Ino convinced Kakashi with two reasons: "Injuries affect a ninja's combat ability" and "Protecting comrades."
He thought for a moment and said seriously, "Since you've made up your mind, I'll recommend you to Lord Jiraiya. Hopefully, he can put in a good word with Lady Tsunade. But..." He scratched his head and laughed, "Haha, don't get your hopes up too much. My influence might not be enough."
Your influence will definitely work! Ino was absolutely convinced of this.
Lady Tsunade didn't just accept anyone. If Sakura hadn't formed bonds with Naruto and Sasuke, Tsunade wouldn't have even glanced at her. Ino couldn't find such a bond, so she had to find another way.
At this stage, before Jiraiya had officially acknowledged Naruto, Kakashi's requests to Jiraiya would mostly be granted as long as they weren't too against his principles. After all, Naruto was his disciple's student—essentially family. Once Jiraiya took things seriously, Lady Tsunade would also give him face.
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."
"Ah? Oh, no need to be so polite."
The improved relations between the Hidden Leaf Village and Kirigakure Village led to a surge in trade between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Many small ninja villages sent ninjas to gather intelligence. Hanare wasn't the first, nor would she be the last.
The Hidden Leaf Village had already planned to showcase its strength, and now they couldn't back down.
Over in Team 7, Naruto and Sasuke's relationship remained unchanged, while the close-knit Team 10 had already learned that the village would host a large-scale Chunin Exam in early July this year.
The village had begun sending formal notices to its allies, inviting them to send Genin to participate in the exam.
There was still about a month left before the exam.
Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza had all explicitly ordered their children to participate in this Chunin Exam. One of the mandatory requirements for participating was completing eight ninja mission assignments.
Weeding, finding cats, locating people, exterminating bandits, wiping out the Black Hoe Clan, and missions in Kirigakure Village—Ino had completed three D-rank missions, one C-rank mission, one B-rank mission, and one A-rank mission.
There was no such thing as splitting an A-rank mission into three B-rank missions. One mission was one mission. Even if she killed Uchiha Madara now, it would still count as one mission.
According to the rules, to participate in the Chunin Exam, she still needed to complete two more missions.
Missions weren't available every day. The common folk were too poor to constantly hire ninjas for tasks—how would they eat? At this time, everyone was scrambling to take missions, and the village ensured fairness and justice in this regard. Even with Asuma's connections, it took three days for Team 10 to secure a D-rank mission.
It was the kind of work Orochimaru had once done—feeding pigs!
Choji didn't like this mission and kept grumbling. The way he looked at the pigs was off, and the way the pigs looked at him was equally unsettling. Ino didn't like it either. A few days ago, while practicing medical ninja techniques, she had knocked out a pig with a stick and then used medical ninjutsu to "heal" it to death. Since then, the pigs—big, small, and old—had been giving her the stink eye.
Worried that the young lady and the chubby young master might end up fighting with the pigs, the task of feeding them fell to Shikamaru, the wealthy young master.
Ino and Choji sat nearby, snacking and cheering on Shikamaru as he fed the pigs, when Asuma came to call Ino.
"Ino, consider this D-rank mission completed. Head over to the Hokage Building; the old man has another task for you."
"Am I going alone?"
"No, you'll likely be paired with Kurenai." Yuhi Kurenai was the Jonin leader of Team 8, which included Hinata, and she was also Asuma's girlfriend.
The two teams often gathered together for barbecues, so they were quite familiar with each other.
This female Jonin, Yuhi Kurenai, had lost her father during the Nine-Tails' rampage. Her father's name was quite peculiar—Shinku Yuhi. Ino couldn't help but wonder if Kurenai's grandfather was named Shinshinku Yuhi? Upon arriving at the Hokage Building, Ino saw Kurenai and Hinata, as well as a female ninja dressed in a pink blouse and black trousers.
Ino recognized her, as she was only a year ahead of them, and they often crossed paths. However, they hadn't interacted much. Ino greeted her politely, "Senior Tenten."
Tenten waved her hand with a smile, "It feels strange to be called 'senior' by a genius like you. We're only a year apart, and we're on this mission together. Just call me by my name."
"Alright."
The four kunoichi waited for a while, and soon the Third Hokage called them into his office.
The familiar interior decor, the familiar faces. The Third Hokage had been handling official duties for many years, and unlike during Tsunade's era, he wasn't as busy. Various missions were arranged in an orderly manner.
The Third Hokage handed the mission scroll to Kurenai.
Kurenai examined it carefully, then nodded and stored the scroll away.
The Third Hokage provided them with a mission briefing: "Hanare claims to be from Jomae Village, but we don't know where this village is located. We can't even be sure if she's telling the truth."
He exhaled a puff of smoke, "Hanare says she knows the addresses of several Jomae Village contacts and wants to find these people for her village. Your mission is simple: follow her and see who she meets and where she goes."
Sending male ninjas wasn't out of the question, but it was often inconvenient. Except for the likes of Jiraiya and Naruto, most male ninjas weren't willing to 'gather information' in places like women's baths. Kakashi, the current most suitable successor embodying the Will of Fire, was nearing seventy, and the Third Hokage had to consider the relationship between Hanare and Kakashi very carefully. Thus, he decided to send these four kunoichi to track her.
Even if they encountered enemies, with Kurenai's Genjutsu, Ino's ninja techniques, Hinata's Byakugan, and Tenten's array of ninja tools, they could retreat unscathed.
"Go ahead."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Ino returned home, left a note about her mission, grabbed her gear, and bid farewell to her friend who was still feeding the pigs. She then hurried to the village entrance.
The other three kunoichi hadn't arrived yet, so Ino chatted with Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, boasting about being 'ganged up on' by the Kirigakure trio. They talked about how Kirigakure was despicable and petty, and the conversation was quite lively.
The first to arrive was Yuhi Kurenai, followed by Tenten, and finally Hinata, who was carrying a large backpack.
Actually, it wasn't that Hinata's backpack was particularly large, but her petite stature made it seem so.
As Ino's Chakra surged, her Body techniques, strength, and other attributes improved accordingly. Over the past half year, she had grown 10 centimeters taller, now standing at 1.65 meters. Her purple shorts naturally exuded a seductive charm, while her smooth calves and open-toed sandals accentuated her long, slender legs.
Ino's sense of style was among the best in the Ninja profession. In contrast, Hinata's height and attire made her appear youthful and somewhat bulky. With her large head and frequent shyness, often looking down, she was undeniably a pretty girl, yet she lacked any noticeable aura of beauty.