"Don't worry, I won't tell, absolutely not!" Kushina's eyes immediately hardened. Hearing these words, a warm current flowed through her heart, nourishing her soul. It proved that she was a unique being.
"Any other questions?" Araki asked with a smile.
"That's all." Kushina shook her head. Her feelings of gratitude did not change her attitude towards the matter. She genuinely had no other questions. She had already found out everything she wanted to know here.
"Then let's keep going." Araki waved to Kushina, signaling them to continue on their way.
"Why are we going to Uzushiogakure?" Another question popped into Kushina's head. This was something that had been bothering her since she set out. Uzushiogakure was her hometown, but it had nothing to do with Araki, which was what puzzled her.
I must visit your hometown!
Araki grinned but didn't say anything more. He had already prepared his explanation, and that was enough. There was no need to explain further, because even he himself couldn't explain the authenticity of this feeling. Only the true path of the Hidden Village could know.
"All right."
Kushina watched Araki's retreating figure, her inner turmoil made her feel that this reason was somewhat perfunctory, but she couldn't find a more suitable possibility. Could it be that he simply wanted to go and visit her home?
Before they knew it, Araki and Kushina had been gone for two days.
In Konoha.
Minato stood on the bridge with a dark expression on his face. In front of him was their teacher Jiraiya.
" Jiraiya-sensei, is there still no news of Araki and Kushina? They couldn't have just vanished into thin air in the village, could they?" Minato's face showed an indescribable helplessness. He had been searching for Araki and Kushina for the past two days, but without any news. At this moment, he even felt that the two of them were no longer in Konoha.
"No." Ziran shook her head and said, "A lot has happened in the village these past two days, which has attracted my attention. I haven't been focusing on those two. If you hadn't come to me, I wouldn't know about this."
" Jiraiya-sensei, do you think it has anything to do with Kumogakure?" Minato asked, guessing.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think it's very likely." Jiraiya shook his head again and said, "If we were still in Kumogakure and they disappeared, then it might be related to Kumogakure. But we're in Konoha. Do you really think two ninjas can just vanish into thin air like that?"
"But they really are gone!" Minato took a deep breath, his expression becoming even more grave.
"Didn't you leave the Flying Thunder God Formula on them? Can't you sense their location?" Jiraiya.
"I also tried to communicate with the Flying Thunder God Formula on them, but I don't know their exact location. I can't keep searching with Chakra; it's almost like looking for a needle in a haystack." Minato shook his head helplessly. The Flying Thunder God Formula require him to use Chakra to communicate with them. If he knew the location of the Flying Thunder God Formula beforehand, he could communicate with them. However, communicating with moving Flying Thunder God Formula is extremely difficult. He can only track moving Kunai, but it's far too difficult to track constantly moving humans.
"Were any jutsu patterns found on them within the boundaries of Konoha?" Jiraiya asked again.
"I can't cover the entire Konoha with Chakra; that would consume too much of my energy. I can only search in specific areas. I didn't sense the Flying Thunder God Formula on any of the places I've searched." Minato said this with a hint of regret on his face.
"Then don't worry. I don't think there's anything wrong with them, but they might have run into some trouble, which is why they haven't been able to communicate with us in time. From now on, I'll pay closer attention to what's happening in Konoha, and I'll let you know if there's any news," Jiraiya said seriously.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato immediately expressed his gratitude, as the disappearance of Araki and Kushina had left him somewhat worried.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a figure appeared not far in front of the two. This person was wearing a black ninja outfit and a mask to cover his face. He was Anbu Ninja from Konoha.
Is there something you need?
Jiraiya looked at the suddenly appearing Anbu Ninja and realized that they wouldn't have come to find him so easily unless there was a reason. Recalling his discussion with Minato about the disappearance of Araki and Kushina, his expression immediately turned grim, and a sense of foreboding arose in his heart.
Not only Jiraiya showed this reaction, but even Minato, who was standing next to him, looked distraught.
He wanted to hear it, yet he didn't want to hear it.
I wanted to hear what it was about, but I was also afraid that what I heard might be something he couldn't accept.
" The Third Lord Hokage asked me to tell you..." This Anbu Ninja didn't avoid Minato, clearly indicating this wasn't a matter requiring secrecy. His actions suggested he was merely relaying information. He said, "An envoy from Kumogakure has arrived!"
"Understood, you can go back now, I'll be there soon."
Jiraiya immediately realized what had happened. After dismissing the Anbu Ninja, he turned to Minato and said, "It seems they know we've left Kumogakure."
"What about Araki and Kushina..." Minato's expression turned grim.
"I actually think they're safer now. If they had fallen into the hands of the Kumogakure ninjas, especially since Kushina is exactly what they wanted, they definitely wouldn't have come here to put pressure on Konoha. That would have achieved their goal," Jiraiya said with a smile. "But now it proves they haven't achieved their goal!"
Chapter 29 Uzushiogakure
Konoha: Nobody knew I could Wood Release! Chapter 29: Uzushiogakure)
Three days later.
Araki and Kushina arrived at the Land of Fire, and beyond the southeastern border lay the Uzushiogakure.
We're almost there.
Looking at the terrain ahead, Kushina felt a sense of familiarity, even though she hadn't been back for a while. It was the scene she had experienced when she first left Uzushiogakure for Konoha, and it was still vivid in her mind.
Having not returned to her hometown for so many years, Kushina still harbors some longing in her heart.
