Kakashi and the Female Spy

The system of registration for leaving and entering the village has always been strictly enforced in the Hidden Leaf Village. Whether the Hokage needs to register when leaving the village is unknown, but Anbu ninjas certainly do.

Anbu ninjas wear masks, so naturally, they don't register their real names. The three of them completed the registration using their codenames.

Kamizuki Izumo also said to the three, "Good work," before letting them pass.

Among the three Anbu, a female ninja with long purple hair and a long sword on her back noticed Ino and gave her a subtle nod. Ino returned the gesture with a respectful glance. Normally, Anbu should abandon their personal identities during missions and not greet anyone, but this woman was a VIP customer who often visited the Yamanaka Flower Shop. The two had a good relationship, so exchanging a glance at the village entrance was acceptable.

Yuugao, a member of Anbu's Sixth Squad and the lover of the Special Jonin, Gekkou Hayate.

This elder sister particularly enjoyed flower viewing, and the sickly Gekkou Hayate would constantly take missions, earn money, and then come to buy flowers. How expensive were the flowers at the Yamanaka Flower Shop? Over time, Ino became familiar with them.

At this moment, Ino had no intention of talking to Yuugao. She looked at the woman being escorted by the three Anbu and then at Kakashi, who had a strange expression. Could there be some juicy gossip here?

Kamizuki Izumo, who had a good relationship with her and was bored from constantly guarding the gate, had long awakened his gossip-loving nature. He quickly glanced at the registration form and whispered, "It seems she's a female ninja disguised as a female artist who came to the Land of Fire to gather information."

Hagane Kotetsu, who was more well-informed, added, "Recently, with the news of improving relations between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, some smaller ninja villages have become restless."

Ino let out a long "Oh," indicating she understood.

If two major countries were to form an alliance, it would be an absolute disaster for some smaller nations.

Sending someone to gather information was quite normal.

Ino had been keeping an eye on the affairs of the Lord of Fire Daimyo and the Lord of Water Daimyo. If this matter were to be manipulated, and the blame were to be pinned on Danzo, it would undoubtedly be a world-changing event, with Pot Points exploding everywhere.

She was thinking about how to intervene and in what capacity to step into this chaotic whirlpool.

On the other side, Sakura was the first to notice something unusual. It must be said that at this time, Sakura truly had no talent in ninja techniques—she hadn't even mastered the Water Prison Technique yet. But in the realm of romance? Her mind was entirely focused on that.

While Naruto and Sasuke were still clueless, Sakura eagerly looked at Kakashi, seemingly hoping he would chase after the woman and enact a dramatic love story. Unfortunately, she was disappointed.

The female spy just glanced back without saying a word, and Kakashi also looked at her as if she were a stranger, allowing the three Anbu ninjas to take her away.

Sakura looked around and realized that everyone nearby was a straight man, and only Ino could discuss such topics with her. She nudged Ino with her elbow and said, "Hey, do you think... they're that kind of relationship?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru all pricked up their ears.

Choji even stopped eating his chips and listened intently.

Ino, slightly annoyed at being interrupted, said irritably, "You're really clueless, aren't you? Isn't it obvious? Can't you see it?"

The trip to the Land of Waves and later the Land of Water made Sakura realize a harsh reality: catching up to Ino in terms of ninja talent was going to be quite difficult. Her plan was to take advantage of proximity and follow a gentle approach, gradually securing an important place in Sasuke's heart. Ino's words had infuriated her, but remembering her persona, she repeatedly reminded herself in her mind to be gentle, absolutely gentle!

After calming her inner anger, she forced a smile and asked, "So, what do you think the village will do with this beautiful sister?" Ino stroked her chin, tilted her head, and thought for a moment. "For a spy, they should first hang her up and whip her. If she doesn't confess, then they'll use a branding iron, a hammer, and if she still doesn't talk, they'll pierce her fingers with bamboo sticks, use the rack! Cut off her feet, then her hands, behead her, and dismember her."

Sakura's hair stood on end as she listened, her sweet fantasies shattered by the brutal reality, her face turning pale.

"I've heard that the people in Konoha's Interrogation Force are... are demons. Once that beautiful sister falls into their hands..." Sakura was terrified.

Ino didn't have the heart to say, "Do you think our family just monopolizes the flower market in Konoha? Actually, our family manages those 'demons'!"

The two Jonin went to the Hokage's office to report on their mission, while the Genin disbanded and went home.

Ino didn't go home. She weighed the pros and cons of her plan in her mind and strolled over to the Interrogation Force, officially known as the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force.

For many years, the intelligence department's work had been the responsibility of the Yamanaka Clan.

The Third Hokage, using the pretext that the intelligence department had failed to provide early warning during the Nine-Tails' rampage, which led to the Fourth Hokage's death, split the intelligence department.

Now, the Interrogation Squad and the Analysis Squad stood side by side. The Third Hokage's trusted ally, Morino Ibiki, served as the head of the Interrogation Squad, while Yamanaka Inoichi led the Analysis Squad.

Although they were administratively separated, they still worked together in practice. The field was too specialized, and the Yamanaka Clan had significant influence in this area. With Danzo's support, Inoichi still controlled the daily operations of the intelligence field.

At Konoha Hospital, Ino was like a ghost, ignored by everyone except Yakushi Kabuto, who could chat with her. But in the Interrogation Force, it was completely different.

"Ah, it's Yamanaka-san! Are you here to see Inoichi-sama?"

"Yes, hello, senior."

"Oh, it's little Ino! Just back from Kirigakure Village?"

"Hello, teacher. I just returned to the village."

Ino often came here, indifferent to the gruesome scenes in the torture chambers, as if she were at home. She gave gifts to a few acquaintances, like Yamashiro Aoba and Tobitake Tonbo, then turned left and right, eventually arriving at her father's office.

"Just back in the village? What's up?" Inoichi was a bit curious.

Of course, Ino couldn't say that in the future Kakashi would become the Sixth Hokage, so they shouldn't cling to Danzo and should instead form a good relationship with Kakashi, while also testing Obito's reaction to see if he was still observing Konoha.

She couldn't say a word of that.

She could only speak in a roundabout way: "Here's the thing. I think there's definitely something going on between Kakashi-sensei and that kunoichi who came as a spy. Their relationship is unusual, but in Kakashi-sensei's heart, the village is more important. Actually, it's not wartime now—how much intelligence can a kunoichi really gather? Can we be a bit more flexible on this matter?"

Inoichi had seen too much darkness and wasn't easily fooled. He saw through the key issue at a glance: "You need something from Kakashi? So you're trying to use this female spy as leverage?"