Ninja Pot Shadow

Ino isn't Naruto after all; she doesn't have the ability to revive herself from the brink of death. She's still quite weak. Choji left behind some grilled fish, which she especially loves, and the group left together.

Ino ate a couple of bites of grilled fish, then slept for half a day in a daze. Only after waking up did she have the energy to look at her harvest.

Ninjas improve their strength through life-or-death battles, a very dangerous but effective method.

Since her transmigration, this battle against the Hidden Mist Trio was the most difficult one she had ever fought.

The life-or-death struggle allowed her body to unleash some of its potential, significantly enhancing her strength.

Both "body" and "strength" increased slightly.

The steam explosion contained a wealth of ninjutsu knowledge, and her calm and collected responses during the trio's battle, as well as the increased confidence she gained after the battle, also boosted her "wisdom" a little.

Knowledge is also a part of "wisdom". To put it simply, intelligence is innate, but knowledge can be learned. Orochimaru and Tsunade may not have higher intelligence than Shikamaru, but their "wisdom" is 10, which is because of their rich knowledge.

Ino frequently used Water Release techniques during the battle, and her Water Release level, which was already showing signs of breakthrough, was successfully raised to lv4.

如今她的属性就是忍9体4幻4贤7力3速6精8印6，总属性47。

In terms of escape techniques, he is at Water Release lv4, Earth Release lv2, Wind Release lv2, and Yin Release lv3.

By blaming Kakashi, she gained two blame points. She plans to accumulate two more so that she can directly increase her "ninjutsu" stat to 10.

……

Ao and Gonbei never inquired about Konoha's gains, only reiterating that ninjutsu must not be passed on without Kirigakure's permission, and Asuma agreed on Ino's behalf.

Ino lay in bed for three days, but she couldn't stay idle, so she dragged Sakura out shopping and bought a lot of gifts.

She spoke with conviction, saying that the coat was for Inoichi, the scarf was for Rino, and she had prepared gifts for Iruka-sensei, Moegi, and even the gatekeeper Kotetsu.

At first, Sakura was just buying things for herself, but later, seeing how filial she was, she also bought some gifts for herself.

After receiving the news, Shikamaru covered his head, too exhausted to speak.

Good grief, you're injured like this, and you're still thinking about taking us on?

You, a seriously injured person, bought a whole bunch of gifts for your relatives and friends, while we few go back empty-handed? Wouldn't we be hung up and beaten for that?

No question, buy it!

Shikamaru and Choji also joined in the shopping.

In the end, even Asuma had a change of heart and realized that he couldn't just buy gifts for his girlfriend; he also had to give something to his father, the village chief, and his nephew, Konohamaru. He bought his father a pipe and his nephew a well-crafted ninja sword with a distinctive Kirigakure style.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, who have no friends, no wives, no sons, no daughters, no fathers, and no mothers, were so overwhelmed that they coughed up blood. "Thank you for reminding us, but our families are all dead, so we don't need to buy any gifts!"

About a week later, the matter was settled, and the two villages had reached a basic agreement on cooperation. The group from Konoha Village then prepared to return home.

The next step should be cooperation between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Only after the two countries have a financial backer can the two ninja villages build a deeper level of mutual trust.

Master Yuan originally thought there would be some obstacles from the Land of Water, but to his surprise, the proposal was approved as soon as it was submitted.

Although he found it a bit strange, since the daimyo had agreed, he couldn't think of any reason to object.

……

They took a long detour on their way here, traveling along the southern route. In addition, they had to guard Raiga Kurosuki and Zabuza, so it took them more than half a month to get there. On their way back, they followed the trade route of the Land of Water and arrived in the Land of Waves in just over ten days.

Naruto, like a leader, inspected the "Naruto Bridge" named after him. At this time, only the piers had been built, and the bridge itself was nowhere to be seen, but he was still very happy and kept talking all the way.

Mitokado Homura was heading to the capital of the Land of Fire to report to the daimyo, while Team 7 and Team 10 returned to Konoha Village ahead of them.

"Hey, you guys have worked hard." The gatekeepers, Izumo and Tetsuo, greeted Class 7 and Class 10 with smiles.

Compared to Class 7, whose members have very different personalities and whose entire families die at the drop of a hat, Class 10, whose members have intact families, has a much better relationship with these two gatekeepers.

