Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 104: Hanare is Token of Allegiance

Hinata formed hand seals and activated her Byakugan, scanning her surroundings.

Ino's body merged with the water, becoming one with the pond. Now, the pond was her, and she was the pond. No matter how powerful the Byakugan was, all Hinata could see was an immense amount of chakra within the water a vast expanse of sky-blue energy. Beyond that, she could see nothing else.

Hinata's mind was filled with questions. Why was there so much chakra in the water here? If it were anyone else, they might have been terrified, thinking they had encountered a ghost. But Hinata, ever the serious thinker, believed she had found the answer.

The Hyuga clan, after all, was a prestigious ninja family that had endured since the era of the Otsutsuki. They possessed knowledge that outsiders could never hope to access.

Natural energy! This pond was filled with an abundance of natural energy. That was the only explanation Hinata could come up with.

Seeing no abnormalities around her, she decided to take advantage of the rich chakra in the pond to practice her techniques.

Under the water, Hinata began to execute the gentle fist technique, Hakke Kaiten.

Without the Byakugan, this technique would be impossible to master. Attempting to learn it without the Byakugan would likely result in something resembling the slow, flowing movements of Tai Chi practiced by elderly people in parks.

Ino watched from a distance, completely at ease.

Admittedly, watching a beautiful girl practicing martial arts underwater was quite a sight.

Hinata's chakra reserves were limited, and Hakke Kaiten required a continuous release of chakra to form a defensive barrier. After just two attempts, she was already out of breath.

Ino replenished her chakra.

If Naruto could transfer his chakra to Chiyo to perform the Kishō Tensei, then she could certainly do the same for Hinata.

In Ino's eyes, her own chakra reserves were still modest, far from the level of "chakra tons," but for Hinata, it was more than enough.

The chakra in the water seemed endless, and Hinata's progress with Hakke Kaiten improved rapidly. She even began to gain a bit of confidence.

After an hour, Ino grew increasingly drowsy. Worried that she might accidentally release the Water Transformation Technique and be discovered, she quietly left and returned to the camp to sleep.

Hinata soon noticed that the "natural energy" in the water had disappeared. She assumed she had exhausted it and felt a pang of regret. Standing at the edge of the pond, she bowed deeply, thanking nature for its gift.

She practiced a bit more on the shore, but her stamina and chakra were quickly depleting. Considering they were still on a mission, she decided to rest briefly before returning to the camp.

The four kunoichi had been secretly following Hanare all along. Meanwhile, back in the Hidden Rain Village, Uchiha Obito stood under the eaves, gazing through his mask at the endless drizzle outside.

Zetsu emerged from the ground, a teasing smile on his face. "Your beloved Kakashi seems to have found a new interest. Any thoughts? It seems that in his heart, Rin"

He dragged out the last word, observing Obito's reaction. Unfortunately, he saw no change in Obito's demeanor.

"In Kakashi's heart, Rin is now a distant memory. Hmph, it seems you're the only one still clinging to her."

Obito's voice was cold, colder than the drizzle outside. "Is this the intelligence you gathered from the Hidden Leaf Village?"

Zetsu spoke in a coaxing tone, "That kunoichi has left the village. Don't you want to see her? To see the woman who has captured Kakashi's heart?"

Obito remained silent.

Zetsu sighed. "Fine, fine, have it your way. In a couple of years, when Kakashi's child is born, don't say I didn't warn you."

Obito gritted his teeth. "Don't stir up trouble. Right now, the Land of Fire is trying to improve relations with the Land of Water. Our mission is to sow discord between the Land of Fire and its neighboring countries. Do I need to remind you of that?"

Zetsu chuckled darkly. "Understood. I'll have Sasori and Deidara pay a visit to the Land of Earth. If that kunoichi happens to end up there, won't you want to see her? By your standards, she's quite the beauty."

Obito waved his hand dismissively, signaling for Zetsu to leave.

Zetsu sank back into the ground in his usual eerie manner and vanished.

Obito's right hand gripped the doorframe tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. Clearly, his emotions were anything but calm.

Meanwhile, Hanare finally met her contact an elderly man from the Lockfront Village.

The old man was dressed as a wandering monk, wearing a straw hat and holding a staff.

After exchanging only a few words, the two began to fight.

In Ino's eyes, Hanare is skills were typical of a ninja from a small village.

These ninjas underwent rigorous training, but in combat, they lacked effective techniques and relied heavily on taijutsu. They were less like ninjas and more like warriors who used kunai and chakra.

In Ino's estimation, Hanare might not even be a match for Haku, let alone elite jonin like Zabuza or Kakashi.

Hanare is skills were mediocre, and the old man from Lockfront Village wasn't particularly strong either. The two fought for over thirty rounds without a clear winner.

The four observers decided it was time to lend a hand.

They were here to monitor, but that wasn't something they could openly admit.

Hanare knew they were watching her, and they knew that Hanare knew they were watching her. Hanare also knew that they knew she knew they were watching her. It was an open secret, but they still had to maintain some semblance of discretion. After all, according to the Third Hokage's philosophy, the Hidden Leaf Village was one big family.

Kurenai, who appeared mature, was actually just a 27-year-old woman in her previous life.

Over the past few days, she had been brainstorming and, combining their abilities, came up with a joint technique.

She first looked at Hinata.

"Byakugan!"

Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan.

Ino thought all this was unnecessary, but she still formed hand seals.

Using the Sensory Transmission technique.

This jutsu was an advanced application of sensory abilities. For the original Ino, it would have been difficult to use even three years later, but for the current Ino, it was no challenge at all.

In just one second, she connected her sensory abilities to the other three and transmitted the information Hinata's Byakugan had gathered to Tenten and Kurenai.

The distance wasn't as exaggerated as eight hundred miles, but it was still too far to throw a kunai accurately. Tenten stood on higher ground, swung her arm twice, and then hurled a specially made kunai.

This wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique. The kunai was only briefly infused with a bit of Kurenai's chakra, serving as a conduit for a genjutsu.

The kunai suddenly entered the battlefield, and both the old man and Hanare turned to look at it.

In an instant, they saw a group of scantily clad women. Hanare, having no interest in women, quickly broke free from the genjutsu. The old man hesitated for a second, and by the time he regained his senses, Hanare is kunai had already pierced his throat.

She could have spared him, but thinking of her long-lost family, Hanare chose to kill the old man.

She had presented her token of allegiance to the Hidden Leaf Village. The old man's body was sent to the Analysis Team for study, while Ino and the others secretly followed her back to the village. Each of them was credited with a C-rank mission, and they were instructed to keep the details confidential. And just like that, the matter was settled.

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