Ninja Pot Shadow

No matter how fast Ino learns, she can't just write up a family history ranking for her on the spot.

Haiyi knew that his daughter was progressing faster than him, had outstanding willpower among her peers, and would definitely achieve more than him in the future, and that was enough for him.

He had initially thought his daughter was lazy and lacked perseverance, with a worrying future, but he never expected her to be such a genius. His joy was completely undisguised. While the Third Hokage was speaking upstairs, he appeared to be sitting upright, but his mind was already wandering back home.

Jonin are the pillars of the village. Every week at the Jonin meeting, the Third Hokage would give a routine summary of the past week's events, which would naturally include his own agenda.

"...I know you are all very busy, so I'll just say a few words today..."

"I hope the Jonin will strengthen the management of outsiders in the village, earnestly fulfill their duties, and ensure that security work is carried out effectively. Utilize your professional skills to enhance the supervision and screening of key groups, prevent crime, improve the village's overall appearance, and achieve tangible results, highlighting our importance and significant position in the Land of Fire..."

The Third Hokage, dressed in his Hokage robe and wearing a straw hat with the character for "fire" on it, is hailed as the "Strongest Hokage." Whether he is truly the strongest is debatable, but he is undoubtedly the oldest Hokage. The old man is 69 years old this year, and his health has deteriorated significantly, with age spots covering his face.

The older people get, the more they talk.

He knew these Jonin didn't want to listen to this nonsense, but as Hokage, he had to repeat it tirelessly.

While reciting the same old platitudes, they observed the reactions of these people.

Matt Kai sat upright, but his eyes were actually vacant; he was clearly daydreaming.

Kakashi sat behind Might Guy, flipping through a novel.

The Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma, is secretly holding hands with the newly promoted Jonin, Yuhi Kurenai.

The remaining Jonin and Special Jonin had varying expressions; some listened attentively, while others were indifferent.

"Hmm?" The Third Hokage was speaking when he suddenly noticed Yamanaka Inoichi's joyful expression and couldn't help but pause for a moment.

What's he so happy about? Why is the usually refined and gentle intelligence chief so cheerful today? Has he gleaned some profound truth about life from my speech? Young man, you're quite perceptive! Good!

Normally a 30-minute speech, the Third Hokage was in a good mood today and spoke for 45 minutes straight. Kakashi even took out a second novel from his ninja tool bag and started reading.

Nara Shikaku, the leader of the Jonin class, the head of the Nara family, and known as the "wise general," also saw Yamanaka Inoichi looking very happy. He was a little surprised and wondered what his old friend was laughing about.

Could it be that he actually gleaned some profound wisdom from the Third Hokage's long and tedious speech? Or is there some important information hidden in these seemingly mundane words that he simply missed?

With an IQ of 200, Shikaku carefully examined his old partner several times. "No way? How come I can't hear anything?"

After the meeting, he asked bluntly, "Why are you so happy today?"

Haiyi had no intention of hiding anything, and there was nothing to hide anyway; it was very uncomfortable to keep this to himself.

It's true that he and Shikaku are sworn brothers, but there is also competition between them. They competed when they were young and were promoted to Chunin, when they went to the battlefield, when they got married, and when they had children. Even Shikamaru's birthday is September 22nd, while Ino's birthday is September 23rd. They would bring this up when they drank. He had been suppressing it for too long, and he had long wanted to experience Versailles.

He said with a distress, "I started teaching Ino the Yamanaka family's secret techniques yesterday. This child is really... sigh, so restless and impatient, and her willpower isn't strong enough. You know about our family's Mind-Turning Technique, right?"

“I know, I remember it was quite difficult to get started.” Shikaku nodded with a strange expression.

"Our Mind Transfer Technique requires passing three hurdles to master. Ino's talent is still a bit lacking; it took her a whole night to pass the first two hurdles. Sigh, I'm really afraid that after I die... I won't be able to explain myself to the ancestors of the Yamanaka family! What will I say when they ask? The conditions are so good now, but Ino doesn't know how to work hard. It's really worrying me to death."

Shikaku was speechless. He came to provoke me first thing in the morning. So this is what Yamanaka Inoichi is like.

Passing two tests in one night, is that considered low ability? When you were learning Mind Transformation, did it take you two or three months? I remember your dad was so angry that he hung you from the rafters and whipped you.

The three families knew each other inside and out. Although they didn't know the secret medicines, steps, or incantations used by each other when practicing their secret techniques, they all had their own understanding of the difficulty of each other's secret techniques.

The Akimichi family's secret techniques are the easiest to learn and have the lowest barrier to entry. As long as you're willing to spend money, have a mouth and hands, eat and drink normally, and unleash your stored fat and chakra exponentially during battle.

