Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 100: The Tracking Mission

Ino managed to convince Kakashi with two reasons: "Injuries affect a ninja's combat ability" and "protecting comrades."

After thinking it over, Kakashi replied very seriously, "Since you've made up your mind, I'll recommend you to Lord Jiraiya. Hopefully, he can put in a good word for you with Lady Tsunade. But..." He scratched his head and laughed, "Haha, don't get your hopes up too much. My influence might not be enough."

Your influence will definitely work! Ino was absolutely convinced of this.

Tsunade wasn't the type to take just anyone under her wing. If Sakura hadn't formed bonds with Naruto and Sasuke, Tsunade wouldn't have even glanced her way. Ino couldn't rely on such bonds, so she had to find another way.

At this stage, before Jiraiya had officially acknowledged Naruto, Kakashi's requests to Jiraiya were usually granted, as long as they didn't go against his principles. After all, Kakashi was his disciple's student essentially family. Once Jiraiya took things seriously, Tsunade would also give him some face.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Ah? Oh, no need to be so polite."

The improved relations between the Leaf Village and the Mist Village had led to a surge in trade between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Many smaller ninja villages had sent their ninjas to gather intelligence. Hanare wasn't the first, and she certainly wouldn't be the last.

The Leaf Village had already planned to showcase its strength, and now they couldn't back down.

While Team 7 with Naruto and Sasuke remained unchanged, the closely-knit Team 10 had learned that the village would be hosting a large-scale Chunin Exam in early July this year.

The village had already sent formal notices to its allies, inviting them to send their genin to participate in the exam.

There was about a month left before the exam.

Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chōza had all given clear orders to their children: they must participate in this Chunin Exam. One of the hard requirements for participating was completing eight ninja missions.

Weeding, finding cats, locating missing persons, exterminating bandits, wiping out the Kurotsuchi family, and the Mist Village mission Ino had completed three D-rank missions, one C-rank mission, one B-rank mission, and one A-rank mission.

There was no such thing as splitting an A-rank mission into three B-rank missions. One mission was one mission, even if she were to defeat Madara Uchiha right now it would still count as just one mission.

According to the rules, she still needed to complete two more missions to qualify for the Chunin Exam.

Missions weren't available every day. The common folk were too poor to be hiring ninjas for tasks every day how would they eat? At this point, everyone was scrambling for missions, and the village maintained fairness in this regard. Even with Asuma's connections, it took three days for Team 10 to secure a D-rank mission.

It was the same job Orochimaru had once done feeding pigs!

Chōji didn't like this mission at all and kept grumbling. The way he looked at the pigs was off, and the way the pigs looked at him wasn't any better.

Ino didn't like the mission either. A few days ago, while practicing medical ninjutsu, she had knocked out a pig with a stick and then tried to heal it, only to end up killing it. Since then, the pigs big, small, and even the sows had been giving her the stink eye.

Worried that the young lady and the chubby young master might end up fighting with the pigs, the task of feeding them fell to Shikamaru, the rich young master.

Ino and Chōji sat to the side, snacking and cheering Shikamaru on as he fed the pigs, when Asuma came to call Ino.

"Ino, consider this D-rank mission completed. Head to the Hokage Building. The old man has another mission for you."

"Just me?"

"No, you'll likely be teamed up with Kurenai."

Yūhi Kurenai was the Jonin leader of Team 8, which included Hinata, and she was also Asuma's girlfriend.

The two teams often gathered for barbecue dinners and were very familiar with each other.

This female Jonin, Yūhi Kurenai, had lost her father during the Nine-Tails' attack. Her father's name was quite peculiar Yūhi Shinku. Ino couldn't help but wonder if Kurenai's grandfather was named Yūhi Shinshinku.

Arriving at the Hokage Building, Ino saw Kurenai, Hinata, and another female ninja dressed in a pink top with a high collar and black pants.

Ino recognized her she was only a year ahead of them, so they crossed paths often, though they hadn't interacted much. Ino greeted her politely, "Senior Tenten."

Tenten waved her hand with a smile, "It feels weird being called 'senior' by a genius like you. We're only a year apart, and we're on this mission together. Just call me by my name."

"Alright."

The four kunoichi waited for a while before the Third Hokage called them into his office.

The familiar interior decor, the familiar face the Third Hokage had been handling official duties for years and wasn't as busy as Tsunade would later become. He managed tasks in an orderly manner.

The Third Hokage handed the mission scroll to Kurenai.

Kurenai examined it carefully, then nodded and stored the scroll away.

The Third Hokage briefed them on the mission: "Hanare claims to be from the Kusa Village, but we don't know where this village is located. We can't even confirm if she's telling the truth."

He blew out a puff of smoke, "Hanare says she knows the addresses of a few Kusa Village contacts and wants to help the village locate them. Your mission is simple: follow her and see who she meets and where she goes."

Sending male ninjas wasn't out of the question, but it was often inconvenient. Aside from people like Jiraiya and Naruto, most male ninjas weren't willing to go to places like women's baths to "gather intelligence." Kakashi was the most suitable successor in line with the Will of Fire, and with the Third Hokage nearing his seventies, he had to consider the relationship between Hanare and Kakashi very carefully. Thus, he decided to send these four kunoichi to handle the tracking.

Even if they encountered enemies, with Kurenai's genjutsu, Ino's ninjutsu, Hinata's Byakugan, and Tenten's arsenal of ninja tools, they could retreat safely.

"Go."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Ino returned home, left a note about her mission, grabbed her gear, said goodbye to her teammates who were still feeding the pigs, and hurried to the village gate.

The other three kunoichi hadn't arrived yet, so Ino chatted with Izumo and Kotetsu, boasting about how she had been "ganged up on" by the Mist Village trio. They talked about how the Mist Village was despicable and petty, and the three of them had a great time laughing about it.

The first to arrive was Kurenai, followed by Tenten, and finally Hinata, who was carrying a large backpack.

It wasn't that Hinata's backpack was particularly big, but her petite frame made it seem that way.

Ino's chakra had surged recently, and her physical abilities, including strength, had improved accordingly. In the past half year, she had grown 10 centimeters and now stood at 1.65 meters tall. Her purple shorts naturally exuded a sense of allure, and her smooth calves and open-toed sandals made her legs appear even longer.

Ino's sense of style was top-notch among ninjas, while Hinata's height and attire made her seem younger and more awkward. With her large head and constant shyness, Hinata, though a beauty, didn't exude the aura of one.

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