Konoha's 30th Training Ground.
Sakiya stood firmly, gripping a long sword in her hand, her gaze locked onto Ino with serious intensity.
"Hoo~"
Ino exhaled steadily, then snapped her eyes open, a sharp glint flashing within them.
"Bring it on!"
Sakiya nodded firmly, tightening her grip on the sword before swinging it down at Ino with force.
As the blade neared, Ino's brows furrowed and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Then—**at the last moment—**she abruptly stepped back.
CLANG!
The sword struck the ground with a crisp metallic ring.
Ino stared wide-eyed at the blade lying near her feet, a flicker of surprise on her face.
Sakiya, too, seemed a bit startled as she hurriedly tossed the sword aside.
"Hey, Ino, are you okay?"
Ino shook her head, then shot Sakiya a weary look.
"Sakiya … what were you thinking just now when you swung that sword?"
Sakiya blinked, tilting her head.
"Huh? I dunno. I just felt like swinging it, so I did… just casually."
"Oh~"
Ino rubbed her temples in thought.
"So basically… there was no real intent behind your attack? You just swung it without even processing it in your mind? Is that why my technique didn't work on you?"
She sighed and shook her head.
"Sakiya … I don't think this technique will work on you."
Sakiya blinked again. "Huh?"
Ino sighed again. "Because I can't read any of your actions."
Sakiya puffed up her cheeks.
"Of course! My 'Eye of Death' protects me from negative interference! No silly little ninjutsu can compare to the power of my eye!"
"Oh~"
Ino suddenly raised her hand and made a fist in front of Sakiya.
Sakiya stared at it curiously.
Then—flick!
A single finger flicked forward, smacking Sakiya square on the forehead.
"Owwww…!"
Sakiya instantly clutched her forehead, eyes squeezed shut as tears welled up.
"Ugh… it hurts…"
Ino calmly retracted her finger.
"Looks like your 'Eye of Death' didn't see that one coming."
"Too mean…!" Sakiya rubbed her forehead, looking thoroughly betrayed.
Ino, however, remained unfazed.
"I'll buy you dango later."
Instantly, Sakiya perked up, her eyes sparkling with rainbow-colored excitement.
"Really?!"
_____________________
Training Ground – One Hour Later
Sakiya sat happily on the sidelines, holding two small boxes and munching on dango skewers.
Meanwhile, in the training ground, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji stood together, preparing for practice.
Ino glanced at the content foodie beside her and sighed helplessly before turning to her teammates.
"Thanks for taking the time to help me train, guys."
Shikamaru yawned lazily.
"Not like I had anything better to do... I'd just be napping anyway."
Chōji grinned. "Come on, Ino, no need to thank us—we're friends, right?"
Ino nodded seriously. "Alright, let's get started!"
Shikamaru and Chōji hesitated.
"Ino… what exactly are we supposed to do?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I need you both to attack me seriously. If you hold back, this training won't mean anything."
Ino's voice was firm, her expression serious.
Shikamaru and Chōji exchanged glances, silently communicating.
Believe in our friend.
A moment later, their eyes sharpened with determination.
"Alright… here we go!"
Shikamaru and Chōji charged in from both sides.
At that moment, Ino closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Calm your heart. Stay focused.
Be as still as water.
——Ninja Art: Mind's Eye!——
Open!
It felt as if an invisible eye had awakened within her mind. Through this "eye," she could sense Shikamaru and Chōji's movements—even their very thoughts.
Shikamaru lunged first, kunai aimed at Ino's shoulder.
At the same time, Chōji clenched his fist and swung a powerful punch.
They didn't hold back—but deep inside, both of them thought the same thing:
[Ino, dodge this!]
And she did.
With a slight shift in her stance, Ino effortlessly avoided both attacks.
Shikamaru and Chōji, caught off guard, stumbled slightly. Then, their eyes widened in surprise.
"You did it!"
Ino exhaled, relieved, then smiled.
"Not yet—it's too soon to celebrate. Now, let's move on to continuous attacks!"
Chōji and Shikamaru exchanged looks, confidence growing in their hearts.
"Alright! Let's go!"
"Bring it on!"
Swish! Swish!
