Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 91: Chojuro and Haku (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Haliluya)

Ino formed nearly seventy hand seals before she finally established the basic framework of the technique. She estimated that this would be enough. With her left hand above and her right hand below, palms facing each other as if holding a sphere, she directed the seals toward the mustached man.

"Ninja Art: Heart and Mind Disturbance Technique!"

The mental energy gathered through the ninja art was immense, though extremely chaotic. Compared to the total mental energy, only a small portion was projected outward, but it was the most refined and purest part.

A multicolored chain of mental energy connected the two "individuals." Fragments of the mustached man's life and memories flooded into Ino's mind like a slideshow. However, they were all disjointed fragments, impossible to decipher. Ino's expression twisted in pain. Every tenth of a second, she endured a backlash of mental energy. At this moment, she was gritting her teeth and holding on.

The mustached man was first shocked, then angry. But as the technique continued, his expression grew calmer. After ten seconds, the chain of Heart and Mind Disturbance disappeared. The way he looked at Ino had completely changed.

He was still smiling, but whereas before it had been a guarded smile, now it was much friendlier.

He stood to the side, examining Ino's ponytail and profile from different angles. "Hmm... From this angle, you look a bit like the neighbor of my cousin's niece's younger brother... Do you have ancestors from Kirigakure? Konoha ninja are such a hassle. Ah, whatever, whatever. It's not easy for a young girl like you to come all this way. I'm not an unreasonable person... Fine, I'll consider this round passed!"

With a wave of his hand, the bustling marketplace vanished. Ino, her mental energy significantly drained, pressed her right hand to her forehead. The sudden spatial displacement nearly made her stumble. When she looked up, she found herself standing in the middle of a vast lake.

As an excellent water-style ninja, walking on water had long become second nature to her. Without caring whether this was still part of the genjutsu, she focused chakra on the soles of her feet and stood on the water's surface, adopting a defensive stance as she scanned her surroundings.

Not far away, Chojuro and Haku were whispering to each other. When they saw her appear, they quickly retreated.

The spirited Haku assumed an iaijutsu stance.

The mustached man reappeared. "Hahaha! One-on-one battles are boring. Let me spice things up for you free-for-all!"

Chojuro was the first to react. He stammered, "Lord Second Mizukage, this kunoichi is from Konoha!"

The mustached man scratched his ear. "So what? Back in the day, did anyone say Konoha ninja couldn't take my test? Did they? I don't remember saying that! Besides, it was you juniors who let her in, not me! You can discuss the rules among yourselves or team up against her. It's up to you. Good luck, kids!"

As if afraid he might change his mind, the mustached man waved his hand and disappeared.

Haku and Chojuro, who had been preparing to face off against each other to determine the final victor, immediately turned their attention to Ino, the outsider.

Ino called out "Senior!" a couple of times into the air, but the mustached man didn't reappear.

She figured the friendliness generated by the Heart and Mind Disturbance Technique had its limits. Abandoning any further illusions, she prepared to take on both of them!

To make things more formal, she untied her forehead protector from her waist and fastened it around her head. At this moment, she was ready to fight as a proud Konoha ninja.

Seeing Chojuro looking around nervously and Haku hesitating slightly, Ino took the initiative. "Hey, you two are going to team up, right? Stop hesitating! Draw your weapons and let me take you both on!"

If she had said this to Naruto, he would have charged in with a loud battle cry. But Chojuro and Haku were both somewhat soft-spoken, and since they weren't familiar with each other, they hesitated about teaming up.

"Quit dawdling! If you won't make the first move, then I will!"

Taking on two opponents at once was extremely difficult, and Ino wasn't confident of victory. She could only exploit their personality weaknesses and defeat them one by one.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" She opened with this familiar water-style technique to test the waters.

After sailing on the sea for over half a month, neither her water-style level nor her hand seal speed had improved, but she had become quite proficient with the Second Hokage's Water Dragon Jutsu.

Previously, it had taken twelve hand seals, but now she could perform it with just six.

The three of them stood on a seemingly endless lake. Ino manipulated the surrounding water, and a massive water dragon surged into the sky, carrying tremendous force as it roared toward the two.

Haku's performance was vastly different from their last encounter. Back then, he had been Zabuza's tool. Now, he was Zabuza's successor.

Ice mirrors appeared behind him once again, but this time, instead of retreating, he took the initiative to engage.

As the water dragon charged toward them, Ino noticed a flash of light from the side. In the next moment, Haku burst out of an ice mirror, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword. With a quick step, he unleashed a dazzling slash covered in icy crystals.

Ino maintained her usual fighting style: one main body and two shadow clones.

The main body controlled the water dragon, focusing its attack on Chojuro, while the shadow clone spat out a wall of water.

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"

The icy slash struck the water wall, freezing a five- to six-square-meter area into solid ice.

Ino's shadow clone showed no fear. After forming two more hand seals, the water churned violently, breaking through the ice and transforming the defensive wall into an offensive wave that crashed toward Haku.

Just as the wave was about to engulf the graceful young man, Haku leaped into the air. A shard of ice appeared beneath his wooden sandals, and he used it to perform a double jump.

When he reached a height of ten meters, an ice mirror appeared behind him. He leaned back into it and reappeared beside Chojuro.

Thanks to the time Haku had bought, Chojuro completed his hand seals and unleashed "Water Style: Water Fang Jutsu," shattering the water dragon from the side.

"The probing phase is over. She's strong. You'll need to team up with me," Haku said bluntly.

Chojuro's face was drenched in sweat, and he seemed slightly embarrassed. Ino, watching from a distance, was baffled. What are you embarrassed about?

"I... I'm really not good at fighting..." Chojuro stammered a couple of excuses, but under Haku's calm gaze, he steeled himself.

Unlike Haku, who had recently joined Kirigakure, Chojuro had grown up in the village and was now regarded as a leading figure among the younger generation. His sense of belonging to the village was strong. Seeing Haku fight so seriously, he had no reason to back down.

"Alright... I'll support you..."

The two began forming hand seals simultaneously.

Chojuro's Water Dragon Jutsu was also a simplified water-style technique, and his basic skills were solid. He completed his seals first.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A water dragon surged into the sky. Haku then used his Ice Release to transform the water dragon into an ice dragon, following up with a powerful slash.

"Combination Ninjutsu: Ghost Blade Ice Strike!"

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