Konan's voice was resolute. Aoba could see, through the mories of the gatekeeper ninja, that Konan genuinely wanted to stay in Konoha.
This made him realize why she appeared at Ichiraku Ran: Konan was determined to find a way to remain in the village.
But why? Aoba wasn't sure.
Was it because of the books she had read?
Was it the peaceful atmosphere of Konoha?
Or sothing else?
Regardless, one thing was certain: Konan truly wanted to stay in Konoha, which is why, even after the Akatsuki trio had split up, she still sought to remain in the village.
Now that Aoba understood this, he knew how to proceed.
This knowledge was gained thanks to the gatekeeper ninja's mories.
With this insight, Aoba felt much more confident. It was a reminder of the power of information.
The mind-reading system had never let him down.
Aoba continued reviewing the gatekeeper ninja's mories, knowing he was approaching the key monts related to why Minato had sought him out.
anwhile, they had already left the area of the Anbu dormitory and were walking toward the busy streets of Konoha, nearing Ichiraku Ran.
Aoba knew he needed to speed up his review of these mories, or he might only finish after they reached Ichiraku.
But even if he didn't manage to see everything, what he had learned so far would help him make decisions.
These were valuable insights.
With the mories from this gatekeeper ninja, it was easier to understand the situation's specifics.
Given the chaos of the mont, relying on the guards' recollections wouldn't have been as effective, especially given the subtleties of the conversations, expressions, and reactions involved.
Aoba was the only one capable of understanding the full picture.
Through these mories, he could see everything that had happened and make accurate judgnts based on that knowledge.
In the mory, Konan watched the others leave and then turned to gaze toward Konoha.
At that mont, the gatekeeper ninja t her gaze.
"Why haven't you left yet?" the gatekeeper asked, confused after witnessing the trio's split. He didn't fully grasp what had transpired.
"I'm not leaving," Konan replied, shaking her head. Her words stunned the gatekeeper and the other guards, who couldn't understand what she ant.
"What do you an by that?" the guard asked, clearly perplexed.
"I'm staying," Konan repeated. "I'm going to Ichiraku Ran."
"Ichiraku Ran?" The guard was even more confused, unable to fathom the aning behind her statent.
"I want to eat a bowl of ran," Konan said calmly. "I ca all this way to Konoha just for Ichiraku Ran. Unlike them, I didn't travel here for nothing. Surely, you won't deny entry just for wanting to eat ran, will you?"
"This…" The guards exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. Their faces were full of confusion.
"I can't make that decision," the gatekeeper sighed, clearly conflicted based on the tone conveyed in his mory. "But I'm not going to bother Lord Minato again for this."
"You should go back. You can co back another ti for ran."
Aoba could tell from the guard's voice that he didn't want to let Konan in. Minato had already ordered them to send the Akatsuki mbers away, and as subordinates of the Hokage, they couldn't disobey.
While Aoba couldn't read the guard's mind directly, he could deduce his thoughts through the mories.
The guard had been bewildered by the entire situation.
Were you traveling to Konoha for ran? It sounded ridiculous.
But, thanks to the gatekeeper ninja's mories, this curious exchange was now clear to Aoba.
He once agreed with Konan that if she needed to contact him, she should go to Ichiraku Ran.
Aoba realized now that Konan wasn't there for ran. She was signaling to him that she needed help.
It seed… Konan wanted help staying in Konoha.
Through these mories, Aoba could see Konan's actions clearly and understand why she headed to Ichiraku Ran.
However, Aoba still wondered how Konan had convinced the gatekeeper ninja to let her in.
If he were in the gatekeeper's shoes, knowing what had transpired, there was no reason to allow her entry into Konoha.
Letting her in would be like planting a ti bomb.
Indeed, when Minato discovered it, the guard had no defense—it was obvious that he had acted against orders.
Of course, it was unfortunate that the gatekeeper's luck ran out as soon as he let Konan in. She went to Ichiraku Ran and coincidentally ran into Minato, who also ca for ran.
