"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!" The head of a kunoichi emerged from the muddy ground, and she spat out several wind-attribute Chakra balls in Ino's direction.
Huh? This person can also use Wind Release? Was she hiding underground using Earth Release earlier?
Ino quickly formed hand seals and unleashed Wind Release: Pressure Damage once again.
The opponent initiated the technique first, but her hand seal speed was noticeably slower than Ino's. Both Wind Release techniques were launched simultaneously.
Ninjutsu of the same nature can cancel each other out. Kakashi's Lightning Blade once neutralized Kakuzu's Lightning Release: False Darkness, but this only works if the techniques are of similar levels and the users are of comparable strength.
Ino was using a B-rank Wind Release, while Fūka employed a C-rank Wind Release. Pressure Damage instantly shredded the Drilling Air Bullet and sliced into the muddy area where Fūka was hiding. The wind blades wreaked havoc for over ten seconds, cutting in all directions. Then, Ino manipulated the wind-attribute Chakra into a whirlwind, making two clockwise cuts below.
Mud and debris flew into the air, accompanied by sprays of blood and chunks of flesh.
Ino sensed again and was surprised to find that the opponent was still alive.
What the hell?! Is this Hidan in women's clothing?
Such an unknown kunoichi was truly unexpected for her.
Lacking sufficient information, Ino immediately chose to retreat.
She used the Hiding in Mist Technique to obscure her vision and then hid in the shadows, occasionally using C-rank ninjutsu and shuriken to probe Fūka, gathering intelligence in the process.
What followed was rather bizarre. After Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet, Fūka successively used Water Release: Snake's Mouth, Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears, Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, and Lightning Release: Earth Flow.
Although her technique execution speed wasn't particularly fast, there was a noticeable transition time each time she switched to a new ninjutsu. In total, Fūka had indeed used ninjutsu of all five natures.
It's worth noting that Ino, who could use Water, Earth, and Wind Chakra natures, was already considered a genius among the younger generation of Konoha.
Due to the relationships of mutual generation and restraint among the natures, her Fire and Lightning Chakra natures were extremely difficult to develop, which is a common issue for many ninjas.
Many Kage-level experts only manage to develop four natures.
Those like the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, and Kakashi, who possess all five natures, are exceedingly rare.
Was this woman also a super genius with all five Chakra natures?
As the battle dragged on, Ino gradually pieced together more information about the woman.
She wasn't some five-nature genius at all. Instead, she had stored Chakra of all five natures within her body, and each time she used a new nature, she had to switch.
Fūka's body was like mud, capable of transforming at will, but she still had a core body.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" Ino quickly formed hand seals.
A silver water line instantly sliced through the woman's long hair, revealing a dense network of blood vessels beneath, which would trigger trypophobia in anyone. These were her true body.
Fūka's body instantly aged dramatically, and then she turned into a pile of mud. Only her hair and those blood vessels remained, rapidly contracting in an attempt to save her fading life.
The Lord Sasori and Brother Sasori that Little Deidara spoke of had transformed themselves into human puppets, retaining only a Chakra-using heart. This woman was similar, though it was unclear what kind of secret technique she had used to turn herself into something resembling a hair spirit.
Ino overturned her previous assumption about Hidan in women's clothing. It was clear that this guy was a shrunken version of Kakuzu and Hidan merged together, then dressed in women's clothing.
"How pitiful," Ino thought. She didn't possess any Fire Release ninja techniques, so she spat out oil and ignited it, burning the hair spirit Fūka to death.
The Wind Release, Water Release, and subsequent Hidden Mist Technique alarmed Dango in the distance.
This high-ranking official had no intention of sending reinforcements to aid Fūka. Instead, he ordered the only ninja with him to carry him and run as fast as possible.
They hadn't gone far when a kunai from behind pierced the ninja's calf. Carrying Dango, they tumbled down the mountainside like a rolling gourd.
It took a while for the bloodied Dango to regain consciousness. A rather aged voice spoke to him, "Lord Dango, it's been a long time."
Dango struggled to open his eyes and saw the group before him, especially the elderly man at the forefront. He was shocked and immediately thought of his dire situation.
"Danzo?! Have you gone mad?! Are you betraying the nation?"
"Danzo" remained expressionless. "Betraying the nation? Wasn't it you who betrayed the Hidden Leaf Village first?"
Although the tone seemed slightly different from the usual Danzo, in this life-and-death moment, Dango didn't pay much attention to such details. He was a hawkish member of the Lord of Fire Daimyo's faction, while Danzo was a hawkish member of the ninja faction. The radicals of these two camps had rarely spoken to each other.
"Do you want to incite a full-scale war between the ninja and the daimyo?" Dango seemed quite confident that the other party wouldn't dare to harm him.
"Danzo" gave a sinister smile. "There are no ninja here. You were attacked by bandits. What a pity. The high-ranking official was killed by bandits, and the Hidden Leaf Village will surely avenge you."
Realizing that his end was near, Dango steeled his heart. "The Hidden Leaf Village? Do you still remember that you are just a village? The land beneath your feet belongs to the Land of Fire! It was the Lord of Fire Daimyo who took in you stray dogs, you freaks! The daimyo is the true master, and you are nothing but lowly servants."
Ino read intense hatred from Dango's mind, along with numerous plans to overthrow the Hidden Leaf Village. The only reason these plans hadn't been implemented was the disparity in strength between the two sides.
This man hated ninja, and keeping him alive would only bring endless trouble.
Ino had no intention of kneeling to lick the daimyo's shoes, nor did she want to betray the ninja class. Since the conflict was irreconcilable, she had no choice but to eliminate the source of the conflict.
"Danzo" personally took action. Instead of using a kunai, he used a long sword, much like many bandits, to slit Dango's throat.
This high-ranking official, who had lived a life of luxury, clutched his throat with all his might, his eyes filled with venom, as if trying to etch the faces of his enemies into his memory.
Only after the high-ranking official had breathed his last did "Danzo" and his subordinates turn and leave.
The ninja who had been wounded by the kunai in the distance had only been knocked unconscious, not killed. After "Danzo" and his group left, he shakily crawled out.
Seeing Dango's corpse, he was terrified.
Failing to protect his charge and returning with Dango's body would surely result in severe punishment. But if he fled, wouldn't the blame fall squarely on him? After much deliberation, the ninja decided to carry Dango's body and return to the Land of Fire.
At the same time, he firmly remembered the name Danzo. As a ninja from a small ninja village, he had never met Danzo nor heard of his name before. However, he had overheard the conversation between Dango and "Danzo." If he didn't know, surely Dango-sama wouldn't be mistaken, right? There was only one truth—the murderer was this Danzo!
On the other side, Ino cleaned up the traces at the scene. The hair essence had already turned to ash, and the ninja who had been hit by the Mind Body Switch Technique had his brain crushed by her. Even someone from the Yamanaka Clan wouldn't be able to continue the investigation.
Despite this, she still used Earth Release to turn over the entire area.
Earth Release was absolutely a perfect ninja technique for destroying evidence. With the soil flipped, rolled, and churned, even if Konan, Heiji, and Shuichi Akai were tied together, they wouldn't be able to find any clues.