Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 165 Minato kneels before Jiraiya

Under the moonlight, only a devastated battlefield remained. The ground was plowed into deep furrows, trees were chopped into pieces, and there were footprints left by several giant toads.

"This...you did this?" Hideyoshi stared wide-eyed at the deep trenches and splinters of wood. "Goodness, ninjas fighting can make this much of a commotion."

He couldn't see it clearly from a distance, only noticing the commotion was extremely loud. But as he got closer, he realized the damage was far more severe than he had imagined.

Aburame Zhicheng didn't answer, but just smiled faintly: "Go back, your wife must be worried."

"Huh? Oh, right, right, right!" Hideyoshi realized what he meant and nodded quickly. He then leaned closer, his eyes shining.

"But Shiraki-kun, you're amazing! Those ninjutsu were absolutely devastating, and what's that glowing shuriken? Can you teach me?"

You Nu Zhicheng glanced at him, said nothing, and strode towards the village.

Hideyoshi hurriedly followed, still grumbling all the way: "But speaking of which, you won, didn't you? You definitely won. I saw that white-haired guy being beaten so badly by you that he was running away with his head in his hands, but unfortunately, he was rescued by some young man in the end..."

When the two returned to Jixiu's house, the swamp outside the courtyard had dried up, and the ground had returned to its original state. The light blue barrier still enveloped the house, protecting everything perfectly.

Aburame Shicheng withdrew the barrier and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Mieko, holding the sleeping Hidan, peeked sleepily out of the house: "You're back? Why did you take so long?"

"I told you, I ate too much tonight, so I'm going out to digest." Hideyoshi chuckled as he walked into the house. "Shiraki-kun and I are going to bed first, you should get some rest too."

He instinctively reached out to hook his arm around Aburame Shisei's shoulder, but halfway there, he suddenly remembered the earth-shattering battle that had just taken place, and awkwardly withdrew his hand.

"Um... let's go, let's go, let's go to sleep." He chuckled twice and quickly walked into the house.

Aburame Shisei watched his retreating figure, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. This man was clearly terrified, yet he still treated him as a friend.

Mihoko nodded, rubbed her eyes, and carried the child back to the side room.

When Shisei Aburame returned to the master bedroom, Hideyoshi was already lying in bed, his back to him, motionless.

He lay down, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes.

Outside the window, moonlight streamed in, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

After a long while, Hideyoshi's voice finally rang out again: "Shiraki-kun."

"Um?"

"Are you really the strategist of Kusagakure?"

"Um."

"But speaking of which, if you're so strong, why would you choose to be friends with me?" Hideyoshi originally thought that Aburame Shisei was just a Jonin, and even if he was stronger than him, it wouldn't be too outrageous.

After what had just happened, he finally realized that the gap between top-tier ninjas and Jonin was even more outrageous than the gap between Genin and Jonin.

Yet this powerful figure condescended to befriend this ordinary sage, and they only met once.

After a moment's thought, Aburame Shisei replied, "Perhaps... it's something that can't be obtained in youth, and will ultimately trap one for life."

After another moment of silence, Hideyoshi turned over, looked at Aburame Shisei's profile, and said earnestly, "No matter who you are, you are my friend, and that will never change."

Aburame Shisei didn't open his eyes, but a slight smile played on his lips: "Go to sleep."

"Oh." Hideyoshi lay back down and closed his eyes.

Under the moonlight, the room fell silent. Aburame Shisei's breathing was steady and long; this was a true relaxation he hadn't experienced in a very, very long time.

Outside the window, a gentle night breeze stirred, and petals from the old cherry tree fluttered down, landing in the courtyard, on the windowsill, and in the rare tranquility of the night.

-

Meanwhile, on the other side, the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio limped into the forest for the boy. They had been convinced that they were going to die, and had even considered all the possible reasons for their deaths.

I just didn't expect that such a powerful person would let them go so easily, just like casually letting go of a stray cat or dog on the street.

Perhaps in the eyes of the strong, they pose no threat at all. No, not only now, but even in the future, they still pose no threat whatsoever.

"Heh, so we've been let off the hook!" Nara Shikaku covered his face, realizing for the first time that great wit was useless against absolute power.

In particular, his family's secret technique, which he was so proud of, was completely torn apart by someone with just a light step. All the pride that originally came from his utmost goodness collapsed in his heart.

I believe that a long time from now, he will never utter the word "trouble".

At the same time, he was also very fortunate that such a strong person had not participated in the last national war, otherwise Konoha would probably have ended in defeat again.

Just then, a flash of light appeared, and a blond-haired boy appeared before them. It was none other than Minato Namikaze, who had previously led Jiraiya to escape.

Seeing that the three were safe and sound, he finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It's so good that you're all alright!"

When he saw that his friend had come back to save him, Akimichi Choza was very grateful. But just as he was about to say something to express his gratitude, a hand appeared on his shoulder and pressed him down.

It was Nara Shikaku, his words laced with a cold laugh: "So, you think we can't come back alive?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Minato Namikaze quickly waved his hand. "Shikaku, I was just acting rashly..."

Before he could finish speaking, Nara Shikaku waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright. Jiraiya is your teacher, so saving him first is perfectly reasonable. Besides, in terms of value alone, Lord Jiraiya is indeed more important than us."

Minato Namikaze could tell that he seemed to have some grievances, but he didn't know what to say to salvage their past friendship.

Finally, he knelt on the ground, making a dogeza gesture, with his hands folded together and his forehead pressed tightly against the ground.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sensei was indeed too reckless before. He didn't assess the enemy's strength, which caused trouble. I apologize on behalf of Jiraiya-sensei!"

Upon hearing this, the other two boys felt a pang of guilt. Even Yamanaka Kazuhiro, who was still dizzy and nauseous, had no choice but to bend down and help him up.

"Minato, this isn't your fault. We didn't expect the opponent to be so ridiculously strong."

"Shikaku, please forgive him!"

However, at this moment, Nara Shikaku felt no guilt whatsoever; he only felt a tightness in his chest and could not breathe properly.

He felt that all his previous schemes were useless in the face of Minato's kneeling.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh: "Alright, I forgive you, Minato Namikaze."