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Chapter Text

The Land of Fire, Hidden Leaf Village.

At the northern end of the village stood a tall cliff. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Uchiha Madara had once stood atop this cliff, gazing southward over the plains. They envisioned a land where there would be no killings, and no hatred, where children could take off their armor, discard their swords, and play freely with smiles on their faces.

Abandoning their conflict, they joined forces to establish the largest ninja village in the Shinobi World: Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village. Following the will of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage established a ninja academy below the cliff.

The faces of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage are vividly depicted on the rock face. Their expressions were solemn, and the villagers looked up occasionally, seeing the shadowy silhouettes of the four Hokages. The villagers held a deep respect for their Hokages.

With half a year left until the graduation exam, the teachers in the Ninja Academy are doing their utmost to instill more knowledge into the students.

Of course, exams are inevitable to gauge the student's actual abilities.

"Sigh, I'm doomed."

"This is just too difficult."

"Haha, you think it's hard? I can't even understand the questions!"

The students lamented, feeling that the questions were too difficult, and many handed in blank papers.

A few top students whispered among themselves. They believed that at least three of the ten questions asked fell within the range of the Chunin Exams. It's outrageous; they're not even Genin yet.

With golden hair, a strand of bangs covering her right eye, and dressed in a white long-sleeved coat with the character "亥" (hai) on each sleeve in blue-green stripes, Ino Yamanaka seemed a bit peculiar to her classmates because she was someone who fell between being a top student and a struggling one.

After handing in her paper, her movements and expression seemed unusually heavy.

"Ino, did you not do well either?" a familiar female classmate asked in a low voice.

"It's just... sigh, it's hard to explain.

"I didn't do well this time and definitely failed. I made mistakes in several places; my head is like mush right now," Ino said with a face full of frustration as if she were about to burst into tears the next moment.

"It's okay; it's just a practice exam."

"Yeah, one mistake doesn't mean anything."

A few close friends comforted her, holding her hands.

Not long after, Iruka Umino, a young teacher with a scar visible on his nose and wearing a Chunin vest, finished grading the papers and announced the results on the spot.

"Ino, 95 points; first place!"

"Sakura Haruno, 94 points, second place."

"..."

A few female classmates, who were considered underachievers, stiffened their necks. Their gazes toward Ino Yamanaka had changed dramatically. They had prepared to console her on the surface but secretly mocked her. And now? First place? Was she kidding them?

Ino felt secretly pleased. 'While you play during class and continue playing at home, I study during class and then study hard at home. Can the results be the same?'

As someone who had applied for sales jobs to buy a house, then interned at a renovation company after getting an insider's price, and later switched to working as a salesperson at a furniture store, she had worked hard for half a year. Just when she was about to move into her new house, she suddenly found herself transmigrated to the crisis-ridden world of Naruto. Her inner turmoil was intense.

She wondered who would eventually get that house. Thinking about it made her feel like she was losing out.

Ino looked out the window as several shadows passed by at an incredibly fast speed, disappearing from sight in less than two seconds. She knew very well that they were the ninjas of the village. Everyone was accustomed to it.

"Superhumans," who could jump eight meters high and break a tree with one punch, were commonplace in the village. Instead of taking the proper roads, they insisted on leaping across rooftops. This was a common practice among many ninjas. After experiencing fear, suspicion, unease, and extreme caution, Ino gradually got used to it.

Since she couldn't change the world, she could only try to change herself.

She studied, regardless of whether it seemed useful or not. She delved deeply into any knowledge that could be acquired in school, even the "Will of Fire" series of books that many transmigrators criticized. She found the handwritten copy left by the Third Hokage in the school and read it attentively from beginning to end twice.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a martial arts manual like the Shaolin Scripture, with no martial arts secrets between the lines.

She studied hard to become stronger, but in order not to be isolated by her classmates, she had to pretend to be mediocre. Ultimately, it all stemmed from her lack of security.

As everyone received their papers, Teacher Iruka began discussing the questions.

"The ninth question: A solution containing a certain aromatic hydrocarbon in ether is first treated with dilute hydrochloric acid and then with sodium hydroxide solution, resulting in a layered mixture. What compound is present in the ether layer?"

"What is it?" Iruka hadn't expected the students to answer, and he continued writing on the board.

"This is a problem that ninjas often encounter during missions. Due to the lack of some necessary conditions, we must make reasonable assumptions and analyses. Let's assume this aromatic hydrocarbon contains an amino group, which would react with hydrochloric acid first. In this case, we need to analyze the situation."

He began listing several scenarios that could occur, providing specific analyses and results for each hypothesis. The blackboard was densely filled with information, and only then was this question fully unraveled.

"What is a ninja? Someone who remains calm during battles and can analyze intelligence," Iruka said with emphasis. He looked at his blackboard; the analysis was reasonable, the explanations were clear, and his tone and demeanor were quite inspiring. He glanced over the classroom with the corner of his eye, and his heart sank to the bottom of the sea because hardly anyone was listening.

Smack! Iruka slapped the blackboard loudly, raising his voice dramatically. "You guys are the worst class I've ever taught! What are you all daydreaming about? Write it all down! You never know when this question will appear on the exam! Write it all down!"

"Okay."

"Got it."

"Understood."

Except for a few genuinely good students who were writing diligently, the remaining ninety percent of the students responded with listless voices. They casually scribbled with their pencils as if they were just going through the motions. Judging from their performance, these guys were definitely a group of underachievers.

Ino still maintained her role as a pseudo-underachiever while being a true top student. With her left hand supporting her chin, she occasionally glanced up lazily, summarily jotting down some of the content from the blackboard.

Iruka, still at the podium, continued to berate the underachievers. Fairly speaking, he was an excellent teacher—dedicated, patient, and meticulous. One could see the virtues of the teaching profession embodied in this 22-year-old man.

However, for many 12-year-old children, this material was genuinely challenging.

The Ninja Academy didn't have specialized math, chemistry, or physics courses. Instead, there were five subjects: theory, physical training, practical experience, history, and practice.

A large amount of mathematical, chemical, physical, and geographical knowledge was all integrated into the single subject of theory, making it challenging for students to grasp.

Without the foundation of higher education from her previous life, Ino would have struggled even more.

Chapter Text

Was the knowledge learned at Ninja Academy useful? Well, it's both useful and useless. It's useful during exams or specific missions, but when facing opponents like Orochimaru, Pain, or Madara, it's pretty much useless.

Regardless of whether it's half-hearted or not, at least Ino was taking notes. Some people didn't even bother to pretend, like the two guys behind her. The skinny one was sleeping on the table, while the chubby one next to him, who was 1.5 meters tall and weighed 60 kg, kept munching on snacks.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. The sound of mouth, chewing puffed snacks filled the classroom. The twenty-seven students and one teacher seemed accustomed to this sound, and the chubby guy seemed delighted by his snacks.

Seeing Ino turn around and give him a deadpan stare, the chubby friend hesitated for two seconds, then showed a very gentle smile and handed the bag of potato chips to Ino. As Ino slowly reached out her hand, he solemnly raised a finger, signaling that she could have only one chip—no more.

The chubby friend didn't care about classroom discipline at all. Why eat during class? Don't ask; the answer was for training purposes. Ino still respected teachers who were earnest and responsible. She moved lightly, glanced into the bag of potato chips, and then overlapped her left and right thumbs upwards, with her left thumb slightly higher than her right thumb, forming a standard "未" symbol.

'Perception!'

Suddenly, the world around her became clear through her senses. She heard people breathing, noticed Iruka's sidelong glance in their direction, and observed classmates passing notes, drawing stick figures, and picking their noses. Many details that her brain usually filters out flooded her perception.

Ino had a natural talent for perception. Her experience in sales has made her sensitive to human emotions. After the fusion of two souls following her transmigration, this ability was further enhanced. She easily ignored irrelevant information, using her perception to select the largest potato chip. With a calm expression, she placed it in her mouth and savored it, much to the astonishment of her chubby friend, Chōji.

Although she said it was the largest, it wasn't that big. Most people couldn't even discern the slight difference. But for a top-tier foodie like Chōji, even without powerful perception abilities, with his rich experience and intuition, he could still perceive the difference.

"Ah?! You..." Although he was chubby, Akimichi Chōji, whose family name ironically meant "butterfly," took promises seriously. Having the largest chip taken away by Ino, he felt a little distressed, his face showing a conflicted expression.

"You two are really childish, acting like little kids." Lying next to Chōji, Nara Shikamaru lazily commented.

"Hmph, you're the one acting all old and serious. You're only one day older than me," Ino smirked, making a victorious expression at the two, then turned back to continue writing her notes.

It had been three months since she crossed over and merged memories. As a descendant of the renowned ninja alliance of the Ino-Shika-Chō (Pig-Deer-Butterfly) trio, it was highly likely that her future teammates for a long time would be the two boys behind her.

The understanding between teammates should be cultivated early. Perhaps this understanding could save her life at a critical moment in the future.

And yes, she does care a lot about her own life.

Previously, the relationship between Ino and the two boys behind her was just ordinary. At the age of 12, boys played with boys and girls played with girls. It was difficult for her, as a girl, to play with these two boys. Their interactions were limited to occasional greetings during family gatherings or chance encounters at school.

After crossing over, Ino consciously changed the situation. She wasn't a salesperson for nothing in her past life. Now there was no need to push houses, building materials, and furniture onto her peers. Instead, she engaged in everyday interactions, allowing their relationships to naturally grow closer.

The three of them—Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji—were heirs to their respective family clans. The boundaries between the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were well-defined. Any attempt by one family to absorb another through marriage or other means would threaten the foundation of their alliance. Romantic feelings between them were out of the question; their families wouldn't approve. Thus, their current relationship remained one of simple friendship.

Shikamaru is highly intelligent and vigilant; he is a truly clever person. Ino hasn't deliberately tried to please him, and their relationship is neither close nor distant, just a slightly more elevated relationship between classmates. When Ino agreed to introduce Chōji to pretty girls, she and Chōji became good friends.

When dealing with Chōji, especially the younger version of him, she had her ways. Eating and drinking to build relationships never gets old.

She said, "Let's go eat barbecue after school. Yakiniku Q seems to have a 10% discount today."

Chōji's eyes lit up, and he slammed the table excitedly. "Really? Are you treating?"

Speaking of treating, Ino felt a bit embarrassed. Her wallet was quite thin, as the previous Ino had spent most of her money on clothes and shoes, leaving her with little to spare. Plus, Chōji could eat a lot—easily devouring twenty plates of barbecue. She was really worried about her wallet, but since she had already made the offer, she couldn't go back on her word.

"Hehe, I'll treat, I'll treat," she chuckled awkwardly. While Chōji was lost in thoughts of delicious barbecue, she covered her mouth and whispered to Shikamaru, "Hey, I might not have enough money today. Can you support me a bit?"

Shikamaru glanced at Chōji from the corner of his eye. "My pocket money has been eaten up by this guy."

Ino and Shikamaru exchanged a resigned sigh. Having a food-loving best friend had its downsides—they could eat endlessly.

Talking about money put an end to Shikamaru's mood for sleeping. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio were famous ninja clans in the Shinobi world and are considered top-tier households in the village. However, being young, their allowances were limited. Choji's insatiable appetite was like a bottomless pit. His days consisted of either eating or thinking about eating. Shikamaru's pocket money had been completely spent. At this moment, he was unusually serious.

He asked, "We can't take on missions, and our pocket money is limited. Do you know any ways to make money?"

As someone who had been struggling for a house just three months ago, Ino replied casually, "How about renting out vacant properties?"

After saying that, she paused for a moment, and Shikamaru also began to seriously consider it.

"Does your family have vacant properties?"

"Does yours?"

They looked at each other again, both thinking, huh? This method seems feasible! They don't own any houses, but their families do.

Konoha had experienced three Great Ninja Wars. The price of victory was the death of many ninjas, including members of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. Many houses had been vacant for years due to casualties in the war. Renting them out was not difficult.

Now it was a time of peace. Not all residents in the village were ninjas; there were civilians, merchants, blacksmiths, and monks, all in need of housing. Renting out properties was a viable market option.

Chapter Text

Both being smart individuals, Ino and Shikamaru knew that discussing this matter between themselves wouldn't be effective. When it came to distributing interests, they needed to coordinate with their respective clans.

Ninjas don't usually engage in production or commerce. Despite possessing martial prowess, due to various reasons, money was controlled by the daimyos of the country. They could only carry out missions every day to earn a meager income.

Even today, the profession of ninja remains highly hierarchical. Not every ninja could use techniques like "Suiton" (Water Release), "Katon" (Fire Release), or "Doton" (Earth Release) in combat. Most lower-level ninjas lacked the resources to learn such techniques, which were primarily held by the major ninja clans and village leadership.

At the ninja academy, students learned basic ninja techniques, engaged in close combat using kunai and shuriken, and used explosive tags for ranged attacks or smoke bombs for cover. When they were low on stamina, they ate the military ration pills from the Akimichi clan, and when hospitalized, they used the medicinal herbs from the Nara clan. If they died, their families would buy a bouquet from the Yamanaka clan's flower shop. This was the norm.

Low-ranking ninjas had low incomes, high expenses, and a high mortality rate. If property rentals became widespread, it could easily exacerbate the wealth disparity within the village.

Shikamaru was highly intelligent, but due to his age, he hadn't yet grasped the issue of wealth inequality. He only had an intuition that something was wrong and needed further consideration.

Ino also felt that her casual comment as an "expert" wasn't reliable and didn't delve deeper into the topic.

The ultimate goal of the Ninja Academy was to train ninjas. Iruka-sensei taught both theory and practical skills. As Ino and Shikamaru exchanged glances, Iruka had already moved on to the next problem.

"This question goes like this: ignoring air resistance, using the formulas for horizontal uniform motion and uniform acceleration, Ninja A stands on a tree 7 meters high and throws a shuriken at Ninja B on the ground. Let's calculate the initial velocity of the shuriken."

Iruka, at the podium, rapidly performed calculations. Even though the weather wasn't hot, he still had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Copying from the textbook would undoubtedly have been a good choice, but this diligent teacher insisted on doing the calculations himself, which resulted in him getting confused.

"45.22 m/s?" Iruka looked at the blackboard, then stiffly looked at the textbook in his hand.

He realized that the answer in the book didn't match the one he calculated!

So, who was wrong? Iruka felt extremely embarrassed. The students were indifferent; some were sleeping, eating, goofing off, or lost in thought. Suddenly, the classroom became quiet. The sound of Chōji munching on snacks seemed very abrupt. He paused, looking strangely left and right, fixing his gaze on Ino and Shikamaru for a couple of seconds, as if wanting to ask them what was happening.

The eerie silence lasted for more than ten seconds. Just as Iruka-sensei was about to redo the problem, the classroom door swung open. A flustered Mizuki-sensei rushed in and whispered a few words to him.

The next moment, Iruka dashed to the window, peering toward the direction of the Hokage Rock.

His actions prompted many students to follow suit, craning their necks to look outside. Ino also joined the crowd, pretending to be nonchalant.

She glanced at the Third Hokage's image on the rock. Hmm, an old man with two cartoonish wide noodle-like tears under his eyes, combining kindness with a playful demeanor. However, the paint seemed a bit too much under the left eye. He should pay attention to that next time.

The graffiti on the faces of the First, Second, and Fourth Hokages on the rock was quite messy. A star here, a red mouth there. It didn't seem too bad when she looked at it last night, but now it looked really bad, much worse than what she could draw.

While Ino was silently critiquing the Hokage Rock, Iruka-sensei trembled with anger.

"Naruto! You've done it again! How many times have I told you not to randomly deface the Hokage Rock!"

"Hahaha! If you're so capable, come and catch me!"

Wearing dark windproof goggles, with short golden hair and blue pupils, Naruto Uzumaki in his orange jacket had no idea that someone had hidden in the shadows last night, waited for him to finish drawing on the Hokage Rock, and then used Transformation Jutsu to quietly add a few strokes while impersonating him.

Seeing Iruka-sensei charging toward him, Naruto didn't hesitate. In three swift steps, he dashed to the door, completely on instinct, and then burst out of the classroom. His legs spun like windmills, kicking up billows of smoke as he sprinted towards the school gates.

"Self-study for the whole class!" With that statement, Iruka-sensei also dashed out in pursuit.

Self-study was essentially playtime. Regardless of whether they were top students or underachievers, the entire class erupted into cheers. Some even expressed their gratitude to Naruto from afar.

Naruto Uzumaki and Inuzuka Kiba, along with Chōji and Shikamaru, were indeed the real "troublesome quartet" in the class. They were often punished together, standing in the corner or receiving reprimands. But as they endured these punishments, their friendship blossomed. In Naruto's heart, filled with both animosity and a desperate need for acceptance, these three were his only friends.

At this moment, Kiba was particularly excited. Like a big monkey, he leaped to the window, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted to Naruto, who was about to run out of the school, "Naruto, well done!"

His ninja dog, Akamaru, perched on his head, also barked twice in agreement.

Hearing the cheers from the entire class, Naruto, who had run more than a hundred meters away, revealed a brilliant smile. Has he finally gained everyone's approval? After years of effort, it felt like a rewarding moment!

As he ran, he vigorously waved his arms in the direction of the classroom, indicating that everyone shouldn't mention it, as it was something he should do!

"What a drag..." Shikamaru adjusted his ear and continued dozing off, tilting his head to the other side.

Chōji tore open another bag of snacks and ate them nonchalantly as if no one else was around.

Ino didn't have the leisure to chat with the two of them. Observing Naruto's joyful expression as he ran, she speculated that he probably didn't mind taking the blame.

She picked up a book, pretending to flip through it with her head down. In reality, her right eye, covered by her bangs, gently opened and closed a few times, activating her unique golden interface, where she could view her latest accomplishments.

In the center of the interface, a cartoonish black pot was finally filled with energy. With a thought, a golden light sphere, which she referred to as the "Blame Point," rose slowly from the pot.

Getting stronger by shifting blame was easier said than done.

First, she needed to cause trouble, then find a scapegoat, and most importantly, not expose herself. For a 12-year-old girl with limited resources and means, this was extremely challenging.

Over the past three months, including today, she has succeeded six times and failed twice. Both times, she had been discovered by the village's ANBU ninja. Once, she managed to pass by acting cute, and the other time, she relied on her influential father to smooth things over. After all, breaking someone's window wasn't a major offense.

Now, she has finally found the most stable scapegoat for the current stage: Naruto Uzumaki. And now was the time to reap the rewards.

Chapter Text

The black pot occupied the center—that was the core. To its right was a pentagon with the characters for fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water written clockwise from top to bottom. In the central area of the pentagon, there was a circle divided into black and white halves. The upper half had a white background with the black character for "Yang," while the lower half had a black background with the white character for "Yin."

The five characters on the pentagon corresponded to the five chakra nature transformations. Ino didn't know any of them yet. As for the "Yin" and "Yang" characters, she couldn't discern whether they related to "Yin and Yang attributes," "Yin-Yang power," or "Yin-Yang release." She just knew it was high-level stuff.

At this stage, obtaining Blame Points was still quite difficult. Since Ino doesn't currently have much need for chakra nature transformations and hasn't noticed any obvious changes on the interface, she shifted her attention to the left of the black pot.

There was an octagon, with each corner corresponding to one of the eight attributes of a ninja: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, Strength, Speed, Chakra Capacity, and Seals.

Each attribute has a maximum value of 10 and if she could reach a total value of 70 or more, she would have the basic survival ability.

At that time, she definitely wouldn't be able to fight against Madara, as the power gap would be too large. Ino estimated that her best outcome would be to survive until Infinite Tsukuyomi, cheer alongside the Allied Shinobi Forces, and then lie down and wait for Hagoromo to give Naruto his power-up.

When facing Pain, she was 60% confident she could escape, and when facing Orochimaru, she wouldn't lose, for sure.

Despite having repeatedly examined the attribute panel over the past three months, she still scrutinized it carefully, not missing any details. The panel records showed that before crossing over, Ino's original attribute values were: Ninjutsu 5, Taijutsu 3, Genjutsu 3, Intelligence 4, Strength 1, Speed 5, Chakra Capacity 4, and Seals 5, with a total score of 30.

Now her current values were: Ninjutsu 6, Taijutsu 3, Genjutsu 3, Intelligence 6, Strength 2, Speed 5, Chakra Capacity 5, and Seals 5, for a total of 35.

Three months of training her perception abilities, combined with learning basic knowledge, had increased her Ninjutsu slightly. Various practical exercises in class and after school had also increased her Strength a bit.

Soul fusion boosted her Intelligence by 2 points and her overall Chakra Capacity by 1 point.

Out of a total score of 80, she currently stood at 35. Her aptitude wasn't weak, but it was far from strong.

Ino has thought a lot about where to allocate her attribute points. It would be a big mistake to distribute them evenly. Without further hesitation, she put the freshly acquired "Blame Point" into the "Ninjutsu" area, increasing it from 6 to 7. The moment the "Blame Point" was invested, her understanding and application of Ninjutsu experienced a significant improvement.

What level does an attribute value of 7 represent in the Shinobi world? Comparatively, individuals such as Konoha Village's Jōnin Yuhi Kurenai, especially Tokubetsu Jōnin Mitarashi Anko, Gaara, and Kankuro from Sunagakure Village, and the exiled ninja Haku, have an understanding of ninjutsu approximately at this level.

If one categorized the basic attribute value, it would range from 1 to 2 for academy students, 3 to 4 for Genin, 5 to 6 for Chūnin, 7 to 8 for Jōnin, and 9 to 10 for Kage. Similarly, the total attribute value would be 8 to 16 for academy students, 17 to 32 for Genin, 33 to 48 for Chūnin, 49 to 55 for Tokubetsu Jōnin, and 56 to 64 for Jōnin and above that would be Kage. However, this classification is not entirely accurate as Genin, Chūnin, Jōnin, and even Kage titles are more about professional levels rather than strength levels, and numerical values can only serve as a rough reference.

With Ino's current total attribute value of 36, she comfortably fits within the Genin category, but she would struggle significantly as a Chūnin, essentially being at the bottom level with too many weaknesses. Her weaknesses were too pronounced for dangerous missions—being caught alone would have meant certain death. For the time being, she planned to retain the title of "Konoha Genin" and operate at this level for some time.

Ino rested her head on the desk, recalling the few ninjutsu techniques she had mastered. Occasionally, new applications for them come to mind. This level of innate talent boost felt like being reborn, carrying immense value. It took her quite some time to calm down her excitement.

She couldn't give up on Naruto, but considering the timing, there wasn't much time left before Iruka would officially acknowledge Naruto. At that point, Naruto definitely wouldn't deface the Hokage Rock with graffiti anymore. 

As her mind raced, Ino mentally went through several potential scapegoats. She knew that she couldn't give up on Naruto, but she needed to prepare a new scapegoat as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Iruka and Naruto's chase continued in the village, a scene that had become commonplace for everyone. It was only 10:30 in the morning after self-study, so it was not possible to go out for lunch.

The next class was physical education, with separate classes for boys and girls. 

The boys followed Mizuki-sensei to train their physical fitness, running around the field like wild donkeys. 

The girls, on the other hand, accompanied a bespectacled teacher named Suzume to learn some skills typically associated with women. These included flower arranging, tea ceremonies, cooking, sweeping, and window cleaning.

"Pure, righteous, and beautiful! Girls, follow me!" Suzume-sensei enthusiastically chanted her slogan before leading the girls to the flower garden to learn flower arrangement.

For twenty minutes, they did flower arrangements, then twenty minutes of cooking, and the last twenty minutes were spent on cleaning.

"Ino. Ino, don't you like Teacher Suzume?" Hinata Hyuga, who looked weak and easy to bully, asked Ino in a hushed voice during a break from cleaning the windows.

As soon as this topic came up, Ino's frustration flared.

She gestured around and said, "In a sixty-minute class, the first twenty minutes are spent weeding."

Hinata's voice was barely audible, sounding like a mosquito buzzing, as she said, "It was for learning flower arrangement."

Ino almost let out a curse but held it back.

"In the middle twenty minutes, we cooked for these staff members."

Hinata looked around nervously, her voice even quieter, "It was for learning to cook."

Pointing at the window in front of her, Ino said, "And the last twenty minutes are for us to clean. Once we're done, it's perfect timing for the staff to have their meals. How convenient for them, right?! This kind of class shouldn't even exist. We're Shinobi, not housewives!"

In Ino's view, the school was using them as free labor to save money. They called it "training," but what kind of skills could be developed by sweeping floors and cleaning windows every day? Water Release: Great Cleaning Jutsu?

Ino was very dissatisfied with this so-called "exercise" that was just free labor. The overly enthusiastic Teacher Suzume seemed to believe that women were naturally inclined to enjoy housework and being protected by men. She often lectured many female students on how to behave after getting married, and unfortunately, many of the girls listened with great interest. Hinata, who was with Ino, was a typical example.

Hinata was timid and wouldn't even dare to speak loudly, let alone question the teacher or the school. She nervously pressed her index fingers together, unsure how to respond.

Facing challenges as a Shinobi, Ino was prepared to face any opponent, but to become a housewife? That was not even on her radar.

Right now, all she wanted was to improve herself as much as possible and live until the Boruto era.

Chapter Text

"Ino-pig, what are you doing standing by the window?" A somewhat displeased voice came from behind Ino's side.

"You guys chat, I'm going over there to clean. See you later, Ino," Hinata said, as if she had received amnesty. The shy Hinata felt relieved as she grabbed a small bucket and hurried away.

With the fusion of souls, she naturally also received the interpersonal relationships of the original Ino.

Sighing, she and this resentful girl behind her could be described as having a complicated relationship.

With a broad forehead and wearing a pink high-slit cheongsam with green shorts, this was her classmate Sakura Haruno.

Ino, including her past self, had complex feelings towards Haruno Sakura. Lately, she's been so busy that she hasn't figured out how to handle this strained friendship.

For now, she'd respond as she always did.

She let out a "hmph" sound, and spoke condescendingly, "Forehead, you were so annoying! I remember telling you not to appear near me. Go find your precious Sasuke."

Her tone was full of sarcasm.

Ino was annoyed. After transmigrating, she had lost all interest in the stoic Uchiha Sasuke. Yet, this plastic sister behind her still harbored hostility toward her, even thinking Ino was playing hard-to-get to attract Sasuke's attention.

Regarding the romantic fantasies of the lovesick girl, Haruno Sakura, all she could do was shake her head in disbelief. She didn't know how to explain it, nor did she want to.

The previous Ino was very caring towards Haruno Sakura, offering words of encouragement, playing together, and even helping to fight bullying. Their friendship could be described as extremely good. But what happened? Once a handsome guy appeared, their friendship boat capsized swiftly.

If they had completely fallen out, it would have been easier to handle. However, Ino can't help but see glimpses of friendship in many of the previous Ino's thoughts. Even if they fell out, previous Ino believed that Haruno Sakura was still her friend.

As for what Haruno Sakura was thinking, that remained unknown.

"What are you looking at? Are you looking for Sasuke?! You're so cunning!"

