya's words, he had obtained very important information: Tsunade-sensei knew.
Come to think of it...
Tsunade-sensei is the granddaughter of First Hokage Hashirama Senju!
How could she not know where her grandfather's ashes were kept?
Why didn't I think of that sooner!
If they had thought of these things earlier, why bother with all that effort? They could have just gone to Tsunade-sensei to ask.
With that thought in mind, Araki had made up his mind. It was time to go see Nawaki. It had been a while since he'd seen him, and he wondered how Nawaki's medical studies were going. It was time to give him a test.
For a while afterward, Araki didn't bring up any new topics. The group discussed the current issue, and after reviewing what had happened, Jiraiya still decided to report it to the Third Lord Hokage, since it involved extremely serious competition between villages.
"They're finally out!"
Kushina walked out of Jiraiya's house and couldn't help but stretch. The group had been chatting quite lively, but she had been a listener the whole time and hadn't participated at all. At first, she found it quite novel, but after a while, she felt a little tired.
After stepping outside and taking a breath of fresh air, I immediately felt refreshed and invigorated. The suffocating feeling I had earlier also disappeared.
" Minato, Kushina!"
Just then, Araki suddenly spoke up. His face was serious and his expression earnest as he looked at the two of them and said, "I have some things to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. You two should get some rest when you get back; you've been through a lot lately."
That's all.
Araki didn't wait for their reply and ran straight towards Tsunade's residence, looking very hurried.
After all, this involves the Hashirama Cells!
Minato and Kushina looked in the direction Araki had left, their expressions different.
Kushina was relatively calm. She had experienced similar things before. At first, she felt sad because Araki had abandoned her, but gradually, her mood calmed down and she no longer felt that way.
Minato stared at Araki's departing figure until Araki completely disappeared from his sight, his azure eyes filled with complex emotions.
" Araki's strength has far surpassed mine."
Minato said with a sigh, his tone revealing a sense of melancholy and helplessness, but there was no jealousy or gloom, but rather a feeling of striving to be the best.
" Kushina, I won't keep you company any longer. Araki must be busy with his training. I need to go train too, otherwise the gap between us will only widen!"
Minato's figure flashed and disappeared as well. They had returned to Konoha, so they were relatively safe. He had nothing to worry about. Right now, all he could recall was the feeling of his body being filled with Chakra.
This feeling was so overwhelming that it left him deeply disturbed.
At the same time, this feeling also became the driving force for Minato's progress. At this moment, he had never yearned for training as much as he had ever had.
Araki quickly arrived at Tsunade's residence. Looking at the familiar door, he realized that he had rarely been here since graduating and joining the ninja team.
"I wonder if that brat is here?"
Araki reached out and gently knocked on the door.