Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Frolic
A certain training ground.
Ino was practicing alone.
After completing several missions, she had become painfully aware of her weaknesses.
She had almost mastered the secret techniques of her clan—the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Techniques. The core ability was the Mind Transfer Jutsu, and all other techniques were merely variations of it.
However, there was a major flaw: her spirit could only travel in a straight line when she used these techniques.
Within the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, where she worked alongside Shikamaru and Choji, this wasn't a problem. Their teamwork covered her weaknesses.
But if she ever had to face an enemy alone and missed her Mind Transfer Jutsu, she'd be left completely vulnerable.
That left her with two possible paths for improvement:
Ensure a guaranteed hit for her Mind Techniques or find a way to make them more flexible.
Develop a secondary skill that wasn't reliant on her clan's techniques.
Her clan had always focused solely on enhancing mental strength to improve their jutsu. But Ino realized they had never innovated beyond that.
Maybe they had relied on the Ino-Shika-Cho combination for too long.
Yet, she sensed the untapped potential of her jutsu—its ability to directly connect minds was something special.
The only problem?
There was no existing blueprint for advancing it.
She was completely on her own.
But that didn't scare her.
As she formed the hand signs for her family's jutsu, her eyes burned with determination.
"The road ahead may be lonely… but it's also..."
"Exciting!"
A familiar voice suddenly interrupted her.
Ino's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
Sure enough, that girl was standing there.
The one-eyed eccentric, staring at her with a dead serious expression, declared:
"My betrayer! The first apprentice magician of the previous Death Pact! You've finally decided to inherit the full power of the Dark Emperor and face my Death Eye in battle to the end!"
Ino's forehead twitched with irritation, but then she suddenly flashed a mischievous smile.
"Oh, Sakiya, since you came all the way here… I actually have a little favor to ask~"
Sakiya froze, her expression instantly turning wary. A chill ran down her spine as she took a cautious step back.
"W-What are you planning...?"
Ino kept smiling, her hands forming a hand sign without pause.
[Mind Transfer Jutsu!]
Her spiritual energy surged forward, locking onto her target.
Swish!
A moment later, Ino let out a tired sigh, rubbing her temples.
"Tch… I missed."
Across from her, Sakiya cackled triumphantly, her face full of exaggerated arrogance.
"Hahaha! Ino! My eternal rival! Did you really think I'd come unprepared?!"
A vein popped on Ino's forehead.
"Perception!"
Activating her Mental Field Detection, Ino instantly pinpointed Sakiya's real location.
Meanwhile, Sakiya, oblivious to the danger creeping closer, stood there smugly.
Completely unaware.
Ino silently closed the distance.
Still grinning, Sakiya dramatically pointed a finger at her.
"Hmph! It's useless, you fool! My Death Eyes see through everything!"
Snap.
A dark aura radiated from Ino.
Sakiya's confident stance faltered.
Her once straightened finger bent inward in hesitation.
"I… I-Impossible! Your dark hand… it won't work on me!"
But Ino was already in front of her.
Her hand reached out—
And effortlessly grabbed Sakiya's head.
Sakiya's entire body froze, her smug expression melting into shock.
"I..."
She stared blankly at Ino, completely dumbfounded.
Then, all at once—her eyes watered, and she let out a small, pitiful whimper.
"U-Ugh..."
A few tears squeezed out as she looked up at Ino with a pleading expression.
"T-That trick doesn't work anymore, huh...?"
Ino smirked.
"Nope. Not anymore, Sakiya~"
Ino leaned in close to Sakiya's ear, her voice dropping to a low, devilish whisper.
A shiver ran down Sakiya's spine.
Just as Ino smirked and was about to strike
—
Suddenly, Sakiya's face turned dead serious.
"Oh no! Mother!" she gasped.
Ino instinctively turned her head to look—only to see nothing.
Realization struck.
"Damn it, I got tricked!"
She whipped around, fuming.
"Sakiya!"
But the girl who had been right in front of her had vanished.
Ino's anger flared.
"Oh, you're asking for it now! Sakiya, you better start praying!"
Meanwhile, Sakiya was hiding behind a large tree at the edge of the training ground, struggling to contain her excitement.
I actually fooled Ino!
But the moment she shifted even slightly—
Swish!
Thud!
A kunai struck the tree just inches from her face.
Sakiya's face went pale, her wide eyes reflecting the gleam of the blade.
"Got you!"
Ino peered down from the tree's branches, wearing a mischievous grin.
"N-No! You didn't!"
Without hesitation, Sakiya squeezed her eyes shut and bolted.
Ino didn't immediately give chase. Instead, she watched Sakiya's retreating figure and chuckled darkly.
"Heh… Sakiya, if I don't teach you a proper lesson, you'll never stop causing trouble~"
And with that, their game of cat and mouse began.
From the training grounds to the bustling streets of Konoha, the chase sent waves of laughter and chaos through the village, making the entire place feel more lively than ever.
Meanwhile, on a quiet patch of grass, Shikamaru lay on his back, a piece of grass between his lips, watching the whole scene unfold with a bored expression.
"See? I told you not to tell her where Ino was," he muttered.
Beside him, Choji scratched his head sheepishly.
"Hehe~ But she gave me a magic stone shard that restores chakra. I couldn't just ignore that!"
Then, shrugging as if it couldn't be helped, he reached into his bag of potato chips, grabbed a handful, and popped them into his mouth with a satisfied crunch.
"Besides, they're friends, aren't they?"
Shikamaru sighed, watching the scene unfold.
"Seriously? You betrayed Ino for a bag of potato chips?"
Choji, completely unbothered, grinned as he crunched on another handful.
At that moment, Kakashi, nose-deep in his beloved "Icha Icha Paradise", strolled by, flipping a page as he walked.
Then—
A blur of movement.
Without even looking up, Kakashi casually reached out and grabbed the running girl by the back of her collar.
Sakiya's legs flailed wildly in the air, her momentum coming to an abrupt halt.
She blinked up at him, dumbfounded.
"The Eye of Judgment! Release me at once—!"
But before she could finish, Ino arrived, her sweetest yet most terrifying smile in place.
With both hands, she gently cupped Sakiya's face.
"Found you again, Sakiya~"
Sakiya froze—but her whole body trembled.
Then—
Squish. Squish. Smoosh. Stretch.
Ino mercilessly squished, pinched, and molded Sakiya's face into various ridiculous shapes.
"This is what you get for running! And this! And—!"
"Alright, that's enough. You two, quit messing around," Kakashi said lazily, snapping his book shut without even a trace of urgency.
His eyes, still half-lidded in that classic "lazy genius" way, shifted to Sakiya.
"Sakiya, your teacher's looking for you. Something important."
Immediately, Ino released Sakiya's face.
Sakiya rubbed her sore cheeks, pouting.
"Tch! This is all your fault, Eye of Judgment! If not for you, I wouldn't have been caught!"
Kakashi, ignoring her dramatic complaints, simply said,
"Come with me."
Sakiya hesitated for a second, then glanced at Ino.
Ino sighed theatrically, her expression mock-sorrowful.
"Go on, Sakiya. Duty calls."
Sakiya immediately straightened up, her face filled with determination.
"Very well, my eternal rival! We shall meet again on the battlefield!"
Ino smirked.
"I'll be waiting."
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