"You scored 95 today! I'm so angry! You must be trying to attract Sasuke's attention, right? I completely saw through you!"

Ino glanced to the side, not wanting to engage with her.

Whether this girl before her was insecure or willing to do anything for love, Ino didn't want too much interaction with Haruno Sakura. She was currently pondering who would be the next scapegoat. She didn't have time to play love games with a 12-year-old girl. She was very busy.

"Go away, Forehead, stop bothering me."

"Ino-pig, you're trying to escape!"

Ino was fed up. Haruno Sakura kept pestering her, insisting that she swear to forever give up pursuing Sasuke. Ino has no feelings for Sasuke, but she can't make a vow that completely contradicts her predecessor's behavior. From an outsider's view, such a personality change was too abrupt and no matter how one looked at it, there would be problems.

"You must swear! Hurry up!"

"Quick, say it, say you'll give up Sasuke forever. Hurry up!"

The word "井" appeared on Ino's forehead. She was standing here, cleaning windows, waiting for a "fateful encounter." Now, Haruno Sakura was incessantly bothering her. Ino was fed up.

If Sakura was unkind, don't blame her for being unrighteous. Since she was taking the initiative, she can take the blame instead.

She suddenly pointed out the window with a panicked look, "Ah, look, Sasuke is injured!"

"Where? Where?" Sakura leaned on the window, nervously looking around. Suddenly, Ino kicked her squarely in the butt from behind.

Leaving behind a teasing remark, Ino confidently exited the classroom. She made her way to the rooftop and called out to Shikamaru and Chōji, who hadn't bothered to attend the training field session. The three of them decided to ditch class to go eat barbecue.

"Barbecue? Now?! That's great! Let's go, let's go!" Chōji jumped up excitedly. If Ino hadn't grabbed his collar, he might have jumped straight off the rooftop.

Sure, falling definitely wouldn't kill him, but such an enthusiastic display was a bit exaggerated. Even when skipping class, one should be discreet and not draw too much attention.

"Shikamaru, let's go together." In Ino's memories, Sarutobi Asuma, the Jōnin whose father is the Hokage, was forced to kneel and apologize to the barbecue shop owner because of Choji's excessive eating. Ino felt that the money she had wouldn't be enough to cover the bill, so she brought Shikamaru along for assistance.

"Tch, what a drag." Shikamaru guessed her intention and looked at the clouds in the sky like a retired person, slowly sighing.

Not all teachers were as serious and responsible as Iruka. The Suzume-sensei in charge of teaching the girls housework and Mizuki-sensei in the distance acted as if they hadn't seen anything, allowing the three of them to leave unobstructed.

If things go as expected, the three of them would be the 16th generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the heirs of their respective clans. Their alliance had lasted for over two hundred years, from the Warring States period to the present day, longer than the history of Konoha itself.

The Yamanaka clan, represented by "Ino," handled intelligence; the Nara clan, represented by "Shika," handled medicinal herbs; and the Akimichi clan, represented by "Cho," handled logistics and supplies. Together, the three families had over ten Jōnin and possessed a large number of ninjutsu and secret techniques. Their strength was not inferior to that of many small ninja villages.

With the Senju clan gone, the Uchiha clan reduced to the four crazy guys, and the Hyuga clan struggling to find successors, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had become a premier ninja clan in the Shinobi world.

"I'm so angry! Ino-pig ranked first in the exam. I must work harder! Ah! Once I regain the top spot, Sasuke will definitely notice me! I'm so embarrassed. Ino-pig actually dared to kick me!"

Sakura Haruno crawled out of the bushes, extremely annoyed by Ino. How could she do that? Thinking of Sasuke, she immediately reverted to a lovesick expression.

Exams, Sasuke, and Ino—her thoughts kept jumping between these three things.

"Huh? What's this?" Haruno Sakura had keen observation skills. In a short time, she found what looked like a slightly damaged scroll buried under a piece of soil in the bushes.

She opened the scroll.

"Wow!" She exclaimed in surprise, then quickly covered her mouth, looking around to see no one had noticed her before carefully reading the words on the scroll.

"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you just have to find it." The writing on the scroll was bold and powerful, accompanied by a map signed by someone named Senju Hashirama.

Chapter Text

The name of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, could be said to be a household name.

Even if one truly doesn't know, with such a large sculpture on Hokage Rock, anyone with a bit of curiosity would ask and inquire about it.

Sakura didn't have Ino's family background. After the friendship boat capsized, she studied very hard and achieved excellent grades. Although the village often used the term “First Hokage” whenever one referred to him, Sakura quickly associated it with Hashirama Senju.

Shikamaru hesitated even to use explosive tags, Hinata got excited for half a day when she saw Shuriken being given away as prizes in a shop and Ino was so poor she was already considering "renting out vacant houses." As a civilian-born ninja, Haruno Sakura was even poorer. She really, really wanted the First Hokage's treasure.

Without notifying anyone, she placed the scroll at the bottom of her backpack, intending to study it thoroughly at home.

Currently, she had something more important to do, and that was to study hard and surpass Ino in academic performance! This directly relates to whether she could win back Sasuke's heart. At least that's what she thought. While treasure was important, love held even greater value!

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji encountered the lively Inuzuka Kiba at the entrance of the school building. Seeing the three of them skipping class, his expression was particularly calm as he followed along with his ninken Akamaru, whom he had raised since childhood.

"Where are you guys going?"

"We're going to eat barbecue. Kiba, want to come?" Shikamaru asked.

"Why not? Let's go!" When it came to mooching off others, Inuzuka Kiba was always open-minded and readily agreed.

Three-year-old nin-dog Akamaru knew he was getting a free meal, so he happily barked a couple of times.

Ino glanced at Shikamaru, silently asking, “You know we’re broke, right? Why invite more people? Are we going to wash dishes in the barbecue restaurant today?"

Shikamaru lazily shrugged, indicating he had no choice either. Since they've already run into Kiba, they can't exactly say they're going home to study, can they?

One more person meant one more mouth to feed. From Kiba's attitude, he clearly planned to bring Akamaru along to freeload as well, making it two mouths.

Ino scratched her head in distress. Their money was even more insufficient now.

"Since there are already four of us, with you being the only girl, let’s invite one more companion.” Shikamaru nudged his chin, gesturing for her to look to the right.

Who? Ino followed his gaze and happened to see Hinata, who was carefully holding a water bucket, preparing to go back to cleaning.

Are they going to invite Hinata too? Wow! If they invite her, their money definitely won't be enough!

Ino understood Shikamaru's intention very well; he wanted Hinata to help share the cost of the meal.

Although the Hyuga clan had fallen on hard times, they were still a top-tier Konoha noble family. As the heiress, Hinata had a decent allowance. Plus, her gentle nature meant she spent very little. At this stage, she was more well-off; at least that's what Shikamaru thought.

Ino was a bit speechless. She could only say that even the wisest could make mistakes; Shikamaru, with his IQ of over 200, still got it wrong because he didn't have all the information.

"What's wrong? Is there information I don't know?" The cunning Shikamaru immediately noticed Ino's hesitation and seriously studied Hinata, not knowing the basis for her hesitation.

What else could Ino say?

That despite Hinata's pitiable, weak, and helpless appearance, she can actually eat a lot? She couldn't say that.

Forget it; let's hope this girl really is wealthy.

With swift movements, Ino grabbed Hinata, who looked like a helpless little rabbit, seeming so easily bullied.

“Hinata, come with us. Let’s all go for a barbecue.”

"Ah, but we're still in class. What about Suzume-sensei's lesson?" Hinata looked bewildered and unsure, not knowing how to refuse.

“That is not a problem. The rest are all boys. Consider it keeping me company. Come on, come on! We’ve been classmates for so many years, and we’ve never eaten together. Today’s a perfect opportunity to bond. I remember your birthday is in December, right? Haha, you’re three months younger than me.” Ino pulled Hinata along, leading the Hyuga heiress out of the school.

Two girls, three boys, plus a dog—this lineup isn't too unusual.

As they walked, Ino pondered.

Of the Konoha 12, three were from the previous class and had already graduated, so they could be ignored for now.

That cold-faced guy Sasuke didn't need to be invited—even if the sun rose from the west, this self-proclaimed "avenger" wouldn't possibly go eat barbecue with a bunch of classmates.

Naruto was busy cleaning the Hokage Rock, and Sakura was hoodwinked by Ino. Removing these three and the previous three left six. Currently, they had five people, so the Konoha 12 was still missing one more... so who was it?

"Were you looking for me?"

"Huh?" Ino turned around and saw a boy wearing a beige hooded jacket and sunglasses, with most of his face covered, standing not far behind her to the left.

They were already outside the campus at this point.

She was taken aback. "Shino, you've been following us?"

"I followed this guy here," Shino Aburame said, pointing to Kiba at his side.

Wow! Ino couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

A full-sized person who made no effort to conceal himself followed them for over a hundred meters before being discovered—his presence was incredibly low! If he didn't become a ninja, it would be a loss for the Shinobi world.

"Want to come eat barbecue with us?"

"Sure."

His reply was as curt and straightforward as ever.

The Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans—without exception, they were all ninja clans of the village. Among them, Hinata's Hyuga clan was even comparable to the Uchiha clan in its heyday.

They had no intention of excluding civilian-born students, but unconsciously, the six of them ended up grouping, with the civilian students left out.

Entering the Yakiniku Q restaurant, the somewhat plump boss lady saw them, especially Choji Akimichi, and greeted them as if they were family.

"How many of you?"

“Mam, there are six of us.”

"Alrighty!"

Ninjas kept irregular hours, often active during the day and night. Even at this late morning hour, the barbecue joint was bustling with people.

Ino saw one of her father's subordinates, while Shikamaru also noticed an elder from his clan. They each went over to politely greet them.

Chapter Text

"Aoba-san," Ino greeted the Tokubetsu Jōnin Yamashiro Aoba from the Intelligence Division, whom she knew because he had visited her home before.

The other party was very considerate. "Oh, it's Miss Yamanaka. Are you out for a meal with your classmates? That's nice; go ahead and take your seats."

"Thank you."

On the other side, Shikamaru exchanged a few words with his clan elder, Nara Suzaku.

Once they were seated, the proprietress brought out plate after plate of barbecue.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino, who focused more on ninjutsu, were quickly full and chatted idly. Kiba and the chubby Chōji, who trained in taijutsu, were still eating ravenously. Hinata clearly hadn't eaten her fill but didn't want to lose her ladylike demeanor, so she would discreetly stick out her small tongue to lick her plate when the others weren't paying attention.

She didn't keep licking continuously but rather took a lick, glanced around to see if anyone noticed, and then licked again when no one was looking.

Ino was still thinking about making Hinata pay the bill. Licking the plate wouldn't cut it!!

"Boss lady, bring two more plates. Hinata, you're too thin. Come on, eat some meat. Today, I'm treating everyone, so don't be shy."

Ino patted Hinata's belly. "So strange. Where did all the barbecue go? Your digestion is that strong? Are you still not full? No problem; I'll get two more plates for you. Boss lady, bring two more!"

"Come on, don't be shy. Eat as much as you want. I've got money! Boss lady, bring three more plates!"

At the table, there were only two girls, Ino and Hinata, with Ino continuously feeding Hinata barbecue.

Although she already knew Hinata was truly the great eater of Konoha, making Tsunade and even Chōji seem like weaklings in comparison, Ino was still shocked by the gentle yet voracious Hinata.

This wasn't just about being able to eat a lot—this was eating too much!

Each time, Hinata would refuse in a mosquito-like voice:

"I'm already full."

"Thank you, I can't eat anymore."

"I really can't eat anymore. Please don't order more."

Yet plate after plate of barbecue was devoured by her, while Ino didn't even eat one-twentieth of what Hinata ate.

To willingly have Hinata help split the bill, Ino tried to defuse the awkwardness by changing the subject: "Hinata, your hand seal throwing technique is really good; you'll have to teach me later."

Blushing with embarrassment at eating so much, Hinata's face turned red. Without thinking much, she nodded eagerly.

When it was time to pay, they realized that the six people and one dog had eaten a whopping eight thousand five hundred ryō worth of barbecue, which was basically equivalent to a D-rank mission reward for a ninja team.

Forty percent of the grilled meat ended up in Chōji's stomach. And despite Hinata repeatedly saying she couldn't eat more, she consumed twenty-five plates. Even so, Ino estimated that Hinata was only half full.

"Um, you guys stay seated, I'll go pay the bill." Ino stood up slowly, frantically giving subtle hints to the others, including Shikamaru.

Seemingly aware of Ino's financial constraints, the demure Hinata secretly handed her wallet over.

"I'm really sorry... I ate so much; please… use mine."

Ino gave her an approving look.

Girls were indeed better—look at those four boys, either feigning ignorance or genuinely clueless, lacking any perceptiveness.

After the six finished eating, they watched Naruto scrubbing the Hokage Rock for a while, then leisurely strolled back to the academy.

In the afternoon, they had a practical class and a dull history lesson.

Learning about the history of Konoha is now basically equivalent to studying the Will of Fire. The teacher held the Third Hokage's "Will of Fire" book, repeatedly "brainwashing" them with it.

The practical class was somewhat interesting. True to her promise, Hinata taught Ino how to throw shurikens.

Ninja clan training started far earlier than civilian ninja. Basics like tree climbing and water walking had long been completed. Ino could already throw shurikens, and her technique was quite good.

Then what was so difficult about it? Doing what Itachi Uchiha did—leaping up, spinning three and a half times, and then shooting and hitting targets in eight directions—was truly difficult. Not just Ino; even many Jōnin couldn't do that.

But they weren't at that level yet. They were just practicing basic shuriken throwing, a minimum requirement for the Ninja Academy. As long as their eyesight was good, their wrist strength was sufficient, and their hand-eye coordination was up to standard, hitting a fixed target thirty meters away was a breeze.

Whether in the original timeline or now, Ino's position in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was a support role. She had sufficient sensory abilities, and her "Strength" value was currently 2. Although it seemed low, Hinata, who was teaching her shuriken throwing, also had a Strength value of 2. For shuriken throwing, a value of 2 was sufficient.

Of course, if someone were to mention Lee using the Eight Gates and throwing shuriken with incredible speed and precision, she would agree. His strength was indeed formidable, and the shurikens thrown during the Eight Gates' state were fast and accurate. There was no questioning that.

She was just playing around with throwing shuriken for now.

"Ino, your arm needs to be fully extended."

"Like this?"

"No, it should be in line with your gaze."

"Like this, then?"

"Mmm, don't exert force too quickly when throwing."

There was a tinge of timidity in Hinata's voice, as she would occasionally tilt her head and furrow her brows in thought. Seeing her earnest demeanor, Ino found it quite amusing.

During free practice, Ino sparred with Hinata. When it came to hand-to-hand combat, her past experiences were irrelevant, and without using any tricks, Ino realized she couldn't beat Hinata.

Her Taijutsu value was 3, while Hinata's was probably at least 5.

She didn't have much talent in Taijutsu, and she wasn't planning to use rare Blame Points to boost her Taijutsu yet, so regular practice was essential.

"Well, next time, can you practice with me again? I feel like my Taijutsu is really bad," Ino said earnestly.

Hinata smiled politely and agreed.

The day's classes ended just before sunset, and everyone went home.

Watching Sakura sneakily heading home alone, Ino calmly said goodbye to her classmates one by one.

To avoid arousing the suspicion of the village's higher-ups, the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans had long abandoned the Warring States period habit of living together. Nowadays, they live as individual families scattered throughout the village.

The Yamanaka family, responsible for the village's intelligence analysis, was even more low-key. The family of three usually ran a flower shop. In the eyes of neighbors, the husband is elegant, the wife is gentle, and the daughter is a bit naughty. 

Chapter Text

"I'm home." Ino dropped her bag and left her shoes at the entrance before stepping inside.

It was an ordinary family scene. Inoichi, her father, sat earnestly reading a book titled "How to Communicate with Your Daughter," occasionally furrowing his brow in thought. But as soon as Ino entered, the head of the Analysis Team in Konoha's Intelligence Division quickly slid the book under the cushion and grabbed a newspaper from the table, pretending to read it.

Ino's mother, Yamanaka Reino, was calmly preparing dinner.

After changing into clean clothes, Ino went to help, and soon dinner was ready. The family, adhering to the tradition of not talking while eating, sat quietly around the table and finished their meal.

Reino began to clear the table, while Inoichi hesitated to speak several times, seemingly wanting to have a casual conversation with his daughter to show his care, but the inherently quiet man didn't know what to say.

The lack of conversation wasn't due to the butterfly effect brought by the transmigration, but because father and daughter were simply inept at communicating to begin with.

The Nara family faced a similar problem. Nara Shikaku, the renowned strategist, had no idea how to communicate with his son, Shikamaru, whose IQ was off the charts. With a lack of common topics, they often resorted to playing Shogi to pass the time.

At least they could still play Shogi. The Yamanaka clan's problem was more severe.

Usually, at this time, Ino would casually announce, "I'm going to study" or "I'm going to practice chakra control," before retreating to her room. Her parents would then offer a word of encouragement, and the day would be over.

But today was different. Ino was still a bit excited about her "Ninjutsu" value of 7. This level of understanding and talent meant learning low-rank ninja techniques would be easy.

"Um…" She hesitated.

Inoichi immediately looked over, speculating in his heart, but still maintaining a smile on the surface, as if encouraging his daughter to speak her mind.

Ino scratched her head. "Well, today, I sparred with Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Her Taijutsu skills are incredible. It seems like it's a clan technique. Do we have anything similar in our clan?"

The Yamanaka clan didn't have any inherited Taijutsu techniques. And with Yamanaka Inoichi being such a refined and quiet man, seeing him shout something like "Konoha Whirlwind" would just be completely out of character.

What Ino was interested in were their clan's secret techniques. Initially, she was told she could start learning them after graduating. However, today, after playfully sparring a few rounds with Hinata, she realized that despite having higher attribute values, she lacked corresponding techniques and had zero advantage in combat. Now, she was eager to learn her clan's secret techniques as soon as possible.

