Ninja Pot Shadow

Shikamaru is indeed excellent; he's more like a ninja than the unreliable Naruto and even Sasuke, who had effectively betrayed the village at the time. But are others inferior? Is Shino inferior? Is Neji not qualified to be a chunin?

It can only be said that there is a lot of room for manipulation in the process of Chunin promotion.

Now that Ino has qualified for Chunin promotion, she has nothing left to think about.

To many transmigrators, this Chunin Exam was a watershed moment in the story, a prelude to something else. But from the perspective of the village's normal promotion process, it should have been just an ordinary Chunin Exam.

You've brought in Jinchuriki, the Legendary Sannin, and even the Impure World Reincarnation of the First and Second Hokage. This is just you adding unnecessary drama; a normal Chunin Exam wouldn't have this much of a show.

It's impossible for the village to immediately reward you with an S-rank ninjutsu just because you got first place. There's never been a precedent for that. You're just a Chunin, why would you need an S-rank ninjutsu? Normally, giving a newly promoted Chunin a C-rank ninjutsu would be a huge reward. Would Ino even care about a C-rank ninjutsu?

She sat there slowly, holding a white porcelain wine bottle, pouring herself a drink.

"Ino, drinking... drinking is bad for your health..." Hinata whispered a reminder to her from the side.

Since becoming Tsunade's apprentice, Ino is now completely uninhibited. Any problems? She just blames Tsunade!

What's wrong with drinking? You can kill people, but you can't drink alcohol? I'm already being quite lenient by not writing the word "gambling" on the back of my clothes.

She didn't care at all: "Drinking a little occasionally is fine."

Hinata was quite worried. "Did you just have a little bit? You've been drinking since noon, and I've been paying for the drinks."

Even now, Hinata can still vividly recall the strange look the tavern owner gave her, the gist of which was, "At such a young age, how can you drink so much alcohol?"

She felt wronged; it wasn't her who drank the wine, yet she couldn't explain it.

Ino suddenly slapped her thigh and laughed: "From now on, when we go out to eat together, you just focus on eating, and I'll just focus on drinking. We'll be the 'Alcohol Barrel Team'... Waaah?"

Hinata quickly covered her mouth, glancing left and right to make sure no one was paying attention. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Damn, this 'Barrel Combo' name is awful!"

She lowered her voice and whispered in Ino's ear, "You'll be competing against... against Sasuke-kun later."

Ino removed her hand from her mouth and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, it's just Sasuke, he can't beat me."

To be honest, she's a bit tired right now. The Great Explosion Water Wave and the like didn't actually consume much energy. What was most tiring was extracting the One-Tailed Chakra using the Great Water Prison Technique.

The chakra of this tailed beast is really hard to extract; it's extremely concentrated. Even without using all your chakra and exerting all your strength, you simply can't extract it. No wonder the Akatsuki organization had such a hard time extracting tailed beasts.

After the nine shadow clones were canceled, all the fatigue was concentrated on the main body, and she felt a bit tired.

Drinking is just a way to relax, and incidentally, it's a way to circulate Yang-attribute chakra to speed up the body's recovery.

The effects of Indra's chakra are not yet apparent, but she is already beginning to feel some of the body's regenerative abilities from Ashura's chakra.

If a normal ninja's recovery speed is 1, then with Ashura's chakra, the recovery speed is 1.5. After Ino creates Yang-attribute chakra, Yin is generated from Yang, which can also restore her spiritual energy.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to drink, Ino suppressed the Yin attribute chakra within her body and created Yang attribute chakra.

Now that the alcohol isn't separated using the water-based secret technique, I feel a bit dizzy when the alcohol kicks in.

"Um, can I lean on your shoulder for a bit? I need to rest. It'll be fine in a minute." She acted first and asked without asking, then tilted her head and fell asleep on Hinata's shoulder.

She was tall, and Hinata was short. The two were standing close together, and the angle at which they were leaning on each other was a bit problematic. In addition, Hinata's chest was too magnificent. Seeing that Ino was feeling dizzy and about to slide down her shoulder, Hinata quickly put Ino's head on her lap.

Ino felt quite comfortable and, without resisting, fell into a deep sleep.

Sasuke, standing not far away, remained expressionless. He had listened to their conversation from beginning to end, and naturally overheard Ino's disdain. He was annoyed, but also uncertain about his own chances.

It was a little past one in the afternoon, a time when they were most likely to feel sleepy. The artificial lake had been dredged away, but the moisture was still there. As it evaporated in the sun, the dampness made them even more drowsy.

Sasuke couldn't help but yawn twice. Sakura, who was standing next to him, kept shaking her shoulders, indicating that she could lean on him or lie on his lap.

Sasuke pretended not to understand her hint, forcing himself to stay alert and hold on.

Hinata smelled the alcohol on Ino and felt a little sleepy. Her little head bobbed up and down as she dozed off. She didn't even notice Naruto coming in.

