not good!
Everyone was taken aback.
They all knew very well what continuing like this meant; this power had already made them smell the scent of death, as if they had one foot in the gates of hell.
This is just the pressure of Chakra!
That's terrifying!
Everyone was filled with awe and wonder, but at this moment, they were speechless and even breathing was extremely difficult.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the pressure reversed. The force that had been pressing down on everyone vanished, and then it was as if invisible hands were lifting them up from below, causing each person to float up from the ground.
If they could see the world beyond that door, they would find that the sawdust and rubble inside, like themselves, were floating.
After floating for a moment...
The power of the Chakra vanished abruptly.
These people, along with the wood chips and rubble inside the Hokage's office building, fell back to the ground, and Araki was no longer inside the building.
"Hiss..."
Everyone present couldn't help but gasp. Even the most composed person would lose their composure after being in such a near-death situation.
What exactly happened just now?
"Why am I floating?"
"That Chakra is terrifying!"
Who is that person?
"..."
Just as people were whispering and speculating, the wooden vines blocking the main entrance of the Hokage's office building suddenly disappeared, revealing the scene inside.
Upon seeing the scene inside, the shock in everyone's hearts intensified. They had all regained their mobility, but at this moment, none of them dared to easily venture inside.
After all, they could clearly see what had just happened, and they had no idea what kind of monster was inside that could emit such terrifying Chakra.
Araki left after absorbing Hashirama Cells.
Without Hashirama Cells, the Hokage's office held no appeal for him. Throughout this process, he kept his senses open, monitoring the surrounding atmosphere. He knew clearly that many auras awaited him outside, but he did not walk out in front of everyone.
At this point in time, his strength allows him to stop deliberately hiding and avoiding things, but he also doesn't want to expose his strength to everyone for no reason, especially before the mole in the Konoha's upper echelons has been discovered.
Not long after, Araki went straight home. When he pushed open the door, he startled Kushina, who was sleeping inside.
"You're back so early?"
Kushina half-asleep, came out to greet him. For so many years, she had essentially been sleeping alone. Araki would occasionally come back at night, but only when it was clear that he would no longer be training, and those times were very rare.
This is clearly not the time. When they parted, Araki had already indicated that he was going to train, but now he has suddenly returned here, which is obviously a rather unusual thing.
"What happened?"
Kushina asked instinctively, her tone full of concern, her eyes fixed on Araki. It wasn't that she was particularly sensitive, but rather that they had just escaped from the Chunin Ninja Exams Kumogakure, and at this point in time, nothing that happened would surprise her.
"Fine."
Araki rubbed his forehead and shook his head. Although he felt refreshed and his mental strength had become stronger than before, he still felt tired after absorbing Hashirama Cells. This tiredness stemmed from his soul.
This feeling reminded Araki of times when he played games and, after playing for a very, very long time, he felt his brain stagnate.
Now is such a moment.
"I was just thinking..."
Araki suddenly stared intently at Kushina, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes before hardening, and said, "I want to go to Uzushiogakure."
"Ah?!"
This sudden suggestion caught Kushina completely off guard. She had never expected Araki to say something like that. However, considering that Uzushiogakure was her hometown and that Araki was interested in it, she felt a mix of shyness and intense satisfaction.
"Um."
Araki nodded, his gaze fixed on Kushina's presence, and continued, "You've come to my hometown, know what Konoha is like, and know me very well. But I've never been to your hometown. I don't know what the place where you grew up is like. I want to see it. Would you be willing to take me?"
"Sure!" Kushina was immediately excited and nodded in agreement without thinking. However, after nodding, she suddenly felt some resistance in her way and said, "I also want to take you, but there's not much of a chance right now. We probably won't have any more missions going out in the near future, let alone a mission to Uzushiogakure. We don't even know how to deal with the situation in Kumogakure yet!"
"We can just go directly. There's no need to ask for permission from above, nor do we need any mission or a legitimate reason." Araki waved his hand. He had always known that Kushina, or rather, Uzushiogakure, held a great secret. He had always wanted to go to Uzushiogakure to see for himself, but due to his limited strength, he had never gotten involved. Now he felt the time was ripe.
"Go straight there?" Kushina's lips twitched slightly. She hadn't expected Araki to be so crazy, but considering how Araki he was when facing the Kumogakure ninjas, it wasn't surprising. This guy had always been pretty crazy.
"Yes, let's go straight there, tonight, right now. I have a bad feeling that something might be about to happen in Uzushiogakure, so we should go and see." Araki said with a solemn expression. Considering the timeline, it was already a miracle that Uzushiogakure still existed.
In the previous timeline, Uzushiogakure would have been destroyed long ago.
It's truly amazing that the problem still exists, but in Araki's view, it doesn't mean the problem has been solved, but rather that it has been postponed for some reason.
Let Chapter 19 come out!
