Ninja Pot Shadow

Chapter 44 Hand Speed

In the evening, the four of them had roasted wild boar for dinner.

With practiced ease, the old man took down the iron pot behind him, lit a fire, boiled water, dismembered the body, removed the hair, and then proceeded with various skinning and deboning techniques, his movements swift and graceful.

While dealing with the wild boar, he shared his experience with the three men.

"The campsite should be located on the leeward side of the hill."

"Remember, even though we are ninjas, our bodies are still fragile. When we are caught off guard, a wild beast can take our lives. When choosing a campsite, observe the surroundings to see if there are any large animal tracks or if it is on a path that animals would take to fetch water."

"Watch my movements. When dealing with wild animals, go for the abdomen. Remember to always clean the animal's blood and internal organs thoroughly in the wild, because enemy ninjas will track you down by the scent."

The fifteenth generation Ino-Shika-Cho nodded in agreement. The theories in textbooks and reality are ultimately different. These small details may seem insignificant, but if you are not careful, you may end up making a mess of things.

Even Ino listened very attentively. She wasn't a prince like Naruto. Princes don't need to understand these things; they just need to be reckless. If they were in real danger, the Nine-Tails chakra, Minato chakra, Kushina chakra, Ashura chakra, and even the Sage of Six Paths would jump out to help him. Ino didn't have that ability; she could only rely on herself.

Ninjas are much stronger than ordinary people, but their bodies are still fragile; they are still mortal beings.

She would feel aggrieved if she were killed by a wild boar while sleeping in the wild because of her own carelessness.

After finishing their wilderness survival class, they began to eat dinner.

The wild boar meat tasted alright; the skin was crispy, and the lean meat was firm, somewhat like beef. However, it had a strong gamey smell. Old man Kosuke had only brought a limited amount of seasoning, so Ino didn't quite like it.

But seeing Shikamaru eating slowly with a frown, she forced herself to eat a few pieces as well.

Of the ten portions of wild boar meat, old man Kosuke ate one portion, Ino and Shikamaru ate one portion, and the remaining eight portions all went into Choji's stomach.

This guy really doesn't discriminate between meat and vegetables...

For the next two days, the old man Gu Jie explained to them the knowledge needed for wilderness survival, as well as how to make traps, how to lure enemies into traps, how to get rid of pursuers when retreating, how to eliminate traces, and other practical applications.

All three of them listened very attentively, and even the gluttonous Choji did not slack off at all.

Perhaps in the later stages of the Ninja War, it would be a matter of one Susanoo on your side and the other side having a Top Transformed Buddha on my side, where brute force can produce miracles, and the two Gundams could fight each other to the death. But in the early stages, this knowledge is still very useful.

Old man Kosuke not only taught them survival skills, but also gave them guidance on ninjutsu, taijutsu, and fighting methods.

The B-rank Shadow Clone Technique and the later A-rank Multiple Shadow Clone Technique were both ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage. As the Second Hokage's subordinate, Kosuke knew the Shadow Clone Technique.

His training method wasn't like Naruto's, where he extracted chakra and practiced blindly. It was very formal, explaining in detail how to subdivide chakra, how to give clones partial consciousness, and how to get clones to participate in battle.

Under his guidance, Ino gained a clear understanding of several key aspects of the Shadow Clone Technique. She estimated that if she studied it further after returning to the village, she would be able to master this B-rank ninjutsu.

"I heard you're good at Water Release ninjutsu? Let me teach you another one. Watch closely. Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Old Man Gu Jie quickly formed hand seals. After twelve seals, the water in the nearby stream was stirred by his chakra, and a huge water dragon shot into the sky. White waves rolled and the water dragon splashed several meters high. It meandered and swirled, and with its huge impact, it plowed through a forest in front of the old man.

Ino was dumbfounded. The Water Dragon Bullet, which seemed useless in the manga, was now a reality. She could only say that it was indeed a Jonin-level ninjutsu, and its power was simply too strong! If she had this technique when fighting Sasuke, Sasuke would have been taken down in one hit. She could withstand a C-rank Water Chaos Wave, but you try to withstand a B-rank Water Dragon Bullet?

"Did you see that clearly?" The old man asked before Ino could answer, "I'll use it again."

Another water cannon shot into the sky, and a large section of the woods to their right was knocked down.

Kosuke asked, "What are the differences in how I use my two techniques?"

Ino rolled her eyes inwardly. Did they really think she was a child? Was she that stupid?

To satisfy the old man's desire to teach, she pretended to be very excited and replied, "The order and total number of hand seals are different. You made twelve hand seals in the first one, but in the next one... is the next one forty-two or forty-three?"

Kosuke corrected, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet requires forty-four hand seals. Even a very skilled Water Release ninja needs ten seconds to use this technique. In other words, it takes about five hand seals per second. The fact is that very few people in the ninja world can form hand seals that fast these days. Anyone who can complete the Water Dragon Bullet hand seals in ten seconds must be an elite Jonin from their respective village. When you encounter an enemy like this, you only have one choice: run."

