After the duel, Sakura looked slightly disheveled, but she hadn't sustained any serious injuries—at most, just some superficial scrapes that would naturally heal in a day or two.
After both parties performed the Seal of Reconciliation, Ino returned to her original position, grinning broadly.
"Ino, when did you get so powerful?"
"Ino, you're amazing."
After returning to his seat, Shikamaru looked at Ino, his eyes filled with astonishment.
As a member of the Nara clan, which had a close relationship with the Yamanaka clan, he knew that the Yamanaka clan possessed no impressive sword techniques, not even mediocre ones.
Now, Ino had somehow learned a set of exquisite sword techniques, which naturally left Shikamaru utterly surprised.
Choji Akimichi, however, didn't overthink it, praising Ino while munching on his chips.
Hearing Choji's praise, Ino really wanted to pat him on the shoulder.
But as she discarded the branch she was holding and reached out to pat Choji, she felt a sharp, intense ache.
"Hiss~"
The sudden soreness made Ino gasp sharply.
"What's wrong, Ino?"
"Are you okay, Ino?"
Noticing Ino's discomfort, Shikamaru and Choji quickly asked.
"I'm fine, my right arm just cramped up a bit."
"A cramp?"
Hearing it was a cramp, Shikamaru frowned and continued, "Is that the side effect of using that technique?"
Ino thought for a moment, nodded, and replied, "I think so."
"Is it serious?"
"It's not too bad. I should be fine after resting for a while."
"You should use techniques with side effects sparingly."
Having a side effect, especially a cramp, suggested two things: first, that Ino's physical fitness was insufficient to use the sword style, and second, that she hadn't fully mastered it yet.
If Ino had fully mastered it, she wouldn't have exerted herself too much and caused the cramp.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Ino hadn't anticipated that the sword style she could use freely in the game would require her to consider her physical limitations in reality.
'But, since the sword style works, what about the other martial arts?'
Ino knew that besides martial arts like sword and palm techniques, the game also featured internal cultivation methods (Neigong) and lightness skills (Qinggong).
Leaving internal cultivation aside for now, learning lightness skill would definitely boost her strength significantly.
Thinking of that magical internet cafe and the martial arts within the game, Ino wished she could immediately fly over there and play for three days and three nights straight.
"Oh, right, Shikamaru, Choji, don't say I never look out for you. Follow me after school later."
"Follow you? Where are we going? I want to go home and lie down."
"Stop complaining and just tell me if you're coming or not."
"Fine, fine, I'll go."
Shikamaru sighed helplessly. Being smart, he probably knew what Ino wanted to show him, and while he was curious about her secret, he genuinely just wanted to go home and lie down.
"Shikamaru is going, how about you, Choji?"
"I certainly have no problem with that."
"Alright then, follow me after school."
While Ino was busy persuading Shikamaru and Choji to follow her after school, she was unaware of the huge stir her fight with Sakura had caused among their classmates.
For Sasuke, who was determined to kill 'that man,' Ino's performance just now was nothing short of provocative.
Even he couldn't clearly see the sword style Ino used; he could only make out blurry shadows.
If he were honest with himself, though the fight might look better if he faced the Ino from earlier, it would be extremely difficult to defeat her.
"The Yamanaka clan doesn't have a sword style like that at all, and neither does Konoha. Ino must be hiding some kind of secret."
As the second young master of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke had some knowledge; he knew that the style of swordplay Ino used was fundamentally different from the kenjutsu utilized by standard shinobi.
Back when the Uchiha clan still existed, some members practiced kenjutsu.
But Sasuke had never seen a sword used in such a manner.
After staring at Ino for a long time, Sasuke secretly made a decision... "Ding-a-ling~"
Time moved to the afternoon. When the Ninja Academy's classes ended, the students began packing up to go home.
Ino quickly walked over to Shikamaru and Choji and asked, "Are you packed?"
Shikamaru didn't actually have much to pack; being lazy, he always left his books directly in the classroom so he wouldn't have to carry them the next day.
Choji was similar; his bag was reserved for snacks, so he also left his books in the classroom like Shikamaru.
"If you're ready, let's go."
Seeing Ino's hurried enthusiasm, Shikamaru sighed inwardly, then said to Choji, "Choji, let's move."
"Okay, Shikamaru."
With that, the three of them left the classroom.
After leaving the school, Ino walked ahead, constantly urging Shikamaru and Choji to hurry up.
Having no choice but to be rushed by Ino, the two could only quicken their pace.
After walking for about ten minutes, the three of them finally arrived at their destination.
"Yo, the little girl from the Yamanaka clan is back."
"What little girl? That sounds terrible. Boss, just call me Ino from now on."
"Alright."
Ge Liang nodded, then shifted his gaze to the two people beside Ino.
One was a lazy youth with a pineapple hairstyle and a slightly helpless expression.
The other was a chubby boy vigorously eating chips he held in his hand.
Ge Liang knew immediately that these two must be Shikamaru and Choji.
However, since he hadn't officially met them, he still had to ask for introductions as a formality.
"By the way, who are these two?"
"They are my teammates, Shikamaru and Choji."
"Hello, young friends."
"Hello, Uncle (Boss)."
Uncle?
Hearing Shikamaru address him this way, Ge Liang's eye twitched instantly.
To be fair, his current body was only about twenty years old. 'Brother' would be appropriate, but 'Uncle'? Wasn't that messing up the seniority?
"Oh, Boss, we still don't know your name."
Hearing Ino's question, Ge Liang replied calmly, "My name is Ge Liang. You can call me Boss, or you can call me Brother Liang. Either is fine."
"How arrogant. Who wants to call you Brother Liang?"
"Suit yourself."
Ge Liang shrugged, appearing unconcerned.
"Alright, Boss, enough small talk. Let us play the game quickly."
"Fine, same rule: 10,000 Ryo per hour."
"No problem."
Saying this, Ino pulled out 30,000 Ryo in bills, much to Shikamaru's disbelief.
"Ino, where did you get so much money?"
As children of prominent clans, their allowance was naturally higher than average, but pulling out 30,000 Ryo all at once... Shikamaru certainly couldn't do that.
"This is my savings from two months. You guys are really lucky today."
Originally, Ino had only intended to play by herself for three hours and then head home for dinner.
But she hadn't expected that the martial arts learned in the game could actually be used in reality.
Given this, the kind-hearted girl naturally thought of the two friends she had grown up with.
Ino: Three hours turned into one hour, sob!
(╥╯^╰╥)