Ino raised her arm to block the incoming kick, but she had been injured by Indra's chakra, and her spiritual energy was damaged. She hastily canceled the Mind Body Switch Technique, which caused her strength, speed, and other abilities to decline to varying degrees.
Originally, she was no match for Sasuke in terms of Body techniques, and now the gap was even wider.
Sasuke's kick sent her stumbling back three steps, her arm tingling with numbness.
Ino's eyes focused intently as she hooked her left hand behind her and pulled out another sharp Kunai from her waist pouch. As she swiftly retreated, she swung her arm, sending the Kunai in a precise arc aimed directly at Sasuke's eyes.
"Hmph," Sasuke sneered. Using Kunai throwing against an Uchiha? He was truly being underestimated.
He charged forward several steps, bending his knees and leaning his body back, allowing the Kunai to fly past the tip of his nose. Ignoring the puddles and mud on the ground, he planted his left hand on the ground and launched a series of rapid kicks.
Ino, who was trying to create distance to use Ninja techniques, had no choice but to expend more chakra to dodge the fierce kicks with a Substitution Technique.
After creating a five-meter gap, Ino threw a Smoke Bomb to the ground. As the gray smoke began to rise, a Kunai carrying an Exploding Tag flew in from the side.
Crap! They're using Exploding Tags now?! Ino quickly focused her chakra into her eyes, relying on her sensory abilities to track the Kunai's trajectory.
Once she saw its path, her hands immediately formed a series of hand seals in the order of Dragon, Ox, and Rabbit.
She activated a C-rank Ninja technique from the Leaf Village.
"Water Release: Water Wave!"
Ino gathered chakra in her throat, inhaled, and then exhaled. A jet of water shot into the sky, drawing in the surrounding puddles and river water to form a curtain of water. Not only did it disrupt the explosive formula inside the Exploding Tag, but the powerful water force, driven by her chakra, surged toward Sasuke in a fan-shaped wave.
Ino quickly formed hand seals again, preparing to use the Hiding in Mist Technique once more. However, Sasuke was more decisive than she had anticipated. He shielded his head and face with his arm and charged straight through the "Water Wave!" Facing the surging water, Sasuke pressed forward instead of retreating. His forehead, neck, arms, and shoulders were all torn open by the water, leaving him drenched in blood. With a loud shout, Sasuke thrust his Kunai toward Ino's throat as she was forming her hand seals.
"Madman!"
The Hiding in Mist Technique wasn't fatal, and even if it were, Ino wouldn't sacrifice herself to take him down. It wasn't worth it.
She had no choice but to stop forming hand seals, draw her Kunai, and engage Sasuke in close combat.
"Ino, Sasuke," Sakura watched with deep concern as they fought fiercely, each move aimed to kill. She couldn't understand why classmates would fight to such an extreme.
Ino and Sasuke clashed in a rapid exchange of over thirty moves.
Sasuke was wary of her Ninja techniques, but Ino was also struggling to withstand his wolf-like ferocity.
"Your injuries are getting worse. You've lost so much blood. There's no need to keep fighting. Just surrender," Ino panted, trying to reason with him.
Sasuke spat and glared at Ino. "How much chakra do you have left? Can you even use one more technique?"
"I can use three or four more, no problem!" Ino declared with confidence.
Before their words had even faded, the two clashed with kunai in hand. Sasuke relied on his strength and speed to press the advantage, while Ino swiftly threw three senbon coated with paralyzing poison. In the end, gritting her teeth, she also tossed out an exploding tag.
Ninja techniques, tools, and exploding tags—the intensity of their battle escalated rapidly. At this point, it no longer resembled a fight between Ninja Academy students; one could easily believe it was a battle between two Middle Ninja.
"You think I can't use ninja techniques?" Sasuke said, cornering Ino. He quickly formed hand seals.
Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger—six seals completed. Sasuke gathered chakra in his throat, preparing the only Fire Release technique he had mastered.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Ino was slightly slower in initiating her technique, but her seals were fewer—only three. She swiftly formed her own seals.
"Water Release: Water Wave!"
She channeled chakra once more, releasing this C-rank Water Release technique. Both completed their techniques simultaneously, and the fireball and water curtain collided mid-air, instantly producing a thick cloud of white mist.
Under Sasuke's slightly puzzled gaze, the water curtain gained the upper hand.
"Idiot, let me teach you another lesson—Water Release counters Fire Release!"
Water overcomes fire, fire overcomes wind, wind overcomes lightning, lightning overcomes earth, and earth overcomes water. Regardless of whether this holds true in nature, in the world of chakra, this is an ironclad rule.
Kakashi's Lightning Cutter easily pierced Kakuzu's Earth Release defense, and Uchiha Madara's Great Fire Annihilation was blocked by a dozen ninjas using Water Release—all because of the inherent countering relationships between Release Techniques.
Once her Water Release gained the upper hand, Ino immediately cut off her chakra supply, allowing both the fireball and water curtain to dissipate. Having used multiple techniques in succession, her chakra was now down to a third, and she needed to end the fight quickly.
She glanced at Sasuke, then placed her left hand above her right, palms facing each other, and activated her technique: "Ninja Art: Mind Disturbance Technique!"
Sasuke felt a sudden "buzz" in his head, and his body once again slipped out of his control.
Unlike the previous Mind Body Switch Technique, where he had been completely out of control, this time he retained a sliver of control—but what good was that?
He wanted to step to the left, but his right arm shot up instead. He tried to assume a defensive stance, but his right leg suddenly went numb.
He glared at Ino. Was this a ninja technique? This was more like some kind of dark art! Everyone could see the abnormality in Sasuke's movements.
"Sasuke, pull yourself together!"
"Huh?! Sasuke, what's wrong? Hang in there!"
"Ino-pig! Are you behind this?!"
Most of the girls were quick to blame Ino, with Sakura's voice being the loudest.
The boys, however, were much quieter, with only Naruto shouting, "Go, Ino! Beat that arrogant Sasuke! Give it your all!"
Hinata glanced at Naruto, then at Ino, and softly muttered a few words of encouragement: "Go, Ino."
When Kabuto was hit by Tsunade's "Medical Ninja Art: Body Pathway Derangement," he managed to overcome the technique's effects through his high intelligence and exceptional body control. Sasuke, however, lacked such ability—his mind knew what to do, but his body wouldn't obey.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it all!"
"How could I lose here?!"
The chakra within Sasuke's body was circulating at an insane speed, his spiritual energy continuously surging toward his eyes.
From a distance, Sakura suddenly shouted, "Sasuke, be careful! Watch out behind you, behind you!"
What's behind me? Sasuke turned his stiff neck with great difficulty, just in time to see Ino, her face pale, forming hand seals and casting a ninja technique at him.
Before the battle, Ino had claimed she knew two Water Release techniques, but she hadn't been truthful—she had actually mastered three.
The moisture in the air gathered together, completely surrounding Sasuke.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"