Ino was very interested in Dotou Kazehana's series of actions, and focused on asking about his entire process from Ninja to Lord.
In this era, the distinction between Ninja and nobles was actually very clear, much like many wuxia novels in the previous life; most martial arts masters only operated within their so-called 'Jianghu' (Jianghu/Underworld) circles. The Jianghu belonged to the Jianghu, and the Imperial Court belonged to the Imperial Court, with neither interfering with the other.
The original principle of interaction between Ninja, and even Ninja Villages, and the Lord was much the same: each managed their own affairs and did not interfere with each other.
But now, undercurrents were surging. The Lord of the Land of Fire seemed to have a decreasing tolerance for the Ninja World's 'Jianghu,' and the Ninja Village was extremely dissatisfied with many of his dilatory practices. The conflict between the two sides was gradually escalating.
Ino herself was a Ninja, so it was impossible for her to support the Lord. She had no reverence for the Lord whatsoever; the idea of being born noble was absolute nonsense to her.
How many teachers did the Lord have?
If he got too angry, she would seize his position!
She listened with great interest to Dotou Kazehana's process of seizing power.
She secretly estimated the strength of Dotou Kazehana and his group. Forcing the twelve-year-old Kakashi to retreat didn't really prove anything, as Kakashi at the time was fighting several opponents and also had to protect Kazehana Koyuki, making it impossible for him to fight at full strength. All things considered, Dotou Kazehana and the Snow Ninja he hired at most had the combat level of Special Jonin; they weren't particularly powerful.
"I generally understand what happened. What's your suggestion?" Ino turned to look at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru shed his lazy demeanor and said earnestly, "We know too little about the enemy's intelligence, and their exact numbers are unclear. We should feign weakness. Ino, you and Hinata should appear in public, while Choji and I hide. Male Ninja generally have a condescending attitude towards Female Ninja, so there's a high chance their scouts will come to test you. At that time, you can capture them and interrogate them for information first."
This method was very stable; it was a strategy of using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. If Ino couldn't even defeat the enemy's scouts, then everyone should just run!
Ino took out a scroll, and with a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, began to record the mission details.
The geographical environment of the Land of Snow, the characteristics of the Snow Ninja, the intelligence provided by Santayu, Shikamaru's suggestions, and her own analysis were all recorded.
Shikamaru also had a report to write. As Chunin with squad leader responsibilities, these things had to be written and submitted for archiving upon returning to the Village.
"Want some?" Choji tore open a bag of potato chips and asked Hinata.
"No, thank you," Hinata quickly refused.
Choji then poured a third of the potato chips onto the table. Ino and Shikamaru showed no signs of tension, writing their reports while reaching for chips, just like catching up on summer homework before school started.
Half a day later, the ship docked at the Land of Snow's pier. The film crew staff went into town to purchase supplies such as food, water, and clothing. Ino and Hinata also followed, strolling through the town.
As they walked, the two began to argue about flower cultivation versus flower pressing. Afterwards, Ino left in a huff, leaving Hinata to wander the streets alone.
Ino had slightly modified the plan. Her aura was too strong; most people avoided her, making her a poor choice for bait.
She went to a secluded spot, summoned her Psychic Beast Kubisaki, and hid inside the chameleon's belly. Then, using the Spirit Transformation Technique, she entered Hinata's body.
"Ino? Ino, are you in?" Hinata knew she was the bait now. She wanted to pretend to be angry and reckless, but she couldn't pull it off, so she just walked around a small area, occasionally muttering to herself.
After a while, Ino's voice echoed in her mind: "I'm in. Didn't you feel it?"
Hinata touched her ear, her head full of questions. Where was this voice coming from?
Ino deliberately teased her: "I'm in your stomach."
She quickly touched her stomach again, realizing that wasn't the case at all, and was a little exasperated: "You just love to tease me!"
Hinata used her Byakugan and found that beyond her own meridians, there was another completely different and abundant Chakra. Needless to say, this was Ino.
Her own Chakra was mist-like, while Ino's Chakra was a unified, extremely solid mass.
"You have so much Chakra," she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Even for the Hyuga Clan, who specialized in taijutsu, more Chakra was always better.
No one ever thought they had too little of this stuff.
Ino constantly researched corpses, helped Tsunade inject Flower Release Chakra, and helped Shizune research the Spirit Transformation Technique. She had gained some insights into Chakra and its development.
Her spirit body lightly pricked a few acupuncture points in Hinata's Chakra arm meridians and asked, "Do you feel anything?"
"Oh, it's really cold!" Little Hinata covered her arm. The sensation of a spirit body pricking her from the inside was so strange.
"Good, as long as you feel it. The Hyuga Clan has powerful bloodlines; your clan's Chakra is actually far more abundant than that of ordinary Ninja. When we return to the Village, I'll help you expand your meridians. Then you can easily defeat Neji, oh ho ho ho ho!"
"Won't it be too much trouble?"
"No."
"Ino, why are you so good to me?"
"Aren't we friends?"
Ino's words made Hinata temporarily forget her nervousness. Such a Ninja acting alone quickly caught the attention of the Snow Ninja.
The Konoha Ninja's forehead protector, the unique and striking Byakugan, and a timid little girl—it was hard for the secretly observing Snow Ninja not to notice her.
A small, pink-haired Female Ninja hid behind a building, observing.
She also suspected it was a trap and cautiously looked left and right, trying to see if there were any hidden enemies nearby.
Hinata, who had completed many missions and accumulated some combat experience, immediately spotted her: "Ino, the enemy seems to be at three o'clock. Is she looking at me?"
A voice in her mind responded: "Remove'seems to be'; that Female Ninja is indeed looking at you."
Ino hesitated slightly: "My perception isn't very precise. Use your Byakugan again to check her Chakra meridians. Is there a protective layer outside, or some kind of energy shield?"
Hinata was a little nervous; she wasn't quite sure what Ino meant by a protective shield.
"How about... how about you use my eyes to see?"
"That works too. I'll enter your mental world. Don't be afraid."
Hinata offered no resistance, allowing Ino to take control of her body.
"Wow!" Before Ino could fully appreciate the mysteries of the Byakugan, she felt her body tilt forward. The weight was truly extraordinary, a genuinely unbearable weight of life! Her feet gripped the ground, her back arched backward, and her head was held high. Only then did she manage to stand completely steady.
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