Just as the mood settled and they were about to set off, Sasuke suddenly looked up at Arisu and spoke first.
"Sensei, how about we have a race?"
The sudden suggestion caught everyone off guard.
Arisu raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused.
"A race? What kind?"
A clear fighting spirit and desire to challenge burned in Sasuke's eyes. For the past three years, he had trained under Arisu day after day.
He had steadily grown stronger, and his mindset had become much more mature. But one thought had always stayed in the back of his mind.
He wanted to know just how big the gap between him and his teacher really was.
His teacher's strength was impossible to judge. The ninja world even claimed that he was the strongest person alive.
A thought he had held back for so long finally turned into action.
"Let's race our speed. Sensei, do you believe you can't outrun me?", Sasuke spoke with confidence, every word clear.
"Let's see who gets back to Konoha first. I'll take Karin and Jugo. You take Suigetsu. How about it?"
Seeing how eager he looked, Arisu smiled faintly. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded.
Seeing his teacher agree, Sasuke's eyes lit up.
"Alright, Sensei. I'll see you in Konoha!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke wasted no time. He placed one hand on Karin's shoulder and the other on Jugo's.
In an instant, chakra burst out.
Without making any extra sound, the three of them blurred and disappeared from where they stood in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint breeze passing through the wilderness.
Only Arisu and a confused-looking Suigetsu were left behind.
Suigetsu stared blankly at the direction where the three had disappeared, scratched his head, and laughed helplessly.
"No way... Sasuke actually dared to challenge Sensei to a race?"
He turned to the calm Arisu beside him.
"Sensei, shouldn't we get moving too? Don't let Sasuke actually beat us."
Arisu simply smiled.
"No rush."
After saying that, he casually clapped his hands once.
With a soft hum, a deep black portal opened in front of them out of thin air.
The view beyond it was perfectly clear.
It was the square in front of the Hokage Building in the center of Konoha. The lights were steady, the scene was real, and one step would take them thousands of miles away.
Suigetsu's pupils shrank. After a brief pause, he grinned.
"Holy... So the old saying really is true. Sensei, your methods are unbelievable!"
Arisu neither agreed nor denied it. He simply gestured.
"Let's go, Suigetsu."
"Yes, Sensei!"
Suigetsu immediately became serious and followed behind him into the black portal.
In the blink of an eye, the two crossed the vast distance and appeared in front of the Hokage Building.
The Anbu guarding the area noticed Arisu appear. None of them looked surprised anymore. They had long grown used to this expert appearing without warning. They simply lowered their heads in greeting without saying a word.
Arisu led Suigetsu straight into the Hokage Building and made his way to the Hokage's office at the top floor.
Inside the office, Minato Namikaze was handling paperwork. Sensing a familiar presence, he immediately put down his brush, stood up, and spoke respectfully.
"Sensei."
Seeing this, Suigetsu couldn't help sighing inwardly.
So the rumors were true.
The Seventh Hokage listened to Arisu. Arisu was the real person in charge of Konoha.
If Arisu wanted to, Minato Namikaze wouldn't be able to carry out a single order from the Hokage's office.
Arisu gave a slight nod in response, then stepped aside and briefly introduced the boy behind him.
"Minato, this is Hozuki Suigetsu."
"Lord Hokage!"
Suigetsu bowed slightly with respect.
"No need to be so formal."
Minato wore his usual gentle smile. Looking at Suigetsu, he spoke warmly, "Welcome to Konoha."
Minato handled things quickly and efficiently without wasting any time.
He immediately completed all of Suigetsu's residency procedures.
Not only did he assign him a private residence in the village, but he also had someone bring over a standard Konoha ninja uniform. At the same time, he officially confirmed Suigetsu's status as a Konoha Special Jonin.
After everything was finished, Minato looked at Arisu with some confusion.
"By the way, Sensei, where's Sasuke? Why didn't he come back with you?"
A faint smile appeared on Arisu's lips.
"That kid insisted on competing with me to see who could get back to Konoha first."
Hearing that, Minato immediately laughed.
His eyes were full of helplessness and emotion.
As the former Yellow Flash, he had once been known throughout the ninja world for his unmatched speed.
Even he had never dared to compare speed with Arisu.
Sasuke had only been learning Flying Thunder God techniques for a few years. Like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, he actually dared to challenge his unfathomable teacher in speed.
He was truly bold.
On the main road outside Konoha, the air was constantly torn apart by the force of high-speed movement.
For an entire day and night, Sasuke kept Flying Thunder God active the whole time, bringing Karin and Jugo along as they traveled at full speed without stopping for even a moment.
Crossing mountains and rivers, they forced their way back through sheer speed.
When Konoha's familiar front gate and towering walls finally came into view, the tension Sasuke had carried for the entire day instantly eased.
Three years had passed, but the village still looked the same.
Looking at the village gate, he couldn't help smiling slightly.
He was certain he had probably won this race.
He walked up to the two ninja guarding the entrance.
It was Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.
Seeing the tall, cold-looking young man approach, neither of them recognized the Sasuke who had left to train three years earlier. Both paused in surprise.
Sasuke spoke calmly, "Seniors, I'm Uchiha Sasuke. May I ask if Sensei Arisu has come through here?"
Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other before shaking their heads together.
"So it's Sasuke. You've grown a lot taller. Lord Arisu hasn't entered the village through the front gate."
The moment he heard that, joy flashed across Sasuke's eyes.
'Great.'
Just as he thought, Sensei hadn't made it back before him.
He had won the race.
The happiness quietly rose in his heart. Holding back his smile, Sasuke completed the village entry registration with Karin and Jugo. After finishing the procedures, the three of them walked straight into Konoha for the first time in three years.
Only after the three figures disappeared deep into the village did the entrance return to normal.
Izumo Kamizuki looked toward the direction Sasuke had left, scratched his head, and turned to Kotetsu with a puzzled look.
"Strange. Did Lord Arisu leave the village? I don't remember that at all."
Kotetsu smiled bitterly, shook his head, and answered casually, "I don't think so. I even saw Lord Arisu eating ramen with Lady Tsunade at Ichiraku yesterday... He stayed in the village the whole time. He never went out at all."