Gaara slept for several hours, and the Five Elements Seal was still not broken, but he was much more energetic than before.

He is not a ninja who cannot fight without the tailed beast. In the original timeline, the Akatsuki extracted one of his tails, yet he was still able to serve as the Kazekage. When facing Madara Uchiha, he did appear weaker than the other four Kage, but that was mainly due to his younger age. In reality, his ninjutsu skills, hand seals, and chakra control are very high.

Chapter 160 The Konoha Crush Plan Begins

When Gaara arrived, he first glanced in Ino's direction, but couldn't find her at first... After searching carefully for a while, he finally found Hinata in her magnificent bosom. Goodness, she was sleeping so soundly!

He glanced in Naruto's direction unintentionally, and the two looked at each other, seeing something in common. It was a kind of unspoken connection; they both knew that the person opposite them was just like themselves.

In the afternoon, most people were a little listless.

Shikamaru fought one match each with Hinata and Sasuke in the morning, and seeing that there was nothing for him to do in the afternoon's matches, he went straight home to sleep and didn't even come to the venue.

Choji and Kiba did arrive, but they were both in a daze.

Shino? Nobody knows where Shino is, and the entire Aburame clan has a very low profile. Danzo only remembers that the Yamanaka family supports him, and he thinks of them whenever something good happens. As for the Aburame family? The Aburame family supports me too?

Asuma and Kurenai went to see a movie after dinner, so they weren't actually there at the time.

The Chunin Exams are a bit like the 29th day of the Lunar New Year in Ino's previous life. In the morning, the leaders give speeches, followed by a talent show (the Chunin Exams) by the new employees. In the afternoon, everyone just checks in, and those who have nothing to do can go home. The leaders are busy, as are the genin who perform their "talents" and the staff on duty. Most of the other ninjas are not busy at all.

Sunagakure and Orochimaru saw this opportunity and devised a series of plans accordingly.

Genma Shiranui also wanted to rest, but in order to make a good impression on the Third Hokage, even though he was exhausted and covered in mud, he quickly cleaned himself off and immediately stood in the center of the field to wait.

The guests were also a bit sleepy, yawning constantly and looking rather listless.

After all the dignitaries and guests had entered, and the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage had taken their seats, Genma Shiranui gently tapped Naruto and Gaara, indicating that it was their turn to compete.

The two stood still, about to say something, when the "Fourth Kazekage" on the high platform stood up.

He said, "Hehe, Third Hokage, a Jinchuriki duel is more interesting when it's played out completely."

The third generation stared at him with his cloudy eyes for a while. Since the words had been spoken so clearly, he couldn't pretend to be confused: "You are right, then I will do it..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the Fourth Kazekage: "No need. Our village knows a little about sealing techniques. Let me do it."

With a single teleportation technique, he moved from the high platform to the arena and stood in front of Gaara.

The blood relationship between father and son cannot be faked. As a Jinchūriki, intuition is a very important attribute. Gaara immediately felt that something was wrong. Was the man in front of him his father? Why did he feel so unfamiliar!

The Fourth Kazekage didn't waste any words. He used the Five Elements Unsealing Technique to forcibly remove the seal on Gaara's stomach. If Ino could leave a backdoor, he could too. He even added some "ingredients" to the seal of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast. Afterwards, he returned to the high platform as if nothing had happened using the Body Flicker Technique.

In less than a minute, Gaara, whose emotions had calmed down, suddenly felt a surge of violence and madness within him. The berserk consciousness of the tailed beast pushed him aside and forcibly took over his body.

All of this happened so suddenly that Naruto hadn't even figured out what was going on when he saw Gaara curl up like a shrimp, collapsing behind his Sand Shield, his skin cracked open, spurting out dark brown blood with a pungent, fishy smell.

"Hahahaha—that really hurts!"

"It hurts so much! Yashamaru! Help me, it hurts so much!"

"Konoha ninja! Run! This monster is coming out... Where do you think you're going?! I'm going to kill you! All Konoha ninjas deserve to die!"

Gaara's rationality quickly faded, his tone shifting between mania and weakness, a jumble of emotions that sounded eerie in the empty arena.

At that moment, Naruto felt a strong resonance with Gaara, as if the boy who kept wailing was himself. Kakashi hadn't returned, and he couldn't help but look at Iruka-sensei in the stands.

Iruka looked at the Third Hokage, who looked at the Fourth Kazekage with a complicated expression but said nothing, seemingly unconcerned about the changes in Gaara.

Naruto called out twice from a distance, but Gaara was completely absorbed in his own inner world. Naruto? He had almost forgotten his own name.

Naruto could only wave to the referee, Genma Shiranui, in the distance, meaning, "Go and take a look quickly."

"Should I go?" Genma Shiranui thought for a moment and realized that only he could go in this situation.

