Ninja Pot Shadow

This aligns with the values ​​of ninjas: everything must be fought for and seized.

Terumi pondered for a moment, then looked at Gonbei: "Tell Chojuro to prepare for entering the labyrinth and undergoing the test. Tell that kid to be more confident; he's quite strong, so he won't embarrass the village!"

"Yes, Lord Mizukage."

She then looked at the silent Jonin, Aoi: "Where did Hozuki Suigetsu go?"

"They said they were leaving the village to find a ninja sword..."

Mei Terumi was very upset: "I remember being gone for a long time? Could she have been killed?"

After considering the young people at hand, it became clear that even assembling a three-person team would be difficult.

The people who go into battle represent the face of the younger generation of Kirigakure. It would be too embarrassing if they were defeated in one move.

“Besides Chojuro…” Mei Terumi frowned and thought hard. There were too few suitable people in the village. Konoha could easily send out six people, but they only had two candidates. In fact, one of them was missing.

In terms of talent, they are quite lacking.

She finally looked at Qing: "I remember that Ice Release combat abilities are generally quite good. How old is that kid named Bai this year?"

"Fifteen years old."

"Tell him that the village has pardoned Zabuza's death sentence and issued an official document. As a condition, he must fight for the village. Isn't that Ranmaru a reconnaissance ninja? Tell him to fight as well."

Master Yuan coughed, and the others immediately looked at him.

"Qing, call those two children over. I want to talk to them myself."

"Yes, my lord."

With Master Yuan personally taking action, it would be effortless for this seasoned veteran to fool a naive and handsome young man like Bai.

Chapter Eighty-Seven: An Opportunity?

After meeting Haku and Ranmaru, it is unknown what agreement Genshi reached with Zabuza and Raiga Kurosuki in private. In any case, these two rogue ninjas personally gave Haku and Ranmaru the mission to cooperate with Chojuro and fight as Kirigakure ninjas.

Zabuza even hoped that Haku would inherit his Executioner's Blade and the title of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in the future. Haku's strength was comparable to Ino's... Not to mention that Kirigakure would disagree, even if he were given the Executioner's Blade right now, he wouldn't be able to swing it.

Zabuza then gave Haku his old weapon, a sharp and menacing katana.

He was also ordered to tie up his long hair, change into women's clothing, wear white straight-legged clothes, dark-colored long trousers, and a pair of two-toothed wooden clogs.

After changing into this new outfit, Bai's face was still handsome, but he had gained a bit more heroic air, which was much better than before.

Haku's swordsmanship is mediocre, but having watched Zabuza slash people every day, he must have gained some experience.

There's no time for last-minute cramming or intensive training. The Konoha ninjas are waiting for him. Zabuza can only simplify some of his moves and combine them with Ice Release ninjutsu, trying to rely on close-quarters combat with swordsmanship to disrupt the enemy's attack rhythm.

That's right, their imagined enemy is Lady Ino...

On the other side, Raiga Kurosuki also gave Ranmaru some special training.

Ranmaru was too young and weak, so Raiga Kurosuki didn't expect him to rush over and fight Ino's water and fire styles for eight hundred rounds. Instead, he was to use his red eyes to find the enemy's trail in advance and hand the information over to Chojuro and Haku. That would be considered Ranmaru's mission accomplished.

Chojuro, Ranmaru, and Haku formed a team to represent Kirigakure in the battle.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Ao told the news to the people in Konoha Village.

He spoke in a very official manner, talking about exchanging feelings and giving the younger generation a chance to grow, his words filled with enthusiasm.

However, he added at the end: "Back then, the Second Mizukage used his summoning beast to leave behind this genjutsu labyrinth, which preserves a portion of his chakra. It can be regarded as the Second Mizukage himself. The original intention of setting up this genjutsu labyrinth was to give young ninjas in the village some opportunities to grow, so there is an age limit."

His point was simple: these days, secret techniques and bloodline limits are practically impossible to guard against. What if a Konoha Jonin is shameless and sneaks in using other methods?

Opening the illusionary labyrinth was Yuan Shi's idea alone; no one knew about it beforehand.

Aokiji now thought that the Konoha ninjas were completely unprepared. As the host country, they had a huge advantage in intelligence, but if an elite Jonin, especially someone like Kakashi with the Sharingan, infiltrated, then things would be hard to say.

His prior statement was a warning to Konoha.

