Ninja Pot Shadow

Things are different now.

In the common parlance, "big insect" refers to a tiger. But in Ino's area, "big insect" generally refers to a semi-carnivorous, man-eating plant that is over ten meters long and has two rows of sharp teeth like a washing machine in its mouth...

In Ino's view, a bad person in the conventional sense is usually equated with experimental material.

The three people and the pig went to a tavern for a drink that night, and all their worries and troubles were left behind.

"Back then, I asked the First Hokage, 'First Hokage, what exactly is the secret to Wood Release?'" Ino was relaxed and a little tipsy. When Tsunade asked her about her relationship with the First Hokage, she began to recount the story with great enthusiasm.

When she got to the tips of Wood Release, she paused and kept everyone in suspense.

Tsunade held up her wine glass, waiting for her to continue. Shizune's mouth was slightly open, her eyes shining, as if she wanted to know what the secret was.

As Ino verbally described and gestured "exert force, half-squat, and chakra bounce," the three men and the pig burst into laughter.

Shizune and Tonton's laughter was somewhat reserved; after all, he was the renowned First Hokage who founded Konoha. Tsunade, on the other hand, was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes—yes, that's the feeling! Her grandfather was such an unreliable idiot!

Ino took the opportunity to demonstrate her Flower Release. At her level, there was not much room for improvement in Water Release. Relying solely on Water Release would not be enough to deal with the powerful enemies of the future. Flower Release and later Wood Release would need to be revealed sooner rather than later. She could conveniently pin the blame on the First Hokage.

Tsunade thought for a moment: "Yours looks a bit like the Wood Release of the Kazematsu clan. They are related to the Senju clan by blood... But I remember theirs is called Grass Release, and yours is called Flower Release? That's strange. Why are they all different from my grandfather's jutsu?"

Of course it's Chatonla's problem! Ino knew the answer, but couldn't say it.

Tsunade rested her elbow on the table, tilting her head in thought: "Hmm, I remember... I remember my grandfather wrote a piece of calligraphy that contained the secret of Wood Release, at least that's what he told me..."

Even though she had managed to unlock the Flower Escape skill by adding points, Ino still asked with anticipation, "Where is this calligraphy now?"

Tsunade slammed her hand on the table and said with great momentum, "It was stolen by those bastards from Kumogakure. Let's go to Kumogakure and get this calligraphy back."

Ino: ? ? ?

What's going on? We were just chatting and joking around at the dinner table, how come we're suddenly going to Kumogakure? There's a village full of tough guys over there, and it's just the three of us with a pig? Are we delivering a gift?

Ino felt that even if she increased her speed to 10, she still might not be able to outrun the Fourth Raikage...

Is it too late for me to return to Konoha Village now?

Chapter 197 The Fourth Raikage's Request

In the following days, Tsunade didn't mention going to Kumogakure again, and Ino assumed she was just talking nonsense while drunk, so she didn't bring it up again.

“I’ve already figured out a way. The cultivation of the Spirit Transformation Technique can’t be delayed any longer. Hmm, the reason we haven’t taken the final step yet is partly your fault and partly mine. Your next task is to continue drinking! Keep a cheerful mood. A good mood is very important for the first Spirit Transformation.”

It's said that Tsunade used Jiraiya's savings to pay the bill, and Ino didn't stand on ceremony.

I've dedicated half a year to Konoha, can't I enjoy myself a little? Why not drink some? Drink up!

She didn't notice at all that after leaving the Land of Fire, Tsunade led the two people and the pig northeastward. Three days later, they chartered a boat at the dock in the Land of Hot Water and officially set off for the Land of Lightning.

Tsunade said she was going to a place called Nanakusa Island to collect some medicinal herbs. Ino didn't know much about navigation, and since Tsunade had traveled all over the world for many years, she didn't mention the route and just continued drinking.

When she was in high spirits, she sat on the deck, holding a bottle of wine, clapping along, and sang a song called "Binks' Wine".

Several sailors, Tonton, and Tsunade clapped and cheered for her. After she finished singing, she lifted her skirt and bowed to them to express her gratitude.

Only Shizune kept staring at the sea with suspicion, becoming extremely nervous whenever a ship approached.