Shikamaru and Chōji launched a relentless assault on Ino, their attacks swift and coordinated.
Shikamaru's kunai cut through the air in sharp arcs, while Chōji followed up with a barrage of powerful punches.
But Ino was untouchable.
She moved like a slippery autumn loach, dodging each attack with minimal effort—evading every strike by mere inches.
It was precise. Elegant. Breathtaking.
A perfect balance of grace and danger.
Watching from the sidelines, Sakiya's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"This is awesome!" she cheered, her enthusiasm so overwhelming that she shoved three more bites of dango into her mouth.
While it looked effortless, Ino was starting to struggle.
The mental strain of tracking two opponents at once was pushing her to her limit.
Sweat dripped down her forehead, her breath growing heavier.
She barely managed to sidestep two more attacks before executing a small backflip, gaining some much-needed distance.
Shikamaru and Chōji also paused, wiping the sweat from their brows.
Then, they grinned.
"That was amazing, Ino!"
"Seriously, that technique of yours is incredible!"
Ino smiled, though she tried to play it cool.
"It's still not perfect… nothing special yet."
But despite her words, her sparkling eyes betrayed her excitement.
As she caught her breath, Ino's gaze drifted to Sakiya.
Something was… off.
Sakiya was frantically stuffing the last dango skewer into her mouth—cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.
Then—disaster.
Her eyes widened. Her face turned red.
She slapped her throat, struggling to swallow.
She was choking.
Ino's eye twitched.
Rushing over, she patted Sakiya's back until, finally—
Pop!
The offending dango flew out of her mouth.
Sakiya lowered her head, clearly devastated.
Ino frowned and gently asked, "You okay, Sakiya?"
Sakiya looked up, teary-eyed.
"Waaah… Ino… my dango fell!"
Ino's expression went flat.
Then—without hesitation—she bonked Sakiya on the head with a hand chop.
Thud!
"Oww…"
Sakiya clutched her head, eyes watering as she looked up at Ino with pure betrayal.
"M-my Eye of Death…" she whimpered.
Ino crossed her arms. "The Eye of Death doesn't need dango!"
Sakiya's eyes widened in horror.
From the side, Shikamaru and Chōji exchanged uneasy glances.
Was it just them, or was Ino bullying a child?
"Uh… Ino?" Chōji hesitated.
Before he could continue, a strange chill filled the air.
A low, eerie chuckle broke the silence.
"Hehe… hehe… HAHAHA!"
Everyone froze.
Sakiya tilted her head down, her hair covering her eyes as she continued laughing ominously.
Then—she snapped her head up!
"The Eye of Death… OPEN!"
WHOOSH!
A massive magic circle suddenly unfolded beneath them, radiating an ominous glow.
Sakiya tore off her blindfold, revealing her shining left eye as she pointed dramatically at Ino.
"Ino! Heir to the Dark Emperor! You are my fated enemy!"
"Here and now, I declare an UNPRECEDENTED HOLY WAR!"
"DO YOU DARE ACCEPT?!"
Ino, completely expressionless, reached into her bag and calmly pulled out…
A bento box.
"Hey, dango?"
Sakiya froze.
The air stilled.
The magic circle vanished.
The dramatic tension evaporated in an instant.
With a single bound, Sakiya lunged for the bento box.
Only…
Ino didn't let go.
Sakiya bared her tiny fangs, scowling. "Isn't this supposed to be my compensation?!"
Ino smirked and released it.
But Sakiya, caught off guard, stumbled backwards and fell on her butt.
Still, she recovered quickly and eagerly opened the box.
Only to find…
Empty skewers.
The dango was gone.
Ultimate Betrayal
A few seconds of silence.
Then—
"INO!!!"
Ino burst into laughter and took off running.
Sakiya sprang up, eyes blazing.
"Curse you, Dark Emperor! I was a fool to trust you! The Eye of Death will have its revenge!"
She sprinted after her, shouting curses.
Shikamaru and Chōji watched the two girls disappear into the distance, leaving a trail of dust and chaos.
A long pause.
Then—
"They… get along well, huh?" Shikamaru muttered.
Chōji nodded. "Yeah… girls' friendships are like this, right?"
A beat of silence.
"Yeah, I still don't understand girls."
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