The oil-transformed Chakra had corroded a lot of sand, but Gaara's gaze at Ino was still sharp and direct, as if looking at a dead person.
"You think that's the end of it? I hope your defense is solid enough." Ino made the 'not yet' hand seal.
"Snap!"
The water bubble instantly exploded!
Originally, only the sand that the water bubble touched was corroded, but as Ino made the water bubble explode from within, a large area of sand became contaminated with the oil-transformed Chakra. Then, like hard clumps, it slowly detached from the Sand Shield. The once 360-degree, flawless defense instantly became riddled with holes.
Kankuro and Temari looked flustered, glancing at each other, unsure if they should go up and help.
Gaara, on the other hand, was very annoyed; this anger came almost inexplicably.
It seemed that whenever he saw Ino's style—blonde ponytail, bangs covering half her face, and her constant "snap, snap, snap"—he would get angry!
He immediately adjusted his deployment, re-erecting the Sand Shield, and at the same time used more fine sand to separate the sand contaminated with the oil-transformed Chakra, dividing and accumulating the polluted sand from the Sand Shield, attempting to re-sandify it.
Ino, meanwhile, continuously created oil-transformed water bubbles, then shot them over with a crackling sound, constantly making "snapping" noises.
Gaara was far from reaching the level of the future Fifth Kazekage, and Ino was no match for the Second Mizukage. Both of their techniques were extremely powerful, but so far, they had not fully unleashed the true power of these techniques.
If you want to re-sandify it, I'll just pour oil on it.
The two went back and forth, contending for several rounds. Ino quickly formed hand seals, and to the exclamations of Konohamaru and Moegi, a Water Dragon soared into the sky.
Gaara's face was distorted. Ino, while corroding his sand, also used Water Dragon Bullet, putting immense pressure on him, and his mental state instantly became frenzied.
He gritted his back teeth tightly, his right hand making a cupping gesture, and a large amount of fine sand flew into the sky. Then, like a vast sea of sand, it coiled around and crushed the Water Dragon, pressing down towards Ino.
"Sand Burial!"
"Gaara, no!" Kankuro was greatly alarmed. It's easy to judge from the sidelines; from his perspective, he couldn't understand why Gaara would use such a powerful technique so soon after arriving in Konoha Village.
He thought his shout was a step too late, and that Konoha Female Ninja would surely be crushed into a pile of minced meat by the sand.
But as Earth Flow Wall rose from the ground, blocking all the sand, the first impact of Sand Burial was stopped by the earth wall. Before it could gather energy for a second impact, Ino's Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave arrived.
A giant wave appearing out of nowhere met the Sand Burial. One was frantic, the other magnificent. The sandstorm obscured the sunlight, and the water flow was also overwhelming. When the two collided, all the sand was soaked, and the clear water was full of dirt. The effects of the two Ninjutsu almost completely canceled each other out.
Mud splattered down from the sky with a crackling sound. The perfectly fine training ground instantly became a muddy mess. Kankuro changed his mind again; this Konoha Female Ninja seemed completely unfazed by Gaara.
"I'm going to kill you!" Gaara's emotions were on the verge of losing control after just a few moves.
Ino didn't indulge his bad temper either. She quickly formed hand seals, using the Second Hokage's Ninjutsu.
Chakra gathered in her chest and abdomen, then was violently expelled.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
The silver thin line, propelled by pressure, made them feel a dazzling white light flash before their eyes. The water line instantly crossed more than ten meters, striking the Sand Shield.
The Sand Shield was cut diagonally at a forty-five-degree angle. The water line, driven by its remaining energy, struck Gaara's chest directly.
Gaara took a step back at the most critical moment, leaving behind a Sand Clone made entirely of sand.
Water Severing Wave pierced through the Sand Clone, finally exhausting its energy.
Gaara raised his head, looking at Ino with disdain.
Seeing this from afar, Ino smiled brightly. In her own Village, she certainly couldn't use Steam Impurities Explosion, and the explosive power of Water Release: Water Sphere Technique was also limited. She could only use Ninjutsu of a slightly smaller scale.
One to the left, one to the right, two Shadow Clones appeared beside her.
Ino's main body converted Chakra into poison, while one Shadow Clone used Water Release and the other used Wind Release.
She hadn't seen Jiraiya's Sage Art: Goemon, but Jiraiya had told her some tricks about combination Ninjutsu. Asuma had also learned this skill from his father and would occasionally teach Ino.
Both of their knowledge of combination Ninjutsu came from the Third Hokage.
With 'Ninja' reaching 10, Ino already had her own understanding of many Ninjutsu.
The main body and the two Shadow Clones were all forming hand seals.
Water Release would turn the poison into poisonous water, and Wind Release would expand the attack range of the poisonous water.
Ino's eyes were incredibly focused. Just a second before she was about to complete the Ninjutsu, Kakashi suddenly appeared beside her and grabbed her right hand.
"Hey, hey, don't use such large-scale Ninjutsu in the Village."
Ino smiled apologetically and, taking the hint, retracted her Chakra.
On the other side, Sunagakure Jonin Baki also calmed down the about-to-go-berserk Gaara. Their skirmish was only half-finished, called to a halt just as both sides were about to unleash their ultimate techniques.
Whether Gaara was happy or not, Ino didn't know, but she was certainly very happy.
Since her transmigration, most of her opponents had been Taijutsu experts: first Sasuke, then Raiga Kurosuki, Kankuro, and so on. These guys' fighting styles were very much like warriors.
Only Haku could exchange a few Ninjutsu blows with her, but after getting Zabuza's samurai sword, Haku also became more hot-blooded.
Ino had always been lonely, and today she was particularly happy to meet Gaara. He was also an enemy who liked to stand and fight, with both sides standing still and throwing big techniques. This suited her style perfectly, and she even got a little excited as they fought.
Both sides knew it wasn't the time for a fight, and neither said any harsh words. Ino escorted the three children away from the training ground, and the three Gaara also left the training ground at Jonin Baki's urging.
He didn't even look at Ino when he left, just afraid he couldn't control his emotions. Women were just too annoying!
After the'small' interlude, Ino took the three children to eat barbecue. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Ise Udon all had big hearts; they showed no fear at all from the previous Ninjutsu clash, instead enthusiastically discussing it.
The barbecue was still paid for by Konohamaru's poor uncle, and Shikamaru and Choji also followed along to freeload.
Halfway through the meal, Asuma casually pulled out three application forms and had them sign them.
This was just a formality; none of Ino's group took it seriously. They signed the forms while eating barbecue.
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