She suddenly pointed northeast and cried out in alarm, "Over there! Lady Tsunade, it looks like a small boat is coming from over there!"

Ino squinted and looked in the direction she was pointing. There was just a small boat, and it seemed like there was only one person on it.

She smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, senior sister, I'll protect you."

She pointed at the sailors around her: "Who do you think I am? Move the ship closer!"

"Get closer, get closer!" Tsunade and Tonton cheered, while Shizune looked helpless.

"Tsunade! How dare you enter the Land of Lightning? Are you trying to start a war between the two villages?!" The Fourth Raikage charged out alone in his boat without any attendants. Seemingly feeling that the boat was too slow, he threw away the oars and ran on the water while shouting in a hoarse voice.

Tsunade was even more defiant: "So what if you provoke me? Do you dare start a war?!"

Ino: ? ? ?

The moment she saw the Fourth Raikage, she sobered up considerably. What was going on? Why was he in Kumogakure? Wasn't he supposed to be looking for some suckers to swindle money? Kumogakure was full of violent thugs; they didn't seem like suckers at all.

She glanced around at her surroundings out of the corner of her eye. Yes, this was the open sea, her territory. Once she dove into the water, ordinary ninjas wouldn't be able to catch her...

Tsunade patted her shoulder impatiently: "What are you afraid of? You've met the Fourth Raikage, haven't you? He owes us a favor. Be bold, it's just Kumogakure, nothing to be afraid of."

The more she said that, the less Ino felt it was plausible.

This worry reached its peak after seeing the Fourth Raikage, who looked like a black man, jump onto the ship.

The Fourth Raikage begins to dredge up old grievances with Tsunade.

“I saved your men last time.”

"You have entered our ninja village's territory without cause!"

"You cheated during our arm wrestling match last time."

"...Then you can't just enter our ninja village's territory without a valid reason!"

"No cheating, arm wrestling, let's have another round! If I lose, I'm leaving immediately. I mean what I say, how about it? You dare to compete?"

Tsunade said decisively. The Fourth Raikage looked a little embarrassed. In terms of pure strength, he was indeed a little bit inferior to Tsunade, just a little bit.

It wouldn't make sense for the Raikage to cheat twice in a row.

Jiraiya has recently reduced his habit of sneaking into the bathroom to peep, and instead picked up the Third Hokage's crystal ball to start studying the art of telescopes, all in order to maintain the dignity of the village's Kage.

The Fourth Raikage is even more concerned about his reputation. The Hidden Cloud Village is dominated by martial arts factions. If he were to lose to Tsunade in terms of strength, there would definitely be unrest in the village. They are all people, and they are all large organizations... Konoha Village has all sorts of unpredictable events, and the Hidden Cloud Village has them too, it's just that they are far away and the outside world doesn't know about them.

If we compete again, we absolutely must not cheat.

But if it were a fair and square arm wrestling match, he really couldn't beat Tsunade, and it would be even more embarrassing for him to lose.

"What exactly do you want?" As the leader of the village, the Fourth Raikage, aside from his rude speech and behavior, also possessed sufficient political acumen.

Tsunade pointed at Ino and said, "My disciple is preparing to learn a secret technique, which requires the use of the real waterfall from your Turtle Island."

The Fourth Raikage's first reaction was that this wouldn't do. The Konoha ninjas were all cunning and wicked. He, on the other hand, was straightforward and knew there must be some conspiracy he didn't know about. He absolutely couldn't let them set foot on Turtle Island.

But seeing Tsunade swinging her arms and shaking her wrists, he hesitated a little.

He was indeed in the wrong, and it was true that Tsunade had helped him heal his subordinates. He even knew Ino; he had been there when she became his disciple.

The Fourth Raikage looked at Ino: "Is it her? The legendary Konoha prodigy who recently defeated Chojuro of Kirigakure and the Jinchuriki of Sunagakure?"

Tsunade knew it was time for the other party to set conditions, and nodded slightly: "Yes."

The Fourth Raikage said in a deep voice, "Not everyone is qualified to come to Turtle Island. Let her fight Yugito. If she wins, I will allow her to come to the island and train with the True Waterfall."

