Naruto: Nara's skill set is incredibly sneaky.

Chapter 175 Something's very, very wrong.

Onoki went to prepare well in advance.

Lu Shi didn't seem to be in a hurry, while Huang Tu quickly gathered people and seemed quite proactive.

The next morning, Shikatoki was still asleep when he was pulled out of bed by a pile of earth. "Shikatoki-kun, wake up! We're going to the Land of Lightning today!"

Lu Shi groggily opened his eyes and asked, somewhat speechless, "Huang Tu, is there really a need to be in such a hurry?"

"Father told us to bring Lao Zi back as soon as possible. He also said that we must pay close attention to the safety of Daming's daughter," Huang Tu said earnestly.

Lu Shi sighed, "Huang Tu! Your Uncle Zi finally gets to enjoy a few days of romance, why are you in such a hurry to break them up?"

"what?"

Huang Tu scratched his head and explained, "I didn't mean to break them up, it's just—"

"No, it's just that! Lao Zi is perfectly safe now, not in any danger, or rather, he doesn't want to see you at all, so we don't need to rush." ​​Lu Shi said, getting out of bed and casually stretching. "By the way, what about breakfast?"

"Um—this way, please."

Led by Huang Tu, Shiroshi led Kurama to enjoy a special breakfast in Iwagakure.

It wasn't until after lunch that the group left Iwagakure and headed to the Land of Earth.

There were ten people in total who went together this time. Apart from Huang Tu, who was a Jonin, the other nine were Genin.

Shikato strongly suspects that Onoki asked him to help take care of the children!

Led by Shika, the group traveled at a leisurely pace, taking three days to finally enter the Land of Lightning.

"Based on your understanding of Old Purple, where would he choose to be in the Land of Thunder?"

The Land of Lightning is quite large. Just knowing that Rōshi is in the Land of Lightning is not enough to search blindly; it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Therefore, Shikatoki is prepared to listen to Kōdō's opinion.

Huang Tu thought for a moment, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "He will probably choose to settle near the volcano, where it will have a miraculous effect on his cultivation of the Lava Escape Technique."

"OK, we can rule out the area near the volcano!"

Lu Shi spoke without hesitation.

Huang Tu was somewhat puzzled. "Why? Old Zi chose this kind of place in the Land of Earth. I even helped him find one!"

Would you take your girlfriend to live near a volcano?

Lu Shi's words startled Huang Tu, who then suddenly understood.

That's right! Now Lao Zi isn't alone; he has a girlfriend.

This girlfriend is the daughter of a daimyo, not a ninja. She's been pampered since childhood, so how could she possibly live in such a harsh environment as a volcano with Rōshi?

"Then where do you think Lao Zi will go?"

After thinking for a moment, Shikatoshi said, "The area near Kumogakure can also be ruled out."

Huang Tu nodded in understanding.

No matter what, Rōshi was the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, and there was absolutely no way he could get close to Kumogakure.

If this gets discovered, it will truly become a wild four-tailed fox.

"Our target should ideally be near a secluded and quiet village; such places, suitable for settling down, are definitely their first choice." Lu Shi circled several locations on the map. "These places are pretty good; we can try our luck there."

"Can."

There's really no particular destination to choose from in Huangtu; you can just follow Lu Shi's ideas for now.

With a goal in mind, the group began their journey to the Land of Lightning, at least for Shikatoki and Kurama.

I've never had a chance to properly explore the Land of Lightning before, but now the opportunity has arrived.

The search took a whole week.

No one was found, but Lu Shi and Jiu Lama had a great time.

Only Huang Tu seemed anxious. "Lu Shijun, this next village is the last one. Do you think we're going in the wrong direction?"

"That's possible."

Lu Shi did not deny this possibility, after all, he was only speculating.

"No matter what, let's look for it first. If we don't find it, we can change our approach."

"Alright."

The group entered the village, and Huang Tu, holding Lao Zi's portrait, inquired about it from all directions.

"Sir, have you seen this person before?"

"No, thank you!"

"Little girl, do you recognize the person in this portrait?"

"No, okay, go have fun then."

