Ninja Pot Shadow

After much deliberation, Ino finally decided to play it safe.

When the "essence" level automatically rises to 7, then add more using a pot.

The difference between 6 and 7 is simply that the chakra level in the body increases from Kakashi's level to Asuma's level, which is not a big difference. However, the difference between 7 and 8 is basically equivalent to the difference between Asuma's level and Tsunade's level, which is quite large.

Ino estimates that each attribute will see a huge improvement from 7 to 8, and then from 8 to 9, and from 9 to 10, the improvement will be significant. 1 to 7 is like compulsory education, and then 8, 9, and 10 are like undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees. The gap between each level is very large.

She needs to rely on 6 points of "essence" to master the Shadow Clone Technique.

Going to school, working, exercising, and causing trouble made her life exceptionally fulfilling.

……

With about a month left before Ino and her classmates graduate, the parents of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, seeing Ino's progress in her studies and wanting to ensure their own children don't fall behind, decided to invite a senior member, the relatively unknown genin from Konoha, Maruboshi Kosuke, to guide their training.

This old man is very senior, but his professional rank is still genin. That's because he doesn't want to accept the title of jonin. Otherwise, he would have been a jonin fifty years ago.

The old man was once a subordinate of the Second Hokage, and a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside the Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura, and Choji's grandfather, Torifu Akimichi.

The Third Hokage would occasionally come to chat with his old friend and reminisce about the glorious past.

The Fourth Hokage held this senior in high esteem during his lifetime.

The old man is skilled in water-style ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, and has extensive experience in wilderness survival.

It was only because the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans intervened, and because the old man owed the Ino-Shika-Cho clan a favor in the past, that he agreed to help train the younger generation. Ordinary people really couldn't persuade him to do that.

Early in the morning, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji asked for leave from school and, as agreed, arrived at the village gate to wait for the legendary "Konoha genin" to lead them in field training.

I waited and waited, for half an hour, but I still didn't see Kosuke.

The gatekeepers, Shinzuki Izumo and Kotetsu, stood inside the gate, watching them from a distance, without coming over to exchange pleasantries.

Ino thought about it. Although she didn't know if Kotetsu and Danzo were related, she figured it was better to be safe than sorry. It was always good to have a good relationship with them. Even putting Danzo aside, these two had guarded the gates of the disaster-stricken Hidden Leaf Village without losing any limbs and had survived to the Boruto series. Kotetsu even used what appeared to be the Three-Tails' eye as a hammer. That was quite an achievement, and she had to show them respect.

She went over and greeted them politely: "Good morning, teachers. I am Yamanaka Ino. Please take care of me."

The age gap between them was quite large, so calling her "senior" felt a bit inappropriate; she felt that calling her "teacher" would be fine.

The two men clearly knew who she was, and they didn't dare to be negligent, so they introduced themselves very politely.

"I wouldn't call myself a teacher. Hello, Miss Yamanaka. I am Izumo Kamizuki."

"Miss Yamanaka, you're too kind. We're not important people at all. I'm Gangzi Tie."

Ino's sales skills are not for nothing; she is very good at building relationships.

Izumo and Kotetsu greatly respected Sarutobi Asuma, but Ino didn't know Asuma yet.

She started by getting close to her cheapskate father's subordinates, Yamashiro Aoba and Tobitake Tobi. These two ninjas from the intelligence department and the two gatekeepers were the same age, so once they knew each other, they quickly became familiar with each other.

Before long, Kamizuki Izumo and Kotetsu became "Izumo-nii" and "Tetsu-nii" in her mouth!

She estimates that after a while, they'll become "old buddies"!

The two men were quite bored guarding the gate every day, so when a girl came over to chat, they naturally didn't refuse.

They were chatting enthusiastically, so Ino pulled over her two friends and introduced them to each other.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is undoubtedly a top-tier force in the village, so Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu naturally wouldn't show them any disrespect.

Old man Kosuke was late in arriving, and Shikamaru was getting really bored waiting on the side. Seeing that the two were quite enthusiastic, he quickly joined in the conversation. Izumo even took out the snacks he used as a midnight snack when he was guarding the gate and gave them to the fat Choji. The five of them quickly became familiar with each other.

Unlike attending classes at school, Ino and the other two wore their respective combat suits when they went out to train in the village.

Ino wore a purple sleeveless jacket, with a bandage and shuriken sheath wrapped around her right leg. She had a pouch on her left lower back containing explosive tags, smoke bombs, ration pills, kunai, and other items. On her feet were a pair of standard open-toed sandals.