She had never thought about it this way before, and therefore had no such feelings. But now that she had arrived here, the nostalgia in her heart was instantly ignited, and the past events vividly resurfaced in her mind.
But...
This also brought her a different feeling.
She dared not go any further!
"What's wrong?"
Araki noticed Kushina standing there and subconsciously asked her what was going on. Actually, it wasn't Kushina who was leading the way, but him. Because he had obtained Hashirama Senju's memories, he now had a very clear understanding of the location of Uzushiogakure.
It's like having a GPS navigation system; you won't go astray at all.
When Araki arrived here, he already knew that Uzushiogakure was ahead, the area where the Uzumaki Clan lived.
At the same time, Araki's unease grew stronger, as if something was happening ahead. He felt a growing sense of urgency and, seeing Kushina standing there, suddenly had a strong urge to pull Kushina away quickly.
It was a feeling that arose from within, which Araki found perplexing, yet also filled with fear and dread.
After all, once such a feeling arises, it will control his behavior. As these Hashirama Cells enter his body, this is the first time such a thought has appeared, but he doesn't know if it will be the last. The fact that he was able to come to Uzushiogakure is because he was controlled by these thoughts.
However, he is still unclear about the outcome of this trip, so he is willing to trust his inner voice once. But if the result is not satisfactory and other thoughts arise later, he will act selectively.
However, there was one thing Araki was very clear about: when such thoughts kept popping into his mind, it was probably very difficult to resist them.
"I'm a little unsure how to face everyone." Kushina, her eyes fixed on the distance ahead, where the directional signs for Uzushiogakure were still a bit far off, barely visible. She continued, "I've been gone for so long, I wonder if the people in the village still remember me, Uzushiogakure I don't even know if those I care about are still around."
Kushina raised a relatively realistic issue.
The mortality rate in the ninja world is extremely high.
People die almost every day in any village, not just because of war, but because they have to go on missions, and they encounter corresponding dangers in the process.
These missions are intertwined and occasionally cause conflicts between villages, which in turn increases the mortality rate among ninjas.
Araki fully understood what Kushina was saying.
The same emotions would apply to him as well. If he left Konoha for a period of time, which could be several years, then when he returned to Konoha, many people might already be gone. Moreover, if he had personally experienced this period of time here, even if people left, it would have been a gradual process, step by step, to get to where he is now. But if he suddenly went back, he would feel all the changes, and at that moment, they would suddenly invade his body.
Anyone in this situation would feel a bit emotional.
I feel apprehensive as I approach my hometown.
Araki now believes that Kushina thinks that way.
Let's go.
Araki stepped forward and patted Kushina on the shoulder. If it were anything else, he might have let Kushina take a break and patiently tried to comfort her.
But now, the situation is different.
Araki had a very strong feeling that something extraordinary was happening in Uzushiogakure, and that every second was precious.
Given this situation, Araki felt it was best to trust his own feelings for the time being, so he chose to use this method to give Kushina some motivation, and then move forward.
"Um."
After calming down on the spot, Kushina's emotions eased slightly, and she was no longer as sad as before. Moreover, she knew very well that these emotions were inexplicable, because she had not seen anything and it was just her own unfounded speculation.
Immediately, Kushina quickly followed behind Araki, and together they headed towards Uzushiogakure.
Some time passed.
Araki and Kushina arrived in front of a village. Looking at it from afar, they found that although the village was not as large as Konoha, it was far larger than the Sunagakure and Kumogakure they had ever seen.
"This must be the Uzushiogakure!"
Araki looked at the village ahead, and his ominous premonition grew stronger. Up to this point, he had not seen a single member of the Uzumaki Clan, but according to the information he had obtained, the Uzumaki Clan still existed.
"Yes, that's right, this is Uzushiogakure..." Kushina's mood began to become slightly depressed, and she did not have the joy and happiness of returning to her hometown. It seemed that something was wrong with her.
Immediately afterwards.
The two began to walk towards the Uzushiogakure.
As they reached the gate, two people suddenly appeared and stopped them.
Both of them wore ninja Forehead Protector on their foreheads, with the same swirling pattern as Naruto Uzumaki's, a ninja design belonging to Uzushiogakure ).
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
The two ninjas looked at Araki and Kushina together. When they saw that both of them had the ninja insignia of Konoha on them, their expressions softened considerably, but they did not completely lower their guard.
"It's me!" Just then, Kushina spoke up. She waved to the two of them, wanting to call out their names, but the words wouldn't come out. After all, she hadn't been back for a long time, and people had changed so much; it was normal not to remember names. She quickly said, "I'm Kushina!"
" Kushina?"
The two ninjas guarding the gate both had a question mark popping into their heads at the same time. Their thoughts were focused on Kushina, and they frowned, adopting a thoughtful posture.
Kushina.
Konoha.
The combination of these two words easily evokes the image of the people previously sent to Konoha.
"You're Kushina Uzumaki?!"
One of the ninjas reacted immediately after a moment, looking over at Kushina's eyes. Her wide eyes were filled with intense shock; for them, seeing Kushina here was a very unexpected event.
"Yes, yes, it's me." Kushina nodded repeatedly. Being recognized made her very happy, giving her a feeling that she hadn't been forgotten by her hometown.
Why are you back?
"Has something happened in Konoha?"
The two gatekeeper ninjas asked questions at the same time, and during the questioning, they made way for the gate and led Araki and Kushina into the village.
Although they were asking questions, their expressions and demeanor revealed that they were still wary of them and remained highly defensive.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to come back and visit. It's been so long since I've been back," Kushina replied.