Do you want me to lend you my power?
The voice gradually became clearer, causing Kushina's pupils to turn slightly red, but within a restrained range.
However...
Just as Kushina was mentally preparing herself to take a desperate gamble.
Araki's calm and deep voice suddenly rang out, echoing in the room and restoring her to a state of mental clarity.
"You're too slow!"
When Araki said those words, the other four people were completely stunned.
This sounds like he's in cahoots with three men.
Upon hearing this, the three men hesitated for a moment, wondering if the village had arranged for someone to meet them.
Kushina's eyes were filled with confusion; she was completely bewildered and couldn't see the situation clearly at all.
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of a door closing rang out; Araki had locked the door from the inside.
The moment he entered the room, he saw the Forehead Protector of these three people. They were not ninjas from Konoha, but ninjas from Kumogakure.
This is the group from Kumogakure who came to kidnap Kushina!
Araki remembers this scene very clearly: Kushina threw her red hair on the ground, which was spotted by the observant Minato Namikaze, who then successfully dealt with the few ninjas from Kumogakure and won the heart of the beauty.
He originally thought that Minato Namikaze would continue to handle these public appearances, and that he could simply focus on improving his strength each day.
But...
He never expected this...
He's been going home so infrequently lately, only when he's picking up his schoolbag in the morning and putting it down in the evening, that he still manages to run into Kumogakure invaders, and manages to trap them inside his house.
perhaps...
This must be fate!
Since that's the case.
Let's see them off!
Araki had already accepted Kushina in his heart, and if this hadn't happened in front of him, or if he hadn't known about it, he could have convinced himself to let it go.
But it just so happened that it bumped into something exactly like that...
And these people even wanted to take his life...
There's nothing we can do about that!
Chapter 12 Practice Results
"Let me test the results of my training during this time!"
Araki stared coldly at the two Kumogakure who were approaching him step by step. His expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of panic.
Araki calmly placed his left and right hands behind his waist, while raising his right hand, opening it into a palm with his fingertips slightly raised, facing the two Kumogakure ninjas. His right foot was tilted to the side, with his toes aligned with the direction of his right hand's fingers, while his left foot was perpendicular to his right foot.
The pose itself isn't complicated, but once it's executed, it gives the impression that a fight is about to break out.
After Araki struck this pose, everyone, including Kushina, was stunned.
" Araki..."
Kushina's lips moved slightly; she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. There was a hint of unfamiliarity in her eyes as she stared at Araki.
The Araki she knew was completely different from the Araki she remembered.
In the past, Araki was low-key and almost invisible. He would avoid trouble and rarely took action in the Ninja Academy. Even in mock battles, he didn't seem to have anything remarkable to offer.
However, at this moment, she sensed a spirit she had never seen before emanating from Araki. Even though he was just standing at the door, he gave her an extremely strong sense of security, allowing her to safely block out the noisy voices constantly surging within her.
"Could this be the real Araki?"
Kushina's breathing became rapid. She suddenly realized that she seemed to have discovered some secret, which made her even more curious about Araki.
Not only that.
Her thoughts began to wander rapidly.
She remembered her earlier cry for help, Araki immediately opened the door and rushed in, showing that Araki had come specifically to save her!
Araki must be hiding his true strength!
However, Araki is willing to reveal his true strength for himself!
This... this...
Kushina's gaze towards Araki softened. In her most fearful, terrified, and helpless moment, her first friend in Konoha risked everything, even revealing his hidden strength, to save her.
The more she thought about it, the more moved she became, and her body went limp.
"Heh heh heh, what kind of move is that? Are you trying to use Taijutsu?" The scarred- Kumogakure couldn't help but laugh out loud after seeing Araki's stance. Then, his eyes turned cold, and he said, "You still can't even Hand Seals!"
"What an interesting Konoha! If I weren't so pressed for time, I'd really like to have some fun with him!" said the ninja walking towards Araki from the left with a smile.
"That's right! To actually use taijutsu in front of us Cloud Village ninjas is simply showing off your limited skills. It's incredibly ignorant. Don't you know that our Cloud Village ninjas' taijutsu is unparalleled in the ninja world?" the ninja on the right said with a sneer.
Even now, these three Kumogakure ninjas didn't take Araki seriously, after all, Araki was just a child who was not even ten years old.