Her current attire, except for the absence of the "sleeves" that Sasuke wore, was almost identical to Ino's original clothing during her genin stage.

Shikamaru and Choji, standing to the side, were not wearing their school uniforms either. Shikamaru was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with the Nara family crest and all sorts of equipment. Choji was also unusually wearing leg wraps, a waist bag, and other common ninja equipment.

The three chatted idly at the gate while waiting for someone.

Knowing that they were waiting for Kosuke, Izumo and Kotetsu told them to cherish this learning opportunity and not to be disrespectful just because he was a genin.

The sun rose higher and higher, and it was already nine o'clock in the morning, but the legendary Konoha genin still hadn't appeared.

"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Shikamaru looked distressed. He had just finished special training with his elders and was extremely tired. He really didn't want to participate in any more group training.

Choji had already run off to a shady spot to eat snacks.

Ino was also confused. She was so thirsty from chatting with her "bro" that she gulped down a large glass of water. She looked at the sun overhead, but the Konoha genin still hadn't appeared.

"Senses!" She suspected that the other party was using ninjutsu to hide in the shadows and take the opportunity to observe their reactions, but after searching around, she couldn't see a single ghost.

Shikamaru tilted his head to look at her.

She searched again: "...It seems he didn't come. It's also possible that this senior's methods of concealment are very clever."

While the chubby Choji happily ate snacks, Ino and Shikamaru suspected that the old man had been secretly observing them, so they put down their backpacks and sat under the shade of a tree to check the equipment inside.

This thing is a bit like a backpack. Inside there is a tent and some blank scrolls. Ino, a ninja who is not known for her strength, also carries two Fuma Shuriken that look like giant fans when opened. Unlike the ninja tools she carries with her, these are all truly "large items".

Aside from lacking ninja headbands, their current equipment is exactly what genin (low-ranking ninja) would normally wear.

"What did you bring? Let me check." Shikamaru craned his neck to look at the equipment in Ino's backpack.

While looking at it, I checked it against my backpack to see if I was missing anything.

Chapter 43 Maruboshi Kosuke

No matter how resourceful Shikamaru may become in the future, he's still a newbie right now. Ino is the same; all the equipment in her backpack was prepared by her mother. Why is the magnesium rod in the left pocket of the backpack? Why is the Fuma Shuriken in the compartment? Why are there two kunai in the ninja pouch but four in the backpack? They learned about these things in class, but this is the first time they've actually used them.

Ino and Shikamaru were like they were on their first spring outing, chatting away and carefully examining the contents of each other's backpacks. Afterward, they even took Choji's bag and examined it from all angles, connecting theory with practice and using classroom knowledge to verify the actual situation before them. They both felt they had gained a lot.

“We didn’t bring anything missing, did we?” Ino checked repeatedly: “I’ve prepared three days’ worth of food.”

Shikamaru scratched his head: "It'll probably take me about three days, but..."

They both looked at the fat guy, Choji, sitting in the shade of the tree. With this glutton around, their food was definitely not enough.

“Three days’ worth of food is enough. Carrying too much food will increase your load and affect your mobility. You must be good at searching and finding enough food in the wild.” A somewhat aged voice sounded behind the three of them.

Ino turned around abruptly, completely unaware of when the other person had entered her perception range.

The old man was really old, with age spots all over his face, and his hair and eyebrows were completely white. He was wearing some tattered shorts and a brown sleeveless vest.

What caught Ino's eye most was the old man carrying a large pot on his back...

"Grandpa Kosuke!" The fat Choji was the most cheerful. His grandfather, Akimichi Torifu, was a comrade-in-arms with Kosuke in the same trench before his death. He was the closest to the old man among the three families of Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Hello, Grandpa Kosuke."

"Hello, Grandpa Kosuke."

Ino and Shikamaru each greeted the old man. He was seventy years old, and they were twelve, so calling him "Grandpa" was no problem for them.

Izumo and Kotetsu, who were registering travelers entering the village in the distance, knew the old man's true identity and did not treat him as an ordinary genin. They nodded slightly in their direction as a greeting.

The old man waved his hand and smiled kindly: "Good, good, you're all good children."

He paused for a moment: "I just went to carry out a patrol mission. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Both Choji and Shikamaru said they didn't mind.

