Ninja Pot Shadow

Danzo, perhaps having been scapegoated too many times, reflexively sneered, displaying remarkable composure, and turned to leave, utterly ignoring the Third Hokage.

……

Asma received the mission change order on the evening of the second day after arriving at the oxalis mine.

He had no objections. Ninjas were just tools. Even if he was the son of the Third Hokage, and Ino and the others were all heirs of various ninja clans, it was the same. They had to obey orders and follow commands. They didn't need to have too many personal thoughts. They just had to do what they were told.

After the Kurosuki family was wiped out, Asuma found the person who commissioned the mission in the Land of Rivers, explained the whole story, and the mission was considered complete.

The villagers here used to mine for the Kurosuki family, and later for the officials of the River Country. For them, it has always been mining. The only difference is that the former Kurosuki Raiga was a lunatic who would bury villagers alive at the drop of a hat, while the current officials, for the sake of their own pockets, will not kill them easily.

The merits of handing over the Thunder Blade and assisting in capturing Black Hoe Raiya have accumulated, and along with the messenger hawk, three scrolls have also returned.

Ino's reward was still a ninjutsu scroll.

Water Release: Water Severing Wave, a water-style ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage!

While it is also a B-rank ninjutsu, unlike widely known water-style ninjutsu such as Water Dragon Bullet and Water Wall, Water Severing Wave has always been an original ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage.

This technique is an offensive ninjutsu that uses high pressure to spit out a jet of water to cut the target. It is fast, consumes little energy, has high destructive power, and has a long attack range.

When the Second Hokage used it, he went against the principle that earth counters water, and instead used Water Release to cut off the Third Hokage's Earth Release Wall.

This ninjutsu is priceless.

The reward for Shikamaru was a chakra blade just like the one Asuma used. Shikamaru felt that his ninjutsu skills were limited, and his taijutsu was not as good as Choji's. His only strength was his intellect. He was now prepared to supplement the two of them. When Ino's ninjutsu was insufficient, he would help release ninjutsu. When Choji couldn't hold off the enemy, he would go over and help him fight a couple of times.

Choji was given a thick stack of notes, which detailed the training plan that the Second Hokage had devised for Akimichi Torifu.

The Akimichi family certainly has training methods passed down from generation to generation, but traditional methods may not be suitable for everyone. The Second Hokage was a figure at the pinnacle of the ninja world, and his advice was insightful and valuable for both Akimichi Tokifu back then and Akimichi Choji today.

Asma, being his own son, doesn't need this kind of reward; he can ask for something when he gets home.

While Danzo was "taking over the blame," Ino gained a chance to take over the blame.

It's a bit of a shame that she didn't completely shift the blame. Asuma and the Third Hokage also played a significant role. When the credit is divided, her contribution was small, so naturally, she received less.

She didn't care who was actually being blamed; as long as she got the benefits, that was enough. This was a blame-shifting panel, not a Sherlock Holmes panel; the truth didn't matter.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Arrival in the Land of Waves

Ino was deeply impressed by the high speed that Raiga Kurosuki displayed during the battle. The opponent was too fast, so she could only use wide-range water jutsu to smash him. Many times she understood the opponent's attack intentions, but her body could not keep up.

With her current strength, she's unlikely to be paired with Sakura in the Chunin Exams. She's more likely to face off against taijutsu masters like Neji and Lee. Considering all factors, she's put "speed" as the scapegoat.

井野的属性就变成了忍9体3幻4贤6力2速6精8印6，总属性44。

Ino and the others received the mission completion receipt and escorted the heavily injured Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru along a back path to the Land of Waves to meet up with Kakashi's Team 7.

Danzo originally suggested that they return to Konoha first, but the other two advisors rejected this, saying that since they had decided to befriend Kirigakure, they should not cause any unnecessary trouble.

They were also afraid that Danzo might cause trouble in secret, so the Third Hokage directly ordered Team 10 to go directly to the Land of Waves instead of returning to the village.

Ino's newly acquired "donkey cart drifting" technique finally came in handy. They hired a donkey cart in the Land of Rivers. Ino, with her sensory abilities, was in charge of driving, Asuma was inside the cart guarding the seriously injured Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru, Choji brought up the rear, and Shikamaru sat on the roof of the cart, observing whether there were any suspicious people following them on the left and right flanks.

Raiga Kurosuki knew he had become a tool for Konoha to befriend Kirigakure, so he sneered twice and didn't react further.

It must be said that mentally ill people are generally in good physical condition. Even with a broken arm, he was only pale and showed no signs of kicking or dying.

Ranmaru had no objection to returning to Kirigakure. According to him, he was happy to die with Raiga, and it didn't matter where they died.

