Ninja Pot Shadow

You say your name is Sasuke, and we're talking about you? What a joke!

There are so many people named Sasuke these days! The Third Hokage's father was named Sasuke. Did that old man, who had been dead for decades, stand up to object?

You're saying this is your photo? There are tons of people who look exactly alike.

The Shueido Hall also has some skilled fighters, such as... Jiraiya! They don't want anyone to cause trouble, but they're not afraid of trouble.

Ino casually flipped through the contents and was quite satisfied with the removal of the words "Protecting, Caring for, and Accompanying Uchiha Sasuke Association, providing materials with friendship" from the cover and the special emphasis on the words "Written by the great author Kasugano Sakura".

Anyone who isn't blind can tell who "Kasugano Sakura" is from some descriptions of her appearance. This isn't a huge problem, since there are only a few girls these days who are obsessed with love. But if it spreads, over time, she'll get a lot of blame.

It took Jiraiya about ten minutes to recover after Ino left. His lecherous heart started fluttering again. Since the women all liked Sasuke's face, he could naturally make use of it as payment for helping Sasuke open his eyes these past few days!

Just do it.

Half an hour later.

"Hahahaha—I, Uchiha Sasuke, am the number one genius of Konoha! Let me tell you a story..." Jiraiya transformed into Sasuke using his transformation jutsu, flitting between two women in the tavern, occasionally cracking a dirty joke, eliciting giggles from the two scantily clad women beside him...

At the same time.

"Hahahaha—I, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, am a famous writer! Beautiful ladies, let me tell you a joke..." Ino used her transformation technique to become Jiraiya and was drinking with two women with amazing figures in another tavern.

After finishing her drink, Ino was very satisfied to see the energy slowly increasing inside the black pot. She had developed another "resource point" that could provide energy in the long term. However, she could only use this method while Jiraiya was in the village. If he left Konoha, she might easily backfire.

The alcohol content wasn't high. After saying goodbye to the two pretty ladies, Ino returned to her original appearance as soon as she left the bar.

She wandered to school. There were less than three weeks until the graduation exams. In order to maintain her first place in the grade, she still needed to work hard. When she arrived at school, she was surprised to find that Sasuke hadn't come to school for the past few days.

No way? Could it be that he couldn't handle the shock and defected beforehand? Where could he possibly run off to?

Shikamaru and Choji hadn't arrived yet, so she asked Hinata.

Hinata said softly, "I heard... I heard... Sasuke-kun is seriously injured, and the village sent Jonin to treat him."

Hinata sniffed at Ino's collar like a puppy: "...Ino, did you go drinking?"

"No, no! What nonsense are you talking about... Don't talk nonsense, I'll take you with me next time!"

Having brushed aside the drinking incident, Ino began to think about Sasuke. Was he badly injured? How badly? Was he about to die?

During her previous battle with Sasuke, she sensed what appeared to be Indra's chakra. This chakra even absorbed and assimilated a portion of her own chakra. However, she could no longer sense this chakra at the hospital, and thought everything was fine at the time. But now it seems... things aren't over yet?

……

"Ouch! What the hell... Is Konoha Village poisonous? I was fine outside, but why am I dizzy as soon as I come back?" The next day, Ino struggled with the blanket again, and with great willpower, she finally managed to crawl out of the seal.

She felt like she had another dream, but she still couldn't remember the details. Although it wasn't displayed on the panel, she felt that her Yin Release level had improved significantly. Originally, she was only a Chunin-level Level 2 Yin Release, but now she was not far from being a Level 3 Yin Release, which was equivalent to a Special Jonin.

Does her body possess such a talent for Yin Release? If her Yin Release improves quickly, she might be able to try making friends with the Grim Reaper using the Mind Disruption Technique during the Konoha Collapse Plan...

Ino has now mastered the Shadow Clone Technique. Considering that she doesn't have much chakra, she created two clones: one to practice hand seals and the other to practice earth-style chakra nature transformation. Earth Release has many uses; if you can't defeat an enemy, you can burrow into the ground, which is also a way to escape.

Her original self continued attending school, while also causing trouble.

Ino had just arrived at school when she discovered that Sasuke was also in class today.

If you had to describe Sasuke at this moment in one word, it would be calm.

He sat quietly in his seat, staring straight ahead, ignoring the girls who tried to chat him up or ask him to solve riddles. He remained very calm, seemingly transforming back into the school heartthrob he once was.

