I am the most popular character in Naruto!

Star energy slowly flowed from the necklace in Qianqiu's hand, enveloping her.

After Orochimaru's modifications, the energy released by the star core hidden in the necklace can be completely controlled by Chiaki herself.

It must be said that Orochimaru is a top-notch genius in scientific research. Combining the various wonderful ninjutsu in this ninja world, he can do many things that were originally impossible on Earth.

As the star energy slowly flowed out, Chiaki closed his eyes and absorbed it into his body, combining it with his own chakra to enhance himself.

As the star's energy continued to expand, Qianqiu suddenly felt a rhythm.

"This is……"

She raised her head and looked directly in the direction from which the rhythm was coming.

"Otohime".

Chiaki called softly to Otohime, who quickly floated over. "Coming, coming! What's wrong? Are you done training?"

Is that the direction of Loulan?

Chiaki pointed in a direction, and Otohime glanced at it. "Wait a moment, I'll go check it out."

After saying that, she floated back to the future, grabbed the tablet, looked at it, and shouted to Chiaki, "That's the direction!"

"...It seems that Aunt Snake's judgment was correct; the power of the dragon vein can indeed be useful to me."

Qianqiu felt relieved and immediately put away the necklace.

There's no point in continuing to cultivate now; it's much faster to head directly to the Dragon Vein.

The energy of the dragon vein is so vast that even if a portion of it is distributed over a thousand years, it will not have much of an impact.

According to Orochimaru, if Chiaki could use the energy of the Dragon Vein to reach the Kage level, or even just the Jonin level, he could save most of the time.

Of course, the best outcome would be for Qianqiu to absorb a large amount of dragon vein energy, directly recover to his peak, or even reach a higher level.

But that's just wishful thinking.

"Okay, let's go."

Chiaki gathered his chakra, took a deep breath, and smiled at everyone.

"Master, what are you doing now...?"

Sakura looked at Chiaki with some worry. Chiaki's training was a bit scary. The energy surrounding him could crush Sai's rat. That was terrifying.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Chiaki blinked, looked up at Sakura, and her innocent and radiant appearance was truly captivating.

"No, it's nothing."

Looking at Chiaki's smile, Sakura felt that she was overthinking things.

After all, she's a master; how could she possibly encounter any problems? Just trust her.

Naruto didn't react much, but after hearing Chiaki say that they were leaving, he jumped up and excitedly said, "Finally, we can go!"

"Let me touch the tablet, I can give directions!"

Even after playing on the tablet all night yesterday, Naruto's enthusiasm for it hasn't waned. If this kid were to enter the digital age, he'd probably become quite the internet addict.

"No need, I already know the way."

Qianqiu smiled slightly and shook his head. The location of the dragon vein was constantly pulsating with energy, calling out to Qianqiu.

There is no need for a map at all; Qianqiu can reach the dragon vein by following the rhythm.

"Eh--"

Naruto drawled out his words, then sweetly called out to Chiaki, "Godmother, my dear godmother, the best godmother in the world!"

"Let me play on the tablet for a bit! I'll give you directions!"

Naruto was practically throwing a tantrum on the ground; he would only act so recklessly when facing Chiaki.

In the absence of Minato and Kushina, Naruto's feelings for Chiaki were perhaps the deepest.

"Mo—how old are you?"

Qianqiu said helplessly, "Then I'll let you give me directions."

Chiaki really didn't have a good way to deal with Naruto's tantrums; what else could she do but spoil him?

"Great!"

Excitedly, Naruto, who had just received the tablet from the future, ran to the front of the group and began his leadership career.

……

the other side.

"What the hell."

"This map is completely useless."

Kakashi scratched his head, pulled at his mask, and muttered to himself, clearly troubled.

He sat on the Gobi Desert, covered in dust and dirt. Ironically, Kakashi had entered this desert much earlier than Naruto and the others, but they still hadn't found the location of Loulan.

"If you ask me, you should call out more ninja dogs to help you search in different areas."

