Chapter 122: The Fight That Was Called Off

Chapter 122: The Fight That Was Called Off

The oil-infused chakra had eroded a significant portion of Gaara's sand, but his gaze remained sharp and unyielding as he stared at Ino, as if he were looking at a dead person.

"You think this is over? I hope your defenses are strong enough," Ino said, forming the "Mi" hand seal.

"Crack!"

The water bubbles exploded instantly!

Initially, only the parts of the sand that had come into contact with the bubbles were eroded. But as Ino caused the bubbles to burst from within, large areas of the sand were contaminated by the oil-infused chakra. The sand began to harden and slowly peel away from the sand shield, which had been a flawless 360-degree defense just moments ago. Now, it was riddled with holes.

Kankurō and Temari exchanged panicked glances, unsure whether they should step in to help.

Gaara, on the other hand, was furious. His anger seemed to come out of nowhere.

For some reason, the sight of Ino with her blonde ponytail, bangs covering half her face, and her constant "crack-crack-crack" chants irritated him to no end!

He quickly adjusted his strategy, rebuilding his sand shield while using finer grains of sand to separate the contaminated portions. He piled up the polluted sand, trying to re-sandify it.

Meanwhile, Ino continued to create oil-infused water bubbles, sending them flying toward Gaara with a series of "crack-crack" sounds.

Gaara was far from reaching the level of the future Fifth Kazekage, and Ino was no match for the Second Mizukage either. Both of their techniques were formidable, but neither had yet to unleash their full potential.

If Gaara tried to re-sandify, Ino would just douse it with more oil.

The two of them went back and forth for several rounds. Ino quickly formed hand seals, and amidst the gasps of Konohamaru and Moegi, a water dragon surged into the sky.

Gaara's face twisted with rage. Ino was not only eroding his sand but also pressuring him with the Water Dragon Bullet technique. His mental state was teetering on the edge of madness.

Clenching his teeth, Gaara raised his right hand, and a massive amount of fine sand shot into the air, forming a vast sea of sand that coiled around and crushed the water dragon. The sand then surged toward Ino.

"Sand Burial!"

"Gaara, stop!" Kankurō shouted in alarm. From his perspective, he couldn't understand why Gaara would resort to such a powerful technique so soon after arriving in Konoha.

He thought his warning had come too late, and the Konoha kunoichi would surely be crushed into a pulp by the sand.

But just as the sand was about to engulf Ino, an earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking the sand. The first wave of the Sand Burial was halted by the wall, and before Gaara could gather energy for a second wave, Ino's Great Water Collision Wave surged forward.

A massive wave of water appeared out of nowhere, crashing into the Sand Burial. The sandstorm blotted out the sunlight, while the water spread across the sky. The two techniques collided, with the sand becoming soaked and the water turning murky. The two jutsu effectively canceled each other out.

Mud splattered down from the sky, turning the once-pristine training ground into a muddy mess. Kankurō changed his mind again this Konoha kunoichi didn't seem intimidated by Gaara at all.

"I'm going to kill you!" Gaara's emotions were on the verge of collapse after just a few exchanges.

Ino wasn't about to let him have his way. She quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a technique of the Second Hokage.

Chakra gathered in her chest and abdomen before she exhaled sharply.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

A thin silver line of water, propelled by immense pressure, shot forward. The group saw a blinding flash of light as the water line crossed a distance of over ten meters in an instant, slicing through Gaara's sand shield.

The sand shield was cut at a 45-degree angle, and the remaining energy of the water line struck Gaara's chest.

At the last moment, Gaara stepped back, leaving behind a sand clone made entirely of sand.

The Water Severing Wave pierced through the sand clone before finally dissipating.

Gaara tilted his head up, looking at Ino with disdain.

From a distance, Ino smiled brightly. In her own village, she couldn't use the Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and the explosive power of the Water Ball Jutsu was limited. She had to rely on smaller-scale techniques.

Two shadow clones appeared on either side of her.

Ino's main body converted her chakra into a toxic form, while one clone used Water Release and the other used Wind Release.

She had never seen Jiraiya's Sage Art: Goemon, but he had shared some tips on combination techniques with her. Asuma, who had learned the skill from his father, also occasionally explained it to her.

Both of their knowledge of combination techniques came from the Third Hokage.

With her "Ninjutsu" stat at 10, Ino had developed her own understanding of many techniques.

The main body and the two clones began forming hand seals.

The Water Release would turn the toxin into poisonous water, while the Wind Release would expand its range of attack.

Ino's eyes were focused intently. Just as she was about to complete the technique, Kakashi suddenly appeared beside her and grabbed her right hand.

"Hey, hey, don't use such a large-scale technique in the village," he said.

Ino smiled sheepishly and dispersed her chakra.

On the other side, Suna's Jonin, Baki, managed to calm down the enraged Gaara. The skirmish between the two had only reached its halfway point when it was abruptly called off just as they were about to unleash their ultimate techniques.

Whether Gaara was happy or not, Ino didn't know, but she was certainly pleased.

Since her arrival in this world, most of her opponents had been taijutsu specialists Sasuke at the beginning, followed by Black Zetsu, Kankurō, and others. Their fighting styles were all very physical.

Only Haku had been able to exchange ninjutsu with her for a few rounds, but after obtaining Zabuza's sword, even Haku had become more aggressive.

Ino had always felt a bit lonely. Meeting Gaara today had made her particularly happy. He was also an opponent who liked to stand his ground and trade powerful techniques. This suited her style perfectly, and she couldn't help but get a little excited during the fight.

Both sides knew now wasn't the time for a full-blown battle, so neither of them exchanged any harsh words. Ino escorted the three children away from the training ground, while Gaara and his siblings left under Baki's urging.

As he left, Gaara didn't even glance at Ino, afraid he might lose control of his emotions. Women were just too annoying!

After the two groups had left, Kakashi scratched his head as he surveyed the muddy mess of the training ground. How was he supposed to clean up this disaster?

After the "minor" incident, Ino took the three kids out for barbecue. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were all thick-skinned and showed no fear from the earlier ninjutsu clash. Instead, they enthusiastically discussed the battle.

As usual, Konohamaru's poor uncle footed the bill, and Shikamaru and Chōji tagged along for a free meal.

Halfway through the meal, Asuma casually pulled out three application forms and asked them to sign.

It was just a formality, and none of them thought much of it. They signed the forms while continuing to enjoy their barbecue.

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