Ino formed nearly seventy hand signs to build the basic framework of the technique, estimating that it was good enough. Immediately, her left hand was on top, right hand on the bottom, palms facing each other as if embracing a sphere, and she aimed the hand sign at Little Mustache.
"Ninja Art: Mind Confusion Technique!"
A large amount of mental energy was gathered by the Ninjutsu, but it was extremely complex. Relative to the total mental energy, only a small, yet the most essential and pure, part of it was projected.
A colorful mental chain connected the two "people." Little Mustache's life story flashed through Ino's mind like a slideshow, all fragmented, with no content readable. Ino's expression was pained; every tenth of a second, she endured a backlash of mental energy, gritting her teeth and holding on.
Little Mustache was first surprised, then annoyed, but as the technique's duration lengthened, his expression became increasingly calm. Ten seconds later, the Mind Disturbance Technique's chain disappeared, and his gaze towards Ino was completely different from before.
It was still a smile, but the previous one was defensive, while his current smile looked much friendlier.
He stood to the side, examining Ino's ponytail and profile from all angles: "Hmm, from this angle, you look a bit like the neighbor of my maternal cousin's nephew's brother. Did your ancestors also have people from Hidden Mist Village? Konoha Ninja, how troublesome. Oh well, never mind, never mind. It's not easy for a young girl, coming all this way. I'm not an unreasonable person... Sigh, consider this round passed!"
With a wave of his hand, the bustling market instantly vanished. Ino's mental energy was somewhat depleted, and she covered her forehead with her right hand. The spatial displacement almost made her fall. When she looked up, she found herself in a lake.
As an excellent Water Release Ninja, walking on water had long become instinct. She didn't care if it was a Genjutsu, directly condensed Chakra at her feet, stood on the water, and assumed a defensive posture, observing her surroundings.
Not far away, Chōjūrō and Haku were conversing in low voices. Seeing her appear, both quickly retreated.
The spirited Haku had even assumed an Iaijutsu stance.
Little Mustache reappeared: "Hahahaha—how boring is a one-on-one? I'll add a bit of difficulty for you, a free-for-all!"
Chōjūrō was the first to react, stammering, "Second Hokage-sama, this Female Ninja is from Konoha Village!"
Little Mustache picked his ear: "So what? Back then, no one said that Konoha Ninja couldn't accept my test, did they? They didn't, right? I remember I never said that. Besides, you juniors let her in, not me! You can discuss the rules yourselves, or you can team up against her. It's all up to you. Hmm, children, good luck!"
As if afraid of going soft, Little Mustache waved his hand and disappeared.
Haku and Chōjūrō, who were originally preparing for a decisive battle to determine the ultimate victor, immediately aimed their hostility at Ino, the outsider.
Ino called out "Senior" twice into the air, but Little Mustache never reappeared.
She estimated that the friendliness generated by the Mind Disturbance Technique could only go so far, so she no longer harbored illusions and prepared to fight two against one!
To make it seem more formal, she even untied her Ninja headband from her waist and tied it on her head. At this moment, she would fight as a Konoha Ninja.
Seeing Chōjūrō looking around nervously and Haku appearing slightly hesitant, she spoke first: "Hey, you two are definitely going to team up, right? Don't hesitate, draw your weapons, and let me take on both of you!"
If she had said this to Naruto, he would have surely screamed and charged forward. However, Chōjūrō and Haku both had somewhat soft personalities, and being unfamiliar with each other, they were still a bit hesitant about fighting together.
"Stop being so wishy-washy! If you won't move, then I will!"
A two-on-one fight was extremely difficult, and Ino wasn't confident of victory. She could only exploit their personality weaknesses and defeat them one by one.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" She immediately used this familiar Water Release Ninjutsu to test them.
After sailing for over half a month, neither her Water Release level nor her hand sign count had increased, but she had become very proficient with the Second Hokage's Water Dragon Bullet.
Before, it required twelve hand signs; now, it only needed six.
Beneath their feet was an endless lake. She manipulated the water in the surrounding environment, and a massive Water Dragon soared into the sky, carrying immense power, roaring as it charged towards the two.
Haku's performance was vastly different from their last battle. Before, he was Zabuza's tool; now, he was Zabuza's successor.
Ice mirrors still appeared behind him, but this time, he didn't flee; instead, he actively engaged in battle.
As the Water Dragon Bullet surged towards the two, Ino saw a flash of light from her side. The next second, Haku burst from the ice mirror, right hand on his sword hilt, footwork shifting, and then unleashed a magnificent slash covered in ice crystals.
Ino still fought with one original body and two Shadow Clones.
The original body fiercely attacked Chōjūrō with the Water Dragon Bullet, while the Shadow Clone spewed a curtain of water.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall."
The icy slash struck the water wall, freezing approximately five to six square meters of it solid.
Ino's Shadow Clone showed no fear, forming two more hand signs. The water rapidly churned, not only breaking through the solid ice but also turning defense into offense, as the Water Formation Wall crashed towards Haku like a towering tidal wave.
Just as the giant wave was about to engulf the graceful male, Haku nimbly leaped into the air. A piece of shattered ice appeared beneath his two-toothed geta, and he stomped hard on the ice for a second jump.
When he reached a height of ten meters, an ice mirror appeared behind him. He leaned back into it, and when he reappeared, he was back beside Chōjūrō.
Using the time Haku bought, Chōjūrō formed hand signs and used "Water Release: Water Fang Bullet," shattering the Water Dragon Bullet from the side.
"The test is over. She is very strong. You need to team up with me," Haku said bluntly.
Chōjūrō's cheeks were covered in sweat from nervousness, and there was a hint of shyness. Ino, in the distance, was utterly confused. What are you shy about?
"I… I'm really not good at fighting," Chōjūrō explained dryly for a couple of sentences, then became resolute under Haku's calm gaze.
Unlike Haku, who had just joined, Chōjūrō had lived in Hidden Mist Village since childhood and was now considered a leader of the younger generation. His sense of belonging to the Village was extremely strong. Seeing Haku fighting seriously, he had no reason to back down, morally or logically.
"Okay, okay… I'll cooperate with you…"
Both formed hand signs simultaneously.
Chōjūrō's Water Dragon Bullet was also a Water Release Ninjutsu with simplified hand sign steps, and with his good fundamentals, he completed the hand signs first.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Chōjūrō's Water Dragon surged into the sky. Haku used Ice Release on the Water Dragon, turning it into an Ice Dragon, then followed closely behind the Ice Dragon with a slash.
"Composite Ninjutsu: Demonic Blade Ice Attack!"
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