The ninja dog Pakkun, who was sitting to the side, licked its paw and said to Kakashi.

Pakkun is Kakashi's summoned beast, one of his eight ninja dogs, and belongs to the tracking dog type.

As a talking lapdog, it is probably the ninja dog that Kakashi summons most often.

There's no way around it; when you're alone in the wild, you always hope someone will talk to you, even if it's just a dog.

"Alright, if all eight of you come out, you won't be able to explore this Gobi Desert even after several days."

Kakashi reluctantly put his map back in his pocket. His map was the same as the ones Yamato and the others carried—the simplest hand-drawn maps, good enough to make out the surrounding terrain.

Parker stretched and agreed with Kakashi, saying, "You're right. This desert hasn't been visited in a long time. The scent on the ground has almost completely dissipated. Even if you send all of us out, it will only increase the chances a little."

"Alright, you should keep an eye out for Minato-sensei's whereabouts instead."

Kakashi stretched his limbs, glanced at the rising sun, and handed Puck another kunai.

"I know, I know."

Parker took the kunai, smelled it, and after memorizing the scent, said listlessly, "In a place like this, I can only smell a similar scent from afar, that's the Loulan you mentioned."

"Unfortunately, the smell is sometimes near and sometimes far, so I can't be sure."

"How could there still be... wait a minute..."

Paxton stood still, turned to look at Kakashi, and said in shock, "Kakashi, I smell two scents in the air..."

"One force is still moving in and out of reach, while the other... is approaching us!"

"What did you say!?"

Kakashi was also shocked by Puck's words. He grabbed Puck and let its little paws flap in the air.

"Where is it! Tell me now!"

His mission was to find Minato Namikaze's location, since Minato had taken Kushina away from Konoha for too long, and Konoha needed their strength after Chiaki left.

"Hey, hey, put me down first!"

Parker struggled in the air, "There's no use in you being anxious. That scent is moving fast; I don't think it'll be here anytime soon..."

"I think you should put the puppy down, Kakashi."

The very next second after Parker finished speaking, a gentle voice that Kakashi knew all too well rang out behind him.

Chapter 684 But I Refusal

"ah!"

"Long time no see, Kakashi."

Kakashi heard Minato's voice and turned around in disbelief to look at the man who had taught him how to grow.

"Minato-sensei..."

Kakashi looked at Minato with emotion. He hadn't seen Minato for many years; time flies by.

"Oh dear, why are you crying?"

Minato, with one hand on his hip, patted Kakashi's head with amusement. "It's been so long, Kakashi has become a Kage-level expert. That's impressive."

Kakashi gave Minato a satisfied smile; he felt quite accomplished at being praised by his teacher.

"Minato-sensei, what's with you dressed like that...?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Kakashi looked at Minato with a puzzled expression and asked.

"Haha, it's more comfortable to wear this."

Minato scratched his head. He was wearing a crudely made kimono with extremely simple embroidery. The orange and white stripes looked rather rustic.

However, paired with Minato's handsome face and sunny blond hair, he did look quite dashing.

"Well... whatever makes you happy."

Kakashi scratched his head, finding nothing to criticize about Minato's simple attire.

After all, his own father was the same, dressed simply and hiding in Konoha, forging iron like a real blacksmith.

If you didn't feel the roars and howls of dragons and tigers emanating from the swords hanging in his blacksmith shop after entering, many people would really underestimate him.

It's likely that Minato was in a similar situation, abandoning the mess in Konoha and living in seclusion in a small village with Kushina.

Hmm, now that you mention it...

What about Kushina?

Could it be that Minato-sensei has fallen for someone else and won't take Kushina with him anymore after they leave?

If Chiaki finds out, wouldn't Minato-sensei be killed on the spot?

"Speaking of which, teacher, what about your wife...?"

Kakashi cautiously asked Minato, who stroked his chin and said, "She should be arriving soon. Sigh, I don't know what's gotten into your master's wife, insisting on training herself."