Ino also brought out small gifts for the two of them, all specialties from the Land of Water and the Land of Waves. They weren't expensive, but they were a token of respect.

"Old Iron" is very well-informed and already knows about Ino's beating up the younger generation of Kirigakure. He jokingly teases her a bit.

The two classes quickly completed their village registration.

"Well, you can all disperse here. Asuma and I will go and report to the Hokage..." Kakashi paused halfway through his sentence, looking into the distance.

Ino, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Sakura were all taken aback, and then they followed his gaze to the village entrance.

Three ninjas wearing ANBU masks stood in a triangle formation, escorting a young woman through the gate.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, with long black hair, wearing an off-the-shoulder top and a fiery red long skirt.

The woman's face was pale; she must have been injured.

"Kakashi-sensei, who is that?" Naruto asked, his words never leaving his mouth.

Kakashi, as if suffering from dementia, simply mumbled "uh-huh" as if that were his answer.

Chapter 97 Kakashi and the Female Spy

The system of registering when leaving and entering the village has always been well implemented in Konoha. I don't know if the Hokage needs to register when leaving the village, but the Anbu ninjas certainly do.

Since the ANBU ninjas were wearing masks, they naturally wouldn't register their real names at this time; all three of them used their code names to complete the registration.

Izumo Kamitsu said "Thank you for your hard work" to the three of them, and then let them pass.

One of the three ANBU members, a female ninja with long purple hair and a long sword on her back, nodded almost imperceptibly when she saw Ino. Ino returned the glance. Normally, ANBU members should abandon their personal identities and not greet each other during missions, but this woman was a VIP customer who frequently bought flowers at the mountain flower shop, and the two had a good relationship. It was perfectly acceptable for them to exchange glances when they met at the village entrance.

Uzuki Yugao, a member of Team 6 of the Anbu, and the lover of Special Jonin Gekko Hayate.

This older sister especially loves admiring flowers, so the sickly Moonlight Gale spends his days doing tasks, earning money, and then buying flowers. How expensive are the flowers at the flower shops in the mountains!? Before long, Ino became familiar with them.

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

Izumo Kamitsuki was on good terms with her, and being a gatekeeper every day, he was really bored, so his gossipy nature had long since awakened. He quickly glanced at the registration form and whispered, "It seems to be a female ninja disguised as a female entertainer who came to the Land of Fire to gather information."

"Old Iron" Gangzi Tie is even more well-informed: "These past few days, because of the news that the Land of Fire and the Land of Water have improved their relations, some small ninja villages are getting restless."

Ino gave a drawn-out "Oh," indicating that she understood.

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

It's normal to send someone to gather information.

Ino has always been preoccupied with the matter of the daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. If this matter were to be orchestrated and Danzo were ultimately blamed, it would be a major event that would change the world order, and there would be an explosion of potential problems.

She was contemplating how and in what capacity she could intervene in this chaotic vortex.

Sakura, on the other side, was the first to notice something amiss. It has to be said that Sakura really didn't have much talent in ninjutsu at this time; she hadn't even mastered the Water Prison Technique yet. But in the realm of romance? Her mind was entirely on that.

While Naruto and Sasuke were still completely bewildered, she looked at Kakashi with excited eyes, seemingly hoping he would chase after her and create a dramatic love story. Unfortunately, she was disappointed.

The female spy merely glanced back without saying a word, and Kakashi treated her as if she were a stranger, letting the three ANBU ninjas take her away.

Sakura looked around and realized that everyone around her was straight, except for Ino, who could talk to her about this kind of topic. So she nudged Ino with her elbow and asked, "Hey, do you think... they're in that kind of relationship?"

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

Choji even stopped eating his potato chips and listened intently.

Ino was a little annoyed that her train of thought had been interrupted, so she said irritably, "Wide forehead, you're so stupid. Isn't it obvious? Can't you see that?"

Sakura's trip to the Land of Waves and later the Land of Water made her realize a harsh reality: catching up to Ino in terms of ninja skills would be quite difficult...

Her plan was to take advantage of her proximity to Sasuke, to be gentle and gradually win his heart. Ino's words made her furious, but thinking about her own persona, she kept telling herself to be gentle, to be gentle!

After calming his anger, he forced a smile and said, "Then tell me... what do you think the village will do with this pretty lady next?"