Tsunade was taken aback at first, then became a little annoyed: "Yugito? The Two-Tails Jinchuriki? That female ninja is almost thirty years old this year, isn't she?"

The Fourth Raikage shook his head repeatedly: "No, no... Yugito is still young, unlike us old guys."

Tsunade pressed further, "How old is Yugito?"

"They're still young."

"Stop talking nonsense, I'm asking you, how old are you two Muren this year?"

"...Twenty-five."

Tsunade laughed in exasperation: "Don't you have any young ninjas in your village?"

There are definitely ninjas of the same age who can defeat Ino, but currently there are none.

This thing is obvious at a glance.

The Fourth Raikage remained silent, meaning that if you agree to these conditions, we'll continue; if not, you can go home.

Tsunade was unsure and could only ask Ino for her opinion.

“When we practice the Spirit Transformation Technique, I think we need to use the real waterfall on Turtle Island to further purify your spirit. According to my plan, this place is very crucial. Now, the Fourth Raikage has set a condition, requiring you to defeat the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Do you think you are confident?”

It was only then that Ino realized Tsunade's intention: to use the Real Waterfall to train in the Spirit Transformation Technique? Naruto seemed to have used this waterfall before.

Can she defeat the Two-Tails Jinchuriki? She honestly has no confidence at all.

If she could, she'd rather beat up Choji's future wife, Karui, Karoo-duck, or something like that...

Chapter 198 Karui

Ino wanted to fight an opponent her own age, but unfortunately, the Fourth Raikage wasn't stupid and directly brought out the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.

Yugito Nii is twenty-five years old this year and is considered a senior Jonin, comparable to Kakashi and Asuma in the ninja world.

He is not only experienced in combat but also a perfect Jinchūriki, with almost no weaknesses.

"Teacher, to be honest, I really have no confidence at all..." Ino did not overestimate her strength. The two Yugito were able to fight the immortal duo for a whole day, so their strength was definitely formidable.

The previous battles with Kisame and Itachi Uchiha were mostly staged and don't prove anything.

Finally, she changed the subject: "However, I would like to learn from my seniors, which would also be a good thing for my growth."

Tsunade nodded approvingly. That's how ninjas should be. Only by challenging the strong can they constantly break through their own limits. When the three legendary ninjas faced Hanzo of the Salamander, they knew they were no match for him, but they still insisted on fighting.

It's good to put some pressure on yourself. Your peers can't put pressure on you right now, so you can only find rivals among the ninjas a generation older.

Tsunade said, "We agree. Let's call Yugito."

After a while, the messenger hawk sent back a message that the two Yugito had agreed to fight Ino.

They hadn't yet reached the Land of Lightning, but the surrounding seas were all under the control of Kumogakure. The Fourth Raikage made no mention of inviting them into his village, and Tsunade and Ino didn't want to go either. Half a day later, they followed the Fourth Raikage to a nearby unnamed island.

After waiting for half a day, they saw a man and two women who had come from afar.

The man was actually 33 years old, but looked like he was 63. He had dark skin, an aged face, and was wearing sunglasses and carrying seven swords. This man, who looked like an unearthed artifact, was Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki who had come to watch the show.

This is the only man in the original timeline who could ignore Naruto's Sexy Jutsu! He's said to possess an iron will; women? Women only slow down his sword strikes!

Killer Bee is also the Fourth Raikage's sworn brother. The female ninja to his left is his disciple and Choji's future wife. She is Karui, a female ninja who wields a long sword.

Karui has red hair, light golden eyes, and a sharp gaze. She wears a sleeveless vest and, apart from her slightly dark skin, is considered a beauty.

She and Ino are the same age, both thirteen, and both are Chunin in terms of ninja rank.

In terms of battle record, Ino's record is quite impressive. She has fought against ninjas from Konoha, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, and now she has even reached Kumogakure.

Karui was eager to try, wanting to challenge Ino. As Killer Bee's disciple, Karui's status was a perfect match for Ino. However, the Fourth Raikage believed that Karui was no match for Ino and instead chose Yugito Nii, who was twenty-five years old this year and a full twelve years older, to fight.

The tall female ninja to Killer Bee's right is the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii.