Chapter 167: Ino and the First Hokage
The anime had clearly started as a passionate, action-packed show, but it had suddenly devolved into a disaster movie.
Ino was completely taken aback.
Accustomed or not, she had no choice but to do her best to handle the situation.
She reinforced the earth wall while Shikamaru, Choji, and several other ninjas with minor injuries helped rescue the fleeing villagers. Afterward, Sakura, having regained some strength, also joined the effort.
Realizing that a large number of people had gathered on their side and that ninjas from the Sound and Sand Villages were attacking, Ino didn't hesitate and unleashed her Water Severing Wave, taking out the attackers one by one. Eventually, she even teamed up with Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and the Third Hokage's shadow clone to repel the resurrected Fourth Kazekage. That's right, it was Shino Aburame; no one knew when he had arrived.
The Fourth Kazekage was trapped by Ino's Great Water Prison Technique and then finished off when the Third Hokage's shadow clone stabbed him, causing his body to shatter. He could only lie on the ground, waiting for his resurrected form to regenerate. The surrounding Sand Village ninjas, believing they had killed their Kage, launched a frantic attack.
Ino had initially considered sealing away the resurrected Fourth Kazekage, recalling that powerful individuals resurrected by Kabuto Yakushi during the Fourth Great Ninja War could be sealed. However, the Sand Village ninjas were attacking fearlessly and relentlessly. The Third Hokage's shadow clone had limited chakra, putting most of the pressure on Ino. She fought fiercely, but by the time she was done, she discovered that the Fourth Kazekage had already escaped.
The Third Hokage's shadow clone continued the pursuit, and Ino let out a heavy sigh. Sakura, completely drained, sat down in a squatting position and burst into tears.
"It's all my fault! This is all my fault!"
Ino was utterly confused.
She couldn't understand how Sakura had reached that conclusion.
Sakura sobbed uncontrollably, "If it weren't for me... if it weren't for me, the First Hokage wouldn't have been resurrected..."
She couldn't bring herself to say more. Ino's mind raced, and then it clicked. She thought she probably, possibly, understood.
Seeing Shikamaru and Shino looking their way, she didn't want these two intelligent individuals to know the real reason. She said decisively, "You're being ridiculous! Orochimaru is the one who did it; it has nothing to do with you! I think you're just bored! Go help over there! Hurry!"
The scolding successfully diverted Sakura's attention, and she secretly wiped away a bead of sweat.
Ino assigned Sakura a lot of tasks, such as applying medicine to the wounded, bandaging injuries, and preparing food for the villagers, all to keep her busy and prevent her from overthinking.
More and more villagers gathered on Ino's side. The task of rescuing people was handed over to Shikamaru and the others. Ino focused on observing the enemies, especially the three resurrected Kage.
The Fourth Kazekage had a wide attack range and was said to possess the power to suppress the One-Tail in the desert. However, this wasn't the desert, and his strength was far from what it had been in life, making him relatively easy to deal with.
The Second Hokage's performance was much worse than she had anticipated. The Second Hokage resurrected by Orochimaru likely hadn't even displayed one-tenth of his strength from his lifetime.
The First Hokage's Wood Release possessed astonishing power, but it was just raw power; its destructive force was nowhere near the legendary level of directly confronting a Susanoo clad in armor.
They were all weakened versions.
Facing the combined assault of the Third Hokage and numerous ninjas, Orochimaru also began to feel the pressure. He loosened his control over the resurrected individuals and recalled the First and Second Hokage to his side.
Relaxing his control allowed them to unleash more combat power. Another obvious change was that the eyes of the three Kage became more lively. They could now speak and were no longer in the robotic state they had been in before.
The First Hokage, who had been using Wood Release to reforest the village, sensed something after the control was partially released. He turned his head to look in Ino's direction.
Orochimaru, who was manipulating the resurrection, quickly performed hand signs, confirming that the First Hokage hadn't broken free from his control and that it seemed to be merely an unconscious action.
Ino was startled. At that moment, she felt a connection between her own Ashura chakra and the First Hokage, a connection far stronger than that created by the resurrection jutsu.
The Second Hokage noticed the First Hokage's strange behavior. He glanced over and asked, "What's wrong, brother?"
The First Hokage laughed heartily, "Looks like one of my descendants? How embarrassing, to let a descendant see me in such a state."
The Second Hokage snorted and then scolded the Third Hokage, "Monkey, put more effort into it! How can your attacks be so weak and ineffective that you can't even defeat a dead man like me?"
The Third Hokage was panting heavily, wanting to argue, but he was seventy years old, not thirty! He had already done remarkably well to last this long.
The First and Second Hokage returned to Orochimaru's side, and he immediately withdrew his shadow clones to focus entirely on the current battle.
On the other side, Ino discovered that by using her Ashura chakra and her ability to transmit senses, she could actually bypass the resurrection jutsu and have a long-distance conversation with the First Hokage in her mind.
"Are you my descendant?" the First Hokage asked through sensory transmission.
"...Well, I'm not entirely sure about that, but I am a disciple of Master Tsunade," Ino answered vaguely.
"Little Tsunade, is she doing well these days?"
"Yes! I was drinking with Master Tsunade just three days ago. We had such a huge sake barrel, we each drank half of it!"
"Hahahaha" The First Hokage roared with laughter.
The First Hokage, much like Ashura and Naruto, had a very outgoing personality and didn't realize that Ino was just a "messenger" and that the Ashura chakra wasn't originally hers.
He didn't realize it, and Ino didn't correct him. Instead, she talked at length about her relationship with Tsunade.
The Senju clan had long since integrated into Konoha, so it was perfectly normal for descendants of the Yamanaka clan to possess Senju bloodline! At least, that's what the First Hokage thought.
He also considered it normal that Ino had a low level of Yang Release and a high level of Yin Release. Not all members of the Senju clan were so bright and cheerful. His younger brother, Tobirama Senju, was a prime example; he was just a little gloomy. What was the big deal?
"Hahahaha to think you're Tsunade's disciple, then we're practically family." Hearing Ino recount how his granddaughter and her disciple were constantly being chased by debt collectors, the First Hokage was overjoyed. He had been the same way; this was definitely his granddaughter.
The First Hokage was unaware of the Ashura chakra. With Naruto and Gaara chatting in the distant forest, his current perception was that Ino was undoubtedly his closest blood relative.
He said to Ino through sensory transmission, "This young man's resurrection jutsu is very powerful. He has placed a significant restriction on both Tobirama and me. I can briefly resist his control, but I'm worried he'll alter the control formula in my mind. Once he completely strips away my consciousness, it's over for me. Little girl, I'll resist the resurrection jutsu, and you help me control my body. If you can hold off Tobirama, the pressure on Monkey's side will be greatly reduced."
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1