"I'm back." Ino put down her bag, placed her shoes by the door, and walked inside.
The atmosphere at home was quite ordinary. Her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, who resembled a retired old cadre, was earnestly flipping through a book titled How to Communicate with Your Daughter, occasionally furrowing his brows in thought. As soon as Ino entered, the head of intelligence for the Hidden Leaf Village immediately tucked the book under his cushion and picked up a newspaper from the table, pretending to read it.
Her mother, Yamanaka Rin, was methodically preparing dinner.
Ino changed her clothes and went to help. Soon, dinner was ready. The family, adhering to the ancient rule of not speaking during meals, gathered around the table and ate in silence.
After dinner, Rin began clearing the dishes. Inoichi opened his mouth several times, seemingly wanting to chat with his daughter and show some parental concern, but his naturally quiet personality left him at a loss for words.
This lack of communication wasn't a butterfly effect caused by a time traveler; it was simply how their father-daughter relationship had always been.
The Nara family faced a similar issue. The renowned strategist Nara Shikaku, known across nations, also struggled to communicate with his 200-IQ son. With no common topics to discuss, they passed the time by playing shogi.
At least the Naras could play shogi. The Yamanaka family's problem was even more severe.
Usually, at this time, Ino would say something like, "I'm going to study" or "I'm going to train my chakra," then retreat to her room to work hard. Her parents would offer a few words of encouragement, and the day would end.
But today was different. Ino was a little excited about her "Nin" score of 7. With this level of understanding and talent in ninja techniques, she was more than capable of learning some low-level jutsu.
"Um..." she hesitated.
Inoichi immediately looked over, his mind racing with speculation, though he maintained a gentle smile, as if encouraging her to speak freely.
Ino scratched her head. "So... I sparred with the Hyuga clan's heiress today. Hinata's body techniques are amazing—they seem like a family inheritance? Do we have something like that in our family?"
The Yamanaka clan certainly didn't have a tradition of body techniques. Inoichi, a refined and quiet man, would look completely out of character if he suddenly shouted something like "Leaf Whirlwind."
What Ino was really thinking about was her family's secret techniques. Originally, she was supposed to start training in them after graduation. Today, after messing around with Hinata for a few rounds, she realized that despite her high stats, she lacked the corresponding skills and had no advantage in combat. Now, she wanted to learn the family's secret techniques as soon as possible.
Haruno Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten from the previous generation were the four female ninjas among the Twelve Shinobi. In the original timeline, Ino was essentially the weakest, making the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques seem like a joke.
In reality, the Yamanaka clan's techniques weren't that weak. In the original timeline, Ino used her family's secret techniques to momentarily stun Uchiha Obito, who had the Rinnegan in one eye, the Mangekyō Sharingan in the other, Hashirama's cells in his body, and the Ten-Tails connected to him. With the support of Kurama's chakra, she even managed to control Obito. Considering that Obito, by many fan-made power rankings, was firmly at the Kage-level or beyond, the fact that the Yamanaka clan's techniques could control him was no small feat.
Previously, she hadn't studied because she felt that "ninja techniques" were somewhat inferior. If her progress was slow, it wouldn't showcase her genius, which would affect her subsequent learning plans.
Only after she was confident enough did she bring it up today.
Inoichi was somewhat surprised. After all, his daughter was not lacking in talent, but she was afraid of hardship and fatigue, and lacked persistence. With boys, you could discipline them with a beating or withhold food for a couple of days if they were disobedient, but it wasn't as convenient with girls. This had been a constant source of worry for the intelligence chief. Today was the first time his daughter had taken the initiative to express her desire to learn.
At first, he was slightly puzzled, feeling that his daughter's personality had changed quite a bit. But upon hearing Hinata's name, he thought he understood. Girls often compare themselves to each other. If you're learning family body techniques, then I can't fall behind either.
This kind of thing is all too normal.
Being in charge of the village's intelligence, he was well aware of Hinata Hyuga's level. Defeating her wouldn't be difficult.
He pondered for a moment: "Our family isn't renowned for body techniques. What we excel in are secret techniques, hidden ninja techniques. If you want to defeat the heiress of the Hyuga clan, it's actually not that hard, but it will take some time and require enduring some hardships. Can you persevere?"
Inoichi wanted to gauge the extent of Ino's determination this time. Could she stick to her studies for three days? He was careful not to provoke his daughter's sensitive and fragile self-esteem, choosing his words cautiously: "Your willingness to learn shows that you've truly grown up. I'm very pleased, but I must remind you—no, warn you? No—let me clarify: our family's secret techniques are much more difficult and dangerous to practice compared to ordinary body techniques and ninja techniques."
He even gave an example: "Actually, the Nara and Akimichi families also have secret techniques. Theirs are relatively simpler and not as effective as ours."
Inoichi didn't mean to belittle his old comrades. In the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Ino comes first. Over the past two hundred years of alliance, the Yamanaka family has often held a leadership position.
The Akimichi charge, the Nara trap the enemy, and the Yamanaka deliver the final blow! This is how the Ino-Shika-Cho trio dominates the ninja world.
In terms of family secret techniques, the Yamanaka's techniques are the most difficult to master and have the most bizarre effects. These techniques place extremely high demands on the practitioner's talent, insight, and willpower.
Even though countless predecessors have practiced them, minimizing the dangers along the way, the Yamanaka's secret techniques still carry significant risks.
"The family's secret techniques require extremely strong willpower and patience, as well as an unwavering heart. You might need to practice this technique for three to five years, Ino. Are you prepared for that?" Inoichi spoke with deep sincerity.
Meanwhile, Ino's mother, Rino, silently cleared the dishes, not participating in the conversation between father and daughter.
Ino secretly pouted. This cheap father of hers really didn't know how to talk. Couldn't he just paint a rosy picture and sweet-talk a bit? Being so straightforward probably discouraged the original Ino in the alternate timeline.
Knowing full well how difficult the family's secret techniques are, why didn't he start her training earlier? If a child doesn't understand the gravity, shouldn't the adult? This Inoichi probably spoiled the original Ino too much.
If Ino had started practicing her family's secret techniques earlier, there's no way she would have tied with Haruno Sakura during the Middle Ninja Exam! What could Haruno Sakura do before becoming Tsunade's apprentice? Absolutely nothing.
She asked the crucial question: "Does it take three to five years to master the family's secret techniques?"
Inoichi didn't speak, he just nodded.