Ino continuously detonated water bubbles with a series of "pop-pop" sounds. However, these bubbles were nowhere near as potent as Deidara's clay bombs. Their primary effect came from the corrosive splash after explosion, which eroded Gaara's sand over a wider area. Gaara had erected three layers of shields. By the time the third layer was corroded, the sand from the first layer had already dried, creating a cycle that drastically reduced the effectiveness of the water bubble technique.
Gaara's face twisted into a snarl as he glared at Ino, his heart filled with malice. The more beautiful something was, the more he wanted to destroy it.
Why do you all get to live so well while I suffer in hell?
His hatred was so intense that Ino immediately sensed the overwhelming killing intent and decided to hold back no longer.
She shot forward like an arrow, delivering a straightforward Superhuman Strength Fist without any fancy moves.
Gaara was completely outmatched in Body techniques, Strength Stat, and Speed Stat—especially the latter two.
Before he could even process what was happening, Ino's fist blasted a massive hole through his Sand Shield, already weakened by the water bubbles.
Shifting her fist into a claw, she gripped Gaara's collar with brute force and yanked him straight out of his sand barrier.
With one hand clutching his neck and the other gripping the cloth strap of the gourd on his back, she lifted him horizontally into the air.
With a fierce shout, she drove her knee into his stomach, sending the future Fifth Kazekage flying over three meters high. Midair, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Gritting his teeth, Gaara realized her speed surpassed his. He swung his right hand, attempting to ensnare her limbs with fine sand to restrict her movement.
Ino stomped the ground hard, stepping out of the sand's grasp before it could close around her. Her body arched like a drawn bow as she raised her left leg high.
Gaara had seen this move earlier when she struck Temari. Now, trapped midair with no way to dodge, he could only cross his arms to shield his face.
"Heaven Kick of Pain!"
Ino's left foot came crashing down onto Gaara's arms with devastating force, instantly shattering his wrist and forearm bones. Forced to tap into his Tailed Beast Chakra to heal, he had no time to recover before Ino struck again.
Not waiting for him to land, she pivoted and lunged forward, seizing his wrist and pulling him toward her. Then, clenching her left fist, she swung outward in a lightning-fast punch.
"Superhuman Strength Fist!"
The punch landed squarely on Gaara's left cheek, sending him stumbling back seven or eight meters. Chunks of sand flaked off his face as he struggled to stay upright.
In a desperate move, he activated his Sand Armor, barely mitigating most of the damage from the blow.
"You dare glare at me?"
"You want me dead?"
"Still not convinced?!"
Ino's fists rained down like a storm. Gaara tried to counter, but his Body techniques were utterly pathetic. In all her years, Ino had never seen anyone worse at hand-to-hand combat. Do you even train at all?
Used to being on the receiving end of Body techniques, facing someone even weaker than herself filled her with an indescribable thrill.
Pummeling this literal "sandbag" with bone-crushing blows, the stress relief was incredible. The pressure Orochimaru had placed on her diminished by more than half.
Gaara never expected her Body techniques to improve so drastically. His original plan—standing firm and exchanging Ninja techniques—was now completely useless.
He tried to throw punches in retaliation, but Ino, having trained under Tsunade for a month, gave him no openings. She kept Gaara within her two-meter close-combat range, relentlessly pummeling him. Whenever his dry sand surged to defend him, Ino eroded it with water bubbles before continuing her assault.
On the platform, Temari and Kankuro were frantic, yet powerless to intervene.
High up in the stands, the "Fourth Kazekage" was equally disappointed. No wonder Sunagakure has become the disgrace of the Five Great Ninja Villages. This is utterly pathetic. Is this the same fearsome Jinchuriki who was so ruthless before? My son, whom I once spoke of with such disdain, is now being used as a punching bag?
He knew Ino still had one particularly "overwhelming" technique in reserve—she was currently fighting with her weaknesses against the enemy.
All preparations for the Konoha Crush Plan were complete, and at this moment, he couldn't interfere. He could only watch patiently.
Ino battered Gaara for three minutes straight, his body continuously regenerating through the Tailed Beast Chakra.
Midway through the beating, Gaara even sneered coldly, as if taunting her—Go ahead, try to kill me! If you can't finish me now, I'll make sure you regret it later!
Ino couldn't kill him in this setting, but the Tailed Beast's regenerative abilities were starting to grate on her.
Oh, so you think you can push your luck with me?
Water, Earth, and Wind—three chakra natures simultaneously gathered at her fingertips. Then, replacing Lightning with Yin and Fire with Yang, Ino tore open Gaara's shirt without hesitation. Her right hand formed a claw, five fingers infused with five different chakra natures, and she drove them straight into the frail boy's stomach like branding irons.
"Five Elements Seal!"
The five fingers pierced through his flesh like molten spikes. Gaara screamed—a pain he hadn't felt in years.
"AH—!"
The Five Elements Seal severed over half of Gaara's connection to the Tailed Beast inside him, drastically reducing his regeneration.
Temari and Kankuro exchanged horrified glances.
"That wild boar—no, that Konoha Kunoichi… Is she trying to seal the monster inside Gaara?" Temari muttered in disbelief.
Sealing techniques, unsealing techniques—in her mind, these were tasks reserved for village elders and Jonin. She never imagined her opponent from half an hour ago possessed such profound mastery of ninjutsu.
Naruto clutched his head, squinting as he watched. Ino's movements felt eerily familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen them before.
Up in the stands, the Sunagakure Jonin grew restless. Damn it, the Tailed Beast's been sealed? How are we supposed to launch our attack now? We can't just slink back home empty-handed! What would we even say? That a Genin from Konoha scared us with her sealing technique, and we didn't dare move a muscle?
While the Sunagakure ninja didn't recognize the specific sealing technique, the "Fourth Kazekage" identified it instantly—the Five Elements Seal. He knew this technique himself.
Now, he couldn't just stand by. He had to lodge a protest on behalf of Sunagakure.
"Your village's sealing techniques are truly impressive," he remarked to the Third Hokage.
Even he couldn't in good conscience call this a low-level ninja technique. After offering a few words of praise, he abruptly changed his tone: "Isn't it inappropriate for your village's ninja to seal the One-Tail like this?"
The Third's smile was dripping with humblebragging: "Sealing techniques are also ninja techniques. As far as I recall, the Chunin Exams don't prohibit the use of sealing techniques, do they? Since Ino knows how to use it, we can't very well stop her now, can we? I'll have her release the seal after the match, so you needn't worry, Lord Kazekage."
I'm not reassured at all!
The "Fourth Kazekage" felt that today's grand spectacle hadn't even properly begun before encountering this strange and completely unforeseen complication.