The two Jonin observed the expressions of their subordinates.
Seeing such a scene for the first time, the six of them all showed changes in their expressions. Even Sasuke, the instigator, felt a pang of remorse upon seeing the bloodshed. However, burdened by the deep-seated hatred for his family, he forcibly suppressed his emotions, stubbornly raising his chin and pursing his lips, pretending not to care.
Ino felt a strong sense of discomfort at the sight of the carnage before her. But she suppressed her weakness, constantly reminding herself that this was not her past life, nor was it some passionate anime world. This was a brutally real world of slaughter, where there was no justice. If you didn't kill, you would be killed! She glanced at her companions and noticed that Choji had stopped eating chips, and Shikamaru had closed his eyes, only to open them again after two seconds.
Sakura seemed to be holding herself together, and Naruto? Naruto's expression was particularly serious, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately held back.
The bandits were not deterred by the Great Fireball Technique. From the front gate, a large number of armed, ferocious bandits charged out. From the tops of the cliffs on both sides, several logs were thrown down. The path they had come from was also blocked by a large group of fully armed bandits. The guide, East Wind, had disappeared. It seemed they had fallen into a trap.
"These bastards won't let us live, so we won't let them leave alive!"
"What kind of ninja are they? They're just a bunch of kids. Let my blade taste some blood!"
"Taste blood with your crappy blade? Harada, are you stupid? Those two girls look so tender, much better than the women in the village who work in the fields all day. Their skin is so white it's dazzling. If we capture them, we can have some fun, hahaha—!"
The vulgar language around them grew louder. Sakura was trembling with anger, and Ino was also furious. Good, with these words as a foundation, she wouldn't feel guilty about killing.
It seemed the Third Hokage was right; these were all evil people! "Shikamaru, Choji, protect me."
"Got it."
Ino stared straight ahead, where the bandits were the most arrogant. She quickly formed hand seals: "Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive wave of water appeared out of nowhere, sweeping the bandits in front of them into the water. Faced with this ninja technique that rivaled the power of nature, the bandits' bodies were like toys, instantly swept away by the current. Those lucky enough only suffered broken bones, while the unlucky ones were slammed against the rock walls by the water. Their heads were crushed like watermelons, turning into a bloody mess.
Several bandits screamed wildly, swinging their swords at the water, only to be submerged by the waves without even a splash.
The area they were trapped in happened to be a low-lying area. While Ino was forming her hand seals, Kakashi used Earth Release to create a high platform for everyone to stand on. The endless waves first lifted the logs thrown by the bandits on both sides. Under Ino's control, the logs were squeezed by the water and hurled back like cannonballs. Then the water level rapidly rose, eventually submerging the bandits at both ends. Only then did the "Exploding Water Colliding Wave" come to a halt.
This single technique had taken out at least several dozen bandits.
Sasuke watched Ino display her prowess with a disdainful snort.
"The first gate has been breached. Team Seven, attack!" Kakashi commanded loudly.
Among Team Seven, only Sakura had practiced tree climbing. The other two hadn't undergone training in tree climbing or water walking. The water beneath their feet was about five to six meters deep. Swimming across would have been too embarrassing.
Sasuke leaped onto the left rock wall, using the force of his feet against the rock to propel himself twice, then gracefully turned mid-air and charged through the gate. Naruto followed closely behind, with Sakura bringing up the rear.
Asuma, on his side, also ordered Team Ten to attack. Ino and the others each drew their kunai and began slaughtering the bandits at the second gate.
"Die, you dogs of the Land of Fire!" A two-meter-tall bandit wielding a large axe seemed to notice Ino's slight build. He swung the axe with all his might, aiming to cut her in half.
Chakra is omnipotent! With the enhancement of chakra, the bandit's movements appeared to Ino as if in slow motion.
She raised her left foot, stepped on the axe, and used the momentum to leap up. Before the bandit could change his stance, she slashed with her kunai, severing the man's throat. The bandit clutched his neck, but blood gushed out like a fountain. His wide eyes seemed to memorize Ino's face, but darkness soon overtook him, and he lost consciousness.
Ino was killing bandits, Sasuke was killing bandits, and Shikamaru, gritting his teeth, was also using his kunai to kill bandits.
None of them used ninja techniques; instead, they resorted to the most primitive methods of slaughter.
The scent of blood stirred a trace of the Nine-Tails' power within Naruto. Seeing Sasuke killing bandits, Naruto's eyes turned slightly red, his hesitation fading. He drew his kunai and joined the slaughter.
Only Choji and Sakura remained inactive. The former couldn't bear to kill, while the latter wasn't mentally prepared.
The two Jonin watched from a distance. As long as their subordinates weren't in danger, they wouldn't intervene.
"Whew—whew—this is really exhausting!" Ino's physical stamina wasn't overly taxed, but her heart was heavy. The breathing techniques she had practiced during training were long forgotten. After personally killing the fifth bandit, she felt herself gasping for breath.
Seeing Choji and Sakura standing nervously to the side, she grabbed one fat and one thin bandit.
She threw the two bandits at Choji's feet and pulled the trembling Sakura in front of her. Ino first advised Sakura, "You heard what these guys said earlier. You should know very well what would happen to us if we weren't ninjas and fell into their hands!"
Sakura lowered her head in silence. Ino scolded, "Stand straight! Look into my eyes! You're lucky to live in the Hidden Leaf Village, to be a ninja! What about those women who weren't born in the village, who don't have ninja skills? Are they just to be trampled by bandits? Kill him! Now!"
Sakura was actually quite intelligent. She knew what she had to do, but her personality often caused her to falter at critical moments, requiring a push from external forces.
Gripping her kunai with both hands, she gritted her teeth and stabbed through the bandit's heart.
Ino waved her hand, "Alright, go on, and be careful. Choji, you, look at me!"
Choji, the kind-hearted and chubby guy, wasn't so easy to convince. Shikamaru felt that he and Choji were too close, making it awkward to say certain things, so before the battle began, he entrusted the matter to Ino.
Seeing the chubby guy lower his head and stare at his protruding belly, with an expression that seemed to say, "I'm at fault, go ahead and scold me," Ino sighed inwardly. Not only did she have to handle reconnaissance, clear out the small fry, take the lead, but now she also had to counsel her teammate. What a hassle.
She cleared her throat and said, "You know, I'm not really good with words, and I'm even worse at lecturing."