The current situation was something the "Fourth Kazekage" had never anticipated.
The Third Hokage's refusal seemed perfectly reasonable—what else could he say?
He had no particular thoughts on the matter. If he had already killed the father, why would he care about the son? It had nothing to do with him—they could figure it out themselves.
He glanced at Sunagakure's Jonin, Baki, silently urging him to come up with an excuse, even if it was completely unreasonable.
Baki racked his brain for a solution.
The situation was akin to two nations preparing for war, sharpening their blades, only for one side's vanguard to be wiped out by a few villagers out for a stroll. It was beyond embarrassing.
Should they still fight? And how?
As the team leader for Gaara, Temari, and the others, the thirty-year-old Baki had participated in the Great Ninja War and possessed keen insight.
The Five Elements Seal couldn't be dismissed as weak just because it was used by a Genin. On the contrary, it was an extremely advanced sealing technique.
Aside from the Puppet Technique, which was a unique path, Sunagakure lagged behind Konoha in ninja techniques, genjutsu, and body techniques. Their foundational skills were far inferior. Sealing techniques, already considered high-level across ninja villages, were even more lacking—just look at the seal they used to suppress the One-Tail. The entire village's sealing techniques were mediocre at best.
Faced with the Five Elements Seal, a technique that cycled through all five chakra natures, Baki was utterly clueless. How could they undo it? He had no idea.
This was a technical challenge requiring deep knowledge. If you didn't know, you didn't know—no amount of brute force would help.
Could their own Kage undo the seal? He wasn't sure.
The Third Hokage might be smiling and saying he'd have Ino release Gaara's seal after the match, but Baki didn't believe a word of it. The old man would surely use Gaara's injuries as an excuse to stall and negotiate terms.
Under normal circumstances, negotiations would be fine. But now, with their plans already in motion, suddenly using their vanguard as a bargaining chip? That was absurd!
A great actor might not be a great politician, but a great politician was always a great actor.
The Third Hokage's reputation as a seasoned political operator was well-known across all ninja villages. While he couldn't outright detain Sunagakure's Jinchuriki, delaying for ten days or half a month was entirely possible. But was this the time for delays? They couldn't afford even a day—an hour was too long. Without their Tailed Beast, what kind of fight could they even put up?
Baki was caught in a dilemma.
After the Tailed Beast was sealed, the match took a sharp turn.
Gaara's own chakra was already inferior to Ino's, forcing him to rely on the sand from his gourd for defense.
Ino moved at blinding speed with the Body Flicker Technique, her movements too fast for Gaara to track. One moment, she seemed to be on his left—but as he turned, a vicious uppercut slammed into his chin.
The impact sent him flying over four meters into the air.
As he was about to hit the ground, Ino reached out, gripping his neck with five fingers that steadily tightened.
Gaara stood at just 1.46 or 1.47 meters, a full head shorter than the 1.65-meter-tall Ino. Now suspended midair, his feet dangling, he looked even smaller and frailer.
The Sunagakure ninjas exchanged bewildered glances. Never had they imagined that the monster from their own village would be utterly crushed by a mere Genin from Konoha—and so brutally at that. With their meager strength, could they really defeat Konoha?
"Just surrender. You're no match for me," Ino declared.
Gaara's current weaknesses were glaringly obvious. The water bubbles neutralized his sand, and with his One-Tail sealed away, any decently skilled taijutsu user could easily overpower him. What was the point of empty threats?
Strangely, Gaara found himself unusually calm. The monster within him still roared, but the seal held firm, like an impenetrable wall separating them. For the first time in years, he experienced tranquility—ironically, on the battlefield of Konoha.
"I won't surrender," he stated firmly, his voice devoid of the usual hysteria. Ino could already glimpse the stubborn resolve of the future Fifth Kazekage in him.
Was this the bearing of a Kage? Impressive. Very spirited!
Grabbing Gaara by his red hair, Ino delivered a devastating straight punch to his face. Gaara grimaced in pain as he was sent flying. Before he could hit the ground, Ino appeared behind him, her right leg whipping around in a brutal roundhouse kick aimed at his neck.
In a desperate last-ditch defense, sand from his gourd automatically surged to protect him, but the hasty shield shattered instantly. The force of the kick sent Gaara sprawling over ten meters away. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he struggled to push himself up, his arms trembling, unable to rise.
"Surrender, Gaara! Just surrender!" Temari, ever the caring sister, ignored the village's plans and the disapproving glares of the Suna ninjas, shouting from the competitors' seats.
"I won't lose... I can't lose. Mother... Yashamaru... Father... I can't lose! Monster, give me your power—now!" Gaara screamed inwardly. Shukaku, the One-Tail, roared in response, but the Five Elements Seal blocked every attempt.
From a distance, Jiraiya watched through his binoculars, shuddering at the sight of Ino pummeling Gaara. The boy was pitiful.
The Jonin and clan heads in the stands were equally stunned. Their eyes darted between Ino, who was thrashing a Jinchuriki, and their own children. A wave of sympathy washed over them. We've underestimated the pressure you're under. We understand now—it must be tough for you.
Shikamaru shot Shikaku a complicated look. See? I've told you a hundred times, but you never believed me. Now you get it, don't you? Do you finally realize how much pressure I'm under? I'm the one getting dragged into this madness the most!
"Hmm?" Ino sensed the Tailed Beast within Gaara struggling against the seal. The hostility in Gaara's aura was rapidly fading—had the two reached an understanding? Was Gaara now calmly accepting the Tailed Beast's chakra? Had her beating forced them into an alliance?
Whatever. Might as well collect some Tailed Beast chakra while I'm at it.
Abandoning taijutsu, Ino swiftly formed hand seals, channeling all her chakra.
"Water Release: Super Exploding Water Shockwave!"
Ino had made comparisons—her current Stamina Stat of 9 was equivalent to three Tsunades, six Asumas, or over a dozen Kakashis.
Her Chakra was overwhelmingly abundant. With just two Hand Seals, she drew a massive amount of physical energy from her cells, merging it with spiritual energy. The vast Chakra then underwent water-nature transformation, and the resulting torrent from the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave grew even more immense, as if a colossal gate had appeared out of thin air, summoning seawater directly from the ocean.