Konoha: Nobody knows I can use Wood Release! Chapter 19, come out!
So urgent?
A big question mark popped into Kushina's mind.
She was puzzled by Araki's sudden behavior, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she silently suppressed her doubts.
"All right."
Kushina nodded, choosing to stand on Araki's side. Even she herself didn't know when it started, but she had come to trust Araki completely, and even felt that she would obey his Araki word.
"Only..."
Kushina verbally agreed to Araki's request, but some hesitation was still evident. She then asked doubtfully, "Should we tell Minato and Jiraiya-sensei?"
Let's talk about these things when we get back.
Araki shook his head, rejecting the suggestion. At this moment, he had a very bad feeling, vaguely sensing that something might happen to the Uzumaki Clan at this time.
I didn't feel that way on the way back.
At the time, he was just thinking about visiting the Uzumaki Clan when it was convenient, but he wasn't in a hurry; it was just a thought in his mind.
However, after absorbing Hashirama Cells, his ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger. He felt that if he didn't go to Uzushiogakure now, he might never have such an opportunity again.
Based on this sentiment, Araki immediately decided to embark on the journey to Uzushiogakure, especially since he had already absorbed Hashirama Cells in Konoha, and there was no particular reason for him to stay and defend it.
Araki was never a true Konoha ninja from the beginning; he was just a stranger who had traveled to this place. All he cared about were the things he cared about, and all he wanted to protect were the people he wanted to protect.
"What if the Kumogakure investigates?" Kushina still had many concerns and hadn't completely let go. " The Kumogakure has always targeted me. Now that we've disappeared from the Chunin Ninja Exams, they'll definitely use our situation against us, and it might even threaten the Konoha. But if I'm not there at this time, things might become even more complicated."
"At this time, you don't need to worry about anyone else." Araki looked deeply at Kushina, as if he could see through her eyes to her kind heart, still thinking of others even at this moment.
"Alright." Kushina nodded, though she still had reservations, she was willing to follow Araki's arrangements.
"Let's go."
Araki immediately nodded and said "Yes," then turned and walked towards the door, seemingly without any attachment to the room whatsoever.
Kushina didn't say anything more. Uzushiogakure was her home, and being able to return to Uzushiogakure for a visit was something she had always wanted to do all these years.
In an instant.
The two walked out of the house one after the other.
They walked directly towards the main gate of Konoha.
Are we just going to walk out like this?
Kushina's eyes widened even more. She could hardly believe Araki's decision, because according to Konoha's rules, if he left like this, they would treat him as missing-nin.
She had initially thought that Araki would report it to the authorities.
Or, we could devise a way to give them a legitimate mission to carry out, allowing them to return to Uzushiogakure during breaks in their missions.
But...
That's how it is now; once you go out, there's nothing there.
"That's enough," Araki said calmly.
"That might lead to us being labeled as missing-nin." Kushina's expression turned serious.
"No, don't worry." Araki shook his head, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "At this point in time, we should still be participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams, so we have a reason."
"But didn't Minato bring us back?" Kushina's mind was in a mess.
"But the Chunin Ninja Exams aren't over yet. There are still two weeks until the third exam. So we can leave Konoha to go to Kumogakure to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams at any time during this period. Therefore, going out now won't be considered being missing-nin. Besides..." Araki hesitated at the end, not saying what he was about to say, but silently muttering to himself, "Unless Konoha is completely out of their mind, they would never define Wood Release ninja like me as missing-nin."
"I understand." Kushina nodded. Most of her worries disappeared, and she felt much better. She had thought that Araki had considered everything, but it seemed that she had overthought things. So when these problems arose, she still had some concerns. Now, after Araki's explanation, those concerns were gone.
The next moment.
Araki then led Kushina directly out of the gates of Konoha.
"Why don't I see anyone?"
Kushina looked at the entrance to Konoha with a puzzled expression. Logically, they should have been stopped by ninjas if they went out at this moment, but there was nothing there.
We haven't seen a single Jonin along the way.
Although it's nighttime, the entire back of the village is unusually quiet, unlike the Konoha we're used to seeing.
certainly...
What she didn't know was...
Right now, almost all of Konoha's attention is focused on the direction of the Hokage's office building.
Previously, when Araki absorbed Hashirama Cells, he caused such a commotion that these people had no interest in such a trivial matter as whether two Genin were leaving the village.
The two left Konoha without any hindrance and embarked on the official road leading outwards.
"Call..."
Just as the two walked out of the Konoha barrier, Kushina breathed a sigh of relief, because she thought they would encounter a lot of obstacles along the way. She was still thinking about what kind of excuse to use, but they were not questioned until they were truly gone.
This gave Kushina the feeling of skipping class; she knew that what she was doing might not be in accordance with the rules, but for some reason, she felt a sense of excitement.
Araki, however, showed absolutely no reaction, maintaining his steady pace as he continued forward.