Mitokado Yan spoke a few words in a low voice to Kakashi and Asuma, and then nodded in agreement on behalf of Konoha Village.

"Since no one has any objections, let's call the genin now. The genjutsu labyrinth is deep in the back mountains and only opens at specific times each day. Our time is very tight." Ao had no intention of giving the Konoha ninjas any time to prepare.

"Hehe." Asuma chuckled. "Your Excellency, having my men prepare some ninja tools will take a little longer. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Qing's skin was extremely thick; he remained expressionless, as if he hadn't noticed Asma's sarcasm.

"Master Yuan is still waiting for you all. I hope we can get there sooner."

The people of Konoha had no choice but to call in the members of Team 7 and Team 10. Time was tight, so they could only say a few words.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke knew that Kirigakure wasn't their home, and could even be considered an enemy country. The three of them were fully armed even when they slept. Naruto and Sakura, on the other hand, were rushed awake while still wearing their pajamas. Choji, meanwhile, was covered in soot; he had been in his room grilling fish when he was called out...

Mitokado Homura coughed lightly, while Ao stood to the side, showing no intention of avoiding him.

Mitokado Homura had no choice but to say a few words: "...Both sides have shown great sincerity in this exchange. Kirigakure is willing to open the Genjutsu Labyrinth for you. Inside the labyrinth, you will encounter images left behind by the Second Mizukage. If you pass the test and succeed, you may obtain some valuable ninjutsu. I hope you will give it your all, demonstrate your abilities, and not let down the expectations and training that both villages have placed in you..."

As expected of the Third Hokage's old comrade-in-arms, Mitokado Homura spoke fluently and eloquently, leaving Ao unable to find a chance to interrupt.

They kept repeating the same things over and over, managing to buy themselves half an hour of time.

During this half hour, Naruto and Sakura changed into their battle suits, organized their ninja tools, and Choji washed his face, swallowed the slightly burnt grilled fish whole, and even let out two burps.

Ino and the others also ate some breakfast to get their bodies into the best fighting condition.

Asuma whispered about the Kirigakure squad they would encounter. Kirigakure didn't hide the list of participants; they couldn't possibly say they didn't know who was fighting on their side, could they? That would be too fake.

Haku and Ranmaru are old rivals. The former has a powerful bloodline limit, while the latter's reconnaissance and shielding abilities are very effective against Ino, making him a troublesome opponent. Chojuro is completely unfamiliar to the five genin besides Ino; they have never heard of him and don't know what his abilities are.

Ino was the most excited. This illusionary labyrinth felt like it was made just for her! Who was the Second Mizukage again? The one with the mustache? What was the mustache's name again?

She roughly recalled the other person's ninjutsu, and then thought, "Huh? This person seems to be a Water Release ninja!"

When it comes to water escape techniques, she feels incredibly confident.

It's true that Chojuro will become the Sixth Mizukage in the future, but is Ino afraid? Does the opponent have 9 points in "Ninjutsu," 8 points in "Spirit," and a level 3 "Water Release" skill? No!

Her stats are basically those of an elite Jonin.

Unless this maze tests some strange and unusual knowledge, as long as the test content is related to ninjutsu, she is not afraid of anyone at her current age!

Ino raised her hand and asked in a clear voice, "Asuma-sensei, if we learn Kirigakure's ninjutsu, will it cause trouble for the village?"

Asuma looked at Ao beside him, as if to say, "You explain it."

With a blank expression, Qing said, "How much you learn is up to you. To tell you the truth, the secret techniques and ninjutsu of Kirigakure are vast and numerous. We incompetent juniors can't even grasp one percent or one-thousandth of them. If you can learn powerful ninjutsu, won't you use it in the future? If you use it, wouldn't that be helping us spread the word? We'd be overjoyed."

He finally raised one finger: "However, there is one point I must emphasize. According to the rules between ninja villages, the ninjutsu you learn in the genjutsu labyrinth can only be used by yourselves. Without the permission of Kirigakure, you may not teach it to others. Do you understand?"

Ino looked completely innocent, as if her previous question was just childish naiveté: "Oh, thank you, Uncle. I'm relieved to hear that."

Chapter 88 Illusion Labyrinth

Ino felt she had a great advantage and secretly considered how to deal with it, while Shikamaru, a smart guy, was also making plans.

Shikamaru didn't know anything about the Second Mizukage. In fact, not only him, a ninja from Konoha, but many ordinary ninjas from Kirigakure didn't know about the Second Mizukage either. They only knew the name, the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and now the Fifth, and that was it! They didn't know what the Second Mizukage's specific abilities were.