The Nara family's secret techniques have certain learning thresholds; intelligence, comprehension, and perseverance are all indispensable.

The secret techniques of the Yamanaka family are the most difficult to learn, and the initial stage is extremely dangerous. If one is not careful when turning one's mind around, becoming a vegetable is the best outcome.

Chapter Twelve is rolled up.

Yamanaka Inoichi's Versailles-like actions increased Shikaku's sense of urgency.

He wasn't going to play the double game of saying one thing and doing another. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I originally wanted Shikamaru to play for a few more days... Since Ino is working so hard, it seems I also need to urge my kid to train harder. You're busy, I'll go check on things at school!"

Without hesitation, the strategist left the Hokage Building and headed to the Ninja Academy.

Hai felt a sense of comfort emanating from her entire body, inside and out. It was wonderful!

Shikaku was driven away by him, but there's still one old friend of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio: Choji's father, the fifteenth generation "Cho" Choji Akimichi.

Since the death of the fourteenth generation "Butterfly" Akimichi Torifu, the Akimichi family has lost its path to advancement, and the current family mentality is basically one of resignation.

Regardless of whether they were truly lying down or not, Haiyi waited in front of the Hokage Building. Soon, the 1.8-meter-tall, 120-kilogram fat Akimichi Choza came out. Haiyi chatted for a bit, and then repeated what he had said about his daughter's "low aptitude and weak willpower."

Dingza was too fat; his face was full of fat, and his eyes were just slits.

He wasn't as clever as Lu Jiu; it took him two rounds of the Versailles race to roughly understand its meaning.

After offering a few words of congratulations, the fat man smiled憨厚ly and then left the Hokage Building. Judging from the direction he was heading, he was also heading to the Ninja Academy.

Inoichi continued to wait in front of the Hokage Building, watching the Jonin walk out one by one.

Kakashi? He's destined to be single. He doesn't understand the deep bond between parents and children at all. There's nothing more to say to him. Just move on.

Might Guy? A muscle-bound brute, this guy probably doesn't even know what a woman is. Let's go.

Asuma and Kurenai? Hmm, Inoichi hesitated for a moment. These two are currently deeply in love and probably don't understand the anxieties of being parents. Let them be.

As they waited, the head of the Hyuga clan, Hinata's father, Hyuga Hiashi, came out.

Haiyi immediately went to greet him, saying, "It's you."

In less than half a day, the story of Ino and Hinata competing in taijutsu at the school, and how they learned from their mistakes and worked hard to improve, spread throughout the Jonin circle.

The event has all the necessary elements: time, place, people, cause, process, and result. There are many eyewitnesses, and no one can find fault with it.

Most Jonin support Ino's efforts. Hard work is a valuable quality in any profession, and ninjas are no exception.

Jonin are usually married and have established their careers for many years. It's common for them to compare their children with each other. Taking Ino as an example, they reminisced about how hard they worked back then and talked about how today's children don't know how lucky they are. The discussion was very heated and eventually even alarmed the Third Hokage.

After hearing what had happened, the Third Hokage personally wrote the words "Avoid arrogance and impetuosity" and had his ANBU ninja deliver them to Hinata, hoping that she would not be arrogant and would continue to work hard.

On the other side, Danzo Shimura, for reasons unknown, also wrote a handwritten letter on the spot that read "Strive to catch up," and had his Root ninja subordinates deliver it to Ino.

Ironically, the Yamanaka family was actually aligned with Shimura Danzo. Yamanaka Fu, a Jonin within the family, was Danzo's right-hand man. Inoichi's intelligence department had many secret connections with Root. Ino, the original owner of the Yamanaka clan, married Sai after the Fourth Shinobi World War, and the Yamanaka family subsequently absorbed most of the Root ninja, partly due to this connection. Since they were essentially on the same side, Root felt no guilt about joining the Yamanaka family after Danzo's death.

……

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

Only after asking did I learn that Ino hadn't come to school today; Yamanaka Rino had asked for leave for her, explaining that she needed to go home for special training to prepare for her graduation exams.

Shikaku found her son on the school rooftop, along with Choji, the chubby boy who was inseparable from her son.

The chubby Choji was still eating snacks, while Shikamaru lay back with his hands behind his head, lost in thought.

Lu Jiu coughed. Strictly speaking, he also had some communication problems with his son. Both father and son were too smart, and often they didn't know what to say.

After thinking for a while, he simply said, "Since you're skipping classes anyway, come home with me and practice the family's secret techniques."

His words contained very little room for discussion; they were almost commands.

Shikamaru was a little surprised and glanced at his cheap father: "I remember we agreed that we would only learn secret techniques after graduating from school."