Their laid-back attitude made Class 10 seem like the bad guys...

The journey involved trekking through mountains and rivers; the road conditions were beyond description, with many places having no roads at all.

Ino drove for two days, then Choji drove for one day, Shikamaru drove for one day, and finally Ino drove for two more days. If they had traveled in the ninja way, it would have only taken two days to get from Konoha to the Land of Rivers. But with Raiga Kurosuki, who was seriously injured, and Ranmaru, a little boy with little stamina, it took them a full six days to reach the Land of Waves and find Team 7.

The situation in the Land of Waves is much more stable than in the original timeline.

In a serious fight, Kakashi is stronger than Zabuza. If you use the Hidden Mist Technique, I will use the Hidden Mist Technique too. If you use the Water Prison Technique, I can use that too!

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet? What a coincidence! I just happened to use my Sharingan to get a simplified version of Water Dragon Bullet from a girl named Ino! Who's going to be stupid enough to do 44 hand seals with you? I'll just do 12 and you're done!

Zabuza and Haku were in the shadows, while Team 7 was in the open. The former had a slight advantage in their ambush, but Kakashi immediately used the Hidden Mist Technique and then activated his Sharingan to search for Zabuza in the mist. Zabuza was completely bewildered. It was basically a repeat of Asuma's Team 10 attacking Raiga Kurosuki. Kakashi was the main attacker, while Naruto and Sasuke provided support. After a few rounds, the three of them beat Zabuza so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

At the crucial moment, Haku feigned death and played the victim. Sakura's kind heart created a loophole in the encirclement. Haku removed his mask and used his stunning good looks to make Naruto and Sasuke momentarily lose their composure. He then used the high-speed displacement ability of Ice Release: Demonic Mirror Ice Crystal to abduct the heavily injured Zabuza.

Kakashi had overused his Sharingan and was extremely tired, so he stopped Naruto and Sasuke from continuing their pursuit.

The mission of Team 10 was clear: to eliminate the Kurozuki "Ronin" family who occupied the mine. Team 7 was only responsible for escorting and building a bridge, and had no direct connection with Zabuza.

Kakashi's idea was simply to finish the task at hand; whether Zabuza lived or died was none of his concern.

But he could no longer ignore the orders that the village subsequently issued.

Kakashi was in a dilemma. Should he go searching alone? He was afraid Zabuza might ambush Naruto and the others. Should he have the four of them split up to search? That would be even more dangerous! As for sending the ninja dogs, the Land of Waves was surrounded by the sea, and if Zabuza dived into the water, even the ninja dogs' keen noses would be useless.

He could only wait for reinforcements.

Mitokado Homura was the first to arrive. This advisor did not stay in the Land of Waves for long, leaving behind the order that Zabuza and Haku must be captured alive, and then headed ahead to the Land of the Sea, a small country affiliated with the Land of Water.

He arranged to meet the ninjas from Kirigakure over there.

We still need to go and talk to them in person to find out their true attitude. If Kirigakure really turns hostile, Mitokado Homura's combat experience and the two Jonin guards can handle the situation. But if they bring a group of children, then it will be troublesome.

Without further ado, let him go and scout ahead first.

When Mitokado Homura was young, he had been to Kirigakure and had interacted with Genji. He understood Genji's personality and believed he could complete the mission.

When Team 10 arrived in the Land of Waves in their donkey carts, Team 7 was training.

Naruto and Sasuke have completed their tree-climbing training and are now practicing treading water.

Sakura had already completed these two training sessions and was learning the Water Prison Technique under Kakashi's tutelage.

When Team 10 arrived, Asuma and Kakashi exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

Asuma nodded to Ino.

"Ino, I'm counting on you."

"Okay, sense it!" Ino closed her eyes, her hands forming the "Un" seal, and continuously searched for chakra reactions within an eight-kilometer radius.

After searching for five minutes, she opened her eyes and slowly shook her head.

"It's outside my detection range; we must go out to sea to search for it."

The Land of Waves is just a tiny island nation surrounded by the ocean. It would be difficult for Zabuza to find a small island to hide on.

The matter was urgent, but not to the point of being life-threatening. Team 10 had come from afar, and all four of them were somewhat tired. Kakashi took over the task of guarding Raiga Kurosuki and told them to rest for a day and go to the market in the Land of Waves to relax.

Shikamaru went back to his room to sleep, Choji went to get something to eat, and Ino, having nothing to do, went out shopping by herself.

The residents in the market sell nothing more than homemade straw hats, homegrown vegetables, and fish and shrimp caught from the sea.