With so little information, Shikamaru could only speculate wildly. The Second Hokage of Konoha was skilled in Water Release, so surely the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure wouldn't be skilled in Fire Release?

Sasuke sneered. He was not afraid of any challenge. After hearing that his opponent this time was Haku, he was even more eager to try and have another showdown with Haku.

The three of them were calculating their opponents and thinking about the enemies they would encounter in the maze, while the other three seemed less confident.

To be fair, Naruto will be incredibly powerful in the future, and no one can question that.

However, before Naruto learned the Rasengan, his combat power was often negligible.

Before learning the Rasengan, he was Naruto; after learning the Rasengan, he became a bird-like being—they were completely different species.

The Rasengan only had one form in Minato Namikaze's hands, but it had three forms in Jiraiya's hands: the normal form, the giant form, and the super giant form. What about in Naruto's hands?

Normally, you can add prefixes to ninjutsu like "Sage Art: Super Giant Rasengan Multi-Ring Ball," "Rasengan with multiple rings," and other ninjutsu such as "Sage Art: Super Giant Rasengan Multi-Ring Ball." With any combination of these, you can develop at least a hundred different types of Rasengan!

If you include the Rasenshuriken, the number would be even greater.

Naruto's mastery of the Rasengan is unparalleled, easily defeating any so-called ninjutsu professor...

At this stage, Naruto only knows the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, and at most the harem technique that made Kaguya Otsutsuki fall silent and Sasuke shed tears. He doesn't know anything else.

Naruto looked bewildered. He wanted to ask Kakashi, but as an illiterate man, he didn't even remember the Second Hokage of his own village, let alone the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure. He didn't know where to begin.

Sakura lacked confidence in herself, while Choji was using the last bit of time to fill his stomach.

After packing up, the Konoha group followed Ao to a valley southwest of Kirigakure.

As we entered the passageway and descended, the fog grew thicker and thicker.

Entering a relatively spacious cave, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, still hadn't shown up. Genshi, Gonbei, and Aoi from Kirigakure were quietly waiting for the Konoha group. Behind them was a rather shy-looking young ninja named Chojuro, carrying the ninja sword "Hiramekarei."

Chojuro was wearing glasses, and when the others glanced at him, he quickly lowered his head.

Beside him were several old acquaintances, including the handsome young man Shiro and Ranmaru.

Ino was somewhat surprised. She carefully examined Shiro, who was dressed in a samurai outfit and had a more heroic look on his face. Goodness, this young man has changed his skin after escaping the death calamity.

The other person felt her gaze and nodded slightly. Ino also raised her right hand as a greeting.

On the other hand, Ranmaru completely ignored Team 10. After all, Raiga Kurosuki had one of his hands cut off by them, so it could be said that his ninja career ended the day he encountered Team 10.

Ao glanced at the Konoha genin brimming with fighting spirit. Ino, Sasuke, and Shikamaru were all quite unique. Then he looked at his own genin, Chojuro, Haku, and Ranmaru... To be fair, these three were indeed a little bit effeminate.

This is not a sports meet, so there is no such thing as "friendship first, competition second".

The Hidden Mist Village trio was very well prepared, and Konoha, lacking a lot of intelligence in this regard, was at a great disadvantage.

The strategist, Quan Bingwei, stepped in to play the good cop: "Everyone can rest for another half hour. The maze is very long and requires plenty of energy."

Naruto raised his arm high and declared with great confidence, "We don't need to rest... Waaah??"

Sakura covered his mouth, gave a couple of awkward laughs to the crowd, and then forcibly dragged him to a corner and beat him up.

Shikamaru pulled his two friends in front of him and asked in a low voice, "Our opponents are those three people. Ino, do you have a way to break through Ranmaru's ability to block his senses?"

Ino shook her head directly: "No."

That's a bloodline limit for her, while she only has some sensory abilities. How can you compare them? Not to mention her, even the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan would be completely suppressed by her.

Where can she find a solution in such a short time?

“In that case, the opponent’s shielding range can’t be too large. Once we enter the maze, we can use our senses to meet up inside. During the battle, Choji will hold off the bespectacled boy with the ninja sword, while Ino and I will deal with Haku and Ranmaru first, and then we’ll gang up on the bespectacled boy together.”

Choji blinked: "Then... what if we get separated?"