Amado wasn't a Ninja; the white-haired middle-aged man was drinking coffee when Kashin Koji slowly entered the room.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki possessed scientific technology far beyond human capabilities, but he wasn't a scientist and lacked a scientific mindset. Amado, a human genius scientist with no combat power, was his crucial assistant.
Kashin Koji handed Amado a scroll: "As you requested, I've collected the combat data of that Kunoichi."
Like plugging in a USB drive, Amado inserted the scroll into a nearby computer.
Soon, a hexagonal diagram appeared on the interface, used to measure Ino's various attributes.
Amado took a sip of coffee and observed carefully: "Oh my, this Kunoichi of the Yamanaka Clan is very strong. She's so young, yet according to my algorithm, her six attributes have almost reached their maximum values."
Kashin Koji thought for a moment and said, "When she fought me, I felt she was still holding back, probably because she didn't want to harm too many civilians."
He paused: "I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw her Ninja headband, and she can also use Rasengan, and she's very familiar with many of my Ninjutsu. So... she knows my true identity, right? Are you still unwilling to tell me who my true identity is?"
Amado had his back to him, meticulously studying the data collected from the battle, constantly recording and annotating the various Ninjutsu Ino used in combat. He said nonchalantly, "Knowing too much isn't good for you; it can cause mental confusion. This mission was completed well. Go rest."
"Alright." Before leaving, Kashin Koji dropped a sentence: "Prince Hikaru of the Land of the Moon indeed meets the requirements for the first stage of 'Karma'. We found twenty qualified candidates, and only he could safely pass the first stage."
Amado remained expressionless: "Understood."
Sakura rescued Hikaru and rushed to the palace ahead. Ino put away her Wood Human Technique, sealed the "Samadhi Fire"—which couldn't be extinguished or absorbed by the Yomotsu Hirasaka—with the "Sealing Fire Suppression Seal," and then pursued them.
Shabadaaba had hired three rogue Ninja, two males and one female.
The headbands of these rogue Ninja were blank, with no symbols whatsoever.
The moment Shikamaru and Choji arrived at the palace, they sensed that these three individuals were not ordinary.
Ninja also had a hierarchy of disdain.
Large Ninja villages looked down on small Ninja villages, and small Ninja villages looked down on rogue Ninja.
The three rogue Ninja hired by Shabadaaba were arrogant, showing no signs of the apprehension and unease usually seen when encountering Ninja from large villages.
They were either incredibly ignorant or very confident.
Shikamaru believed it was the latter.
Choji's confidence had recently surged. Although his fat hadn't fully recovered to its peak, making him merely a plump individual now, he still confronted the leader of the trio, a horse-faced Ninja with long chestnut hair.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, faced the other male and female.
The male Ninja was tall and burly, while the Kunoichi started with a smoke bomb, then threw out a flurry of flying petals.
Shikamaru and Choji instinctively put on their masks when they saw this scene.
The Kunoichi, Kaori Hana, was a bit dumbfounded. Why were they so skilled?
Choji had too little fat on his body to use Butterfly Mode, only maintaining the "First Breath" level. He used his family's Human Bullet Tank against the horse-faced Ninja, charging recklessly and forcing his opponent into a very desperate situation.
"You're looking for death!" The horse-faced Ninja felt underestimated by the Konoha brat and roared, a purple glow emanating from his right palm.
A pale yellow vertical pupil appeared on the back of his hand. This eye looked left and right, then instantly locked onto the fast-moving Choji. The horse-faced Ninja formed his fingers into a claw, using his right hand with the vertical pupil to grab Choji.
Choji had too little combat experience. Seeing two ordinary soldiers standing behind the horse-faced Ninja, he instinctively adjusted the angle of his Human Bullet Tank's impact. With one misstep, the horse-faced Ninja extended his arm and grabbed his calf.
The yellow vertical pupil on the back of the horse-faced Ninja's hand emitted a strange fluorescent glow. From ankle to calf, then to thigh, Choji's left leg instantly had its life energy rapidly drained, turning into Petrification.
"Choji?!" Shikamaru was greatly alarmed. Risking a bloody wound on his shoulder from the Kunoichi, he leaped to Choji's side. The three rogue Ninja surrounded him. To protect the immobilized Choji, Shikamaru was hit twice more.
At the critical moment, Sakura arrived.
She threw a Kunai, and as the horse-faced Ninja ducked to avoid it, she kicked his knee.
The horse-faced Ninja leaped into the air, his palm extended again, targeting Sakura's throat.
He seemed to have already foreseen this Konoha Kunoichi turning into Petrification in his palm, his expression quite ferocious. Yet, his seemingly foolproof attack missed.
His palm didn't touch any solid object, passing straight through a phantom. The yellow vertical pupil on the back of his hand looked to the left, and he quickly turned, only to find himself firmly bound to a tree.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!" Sakura, whom Ino had teased for knowing everything but excelling at nothing, temporarily controlled the horse-faced Ninja with genjutsu, then pulled the sweating Choji aside to examine him.
"Am I done for?"
"Can I never be a Ninja again?"
"Waaah waaaah waaaah—"
Choji tried hard to hold back, but tears still streamed down his round face.
Sakura had one demeanor for handsome men and another for people like Naruto and Choji.
She glared: "Stop making noise! Shut up!"
Choji was so scared he quickly covered his mouth.
Sakura carefully examined his Petrification leg. The good news was that this leg could be treated by supplementing life energy with Yang Release Chakra, which is Medical Ninjutsu. The bad news was that her Yang Release level wasn't high enough, and she didn't know such advanced Medical Ninjutsu.
"You rest first. Wait for Ino to come back and treat you." Sakura stood up to help Shikamaru fight the horse-faced Ninja.
Shikamaru fighting three was really a bit too much.
This horse-faced Ninja probably had Special Jonin level strength, and his Petrification gloves were extremely bizarre. Even with Sakura, they were fighting with extreme difficulty.
Pakku, Buru, and Hikaru rescued Prince Mangetsu. While Sakura was extremely wary of the Petrification gloves, dodging left and right and completely on the defensive, Prince Mangetsu carried Choji, whose one leg was Petrification, on his shoulder and shouted as he joined the battle.
The tables turned. After Shikamaru successively choked two opponents with Shadow Imitation Technique, the three of them together attacked the horse-faced Ninja.
Sakura was a typical 'king in adversity, reckless in prosperity.' When truly pushed to the brink, she still had some skills.
She awakened her violent personality and became the main combatant.
When Ino arrived at the palace, she saw Choji using his Partial Expansion Jutsu, grabbing the horse-faced Ninja's arms with both hands. Sakura shouted, and with one punch, directly shattered the horse-faced Ninja's kidney!
With the three rogue Ninja defeated, the coup planned by Minister Shabadaaba officially ended, and Prince Mangetsu finally regained his throne.
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