He seemed to want Ino to remember him better, so he paused for a moment before continuing, "The Second Hokage's understanding of ninjutsu is unparalleled. He simplified this technique, requiring only three hand seals to complete the entire jutsu. I am far inferior to the Second Hokage; I need to form twelve hand seals for the Water Dragon Bullet."

Ino thought to herself, "Wow, the second generation is truly a great inventor! He simplified forty-four seals to just three?! That's a huge advantage!"

Even though Ino always thought her fingers were very nimble, completing five hand seals in one second, forty-four hand seals in ten seconds, and then adjusting chakra, adding nature transformation, and changing form in a specific way—this B-rank water ninjutsu was still too difficult. It needs to be simplified!

"Little girl, would you like to learn?" the old man asked with a kind smile.

Ino could only continue to act cute: "Um, Grandpa Kosuke, I want to learn!"

"Let's practice this water dragon bullet with forty-four marks first."

Ino: "..."

After practicing by the river for a whole day, Ino was very dissatisfied with her learning progress. She had met the standards for "endurance" and "precision," but this time her "seal" at 5 o'clock was a drag.

Old man Kosuke said that ninjas who can perform five hand seals per second are extremely rare nowadays. This statement is both true and false. He has never seen Itachi Uchiha perform hand seals. When Itachi Uchiha fought Kakashi, he performed six hand seals per second, and he could even perform hand seals with one hand!

It has to be said that Yi Dang Qi's hand speed, honed through twenty years of being single and ignoring women, is truly extraordinary! Without a doubt, this is the level of "In" 10, which Ino simply cannot match.

Chapter 45 Jiraiya

Ino's best friend Sakura also has amazing hand speed. Sakura has a "seal" skill of 8 points. Heaven knows how she trained it? Surely she didn't practice her hand speed at home while calling Sasuke's name?

Ino's five-point "mark" is nowhere near as good as these well-trained guys.

Her fastest record for forming 44 hand seals using "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet" is 19 seconds, which seems to be only 9 seconds slower than those skilled Water Release ninjas, but in reality, the difference is huge.

Old man Kosuke also taught her a simplified version of the Water Dragon Bullet. To use this ninjutsu correctly, even with the Second Hokage's tips and Old Man Kosuke's experience, she could only compress the terrifying forty-four seals of the Water Dragon Bullet to thirty-nine. If she reduced it any further, there would be a very high chance of failure when releasing the technique.

"For your age, this level is already very good. If I had this level of understanding when I was young, I wouldn't have had so many regrets... If a ninjutsu genius like the Second Hokage saw you, he would definitely take you as his disciple." Ino herself was not satisfied, but the old man praised her every day, making her feel embarrassed by the praise.

Having 8 points of "ninjutsu" also has its advantages. She has a very strong understanding of ninjutsu and quickly grasped the principle of the Water Dragon Bullet. The next step is to practice until she becomes proficient.

Water Release ninjutsu has many limitations when used on the battlefield, but it is very simple to practice. Just find a place with water to practice. It uses water from nature as its main component and consumes very little chakra.

In this respect, Fire Release, Lightning Release, and Wind Release are not as good as Water Release and Earth Release. The first three esoteric techniques are not very good at utilizing the natural environment. Going out to practice Lightning Release during a thunderstorm? That's just asking for death!

Normally, one can only rely on their own chakra to transform fire, lightning, and wind, which slows down the efficiency of practice. However, the power of these three ninjutsu is stronger than that of water and earth ninjutsu.

It can only be said that the Five Elements Escape Technique has both advantages and disadvantages, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Ino wasn't the only one getting special treatment.

Shikamaru's family secret technique is the Shadow Imitation Technique, and a series of secret techniques derived from it.

Like the Yamanaka family, the Nara family also possesses the Yin Release chakra attribute.

Shikamaru's highest affinity for chakra is fire, but his training in chakra nature transformation is not yet complete, so he will not delve into fire-style ninjutsu at this stage. After some thought, the old man Kosuke taught him a genjutsu called "Konoha Flowing Willow".

This is a technique that combines swordsmanship and illusion. It requires no hand seals. By wielding a sword or kunai, adding one's own Yin Release chakra, one can make oneself disappear from the enemy's sight or simply bind the enemy.

Shikamaru's ninjutsu skills are only slightly above average. It would be a waste of time to make him learn fire release techniques now. If it weren't for Ino's strong influence, he wouldn't even bother to practice the clan's secret techniques.

His talent for genjutsu is similar to his talent for ninjutsu. This genjutsu technique, "Konoha Willow Flow," requires more consideration of the surrounding environment, the enemy's line of sight, lighting, angle, and other factors, making it relatively suitable for him.

Fatty Choji also learned a lot; he learned from old man Kosuke... how to cook!

