Ino didn't even hesitate before answering, "Of course, I like someone who's handsome!"
Jiraiya really wanted to say that he was handsome too, but Ino didn't give him the chance. She pointed at Sasuke's cover photo and said, "Look at Sasuke-kun, with his rosy lips and pearly white teeth. And you, old man? Your face paint is pretty red, and your hair is pretty white—is that the same? And then there's Sasuke-kun's eyes, bright as stars. And you, old man? Your eyes just radiate a sleazy vibe, tsk tsk. Sasuke-kun has a big house—do you have one? What do women in their fifties need? Security! And you, old man, have nothing!"
Her words made Jiraiya feel like banging his head against a wall. The face paint was his signature, the white hair was natural, and as for his eyes—how could he compare to the Uchiha Clan's eyes? The house issue was actually easy to solve; he had money, but the root of the problem was that he didn't want to stay in Konoha Village.
With this comparison, it seemed like he was completely defeated.
Ino didn't pay him any more attention. She knew when to stop, so she took out some money and bought a copy of Sasuke's Youth Story.
Waving at the dejected Jiraiya, she walked out of Shueisha Hall with the book in hand.
As she walked, she flipped through the pages.
The literacy rate in this world was quite low, and those who could read and afford books were mostly concentrated in the prosperous areas of the major nations. Shueisha Hall planned to distribute this book worldwide.
However, they played it safe in the end. The title was Sasuke's Youth Story instead of Uchiha Sasuke's Youth Story. They only used the given name, not the surname, leaving some room for interpretation.
If you say your name is Sasuke, are we talking about you? Ridiculous! There are plenty of people named Sasuke these days! The Third Hokage's father was named Sasuke—did that old man, who's been dead for decades, come out to object? You say this is your photo? There are plenty of people who look exactly the same.
Shueisha Hall had its own experts, like... Jiraiya! They didn't want anyone causing trouble, but they weren't afraid of it either.
Ino casually flipped through the content, satisfied that the cover had removed the line "Material provided by the Protect, Love, Guard, and Accompany Sasuke Uchiha Association" and instead highlighted "Written by the great author Kasugano Sakura."
Anyone who wasn't blind could tell who this "Kasugano Sakura" was based on some of the descriptions. The blame wasn't too heavy, after all, there were only a few love-struck girls these days. But if it spread, over time, the blame points she'd accumulate wouldn't be few.
Ino walked for about ten minutes before Jiraiya finally regained his composure. The heart of an old pervert began to stir again. Since women all liked Sasuke's face, he figured he could make use of it too—consider it payment for these days of helping Sasuke awaken his eyes!
No time to waste.
Half an hour later.
"Hahaha—I, Uchiha Sasuke, am Konoha's number one genius! Let me tell you a story..." Jiraiya, using the Transformation Technique to take on Sasuke's appearance, sat in a tavern with his arms around two women, occasionally telling a dirty joke that made the two scantily clad ladies giggle. At the same time...
"Hahaha—I, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, am a famous writer! Pretty ladies, let me tell you a joke..." Ino, using the Transformation Technique to take on Jiraiya's appearance, sat in another tavern, drinking with two women with explosive figures.
After finishing her drink, Ino looked at the slowly increasing energy in the black pot and felt quite satisfied. She had developed another "resource point" that could provide long-term energy. However, this pot could only be used while Jiraiya was in the village. If he left Konoha, it would be risky for her to use it again.
The alcohol content wasn't too high. After bidding farewell to the two beautiful ladies, Ino left the tavern and quickly reverted to her original appearance.
She wandered over to the school. With less than three weeks left until the graduation exam, she still needed to put in some effort to maintain her position as the top student in her grade. Upon arriving at school, she was surprised to find that Sasuke hadn't been attending classes these past few days. Could it be? Had he been so overwhelmed that he defected early? But where could he even go? Shikamaru and the chubby Choji hadn't arrived yet, so she asked Hinata.
Hinata spoke softly, "I heard... I heard that Sasuke-kun was seriously injured. The village sent a Jonin to help heal him."
Hinata, like a little puppy, sniffed at her collar, "Ino, have you been drinking?"
"No, no! Don't talk nonsense! Next time, I'll take you with me!"
After brushing off the drinking matter, Ino began to think about Sasuke's situation. Seriously injured? How serious? Was he on the verge of death?
During her previous battle with Sasuke, she had sensed what seemed to be Indra's Chakra. This Chakra had even assimilated a portion of her own. However, when she was at the hospital, she could no longer sense this Chakra. She had thought it was over, but now it seemed... the matter wasn't finished yet? "Ugh! Damn it... Is Konoha cursed or something? I was fine outside, but as soon as I came back, I feel dizzy." The next day, after a struggle with her blanket, Ino finally managed to crawl out of her "seal" with great determination.
She felt like she had another dream, but once again, she couldn't remember its contents. Although her panel didn't show any changes, she felt that her Yin Release had improved significantly. Originally at the level of a Chunin's second-tier Yin Release, she was now not far from the third-tier Yin Release, which was equivalent to that of a Special Jonin.
Was her body naturally gifted in Yin Release? If her Yin Release improved quickly, she might even be able to try befriending the Shinigami using the Mind Confusion Technique during the Konoha Crush Plan. Ino had already mastered the Shadow Clone Technique. Considering her limited Chakra, she created two clones—one to practice hand seals and the other to work on Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation. Earth Release had many uses; if she couldn't defeat an enemy, she could always burrow into the ground as an escape method.
Her main body continued attending school while stirring up some trouble.
As soon as Ino arrived at school, she noticed that Sasuke had actually appeared in class today.
If one word could describe Sasuke at this moment, it would be "calm."
He sat quietly in his seat, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He didn't even glance at the girls who tried to chat with him or ask him riddles. His demeanor was very composed, as if he had returned to being the school heartthrob he once was.
"Hey, what do you think is going on with him?" Ino asked Shikamaru.
Shikamaru, lying on the table, didn't even look up, "You're the sensory-type ninja. If you don't know, how would I know?"
Ino shook her head, "Do you think his Sharingan has awakened?"
Shikamaru said lazily, "Then why don't you ask Hinata to take a look for you?"
Ino simply ignored him. What kind of terrible suggestion was that?
The Byakugan's penetrating ability was so strong that it was like seeing through clothes. Unless it was a special situation, their clan wouldn't casually activate the Byakugan in the village.
"They're all classmates, not enemies. You're being too narrow-minded," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.