He felt incredibly unlucky to be the referee, so he gritted his teeth and shuffled forward with the steps of someone being led to the gallows.

When he was ten meters away from Gaara, a burst of evil chakra erupted completely.

A sandstorm surged into the sky, and countless grains of sand converged on the center of the arena. These grains of sand enveloped Gaara, and his body began to grow rapidly. Countless cursed patterns appeared on his skin, and his human form quickly disappeared. He transformed into a creature with thick arms, short lower limbs, a huge body, and a long tail. His transformed creature was somewhat like a raccoon dog, but many times larger.

"Hmm?" Ino, who was sleeping soundly, noticed that some sand had gotten into her collar. She looked up and bumped Hinata awake.

She looked towards the arena not far away and saw the rather ferocious One-Tailed Shukaku and the bewildered Naruto.

Ino was a little overwhelmed. Wasn't everything fine before? How did it suddenly turn into its complete form? Is the hatred between the One-Tailed and Nine-Tailed really that high?

Before she could react, a large number of white feathers fell from the sky. All the dignitaries, civilians, and ninjas who saw this scene felt disoriented and extremely dizzy, as if they hadn't slept for three days and three nights.

People collapsed one after another; not only civilians, but even many ninjas drifted off to sleep.

"Such a wide-ranging illusion?" Genma Shiranui had a high resistance to illusions, and coupled with the immense mental pressure of facing a tailed beast, he was relatively less affected by the illusion. At this moment, he looked around warily, trying to find the person who cast the illusion.

Ino was also looking around. The Nirvana Abode technique? Or had "Brother Pot" risen from his coffin?

An explosion rang out from the high stands at just the right moment. Although it was more than half a day late, after receiving the signal to attack, the Sand Village ninjas and Sound Village ninjas who had been hiding outside the village drew their kunai and charged in groups towards the many sentry posts outside Konoha Village.

The Sunagakure Summoning Team, with the aid of a summoning circle, formed groups of six and summoned Orochimaru's giant snake to assist them.

The Sound Four also removed their disguises and formed the "Four Purple Flame Formation," trapping the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage within it.

Chapter 161 The Ninja Clan's Choice

The Third Hokage's reaction was strange. He didn't move when faced with the Nirvana Abode Technique. When the Special Jonin next to him, Raito Namiashi, was attacked and stabbed three times with kunai, he didn't make a move. When the Sound Four used the Four Purple Flame Formation, he remained calm. After the barrier was fully set up, he calmly asked, "What happened to the Fourth Kazekage?"

Then the fifty-year-old woman put her arm around the seventy-year-old man and began to talk about private things that couldn't be heard by outsiders.

The old lady yawned and said she was a little sleepy.

The old man said he has a retractable Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff), would you like to take a look?

Seeing that they were discussing the issue of length and depth, the four Sound Ninja members were quite perceptive. They each set up a small barrier within the Four Purple Flame Formation, clearly demonstrating their strong will to survive and their commitment to being tools, not wanting to hear any deadly talk.

Taking advantage of the Chunin Exams, Sunagakure and Otogakure dispatched a large number of ninjas disguised as civilians and merchants. They then shed their disguises and launched an attack inside the village. At the same time, a ninja alliance composed of the two villages gathered outside the village.

With the combined efforts of the inside and outside forces, the once peaceful Konoha Village was instantly engulfed in flames of war. Kabuto had already secretly passed on information such as the village's patrol routes and sentries. At this time, the Allied Shinobi Forces outside the village were advancing rapidly, breaking through one defense line after another. The village was in a critical situation, and places such as the Shinobi Academy and Konoha Hospital hurriedly organized the evacuation and relocation of their personnel.

Kakashi took many Anbu ninjas with him, Guy and Rock Lee went to train, Asuma and Kurenai went to see a movie, and some Jonin and Special Jonin at the competition site tried to rescue the Third Hokage, but they were all stopped by the Sand Village and Sound Village ninjas.

The Sand Village Jonin, Maki, was quite brave; he single-handedly blocked the combined attack of two Anbu ninjas.

Many Chunin and Genin were affected by the Nirvana Abode Technique, and most Jonin were not present, causing chaos in the entire Konoha Village's ninja command system.

With a roar from Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, its rampaging chakra swept across the battlefield, and the voice of the Third Hokage echoed from within the Four Purple Flames Formation.

"Don't worry about me, focus all your efforts on rescuing the civilians and guests from other countries."

The few elite Jonin who were there felt their livers tremble when they looked at Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast.

Fear is certainly present, but when it comes down to it, you have to go. What happened to the Nine-Tails back then? A large number of ninjas still rushed forward to stop it. The Konoha ninjas deserve recognition for their willingness to sacrifice.

The key issue was the timing; there were simply too many ordinary people at the scene.

Some people believe that the villagers should be rescued first, while others believe that the political figures of neighboring countries should be rescued first.

With no one directing the operation, the scene became extremely chaotic.