The sun was high overhead, and the Shadow Secret Technique was forced to wiggle like a hamster within the small patch of shadow beneath his feet. The moment it touched the ground in direct sunlight, the Chakra consumption skyrocketed, draining Shikamaru several times in no time... "Ino, you almost didn't see me again... at that moment, I felt like I saw my great-grandmother..."
The Shadow Secret Technique—this special Secret Technique of the Nara Clan—requires the aid of shadows to be easily cast.
Its optimal environment for casting should be pitch black without any light, followed by the night, and then shadows... The worst environment is high noon on a clear day, where the sunlight hits directly without any obstruction, forcing one to rely on raw strength to make the shadow move under the sun.
Ino:...You really know how to use that 'great-grandmother' meme... But Ino still cared about her little companion... After all, he was one of the thugs she would 'entrust' herself to when they formed a team in the future.
"Won't this hurt your body? Draining too much Chakra will definitely cause harm... You really shouldn't be reckless or mess around with this kind of training. If you can't handle it, tell your father or mother. If you leave a permanent injury by being reckless as a child, your whole life will be over..." Ino teased, saying, "In the future, I still need you and Choji to protect me!"
Shikamaru gave Ino a huge eye-roll and grumbled, "Hey, just keep those thoughts in your head, don't say them out loud..."
Ino said, "Don't worry, I don't mind."
Shikamaru: I mind!
He simply stared straight at the sky, ignoring Ino... Ino curled her lips into a smile and lightly plucked the strings, playing a very refreshing piece called 'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond.' The hot, restless dust around them seemed to float and sway within the music. The cool essence of the sound traveled from the ears into the heart, washing away the irritation in Shikamaru's mind, leaving only the blue sky and white clouds he saw.
While playing, Ino pondered a question that wasn't exactly new—why was the Nara Clan's Secret Technique so afraid of sunlight?
Was it afraid of light itself, or the wavelength represented by visible light? Or was there some other unknown reason?
"Sigh, what a pity I don't have the equipment, otherwise I could test it..."
..."Sigh, Ino... say, wouldn't it be great if I were born into the Akimichi Clan? That little fatty Choji is happy-go-lucky every day, and learning their Secret Technique is mostly about eating..."
"You're overthinking it—you're a picky eater. You were quite chubby last year, but you've slimmed down this year..."
"That's because I'm being trained by my mom..."
Amidst the pleasant 'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond,' the two chatted idly. After a while, the entire song was broken down into individual fragments, which Ino randomly looped, combined, and adapted, revealing a crispness within the free-flowing pieces... Shikamaru suddenly thought of something and asked, "Ino, how about taking me along next time you sell sunscreen masks?"
"Sure!" Ino said, full of mischief. "But you'll have to dress up as a girl. Can you accept that, Shikamaru?"
"Of course..."
Shikamaru didn't care at all about dressing up as a girl—he was racking his brains just to avoid as much of his mother's 'maternal love' as possible.
"But I have to convince my mom. Doing it every day definitely won't work, but once in a while should be no problem!"
Ino hummed in agreement, giving her word. A high-IQ free laborer like Shikamaru might be young, but in the Ninja World, one truly shouldn't look down on a youth just because they're currently lacking.
The two little ones stayed until the sun dipped low and the sky was set ablaze with sunset clouds before parting. Shikamaru lamented how'short' the afternoon was and went home reluctantly, while Ino had Kana pack up the zither and took a stroll through her family's large flower nursery before returning indoors as the last embers of the sunset faded. It wasn't until dinner that Inoichi Yamanaka finally relieved his 'itching heart.'
"What... our clan's Secret Technique? You're saying Ino discovered the original form of our family's Secret Technique, dear?"
Inoichi felt as though his heart had been cordially greeted by five hundred Spartan warriors—
This was so ridiculous.
After dinner, Mrs. Yamanaka even took action personally, giving Inoichi a practical experience of the true power of the Yamanaka Clan's genuine Secret Technique.
Inoichi:...He had 'experienced' it, and he had been completely broken by his wife. Ino's reset version of the Yamanaka Secret Technique seemed to be something entirely different from the technique he was familiar with. As a dignified Jonin, he actually had no power to fight back and was forced by his wife to perform a sexy, provocative dance, twisting and turning shamefully before finally being let go.
His own daughter was even trembling with laughter on the side, nearly rolling on the floor... "Ino, this Secret Technique..."
There was no doubt—the reset version of the Secret Technique was enough to give the Yamanaka Clan's strength a qualitative leap.
This stable mode of occupying and dominating another person's body over long durations and distances was enough to subvert the Yamanaka Clan's combat style, which focused on perception, intelligence, and support. Inoichi had thought of the same combat mode Ino had—the Yamanaka Clan could completely kill without a trace, letting people die in a state of confusion without even touching a single hair of the clan's Ninjas. Even, if clan members worked together to create a Perception Array for sensing... it wouldn't be impossible to go on a killing spree across the entire Ninja World!
The first person Inoichi thought of was his own daughter. If the clansmen cooperated and let Ino take the lead, then it really would be... The joy filling his heart transformed into four words:
Heaven blesses the Yamanaka.
As expected, Inoichi suffered from insomnia, his mind full of the Yamanaka Clan's visible future. The Secret Technique Ino had submitted was enough to support any wild dream he had; no matter how he looked at it, the future seemed bright... Ino, on the other hand, didn't have insomnia, though she didn't go to sleep immediately. She performed a small experiment before bed!
Her spreading perception focused on a white snake lurking underground in the Forest of the Leaf, and then established a strong, stable connection. Following that, Ino's mental projection gently invaded the white snake's consciousness.
A mode of perception unique to snakes appeared in Ino's mind, and the white snake seemed to become a part of her body.
It was no different from her own hands and feet... The white snake twisted its body eerily, turning into a figure-8 one moment and an S-shape the next, only stopping after a good while.
Its tongue flicked out gently... a perception composed of a mix of infrared information and scent information appeared in her mind.
Ino was extremely satisfied—
"Hmm, let's call this snake little snake maru for now. Or maybe little snake maru No. 1? Let's test the range of the Secret Technique first!"
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!