"Hey, what's up with this guy?" Ino asked Shikamaru.

Shikamaru, still lying on the table, didn't even look up: "You're a sensory ninja, if you don't know, how would I know?"

Ino shook her head: "Do you think his Sharingan has been awakened?"

Shikamaru said slowly, "Then you should ask Hinata to take a look for you."

Ino simply ignored him. What terrible idea did she come up with?

With such strong X-ray vision, it's as if they're not wearing any clothes at all. Unless it's a special situation, their clan wouldn't casually use the Byakugan in the village.

"We're classmates, not enemies. You're being too petty..." Shikamaru muttered to himself.

Chapter Forty-Seven Graduation

Ino didn't say anything; she wouldn't tell anyone that she had a condition called "getting a headache whenever she sees an Uchiha!"

Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara—just thinking about them is worrying. These guys are all incredibly troublesome, and their abilities are practically bug-like. It's no wonder the Second Hokage was hostile towards them.

She strongly suspected that Sasuke Uchiha had already awakened his Sharingan.

Sasuke's mastery of genjutsu is far inferior to his brother's, but he can greatly enhance his strength simply by relying on the Sharingan's observation, hypnosis, and copying functions.

If you let him copy a few martial arts techniques, Ino really won't be able to beat him if they don't create distance in battle.

Ino uttered one of Shikamaru's catchphrases: "This is such a hassle."

Shikamaru pretended not to hear and continued to sleep.

……

Sasuke's return didn't cause much of a stir. The pressure of graduation exams weighed heavily on everyone's minds. Originally, these members of the ninja clan didn't care about their school grades, but Ino was so challenging that they had to put in all their effort to study and train.

Their relentless pursuit, in turn, put Ino under immense pressure.

Training included Water Release ninjutsu, hand seals, Earth Release chakra nature transformation, shuriken throwing, clan secret techniques, and the regular school curriculum.

Yamanaka Inoichi, her strict father, has made it very clear that he hopes she can get first place in the whole grade. This is not an expectation, but a requirement.

Ino's main body and two shadow clones studied at full speed. In the last few days, they even stopped training in earth-style chakra nature transformation and focused solely on reading.

She knows shuriken throwing and the Three Body Technique, just like the other ninja clan children. The only difference is in the theoretical exams. Shino, Shikamaru, and Hinata all did well, but hers was better.

In the manga, passing the exams seems easy, but in reality, a large number of students fail to pass and cannot graduate. Ino's attributes are 8 Ninjutsu, 3 Body, 3 Illusion, 6 Wisdom, 2 Strength, 5 Speed, 6 Spirit, and 5 Seals, while many students' attributes are just 1, 1, 2, 2, etc. They are playful and lack talent. For them, achieving a perfect score of 10 out of 10 in shuriken throwing is like climbing to the sky. The same goes for the Three Body Technique.

Naruto, who is skilled in Transformation Technique and Substitution Technique but not good at Shadow Clone Technique, is actually a good student. Calling him a bottom student is a bit unfair. He is the bottom student in the elite class, not the bottom student among the bad students.

To be fair, Naruto's transformation technique is really quite good; he must have practiced a lot...

For Ino, the theoretical exam, physical fitness exam, kunai throwing exam, and most importantly, the ninjutsu exam were all easy, and she passed them all with full marks.

Sasuke and Hinata are basically lacking in theoretical knowledge.

Ino passed her graduation exam with perfect scores, and then watched Naruto's exam with Shikamaru and the others.

This year, the test didn't cover transformation or substitution techniques; it tested the ability to create clones.

The test involved successfully creating two clones. The Seventh Hokage, who would later dominate the world with his Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, was currently unable to control the massive chakra within him. To everyone's astonishment, he created a bizarre-looking clone…

"Unacceptable!" Iruka shouted angrily.

The exams went smoothly, and everyone was considered to have graduated.

The Third Hokage personally visited the Ninja Academy to encourage the graduating students, urging them to follow the Will of Fire, and also set new expectations for the students who had not yet graduated, urging them to continue their efforts, strive to catch up in the future, and not be discouraged.

Ino, as the top student in her grade, spoke on behalf of all the graduates, saying, "Today I am proud of Konoha Ninja Academy, and tomorrow Konoha Ninja Academy will be proud of me," which made the Third Hokage nod repeatedly.

