Five minutes later, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza also entered the cave.
By this time, Ino and her group had already tied Mizuki up securely.
His ten fingers were wrapped around each other multiple times like string figures.
In an era where overpowered Ninja were not yet commonplace, 99.99% of Ninja needed to form hand seals to use Ninjutsu; while Ninja who could use Ninjutsu without hand seals weren't nonexistent, Mizuki definitely didn't possess that ability.
With his fingers bound, he couldn't even use a Substitution Jutsu.
After discovering that Natural Energy had high resistance to toxins, Ino even force-fed Mizuki two catties of anesthetic; if he could still stand up after that, it would truly be a miracle.
The adults from the three families were, of course, called by Ino and her group early on. Tonight's series of events were being watched by the Third Hokage. Mizuki thought he had the upper hand, but in reality, his every move was under the surveillance of ANBU Ninja. This situation made it difficult to cause trouble. It was fine to covertly check the Cursed Seal, but letting Mizuki go and then making him take the blame was not an option for Ino; it was too dangerous.
Since they couldn't cause trouble, they naturally needed a backup plan. If Ino and her group were no match for Mizuki, there was no question: the Great Summoning Jutsu, call the parents!
The results were quite good now.
Inoichi was very satisfied with his daughter's performance tonight. He first praised Shikamaru: "Your Shadow Imitation Technique was well-executed."
Shikaku returned the favor, also offering a few words of praise: "Ino was able to discover this guy's problems through subtle clues. She will definitely become an excellent Female Ninja in the future. Perhaps Konoha Village will even see a second Lady Tsunade. Choji is also very impressive and courageous; your Human Bullet Tank was crucial."
The big fatty Choza happily pulled his son up, similarly commending Ino and Shikamaru for their outstanding performance.
On their way back to the Village, they ran into Iruka, Naruto, and Teacher Tsubaki, who had a look of shame on her face.
"Huh? You already defeated Teacher Mizuki?" Naruto examined Mizuki, who was covered in tiger stripes, taking a long time to recognize who it was.
He had just managed to learn Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, but he didn't even get a chance to use it. This was truly frustrating.
He eagerly asked how the three of them had defeated Mizuki.
Shikamaru acted like he had senile dementia, answering one question out of ten, while Ino started spouting nonsense, saying things like Choji took Mizuki down with a single slide tackle, leaving Naruto utterly confused.
Seeing her fiancé's face pale and his breathing weak, Teacher Tsubaki was very sad. She already knew the general course of events and, for such a grave crime of betraying the Village, she dared not plead for him.
As a Hokage Advisor, Shikaku was definitely a high-ranking official in the Village. He spoke a few official words: "Mizuki is suspected of betraying the Village. We suspect he has connections with Rogue Ninja outside the Village. Tsubaki, you need to be mentally prepared."
Tsubaki was just an ordinary Chunin. Facing such a huge upheaval suddenly, her mind was in turmoil. She could only nod mechanically: "...I understand."
After entering the Village, Shikaku gave orders to the children: "Tsubaki will come with us. You children should all go home. Remember, do not leak what happened today."
Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji all nodded. The subsequent matters had nothing to do with them.
Naruto had only met Shikaku twice with Shikamaru and didn't actually know who this uncle was.
He clasped his hands behind his head, tilting it, seemingly wanting to continue being involved.
At the crucial moment, Iruka again used "ramen" as a pretext and forcibly dragged him away.
The fifteenth generation Ino–Shika–Choji brought the unconscious Mizuki and Tsubaki to the Hokage Building.
The three Advisors and the Hokage were all there.
Tsubaki was severely questioned by Utatane Koharu. After a preliminary determination that she had no direct involvement in Mizuki's betrayal of the Village, an ANBU Ninja escorted her away. She had to account for everyone Mizuki had met and everything he had been in contact with during this period. She would certainly be punished afterward. Returning to the Ninja Academy was out of the question; becoming an ANBU Ninja on the border was her only outcome.
The Third Hokage and the Advisors looked at the Cursed Seal on Mizuki's arm. Mizuki's betrayal of the Village was long anticipated; this Cursed Seal was an unexpected gain. The group exchanged glances, then all nodded.
They had all seen similar things on Anko Mitarashi's neck, but this one was simply too crude.
Inoichi stepped forward to claim credit for his daughter. He presented the residue from Mizuki's potion preparation and the scroll that recorded the ingredients at the time.
"Lord Third, Ino found this list of ingredients, and also found some residue from Mizuki's potion preparation."
If no one spoke up for her, this matter would have been glossed over without a word. A mere Genin, who would care about her opinion? Now that Inoichi had explicitly brought it up, and Shikaku and Choza were also watching, the Third Hokage couldn't pretend ignorance.
He said with a smile, "I understand. The children's performances were all excellent. After the Village investigates thoroughly, there will be rewards."
Inoichi was very satisfied, and Shikaku and Choza also smiled, looking like doting fathers.
The chaotic night passed just like that.
Naruto learned the Shadow Clone Technique and Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Ino had her first encounter with the Cursed Seal and gained a preliminary understanding of it.
Many things happened, and many things did not happen.
The scene of Iruka, the little squishy, taking a hit for Naruto, the big tank, did not appear, nor did the scene of Naruto unleashing 617 Shadow Clones to beat up Mizuki.
The Ninja Academy had already graduated, and there were still a few days until team assignments. Ino sent out two Shadow Clones, using the last of her vacation to fully practice Earth Release Chakra nature transformation.
After two days of tireless practice, she successfully developed Earth Release Chakra. The 'Earth' character on her panel became solid, and 'Lv1' appeared next to it.
Water Release Lv2, Earth Release Lv1. On the side of the 'Water' and 'Earth' characters on the panel, small arrows extended from each, converging to form a brand new white mist. Within the mist, a character seemed to be faintly visible, but it was completely unclear at the moment.
Water Release plus Earth Release, this should be the famous Wood Release. Ino tried to add to it with the pot points she had been saving, but found she couldn't. The feedback from the panel wasn't that she didn't have enough pot points, but that the conditions weren't met!
Ino felt a bit at a loss. What should she do? Was she lacking basic attributes, or was she lacking in Water Release and Earth Release levels? Or was she simply lacking Yang Release? Lacking Asura Chakra?
While her Shadow Clones practiced Water Release and Earth Release at home, Ino's main body idled on the street, observing her surroundings to see where she could get pot points, and pondering about Wood Release.
Walking through an alley, she unexpectedly saw Naruto and his three recently acquired followers in the distance, also known as the well-known Konohamaru Corps in the Village.
Ino's gaze lingered for a few seconds on the girl among them, eight-year-old Kazematsuri Moegi. Distant memories surfaced; this girl probably, possibly, might use Wood Release in the future?
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