Toppling the God Tree wasn't the end of the matter. Even after Kaguya Otsutsuki was sealed and until Ashura inherited the leadership of Ninshu, remnants of the God Tree's roots continued to absorb the earth's energy across the world. The Sage of Six Paths tasked Ashura and Indra with eliminating these lingering roots. The God Tree was so vast that its roots spread across the entire world. After the era of Ninshu and the Warring States period, it wasn't surprising that some remnants still existed.
Initially, Ino had thought the Hero Water was inferior to Choji's Chili Pill. But after seeing this massive tree root, she began to reconsider.
The water might still be lacking, but the value of this tree root was immense.
Ino wasn't planning to seize it outright. Instead, she intended to study it herself when the time was right and her knowledge was sufficient.
The village appeared somewhat dilapidated. Holes could be seen in the sides of some houses, and bloodstains were visible on the ground. No matter how lazy the villagers were, they wouldn't ignore such signs. There was only one explanation: the village had been attacked by traitors.
Due to their swift journey, the sounds of battle could still be heard deep within the village.
In an era where overpowered abilities weren't rampant and everyone relied on hand seals to perform Ninja techniques, gathering intelligence on the enemy was the most crucial aspect of any battle, bar none.
They knew the enemy's information, but the enemy didn't know theirs. They were prepared, while the enemy wasn't. This alone gave them a fifty percent advantage.
Led by Kawaragi, the three of them arrived at the battlefield.
The civilians of the Hidden Waterfall Village were gathered inside a large three-story building, with a few ninjas desperately defending the entrance against the enemy.
Using her sensing ability, Ino observed that there were about two hundred civilians here, mostly elderly and children. There were also large numbers of civilians in the northeast and southeast directions of the village.
Their timing for the rescue couldn't have been better.
At that moment, a ninja spotted Kawaragi and immediately shouted, "Kawaragi, you idiot! Why did you come back? Don't worry about us! Run! Go find Kaede to save us!"
The other injured ninjas also cursed, urging Kawaragi to flee.
Ino and Kurenai didn't seem intimidating, so they were automatically ignored.
"Teacher Kurenai, I have a new technique I'd like to test out later," Ino said.
Kurenai had heard a lot about Ino from Asuma and knew her Ninja Skill level was extremely high. After a moment of thought, she agreed, "Alright, give it a try. If it doesn't work, just call for me."
With a Jonin backing her up, Ino felt quite confident.
The only one who wasn't at ease was Kawaragi.
Kurenai cast a Genjutsu, disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Hahaha—Kawaragi, my dear disciple, you've finally returned!" A man with spiky hair and a yellow cloth wrapped around his forehead slowly emerged. Behind him were over a dozen ninjas, their forehead protectors indicating they were from the Hidden Rain Village.
Kawaragi clenched and unclenched his fist three times. "Suien! The Hidden Waterfall Village has never wronged you. Why would you do something so despicable?"
He pointed at the surrounding villagers. "Betraying the village, betraying the comrades who trusted you, bringing the Hidden Rain ninjas into the village—don't you feel any guilt at all?"
Suien sneered coldly, "Companions? Your father's lies are nothing but sweet words. In this world, only power is eternal! Kid, hand over the Hero Water to me! I'll leave immediately, how about that?"
Kawaragi glanced at Ino, signaling that it was her turn to act and not just stand there. "Do we need to keep this guy alive?" Ino asked in a low voice, pointing at Suien in the distance.
Kawaragi was momentarily stunned. Were the Genin from the Hidden Leaf Village always this bold? Suien was a Jonin from our Hidden Waterfall Village! And you're asking if we need to keep him alive?
After a moment of thought, he gritted his teeth and said, "No need to hold back, kill him."
Ino then pointed at the Ninja wearing the Hidden Rain Village forehead protectors, "What about those guys?"
Kawaragi had no sympathy for the invaders, "Kill them all!"
It was only then that Suien and the Ninja from the Hidden Rain Village noticed Ino. They were first taken aback, then burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA—Kawaragi, you're a bit smarter than I thought. You actually went to the Hidden Leaf Village for reinforcements? But, HAHAHA, you really crack me up!"
Suien had arrived a bit late and hadn't seen Kurenai. He sneered viciously, "At least you should have hired a Chunin, right? You actually hired a kid? Is this a Genin from the Hidden Leaf Village?!"
Several Ninja from the Hidden Rain Village also laughed heartily. The Ninja and villagers from the Hidden Waterfall Village didn't laugh; they had seen Kurenai earlier and thought that the Hidden Leaf Ninja was using the young Genin as bait while she herself was hiding in the shadows.
Amidst their laughter, there was a faint sound of air being pierced. The "whoosh" was still in the distance, but the water arrow propelled by pressure had already reached them.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Suien was the first to be hit. The Jonin from the Hidden Waterfall Village didn't see the water arrow coming and hadn't anticipated this kind of attack. He relied on his instincts honed over years of training and rolled to the left just before the Water Severing Wave arrived.
His life-saving instincts saved him as Ino's Water Severing Wave sliced towards his right.
The condensed water Chakra, driven by high pressure, was like an extremely sharp sword.
A tall Ninja wearing a Hidden Rain Village forehead protector was cut in half at the waist. The smile was still on his face as his upper body slowly tilted backward, while his lower half remained standing straight.
The Water Severing Wave was incredibly fast, like a silver thread. Ino merely tilted her head, and the silver thread passed through the bodies of seven Ninja, either at the neck or the spine. In an instant, all seven fell into a pool of blood.
The scene of the bloody carnage and the dismembered bodies scared Kawaragi so much that he fell over on the spot. The villagers and Ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village, as well as the Ninja from the Hidden Rain Village, weren't as panicked, but several who had thought the Hidden Leaf Genin was just a pushover were now horrified. Half of their forces had been wiped out in an instant.
Suien, the Jonin from the Hidden Waterfall Village, had some experience and didn't scream hysterically. Instead, he hid behind a tree with a grim expression, holding a Kunai in reverse grip, contemplating his next move.
He reacted quickly, but the other ninjas weren't as skilled. These ninjas from the Hidden Rain Village had actually fled from Pain and were utterly terrified, reduced to nothing more than stray dogs.
When they encountered a ninja technique they had never seen before and couldn't comprehend, their first thought was of the god-like figures from their own village.
These guys weren't much in a fight, but they did have some skill in escaping.
They scattered in all directions, making it difficult for Ino's Water Severing Wave to chase and cut them down.