Raiga Kurosuki's high speed in battle left a deep impression on Ino; his speed was too fast, and she could only use large-scale Water Release Ninjutsu to attack.
Many times she understood his attack intentions, but her body couldn't keep up.
With her current strength, the Chunin Exams would likely not pair her against Sakura again; there was a high chance she would face taijutsu beasts like Neji or Lee.
Considering everything, she allocated one stat point directly to "Speed."
Ino's attributes became Nin 9, Tai 3, Gen 4, Int 6, Str 2, Spe 6, Sta 8, Hand Seals 6, for a total of 44 attributes.
Ino and her team received the mission completion receipt and took the injured Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru along a small path to the Land of Waves to rendezvous with Kakashi's Team 7.
Danzo had initially suggested they return to Konoha Village first, but the other two Advisors vetoed it; since they decided to befriend Hidden Mist Village, they should not create any unnecessary complications.
They also feared Danzo would secretly cause trouble, so the Third Hokage directly ordered Team 10 not to return to the Village but to go directly to the Land of Waves.
Ino's "donkey cart drifting" technique finally found its use; they hired a donkey cart in the Land of Rivers.
Ino, with her sensory abilities, was in charge of driving, Asuma guarded the severely injured Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru inside the cart, Choji brought up the rear, and Shikamaru sat on the roof, observing both sides for any suspicious followers.
Raiga Kurosuki knew he had become a tool for Konoha to befriend Hidden Mist; he sneered twice and had no further reaction.
It must be said, people with mental illnesses generally have good physiques; with a broken arm, he was just pale, showing no signs of kicking the bucket.
Ranmaru also had no objections to returning to Hidden Mist Village; according to him, it was enough to die with Raiga, and the specific place of death didn't matter.
Their nonchalant attitude made Team 10 seem like the bad guys.
They traveled over mountains and through rivers; the road conditions couldn't be described as merely bad, as many places had no roads at all.
Ino drove for two days, then Choji drove for one day, Shikamaru drove for one day, and finally Ino drove for another two days.
If they had traveled as Ninja, it would only take two days from Konoha Village to the Land of Rivers, but with the severely injured Raiga Kurosuki and the small boy Ranmaru, who had little stamina, it took them a full six days to reach the Land of Waves and find Team 7.
The situation in the Land of Waves was much more stable than in the original timeline.
In a proper fight, Kakashi's strength surpassed Zabuza's; if you use Hidden Mist Technique, I'll also use Hidden Mist Technique; if you use Water Prison Technique, I know that Ninjutsu too!
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet? What a coincidence, I just happened to get a simplified Water Dragon Bullet for free from a girl named Ino using my Sharingan! Who would be foolish enough to make 44 hand seals with you? 12 hand seals and go!
Zabuza and Haku were in the dark, Team 7 was in the light; the former had a slight advantage of ambush, but Kakashi started with Hidden Mist Technique, then activated his Sharingan to search for people in the fog.
Zabuza was completely bewildered; it was essentially a repeat of Asuma's Team 10 against Raiga Kurosuki, with Kakashi as the main attacker, and Naruto and Sasuke assisting.
After a few rounds, the three of them beat Zabuza until he was barely recognizable.
At the critical moment, Haku feigned injury and death; Sakura, being kind-hearted, allowed a gap in the encirclement.
Haku removed his mask, and his stunning beauty momentarily entranced Naruto and Sasuke, after which he used the high-speed movement ability of Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to snatch away the severely injured Zabuza.
Kakashi's Sharingan was overused, and his body was very tired, so he stopped Naruto and Sasuke from continuing the pursuit.
Team 10's mission was clear: to eliminate the Raiga Kurosuki "ronin" family occupying the mine.
Team 7 was only escorting and building a bridge; there was no direct connection to Zabuza in this.
According to Kakashi's thinking, completing the current mission was enough; whether Zabuza lived or died had nothing to do with him.
But he could not ignore the subsequent orders from the Village.
Kakashi was in a difficult position; should he search alone? He feared Zabuza might ambush Naruto and the others.
Should he let the four of them split up to search? That would be even more dangerous!
Should he send Ninja dogs to search? But the Land of Waves was surrounded by the sea on all sides; if Zabuza dove into the water, even the keenest nose of a Ninja dog would be useless.
He could only wait for reinforcements.
Homura Mitokado arrived first; this Advisor did not stay long in the Land of Waves, leaving the order that Zabuza and Haku must be captured alive, and then proceeded to the Land of Sea, a small country affiliated with the Land of Water.
He had arranged to meet with Hidden Mist Village Ninja there.
Their attitude still needed to be discussed in person; if Hidden Mist Village truly turned hostile, Homura Mitokado, with his combat experience and two Jonin escorts, could adapt to the situation.
But if he brought a group of children, it would be troublesome.
Without further ado, he, an elder, would go ahead and scout the way.
Homura Mitokado had visited Hidden Mist Village when he was young and had dealt with the Elder, understanding his personality, and believed he could complete the mission.
When Team 10 arrived in the Land of Waves by donkey cart, Team 7 was training.
Naruto and Sasuke had both completed tree climbing training and were now practicing walking on water.
Sakura had completed these two trainings early and was now learning Water Prison Technique under Kakashi's guidance.
Team 10 arrived, and Asuma and Kakashi exchanged a few quiet words.
Asuma nodded to Ino.
"Ino, I'm counting on you."
"Alright, Sense!" Ino closed her eyes, forming the "Un" hand seal, continuously searching for Chakra signatures within an eight-kilometer radius.
After five minutes of searching, she opened her eyes and slowly shook her head.
"They are not within my detection range; we must go out to sea to search."
The Land of Waves was a tiny island nation, surrounded by the sea; if Zabuza simply hid on a small island, he would indeed be hard to find.
The matter was urgent, but not to the point of being desperate; Team 10 had traveled a long way, and all four were a bit tired.
Kakashi took over the task of guarding Raiga Kurosuki, allowing them to rest for a day and explore the market in the Land of Waves to relax.
Shikamaru returned to his room to sleep, Choji went to eat, and Ino, having nothing to do, went out to shop alone.
The residents in the market mainly sold their homemade straw hats, cultivated vegetables, and fish and shrimp caught from the sea.
She bought a straw hat and a large bag of seaweed from a roadside shop claiming to be a "century-old store"; this was for Choji.
At a nearby fish stall, she selected two mackerel and two saury; the former was Shikamaru's favorite food, and the latter was Kakashi's.
Friendship between comrades needed to be nurtured through small daily gestures.
As for Kakashi, she simply wanted to ask him about Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall; Kakashi had quite a bit of insight into this Ninjutsu.
Afterward, she saw a store selling cinnamon rolls and happily bought a large bag, planning to take them back to feed Hinata.
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