Chapter 219: Ninja of the Land of Snow
On the other side...
Ino was very interested in the series of actions taken by Kazahana Doto. She specifically asked about his entire process, from being a ninja to becoming a Daimyo.
In the current era, the line between ninja and the nobility is actually quite clear. It's much like many martial arts novels from the previous world; most martial arts masters simply operate within their so-called "jianghu" circles. The martial world belongs to the martial world, and the court belongs to the court, each minding its own business, like well water and river water not interfering with each other.
Originally, the principle of interaction between ninja, and even ninja villages, and the Daimyo was quite similar: each managed their own affairs without interfering with the other.
However, undercurrents were now stirring. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire seemed to be growing less tolerant of the ninja world's "jianghu," and the ninja villages were extremely dissatisfied with his slow and inefficient methods. The conflict between the two sides was gradually escalating.
Ino herself was a ninja, so it was impossible for her to support the Daimyo. She held not an ounce of respect for him; being born into nobility meant absolutely nothing to her. How many divisions did the Daimyo have, anyway? If they truly got on her nerves, she'd just take his damn throne!
She listened to Kazahana Doto's process of seizing the throne with great interest.
She covertly estimated the strength of Kazahana Doto and his group. Forcing the twelve-year-old Kakashi to retreat didn't really prove much. At that time, Kakashi was fighting several opponents at once and also had to protect Koyuki Kazahana, making him unable to fight at full strength. By her estimation, Kazahana Doto and the few Snow Ninja he hired were, at most, only at the combat level of Special Jonin – not particularly powerful.
"I have a rough understanding of the situation. What's your suggestion?" Ino turned to look at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru shed his lazy demeanor and spoke seriously, "We know too little about the enemy's intelligence, and the exact number of enemies is unclear. We should feign weakness. Ino, you and Hinata should appear in public, while Choji and I hide. There's a general tendency for male ninja to underestimate female ninja, so there's a high probability that the enemy's scouts will come to test you. That's when you capture them and interrogate them for information first."
This plan was very stable, using their strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. If Ino couldn't even handle the enemy's scouts, then they should all just run away!
Ino took out a scroll and shua shua shua began making mission notes. The geographical environment of the Land of Snow, the characteristics of the Snow Ninja, the intelligence provided by Sandayu, Shikamaru's suggestion, and her own analysis were all recorded.
Shikamaru also had a report to write. As Chunin with squad leader responsibilities, they had to write these things. They would need to submit them for archiving back at the village.
"Want some?" Choji ripped open a bag of potato chips and asked Hinata.
"No, thank you," Hinata quickly declined.
Choji then poured about a third of the chips onto the table. Ino and Shikamaru showed no signs of tension; they reached for the chips while writing their reports, looking exactly like students catching up on summer homework before school started.
Half a day later, the ship docked at the port in the Land of Snow. The film crew's staff went into town to purchase supplies like food, water, and clothing. Ino and Hinata followed behind, strolling through the town.
As they walked, the two began arguing about cultivating flowers versus pressing flowers. Afterward, Ino angrily walked away, leaving Hinata to wander the streets alone.
Ino had slightly altered the plan. Her aura was too strong; most people avoided her, making her truly unsuitable as bait.
She went into the shadows, summoned her Summoning Beast, Kubizaki the chameleon, and hid inside its belly. Then, using the Spirilization Jutsu, she entered Hinata's body.
"Ino? Ino, are you inside?" Hinata knew she was now the bait. She wanted to pretend to be very angry and reckless, but she really couldn't pull it off. All she could do was wander around a small area by herself, occasionally muttering softly.
After a moment, Ino's voice echoed in her mind: "I'm inside. Didn't you feel it?"
Hinata touched her ear, her head full of question marks. Where was that voice coming from?
Ino deliberately teased her: "I'm in your stomach."
Hinata quickly touched her stomach, only to realize that wasn't the case at all. She didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "You're just messing with me!"
Hinata used her Byakugan to look and discovered that outside her own chakra pathway system, another surge of completely different, abundant chakra had appeared. Without a doubt, this was Ino. Her own chakra was misty, whereas Ino's chakra seemed completely integrated and incredibly solid.
"You have so much chakra!" she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Even for the Hyuga clan, who specialized in Taijutsu, more chakra was always better. Nobody ever complained about having too little.
Ino had been constantly researching corpses, helping Tsunade inject Flower Style chakra, and assisting Shizune in researching the Spirilization Jutsu. She had gained some insights and experiences regarding chakra and its development.
Her spiritual form lightly poked at a few chakra points in Hinata's chakra pathway system in her arm. "Do you feel anything?" she asked.
"Ah, it's really cold!" The young girl Hinata clutched her arm. The feeling of a spiritual form poking her from the inside was so strange.
"Good, as long as you feel it. The Hyuga clan truly has a powerful bloodline. Your clan's chakra is actually far more abundant than that of regular ninja. Once we're back in the village, I'll help you expand your chakra pathways. Then you'll be able to crush Neji! Ohohohoho!"
"It won't be too much trouble, will it?"
"It won't."
"Ino, why are you so good to me?"
"Aren't we friends?"
Ino's words made Hinata temporarily forget her nervousness. A ninja acting alone like her quickly attracted the attention of the Snow Ninja. With her Leaf Village forehead protector, her unique and eye-catching Byakugan, and her timid demeanor, it would have been difficult for the Snow Ninja observing from the shadows not to notice her.
A small, pink-haired female ninja hid behind a building, watching.
She also suspected a trap and carefully looked left and right, trying to see if there were any enemies lying in ambush nearby. Hinata, who had completed many missions and gained some combat experience, immediately spotted her position. "Ino, the enemy seems to be at the three o'clock direction. Is she looking at me?"
Ino's voice echoed in her mind: "Get rid of the 'seems.' That female ninja is definitely looking at you."
Ino hesitated for a moment. "My sensing isn't very precise. Use your Byakugan again to look at her chakra pathways. Is there a protective layer or some kind of energy shield around them?"
Hinata felt a bit nervous; she wasn't sure what Ino meant by a protective shield. "How about... how about you use my eyes to look?"
"Alright, that works too. I'll enter your mental world. Don't be scared."
Without any resistance, Hinata allowed Ino to gain control of her body.
"Whoa!" Before Ino even had a chance to experience the mysteries of the Byakugan, she felt the body tilting forward. That weight was truly out of the ordinary – the veritable, unbearable weight of life! She gripped the ground with the soles of her feet, arched her back backward, and lifted her head high. Only then did she finally manage to stand firm.
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