Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 90: The Art of Heart and Mind Disturbance

Ino chuckled softly, though the conversation was a bit awkward to continue. At the same time, she carefully observed the man before her. The Second Mizukage had died during the First Great Ninja War, and now the leader of Kirigakure was the Fifth Mizukage.

This guy was probably similar to the chakra Minato Namikaze left within Naruto just a remnant of the Second Mizukage's chakra preserved through some special means. Ino didn't know exactly how it was preserved, but she knew it was a rare opportunity. This chakra wasn't infinite; like the Yin-Yang power the Sage of Six Paths gave to Naruto and Sasuke, it would diminish with use.

From this perspective, Kirigakure had indeed paid a significant price for this operation.

The man with the small mustache's frustration came and went quickly. In the blink of an eye, he acted as if nothing had happened. "You can leave. I won't teach a ninja from Konoha!"

"Senior, it was Elder Gen who allowed us to enter and take this test," Ino replied.

The mustached man made an exaggerated pouting expression. "Gen? Who's that? Oh, you mean Gen? That loser dares to order me around? I'm the Second Mizukage! No one can force me to do anything I don't want to do!"

"Senior, don't you think your actions will make Kirigakure seem untrustworthy? Kirigakure won't be able to hold its head high in front of the other villages."

The man crossed his arms and tilted his chin up. "So what? It's their face that's lost, not mine. I've been dead for years... Oh, by the way, how many years has it been? Do you know, little girl?"

This question stumped Ino. Most ninja from Kirigakure only knew of the Second Mizukage, but they didn't know his name, his techniques, or anything else. If even they didn't know, how could Ino, an outsider, possibly know? The intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Yamanaka clan had their limits. If even Kirigakure didn't know, where could she possibly find out?

Ino could only piece together what she knew from the timeline. "...I remember the four great villages launched a war after the death of our First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. You took advantage of our weakness! Disgraceful... After that, our Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, took over and fought against all four villages, defeating you soundly. Later, the Second Hokage died while covering his subordinates' retreat. You, Senior, must have perished around the same time, fighting to a mutual demise with the Second Tsuchikage..."

Before she could finish, the mustached man exploded. "What?! I died with Mu? Nonsense! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My water-style techniques are invincible! Didn't you see Mu's bandages? Those injuries were from my explosions!"

Ino remained calm, waiting for his emotions to settle before speaking again. "Hey, do you still want to hear this? If not, I'll stop."

"Wait a minute!" The mustached man paused noticeably. Ino suspected he could appear in multiple locations within this genjutsu maze simultaneously. Right now, he was probably questioning the others.

No one from Konoha could know this history. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Choji didn't even know the Second Mizukage's name, let alone his life story. Shikamaru was no help either high intelligence didn't equate to historical knowledge. Haku had been following Zabuza and wouldn't have access to such information. Ranmaru was too young and likely hadn't even learned to read properly. The only one who might know was the shy Chojuro. People with his personality tended to be introverted, burying themselves in books. As a key figure in Kirigakure's future, Chojuro had a high chance of knowing these past events.

The mustached man stood still, as if disconnected, for two minutes before cursing angrily. "Damn it, what kind of people has Kirigakure sent in here? Am I so old that I'm out of touch with the times? All three of them are men... What's with this generation? Kirigakure is doomed!"

Ino smirked proudly.

After another half-minute, the man suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? There's a blond kid from Konoha who looks a bit like my nephew. Is he really from your village? Too bad he's a hopeless idiot!"

Ino didn't respond. She didn't need to think hard to know it was Naruto's "reminds-me-of-my-relative" face at work again. If they met on the battlefield, the mustached man would probably spend three or four episodes reminiscing.

Naruto, of course, knew nothing, so the man's attention returned to Ino.

Ino began recounting the story: how the Second Hokage used the Impure World Reincarnation to defeat the four villages' armies, how the Second Hokage died covering his subordinates' retreat, how the Third Hokage took over, and how Kirigakure and Iwagakure fought over spoils, leading to the mutual demise of their Kage.

Having worked in sales, Ino knew how to tell a story from a broader perspective. Chojuro might know some of Kirigakure's history, but he couldn't match Ino's storytelling skills.

"Not a bad story. That's probably how it happened. My original self was such a fool, dying over some petty spoils. It's infuriating, but..." The mustached man sighed heavily. "But teaching a ninja from Konoha my techniques? That's even more infuriating! Hit me, curse me, do whatever you want. I won't give you a test, and I won't teach you! Get out."

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and signaled that he wouldn't resist. He'd rather die than teach her his techniques.

Ino had anticipated this. Perhaps Elder Gen had foreseen this scenario as well. A chakra remnant somewhere between an image and a soul was something most ninja couldn't handle. In this genjutsu, the mustached man was the absolute ruler. If he refused to teach, this trial would end in failure, and they'd have to leave. But Ino wasn't planning to leave, and she wasn't an ordinary ninja!

"Senior, I'm going to use some methods. My apologies!"

She quickly formed hand seals, her hands moving so fast they left afterimages.

The mustached man was momentarily stunned, carefully observing her seals before sneering. "This hand seal sequence... such strong mental energy. Are you trying to use genjutsu on me?"

"Wrong. It's a secret technique!"

This was the third-stage secret technique of the Yamanaka clan the Art of Heart and Mind Disturbance!

This technique was said to be capable of permanently altering a deity's thoughts, turning them into an ally of the user. Its effects were comparable to the Kotoamatsukami!

Altering the thoughts of a spiritual entity was an immensely difficult task. Ino's current level of Yin Release and mental energy were far from sufficient. However, the mustached man wasn't a deity either. This formless chakra remnant was well within the scope of the Art of Heart and Mind Disturbance.

The mustached man could have interrupted Ino's technique midway. Her mental energy and Yin Release level were insufficient, so she had to rely on hand seals to compensate. But his pride stopped him from acting. I'm the Second Mizukage! What can a kid from Konoha do to me? Let's see what this secret technique of yours is!

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