"Hmm…"
"We understand…"
The two girls replied in low voices.
"Are we just going to abandon Shikamaru and the others?" Lee's bowl cut gleamed. "No, we must go save them."
As soon as he spoke, the air on the training ground seemed to solidify.
When the rescue proposal was put forward, everyone present focused their gaze on Ino and Hinata.
Sakura keenly noticed her two friends' hesitation.
She frowned, "Ino, Hinata, what's wrong with you two?"
"You've seemed distracted since earlier. Do you know something?"
Tenten also cast a puzzled look:
"Yeah, you two don't seem very surprised about the Emperor's situation?"
Ino subconsciously avoided everyone's gaze, her fingers unconsciously twirling her golden hair.
Hinata habitually lowered her head, her fingertips touching.
A faint, almost imperceptible blush spread across her fair cheeks.
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "We… we just think that a direct rescue would be too risky…"
"Those men in black are really strong…"
Neji's Byakugan instinctively activated.
He observed the flow of Chakra within their bodies.
He keenly noticed that their emotions were not purely fear or worry.
Instead, they were mixed with a strange, ineffable confusion and… submission?
This discovery made his heart sink.
"Ino, Hinata," Neji's tone grew serious, "You two have seen the Emperor recently, haven't you? Did he do something to you?"
Lee suddenly clenched his fists:
"What? Did he threaten you?"
"No… it's not like that!"
Ino quickly looked up to retort.
But seeing her companions' concerned yet suspicious eyes, the words caught in her throat.
How could she explain?
Explain the man's scorching presence, like the sun?
Explain his almost demonic charisma?
Explain how, in his presence, their proud willpower crumbled, and they even… yearned for it?
She couldn't possibly say such things.
Hinata's face grew redder, her voice trembling slightly:
"Di Yan… His Majesty the Emperor… did not force us."
"He just… just…"
She couldn't find the right words to describe that feeling.
That surge of emotion where both body and mind no longer belonged to her, willing to succumb.
Seeing the two girls' unusual embarrassment and silence, a ridiculous yet seemingly explanatory possibility emerged in Sakura's mind.
She recalled Ino's occasional dazed expressions.
She recalled Hinata's peculiar shyness when mentioning the Emperor.
Sakura's pupils constricted slightly, her voice filled with disbelief:
"You two… couldn't be…"
Her sentence was unfinished, but the conjecture was already shocking enough.
Tenten gasped, covering her mouth.
Lee looked bewildered, still not reacting.
Neji's brows furrowed even tighter.
If that were true, things would be far more complex and troublesome than imagined.
Ino looked at her companions' shocked and probing gazes, struggling to the extreme internally.
On one side were the companions she had grown up with and the Konoha she upheld.
On the other side was the man who made her soul tremble.
Ultimately, her concern for her companions temporarily overshadowed her infatuation.
She took a deep breath, as if making a decision, breaking the suffocating silence:
"Alright! Stop guessing!"
"The most important thing now is to rescue Shikamaru and Kiba!"
"Yes… yes!" Hinata also looked up, trying to make her gaze firm: "We can't just stand by and watch our companions be trapped."
Neji gave them a deep look, temporarily suppressing the doubts in his heart.
He knew now was not the time to delve deeper.
"Okay. Since we've decided to act, we must have a plan."
"The opponent's strength is unfathomable, and the guards must be strict. We cannot force our way in."
Tenten immediately interjected: "We need intelligence! The exact location of their confinement, guard shift times, whether there are any barriers…"
Sakura forced herself to pull away from that startling conjecture and concentrate:
"Also, we must find out the truth behind Asuma-sensei's 'assassination'!"
"This might be the key to the whole incident."
"Exactly!" Lee was full of fighting spirit: "This is a hot-blooded mission of youth!"
"Might Guy-sensei would definitely support us if he knew!"
"But," Neji calmly poured cold water on the idea, "our strength alone is probably not enough."
"We need more information and support."
He looked at Ino and Hinata, "Can you… find a way to learn some internal information?"
"Regarding the place of confinement, or… the specific arrangements for the meeting two days later?"
Ino and Hinata's bodies stiffened slightly at the same time.
Gathering intelligence meant actively approaching that man and his terrifying black-clad attendants.
This was tantamount to dancing on a knife's edge.
Not only was it dangerous, but it also tested their wavering loyalty.
The two girls looked at each other again, their eyes full of struggle.
A moment later, Ino, as if using all her strength, nodded:
"I'll… try."
Hinata also whispered, "I… I'll keep an eye out too."
"Good."
Neji said in a deep voice, "So, the preliminary plan: Ino and Hinata are responsible for gathering intelligence, especially the location of confinement and the guard situation."
"The rest of us will split up and prepare necessary ninja tools, medicine, and investigate the potential abilities of the men in black."
"Remember, do not act rashly before we have definite intelligence!"
The six of them stacked their hands together, briefly encouraging each other.
However, an invisible barrier and doubt had already arisen.
Especially between Ino and Hinata and the other four… 58 The determination of Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata, and Ino; the Cheongsam Show
The afterglow of the setting sun painted the small courtyard a warm orange-red.
But Ino and Hinata felt no warmth at all at this moment; instead, they were a little dumbfounded.
Hyuga Hanabi was seen striking a standard Gentle Fist starting pose.
Her small face was taut, full of stubbornness.
And His Majesty the Emperor of the Land of Fire, Di Yan, whom they were preparing to "extract information" from.
Was standing behind Hanabi with a serious expression.
One hand gently supported her shoulder, the other adjusting the angle of her arm.
"Shoulders down, Qi sinking to the Dantian… No…"
"It's not your Hyuga Main Family's rigid stance that's confined to acupoints and Chakra flow."
Di Yan's voice carried an undeniable sense of authority, "The form should be relaxed, the intent tight. Between movement and stillness, Yin and Yang are naturally generated."
Hanabi couldn't help but retort: "The Gentle Fist taught by Father and Big Sister is the orthodox one!"
"Your movements are soft and have no power at all!"
Di Yan scoffed at her words, with undisguised contempt:
"Orthodox? It's merely parroting others, a superficial 'orthodoxy' that presumes itself to be correct."
"Your Hyuga Main Family's Gentle Fist, in my opinion, is nothing more than rigid calisthenics."
"You!"
Hanabi was furious, her small face flushed red.
Uchiha Hikari, who had just finished a stance nearby, grinned and made a face at Hanabi upon hearing this:
"Dummy Hanabi, Big Brother said it's Tai Chi!"
"Big Brother said it's the ancestor of all Gentle Fist!"
Tai Chi?
Ino and Hinata exchanged glances.
They had never heard of such a taijutsu.
Hinata, as the daughter of the Hyuga Main Family, was even more shocked and instinctively somewhat unconvinced by the phrase "ancestor of Gentle Fist."
Just then, Di Yan seemed to notice the two standing at the courtyard gate.
He released Hanabi's hand and turned around.