Ino wanted to fight an opponent of her own age, but unfortunately, the Fourth Raikage was not foolish; he directly pushed out the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
Nii Yugito is twenty-five years old this year, considered a seasoned Jonin, and in the Ninja World, she is on par with people like Kakashi and Asuma.
She possesses rich combat experience and is also a perfect Jinchuriki, with almost no weaknesses.
"Teacher, to be honest, I really don't have any confidence," Ino said, not overestimating her own strength. Nii Yugito could fight the Immortal Duo for an entire day, so her strength was absolutely formidable.
Her previous battles with Kisame and Uchiha Itachi mostly involved acting and didn't prove much.
At the end, she changed her tone: "However, I would like to learn from a senior; it would be good for my growth."
Tsunade nodded approvingly. This is how a Ninja should be; only by challenging the strong can one continuously break through their own limits. When they, the Three Sannin, faced Hanzou back then, they knew they were outmatched but still insisted on fighting.
It's good to put some appropriate pressure on oneself. Current peers cannot pressure Ino, so she can only find opponents among Ninja a generation older.
Tsunade said, "We agree. Call Yugito over."
After a while, a messenger hawk returned with the news that Nii Yugito agreed to fight Ino.
They hadn't reached the Land of Lightning yet, but the nearby sea area was all Hidden Cloud Village territory. The Fourth Raikage never mentioned letting them enter his Village, and Tsunade and Ino didn't want to go either. Half a day later, they followed the Fourth Raikage to a nearby unnamed small island.
After waiting another half a day, they saw a man and two women arriving from afar.
The man was actually 33 years old but looked 63, with dark skin and a weathered face, yet he wore sunglasses and carried seven Chakra Blades. This man, who looked like an unearthed artifact, was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, here to watch the excitement.
This was the only man in the original timeline who was immune to Naruto's Sexy Jutsu! He was said to possess an iron will. Women? Women would only affect his drawing speed!
Killer Bee was also the Fourth Raikage's adopted brother. The Female Ninja to his left was his disciple and Choji's future wife, a Female Ninja who used a long blade, Karui.
Karui had red hair, light golden eyes, a sharp gaze, and wore a sleeveless vest. Aside from her slightly dark skin, she was quite a beauty.
She and Ino were the same age, both thirteen, and both Chunin in terms of Ninja rank.
In terms of combat records, Ino's were quite impressive. She had fought Ninja from Konoha Village, Hidden Mist Village, and Hidden Sand Village, and now she was fighting in Hidden Cloud Village.
Karui was eager to try. She wanted to challenge Ino. As Killer Bee's disciple, Karui's status perfectly matched Ino's, but the Fourth Raikage believed she was not an opponent and instead chose Nii Yugito, who was twenty-five this year, a full generation older, to fight.
The tall Female Ninja on Killer Bee's right was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Nii Yugito.
The Raikage's order could not be refused, but she was displeased. What was going on? I've been famous for many years and made great contributions to the Village, and now I have to compete with a child?
If they met on the battlefield, that would be another matter; she would kill anyone from eight to eighty, and at that time, there would be no need for too many considerations.
This was not a battlefield. She was twelve years older than Ino, not of the same generation at all. She had been famous for many years and was unwilling to lower herself to engage in this kind of battle with a junior. Winning or losing held no meaning for her.
Unfortunately, an order was an order. In the strict Hidden Cloud Village, as a Ninja, she had to obey the Raikage's command.
She was willing to compete but also put forward a condition: let Karui be Ino's opponent and fight first. If Ino's strength was too poor, she would not accept the challenge.
"Alright! I agree!" Ino didn't even put Karui in her eyes. In her opinion, a warm-up before a big battle was not a bad idea.
Before the two sides even started their match, Killer Bee immediately launched into a rap with a strange cadence, roughly meaning for Karui to beat up the Konoha Ninja and display the strong demeanor of Hidden Cloud Village.
"Hmph, Konoha Ninja, such a big name." Karui was fuming. Ino's attitude, as if she didn't even consider her a worthy opponent, deeply provoked her. She also had a reputation as a genius in her Village, and now to be so ignored was truly infuriating.
Ino was someone who had fought from south to north, and east to west, so she had some discernment. In her opinion, the opponent in front of her was still half a step weaker than the other sister-in-law, Temari, and much weaker than herself.
Karui drew her blade first.
Just like the Water Blade Slash Ino learned from the Second Hokage, or Asuma injecting Wind Release Chakra into his Chakra Blade, Karui infused a thin layer of Lightning Release Chakra onto her blade, then let out a fierce shout and charged forward like an arrow.
"Cloud Style: Decapitation!"
This sister-in-law was very clever, Ino could feel it. She had added a layer of Chakra to the soles of her feet, which was to guard against Ino's Water Release, preparing to step on water and thrust.
Tall trees catch the wind; Ino had fought in public several times, and a lot of information had been leaked. Targeting her attacks could indeed produce miraculous effects.
Unfortunately, knowing and experiencing it firsthand are two different things.
Ino quickly formed hand signs, clasped her hands together, and used Water Release directly on land.
On such a deserted island, there was no need to worry about harming civilians, so she had no qualms and started with a Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
A massive current of water appeared out of nowhere, surging fiercely towards Karui.
Ino possessed powerful Water Release Ninjutsu, a fact largely known by all Ninja Villages. Karui's expression remained unchanged. She held her long blade upside down, stepped on the water with both feet, and continued her high-speed charge.
She thought well, but she had never actually fought a powerful Water Release Ninja like Ino. She underestimated the scale of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
The water flowed overwhelmingly, seemingly endless, like a giant natural disaster. Her vision was completely filled with flying spray, and the water surface undulated. Her charging speed suddenly dropped by seventy percent. Before she could even think of a countermeasure, the current of water formed a pair of hands, grabbing her ankles and dragging her underwater.
Karui gritted her teeth, using her right leg as a pivot to forcefully break free. Her left foot broke loose, but her right leg was tightly entangled, and she was then forcibly dragged into a whirlpool.
Five minutes later, she lay on the shore, spitting out water in large gulps, looking utterly disheveled.
It took two moves: one "Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave" as a test, and one "Water Release: Wave Strike" to trap the enemy. Ino easily defeated the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki's favorite disciple.
She tied on her Ninja forehead protector bearing the Konoha Village symbol and looked at Nii Yugito: "Ino of Konoha Ninja Village, I request guidance from Senior Nii Yugito of Hidden Cloud Village."
Yugito's fighting spirit was roused. She nodded heavily: "I apologize for my previous underestimation. You are a worthy opponent. Come on!"
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