The giant bear, charging like a small mountain, suddenly stopped, a large amount of blood gushing from its neck, and finally, its massive head crashed to the ground.
Seeing the giant bear die, Karin was terrified, her mind blank, completely losing the ability to think.
Ino walked over from the side, first checking her forehead protector out of habit, then asked with a hint of resentment, "A Ninja from Grass Hidden Village? Where's your scroll? Hand it over quickly."
Karin didn't dare to move, nor did she dare to pick up her glasses, her vision blurry. She subconsciously shook her head, "Scroll? Ah… right, the scroll, the scroll isn't on me, it's with my companions. I got separated from them."
Ino didn't believe her at all: "You, stand up."
Karin stood up, trembling like a quail.
Ino first scrutinized her appearance; the little girl was a bit dirty and very thin, but her foundation was good.
Seeing her red hair, she asked, "Are you Karin from Grass Hidden Village?"
"...You know me?"
"No. Stand straight, don't tremble."
The more she said this, the more Karin trembled.
Ino patted all over her body. In her hair? No. In her clothes? No. In her pants? Apparently not.
Karin had been feeling a feverish heat from panic, a physical issue caused by her overly strong vitality. As Ino searched her, she found a cold sensation that counteracted the heat within her, and she calmed down.
She closed her eyes, feeling as if the girl's hands had a magical quality. As they caressed her face, she felt wonderfully cool and comfortable.
She couldn't help but open her eyes. At such a close distance, even with poor eyesight, she could see clearly. She noticed Ino's fingers were long and flawless, like white jade, resembling a work of art.
The other girl's skin was incredibly fair, her face, chin, collarbone, and arms were all exquisitely delicate. Every frown and smile held great power. Karin felt ashamed, thinking how dirty and messy she was, and couldn't help but lower her head again.
Ino searched Karin thoroughly, front and back. The Female Ninja hadn't lied; there really was no scroll.
She sighed softly, "Consider it my bad luck. I'm not an unreasonable person. You can go."
Karin picked up her glasses and ran away in a panic.
About ten seconds later, Choji and Shikamaru also caught up.
The three began to examine the bear.
"I heard bear paws are a rare delicacy. Choji, can you cook them?" Ino asked.
Choji was there for the Chunin Exams, not a mid-level chef qualification exam. Naturally, he couldn't cook bear paws, and even if he could, the size of this giant bear was too exaggerated.
Its head, severed by Water Severing Wave, was taller than the three of them, and its paws were far larger than typical bear paws. This thing, just lying on the ground, was the size of a small house.
Regular cooking skills were useless here.
Shikamaru suggested, "Let's roast it. The taste will probably be a bit off, but it'll be enough to fill our stomachs."
Ino had no objections, so the three of them ate roasted bear paw in the forest.
Karin ran several hundred meters away, then, for unknown reasons, went to the river to wash her face and comb her messy hair. After that, with three parts apprehension and seven parts anticipation, she circled back.
Ino glanced at her curiously, saw her standing far away, and waved her over to eat with them.
With such a large bear, the three of them wouldn't finish it in a month. One more or one less mouth made no difference.
"No… no…" Karin hid behind a tree, vigorously waving her hands.
"Do you know her?" Shikamaru asked.
Ino shook her head: "No. Don't worry about her."
The three continued to eat their roasted bear paw, no longer paying attention to Karin.
Halfway through their meal, Sasuke, who had gone to fetch water, discovered the Ino–Shika–Choji trio.
"What scrolls do you have?"
"What scrolls do you have?"
Both sides asked simultaneously.
Shikamaru's group produced six Earth Scrolls, laid out in a row, and Sasuke's expression was very strange.
"You also have Earth Scrolls?" Shikamaru asked with a questioning tone, and Sasuke nodded slightly.
All four looked very depressed. What kind of luck was this? This was no longer a matter of luck; it was clearly designed to prevent these elites from facing each other in the second exam. No one would believe there wasn't some manipulation involved.
Since both sides had Earth Scrolls, there was no need to fight.
Sasuke declined Shikamaru's offer to share the roasted bear paw, went to the nearby stream for water, and then left alone.
Team 10 continued to eat their roasted bear paw. Seeing that Karin had no hostile intentions, Ino called her over again to eat. Perhaps she was truly starving; after some hesitation, Karin quickly grabbed a piece of meat, then sat on the ground three meters away from them, devouring it.
As they were eating, the ground suddenly vibrated significantly, and a large amount of smoke and dust billowed from the distant forest, with the faint sound of trees crashing down.
This was clearly a Ninjutsu of immense power and scale.
Shikamaru stood on a high vantage point, looking into the distance.
He consulted the team's renowned Ninjutsu expert, unofficial scout, and unofficial Medical Ninja, Ino.
"Something seems to have happened over there. Is that Wind Release Ninjutsu?"
Ino carefully observed for a moment. She also used Wind Release, but her own Wind Release level was low, having only recently reached Lv2. Even with a brute force application of Chakra, she couldn't achieve such an effect: "It should be. Looking at the scale, it's at least a B-rank Ninjutsu, and this Wind Release level is much higher than mine. It looks like something a Jonin would use."
Shikamaru mused, "So much stronger than you? Could it be someone from Sunagakure? Is it that guy with the gourd?"
Ino replied cautiously, "Probably not. Although Sunagakure is in the Land of Wind, there aren't many Ninja there who use Wind Release. Only that 'plain-looking' blonde woman uses Wind Release. It should be another Ninja…"
Shikamaru's expression was solemn: "That direction… isn't that the direction Sasuke just left?"
Normally nonchalant, but deep down, Shikamaru highly valued his Village comrades. In the original timeline, when Ino went to save Sakura, he literally pulled Choji's scarf, dragging his friend along.
The Sasuke Retrieval Arc was even more so; Shikamaru exhausted himself, pushing his abilities to the absolute limit.
In terms of the will of fire, the Yamanaka Clan had always been inferior to the Nara Clan. After Akimichi Torifu's death, the Akimichi Clan also let that will of fire go to hell.
Shikamaru's feelings for his comrades and the Village surpassed those of Ino and Choji.
Ino used her sensory abilities to detect. Her sensory perception wasn't Byakugan; she couldn't discern specific Chakra strength, only make a rough estimate.
Three kilometers southeast of their location, she found the Chakra signatures of the three members of Team 7, along with another slightly strange Chakra.
Is it Orochimaru?
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