Aoba could already tell this, even before fully viewing the mories. He had sensed Konan's and Minato's chakras at Ichiraku Ran and initially thought they had arranged to et. But now, he realized it was rely a coincidence.
"Interesting," Aoba murmured, his lips curving into a mischievous smile. This situation was filled with unexpected twists, more than he could have anticipated.
The gatekeeper, watching Aoba closely, was perplexed when Aoba suddenly spoke.
"???????"
A string of questions popped up in the gatekeeper's mind. He had no idea what was happening or what Aoba found "interesting."
What was interesting?
What was this person even talking about?
The gatekeeper's curiosity was overwhelming, but he dared not ask Aoba. Seeing Aoba return to his calm deanor, the gatekeeper pretended nothing had happened.
In the mory, Konan didn't back down after being refused entry.
Her purple eyes locked onto the gatekeeper, her gaze unwavering.
"Minato only said we couldn't stay in Konoha," Konan began. "He didn't say I couldn't go in for ran."
"I just want to eat a bowl of ran."
"I learned about Ichiraku Ran from Jiraiya-sensei."
"If you won't let in for that…"
"Then I'll inform Jiraiya-sensei about this."
"And whatever happens next, I won't be responsible for."
Konan's words ca one after another, invoking Jiraiya's na.
"Smart," Aoba remarked with admiration.
This was the sa tactic he had used earlier: Jiraiya as a bridge between them and Minato.
Jiraiya held an esteed position in Konoha.
He wasn't just one of the Sannins but also the disciple of the Third Hokage and the future teacher of the Fourth Hokage, Minato.
His na alone was not one to be trifled with.
By this point, Aoba understood why Konan had been allowed into the village. Using Jiraiya's na had left the gatekeeper with no choice.
They couldn't afford to offend Jiraiya.
Through the mories, Aoba saw how Konan's ntion of Jiraiya put the gatekeeper in a tough spot.
"You won't be troubled by this," Konan suddenly said, her voice pulling everyone's attention toward her.
"I just want to eat a bowl of ran."
"I'll leave as soon as I finish."
"You can watch the whole ti."
"I won't cause any trouble for you or your duties."
Konan's words were calm but full of conviction, making it hard for the gatekeeper to refuse.
Aoba knew at this point that the gatekeeper wouldn't be able to turn her away.
Not when Jiraiya's na was invoked.
Sure enough, in the mory, the gatekeeper hesitated only briefly before deciding to escort Konan into the village.
He led the way while Konan followed, a scene very much like what Aoba was experiencing now with the current gatekeeper ninja.
Both pairs had the sa destination: Ichiraku Ran.
Aoba's smile widened.
So, that's how Konan got to Ichiraku Ran!
By this point, Aoba had pieced together the situation. Minato called on him because of Konan's presence in Konoha, but he was unsure how to handle the situation.
It was a stroke of bad luck for the gatekeeper ninja. He had brought Konan into Ichiraku Ran only to have Minato show up monts later.
How could he explain that?
It was a situation where he was bound to take the bla.
Soon, Aoba and the gatekeeper ninja arrived at the entrance to Ichiraku Ran. Aoba quickly skimd through the remaining mories, confirming his suspicions.
Just as he thought, Konan had calmly eaten her ran after sending her signal to Aoba. The scent of the ran had enticed her, and she enjoyed a second bowl while waiting. Then, Minato had arrived.
Having exhausted himself ntally, Minato sought comfort in a ran bowl. But before he could relax, he saw Konan sitting there—the person he had just ordered away from the village gates.
What followed was a series of questions from Minato, filled with suspicion, but Konan simply explained that she was there for the ran.
The gatekeeper ninja was utterly dumbfounded and unable to explain what had happened. In the end, Minato sent him to fetch Aoba.
"Understood," Aoba said, his eyes regaining their sharpness as he stood at the entrance to Ichiraku Ran, his gaze filled with clarity.
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