Ino returned the body to Hinata, and the surging Dojutsu Power in her eyes scared the young girl.
The Byakugan's observation range and precision had increased to an incredible degree.
Previously, Neji, through daily arduous training, could see acupuncture points and master Gentle Fist, but Hinata had never been able to do this, leading Hyuga Hiashi to consider her dull-witted. Now, however...
She felt that Gentle Fist was no longer an insurmountable peak.
After the initial joy came immense worry.
She exclaimed, "Ino, are you okay? My eyes, will my eyes cause you any harm?"
The Hyuga Clan has deep research into Dojutsu Power, and through constant exposure, she knew some things.
At this moment, she was extremely worried about Ino, because family records indicated that such Dojutsu Power loss was permanent, with no exceptions. With her own power increasing so much, Ino must have suffered severe damage.
She was incredibly nervous; if, because of her, the exceptionally talented Ino suffered a major injury or even went blind, she would never be able to forgive herself.
Should she go take care of her later? Deliver meals several times a day? If the Yamanaka Clan kicked her out, could she take her into her own home? Or just rent an apartment outside? She didn't have much in savings either.
Hinata's thoughts drifted further and further.
Ino looked at her strangely in the mental world. Not occupying the body, many thoughts were invisible, so she could only guess.
"It's fine, this little loss is nothing to me. I'll recover after two days of rest."
"Really?"
"Really!"
For ordinary Ninja, this kind of loss is indeed permanent; a little used is a little lost, and the Dojutsu Power that can be improved through acquired training is very limited.
Ino was different; she had Asura Chakra within her. Now, she was like Obito using the Mangekyo Sharingan. Although it wasn't an Eternal Mangekyo, with the Hashirama cells in his body, Obito could slowly recover Dojutsu Power. She, with Asura Chakra, recovered even faster.
"I'll go back and prepare first." Ino flew back into her own body.
Twenty minutes later, Hinata returned to the cabin with the captive. Ino, who had returned earlier, had already drawn the Jutsu formula, ready to read the information from the captive's brain.
It was a familiar process; she had even read the brains of the dead, let alone the living.
Under the gaze of the three, she used the standard Yamanaka Clan technique to read all the information from the Female Ninja's brain, inside and out.
"Hmm, this Dotou Kazehana is indeed the leader. He covets a necklace belonging to Koyuki, who is the actress Fuji Kazehana Yukie. It is said to contain the key to a secret treasure. This guy has three subordinates. Besides the captured Fubuki Kakuyoku, there's another subordinate named Nadare Rouga, and another named Fuyu Kuma Hyōu.
Their Chakra armor can boost their own Chakra by ten to thirty percent, create a fine Chakra shield around their bodies, effectively resist Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, and enhance the power of their own Ninjutsu. They are also very skilled at using Ice Release Ninjutsu in special environments. According to my observations, because of the Chakra armor, they are overly reliant on it, leading to very poor Taijutsu. This is our advantage."
Having the intelligence made things much easier.
As the captain, Ino decisively gave orders: "The mission requires us to protect Fuji Kazehana Yukie's personal safety. If we only defend, we'll be too passive. Dotou Kazehana lives in the palace, which is a bit far. According to the information provided by this Female Ninja, the muscular Fuyu Kuma Hyōu is ambushing the film crew in the snowy mountains outside the town. Shikamaru, you take Choji and Hinata to deal with him. I'll handle that Nadare Rouga. Any questions?"
"None." X3
"Then let's go."
Ino slit the Female Ninja's throat with one swift cut.
A gasp came from outside the door.
Kazehana Koyuki, playing the lead actress, covered her mouth, her phoenix eyes filled with panic.
Ino, as if nothing had happened, asked her, "What's wrong? Did something happen with the film crew? I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon."
Her tone was completely unlike someone who had just killed a Female Ninja a second ago. Kazehana Koyuki looked at her in horror, deeply shocked. How could this person kill without even blinking?
"Y-you... why did you kill her? Could it be... could it be?" She tried very hard to analyze the situation with her own way of thinking: "Shouldn't she be kept as a hostage for negotiations?"
Ino shook her head: "Acting, you're good at. Killing, I'm good at."
After all, it was a film she had invested in. In Ino's heart, this movie was far more important than Dotou Kazehana. Of course, if that treasure was highly valuable, that would be another matter...
She looked around and called over the old manager: "Santayu-san, if there are no scenes today, please let Miss Yukie go back to her room to rest."
She pointed at the corpse in the room: "That Female Ninja killed many of your comrades and passionate patriots back then, didn't she? I'll leave the body to you to dispose of. Whether you decapitate her, skin her, or dismember her, it's up to you. Oh, and remember to help me strip off her Chakra armor, those mechanical devices on her, so I can study them later."
She took out a memo, scribbled a bunch of numbers, and handed it to the employer, Asama Santayuu.
What is this?
The old man took the memo and looked closely.
On it was a list of Ninjutsu tool losses for killing Fubuki Kakuyoku.
He squinted, carefully counting the zeros: "Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, fifty thousand?! This is... this is..."
Ino sneered: "What? Too expensive? The corpse on the ground is a Jonin among the Snow Ninja. Do you think I don't have to pay a price to deal with such an enemy?"
What price did you pay? You just wrote an extra memo.
The old man didn't believe it at all. Having worked with the film crew for so long, he wasn't meeting Ino for the first time. He had seen her demand money and exaggerate facts. At this moment, he didn't dare offend her, but also didn't want to pay, so he could only force a smile.
Ino pointed at Hinata: "Ask my companion. During the previous battle, my body suffered some damage, permanent and very serious damage."
Really? Santayu looked at Hinata. The honest child, finding nothing wrong with the statement, nodded firmly.
The old man gritted his teeth: "Alright, we'll pay this money too. What about Dotou Kazehana's side?"
Ino had an expression that said 'you've made a huge profit': "There will definitely be more Ninjutsu tool losses in that battle, but I estimate you'll see Dotou Kazehana's corpse by dinner time tonight."
It wouldn't be difficult for Shikamaru, Choji, and Hinata to take on Fuyu Kuma Hyōu, three against one.
Ino spent a lot of time searching for Nadare Rouga.
The information in Fubuki Kakuyoku's brain was only a general location.
In the vast snowy mountains, it was her first time using her sensory abilities in a snowy environment. Twice she found herself in hibernating animal dens. Papa Bear and Mama Bear were beaten by her until they cowered in a corner, trembling, feeling they had the worst luck in eight lifetimes. Ino played with the bear cubs for a while and also felt unlucky.
Fortunately, on the third try, she finally found the right person.
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