Among the four kunoichi of Konoha 12—Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten—in the original timeline, Ino was basically the weakest, appearing the most useless, making the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques seem overrated.

However, the Yamanaka techniques aren't as weak as they seem. Facing Obito Uchiha, who had the Rinnegan in one eye and the Mangekyou Sharingan in the other, along with possessing Hashirama's cells and being connected to the Ten-Tails, the Ino from the original timeline could use her clan's secret techniques to momentarily daze him. With the support of the Nine-Tails' chakra, she could even take control of Obito. It should be noted that, at this point, Obito was considered to be beyond Kage level by many fan power-scaling standards. For the Yamanaka clan's techniques to restrain him was no small feat.

Previously, Ino didn't learn them because her "Ninjutsu" value was too low. If her learning progress was slow, she wouldn't appear talented enough, affecting her future study plans.

Only after gaining sufficient confidence did she bring it up today.

Inoichi was somewhat surprised. He knew his daughter was talented but lazy and lacked perseverance. While he could physically discipline a son, it wasn't appropriate for a daughter. As the head of analysis, he had worried a lot about this. Today was the first time his daughter had taken the initiative to propose learning something.

Initially, he was slightly puzzled by her change in attitude, but after hearing Hinata's name, he felt he understood. Friends often compete among themselves. Such things were indeed very normal.

As the one managing all village intelligence, he was well aware of Hinata's caliber. Defeating her wouldn't be difficult.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Our family isn't renowned for taijutsu. We excel in mind-related ninjutsu. If you want to surpass the Hyuga clan's heiress, it's not hard. But it will require time and effort. Can you persevere through it?"

Inoichi Yamanaka wanted to know how determined Ino was this time and whether she could persevere for more than three days.

He was afraid of hurting his daughter's self-esteem, so he carefully chose his words: "Your willingness to learn indicates that you're truly growing up. As your father, I'm pleased. However, I need to warn you—no, perhaps 'caution' is a better word. Our family's secret techniques are much more challenging and dangerous to practice compared to ordinary Taijutsu and Ninjutsu."

He also gave an example: "Actually, the Nara clan and the Akimichi clan also have secret techniques, but their techniques are relatively simple, and their effects aren't as good as ours."

Inoichi didn't mean to belittle his old comrades. In the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance lasting over two centuries, the Yamanaka clan often took the leading role.

The Akimichi clan charged in, the Nara clan trapped enemies, and the Yamanaka clan delivered the decisive blow. This was the modus operandi of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio.

In terms of clan secret techniques, the Yamanaka's were the most difficult to master with the most bizarre effects, placing extremely high demands on the practitioner's talent, insight, and willpower.

Even after countless refinements by predecessors minimizing the dangers, mastering the Yamanaka techniques still carried significant risks.

"Our clan's secret techniques require immense willpower, patience, and an unwavering heart. You may need to practice this technique for three to five years to master them. Ino, are you prepared?" Inoichi asked with a serious tone.

Ino inwardly pouted. Her father really didn't know how to sugarcoat things. He was so straightforward. Wasn't this the kind of blunt talk that discouraged the original Ino?

Clearly aware of the difficulty of family secret techniques, why hadn't she been told to start practicing earlier? Children might not understand the consequences, but shouldn't adults? Inoichi probably doted on the original Ino too much.

If Ino had started practicing the clan's secret technique early, how could she possibly have been evenly matched with Sakura during the Chunin Exams? What could Sakura do before taking Tsunade as her master? Nothing at all.

She asked the key question: "It takes three to five years to practice our clan's secret technique?"

Inoichi didn't say a word and just nodded.

Chapter Text

Ino pondered to herself: wasn't the Mind Body Switch Technique just a C-rank ninjutsu? Is it really that difficult? Does it really take three to five years to practice? She hesitated. If it really takes three to five years to master the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique, it would be a waste of time. 

Except for the three from the previous year, the rest of the Konoha 12 are all twelve years old this year. Naruto defeated Kaguya Ōtsutsuki at seventeen and got married at nineteen. Considering all this, she only had five years of training time. If she spent five years practicing a family secret technique with limited prospects, by the time of Infinite Tsukuyomi, she'd just have to lie down and accept defeat.

After carefully going over Inoichi's words twice in her mind, she suddenly realized that she had misunderstood. This cheap dad of hers was frugal with his words and wasn't clear enough. When he said "clan secret technique," he was referring to the entire set of secret techniques, not just the Mind Body Switch Technique alone.

"I want to learn."

She quickly decided. Her attributes were already several points higher than the original Ino's, so there was no reason she couldn't learn it.

Inoichi looked at her seriously, and she nodded firmly to show her determination. Going all out in her act, she even muttered softly, "I must defeat Hinata."

Yamanaka Rin soon left the room, leaving the father and daughter sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"The name of our clan's secret technique is the Mind Body Switch Technique. It's classified as a C-rank technique in terms of difficulty within the village, which is a genuine chūnin-level ninjutsu. But..." Inoichi paused.

"But what they don't know is that this rating is not accurate. The Mind Body Switch Technique is the starting point of all the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, and its difficulty goes beyond what a C-rank ninjutsu can encompass."

Ino nodded. A clan's secret techniques are the foundation of the clan. No matter how strong the sense of belonging to the village is, they will not be handed over.

She even suspected that the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans probably only reported the names of their techniques, reporting them as C-rank when compiling the statistics, and called it a day.

Inoichi continued, "There were some derivative techniques from our clan's secret techniques, but we won't discuss those today. I'll only talk about the main part. Our clan's secret techniques start with the Mind-Body Switch Technique and have four stages in total. My talent and chakra capacity were not enough, my aptitude was dull, and my willpower fell short. Right now, I've only practiced up to the second stage, which is mastering the Mind Body Disturbance Technique."

She voiced her doubts: "Four stages? What are the two stages after the Mind Body Switch Technique and the Mind Body Disturbance Technique?"

As the conversation continued, Inoichi lost his initial nervousness when communicating with his daughter. To increase Ino's enthusiasm for learning the secret techniques, he spontaneously mastered the ultimate technique of gaslighting.

"Right now, the evaluation standards for ninjutsu in the Shinobi world aren't very accurate. But to give you an idea, if we judge based on difficulty, our clan's secret techniques, starting from the Mind Body Switch Technique up to the fourth stage, can be compared to the current C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank ninjutsu."

The idea that the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques could reach S-rank surprised Ino. Tonight's conversation with her father touched upon an area of knowledge she hadn't encountered before.

"What are the names of the last two stages of the secret technique?" she asked.

Inoichi smiled gracefully, leaving her in suspense: "I'll tell you when you complete the Mind Body Switch Technique."

Ino: "..."

Inoichi cleared his throat: "The Mind Body Switch Technique is the foundation of everything. It's considered a C-rank ninjutsu, which is usually for shinobi at the Chūnin level. However, our family's secret technique is at least half a level higher. Ino, you should be mentally prepared."

"Mm-hmm."

Inoichi pointed at himself. "Use your Sensing Technique to sense me; let me see the strength of your spiritual energy."

The Sensing Technique was not considered a secret and was widely spread. It was one of the few abilities that could slightly enhance spiritual energy. Ino had been training her sensing abilities for the past three months since she transmigrated. She now closed her eyes, placed her left hand above and right hand below, formed the "Ram" hand seal, and focused all her attention on Inoichi.

"Sensing!"

The fusion of the two souls made her spiritual energy surge. With her deliberate training, Inoichi immediately felt a powerful spiritual energy attacking his mind.

Ino's spiritual energy was scattered, insubstantial, and lacked focus. While she had more of it than most people, it still couldn't penetrate the mental defenses of Inoichi, a master of mind control.

"It's not enough; increase your strength."

"Put more effort into it. Your spiritual energy still can't harm me. Push harder!"

"Is this all you've got? At this rate, you won't be able to defeat the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Use more strength!"

Ino was speechless. She had just used Hinata as a pretext to learn the clan's secret techniques, and now poor Hinata was being dragged into the conversation again to spark her competitiveness.

She understood Inoichi's intention, and she gritted her teeth, imagining Hinata as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, desperately squeezing out spiritual energy from the depths of her soul, attacking Inuzuka's mental defenses like a raging tide.

This was the first time Inoichi had to withstand his daughter's spiritual energy, and he couldn't help but feel dazed.

He never expected his daughter's spiritual energy to be this strong! While there was still a significant gap in quality, in terms of quantity, she had surpassed him.

One must understand that spiritual energy is very difficult to improve through training, and the current Shinobi world lacks effective means to enhance it, as it is purely innate.

Inoichi clenched his fists tightly, feeling elated!

While the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans are allies, and the camaraderie among the three families is indeed sincere, there was also competition within the three families to determine hierarchy.

Not to mention the Yamanaka clan; over a hundred years ago, they were the team leaders, but now, due to various reasons, their status in the alliance could be said to have fallen significantly.

The Akimichi clan might look unassuming, but they also had their own ambitions.

Akimichi Tori was a direct subordinate of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, renowned for his martial exploits. It was only because he died during the Nine-Tails incident that he didn't become a high-level advisor in the village like Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

As for the Nara clan, they were even stronger.