Ino stroked her chin, tilted her head and thought for a moment: "For spies, you should first hang them up and whip them, then if they don't confess, use branding irons, hammers, and if they still don't talk, pierce their fingers with bamboo skewers, put them in a clamp! Chop off their feet, and finally chop off their hands, behead them, dismember them..."

Sakura's hair stood on end when she heard this. Her sweet fantasies were shattered by the cruel reality, and her face turned extremely pale.

"I heard that the people in Konoha's interrogation department are all... are all demons... If that pretty lady falls into their hands..." Sakura was terrified.

Ino was too embarrassed to say it, "You think our family only monopolizes the flower market in Konoha Village? Actually, our family manages these 'demons'!"

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

Ino didn't go home. She mentally reviewed the plan and its gains and losses, then strolled over to the interrogation department, officially known as the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Department.

For many years, this part of the intelligence work has been handled by the Yamanaka family.

The Third Hokage used the pretext that the intelligence department failed to provide prior warning during the Nine-Tails' attack, leading to the Fourth Hokage's death, to dismantle the intelligence department.

Currently, the interrogation team and the analysis team are operating side by side. Ibiki Morino, a close confidant of the Third Hokage, serves as the head of the interrogation team, while Inoichi Yamanaka serves as the head of the analysis team.

Although they are separated administratively, they still work together. This field is highly specialized, and the Yamanaka family wields immense power in it. With Danzo's support, Inoichi still controls the daily operations in the intelligence field.

At Konoha Hospital, Ino was like a nobody, nobody paid any attention to her, only Kabuto could chat with her for a bit, but it was a completely different story in the interrogation department.

"Ah, it's Miss Yamanaka. Are you here to see Lord Inoichi?"

"Yes, hello senior."

"Oh, it's Ino. Did you just come back from Kirigakure?"

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

Ino frequently came here, seemingly oblivious to the horrific scenes in the torture chamber, treating it like home. She gave gifts to several acquaintances, such as Yamashiro Aoba and Tobitake Tobi, and then, after turning left and right, she arrived at her adoptive father's office.

"Did you just return to the village? Is something wrong?" Haiyi asked curiously.

Ino certainly can't say that Kakashi will become the Sixth Hokage in the future. Let's not cling to Danzo. We should make a good relationship with Kakashi now, and while we're at it, let's watch the drama unfold. Finally, let's test Obito's reaction and see if he's still observing Konoha.

Not a single word of these things can be said.

She could only say indirectly, "...The thing is, I think Kakashi-sensei and that female ninja who came as a spy definitely have a story. Their relationship is not ordinary. It's just that in Kakashi-sensei's heart, the village is more important. Actually, this is not a time of war. How much intelligence can a female ninja gather? Can we be a little more flexible in this matter?"

Having seen too much darkness, Haiyi wasn't so easily fooled. He saw right through the problem: "You need Kakashi's help? So you want to start with this female spy?"

Chapter Ninety-Eight A-Li

Ino wasn't too embarrassed about having her intentions exposed. She scratched her head and said, "Well... I heard that Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama have a good relationship, and Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama are... well, they're good friends. So I wanted to ask Kakashi-sensei to put in a good word for me with Jiraiya-sama."

Currently, Konoha Village has very little influence over Tsunade. If the village were to intervene and ask Tsunade to take Ino as her student, she would completely ignore it. The only recourse is to appeal to her personal relationships. Ino's brief encounter with Jiraiya is far from enough to warrant Jiraiya speaking on her behalf. However, if Kakashi were to speak on her behalf, the situation would be different; Kakashi has considerable influence with both Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Becoming Tsunade's apprentice is one aspect.

Learning about steam explosion hazards is another aspect.

This technique is more difficult than Ino had anticipated. For example, basic knowledge such as water transformation and oil transformation needs to be deduced from the existing steam explosion techniques, or improved and adjusted to become a ninjutsu suitable for her use.

The technique has four steps: creating a water clone, chakra hydration, oil transformation, and the final cyclical explosion. She can only complete the water clone step at present. The second step, chakra hydration, requires a lot of practice. She estimates that she can reach a partial hydration level after some more practice. Oil transformation is too difficult. The mustache had not explained much about this aspect before. It would be very difficult to deduce the true Water Release: Oil Transformation based on existing knowledge.

She then set her sights on Jiraiya, who was skilled at using kerosene and could probably give her some basic guidance.