"Just you?" To be honest, even though Ino's demeanor had noticeably changed, Sasuke still looked down on her. His tone was filled with arrogance, exuding an air of superiority.
Ino seemed to be speaking to him, but in reality, she was addressing the surrounding Jonin: "I have now mastered a B-rank family Secret Technique and a C-rank family Secret Technique. I've developed the nature and form transformations of Water Release Chakra and have mastered a C-rank Water Release and a D-rank Water Release."
"Ino even took the time to learn Water Release? How long has she been studying it?" Shikaku, hidden in the shadows, asked Inoichi.
A ninja's first Chakra Nature is the easiest to develop, the second is somewhat harder, and due to the constraints of Chakra Nature compatibility, it becomes increasingly difficult.
The reason the members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio didn't develop their respective Chakra Natures was because it was time-consuming and energy-draining. During the war era, there was no time to focus on Chakra Natures, and after the war, they were busy with their families and jobs, leaving even less time. They believed it was better to continue researching their family's Secret Techniques rather than waste time on Chakra Natures.
In Shikaku's view, Ino's focus on Water Release was somewhat putting the cart before the horse.
Inoichi had also discussed this issue with his daughter, but after realizing Ino's considerable talent in ninja techniques, he stopped interfering.
Being a ninja is a profession of killing. Whether using the Five Elements Release Techniques or family Secret Techniques, any technique that can eliminate the enemy is a good ninja technique.
The Yamanaka clan's Secret Techniques are practically useless without teammates to coordinate with, so learning some powerful control-based Five Elements Release Techniques isn't a bad idea.
He sighed deeply and, under Shikaku's strange gaze, began to humblebrag: "This child is too stubborn. She doesn't listen to anything I say. She's focused on nature transformation, form transformation, and even learning Water Release ninja techniques. Are those things easily mastered? She wasted a whole half-month, half a month! If she had spent that time practicing our family's Secret Techniques, wouldn't that have been better? This child is so disobedient, her talent is so low, and her mind is so scattered, always jumping from one thing to another. It's really worrying me to death."
The Jonin remained expressionless: "..."
The Jonin hidden in the shadows fell silent, and Sasuke in the classroom sneered, "Idiot, ninja techniques are meant to be tested in actual combat. It's not about how many techniques you know; even if you knew a thousand techniques, I could defeat you in half a minute."
Kakashi, hiding in the shadows and pretending to be a passerby, felt inexplicably awkward. The gazes of the Jonin seemed to intentionally or unintentionally glance at him a couple of times.
Iruka hurried over. Seeing that they were about to duel and vaguely noticing that the village's higher-ups were paying attention, he couldn't stop them. He could only lead everyone to the training ground.
"No attacking vital areas like the eyes or heart. If one side surrenders, the other must stop immediately. Do you both understand?"
"Understood."
"Annoying."
The two stood five meters apart, each in their respective positions.
Following the school's rules, Ino raised her right index and middle fingers, pressing her thumb against her ring and little fingers, forming the "Opposition Seal," signifying that she would treat her classmate as an opponent from this point on.
Sasuke, whose hostility wasn't as intense at this time, also obediently formed the "Opposition Seal."
"Begin."
As soon as Iruka finished speaking, Sasuke flicked his wrist, sending three shuriken flying in a triangular formation.
Ino was surrounded by shuriken from the left, center, and right directions.
Both Sasuke and Naruto were known for their combat intelligence, though one relied on strategy and the other on instinct. The process didn't matter; the result did, and they were both exceptional fighters.
As soon as Sasuke made his move, he targeted Ino's weakness in body techniques and launched a fierce assault.
"Hmph." Ino's insight couldn't compare to the Byakugan or the Sharingan, but with her exceptional sensory abilities, she clearly saw the trajectories of the three shuriken. The duel format, with both sides standing five meters apart, wasn't exactly fair to her, but she didn't complain, choosing to counter as the situation unfolded.
Ino gripped her kunai in reverse, ignoring the shuriken coming from the left and right, and deflected the one aimed directly at her face.
"You lose!" Sasuke crossed his arms, his fingers flicking as the shuriken on both sides were pulled by wires, curving around to attack Ino from behind.
Ino twisted her waist and dodged to the side, avoiding one shuriken, but the other struck her squarely in the back.
"Ah! Ino!" Sakura cried out in shock.
Before her words fully left her mouth, a soft "thud" was heard, and a wooden log fell where Ino had been standing, the shuriken embedded in its side.
Sasuke smirked coolly. "Let's see how much chakra you have left."
Ino's voice came from a nearby tree. "That's it? If this is the level of consumption, I can keep fighting you all day."
The next moment, the two clashed in mid-air, kunai in hand. Ino, weaker in strength, shifted her center of gravity backward, retreating to create distance.
Sasuke pressed his advantage, attacking relentlessly and fiercely.
"This jerk!" Even though he had confidence in his daughter's abilities, Inoichi couldn't help but feel anger. The Yamanaka clan wasn't skilled in body techniques; their role was more supportive. Sasuke, leveraging his physical strength as a male, was putting Ino in a very dangerous position.
"Don't worry, Ino seems calm. She must have a plan," Shikaku reassured his old friend.
In truth, he was also pondering whether his son, Shikamaru, could handle a strong opponent alone without the Ino-Shika-Cho team. He believed in his son's strategic mind to turn the tide, but before that, the situation would likely be quite messy.
Inoichi knew he was letting his concern cloud his judgment and forced himself to calm down, continuing to watch the fight.
Sasuke launched over a dozen attacks, and under his relentless assault, Ino was forced to use the Substitution Technique twice.
"Are you just going to keep dodging? Where are your ninja techniques?" Sasuke was actually enjoying the fight, his frustration mostly vented. If Ino surrendered now, he would stop.
Ino's expression was serious as she occasionally glanced at her surroundings.
They had fought from the school grounds to the riverbank outside, and after being chased all this way, was she going to give up now? Not a chance.
"Sasuke, today I'll teach you a lesson. The topic is the importance of terrain for a ninja."
Water Release was the easiest to learn and develop among the Release Techniques, but its drawback was obvious: if there was no water in the combat area, using Water Release required a significant amount of chakra to create water.
Ino did not possess the chakra or the advanced water attribute chakra transformation abilities of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. To use Water Release, she needed a natural water source, and the small river near the school, often featured in Naruto and Sasuke's memories, was the target she had chosen before the battle began.
The river water was stirred by her chakra, and with a serious expression, she quickly formed hand seals in the order of "Ox," "Snake," and "Ram": "Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"