Page 237
Page 237
Konan noticed Jiraiya approaching her warily. Her pretty face suddenly darkened, and she shrank back, glaring at him with a look of full resistance. She demanded sharply, "What are you doing!"
Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly at Konan's fierce reaction and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Don't be nervous, I mean no harm... Um, Konan, I heard Orochimaru is in your hands?"
He cautiously probed, asking in a low voice.
Konan's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this, but her expression remained unchanged as she coldly uttered a few words: "Orochimaru? Never heard of him."
They were so indifferent that it was as if they were truly unaware.
Seeing that Konan was unwilling to budge, Jiraiya frowned and remained silent for two seconds before continuing to plead, "Konan, could you spare his life for my sake?"
Konan maintained her aloof and unapproachable demeanor: "I told you, I don't know anything about Orochimaru."
She paused, looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes, and added coldly, "Besides, you don't have any influence with me."
Jiraiya stared at Konan's icy face, opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, and finally could only sigh helplessly and say with a wry smile, "Alright..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he wisely shut his mouth, feeling a surge of guilt and bitterness in his heart.
He had failed to protect these children back then, so it was only natural that Xiao Nan was so cold to him now.
Konan was clearly still wary and resistant to Jiraiya, and had no intention of saying much to her former master.
Seeing this, Jiraiya could only shake his head helplessly and give up, turning his gaze back to the screen in front of him.
The group fell silent, and an awkward silence spread through the darkness.
……
on the screen.
Nagato pushed open the door of the wooden house and came out.
As soon as she stepped out the door, the damp, cold air and icy raindrops hit her in the face, causing Nagato to shiver involuntarily.
It was still raining outside. Under the gray sky, the raindrops formed a curtain, washing over the muddy ground and making a rustling sound.
Nagato stood at the doorway, the faint sound of wind breaking through the air mingling with the sound of rain.
A thought struck him, and he quickly followed the sound to the back of the wooden house.
Sure enough, this is what came into view: in the pouring rain, Yahiko was practicing swordsmanship with his arms bare.
He was wearing only a thin short-sleeved shirt, the fabric of which was already soaked through by the rain and clung tightly to his muscular body.
At this moment, Yahiko's posture of wielding the short sword was already quite imposing. Each slash brought out a sharp wind, splitting the rain curtain in front of him open, and the splashing rainwater flew in all directions!
Yahiko's feet splashed mud everywhere, but his figure remained steady, exuding an extraordinary aura.
This sight brought a smile of relief to the face of the girl under the eaves.
In her dream, Konan sat under the eaves of a wooden house, quietly watching Yahiko, who was wielding his sword with all his might in the rain.
Seeing his friend training safely in the rain, Nagato finally felt a little relieved. He smiled slightly, quietly walked to the eaves, and sat down next to Konan without disturbing Yahiko's training.
Konan glanced sideways and saw that Nagato had finally woken up. She nodded to Nagato and then turned her attention back to Yahiko in the rain.
Looking at the scene before him, Nagato felt a strange sensation rising in his heart.
You should know that the last time I saw Yahiko practicing his sword in my dream, his moves seemed a bit rusty, and he even seemed to struggle a little when wielding his short sword.
But how could Yahiko's swordsmanship have improved so rapidly in just a few days?
Moreover... Nagato carefully examined the orange-haired boy in the rain. Compared to when he saw him in the dream last time, Yahiko seemed to have grown taller and was much more robust.
Just as Nagato was puzzled, Yahiko, who was in the rain, finally noticed the extra figure under the eaves.
He sheathed his short sword, then carefully shoved the knife back into its scabbard on his back before quickly walking toward the hut.
Upon spotting the red-haired youth sitting next to Konan, Yahiko smiled and said, "Nagato, you're awake!"
Nagato met Yahiko's concerned gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips, and nodded: "Mm."
Yahiko walked excitedly to the eaves, where Nagato could see him more clearly.
Rainwater slid down the strong muscle lines of Yahiko's arms. He was not only much taller, but his muscles were also more well-proportioned and powerful than before.
Nagato's gaze involuntarily fell on Yahiko's bulging biceps, astonished by the dramatic change in his friend.
Yahiko noticed Nagato staring at his arm and couldn't help but laugh. He raised his hand and patted his bulging biceps, striking a smug pose, and said triumphantly, "How about it! After training with Sakumo-sensei for half a year, it's finally paying off, isn't it?"
"Compared to my former self, it's like night and day. I feel like I should be considered a true powerhouse now!"
Seeing Yahiko deliberately showing off, Konan couldn't help but smile and nodded in agreement, "Yeah! Yahiko, you're really amazing now. You even cleaved the rain curtain when you swung your sword just now!"
Hearing Yahiko's slightly smug tone, Nagato was momentarily stunned.
Half a year?
His heart skipped a beat.