The current clan head, the fifteenth "Shika," Nara Shikaku, is the Jōnin Commander of Konoha. His strategic genius was renowned across the nations. When the Fourth Hokage was appointed, as well as when the Third Hokage returned to power, Nara Shikaku had the same authority as the three advisors in the village, with the right to recommend and vote for the new Hokage.

The Yamanaka clan, as the "Ino" part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, had been in decline for too long, but today, Inoichi finally saw a glimmer of hope for their resurgence in Ino.

Chapter Text

Inoichi had never taught his daughter before, but he had taught lower-ranked shinobi under him. He knew that, at this moment, he couldn't allow his daughter to become arrogant. Although he was excited inside, he maintained a nonchalant tone.

He thought for a moment and said, "Not bad; you barely meet the prerequisite conditions for practicing the clan's secret techniques. Let's start with the Mind-Body Switch Technique today."

Ino's expression turned serious, and she sat with her hands on her knees, sitting upright.

Inoichi raised a finger and continued, "The Mind Body Switch Technique is a secret technique that allows the user to seize and occupy the target's body with their spiritual power. Once successful, victory is assured. This clan technique has obvious advantages, but it also has its drawbacks. First, it requires a special hand seal. Second, if the occupied body is harmed, the users themselves will also be harmed. Finally, the range of this technique is limited."

Worried that his daughter might become discouraged, he quickly reassured her, "Of course, these difficulties are because the Mind Body Switch Technique is just the first stage. Once you advance to the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, these issues won't be a problem."

Clearing his throat, Inoichi continued, "Let's start by practicing the first stage of the Mind Body Switch Technique, which is to focus your attention."

It was evident that he had been preparing for this day for a long time. He unsealed a scroll he carried and took out five cards from it.

What are these?

The cards were covered with numerous irregular lines, and just a glance made Ino feel a sense of discomfort as if something wanted to jump out of her chest.

She knew very well that these were just irregular lines, and there was nothing "indescribable" about them. She looked at Inoichi, waiting for his explanation.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance has been around for over two hundred years, but the history of the Yamanaka clan can be traced back to the Ninshū period before the Warring States period," Inoichi said proudly. It was clear that Inoichi took great pride in his clan's history.

Was the Konoha Village impressive? The village was only sixty years old. The Senju and Uchiha were formidable, but they were no longer around. The Yamanaka were still here! This was their advantage—those who survive until the end get the last laugh.

Ino gave him an odd look, wondering what her cheap father was thinking about.

Inoichi laid out the five cards one by one. Ino immediately noticed the issue: the discomfort caused by the first card was the mildest, while the discomfort caused by the last card was the most intense.

"Without specialized training, shinobi's spiritual energy is scattered and lacks intensity. To penetrate the enemy's mental defenses, our spiritual energy must be condensed. Look at these five cards, one by one. If you can discern the central patterns and text at the center of the card, then you've passed."

Inoichi handed Ino a bowl of cool, paste-like medicine. "Apply this to your temples, then remember the incantation I'll teach you: Nourish oneself from within, calm and serene; void of emptiness, a tranquil scene. Hidden yet bright, our essence gleams; illuminate within, ascend in dreams. Below, when sealed, existence thrives; above, non-existent, where spirit thrives. The void, a vessel, offers up in flight; above, divine brightness, pure and bright."

Ino applied the paste to her temples, and two seconds later, she felt a great shock to her mind, and most of the distracting thoughts in her mind dissipated. Inoichi's mantra, spoken softly, sounded ordinary, but combined with the medicine and her current state of heightened concentration, something intangible seemed to converge within her mind.

She didn't understand the meaning of the incantation, and Inoichi didn't explain it, but Ino still gained something inexplicable from it.

She picked up the first card, where countless intricate yet simple lines converged before her eyes.

At first glance, due to visual distortion, she even felt that the lines on this card were rotating at an irregular speed.

When plagued by distractions, looking at this would be dizzying. But now, momentarily forgetting her usual antics of blaming others, deflecting blame, smashing windows, or any other mischievous acts, her mind was clear. Her gaze focused on the center of the card, and she quickly saw the answer.

She said confidently, "It's the character for 'enlightenment'."

Inoichi nodded, signaling her to continue.

The first four cards seemed relatively easy, but the fifth one was particularly difficult. Inoichi was quite nervous, while Ino squinted her eyes, wishing she had some kind of dojutsu like the Byakugan or Sharingan. She stared fixedly at the center of the card, but the more she tried to see, the blurrier things became, and her spiritual energy rapidly depleted at an alarming rate.

In less than thirty seconds, she felt a slight ache in her temples, an external manifestation of excessive use of her spiritual energy.

Inoichi reminded her, "Don't fixate on one point. When the image spins, don't resist—go with the flow."

For a full five minutes, Ino stared intently and repeated the mantra, keeping herself calm and pushing away her restless thoughts. As the medicine's effects began to wane, her spiritual energy was about to reach a critical point, and her body was about to faint, Ino finally completed the task.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she said, "I can see it clearly now. It's the character for 'divine'."

Inoichi laughed heartily, feeling very satisfied. His daughter's talent exceeded his expectations. It took him a month and a half to pass this stage in his youth, requiring ten days of rest after each failure to recover his drained spiritual energy. He failed three times before finally passing on the fourth attempt by inflicting self-harm, slashing his arms in several places desperately just to barely pass.

Ino seemed to have struggled to pass this test, but in reality, states like agitation and exhaustion were just self-defense mechanisms of her mind. She hadn't reached her limits. As an expert in mental manipulation, Inoichi had a keen eye for such things.

Ino also breathed a sigh of relief. She had almost given up just now.

She had misunderstood. Initially, she assumed that the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were ultimately still ninjutsu, so she focused on adding points to the Ninjutsu attribute. But the first stage had nothing to do with ninjutsu, nor did it have anything to do with the eight attributes. Instead, it seemed to be a test of her spiritual energy and the strength of her soul.

"Rest for ten minutes, then we'll continue with the second step of training."

"Okay." Ino's cheeks and neck were drenched in sweat. Without bothering to wipe it, she sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state to restore her spiritual energy.

According to her guess, the next step would likely be an intensive training session to exploit her currently depleted spiritual energy state. This tactic was nothing new.

Ten minutes later, Inoichi brought Ino a stack of books over a meter tall, leaving Ino dumbfounded.

What was this about? She flipped through a few pages and found the content to be obscure and difficult to understand. She didn't even recognize some of the characters.

"What's this for?"

Inoichi didn't beat around the bush. "Read. Read silently and focus your attention. Don't rest tonight until you've finished these books."

Ino's eyes darted around for a moment, and she seemed to understand. The key to this stage wasn't actually the books, but to maintain sustained concentration.

At least she's an adult mentally, not a child. She has enough self-control.

Ino sat down at the desk, picked up the topmost book, and started reading from the first page.

Chapter Text

Ino was diligently reading.

Inoichi sat about a meter away, watching her.

Rin Yamanaka appeared and poured a glass of water for her husband and daughter.

She tugged at her husband, seeming to want to provide Ino with a quiet environment for reading. But Inoichi gently shook his head. No, resisting distractions was also part of the training.

Not only did he not leave, but he even pulled his wife over to join in observing.

No matter how long his daughter studied, he would accompany her until then. If she could persist and study for an entire evening through sheer willpower, he would be overjoyed.

Just as Madara Uchiha had a habit of not being able to pee with someone standing behind him, Ino was now quite nervous with two people sitting behind her. The feeling of being watched was very clear.

She had to resist mental distractions, resist physical fatigue, and still read attentively. Additionally, the effects of the medicine had completely worn off.

Ino knew she had to overcome the current difficulties. She focused all her attention on the text, disregarding the discomfort signals from her body and mind, gradually entering a state of relative selflessness.

Inoichi and Rino sat quietly, the only sound in the room being the rustling of pages as Ino flipped through the book.

The next day.

Despite not sleeping at all that night, Inoichi Yamanaka attended the Jonin meeting with great enthusiasm.

Inoichi knew that his daughter's progress outpaced his own, and her willpower stood out among her peers. He was confident that her future achievements would exceed his own, and he found solace in that thought.

Originally, he thought his daughter was lazy and lacked potential, causing worry for her future. He never expected her to actually be a prodigy. His joy was completely unrestrained. While the Third Hokage was speaking at the front, Inoichi appeared to be sitting upright, but his thoughts had already wandered back home.

The jōnin were the pillars of the village. During the weekly jōnin meeting, the Third Hokage always gives a routine summary of the past week's affairs, often adding some personal anecdotes. 

"I know you're all very busy, so I'll keep it brief today. I hope that our Jōnin will strengthen the management of both internal and external personnel in the village. Be diligent in your duties, implement effective vigilance measures, utilize your specialized skills to enhance supervision and inspection of key individuals, prevent crime, boost village morale, deliver tangible results, and highlight our significance and standing within the Land of Fire."

Dressed in his Hokage robe and wearing a conical hat adorned with the character "Fire," the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was often regarded as the current "Strongest Hokage." While whether he truly held that title was debatable, there was no disputing that he held the record for being the longest-serving Hokage. The Hokage was already 69 years old this year, and his physical condition has significantly declined, evident from the age spots covering his face.