Naruto, feeling utterly dejected, went to the side and drew circles on his forehead, while Ino and the others lined up to receive their headbands, signifying their official status as ninjas.

It has to be said that the genin of Konoha Village are incredibly undisciplined. They wear all sorts of clothes and headbands in all sorts of ways, making them look like a bunch of rabble.

Temari and Kankuro from Sunagakure also wore random clothes, but at least they wore headbands properly. On the other hand, things were a complete mess in Konoha.

Ino often felt that she was too orderly and seemed out of place with these guys.

To avoid being ostracized by her small group, she used her headband as a back brace, simply hanging it around her waist and that was it.

After receiving the headband, the next step was to take a photo and complete the entry of ninja information.

Once the entire process is completed, Ino is considered to have officially graduated.

She picked up the ninja registration card that had been given to her and looked at it. Her ninja number was 012604, and her rank was genin.

This means Ino is the 12604th ninja to graduate from the Konoha Ninja Academy. She tucked the certificate into her pouch. Theoretically, this certificate is used twice more when a ninja is promoted to Chunin through the Chunin Exams, recommended by their ninja clan, and finally reviewed by the village's higher-ups for promotion to Jonin. However, most ninjas never make it to the next level, and the only time this certificate is used for registration is at their funeral...

Ino and Shikamaru were about to go home after getting their headbands when they ran into the white-haired Mizuki-sensei at the corner of the school building.

Shikamaru and Choji acted as if they hadn't seen anything, their faces expressionless, and continued walking forward.

Ino hesitated for a moment. Although she had already graduated, she had just graduated five minutes ago. It would be inappropriate to turn around and pretend not to know her teacher.

Knowing that the person in front of her wasn't a good person, she still greeted him: "Hello, Professor Shuimu."

Shui Mu seemed no different from usual, maintaining the demeanor of a teacher.

"Oh, it's Yamanaka-kun. I heard you got first place in the whole grade. That's amazing. I reckon even Hyuga Neji from last year wasn't as good as you."

Why is this guy telling me this? Is he going to...?

It would be a lie to say that Ino had no thoughts about the Book of Seals, but she knew even better that she simply couldn't access it under the Third Hokage's close surveillance.

She didn't want to get involved, so her tone turned cold.

"It's all thanks to the teachers' excellent teaching. I can't compare to Neji-senpai. Goodbye, teachers."

She nodded slightly and prepared to leave.

Mizuki appeared gentle on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing: What's so great about them? I'm a Chunin, and these guys from ninja clans are so arrogant, it's unbelievable.

Mizuki said without changing her expression, "It's rare to be in such a good mood today, so how about this, your teacher Chun and I will treat everyone to dinner tonight, let's all get together and go out for a meal..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ding Ci, who had walked more than twenty meters ahead and was about to leave the school gate, suddenly "flew" back, his eyes blazing with anger: "A treat? Mizuki-sensei! What are we eating? Are we going to have barbecue?!"

Damn it! You pretended not to know me before, but now that I'm treating you, you're like this? Shui Mu's expression was stiff, and he nodded with a dry laugh.

Choji was overjoyed. He shouted, "Mizuki-sensei is treating! Shikamaru, Ino, let's go out for barbecue tonight!"

Chapter Forty-Eight: Shui Mu's Invitation

These days, there aren't many things that can interest Choji. In the original timeline, after seeing Ino recruit Sai and Ino to marry into the family and annex Root, and Shikamaru marry Temari, the village beauty of Sunagakure, he immediately followed suit and married Karui, the village beauty of Kumogakure. There was relatively little reason for love in this; the main reason was to maintain the balance of power among the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. In reality, Choji wasn't very interested in women.

He dislikes fighting with people, he never has. His favorite thing to do is eat!

He usually doesn't express his opinions, just watches Ino and Shikamaru discuss things, and does whatever they say. But once he speaks, both Ino and Shikamaru have to give him enough respect.

Shikamaru hesitated for a moment, wanting to go home and rest for a few days. He looked at his empty wallet, nodded slightly, and agreed.

Ino had a similar thought to him. She still owed a few people a promise to go to Ganligan to eat yokan (sweet bean jelly), and the reason for that was simply because she was poor!

Eating at home every day doesn't cost money, but you can't always eat at home. Social interaction is still necessary, and inviting others to meals is inevitable.

Unfortunately, Ino's social circle all have a huge appetite...