A Jonin in Konoha Village is a highly prestigious position.
Ino didn't break Kakashi's record of becoming a Jonin at 12, but among Kunoichi, she was essentially a female Kakashi. Even Tsunade only became a Jonin after she was 20.
She completely outshone all of her peers.
Her classmates gathered for a celebratory meal, and Naruto loudly proclaimed that he would definitely become a Jonin too, only to be ridiculed in various ways by Sakura and Sasuke.
Ino specifically invited Asuma and Yuhi for dinner, but only Asuma showed up. He said Yuhi was feeling a bit unwell, and Ino didn't think much of it.
Afterward, the Ino–Shika–Choji families began their celebration. Inoichi boasted to Shikaku and Choza, while Rino, Shikamaru's mother, and Choji's mother shared their successful parenting tips for raising daughters, making the two mothers wish they could put their sons back in their bellies and give birth to daughters instead.
Not to mention familiar faces like Tsunade, Shizune, and Hinata, who gave so many gifts that Ino's hands ached. Even Danzo sent Fu Yamanaka with a congratulatory gift for her.
Ino spent half a month celebrating wildly before things finally settled down.
Ino considered Minato to be a man of principle. After getting her new Jonin title, she went home to sleep.
Before, she had been diligently completing missions, seizing every opportunity to do more tasks and advance to Jonin as soon as possible. Now that she was a Jonin, doing a thousand more missions wouldn't make her Hokage. What was the point? Let the miscellaneous tasks go to those who needed them.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan are inherently powerful, capable of absorbing and converting energy from their surroundings, able to survive on nothing but air.
Ino was not like that; she was still in the realm of acquired abilities.
The slow increase in her Dojutsu Power and the gradual optimization of her ocular genes all required her own body's energy.
The body is fundamental, but the efficiency of body energy conversion is low, and there are daily expenditures. What to do?
Her method was to eat more, exercise less, and move as little as possible!
Don't ask why; the answer is that she's in seclusion at home.
Three days of'seclusion'.
Tonton came to her with a mission scroll in its mouth, but she stayed curled up in her blanket. After a couple of nudges from its pig snout, she became annoyed, grabbed the pearl necklace around Tonton's neck, and tossed the pet pig out.
About five minutes later.
"Ino, wake up, Ino? Don't sleep." Hinata, holding Tonton, knelt before her and whispered into her ear.
Ino pulled the blanket over her head, her voice muffled: "Don't disturb me, I'm so sleepy..."
Hinata? Hmph, never mind Hinata, even if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya came, she wouldn't wake up!
As the saying goes, "If the universe doesn't explode, I won't get out of bed; if the Earth doesn't reboot, I won't wake up early!"
To make me get up, the sun would have to rise in the west.
"Ino, please, it's really important. The Village has a mission."
Ino, still covered by the blanket, mumbled, "I'm already a Jonin. Don't bother me with small tasks."
Hinata looked left and right, saw no one else in the room, then reached into the blanket and gave her smooth skin a pinch.
"Ow! Where are you pinching?!"
"Get up quickly! This is a mission from Hokage-sama!" Hinata was very familiar with her, and her attitude unconsciously became a bit firmer.
Ino groggily extended a hand from under the blanket. There were no outsiders here, so there was no concern about accidental exposure. She opened one eye and glanced at the mission document.
"Find Lord of the Land of Fire's wife's lost pet cat, A-Hu?"
The information circled in her mind a couple of times, and she immediately became furious. What kind of joke was this? She was a Jonin, a Jonin! How could she still be doing a mission to find a cat? Was she regressing with each promotion?
"Come out, you, come out!" Hinata grabbed her arm, using force from her feet, waist, and back simultaneously.
She was practically dragged out of bed, then waited on like a grand master, dressed, washed her face, rinsed her mouth, and combed her hair. Only after breakfast was served did Hinata slowly explain the mission details.
Finding the Lord of the Land of Fire's wife's cat was just an excuse; Konoha actually wanted them to investigate the situation of the Lord of the Land of Fire.
Previously, the Lord of the Land of Fire had supported Danzo to become Hokage. After Jiraiya became the Fifth Hokage, he caused various troubles and stalled, deliberately delaying funds that should have been provided. Many missions that should have gone to Konoha were completed by Ninja hired by the Lord of the Land of Fire.
Jiraiya, having witnessed Shisui's control over Chiyo, suspected that there was also a problem with the Lord of the Land of Fire. He didn't suspect Kotoamatsukami but wanted to clarify whether the Lord of the Land of Fire was being controlled by Ninjutsu.
Ino closed her eyes, concentrating on her thoughts. The Lord of the Land of Fire's situation was indeed tricky.
She guessed that the Lord of the Land of Fire had likely been controlled by Danzo using Kotoamatsukami. However, now both Kotoamatsukami eyes were with her. If this were exposed, explaining things would be too complicated. To prevent complications, she had to help Danzo cover it up, at least to muddle through the situation.
Now both Hidden Cloud Village and Iwagakure were preparing for war, and Konoha also had to keep up.
What is war fought with? For a military organization like a Ninja Village, it's fought with money. Without money, it's impossible to fight.
Ninja do not engage in production; they only know how to burn, kill, and plunder, and are utterly clueless about creating wealth.
The current mode of cooperation, where the Lord of the Land of Fire provides money and the Ninja Village provides manpower, is quite distorted, but there's no other way; this is the reality.
To obtain more funds for war preparations, at this moment, the Lord of the Land of Fire absolutely could not falter.
Although Ino was young, she had extensive methods, broad knowledge, and friends in both the underworld and the overworld, making her suitable for this mission.
Her age could also alleviate some people's scrutiny.
Hinata was from a prestigious family; the Hyuga Clan, even without mentioning their Ninja heritage, was a top-tier noble family based on history alone. Their status allowed them to interact with the Lord of the Land of Fire and his wife, making investigations most convenient.
Hinata had prepared a full box of food. At this moment, she was feeding Ino breakfast while watching her study the mission, and occasionally, like a mother hen, she had to find clean clothes for her. After all, they were going on a long journey, and many things needed to be prepared.
The Lord of the Land of Fire resided in the capital city, and his wife naturally also lived in the capital.
This mission required carefulness and discretion. That afternoon, a yawning Ino and Hinata left the Village and headed for the capital.
On the way, Ino walked in front, with Hinata following like a dutiful wife. Upon reaching the capital, their roles subtly shifted.
Hinata changed into the exceedingly elaborate attire of a noble lady, so restrictive that she couldn't even take proper strides. Ino wore a straw hat, acting as her samurai guard.
This was unavoidable; Ino's wild nature simply couldn't pretend to be a lady. In the remote Land of Wheat, with Princess Afu, it might have been passable, but not in the capital of the Land of Fire. People here were well-traveled and discerning; someone like her, no matter how you looked at her, did not resemble a refined person.
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