Ino wasn't too embarrassed about her intentions being seen through. She scratched her head, "Well... I heard that Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama have a good relationship, and Jiraiya-sama and Lady Tsunade are, you know... good friends. So I wanted to ask Kakashi-sensei to put in a good word for me with Jiraiya-sama."
Currently, Konoha Village has very little control over Tsunade. If the Village were to ask Tsunade to take Ino as a disciple, Tsunade wouldn't even bother to respond. They could only approach her through personal connections. Ino's brief encounter with Jiraiya was far from enough for Jiraiya to speak on her behalf. But if Kakashi were to speak, the situation would be different. Kakashi has a lot of influence with both Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Becoming Tsunade's disciple was one aspect.
Learning Steam Impurities Explosion was another.
This Ninjutsu was even more difficult than Ino expected. For example, basic knowledge like waterification and oilification needed to be reverse-engineered from the existing Steam Impurities Explosion, or some improvements and adjustments needed to be made to turn it into a Ninjutsu suitable for her to use.
Of the four steps of this Ninjutsu—creating a water clone, Chakra waterification, oilification, and the final cyclical explosion—she could currently only complete the step of creating a water clone. The second step, Chakra waterification, required a lot of practice. She estimated that with more thought, she could achieve partial waterification. Oilification was too difficult. Little Mustache had said very little about this aspect before, and trying to deduce the true Water Release: Oilification based on existing knowledge would be very challenging.
She then set her sights on Jiraiya. Jiraiya was very good at using lamp oil and should be able to give her some basic guidance.
She wanted Kakashi to help formally recommend her to Jiraiya and Tsunade. Kakashi was the Fourth Hokage's disciple, the son of Konoha White Fang. Besides inheriting the legacy of his predecessors, he was also a successor of the will of fire. He was like Shanks from One Piece, a person with a lot of influence.
Ino now needed his influence.
Inoichi thought for a moment, then picked up a document that had been handed over by the Anbu, flipping through it: "Sakijō Village in the Land of Keys, Female Ninja Ari... Hmm, you don't need to get involved in this matter. Leave the follow-up to me."
After Ino left, Inoichi found Morino Ibiki, who was in charge of the interrogation, and emphasized the subtle connection between the captured Female Ninja and Kakashi.
Morino Ibiki was indeed impartial, but he wasn't a fool.
He didn't know that Kakashi would become the Sixth Hokage in the future, but he knew that in the Village now, with the Sannin having left one after another and the Fourth Hokage dead, Kakashi was completely the pillar among the remaining young Ninja.
As a close confidant of the Third Hokage, he knew many of the Third Hokage's thoughts. Kakashi was very close to the position of Hokage.
If Kakashi really had something going on with the Female Ninja, and as a result of his excessive interrogation, the Female Ninja lost an arm or an eye or something, it would be difficult to remedy afterwards...
No need to say more, the problem should be escalated.
Ten minutes later, the Female Ninja Ari's file arrived on the Third Hokage's desk.
The Third Hokage also found the matter tricky. Many times, it was less about Kakashi's influence and more about the Fourth Hokage's legacy. The Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed themselves to save the Village, and everyone owed them a favor. Naruto, due to the Nine-Tailed inside him, basically didn't enjoy these things, and the disciple and son were somewhat similar in this regard. Most of these invisible, intangible favors fell on Kakashi.
He pondered for five minutes: "Bring this Female Ninja over, I'll talk to her personally."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The next day, Naruto, who was eating ramen, casually looked back and saw Kakashi and the Female Ninja Ari walking shoulder to shoulder on the streets of Konoha Village.
Their demeanor wasn't intimate, but it certainly wasn't unfamiliar either.
"Pfft--!" All the noodles in Naruto's mouth shot out of his nostrils, earning him a glare from the owner, Teuchi.
"Sorry, sorry!" Naruto didn't bother to explain, hastily put down the money, and rushed out to watch.
On the way, he met Sakura coming out of the Yamanaka Flower Shop and Sasuke standing coolly in the middle of the bridge. The three of them, with a gossipy mindset, stealthily followed them all the way.
Later, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino also joined the tailing.
Finally, even children like Konohamaru and Moegi followed along.
In front were Kakashi and Ari, who occasionally exchanged smiles, while in the shadows, around corners, and behind trash cans in the distance, a large group of people were hidden!
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage was also observing the situation through the Telescope Ninjutsu.
Danzo and Inoichi stood beside him.
The old man coughed, removing the Chakra from the crystal ball.
"Sakijō Village placed a jutsu on this Female Ninja's right eye, Inoichi. If you use your mind-reading ability on her, she can use this jutsu to read the information in your brain in reverse. Your decision to report it was very wise."
Inoichi was a bit scared at this moment. Who would have thought that the Female Ninja named Ari would have a reverse-spying jutsu in her eye?
Losing Village intelligence was a small matter, but if the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique, secret medicines, incantations, and a series of inheritances were lost, Inoichi would have no face to meet the Yamanaka Clan's ancestors after his death.
Throughout Konoha Village, perhaps only the Third Hokage had enough ability to discover this jutsu sealed in the eye.
Ino's actions couldn't be called saving the Yamanaka Clan or saving the Village, but now that he thought back, Inoichi felt that his daughter's luck was truly good, as if divinely aided.
Danzo asked sinisterly, "Sakijō Village? Such a small Ninja Village dares to spy on Konoha, Hiruzen, do you intend to continue tolerating this?"
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and replied evasively, "Ari said she has never returned to Sakijō Village. This Village worries about captured spies revealing the Village's location, so they never let them return. They've been traveling for years and don't even know the Village's location. I believe Ari isn't lying."
Danzo couldn't help but sneer. This Sakijō Village actually dared to provoke Konoha!
Their audacity was truly too great. Konoha had tens of thousands of Ninja; they could crush this small Ninja Village like a bug. Weren't they afraid? But they guarded against their own elites like thieves, making the chosen elites leave the Village and their families at a very young age, undergo training, and then go to various Ninja Villages to gather intelligence, yet they never told them the location of their own Village, only giving them a vague hope. It seemed their courage was pitifully small.
Danzo left with a remark, "Hmph, I'll have the Root Ninja gather intelligence," and then left alone.
On the other side, Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10 gathered to eat barbecue under the guise of celebrating Kakashi and Ari's long-awaited reunion.
Kakashi naturally paid for this meal.
He had completed many missions over the years, killed many Ninja, and had no expenses normally, so he had money!
Seeing that someone else was paying, Asuma was unusually happy, constantly signaling the boss, "Bring on the barbecue! Bring on large platters of barbecue!"
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