Chapter 190 Confrontation

The girl also noticed Naruto's fiery and direct gaze. She subconsciously tilted her head slightly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, with a hint of surprise in her eyes. At that moment, she felt as if her heart suddenly stopped for a second. The man in front of her had a blond hair shining with a unique light in the sun, his blue eyes were like deep lake water, his face was well-defined and had an unruly handsomeness. This was the first time she had seen such a handsome man in her life. A feeling she had never had before quietly spread in her heart, a complex emotion mixed with surprise and inexplicable excitement, and her cheeks couldn't help but blush, as charming as the clouds in the sky.

The girl quickly came to her senses, and she coughed lightly, trying to cover up her gaffe. Naruto didn't seem to notice the girl's inner fluctuations. He still had that hearty smile, stepped forward, stretched out his hand, and said, "Hello, I am a traveler Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you."

Naruto's eyes showed a beautiful smile, and that smile was like a ray of sunshine penetrating through the clouds, bright and warm. He put one hand in his pocket, leaned forward slightly, and his eyes flashed with enthusiasm. He continued: "You must be Kurotsuchi, right? I have heard that the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage Ohnoki must be an amazing ninja. During my journey, I heard many people talk about the reputation of the Tsuchikage. His Dust Release Ninjutsu is quite powerful. I guess you have learned a lot of powerful skills from him, right?"

Kurotsuchi raised his chin slightly and said with a hint of pride: "Grandpa's Dust Release is indeed very powerful, and I have been working hard to learn his ninjutsu and philosophy. Although I cannot fully master ninjutsu as powerful as Dust Release now, I also have my own ninjutsu that I am good at, which can play a big role in battles and missions."

Naruto naturally knew her bloodline limit, and her technique of dissolving escape left a deep impression on him.

The two chatted casually, as if they were old friends. The topic gradually spread from various anecdotes in the ninja world to each other's dreams and growth experiences.

Sometimes they leaned against tree trunks, sometimes they sat on the ground. As time went by, the light around them gradually became softer, which was a sign that the sun was slowly setting in the west.

For several days in a row, the two would always meet unexpectedly in a corner of the village. Every time they met, they didn't need to say much, just a glance, and they could understand each other.

It was an indescribable tacit understanding, like two quietly flowing streams, each moving forward but inadvertently converging and merging. They either strolled side by side on the country road, looking at the wild flowers blooming by the roadside and feeling the gentle breeze; or sat quietly on the village wall, looking at the mountains in the distance and the changing clouds in the sky, immersed in a tranquility.

As the two of them got to know each other better, Naruto would also ask about the two Chuuriki in a very subtle way. He would always seem to casually lead the topic to the legend of the tailed beasts, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes, but he tried to make himself look just curious.

Naruto would talk about his encounters with other tailed beasts, stories that were either thrilling or touching. Kurotsuchi listened quietly, she understood the deep meaning behind Naruto's words, but she didn't point it out. At the right time, Kurotsuchi would reveal some of the attitude of the Land of Earth towards Jinchūriki, without revealing secrets too directly, and at the same time allowing Naruto to get some of the information he wanted.

On this day, a huge explosion suddenly sounded from the direction of the Tsuchikage's office. The explosion was like a dull thunderstorm exploding in the ears, shaking the ground slightly.

Naruto reacted very quickly, his eyes instantly became alert, and his body subconsciously rushed towards the direction of the explosion. Kurotsuchi was no exception, her face became solemn, she whispered in a low voice: "What's going on?" and ran after Naruto.

The ninjas along the way were all startled by the sudden explosion and gathered in the direction of the Tsuchikage's office. The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, and dust was blown everywhere with the airflow, obscuring part of the vision.

When Naruto and Kurotsuchi arrived near the Tsuchikage's office, the scene before them was a mess. Part of the Tsuchikage's office had collapsed, with rocks and wood chips scattered all over the ground, and flames burning wildly in the ruins.

At this time, a middle-aged man who was slightly shorter in height was confronting a short old man. Although the middle-aged man was slightly shorter in height, he had a strong body, with muscles bulging under his clothes, as if he contained endless power. His face was tense, his eyes revealed a suppressed anger and stubbornness, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing slightly, showing his inner excitement at the moment.

The short old man opposite him, though thin, stood straight, like an old tree rooted in the earth. His face was covered with wrinkles of time, but his eyes were deep and sharp, like an eagle's eyes that could see through everything. Time had left its mark on him, but it also precipitated a kind of majesty that no one dared to underestimate.

Heitu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this, and then quickly ran to the old man. She first looked at the old man with concern, and after confirming that he was not injured, she cast her eyes on the middle-aged man opposite, with vigilance and doubt in her eyes.

Naruto had already come closer, and when he saw the middle-aged man, his eyes suddenly lit up. The man had a head of fluffy, messy red hair that spread out wantonly, showing that he was as unruly as a wandering monk. The thick and messy red beard on both sides of his cheeks not only added to his sense of age, but also made him exude a majestic and wild aura. Coupled with the strong aura of the tailed beasts emanating from him, Naruto immediately concluded that this man must be the Four-Tails Jinchuriki - Lao Zi.

"Old Zi, if you came back just to stir up trouble, it would be unwise." Ohnoki said in a low voice. His short stature seemed to contain endless power. Although the years had carved deep wrinkles on his face, his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle, piercing straight at Old Zi.

Old Zi stood opposite, his red hair fluttering in the wind like a burning flame. Hearing Ohnoki's words, he laughed deeply, "Lord Tsuchikage, this is not what you would say. Are you just going to let it go for what you did to me back then?" His voice was filled with anger and unwillingness that had been suppressed for many years, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

Ohnoki's brows slightly frowned, as if he had expected Old Purple to say this. "Old Purple, what happened back then was out of consideration for the safety of the village. As a Jinchūriki, you are an unstable factor, so we had to take measures."