I haven't entered this dream for only three or four days, so how come half a year has passed here?
[Ding! Nagato's emotional fluctuations have been detected. Emotional value +300!]
Nagato was shocked by the abnormal passage of time when suddenly Hatake Sakumo's voice came from the distant rain: "Are you training?"
Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko all turned to look at the same time, and saw two figures slowly walking towards them through the rain.
At this moment, Sakumo was holding a paper umbrella in one hand, with raindrops pattering against the surface and rolling down the edge of the umbrella.
He was still wearing the standard armor of a Konoha Jonin, with the famous white short sword slung across his back. He looked at the three children under the eaves with a gentle expression.
Beside Sakumo stood a white-haired boy.
The boy was about ten years old, and much shorter than Nagato and the others.
He bore a striking resemblance to Sakumo: both had a head of unruly, silver-white hair, and the Konoha headband on their heads gleamed faintly in the gloomy sky. Their eyes, visible beneath the headband, drooped lazily, giving them an air of nonchalance.
The boy wore a black mask, revealing only a pair of obsidian-like eyes, which were lazily scanning the crowd under the eaves.
His gaze was nonchalant, his face carried a hint of arrogance, and his whole being exuded a carefree air that was incongruous with his age.
……
in the audience.
Obito stared at the silver hair on the screen, his eyes widening involuntarily, and he leaned forward as if hooked by something.
isn't it...
Did he really guess right?
Sakumo Hatake really did bring Kakashi to Nagato's presence.
He leaned closer to examine the boy in the picture more closely.
That smug, lazy face, that smug expression, that smug look—it didn't even faze him when he saw Yahiko's appearance; his breathing didn't even change.
Obito thought to himself: It seems it's not the one in reality.
He pursed his lips, and his expression gradually became more lively.
Obito's expression grew increasingly expectant: he was really looking forward to seeing Kakashi's reaction when he found out about this.
Jiraiya was also taken aback for a moment.
He hadn't expected Sakumo to bring Kakashi to these children.
His gaze shifted back and forth between the silver-haired father and son and the boy in the rain. Jiraiya slowly raised his hand, touched his chin, and his thoughts quickly connected.
“In that case…” His eyes darkened as he began to weigh the pros and cons.
Maybe I can give that kid a heads-up?
Next time he comes in, he'll start with the dream aspect and see if he can find any useful clues.
[Ding! Jiraiya's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
……
on the screen.
Faced with the sudden appearance of this unfamiliar boy, Nagato and the other two were all taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances and looking at Sakumo and the child beside him with some surprise.
After regaining their senses, Nagato and the other two looked at the silver-haired boy next to Sakumo again.
To be honest, this child and Sakumo look so alike, both in appearance and temperament, that you can guess their relationship at first glance.
Sure enough, Hatake Sakumo smiled and pulled the boy beside him to his side, introducing him to Nagato and the other two: "This is my son, Hatake Kakashi. He happened to be passing through this area on a mission, so I brought him along to introduce you to him."
As he spoke, Sakumo Hatake patted Kakashi on the shoulder.
Young Kakashi nodded slightly, stepped forward, and greeted them politely but somewhat indifferently: "Hello."
Upon hearing that the boy was indeed Lord White Fang's son, Yahiko immediately straightened up and bowed solemnly: "Hello! Nice to meet you, I am Yahiko."
Konan and Nagato also stood up and briefly introduced themselves.
At that moment, Yahiko noticed the short sword on Kakashi's back and asked curiously, "Huh? Kakashi practices swordsmanship too?"
Sakumo smiled and nodded, "That's right! Kakashi also learned my swordsmanship!"
As he spoke, he gave Yahiko a meaningful look and suddenly suggested, "Yahiko, why don't you spar with Kakashi?"
Yahiko was stunned for a moment upon hearing this: "Huh?"
Nagato couldn't help but scrutinize the silver-haired child before her.
The child looked to be only about ten years old, much younger than them.
Yahiko scratched his head and hesitated, "I'm much older than him... Isn't this competition a bit unfair?"
Although he said that, a hint of excitement flashed in Yahiko's eyes.
After practicing his swordsmanship diligently for half a year, he was actually quite eager to try it out.
Hearing Yahiko's slightly hesitant words, Kakashi raised his eyelids and looked him up and down a few times.
However, Kakashi withdrew his gaze in an instant, losing interest in the boy who was a head taller than him, and his dark eyes became lazy again.
Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo chuckled a few times and reminded him, "Yahiko, although Kakashi is four years younger than you, you'll suffer a great loss if you underestimate him."
Yahiko remained unconvinced upon hearing this.
He was four years older than Kakashi. A fourteen-year-old boy is at the age when he is growing strong, while a mere ten-year-old brat's body hasn't even fully developed yet!
Even if the other party is Lord White Fang's son, he couldn't possibly be that much stronger, right?
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