Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji all came up with various excuses to take leave, and they all succeeded.
The circle of high-level ninjas isn't that large, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio didn't bother to hide their actions. The news spread quickly.
Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan, immediately recalled Hinata Hyuga upon hearing the news. "Stop fooling 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 defeated her? She's determined to beat you. Don't you know your own level?"
"Ah?" Hinata's small face was filled with confusion.
After listening to the exaggerated and repeatedly modified versions of the story from the high-level ninjas, she was completely dumbfounded.
Sure, she had sparred with Ino using body techniques for a few rounds, but it was all in good fun. That Ino girl even took the opportunity to touch her a few times... It wasn't nearly as intense as the high-level ninjas made it out to be. Was it really necessary to go home and train hard over something so trivial? That Ino girl, who was three months older than her, was really petty... Hiashi Hyuga sternly said, "Several children from ninja clans have been recalled by their elders because of this incident. Even the Shadow of Fire and the village advisors have been alerted. The source of all this is you. The details don't matter. Listen carefully, I have only one demand for you: keep training! Train until you can suppress all of them! I'll recall Neji to train with you."
Hinata didn't dare to resist and could only nod like a quail, obeying the order.
In truth, Hiashi Hyuga was in a rather good mood at the moment. In his impression, Ino was quite weak. If his daughter could suppress Ino, it wasn't because his daughter was strong, but because the other party was weak. What kind of body techniques did the Yamanaka clan have? A bunch of eccentric people. Could the Ino-Shika-Cho trio really suppress the Hyuga clan? Pah! It's just that I haven't found the opportunity yet. If I do, I'll crush them with a single palm! Inoichi Yamanaka could train with his daughter all night? So what? I'm not planning to sleep for the next three days!
With a single command, he recalled Neji Hyuga, who was already a Low Ninja. The two peers began training in the Hyuga clan's courtyard, with Hiashi giving guidance from the side.
Let's train for three days and see the results.
After the Hyuga clan, the Inuzuka clan recalled Kiba Inuzuka, and the Aburame clan, which had a very low profile, recalled Shino Aburame. All six students from ninja clans were recalled.
The high-level ninja parents' thoughts weren't complicated. They simply didn't want their children to fall behind at the starting line. You're training harder? We'll do the same! As long as it doesn't kill them, train them to death! Who's afraid of whom? Iruka was speechless. Out of the 27 students in his class, six were suddenly gone! Nearly a quarter of the class was absent, and he couldn't even question it. As an orphaned Middle Ninja, how could he confront six ninja clans? He had no choice but to accept it silently.
The situation escalated to the point where even the Third Hokage couldn't sit still. His son was already an adult, but he still had a grandson. He quickly ordered his family tutor, Ebisu, to push his grandson, Konohamaru, to train hard and lay a solid foundation.
Danzo took advantage of the quiet night when no one was paying attention to hand over a C-level illusion scroll and two B-level wind-style ninja technique scrolls to Kotetsu, the Middle Ninja guarding the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. Ino was unaware that her actions had sparked a frenzy of internal competition among the ninja clans of the Hidden Leaf Village. She remained serene and detached, truly embodying the phrase "turning a deaf ear to worldly affairs and focusing solely on reading the classics."
The purpose of reading wasn't to learn but to use the process to completely calm her mind.
Ino possessed sufficient self-discipline and a sound way of thinking. She knew what she needed to do at this stage and how to do it. In this regard, even Shikamaru, with his IQ of 200, couldn't compare to her. Children are children, and even high-IQ children are still children. Being playful, lazy, and lacking firm resolve is the norm. The willpower of a transmigrator couldn't match that of ninjas who had experienced the horrors of the battlefield, but it was still stronger than that of children born in peaceful times.
After a night and a day of reading, her spiritual energy hadn't increased much, but the continuous cultivation of her mind had reduced her inner restlessness to a minimum.
If she wanted to go any lower, she would probably have to go to some temple to practice.
For the secret techniques of the Yamanaka clan, reducing distractions to this level was sufficient. Inoichi felt her progress was a bit too fast and hoped she would stabilize further.
Ino completed her reading task by the afternoon of the next day. While the major ninja clans were caught up in their internal competition, she was in her room extracting chakra.
Did her previous body have meridians? She didn't know, but in the world of the Shadow of Fire, meridians and acupoints existed.
The "Stamina" attribute represented the total amount of chakra, the sum of physical and spiritual energy. Ino's spiritual energy had only become slightly more condensed, but the total amount hadn't changed. Her "Stamina" was still at 5, which was neither low nor high.
The existence of meridians and acupoints in the body made chakra extraction a necessary task for all ninjas.
The wider the meridians, the faster the extraction speed, and the greater the advantage in battle.
For two ninjas of similar strength, if one could extract chakra even half a second faster than the other, it could be the deciding factor in a fight.
Ino wouldn't slack off in this area. Whenever she had time, she would circulate her chakra through her meridians, aiming to increase her chakra extraction speed.
"Huh? What's going on?" She was sitting there extracting chakra when she suddenly noticed that the energy in the black pot on her panel was rapidly gathering. In no time, it condensed into a Pot Point.
She was baffled. Where did this Pot Point come from? Did Sakura trigger it? How could such a small matter generate a Pot Point? It didn't make sense.
After dinner, she learned that many things had happened in the village today. Thinking of Shikamaru and Choji being taken home by their parents for training, she couldn't help but sigh. It seemed like Hinata had borne the brunt of this. Poor kid, she would treat her to a good meal next time.
Inoichi was in high spirits, having had a couple of drinks. He vividly recounted the day's events to Yamanaka Rino, particularly focusing on Shikaku's expressions.
Yamanaka Rino just smiled and didn't say much.
Ino, who overheard a few words from a distance, couldn't help but pout.
If this continued, Inoichi's "my daughter has low talent" might soon join the ranks of Naruto's "I'm not good at talking," Shikamaru's "I just want to marry an ordinary-looking wife," and Minato's "I'm not skilled in Sage Mode," becoming one of the four great humblebrag moments. What a sin! After all, she was different from the original Ino and found it hard to give Inoichi the genuine father-daughter affection he deserved. To keep her cheap father proud, she had to maintain her persona—no question about it, she needed to level up!