Ino slept for an entire day before waking up.
Soon after she woke, Choji came to visit her with a large bag of snacks, followed by Shikamaru, Sakura, Naruto, and finally, even a reluctant Sasuke.
Asuma and Kakashi arrived at noon. The Genin's competition in the labyrinth was a test of the future of the two Villages, and the Jonin had similar activities to gauge the current hard power between the two sides, so they were both very busy.
After Kakashi entered the room, he casually sat to the side. His face was a little pale, clearly a sign of excessive Chakra consumption.
"How was your harvest this time?" Asuma lit a cigarette and asked directly.
Shikamaru clasped his hands behind his head: "The climate inside was very comfortable, a good place to escape the heat and enjoy the cool."
Choji was also very happy: "The ramen there was delicious! Naruto and I had a competition! I won in the end!"
Asuma chuckled twice, finally looking at Ino.
She said, half-truthfully, half-falsely: "How to put it... I did fight Chōjūrō and Haku. They are both very strong. Ranmaru's Red Eye caused me a lot of trouble, otherwise, I wouldn't have been beaten up like this. Afterward, I obtained an S-rank Water Release Ninjutsu, probably Water Release. This Ninjutsu is too difficult; I can't use it at all right now."
She told Asuma these things mostly for reporting purposes. Once Asuma knew, his Hokage father would also know, and with all the procedures complete, she could use it in formal settings next time.
Ino was not Naruto after all; she didn't have the ability to instantly recover to full health. Her body was still very weak, so Choji left her favorite grilled fish, and the others left together.
Ino ate two bites of grilled fish, then drowsily slept for another half a day. Only after waking up did she have the strength to check her gains.
Ninja improve their strength through life-and-death battles. This method is very dangerous but indeed effective.
Since her transmigration, this battle with the Hidden Mist trio was the most difficult she had fought.
The struggle between life and death allowed her body to tap into some of its potential, and her strength increased by a notch.
Both 'Body' and 'Strength' each increased by one point.
Steam Impurities Explosion contained a large amount of Ninjutsu knowledge, and her calm handling during the battle with the trio, along with the increased confidence after the battle, caused her 'Wisdom' to also increase by one point.
Knowledge is also part of 'Wisdom.' To put it simply, IQ is innate, but knowledge can be acquired later. Orochimaru and Tsunade may not have higher IQs than Shikamaru, but their 'Wisdom' is 10 because of their extensive knowledge.
Ino frequently used Water Release during the battle, and her Water Release level, which already showed signs of breakthrough, successfully rose to Lv4.
Her current attributes are Nin 9, Body 4, Gen 4, Wis 7, Str 3, Spd 6, Stam 8, Hand Seals 6, for a total of 47 attributes.
In terms of Ninjutsu, she has Water Release Lv4, Earth Release Lv2, Wind Release Lv2, and Yin Release Lv3.
Blaming Kakashi earned her two 'blame points.' She planned to save two more, then directly raise 'Nin' to 10.
Ao and Gonbei never inquired about Konoha's gains, only reiterating that Ninjutsu could not be spread without Hidden Mist's permission. Asuma agreed on Ino's behalf.
Ino lay in bed for three days, then, unable to sit still, she dragged Sakura out to go shopping and bought a large pile of gifts.
She argued with conviction: this coat was for Inoichi, this scarf was for Rino, and she even prepared gifts for Iruka-sensei, Moegi, and even Kotetsu Hagane, who guarded the gate.
Sakura initially only bought things for herself, but seeing Ino's filial piety, she also bought some gifts.
Shikamaru, upon hearing the news, clutched his head, truly too exhausted to speak.
Good heavens, you're injured like this, and you're still thinking of roping us in?
You, a seriously injured person, bought a ton of gifts for relatives and friends. Are we supposed to go back empty-handed? We'd be strung up and beaten!
No more talking, let's buy!
Shikamaru and Choji also joined the shopping spree.
Finally, even Asuma had a change of heart, feeling that he couldn't just buy gifts for his girlfriend. His Hokage father and his nephew Konohamaru also deserved something. He bought a pipe for his Hokage father and a well-crafted Ninja Blade with distinct Hidden Mist Village characteristics for his nephew.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, who had no friends, no wives, no sons, no daughters, no fathers, and no mothers, were so overwhelmed they almost coughed up blood. Thank you for the reminder, our families are all dead, we don't need to buy gifts!
About a week later, with affairs concluded and the two Villages having a basic cooperative intention, the Konoha Village group prepared to return.
Next should be cooperation between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Only after the two main sponsors cooperate can the two Ninja Villages establish further mutual trust.
The Elder originally thought there would be some obstacles from the Land of Water, but unexpectedly, the proposal was approved as soon as it was submitted.
Although he felt it was a bit strange, the Daimyo had agreed, so he couldn't think of any reason to object.
On the way there, they took a detour, following the southern route, and also had to guard Raiga Kurosuki and Zabuza, which took over half a month. On the way back, they followed the Land of Water's trade route, reaching the Land of Waves in just over ten days.
Naruto, like a leader, inspected the "Naruto Bridge" named after him. At this time, only the bridge piers had been built, and the bridge itself was not even a shadow, but he was still very happy, talking incessantly along the way.
Homura Mitokado had to go to the capital of the Land of Fire to report to the Daimyo, so Team 7 and Team 10 returned to Konoha Village first.
"Yo, everyone, you've worked hard." The gatekeepers, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, smiled and greeted Team 7 and Team 10.
Compared to the diverse personalities of Team 7, who were prone to having their entire families wiped out, the family-complete Team 10 clearly had a better relationship with these two gatekeepers.
Ino also took out small gifts for the two of them, all specialties from the Land of Water and the Land of Waves, not high in value, but showing respect.
"Old Iron" was well-informed and had already learned about Ino's beating of the Hidden Mist Village's younger generation, so he teased her with a few laughs.
Their two teams quickly completed their Village entry registration.
"Hmm, you guys are dismissed. Asuma and I will report to Hokage-sama..." Kakashi's words trailed off midway, and he paused, his gaze fixed on the distance.
Ino, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Sakura were all startled, then the few of them followed his gaze towards the Village gate.
They saw three Ninja wearing Anbu masks standing in a triangular formation, escorting a young woman through the gate.
The woman looked to be in her early twenties, with long black hair, wearing an off-the-shoulder top and a fiery red long skirt.
The woman's face was somewhat pale; she must have been injured.
"Kakashi-sensei, who is that?" the outspoken Naruto asked.
Kakashi, like someone with senile dementia, casually grunted "Hmm" as an answer.
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