How to find ingredients in the wild, how to add seasonings, how to make soup in the wilderness—while Ino was practicing her Water Dragon Bullet technique by the river and Shikamaru was haphazardly gesturing with a kunai against a willow tree, his culinary skills improved dramatically…

Old man Kosuke is not their master, and the three of them and their parents would not allow their heirs to become Kosuke's disciples. The master-disciple relationship is extremely important in the entire ninja world and must be treated with utmost care. Such an important "bond" cannot be wasted on an old man with a neck buried in the ground.

"Goodbye, Grandpa Kosuke! Thank you for your guidance." A week later, the four returned to Konoha Village. They said goodbye to the old man at the village entrance. The seventy-year-old man had to go on patrol duty, and the three of them went home.

Ino returned home, put down her backpack, and went to take a shower.

Living in the wild for a week, undergoing high-intensity training every day, and not being able to shower—even the most naturally beautiful woman couldn't withstand it.

She smelled a sour odor on Shikamaru and Choji, and guessed she wasn't much better off...

After taking a shower, washing off all his ninja gear, changing into his everyday clothes, he strolled around the streets, looking for a hot pot place...

When I passed by Shueido, I noticed that a booklet titled "Sasuke's Youthful Story" was already on the shelves.

To her even greater surprise, she saw a tall man in the store wearing a headband with the character "oil" on it, a red jacket, and wooden clogs.

That guy with the lecherous expression, is that Jiraiya? Why is he back in Konoha? Did he come to see Naruto? ...

Ino had already stepped into the bookstore, and it would be too suspicious for her to turn back now. Luckily, she didn't use her transformation technique today.

Transformation techniques might fool ordinary people, but the obvious chakra flow on the face is impossible to hide from a master like Jiraiya.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that Jiraiya was reading "Sasuke's Youthful Story". There was no benefit to getting to know Jiraiya now, but there was no harm either. Knowing him was better than not knowing him. After all, the core ideology of Konoha and the entire ninja world was still the same old "choose the capable from among the acquaintances, and choose the acquaintances from among the capable".

Ino immediately adopted a fangirl expression, full of anticipation, and asked the shop assistant, "Boss, do you have the latest Sasuke Youth Story?"

The guy was very happy. The book wasn't selling like hotcakes, but there were quite a few people who bought it, including but not limited to the famous lady, the rich woman, the young woman, the girl, the nine-tailed boy, and that pervert not far away.

In his opinion, Ino could also be classified as a teenage girl; he had seen many such fangirls.

"Yes, this book is selling very well right now, and we don't have much stock left. It costs 1,500 taels per copy."

Ino hesitated for a moment, pretending to be embarrassed: "I'm still a student. I really like the books published by your Shueido, but I don't have much money. Could you give me two copies? If you can give me three thousand taels, I'll help you promote your books and give you good reviews!"

Waiter: "???"

He was completely confused, and it took him a while to realize, "Good heavens! We're going to have to pay you back?"

My first instinct was to refuse, but seeing how pitiful Ino looked, I couldn't bear to do it.

I was stunned for a moment.

Ino looked at him pitifully, but her real target wasn't him at all.

Sure enough, the lsp not far away laughed loudly: "What a cute little girl. How about this, as the toad sage of Mount Myōboku, I'll ask you a few questions. If the answers satisfy me, I'll pay for you, how about that?"

Ino gave a wary look, as if she were being misled by a pervert, and took three steps back cautiously: "...Uncle, go ahead and ask."

Jiraiya stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then held up the book "Sasuke's Youthful Tale," facing Ino with Sasuke's cover facing him: "I've seen a lot of women of different ages buying this book these past few days... Can you give me some advice? Do you think a fifty-year-old woman likes this kind of expressionless face or a powerful and domineering man like me?"

Chapter Forty-Six: Eyes Opened?

Without hesitation, Ino replied, "Of course I like handsome guys!"

Jiraiya wanted to say he was handsome too, but Ino didn't give him the chance. Pointing at Sasuke's cover photo, she said, "Look at Sasuke-kun, red lips and white teeth. And you, uncle? Your face paint is quite red, and your hair is quite white. Are they the same? And look at Sasuke-kun's eyes, bright as stars. And you, uncle? Your eyes have a lewd look... tsk tsk. Sasuke-kun has a big house. Do you, uncle? What do fifty-year-old women need? Security! You have nothing!"

She made Jiraiya want to bang his head against a wall. His face paint was his distinctive feature, his white hair was natural, and as for his eyes? Could he compare to the Uchiha clan in terms of eyes? The housing issue was actually easy to solve; he had money. But the real problem was that he didn't want to stay in Konoha.

Compared to this, it seems like he was completely defeated.

Ino ignored him and, not wanting to go too far, bought a copy of Sasuke's coming-of-age story.

He waved to the dejected Jiraiya, picked up his book, and walked out of Shueido.

She flipped through the pages as she walked.

The literacy rate in this world is very low. People who can read and have money to buy books are mostly located in the prosperous areas of major countries. Jiyingtang is preparing to promote this book to the whole world.

However, they ultimately played it safe by using the title "Sasuke's Youthful Tale" instead of "Uchiha Sasuke's Youthful Tale," only mentioning his first name and not his surname, thus leaving room for interpretation.