She bought a straw hat and a large bag of seaweed from a roadside shop that claimed to be a "century-old store," which was for Choji. At the fishmonger's stall next to her, she picked out two mackerel and two saury. The former was Shikamaru's favorite food, and the latter was Kakashi's favorite. The friendship between comrades needs to be nurtured little by little in daily life. As for Kakashi, she simply wanted to ask him about Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, as Kakashi had considerable knowledge of this ninjutsu.

Then she saw a cinnamon roll stall and happily bought a big bag to take back and feed Hinata.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: The First Signs of a Conspiracy

The Land of Waves is somewhat similar to Okinawa in Ino's previous life. It has a subtropical climate and is crisscrossed by rivers, with plant communities on both sides of the rivers that the locals call mangroves.

The residents wore bamboo hats, and the town was very humid.

Ino frequently observed her surroundings.

The town was too small; if something happened to anyone, the whole family would know within five minutes. There was simply no room for trouble, and we didn't see the little white brother dressed in women's clothing coming out to buy medicine.

Since we didn't see it, let's go back.

Carrying large bags and small packages, as well as four fish, Ino used her sensory ninjutsu before leaving, and unexpectedly gained something from it.

A seemingly weak chakra reaction appeared within her perception range; the other party was moving rapidly about five kilometers north of the town.

Throughout the entire world, there are very few people who can use chakra. In a small place like the Land of Waves, you can only encounter a handful of such people.

Is it white? It seems weaker than I expected.

Ino quickly left the market.

Instead of rushing over to intercept her rashly, she amplified her senses with those of an eagle, using the eagle's eyes to search the previously discovered area.

"Huh? Who is this guy?"

There was no sign of anyone without eyebrows or a cross-dressing man; in the eagle's sight, there was only a thin man in a wide-sleeved robe with a samurai sword at his waist.

Fearing she might be mistaken, Ino sensed it again. Sure enough, it was this guy who used chakra while running.

Was he a warrior from some country?

Chakra is mostly used by ninjas, but it is not an ability exclusive to ninjas. It's just that ninjas monopolize this knowledge. Some priestesses and samurai with long-standing traditions can also use chakra.

The ninja world is actually an extremely closed circle. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the five great ninja villages plus the samurai of the Land of Iron only had a total of 80,000 troops, which was actually quite a lot of an exaggeration.

Throughout history and across the world, it's common to say that 10,000 is 30,000, 100,000 is 200,000, and 200,000 is 800,000.

The Allied Shinobi Forces aren't that weak. Just look at Ino's ninja number 012604. Even if you take away those who betrayed the village, died in battle, or died of illness over the years, even if you include all the clan ninjas who aren't part of the ninja academy and all the ninjas aged 8 to 80, Konoha, the most populous and strongest village, they might not be able to muster 20,000 ninjas.

The situation is even worse for Sunagakure and Kirigakure. The former is sparsely populated, while the latter is fighting amongst themselves. How many ninjas are left?

This army of 80,000 probably includes all the ninjas in the entire ninja world. At least Ino remembers that the old Jonin Rashi, who publicly stated that Kumogakure was before Uchiha Madara and sent Kinkaku and Ginkaku to capture the Nine-Tails, was among the 80,000 troops.

The Master is indeed 90 years old, but he doesn't need to go to the battlefield. How old is Rashi? 81! Two years older than the Third Tsuchikage. Imagine an 81-year-old man shouting that he wants to fight the enemy to the death. What kind of scene is that?

Among the 80,000 ninja in the Allied Shinobi Forces, there were also a considerable number of samurai. The total population of the ninja world was estimated to be only around 60,000 to 70,000. How many people are there in the world? Hundreds of millions! The ninja world's population was less than one-thousandth of the entire world.

Ninjutsu and the methods of using chakra are definitely skills mastered by elites within a small circle.

The chances of seeing a samurai who uses chakra are really low these days.

The skinny warrior entered a heavily guarded farm, and about fifteen minutes later, he came out again.

Should I take care of this? Just as Ino was pondering this, two more men stepped out from behind the skinny samurai.

She didn't recognize the tall, black-haired man with prayer beads around his neck. Judging from his rather ornate attire, he seemed to be a nobleman from the Land of Water.

She had seen another obese man with a smiling face before, or at least seen a photograph of him. This fat man was a trusted subordinate of Tan He, the Grand Magistrate of the Land of Fire.

Tan He controls the finances of the Land of Fire and is only accountable to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, making him truly second only to the Daimyo. Why would his confidant be in such a small place as the Land of Waves, negotiating with someone who is suspected to be from the Land of Water?

Could it be that they are responding to the Third Hokage's call to improve bilateral relations in the Land of Waves ahead of schedule?

That's impossible!