Only one thought remained in her mind: something big had happened!
As she rapidly moved through the streets, she thought quickly.
Lady Tsunade won so much money but wasn't happy; instead, she urgently summoned all the high-ranking Ninja… This abnormal phenomenon could only have one explanation.
The victory in that gamble was by no means luck.
And Lady Tsunade, from this 'victory,' had detected some huge, approaching crisis.
Shizune's arms, holding the money, unconsciously tightened, her fingertips feeling a bit cold.
She finally understood.
Lady Tsunade stepping into the casino might not have been for gambling money at all.
But rather… to verify a terrible guess.
And the result of that verification made this legendary Sannin, the Fifth Hokage…
feel an unprecedented severity.
Konoha Village, I'm afraid, was about to face another storm… Elsewhere, in front of a training ground.
Several Genin, once known as the Konoha Twelve Rookies, gathered together again.
Hyuga Neji, Lee, Tenten, Sakura Haruno, as well as Ino and Hinata.
Uchiha Sasuke had defected, and Uzumaki Naruto had left with Jiraiya.
As for Inuzuka Kiba, Shino Aburame, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji, the four of them…
were imprisoned by His Majesty the Emperor of the Land of Fire due to the Asuma assassination incident.
At this moment, only these six were gathered here.
Seeing Ino and Hinata, who arrived late, Sakura Haruno spoke first:
"Ino, Hinata, how are you two? And what exactly happened with Shikamaru and Kiba?"
"That's right, how are they now? Are they in danger?" Lee pressed.
Tenten added, "And Teacher Kurenai, how is she?"
Neji folded his arms, his eyes serious, "What exactly happened with Asuma's assassination attempt? How could he suddenly try to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor?"
Due to the Land of Fire's extensive propaganda…
the matter of Asuma's assassination attempt was already widely known.
Facing a barrage of questions…
Hinata and Ino, already feeling guilty, wanted to say something but couldn't.
After a long silence, the two girls slowly uttered two words, "We're… fine!"
The air on the training ground seemed to freeze.
The setting sun stretched the shadows of the six people long, intertwining them.
Yet, it revealed an indescribable sense of distance.
Ino and Hinata's silence…
and that vague "we're fine"…
were like a thorn, piercing the hearts of the other four.
Neji's Byakugan, though unable to see into people's hearts…
could keenly perceive the subtle fluctuations of Chakra.
He clearly noticed…
that when His Majesty the Emperor and Yuhi were mentioned…
the Chakra within Ino and Hinata would show a strange, gentle, even… affectionate ripple.
This was completely different from the deliberate worry they maintained on their faces.
This was by no means as simple as "nothing happened."
Sakura clenched her fists.
Her green eyes were filled with confusion and a hint of imperceptible vigilance.
She was a medical Ninja, also good at observation.
Ino's brief silence and Hinata's subconscious evasive gaze…
both caused her unease to continuously grow.
"Ino, Hinata," Sakura's voice was a bit lower than usual, "Are you really okay?"
"If anything is wrong, you must tell us. We are comrades."
Tenten also put away her usual vivacity, nodding with a serious expression:
"Yes, the current situation is too strange."
"How could Teacher Asuma attempt an assassination? There must be a problem behind this."
"If you know anything, tell us, and we'll figure it out together."
Lee looked at one, then at the other.
Although he didn't quite understand why the atmosphere had become so subtle…
he nodded vigorously, echoing: "Sakura and Tenten are right!"
"This is a test encountered on the path of youth! We must face it together!"
Facing her comrades' concerned yet probing gazes…
Ino felt a wave of panic.
What could she say?
Should she say that Teacher Kurenai was doing wonderfully now…
and was immersed in unprecedented "happiness"?
Should she say that man possessed an irresistible magic…
that made women who approached him involuntarily attracted, even submissive?
She couldn't say these words at all.
That would not only be a betrayal of Teacher Kurenai…
but even more like a betrayal of her past self and the Konoha she had always upheld.
Hinata was even more embarrassed, almost burying her head in her chest.
Her inner struggle was even greater than Ino's.
The young mistress of the Hyuga Clan's main family…
had received strict education since childhood.
Yet at this moment, her mind was in turmoil for an enemy who had encroached upon the Village.
That strong sense of immorality and that irresistible attraction fiercely battled within her heart…
causing her immense pain.
"We…" Ino took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, "We don't know much."
"His Majesty the Emperor… his methods are very… special."
"Shikamaru and the others are temporarily safe, and Teacher Asuma is only being watched, not injured."
"As for Teacher Kurenai…"
She paused, carefully choosing her words, "She definitely hasn't been mistreated, and her condition… can even be described as… good."
"But what exactly happened, we don't know either."
This explanation was pale and weak, even somewhat trying to cover up the truth.
Hyuga Neji's brow furrowed even deeper.
"Condition is good?"
He repeated, his tone clearly suspicious.
A Jonin controlled by the enemy, in good condition?
This in itself was a huge contradiction.
Tenten couldn't help but press, "What kind of person is His Majesty the Emperor anyway?"
"Why did he imprison Shikamaru and the others? The assassination attempt must be an excuse, right?"
Hinata gently shook her head, her voice weak:
"He… he is very powerful, and also very… mysterious."
"We… we dare not inquire too much."
She was telling the truth.
But she concealed the most important part.
They weren't entirely "daring not to."
More of it was a certain indescribable "unwillingness" or "indulgence."
Sakura looked at her two friends, who clearly didn't want to talk much, and her heart felt heavy.
She suddenly had a terrible feeling.
Ino and Hinata seemed to be being pulled away from them by some invisible force…
pulled towards that unknown, dangerous side of His Majesty the Emperor.
This sense of distance…
made her feel more powerless than a direct enemy.
"In two days…" Sakura murmured, remembering Ino's earlier words, "Hokage-sama and the high-ranking Ninja will go to a meeting… At that time, will there really be a result?"
She was referring to what Konoha had announced a day earlier… about the talks with His Majesty the Emperor of the Land of Fire in two days.
At this moment, Sakura expressed deep doubts about it.
Everyone fell silent; they couldn't get involved in such high-level matters.
"Damn it, it's all because we're too weak!" Lee gritted his teeth.
Neji was silent for a moment, then spoke:
"In any case, what we can do now is limited."
"Ino, Hinata, if you can still access some information, especially about the specific situation of Shikamaru and the others' imprisonment and the guard forces…"
"Please make sure to pay attention. But the premise is to ensure your own safety."
His words were still calm.
But the worry and a hint of imperceptible distance contained within them…
were clearly felt by both Ino and Hinata.