The giant bear, charging like a small mountain, suddenly came to a halt. A torrent of blood gushed from its neck, and its massive head thudded to the ground.
Seeing the bear meet its end, Karin was utterly stunned, her mind blank and devoid of any coherent thought.
Ino approached from the side, first habitually glancing at her forehead protector, then asking with a hint of resentment, "A ninja from the Grass Village? Where's your scroll? Hand it over."
Karin didn't dare move, nor did she dare pick up her glasses. Her vision was blurry, and she instinctively shook her head. "Scroll? Ah... right, the scroll. It's not with me. My companions have it. I got separated from them."
Ino didn't believe her. "You, stand up."
Karin stood up, trembling like a quail.
Ino first examined her appearance. The girl was dirty and scrawny, but her underlying features weren't bad.
Noticing her red hair, Ino asked, "Are you Karin from the Grass Village?"
"...You know me?"
"Not really. Stand straight, stop shaking."
The more Ino said this, the more Karin trembled.
Ino began searching her thoroughly—through her hair, her clothes, her pants. Nothing.
Karin's body had been filled with a post-panic heat, a result of her overly strong life force causing a physical reaction. But as Ino searched her, she felt a coldness that neutralized the heat, and she gradually calmed down.
She closed her eyes, feeling as though the girl's hands had a magical quality. When they brushed her face, she felt a cool, soothing sensation. She couldn't help but open her eyes. Even with her nearsightedness, she could see clearly at this close distance. Ino's fingers were long and flawless, like a piece of art carved from white jade.
Ino's skin was immaculately fair, her face, chin, collarbone, and arms all exquisitely refined. Every expression and gesture carried an air of authority. Karin felt ashamed of her own disheveled appearance and couldn't help but lower her head again.
After thoroughly searching Karin, Ino sighed softly. "Guess I'm out of luck. I'm not unreasonable. You can go."
Karin picked up her glasses and ran off in a panic.
Within ten seconds, Choji and Shikamaru caught up.
The three of them began examining the bear.
"I've heard bear paws are a rare delicacy. Choji, can you cook them?" Ino asked.
Choji was here for the Chunin Exams, not a mid-level chef certification. Naturally, he didn't know how to prepare bear paws. Even if he did, the size of this giant bear was absurd.
The head severed by the Water Severing Wave was taller than all three of them, and the bear paws were far larger than usual. Just lying on the ground, they were the size of a small house.
Ordinary culinary skills were useless here.
Shikamaru suggested, "Let's roast them. The flavor might not be great, but it'll fill our stomachs."
Ino had no objections, so the three of them roasted the bear paws in the forest.
Karin ran several hundred meters away, then, for reasons she couldn't explain, went to the river to wash her face and tidy her messy hair. With a mix of trepidation and hope, she circled back and returned.
Ino gave a curious glance and noticed that the girl was standing far away, so she waved her over to join them for the meal.
With such a large bear, the three of them could eat for a month and still not finish it. One more or one less mouth to feed made no difference at all.
"No, no," Karin hid behind, waving her hands repeatedly. "Do you know her?" Shikamaru asked.
Ino shook her head: "No, don't worry about her."
The three of them continued eating the roasted bear paw, paying no further attention to Karin.
Halfway through their meal, Sasuke, who had come out to fetch water, spotted the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
"What scrolls do you have?"
"What scrolls do you have?"
Both sides asked simultaneously.
Shikamaru's side took out six Scrolls of Earth, laying them out in a row. Sasuke's expression turned peculiar.
"Do you also have Scrolls of Earth?" Shikamaru asked in a questioning tone, and Sasuke nodded lightly.
All four of them looked frustrated. What kind of luck was this? This wasn't just a matter of luck anymore; it seemed like they were deliberately kept from facing each other in the second exam. No one would believe there wasn't some behind-the-scenes manipulation going on.
Since both sides had Scrolls of Earth, there was no need for a fight.
Sasuke declined Shikamaru's invitation to join them for the roasted bear paw, went to a nearby stream to fetch water, and then left alone.
Team 10 continued eating their roasted bear paw. Seeing that Karin showed no hostility, Ino called her over to join them again. Perhaps she was really starving, as after some hesitation, Karin quickly grabbed a piece of meat and sat down three meters away from them, devouring it ravenously.
As they were eating, the ground suddenly shook with a significant tremor. In the distance, a large cloud of dust rose among the trees, accompanied by the sound of trees collapsing.
This was clearly a ninja technique of immense power and scale.
Shikamaru stood on higher ground, looking into the distance.
He consulted the team's renowned ninja technique expert, the not-so-famous scout, and the not-so-famous medical ninja, Yamanaka Ino.
"Something seems to have happened over there. Is that Wind Release Ninjutsu?"
Ino examined it carefully. She also knew Wind Release, but her level was relatively low, having just reached level 2 recently. Even with a hard push of chakra, she couldn't achieve such an effect: "It should be. Judging by the scale, it's at least a B-rank technique, and the level of Wind Release is much higher than mine. It looks like it was performed by a Jonin."
Shikamaru pondered: "That much stronger than you? Could it be someone from Sunagakure? That guy with the gourd on his back?"
Ino answered cautiously: "Probably not. Although Sunagakure is in the Land of Wind, there aren't many ninjas there who use Wind Release. Only that 'plain-looking' blonde girl uses Wind Release. It must be another ninja."
Shikamaru's expression turned serious: "That direction... seems to be where Sasuke just left?"
Usually nonchalant, but deep down, Shikamaru valued his village comrades greatly. In the original timeline, when Ino went to save Sakura, he had pulled Choji's scarf, dragging his teammate along with all his might.
As for the Sasuke retrieval mission, it goes without saying. Shikamaru had exhausted every ounce of his ability.
In terms of the Will of Fire, the Yamanaka Clan had always been inferior to the Nara Clan. After Akimichi Torifu's death, the Akimichi Clan had also let the Will of Fire go to hell.
Shikamaru's feelings for his comrades and the village surpassed those of Ino and Choji.
Ino used her sensing ability to detect the surroundings. Her sensing wasn't as precise as the Byakugan, so she couldn't determine the exact strength of the Chakra, only make a rough estimate.
About three kilometers southeast of their location, she detected the Chakra signatures of the three members of Team 7, along with a slightly peculiar Chakra presence.