"That's how it was originally, but now that girl from the Yamanaka family has started practicing secret arts. I heard from Haiyi that she's progressing very quickly. You're a smart kid, you should be able to guess what I'm thinking, right?"

Shikamaru was silent for a few seconds, staring intently at the white clouds on the horizon: "Women are such a hassle... I just wanted to enjoy the last six months of my life, why is it so difficult, sigh..."

He was an exceptionally intelligent man, and he knew very well that while the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance could be allies who fought side by side, there was also competition within the alliance. If he faltered, it would trigger a series of unpredictable consequences.

Alliances support each other and promote each other's development.

Inoichi's actions at Versailles today also have this meaning; he is reminding the Nara family.

"Let's go, Dad, let's go home." Shikamaru stood up rather lazily, put his hands in his pockets, and said softly to the fat Choji, "If nothing unexpected happens, I won't be able to come tomorrow. Your good days, hehe, are over... Let's see each other again in a few days. Women are such a hassle!"

"Oh... goodbye." Fatty Choji replied blankly, holding the snack bag.

Shikaku nodded slightly to him, and then took Shikamaru to Iruka to ask for leave.

Only the fat Choji remained on the rooftop.

Choji looks fat and usually seems simple-minded, but he's not actually stupid. He roughly understands the reasons behind Ino and Shikamaru's departures, and it seems he can't stay out of it either.

He finished his snacks, his mind still foggy, and walked home alone.

Just as I stepped out of the school gate, I ran into Akimichi Choza.

Choji was still confused. He didn't have Shikamaru's intelligence and was too young. He only had a vague concept of many things and didn't understand them very well, so he asked his father.

"Is the village about to go to war again? Why does Shikamaru, such a lazy person, force himself to do things he doesn't like?"

The fat man, Dingza, patted his son's head and said gently, "No... it's not your turn to go to the battlefield yet, son. Remember my words, you are ninjas, so you must make some sacrifices. Ino and Shikamaru have made their choices, and you must follow suit. This is your innate mission."

Ding took his son back to school, made up a reason for asking for leave, and then went home to practice his family's secret arts.

Chapter Thirteen Hinata, I'm sorry

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji all gave various reasons for taking leave, but they all did.

The Jonin circle is only so big, and since the Ino-Shika-Cho trio didn't try to hide it, the news spread quickly.

The head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi Hyuga, immediately summoned Hinata Hyuga back upon receiving the news. "Stop messing around at school and come home to train! Haven't you heard that the young lady of the Yamanaka clan went back to train hard because you discouraged her? She's itching to beat you up. Don't you know your own strength?"

"Huh?..." Hinata Hyuga's face was completely bewildered.

After listening to the Jonin's embellishments and revisions of the story seven or eight times, she was completely dumbfounded.

I did spar with Ino a few times using taijutsu, but it was just a friendly exchange. Ino even took the opportunity to touch me a few times... It wasn't as bad as the Jonin made it out to be, was it?

Is she really going to go home and practice hard over something so trivial? This Ino girl, who's three months older than me, is so petty...

Hiashi Hyuga said sternly, "Several ninja clans' children have been recalled by their clan elders because of this incident. Even the Hokage and the village's advisors have been alerted. The source of this is you; the details don't matter. Listen carefully, I only have one request for you: keep training! Train until you can suppress them all! I will recall Neji and have him train with you."

Hinata Hyuga dared not disobey and could only nod like a quail, obeying orders.

Actually, Hiashi Hyuga was in a pretty good mood at this moment. In his mind, Ino was pretty useless. His daughter was able to suppress Ino not because his daughter was strong, but because the other party was weak. What kind of taijutsu did the Yamanaka family have? A bunch of weirdos! The Ino-Shika-Cho trio can suppress the Hyuga family? Bah! They just haven't found an opportunity yet. When they do, I'll slap them to death!

Is it so great that Yamanaka Haiichi can spend the whole night training with his daughter? I'm not planning to sleep for the next three days!

With a single order, he summoned Hyuga Neji, who was already a genin, back to the Hyuga clan. The two, who were the same age, practiced martial arts in the Hyuga clan's courtyard, while he gave them pointers from the side.

Practice for three days first and see the results.

After the Hyuga clan, the Inuzuka clan recalled Kiba Inuzuka, and the Aburame clan, whose entire clan had a very low profile, recalled Shino Aburame. All six students with ninja clan backgrounds were recalled.

The parents of Jonin (high-ranking ninja) have a simple thought: they don't want their children to fall behind from the start. You want extra training? We'll do it too! As long as we don't die, we'll train like crazy! Who's afraid of who!

Iruka was speechless. There were 27 students in the class, and now 6 were missing! Nearly a quarter of them were absent, and he couldn't even question them. How could a Chunin who had lost both his parents stand up to six ninja clans? He could only accept it.