Chapter 156: Siphoning the One-Tail's Chakra
A deafening boom echoed as an immense surge of water flooded the competition arena, instantly turning the soccer field-sized space into a vast pool.
Genma Shiranui, the proctor, reacted with lightning speed, scrambling up a tree like a monkey. Once he was safely above, he looked down with a lingering sense of dread.
The torrent was turbulent and overwhelming, appearing identical to real seawater, save for the absence of life.
The spectators in the stands could only gape at the spectacle, but the more knowledgeable ninjas were visibly stunned.
One by one, they rose from their seats to get a better look.
Could it be that this Yamanaka girl has a pact with the ocean? This is nothing like the Water Release techniques we know!
Waves towering over ten meters crashed against the arena walls with a series of loud impacts, completely submerging the stage.
The roar of the waves drowned out the crowd's chatter.
Many ninjas rubbed their eyes in disbelief, as this was the first time many had witnessed such a colossal Water Release.
Old Man Kosuke, clutching his black pot, wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. The familiar scene brought back memories of the late Second Hokage.
Previously, most ninjas simply perceived Ino as a prodigy from the Yamanaka clan. In reality, this was largely exaggerated. Backed by her clan, her starting point was naturally higher than that of ordinary ninjas. When discussing their daughter, a few polite, conventional compliments were sufficient, and many ninjas didn't take it too seriously. Weren't there plenty of so-called genius ninjas of this generation in the ninja world? They were all just overhyped!
But now, witnessing the sheer volume of water, their opinions had drastically changed. The Yamanaka clan had understated her abilities!
Is this mere genius? This is monstrous!
While perhaps slightly weaker than a human-shaped tailed beast, it was already far beyond the capabilities of ordinary ninjas.
Inoichi offered a series of observations in Ino's direction.
"That child just throws chakra around recklessly, completely without any finesse. I'll have to give her a stern talking-to next time."
His old comrades Shikaku and Chōza could only nod in agreement. "Yes, you're right. Whatever you say."
Rino, meanwhile, was boasting to the wives of several ninja clan heads, saying things like, "Our Ino only cares about her studies," and "Our Ino isn't very good at housework," spouting utter nonsense.
The other ladies offered supportive words. One said, "If only my daughter were half as clever as your Ino," and another lamented, "My foolish son can't even perform a C-rank ninjutsu properly. I truly envy you."
Gaara was dragged down into the depths by the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave. The immense pressure of the water weighed heavily on him, and on the verge of suffocating, he had no choice but to draw upon the tailed beast chakra that seeped through the seal's cracks to create a Sand Shield for defense.
Ino created eight Shadow Clones. Together with her main body, they simultaneously executed nine "Water Release: Water Colliding Wave" techniques.
Water tornadoes spiraled around Gaara from all nine directions. The swirling currents crisscrossed, constantly forcing him deeper. Gaara held his breath, feeling water pressing in on him from above, below, and all sides. The water flow squeezed him into the center, rendering him immobile.
"Water Release: Great Water Prison Technique!" Ino had improved upon the standard Water Prison Technique.
Instantly, the nine Water Release: Water Colliding Waves transformed into watery barriers. Currents exerted a pulling force on Gaara from every direction, trapping him with water above and below. The Five Elements Seal had long since developed a weak point. As the Water Colliding Waves rotated at high speed, the chakra belonging to the One-Tail Shukaku unknowingly dissipated, being absorbed by the seal and then drawn out of his body by the swirling water.
The surrounding area was saturated with water infused with Ino's chakra. Even with the Byakugan, her subtle movements were impossible to discern.
"Father, that Yamanaka girl who often comes to our house to play with my elder sister seems incredibly strong?" Seven-year-old Hanabi Hyuga asked her father, Hiashi Hyuga.
The Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave and the subsequent Great Water Prison Technique greatly surprised Hiashi Hyuga. He had fought on battlefields and faced jōnin from Kirigakure.
From his current perspective, the power of many so-called Kirigakure jōnin when using Water Release was at this level, or even weaker. Those Kirigakure ninjas often needed to rely on the terrain and utilize existing water sources to perform their Water Release techniques. Ino, however, was generating water from thin air.
He had always believed his daughter was on par with the Yamanaka girl, and they usually considered their matches to be evenly contested. But now? The Yamanaka girl possessed such an enormous amount of chakra? You still think you can fight her to a draw? That's a joke!
Hiashi Hyuga mused to himself. If he could close the distance and utilize his superior taijutsu to gain the upper hand, he would have a chance of winning. He could probably defeat Ino within two or three moves. Ino's taijutsu was nowhere near his level in his estimation. Conversely, if he allowed her to maintain distance and employ ninjutsu of this scale, the outcome would be uncertain.
Genma Shiranui, the proctor, also experienced the same sense of helplessness that Hayate Gekko had felt before. With such a massive ninjutsu display, did they even need him as a proctor? He had already leaped onto a tree, but the force of the water was so immense that the tree beneath him looked like it was about to snap.
He glanced towards the Third Hokage in the elevated viewing area.
The Third Hokage gave a slight nod, and Genma Shiranui swiftly jumped onto the spectator stands.
Many jōnin and dignitaries engaged in animated discussion. On Ino's side, she was going all out, extracting the One-Tail's chakra.
The Akatsuki utilized the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as a foundation and the Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals as their technique. Nine powerful individuals toiled for three days and three nights to completely extract the One-Tail.
Ino's capabilities were no match for theirs. This kind of forced extraction was like a strenuous tug-of-war. The nine Water Colliding Waves continued their rotation, and on top of that, the Five Elements Seal disrupted Gaara's original sealing technique. With this two-pronged approach, in just over a minute, she had extracted a fist-sized ball of mist-like chakra.
The amount of chakra from the One-Tail was completely incomparable to the Nine-Tail's, where even a small leak could form a chakra vortex the size of a washbasin.
"Such a weak tailed beast," she muttered to herself, before immediately sealing away the small portion of chakra.
Regardless, the One-Tail's chakra was now hers.
Releasing the lockdown of the Great Water Prison Technique, she gestured towards Genma Shiranui with the now unconscious Gaara in her grasp.
Genma Shiranui understood her intention and announced loudly, "Yamanaka Ino wins!"
At this point, all three contestants from Sunagakure had been eliminated. The remaining participants were all ninjas from Konohagakure. Of course, this was purely coincidental. The order of matches was completely random, and there was absolutely no behind-the-scenes manipulation.
"Hey, tough guy, here's your little brother back." Ino tossed Gaara towards Temari.
Seeing Gaara, who never slept, unconscious, Temari felt a sharp pain in her heart. She yelled at Ino, "Hey, release the seal on my brother!"
No benefits in it for me, you expect me to just release the seal? How shameless can you be?
Ino picked at her ear, feigning ignorance. "Seal?"
"Release the seal on my brother!"
"Whose brother's seal?"
"...My brother's seal!"
Ino gave her an innocent look. "What's wrong with your brother?"
Damn you! Temari was furious, raising her giant fan to strike. Kankuro desperately held her back. "Big sister, please stop! You can't defeat her!"