The Fourth Hokage died young, so Ino couldn't verify if he truly never made mistakes in battle.
Inoichi held up three fingers: "Overall, your performance in battle was good, but there were many errors, the most serious of which were three points. First, your fundamentals are too poor. Did your Kunai and Shuriken throws cause any damage to the enemy? You simply wasted your Ninja tools and stamina."
Ino fell silent. How was she supposed to respond to that? Her throws didn't harm Sasuke, but then again, Sasuke's Ninja tool throws didn't hit her either, did they?
The two of them 'clattered' a pile of Ninja tools, but neither managed to hit the other.
Both were masters of 'border shots'.
It wasn't that their throwing skills were poor; after Ino transmigrated, she spent a lot of effort on Kunai throwing, and Sasuke, not to mention, had been practicing diligently since he was a child.
The main reason neither hit the other was a lack of actual combat experience. Normally, they practiced on stationary targets, a target tied to a large wooden stake. Hitting the bullseye with a Kunai without even looking, ten out of ten times, was normal. But in a fast-moving battle, it was different.
Both sides were very fast. Ino's 'speed' stat was 5, and she estimated Sasuke's speed was also around 5-6. Their speeds were similar.
Using techniques practiced on stationary targets to hit moving targets, seasoned veterans on the battlefield could lock on based on experience and feel. Rookies like them, with no experience, needed to calculate wind speed, angles, predict the opponent's displacement, and a host of other factors. The result, naturally, was that neither hit anyone.
Ultimately, it all came down to a lack of actual combat experience.
Ino admitted this problem and knew she needed to continue practicing.
Inoichi continued, "The second problem is that you were too arrogant. You already had the battle locked down by taking over his body with the Mind Body Switch Technique, so why play guessing games? Battle is not a game!"
By this point, Inoichi's tone had become somewhat sharp.
What else could Ino say? She couldn't explain the pot-throwing incident, so she just quietly admitted her mistake.
"You don't understand the Uchiha Clan. If you had done thorough research, you would know that the Uchiha Clan's Bloodline Limit is very famous in the Ninja World. Many people covet their Bloodline Limit, and without some means, the Uchiha Clan would have been wiped out long ago!
The spiritual energy associated with their Sharingan is very strange; many times, it leaves a hidden trick in the soul. Taking over their body with the Mind Body Switch Technique is a very dangerous thing. This is your third and most fatal mistake: you didn't conduct a preliminary investigation, lacked intelligence support, rushed into battle, and lacked vigilance during the fight, suffering a great loss and almost losing the victory."
Inoichi looked utterly disappointed, as if Ino's actions had greatly let him down.
Ino was speechless. I didn't want to fight in the first place, didn't you make me fight? Do I need intelligence on Sasuke? That guy only knows one Great Fireball Technique, right?
She secretly grumbled a few words, but she also admitted that she had indeed been careless, resulting in being backstabbed by the Indra Chakra.
"This battle is a valuable lesson for you. Don't be so reckless. You're not a child; after graduation, you'll be going on missions. If your mistakes cause a teammate's death, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Sigh, Ino, think about it carefully."
After Inoichi finished speaking, he left the room with a heavy expression. When he reached the front yard, his steps lightened by three points, and by the time he walked out of the house, he had a joyful look on his face.
In front of many Jonin and the Hokage, his daughter had defeated Uchiha Sasuke with sheer strength. While many problems were exposed during the battle, a victory is a victory. In the Ninja profession, results often matter more than the process. The fact that his daughter defeated Uchiha Sasuke was undeniable.
Happy! Wonderful!
He, Yamanaka Inoichi, had been a slacker for half his life, but now his daughter seemed destined for greater things than him.
Ten minutes later, he used his work as an excuse to find his two old pals, Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza. My daughter defeated the genius of the Uchiha Clan, isn't that awesome? When we first went to the battlefield, I don't think we were as good as her, right? Come on, no work today, let's go drinking!
On the other side, Yamanaka Rino gently comforted Ino for a bit, then picked up her bag and changed her clothes. She had an appointment with the two wives from the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan to go to the hot springs, and it was perfectly reasonable to talk about their daughters and sons there.
Ino was unaware of her parents' series of humblebragging. Her childish act of playing guessing games during the battle had hurt her quite a bit, but no one suspected anything. These actions might be incomprehensible to adults, but at the age of twelve, they were perfectly normal. The various differences in her behavior since transmigrating, compared to the previous Ino, were completely covered up by this act of feigning foolishness.
"Sigh," she sighed.
If possible, she didn't want to be a Ninja at all, constantly living on the edge, braving wind and rain, just to be a loyal Konoha worker? Don't make her laugh!
Unfortunately, it was like sailing against the current; if she didn't advance, she would fall behind. Konoha Village was too dangerous; if she lacked strength, she might not even survive until the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"Shikamaru, you brat, don't let me catch you!" She picked up the scroll Shikamaru had written and studied it word by word.
It was a matter of life and death, so she couldn't be too careful.
The battle between Ino and Sasuke was just a topic of conversation for the Ninja Academy students; they would forget about it in a few days.
At most, Naruto, Kiba, and a few others would train even harder.
However, its impact on the Village's higher-ups was rapidly escalating.
Danzo found the Third Hokage early in the morning.
"Hiruzen, I think this Water Prison Technique could have greater potential."
The Third Hokage took off his hat, revealing an aged face with age spots, and calmly waited for him to continue.
Danzo's words were as ruthless as ever: "Your Water Release is stronger than mine. Don't tell me you haven't thought of it. Besides trapping enemies in small-scale battles, this Water Prison Technique has another important function: suicide! Once a Ninja carrying important intelligence is trapped by the enemy, he can use the Water Prison Technique on himself, then destroy the intelligence. To prevent enemy Ninja from reading information from their brains, our Ninja can also destroy their brains and bodies together. A Kunai and an Exploding Tag can solve all problems."
Danzo emphasized, "Hiruzen, this technique is very valuable and worth promoting widely. In the past, we lost too many people in intelligence, and the Village's secrets and some Ninjutsu were leaked this way. The Water Prison Technique can perfectly solve this problem."
He paused: "The Water Prison Technique should be enforced by order. All Ninja who can use Water Release must learn and master it. Once it comes to the final moment, they should take their own lives. Under no circumstances should the Village's intelligence be leaked!"