After assuming his stance, Araki quietly observed the group of people in front of him. When he confirmed that the two Kumogakure ninjas were closer to him than he was to the scarred-faced ninja, a slight smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes instantly sharpened like those of a hawk.
Now!
Araki has been repeatedly practicing basic skills with Might Duy for some time now. Although he hasn't started practicing any special moves yet, he feels it's time to test his progress.
Suddenly.
Araki's abdominal muscles bulged as he exerted force in an instant.
The powerful core strength directly activated the core muscle group between the thigh and calf, suddenly unleashing a terrifying speed, like a cheetah charging directly towards the nearest ninja on the right.
Whoosh!
Araki's figure instantly created a series of afterimages, his speed so fast that the four people in the room stared wide-eyed, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Araki clenched his right fist quickly as he moved, and because he was very close to the ninja on the right, he was in front of him in the blink of an eye. The latter was still in a state of shock, and his brain was still a little slow to react, let alone his body could not keep up with the movement.
"Bang!!!"
Araki delivered a solid punch to the ninja on the right, slamming it into his head and creating a loud, explosive sound.
The ninja on the right suddenly widened his eyes, his eyeballs bulging out as if they were about to pop out. With a violent tremor, everything went black in his vision, and he lost consciousness on the spot, without even feeling any pain.
The ninja swayed slightly before collapsing to the ground, his body unable to withstand Araki's powerful punch.
"Um?"
Upon seeing this, the scarred ninja frowned deeply, and his gaze towards Araki changed.
He never expected that such a small child could knock out his companion in an instant.
Although he didn't think his companion's life was in danger, it was enough for him to take the child seriously.
"Go to hell!"
Just then, the ninja on the left who hadn't been targeted by Araki raised a sharp Kunai and thrust it directly at Araki's back.
Araki's house wasn't very big.
The two ninjas were very close together.
While Araki was prioritizing his attack on the ninja on the right, the ninja on the left had already reacted. He moved extremely fast, grabbing Kunai and preparing to kill Araki.
However...
Just as the Kunai was about to pierce Araki's back.
Araki's figure swayed slightly, as if he had teleported, and suddenly moved to the side to make room for him.
This lightning-fast change caused the Kunai its mark, striking thin air. The force he unleashed in his anger caused him to lose his balance on the spot, his body tilting uncontrollably forward, unable to pull back.
At this moment, the ninja on the left was in an awkward position, having exhausted his old strength and not yet developed new one, and could only watch helplessly as Araki quickly attacked from beside him.
"Smack!"
Araki delivered a powerful chop to the wrist of the ninja on the left, who was holding Kunai. The force was so strong that it instantly numbed the ninja's wrist, causing the Kunai to slip from his grasp and fall out of his hand.
Immediately afterwards.
Under his horrified gaze.
Araki's body moved forward again in a strange manner. His right hand, which had just been slapping down with a chop, immediately grabbed the handle of the Kunai in mid-air and then quickly moved towards the neck of the ninja on the left, who was losing his balance and leaning forward.
"Whoosh!"
A streak of bright red blood splattered out, stunning the scene.
The ninja on the left stared wide-eyed, his expression one of disbelief. From the moment he failed to stab Araki to the moment his throat was slit, it was only a split second. His eyes saw it, but his brain hadn't even registered it yet.
In an instant, his pupils dimmed, his consciousness rapidly blurred, and his life force quickly dissipated.
"You..."
The scarred ninja was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't even see what was happening. Araki's figure was like a double image, moving so fast that his naked eye could hardly see it.
"Pfft!"
With a piercing sound, Araki's figure froze, allowing the scarred ninja to see him clearly this time.
At this moment, Araki, holding Kunai in his right hand, precisely pierced the back of the previously unconscious ninja on the right, instantly turning him from unconsciousness to death.
The Kunai's sharp blade pierced directly through the ninja's heart on the right, embedding itself in the floor like a nail.
"Don't rush, let me finish you off first, now it's your turn."
Araki slowly stood up and spoke slowly and deliberately. His entire set of movements was smooth and fluid, without the slightest hesitation. After leaving the Kunai on the corpse, he still maintained the same posture as before, with his right hand and right foot pointing forward.
His left hand remained behind his back at the entire time, without ever moving. The tension in his muscles filled his body with power, and his control over speed was so absolute that he could do whatever he wanted.
After killing two of the Kumogakure ninjas, Araki had a rough assessment of his own Taijutsu skills.