Chapter 165 - Chapter 165: Ino! Flying Thunder God! Morkel's Medical Skills!

The battlefield was filled with the groans of injured ninjas echoing through the smoky air.Ino and several other medical ninjas rushed tirelessly between the fallen, administering emergency treatment as fast as their chakra would allow. With urgency in her eyes, Ino bit her fingertip and formed a series of hand seals. She then slammed her palm onto the ground and shouted, "Summoning Technique!"A burst of smoke exploded with a loud whoosh!From within the smoke emerged a massive figure—Katsuyu, the enormous slug. Katsuyu was the Summoning Beast of Tsunade, a creature from the legendary Wet Bone Forest, one of the Three Great Holy Lands. She was a part of the elder Sage Katsuyu's being.After becoming Tsunade's apprentice, Ino had signed a contract with the Wet Bone Forest as well and gained the ability to summon Katsuyu herself."Katsuyu!" Ino called, "Please divide yourself and seek out the wounded across the battlefield. I'll handle the healing."The enormous Katsuyu nodded softly and obeyed without hesitation.Crash!Katsuyu's massive body began to split apart, scattering into thousands of tiny slugs. Each miniature Katsuyu slithered off, locating and attaching themselves to severely injured shinobi.By linking her chakra through the divided Katsuyu clones, Ino could perform healing techniques remotely. It allowed her to heal a large number of people simultaneously. However, this method was extremely chakra-intensive.Before long, Ino's face had turned ghostly pale."You've done enough, Ino! Everyone's improving… please, stop before you collapse!"Sakura caught Ino just as she stumbled from chakra depletion and voiced her concern.But Ino shook her head weakly. "It's not enough yet… Some of them are still barely clinging to life. As a medical ninja, I can't abandon them. Not even one…"Determined, she gritted her teeth and continued healing. But as her attention was focused on saving lives, none of them noticed what was creeping up behind her.A severely wounded ninja—appearing to be from the Rock Village—slowly rose to his feet behind Ino. Bent over and staggering, he approached her silently, his hand slipping into his pocket to pull out a kunai.He got closer, step by step…Suddenly, Kato Dan, trapped within a nearby sealing array, sensed something amiss."Be careful!" he shouted in alarm.But his warning came just a second too late.Pffft!A sharp sound echoed as the kunai was thrust forward, stabbing directly into Ino's back. Blood splattered across the ground."Ino!"Sakura, who was just a few steps away, reacted instinctively. With a powerful over-the-shoulder throw, she hurled the attacker to the ground.The moment the attacker hit the earth, his appearance began to distort—his true identity was revealed.White Zetsu.Everyone around gasped in shock."The enemy is among us?!""White Zetsu can even mimic chakra signatures now?!""We've only found one—what if there are more hidden in our ranks?!""Stay back! I don't even trust you anymore!"Chaos broke out among the Allied Shinobi Forces as paranoia spread.Meanwhile, Sakura was desperately trying to heal Ino's wound with medical ninjutsu. Ino's breathing was shallow, and her body trembled in pain."I... It's no use," Ino murmured, her voice barely audible."My heart… it's been pierced. Maybe if you had full chakra and treated me immediately, I'd stand a chance.""But… your chakra is depleted… after healing so many…"Tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks as she cradled her friend in her arms. "Ino…"She had seen death countless times on the battlefield.But this—this was her best friend…Ino didn't reply. Instead, she reached into her ninja pouch and pulled out a specially marked kunai.It bore the Flying Thunder God seal.With trembling fingers, she whispered, "I just… wanted to see Morkel one last time…"She stared at the kunai for a long second, eyes brimming with tears."I never got to say I love you…"---At the Ninja Alliance HeadquartersNara Shikaku's voice rang out, "Any trace of Kabuto yet?!"The war room was tense. Reports kept pouring in from the front lines."One Madara has pinned down four Kages. We must cancel the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu immediately!" Shikaku stressed.Yamanaka Inoichi added, "The surprise attack squad is advancing toward the Akatsuki's hidden base. We believe Yakushi Kabuto is there.""You've been connected through Mind Transmission for nearly two days," Shikaku said with concern. "You should rest."Inoichi nodded and began to remove the communication headset.But then—"Captain, a report just arrived from the First Combat Team," a young communication ninja said. "Medical ninja Yamanaka Ino… has died."There was silence."…What did you say?" Inoichi asked, his voice trembling."Sir, Ino was assassinated by White Zetsu in disguise. She was performing emergency healing on the battlefield."Clang!The headset fell from Inoichi's hand with a dull thud.His face turned pale.Exhaustion, grief, shock—all surged at once.Everything turned to black.The room filled with confused voices, rushing footsteps, and the howling wind outside.Was that it?Was he never going to hear his daughter's voice again?---Near Turtle IslandOn the land Morkel had created with Earth Release, the night deepened.Morkel stood at his forge, hammering metal with practiced strength. Suddenly, his body jolted.His eyes narrowed.Something was wrong.Naruto, who was assisting him, asked, "What's up?"Morkel frowned. "The Flying Thunder God seal I left… it's pulsing.""You're just tired from all the forging," Naruto shrugged."No," Morkel insisted. "Something's definitely off. I'm going."And with that, he vanished.---Between Life and DeathSomewhere between realms, Ino's breath had stopped. Her spirit drifted along the shoreline, confused.She opened her eyes slowly."Is this the afterlife?" she murmured, her voice light.She looked around.And then she saw him.Red hair, a worried face—it was Morkel."I must be dreaming," Ino said. "My final wish… to see Morkel again… came true.""But fake is always fake…"She turned away, her heart heavy.Morkel stepped closer, holding her firmly. "What do you mean, fake?"She looked at him. "How can a phantom from the afterlife talk?"Sakura appeared beside them and calmly said, "You were gone for less than two seconds. Morkel used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach you instantly.""You can probably guess the rest.""Morkel's medical skills... even if you had really died, he could bring you back."Ino was stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief."Wait—this isn't a dream?! I'm actually alive?!"Sakura nodded.Tears streamed down Ino's face.Laughing through her sobs, she wrapped her arms tightly around Morkel's neck."Morkel… It feels so good to be alive!"She sniffled, wiping her tears and snot all over his shirt.Morkel winced and patted her back. "Alright, alright. People are watching. And… now my clothes are soaked with your snot."Ino giggled uncontrollably.Morkel smiled and said gently, "Don't worry. As long as you carry my Flying Thunder God kunai, I'll never let anything happen to you."At that, Ino cried again—this time from joy.---