But was quickly overwhelmed by more black-clad Ninja.
"Ino! Choji!"
Shikamaru tried to use Shadow Imitation Jutsu to restrain some of the pursuers.
But more kunai shot from tricky angles,
Forcing him and his teammates to constantly dodge, and the distance between them grew wider.
"Don't mind us! Break through first!"
Asuma's roar came from another direction.
But he himself was entangled by at least ten Ninja.
His Flying Swallow Chakra Blades danced impenetrably,
Yet he found it difficult to break free for a while.
Ino gritted her teeth.
She knew she couldn't keep this up!
A black-clad Ninja swung a sword, and Ino's eyes narrowed.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Her spirit instantly invaded the opponent's body,
Controlling the Ninja's movements.
She made the sword in his hand suddenly turn and slash at his own companion.
Taking advantage of this sudden chaos and brief obstruction,
Ino didn't hesitate for a moment.
She turned on her tiptoes, Chakra gathering at the soles of her feet,
And leaped onto a higher palace wall!
"Over there! Don't let her escape!"
The black-clad Ninja below immediately noticed, and several shuriken whistled after her!
Ino didn't look back.
Her figure rapidly weaved through the complex rooftops.
As a reconnaissance Ninja, her perception and agility were high.
She relied on her keen insight to find footholds and cover.
She only had one thought now.
Escape first!
Only by saving her life could she figure out a way to save her Teacher and companions!
However, the size of the palace and the strictness of its guards far exceeded her imagination.
No matter which direction she turned,
There always seemed to be new black-clad Ninja appearing,
Forcing her to repeatedly change her route.
She scurried around the vast palace complex like a headless fly.
To avoid the increasing number of pursuers,
She could only hide in places with fewer people and seemingly more secluded.
Unbeknownst to her,
She stumbled into a tranquil courtyard.
Here, it was as if the shouts of battle outside belonged to a different world.
Exotic flowers and plants, small bridges over flowing water, an extremely elegant arrangement... Ino leaned against a corridor pillar, panting heavily.
She vigilantly surveyed her surroundings.
There seemed to be no guards here?
Perhaps... she could hide here temporarily.
And then find a way to leave after she recovered her stamina?
Just as she slightly relaxed her guard,
"Search! Search carefully! She definitely hasn't run far! Don't miss a single room!"
Clear shouts and dense footsteps came from outside the courtyard, rapidly approaching!
Ino's face instantly turned pale.
Oh no!
She was surrounded!
Although this courtyard was elegant,
It lacked sufficient cover!
Seeing the sounds of the search getting closer and closer,
She was burning with anxiety, kunai in hand.
She was already prepared to fight to the death!
Just at this critical moment!
"Creak..."
A delicate wooden door behind her, which had been tightly shut, suddenly opened a crack from the inside!
A fair, slender, yet slightly trembling hand suddenly reached out,
And grabbed Ino's wrist!
Ino was scared out of her wits, instinctively about to counterattack!
"Don't make a sound! Come in quickly!"
An extremely familiar, yet undeniably weak and anxious female voice whispered!
This voice?
Ino froze instantly.
Her resisting movements stopped immediately.
She looked back in disbelief, through the door crack.
Her eyes met a pair of red eyes that she knew intimately, now filled with complex emotions.
Teacher Kurenai?
There was no time to think.
The hand pulled hard, and Ino was involuntarily dragged inside the door!
"Bang!"
The wooden door silently and quickly closed behind her.
Almost at the same time the door closed,
A team of black-clad Ninja rushed into the courtyard.
Their vigilant gazes swept over every corner.
"Strange? I clearly felt she escaped this way?"
"Search carefully! See if there are any secret rooms or hidden passages!"
The sounds of searching from outside faintly drifted in.
Inside the door, however, there was a deathly silence and the suppressed breathing of two women.
Ino's heart was still pounding.
She used the faint light filtering through the door crack.
Finally, she saw the person who had pulled her... It really was Teacher Kurenai!
But the Teacher Kurenai before her made Ino feel an inexplicable sense of dread and unfamiliarity.
Her face was deathly pale, without a trace of color.
Her eyes were filled with exhaustion, fear,
And a kind of... deep sorrow and humiliation that Ino couldn't understand?
Even Kurenai Yuhi's steps were a bit unsteady, as if she had just experienced some great pain and exertion.
She could only barely lean against the wall to support herself.
"Yuhi... Teacher Kurenai? It really is you! It's so good that you're alright!"
Ino suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, excitedly whispered, tears almost gushing out:
"Asuma and we came to rescue you!"
"And Shikamaru and Choji! They..."
Kurenai Yuhi, however, suddenly reached out a finger and pressed it against Ino's lips, signaling her to be silent.
Her fingers were cold, with a slight tremor.
Kurenai Yuhi's eyes anxiously looked towards the door,
Carefully listening to the movements outside.
Only when the sounds of searching footsteps seemed to gradually recede did she slightly relax.
But the tension in her body did not ease at all.
She turned her head and looked at Ino.
Those red eyes, once full of confidence and gentleness, now held only endless bitterness and panic.
She lowered her voice, speaking in a whisper:
"Ino... you shouldn't have come..."
"This place... is hell..."
"Go quickly! While you still can! Leave here immediately!"
...41 Ino: Teacher Kurenai, why am I suddenly so hot?
Ino evidently did not fully comprehend the unfathomable fear in Kurenai Yuhi's eyes, and the desperate undertone in her words.
She only saw that Teacher Kurenai was alive.
Her heart was filled with immense relief and worry.
"Teacher Kurenai, it's really great that you're alright!"
"But why do you look so pale? Are you injured?"