As the Third Tsuchikage officially issued the order to expel them, Tsunade's mission was a complete failure; not only did they fail to befriend Iwagakure, but they also made the relationship between the two Ninja Villages even more strained.
Leaving the Land of Earth, they killed a group of ignorant wild wolves on the way.
As the three people and one pig gathered around the bonfire to eat roasted wolf legs, Tsunade wiped the grease from her mouth and said with extreme anger, "Ōnoki, that old fool, is too stubborn. He can't even see through such a simple enemy conspiracy. Alas! I estimate that war is getting closer and closer to us!"
Shizune and Tonton looked worried, and Ino also put on a flustered expression, though she actually had a similar premonition to Tsunade.
Iwagakure's military strength is extremely strong, and the Village reached its peak under the Third Tsuchikage. Should he then retire peacefully and hand over power to the younger generation? No!
He has always suppressed Kitsuchi, who is first-rate in both strength and wisdom. He is almost 80 years old and has yet to step down. What is he doing it for? Only for fame and fortune. He doesn't need profit; he cares about fame. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, just wants to push Iwagakure to a higher position during his tenure.
The title of Ninja World Overlord sounds pretty good!
Iwagakure fought Hidden Mist and Kumogakure during the war, but at this stage, the three parties are not actually bordering each other.
If they want to fight Kumogakure and don't want to cross the North Sea, they must pass through a large area including the Land of Rain, Land of Grass, Land of Hot Springs, Land of Fire, and Land of Frost. Without destroying seven or eight countries, the two sides would not even border each other.
It's the same for dealing with Hidden Mist; one is on the far east, and the other is on the far west, separated by half the world.
Iwagakure's geographical location dictates that they only have two enemies: Sunagakure in the southern desert and Konoha Village in the plains to the southeast.
Which side offers the most profit? This is self-evident.
Iwagakure generally harbors hostility towards Konoha Village, due to both historical and current reasons.
Among Iwagakure Ninja, Konoha Ninja have a very bad reputation, constantly labeled as "liars," "cunning," "treacherous," and "unfathomable."
Konoha has rebellions every three days, as the saying goes, "Whether the Ninja World is chaotic or not, Konoha decides." The Third Tsuchikage has always believed that Konoha is a threat to Iwagakure, and defeating Konoha is almost his lifelong wish.
Anything related to Konoha, whether justified or not, he will be unyielding to the end.
If there's no opportunity, he'll create one. Now that an opportunity has presented itself, he naturally won't let it slip away.
Without a Six Paths Level Naruto or Sasuke, and without the Intimidation of the First Hokage, the Third Tsuchikage only needs to persuade the Daimyo of the Land of Earth to get military funds and material support, and a major war will soon break out.
Three days later, Tsunade's team returned to the Village to report on their mission, which was to establish contact with Iwagakure, and it was considered a failure.
Success and failure are common in warfare; one failed mission is nothing.
Jiraiya didn't say anything, but instead offered a few words of comfort.
Naruto was shouting loudly that he wanted to avenge Ino, but Jiraiya told him to first study his geography and figure out where the Land of Earth is before talking about revenge.
Ino wasn't particularly dejected; if she had truly resorted to all means, she could have killed Kitsuchi. Even if they had fallen out with Iwagakure, the three of them, along with Tonton, could have fought their way out.
The reason for being somewhat disgracefully expelled was still for the sake of the two Villages' relationship.
Kitsuchi's attitude was generally friendly towards Konoha. Damaging Kitsuchi's prestige would only allow the Third Tsuchikage to remain in his position as Kage for another two years, providing no substantial benefit.
What's the big deal?
She didn't take it seriously, but her companions were swept into it.
Unlike the battle with Yugito, which required secrecy, this battle was witnessed by many Ninja and could be discussed.
As it turned out, Ino did not fall into a disadvantage in her fight with Kitsuchi; it was considered a draw.
Who is Kitsuchi? He is the son of the Third Tsuchikage. During the Shinobi World War, while the Third Tsuchikage was stationed in the Village, he was Iwagakure's frontline commander, a figure who had long confronted Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze. If not for special circumstances, he would have already been the Fourth Tsuchikage.
Ino drawing with such a figure was not shameful; on the contrary, it significantly boosted her reputation. At the Gold Exchange, her bounty directly rose to 35 million Ryo, on par with Asuma.
The younger generation suffered from intense internal competition. When parents brought it up, it was always, "Look at the Yamanaka Clan's child!" How could they just sleep and eat at home? "All of you, go train!"
They endured immense pressure because of this.
People outside the Village were also affected; several of Ino's former opponents were brought up. Chōjūrō and Gaara needed reputation, and now that her reputation was soaring, it consequently elevated Chōjūrō's and Gaara's reputations as well.
There were rumors in Sunagakure that Gaara and Ino were evenly matched. Now that Ino drew with the veteran Kitsuchi, doesn't that mean Gaara's result against Kitsuchi wouldn't be too different? Amazing, our Kazekage!
Ino was forcefully "crashed" for a wave of prestige.
The next day, the Konoha 12 gathered at Young Master Shikamaru's Curry of Life Restaurant to eat curry rice.
Neji couldn't eat spicy food; one bite of rice and his face turned red from the spice, his Byakugan threatening to turn into Red Eye. Tenten quickly poured him water.
Sasuke, Shino, Sakura, and others were also quite spicy, but hearing that the Curry of Life Restaurant's curry rice could slightly increase Chakra, they all ate voraciously.
Hinata ate while kneeling in a very ladylike posture, her movements small, her frequency fast, and very discreet.
To divert their attention, the young girl Hinata pulled Ino out to attract hostility: "Ino, did you really defeat that senior named Kitsuchi?"
This matter had spread throughout their "circle," especially with Sunagakure and Hidden Mist using her reputation to elevate their own, which made Ino quite displeased.
At this point, she said in a very Versailles-like manner, "How could I? Senior Kitsuchi and I only fought for about three hundred rounds, right? From morning to night, I really couldn't keep it up; I was too hungry. That Senior Kitsuchi was especially tall and strong, and his Earth Release particularly countered my Water Release."
First, she boasted a bit; three hundred rounds was all nonsense.
When she spoke about the specific Ninjutsu and Taijutsu confrontations, Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, and Sasuke began to listen carefully, not wanting to miss a single detail.
"Are all Iwagakure Ninja proficient in Earth Release?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
Ino nodded: "Pretty much. Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, Kurotsuchi... Kurotsuchi doesn't count; she has the Lava Release Bloodline Limit. The rest of the Ninja mostly use Earth Release."
Sasuke pondered. He had no grudge with Iwagakure, but now the relationship between the two sides had suddenly become very tense; Kakashi had told him about this.
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