Chapter 121: The Eve of the Chunin Exams

Chapter 121: The Eve of the Chunin Exams

Kabuto was extremely serious about the things that interested him, to the point of being meticulous.

Ino, playing the role of a historian, kept borrowing ancient books from the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans to study. While ninja clans valued ninjutsu above all else, they paid little attention to historical knowledge.

The books were genuine, but whether the records within were accurate was another matter. There were numerous contradictory accounts, but Kabuto didn't mind. Every day, he sifted through the old texts, searching for what Ino had dubbed the "truth of history."

The Sage of Six Paths, Indra, and Asura had all become myths and legends.

Ino extracted and compiled all the content related to the Sage's eyes and body, then handed it over to Kabuto for further research.

As an outstanding student representative, Ino was assigned a D-rank mission by the Konoha Ninja Academy in late June, just three days before the Chunin Exams. She was tasked with giving a lecture to the younger students about the differences between being a ninja and being a student.

The academy also approached Hyūga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke, but both declined, citing their busy training schedules.

Only Ino showed up at the ninja academy to teach a group of students.

After delivering a motivational speech, the students clamored for her to demonstrate a ninjutsu on the spot.

In this setting, it was impossible to summon her "Fat Ino" to perform the Exploding Water Colliding Wave. These students hadn't experienced the hardships of carrying rice sacks, so they couldn't grasp the true essence of "art is an explosion."

Techniques like "Water Severing Wave" or "Water Wall" weren't suitable for a demonstration either. Instead, she performed a C-rank ninjutsu: "Water Release: Water Trumpet."

Even though she now looked down on C-rank techniques, they were still considered intermediate-level ninjutsu, equivalent to what a Chunin would learn.

After the motivational session, Moegi clung to Ino's arm, proudly showing off to her friends Konohamaru and Udon.

"See? My big sister is amazing! She's way better than your pervy Naruto-nii-chan!"

Konohamaru respected Naruto, but he didn't hold any animosity toward Ino. Asuma, Ino's team leader, was also Konohamaru's uncle, so there was a connection between them.

"Ino-nee, is it true that you've become Lady Tsunade's apprentice?" Moegi asked.

Ino glanced at her. While it wasn't a secret, she hadn't gone around advertising it either. How did Moegi know?

Moegi immediately sold out her friend: "Konohamaru told me."

Konohamaru, in turn, sold out his grandfather: "My grandpa told me."

Moegi was beyond excited, chattering away with questions about Tsunade.

Was Lady Tsunade strict in her teaching? Was she beautiful? All sorts of gossip, and she nearly asked how many boyfriends Tsunade had.

Ino praised her busty teacher, dismissing the rumors about her drinking and gambling as slander from outsiders.

"Ino-nee, can you teach us how to throw shuriken?" Moegi asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

After some thought, and with Moegi's persistent pleading, Ino agreed and followed the three of them to the training ground to teach them shuriken throwing.

"To throw shuriken effectively, you need to master two skills: speed and accuracy. This requires a lot of practice. Right now, you're using stationary targets, but later you can try moving targets."

Ino went on with a long lecture, leaving the three of them dazed. While her shuriken skills weren't on par with Sasuke's or Tenten's, they were still proficient enough to teach these kids.

"Shuriken are often used for reconnaissance. If you don't know the enemy's abilities, you throw shuriken to test them." Ino picked up a shuriken and, without looking, threw it behind her. "Like this!"

With a sharp clang, her shuriken was deflected by a giant fan wielded by a blonde woman.

The blonde woman said irritably, "Is this how you treat guests in Konoha?"

Ino glanced at the woman's forehead protector and retorted without backing down, "Do people from Sunagakure always enjoy eavesdropping from the shadows?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping! As if I'd care about this nonsense!" The blonde woman closed her fan and said, "I've heard about you in Suna. The so-called genius of the Yamanaka clan. But now that I see you, you're just an ordinary ninja playing games with kids."

"Huh? Aren't you the eldest daughter of the Fourth Kazekage? Are you 18 or 28? At your age, still taking the Chunin Exams? How pathetic. Your ninjutsu must be so terrible that your family is ashamed to let you out in public, right?"

When it came to verbal sparring, Ino wasn't afraid of anyone.

The Suna princess, Temari, was fuming. What the hell was this about 18 or 28? She was only 15!

She raised her fan, ready to attack again.

This time, her brother Kankurō stopped her and gestured to the side. "Why are you so quick to lose your temper? Calm down!"

Both of them turned their heads.

Standing on a tree branch was Gaara, with his red hair and the kanji for "love" on his forehead, carrying a large gourd. He stared at them expressionlessly.

"Gaara..." Temari called softly, as if afraid her voice might awaken some monster.

Ino extended her left arm, shielding Konohamaru and the others, signaling them to step back. She then turned her gaze to Gaara in the tree.

The jinchūriki of the One-Tail, the future Fifth Kazekage. Someone who had fought the Seventh Hokage and the Sixth Mizukage. Ino felt an inexplicable excitement at the thought of bullying a future Kage who hadn't yet reached their full potential. She wasn't sure where this feeling came from, but she chalked it up to a long-suppressed emotional rebound.

Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Gaara, a hint of fighting spirit leaking through. Gaara was slightly surprised. "You're not afraid of me? Do you have a death wish?"

"I've heard your sand defense is invincible. How about taking one of my moves? Water Release: Water Ball Jutsu!" Ino formed hand seals, and a dozen translucent water bubbles appeared in the air. These playful-looking bubbles floated toward Gaara, guided by her chakra.

Though they seemed to drift slowly, their speed was anything but sluggish.

This Water Release: Water Ball Jutsu was something Ino had reverse-engineered from the Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and it wasn't far off from the original.

Gaara glanced at the incoming bubbles. That's it? They looked utterly unimpressive.

The spherical bubbles flew toward Gaara, and as sunlight hit them, they refracted into a dazzling array of colors.

Gaara didn't think much of them, but he didn't let his guard down either. With a thought, a shield of sand formed in front of him, blocking the bubbles.

"Huh?"

As the bubbles struck the sand shield one after another, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

The sand that had been touched by the bubbles became nearly uncontrollable. No matter how he tried to manipulate it, the affected sand refused to return to the shield.

Upon closer inspection, he quickly realized the trick. The bubbles weren't water they were more like oil. The sand that made up his shield had been soaked and disintegrated by the oil.

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