Arrival in the Land of Waves

The incredible speed displayed by Raiga Kurosuki during the battle left a deep impression on Ino. His movements were so fast that she could only resort to large-scale Water Release techniques to counter him. Many times, she could anticipate his attacks, but her body simply couldn't keep up.

Given her current strength, it was unlikely that she would be pitted against Sakura in the Chunin Exams again. Instead, she was more likely to face opponents like Neji or Rock Lee, who excelled in Body Techniques. After careful consideration, she decided to allocate a Pot Point directly to her "Speed" attribute.

Ino's stats now became: Ninja Skill 9, Body 3, Illusion 4, Intelligence 6, Strength 2, Speed 6, Stamina 8, Hand Seals 6, with a total of 44 points.

After receiving the mission completion receipt, Ino and her team took the backroads to the Land of Waves, escorting the severely injured Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru to rendezvous with Kakashi's Team 7.

Originally, Danzo had suggested that they return to the Hidden Leaf Village first, but the other two advisors vetoed the idea. Since they had decided to foster good relations with the Hidden Mist Village, it was best not to complicate matters.

They were also wary of Danzo secretly stirring up trouble, so the Third Hokage directly ordered Team 10 to skip returning to the village and head straight to the Land of Waves.

Ino's "Donkey Cart Drift" technique finally came in handy. They hired a donkey cart in the Land of Rivers, with Ino, who had sensing abilities, taking the reins. Asuma stayed inside the cart to guard the heavily injured Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru, while Choji brought up the rear. Shikamaru sat on the roof of the cart, keeping an eye out for any suspicious individuals following them.

Raiga Kurosuki, aware that he had become a tool for the Hidden Leaf to curry favor with the Hidden Mist, let out a cold laugh but offered no further reaction.

It had to be said that the physical resilience of lunatics was generally impressive. Despite losing an arm, Raiga's face was merely pale, and there was no sign of him kicking the bucket anytime soon.

As for Ranmaru, he had no objections to returning to the Hidden Mist Village. According to him, as long as he could die alongside Raiga, the location of their deaths didn't matter.

Their indifferent attitude made Team 10 seem like the villains in this situation. The journey was arduous, with the road conditions being less than ideal—many places didn't even have a proper path.

Ino drove the cart for two days, followed by Choji for one day, then Shikamaru for another day, and finally Ino again for two more days. If they had traveled as ninjas, it would have taken only two days to reach the Land of Rivers from the Hidden Leaf Village. However, with the severely injured Raiga Kurosuki and the physically weak Ranmaru in tow, it took them a full six days to arrive in the Land of Waves and locate Team 7.

The situation in the Land of Waves was much more stable compared to the original timeline.

In a direct confrontation, Kakashi's strength surpassed Zabuza's. If Zabuza used the Hidden Mist Technique, Kakashi would do the same. If Zabuza used the Water Prison Technique, Kakashi knew that one too!

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet? What a coincidence—Kakashi had just "borrowed" a simplified version of the Water Dragon Bullet from a young girl named Ino using his Sharingan! Who would bother with 44 hand seals when 12 would do the trick? Zabuza and Haku were in the shadows, while Team 7 was in the open. Although Zabuza had the slight advantage of ambush, Kakashi immediately countered with the Hidden Mist Technique and then used his Sharingan to locate Zabuza within the mist. Zabuza was completely caught off guard, and the battle essentially mirrored Team 10's fight against Raiga Kurosuki. Kakashi took the lead, with Naruto and Sasuke providing support. After a few rounds, the three of them had beaten Zabuza to the point where even his own mother might not recognize him.

At the critical moment, Haku pretended to be pitiful and played dead. Sakura, being kind-hearted, left a gap in the encirclement. Haku removed his mask, using his stunning beauty to momentarily distract Naruto and Sasuke. Then, utilizing the high-speed movement ability of Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, he seized the heavily injured Zabuza.

Kakashi's Sharingan was overused, and his body was extremely fatigued. He stopped Naruto and Sasuke from continuing the pursuit.

The mission of Team 10 was clear: to eliminate the Kurosuki "ronin" family occupying the mine. Team 7 was only tasked with escorting and bridge-building, which had no direct connection to Zabuza.

According to Kakashi's thoughts, completing the current mission was enough. Whether Zabuza lived or died was none of his concern.

However, he couldn't ignore the subsequent orders from the village.

Kakashi was in a dilemma. Should he go search alone? He feared Zabuza might ambush Naruto and the others. Should he let the four of them split up to search? That would be even more dangerous! Sending the Ninja Dogs to search was also problematic since the Land of Waves was surrounded by the sea. If Zabuza dived into the water, the Ninja Dogs' keen noses would be useless.

He could only wait for reinforcements. Mitokado Homura arrived first. This advisor didn't stay long in the Land of Waves. After leaving the order to capture Zabuza and Haku alive, he headed to a small country affiliated with the Land of Water, the Land of the Sea.

He had arranged to meet with ninjas from Kirigakure there.

He needed to personally discuss their stance. If Kirigakure really turned hostile, with Mitokado Homura's combat experience and two Jonin bodyguards, they could adapt accordingly. But bringing a group of kids along would complicate things.

Without further ado, the old man went ahead to scout the path.

Mitokado Homura had visited Kirigakure in his youth and had dealt with Genji before. Understanding the other party's character, he believed he could complete the task.

When Team 10 arrived in the Land of Waves by donkey cart, Team 7 was in the middle of training.

Naruto and Sasuke had completed the tree-climbing training and were now practicing water-walking.

Sakura had finished both trainings early and was learning the Water Prison Technique under Kakashi's guidance.

As Team 10 arrived, Asuma and Kakashi exchanged a few quiet words.

Asuma nodded to Ino.

"Ino, I'm counting on you."

"Alright, Sense!" Ino closed her eyes, forming the "Mi" hand seal, continuously searching for Chakra reactions within an eight-kilometer radius.

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

"He's not within my detection range. We must search by sea."

The Land of Waves was a tiny island nation surrounded by the sea. If Zabuza hid on any small island, it would indeed be hard to find.

The situation was urgent, but not to the point of being critical. Team 10 had traveled a long distance, and all four were somewhat tired. Kakashi took over the task of guarding Raiga Kurosuki, allowing them to rest for a day, visit the Land of Waves' market, and relax.

Shikamaru went back to his room to sleep, Choji went to eat, and Ino, having nothing to do, went out to stroll alone.

The market was filled with residents selling their self-woven hats, homegrown vegetables, and fish and shrimp caught from the sea.

She bought a straw hat and then purchased a large pack of seaweed from a shop by the roadside that boasted of being a "century-old store." This was for Choji. At a nearby fish vendor, she picked out two mackerels and two sauries—the former being Shikamaru's favorite, and the latter Kakashi's. Friendship among companions needed to be nurtured through the little things in daily life. As for Kakashi, she simply wanted to seek his advice on Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, as Kakashi had considerable insight into this ninja technique.

Later, she spotted a shop selling cinnamon rolls and happily bought a large pack, planning to take it back to treat Hinata.