After asking several people, the answer was always the same: no one had seen him. Huang Tu sighed, his tone somewhat helpless, "Old Zi! Where did you go?!"

Lu Shi and Jiu Lama were not so anxious.

Lu Shi and Jiu Lama went straight to a small restaurant in the village and each ordered a large bowl of noodles.

While eating, Lu saw the little girl at the door.

The little girl also stared curiously at the deer, since there were very few outsiders in this place.

"Come, come, come."

Lu Shi waved to the little girl.

The little girl wasn't shy at all; she skipped over and asked, "Handsome big brother, is there anything I can help you with?"

Hearing the young girl call him handsome, Lu Shi was immediately amused. "You have such a sweet tongue. I'm just asking if you've ever seen this person before."

Looking at the person in the portrait, the little girl paused for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I think I've seen this person before, but I'm not sure, I can't remember."

The deer hadn't spoken yet.

A cloud of dust swept over like a gust of wind, grabbing the little girl's shoulder. "Really? Where did you see that?!"

The little girl looked at the big, yellow face and struggled for a moment, only to find that she didn't have enough strength.

Lu Shi got up and kicked Huang Tu.

"Ouch!" Huang Tu was kicked flat on his face by Lu Shi, rubbing his butt. "Lu Shi-kun, what are you doing?!"

Lu Shi pulled the little girl to his side, saying, "If someone knew you were asking a question, they'd think you were a pervert!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Tu realized that his behavior had been somewhat inappropriate, so he smiled awkwardly and said, "I was just in a hurry."

"Just because you're anxious doesn't mean you can resort to violence! Apologize to me!" Lu Shi said irritably.

Huang Tu didn't argue back, but instead scratched his head sheepishly, "Sorry, little girl, I was in a bit of a rush just now."

The little girl nodded. "It's okay."

Seeing the yellow earth, Lu Shi wanted to ask again, but instead placed the little girl next to Nine Lama and said, "Boss, bring another deluxe ramen."

"Okay."

The little girl looked at the Nine Lamas cautiously, wanting to touch him but not daring to.

The Nine-Headed Serpent already had extensive experience in raising children. It pretended not to care and wagged its tail, gently touching the little girl's arm.

This made the little girl very happy.

The noodles arrived quickly. The little girl hadn't planned to eat them, but she couldn't resist Lu Shi's enthusiasm. After finishing her noodles, she spoke up, "Handsome big brother, let me tell you, last week when my mom and I went to the city, we saw this uncle with a pretty sister by his side."

The yellow earth, which had been anxiously waiting, suddenly brightened up.

Lu Shi remained calm and continued, "Then do you know which direction that city is in?"

"Hmm—we went out through the east gate and then took a carriage for a long time before we arrived at that city."

Upon hearing this, Lu Shi patted the little girl's head and said, "Thank you so much, little beauty, you've been a great help!"

The little girl lowered her head shyly. "Handsome big brother, it's nothing. You treated me to ramen too."

"Haha, that's only right."

After that, there was nothing more for the little girl to do, so Lu Shi let her go out and play by herself.

He and Huang Tu then took out a map.

"According to this little girl, only the city called Chisha on this route meets the requirements, but that doesn't make sense!" Shika said, somewhat confused. "It's too close to Kumogakure, and it's completely unsuitable for hiding."

Huang Tu didn't think much of it; after so many days, he finally received some news.

"We can't worry about that now. Maybe Lao Zi thinks the most dangerous place is the safest place." Huang Tu quickly stood up. "It's still early. Let's set off directly. We can reach Chishe in half a day."

Lu Shi saw that Huang Tu was really anxious, so he also got up.

The group quickly headed to Chishe, but Lu Shi felt something was off along the way.

Why would Lao Zi choose Ikesha?!

Whether as a ninja or a jinchūriki, he should be well aware that having a daimyo's daughter by his side would make him too conspicuous. In such a crowded place, he would be easily discovered, especially since he was a jinchūriki himself.

Why choose a place so close to Kumogakure?

Is it really true that the most dangerous place is the safest?

I feel like it was completely unnecessary to do that with the deer!

The Land of Lightning is so vast, there's no need to choose this place even if you wanted to hide.

In short, something is very, very wrong!