Only Ino secretly complained, "Konoha is really awful. This old man is seventy years old and still patrolling on the front lines. Can't you even give him a second-line position? It's true that old man Kosuke wants to die on the battlefield, but you can't just ignore him, can you? What will the younger generation of ninjas think when they see this white-haired old man patrolling in his seventies? Will they think Konoha is great? They'll just think this kind of village has no future, right?"

Old man Gu Jie's back was slightly hunched: "Your fathers entrusted me with the task of teaching you some knowledge during this week. Now that you are all ready, let's set off."

They were ready to go immediately. The three families, Pig, Deer, and Butterfly, had asked the old man to teach them for a week, so they couldn't delay.

Knowing this was a rare opportunity, Choji, the fat guy, became serious for once. Shikamaru also put away his laziness. The three of them, carrying their own backpacks, registered their identity information at Izumo Kamizuki's place, left their departure time and signed their names, and then walked out of the gates of Konoha Village one by one.

After walking more than ten meters, Ino turned around and could see the village gate, the main road, and the distant Fire Shadow Rock in her field of vision.

This was the first time she had left Konoha Village since she had traveled there more than four months ago.

She hadn't felt it while in the village, but now, as she stepped away from it, a vague and inexplicable fear crept into her heart.

Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the puddle by the roadside. Could the ghost brother, who had been killed countless times by the transmigrator predecessor, be hiding here?

The demon brothers were definitely not there. Kosuke noticed her nervousness and asked with a smile, "Is this your first time leaving the village?"

Ino nodded.

Shikamaru and Choji, standing to the side, were quite proud. Shikamaru looked up at the sky and said, "We've already come out a long time ago."

Ino was speechless.

To improve their wilderness survival skills, the four quickly left the main road and turned onto a side path.

Using the ninja running style, with their arms naturally back and their center of gravity low, the four of them concentrated their chakra in the soles of their feet and moved quickly through the forest.

As they got further and further away from the village, Gu Jie asked the group in a guiding manner, "What formation should we adopt when we are carrying out missions in unfamiliar areas or enemy-occupied territory?"

Fatty Choji looked completely bewildered, his eyes wide. They still needed a formation?

Ino and Shikamaru exchanged glances. They both knew the answer to this question. After exchanging a look, Ino gestured for Shikamaru to answer.

"We should advance in columns."

Kosuke nodded, signaling him to continue.

Shikamaru thought for a moment and said, "Well, our team should have Ino, who has sensory abilities, leading the way to be in charge of reconnaissance. Choji will follow behind, and you need to provide timely support to Ino. If we encounter the enemy, you need to rush in immediately so that Ino can retreat to a safe place to use her ninjutsu. Grandpa Kosuke will be in the middle, and you will be responsible for supporting the two of them. I will be responsible for bringing up the rear."

The old man remained noncommittal, and the four of them followed Shikamaru's instructions, moving through the woods in a single file.

Ino felt a sense of "When there are no great generals in Shu, Liao Hua becomes the vanguard." Goodness, she's now considered a sensory ninja?

For old man Gu Jie, this mission was simply a patrol with the children, and it was not difficult at all.

The three families, Pig, Deer, and Butterfly, had already thoroughly searched their activity area twice, so there was basically no danger.

Ino led the way, Choji followed closely behind, the old man was in the middle, and Shikamaru brought up the rear. The four of them moved through the forest in this formation. By evening, the only danger they encountered came from a wild boar.

Upon seeing the wild boar, Ino didn't retreat but advanced. She leaped more than ten meters away, and with a flick of her wrist, a kunai appeared in her hand.

She aimed for the direction the wild boar was charging, gripped her kunai in reverse, and, taking advantage of the moment they passed each other, slashed it hard across the boar's cheek!

Before the blood had fully gushed out, she took the opportunity to stab the wild boar's left eye with a kunai and twist it clockwise.

The boar howled in pain. Ino felt that the kunai was a bit short, and the boar's skull was longer than expected. Unless she put her whole hand in, the kunai would not be able to pierce the boar's brain. She stepped aside and waved to the back, meaning "Choji, it's your turn."

"Watch this, Human Bomber!!" Choji yelled, first mixing his chakra with fat to perform a Yang Release nature transformation, causing his body to expand rapidly until it became a giant ball of flesh. Relying on its high-speed rotation and weight, it slammed into the wild boar.

The poor wild boar was completely bewildered and was struck by the falling ball of flesh, breaking all its bones. It let out a couple of mournful cries and then died.