The older one gets, the more talkative they become.

He knew these Jōnin didn't want to hear such platitudes, but as the Hokage, he had to repeat them tirelessly.

While reciting the same routine phrases, he observed their reactions.

Might Guy sat ramrod straight, but his eyes were glazed over, clearly daydreaming.

Kakashi sat behind Guy, flipping through a novel.

The Third Hokage's own son, Asuma Sarutobi, was discreetly holding hands with the newly promoted Jōnin, Kurenai Yūhi.

The remaining Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin had varying expressions, some listening attentively while others were indifferent.

Huh? The Third Hokage, while speaking, suddenly noticed Inoichi Yamanaka wearing a joyful expression, causing him to pause for a moment.

What was he so happy about? The usually elegant and mild-mannered head of analysis seemed unusually delighted today. Had he gained some profound insight into life from his speech? The young man was quite perceptive! Good!

Normally, the Third Hokage's speech lasted thirty minutes, but today, feeling pleased, he spoke for forty-five minutes straight, and Kakashi even took out a second novel from his ninja pouch to read.

The Jōnin Commander and head of the Nara clan, the "Genius Strategist" Nara Shikaku, also noticed the elated Inoichi Yamanaka at this point and was somewhat puzzled, wondering what was making his old friend so happy.

Surely he couldn't have truly gained some profound insight from the Third Hokage's long-winded and dull speech? Or was there some important information hidden within that routine drivel that he had missed?

Shikaku Nara, with an IQ of 200, scrutinized his old friend carefully for several moments. No way, right? How did he not pick up on anything?

After the meeting ended, he straightforwardly asked, "Why were you so happy today?"

Inoichi had no intention of hiding it, and there wasn't much to hide anyway, and it was very uncomfortable to keep it bottled up.

While Inoichi and Shikaku were close friends who had been through life and death together, competition still existed between them. They had competed to become Chūnin first, on the battlefield, in getting married, and even in having children—Shikamaru's birthday was September 22nd, while Ino's was September 23rd. They often brought up such things when they drank together. After being suppressed for so long, Inoichi had been wanting to show off for a while now.

He said with distress, "Yesterday, I started teaching Ino the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques. But this child is really... sigh, restless, and lacks firm willpower. You know about our clan's Mind-Body Switch Technique, right?"

"Yeah, I remember it being quite challenging to learn," Shikaku nodded with an odd expression.

"Our Mind-Body Switch Technique requires passing three stages to fully master it. This child's talent is a bit lacking; she took a whole night just to get through the first two stages. Ah, I'm really worried that after I die and meet our clan's ancestors, I won't be able to explain myself! When the ancestors ask about it, what can I say? The conditions now are so good, yet this child doesn't know how to work hard. It's really worrying me to death."

Shikaku was speechless. Trying to provoke him first thing in the morning, huh? It seemed this was the kind of person he was dealing with.

Passing two stages in one night, and her talent is still lacking? When Inochi was learning the Mind-Body Switch Technique back then, didn't it take him two or three months? Shikaku remembered that Inochi's father was so angry that he hung him from the rafters and beat him fiercely.

The three clans knew each other inside out. Although they didn't know the specifics of each other's secret techniques—such as the secret medicine, steps, incantations, etc.—the three clans had a sense of the relative difficulty involved.

The Akimichi clan's secret techniques were the easiest to learn and had the lowest barrier to entry. As long as they were willing to spend money, had a mouth and hands, and ate and drank normally, they could explosively unleash their accumulated fat and chakra in battle.

The Nara clan's secret techniques had a certain learning threshold, requiring intelligence, insight, and perseverance.

The Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were the most difficult to learn, and even the entry stage was extremely dangerous. During the Mind-Body Switch Technique, a slight mistake could leave one in a vegetative state at best.

Chapter Text

Inochi's boastful display instilled a sense of urgency in Shikaku.

He wasn't one to play tricks or say one thing and do another. After a moment of thought, he said, "Originally, I wanted Shikamaru to take a few more days off. But since Ino is working so hard, it seems I need to encourage my own son to train diligently. You're busy; I'll head to the academy!"

With that, he left the Hokage building and headed to the Ninja Academy.

Inochi felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction from the inside out. Wonderful!

Shikaku was gone, but there was still one more old friend from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio: Chōji's father, the 15th generation "Cho," Chōza Akimichi.

Since the death of the 14th generation "Cho," Chōza Akimichi's father, the Akimichi clan has lost its upward trajectory. Their current mindset was essentially one of complacency.

Inochi didn't care whether they were truly complacent or just pretending. He waited in front of the Hokage building, and soon the 1.8-meter-tall, 120-kg Akimichi Chōza emerged. Inochi made some small talk, then repeated his words about his daughter's "low talent and weak willpower."

Chōza wasn't as smart as Shikaku. It took Inochi boasting a couple more times before he vaguely understood the implication.

After offering congratulations with an honest smile, the big man left the Hokage building, heading towards the Ninja Academy as well.

Inochi continued to wait in front of the Hokage building, watching as one Jōnin after another walked out.

As he waited, the head of the Hyuga family, Hinata's father, Hyuga Hiashi, walked out.

Inochi immediately approached him. He is the one.

In less than half a day, the story of Ino and Hinata competing in taijutsu at the academy, followed by their determination to improve, spread among the Jōnin circles.

The incident had all the necessary elements: time, place, characters, cause, process, and result. There were numerous witnesses, so no one could find fault with it.

Most of the Jōnin were generally supportive of Ino's efforts. Hard work is a commendable quality in any profession, and ninjas are no exception.

Many of the Jōnin have been married and settled into family life for many years. Comparing their children's progress is common. Using Ino as a topic, they reminisced about how hard they had worked in their youth and lamented how kids today take things for granted, unaware of their blessings. The fervor of their discussion even caught the attention of the Third Hokage.

After hearing about the incident, the Third Hokage personally wrote a reminder to "Guard against arrogance and impatience" and had his ANBU deliver it to Hinata, hoping she wouldn't become proud and would continue to work hard.

On the other hand, Danzō Shimura, for reasons unknown, also wrote a calligraphy piece saying "Strive to Catch Up" and had his Root agents deliver it to Ino. 

While the Jōnin were idly chatting, Shikaku was the first to arrive at the Ninja Academy.

Upon inquiry, he found out that Ino hadn't come to school that day; it was Rin Yamanaka who had asked for her leave, with the reason being to prepare for the graduation exams with special training at home.

Shikaku found his son Shikamaru on the school's rooftop, along with Chōji Akimichi, who was inseparable from his son.

Chōji was still eating snacks, while Shikamaru was lying back with his hands behind his head, lost in thought.

Shikaku cleared his throat. To be honest, there was a bit of a communication problem between him and his son. Both father and son were too intelligent and often didn't know what to say to each other.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to speak directly: "Since you're just skipping classes at school anyway, come home with me to train in our clan's secret techniques."

There was little room for negotiation in his tone; it was almost an order.

Shikamaru looked a bit surprised and glanced at his father. "I remember we agreed I'd learn the secret techniques after graduating from the Ninja Academy."

"That was the original plan, but now that girl from the Yamanaka family has already started practicing their clan's secret technique. According to Inochi, her learning progress is very fast. You're a smart kid; you should be able to guess what I'm thinking, right?"

Shikamaru remained silent for a few seconds, gazing straight at the white clouds in the sky. "Women are really troublesome. I just wanted to spend this last half-year in peace. Why is it so difficult? Sigh."

As a top-tier intellect, he knew very well that while the Ino-Shika-Cho trio could fight side-by-side, there was also a bit of competition within the alliance. If he fell behind, it could trigger a series of unpredictable consequences.

The allied clans supported each other but also propelled each other forward.

Inochi's boastful display today carried that implication—it was a reminder to the Nara clan.

"Let's go home, Dad." Shikamaru lazily stood up, with his hands in his pockets. He whispered to Chōji, "If nothing unexpected happens, I won't be able to come to the Academy tomorrow. Your good times, heh, are also over. Let's meet again in a few days. Women really are troublesome!"

"Okay, see you later," Chōji responded blankly, holding his snack bag.

Shikaku nodded slightly at him, then took Shikamaru to request a leave from Iruka.

Only Chōji was left on the rooftop.

Though usually simple-minded, Chōji wasn't foolish. With Ino and Shikamaru leaving one after the other, he roughly understood the reasons behind it. Could he really stay out of this?

He finished his snacks, his mind a blur, as he decided to walk home alone.

As he stepped out of the school gate, he bumped into his father, Chōza Akimichi.

Chōji was still quite confused. Lacking Shikamaru's intellect and being younger in age, many things were only vaguely understood by him. He turned to his father and asked, "Is the village going to war again? Shikamaru is such a lazy person; why does he have to force himself to do things he doesn't like?"

Chōza Akimichi patted his son's head gently and said in a mild tone, "No, it's not time for you guys to go to the battlefield yet, child. Remember my words, you are a ninja, and you must make sacrifices. Ino and Shikamaru have made their choices, and you must follow suit. It's your inherent duty."

Chōza took his son back to the Academy, fabricated an excuse for taking leave, and then returned home to train in the clan's secret techniques.