Among those taking the Chunin Exams, Sakura was the most nervous. After introducing their names, she asked Kabuto for advice on what to pay attention to.
Kabuto, like a salesperson, began to introduce his self-made "Ninja Info Cards." Ino had seen these twice at Konoha Hospital. At this moment, adhering to Baroque Works' policy of secrecy, the "President" and "Vice President" pretended to only be acquaintances in front of others. She automatically stepped aside, letting Kabuto fool the Genin.
Ino began to observe the many Genin participating in the Chunin Exams.
After all, it was a Konoha-hosted exam. There were 87 Konoha Genin present, forming the absolute majority. There were 30 Genin from the Hidden Sand Village, 21 from the Hidden Rain Village, 15 from the Grass Hidden Village, 12 from Ino's old friend, the Takigakure Village, and 3 from Otogakure.
Kabuto's comment that Otogakure was just a small Ninja Village angered the three Otogakure Ninja present. There was no such thing as Six Paths Dosu. Although seemingly 14 years old, this Dosu was covered in bandages, his arms reached his knees, his gaze was lewd, and he was hunched over. He looked like he could be 54 and people would believe it.
These outcasts from Otogakure had no idea about Kabuto's spy identity. Ino, watching from the side, was entertained as Dosu displayed his Kamui, breaking Kabuto's glasses, and then spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
Dosu unilaterally demonstrated Otogakure's strength, suppressed Konoha Village's morale, and helped Kabuto establish a persona of weakness and incompetence—killing multiple birds with one stone.
Sakura and Naruto, those two good kids, helped Kabuto up. Kabuto, with a wry smile, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then retreated to the side. Ninety percent of the attention on him immediately disappeared.
Soon after, Special Jonin, led by Morino Ibiki, entered Classroom 301 and began the first exam.
Ino looked at the proctoring Ninja. Ha ha, they were all Ninja from the intelligence system, every single one of them! There wasn't a single one she didn't know!
Her knowledge had not been returned to Iruka sensei. After receiving the test paper, even though she knew the final result, she still reviewed the questions.
She might as well do something while waiting. Should she be like Sasuke, look at the questions once, then throw the pen down, strike a cool pose, and say he couldn't answer a single question?
There were too many acquaintances around; Ino couldn't afford to lose face like that!
Decoding ciphers, calculating the maximum range of a Shuriken, chemistry questions, physics questions—Ino didn't use any cheating methods. She wrote furiously, beginning to answer the questions.
Ino could do all these questions. Sakura and Hinata were also working on their own papers.
The original seating arrangements were completely scrambled. Except for Naruto, who sat next to Hinata, everyone else was surrounded by strangers. Everyone displayed their unique skills.
Kiba had his Ninja dog peek at other people's papers, then tell him the answers.
Shino Aburame used his insects, Gaara used his Sand Eye, and Hyuga Neji used his Byakugan.
Naruto was staring blankly at the paper, his mind empty.
Sasuke sneered, focusing his Sharingan on Ino in front of him, preparing to imitate her movements to answer the questions.
"Ouch!" His Sharingan developed two tomoe. He had only imitated two words when he felt immense pain in both eyes.
His Dojutsu Power, which had been sealed, suddenly ran wild.
Ino, who was answering the questions, also felt as if someone was violently striking her head with a chisel.
She almost cried out in alarm. The immense pain caused her to snap the pen in her hand.
What the hell?
Her consciousness was forcibly pulled into a pitch-black space.
There seemed to be liquid flowing slowly beneath her feet. When she stepped on it, the accumulated water roughly covered her insteps.
There was no light in this world, but Ino could feel her own presence.
In the distance, there were three light sources of varying intensity. She couldn't figure out what was happening, so she hesitantly walked towards them.
When Ino was still an arm's length away from the three light sources, her body was pulled by some force, automatically merging with one of the light sources.
The entire world underwent a drastic change before her eyes. Countless things, both clear and indistinct, countless things, both named and unnamed, flashed before her. It seemed like a long time, yet it also seemed like just an instant.
When she regained the ability to think, she saw a person with a blurred face and a rather aged voice speaking to her.
"The most important thing between people is communication. The purpose of our Ninshu is to try to communicate with everyone's hearts. Our hearts drive our bodies, and our bodies, in turn, cause changes, good or bad, in this world. Only by mastering the heart can we truly understand ourselves and understand this world. Yamanaka, did you understand today's lesson?"
A voice, neither male nor female, answered from Ino's light source: "Teacher, I am dull-witted. I fear that throughout my life, I will not be able to experience the world you describe."
The old man, called "Teacher," smiled slightly: "Change is not accomplished in an instant. Doing a little is better than doing nothing. Do a little today, and a little more tomorrow. One day, you will understand what I mean. Aptitude is not truly important, Indra. Did you understand these words of mine?"
The third light source sneered: "When you and my uncle rebelled against Grandmother, how many years did you fight? Ten years or twenty years? Why didn't you talk about heart-to-heart communication then, about resolving conflicts through conversation? Now you regret it, doing a little today, a little tomorrow, trying to mend this world that you broke? Father, I feel nothing. I only see your cowardice!"
The "Teacher" fell silent. After what seemed like a long time, he sighed: "It's alright. One day, you too will understand me. I will wait for you."
The black world, like a tide, rapidly receded, and everything she had seen and heard within it disappeared in an incredible way. Ino reopened her eyes and found herself back in Classroom 301, holding a pencil broken in two.
Although ninety-nine percent of her memories from the black world were lost, her mental energy was now significantly stronger than before. In the final moments, she managed to grasp a fragment of memory.
A name, not entirely familiar, but certainly not unfamiliar: Indra!
Indra's Chakra was still affecting her? This thing was practically a bug! Without any cellular contact, was it transmitted through mental energy from a distance?
Memories of Indra from the illusion were like trying to hold sand in her hand; the tighter she squeezed, the faster it slipped away. As she tried to recall, the last bit of memory also vanished. Only the name Indra remained in her mind; what he did or said, she couldn't remember at all.
Tobitake Tonbo, Inoichi's subordinate, saw Ino's pale face and quietly asked if she was ill.
"Sorry, that question was a bit difficult just now. I got a little excited and snapped my pen." Ino made an excuse to brush him off and continued to answer the questions.
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