Chapter 519: Progress for Each
After teaching for half the day, Ino got hungry too.
With her current Sage Body level, she could absorb natural energy from the outside world to sustain herself without eating, but she was used to having meals and saw no reason to deny herself.
Using her sensory transmission ability, she remotely called for Tonton, asking the pig to bring her lunch. She wasn't picky; just an extra portion of whatever Tsunade was having would be fine.
Hinata used to cook for her, but now Hinata was busy with her own training every day, so Ino had to make do.
Before long, Tonton came speeding over on its four short legs, dragging a small toy cart behind it to deliver her meal.
Inside the cart were three bento boxes.
On the lids were the characters for "Gamble," "Shizu," and "Boar."
Ino opened the box marked "Boar." The meal was good, with meat, vegetables, rice, and even a piece of salmon.
Ino was pleased and patted Tonton's head. "Thank you, you've been a huge help!"
Tonton loved feeling needed and oinked with cheerful laughter. It then waved a trotter, as if to say, "You're welcome, but I've got to deliver meals to the other two, so I'm off!"
Ino ate her meal by herself while Sakura fed Sasuke, who was choking down the bitter pills.
From a distance, she could hear passing ninja discussing "Young Master Naruto" this and "Young Master Naruto" that.
"Jealous? Why don't you give up on Sasuke and throw yourself into Naruto's arms? You still have a chance," Ino teased Sakura with a smile.
Sakura rolled her eyes. To say she was calm would be a lie, but it was more a sense of imbalance than anything else. Naruto, who had once been the dead-last, suddenly had a father who was handsome, cheerful, powerful, and extremely popular. She felt a pang of disappointment; by comparison, her own father was so lame!
"Hmph, don't even think about making me give up on Sasuke! Naruto can go die for all I care!" said the girl who dreamed of becoming Sakura Uchiha, her voice full of conviction.
After the chaos Pain had caused, the work that had been underway had to continue.
On the fifth day of Minato Namikaze's tenure as Hokage, Ino let Sasuke practice Sage Mode on his own while she continued to preside over the Chunin Exams.
The Shinobi Alliance urged Ino to speed up the exams, and she was happy to oblige. She didn't even bother inviting the spectating daimyo; they would just wrap it up among themselves.
There was no need to wait a month; the third round began immediately.
Naruto had been eliminated in the first round's written exam. Even with his father now the Hokage, that fact couldn't be changed. Minato's character was such that he would only push him to study harder, not use his authority as Hokage to pull strings or cheat for him.
With Naruto unable to participate in the third round, Konohamaru—who could use the Rasengan, the Shadow Clone Technique, and a host of Sarutobi-style Fire Release ninjutsu—was the strongest among the genin.
"Hahahaha—" Konohamaru was ecstatic, laughing continuously since he left the arena. Today's matches had been far too easy.
The Fourth Hokage and the Fourth Raikage, who were present to watch the matches, both acknowledged his performance and promoted him to Chunin on the spot.
Shortly after the exam, he updated his ninja registration information and received his Chunin vest.
"Big Bro Naruto, Big Bro Naruto, look, I'm a Chunin now!" Konohamaru tore open the plastic packaging, put on the vest, and immediately ran to show off to Naruto.
Prince Naruto was utterly speechless. This Chunin Exam was cursed! He had taken it so many times and never passed. Never mind the ninja from his own graduating class; now even Konohamaru had surpassed him...
But there was nothing he could say. Ino's generation was the last golden age of the ninja world; after them, each generation was weaker than the last. Even among the elite genin gathered from all five great villages, Konohamaru stood out like a crane among chickens.
There was no issue with Konohamaru's promotion to Chunin.
This time, Udon and Moegi fell short. Their performances were not satisfactory, and they both remained genin.
Minato Namikaze handled his official duties with ease. He chatted with the villagers to understand the true thoughts of the shinobi, bought groceries, cooked, and took care of his son. Everything was arranged in an orderly fashion. When he returned home, Naruto asked if his father could give him special training. He had heard that Sasuke had already started practicing Sage Mode, and the pressure was immense.
"Of course," Minato agreed readily.
To be honest, he had always felt that the Third, Jiraiya, and Kakashi had been neglectful in teaching his son. His son had talent, so how did he end up like this under their tutelage?
But after he started teaching him personally... he also felt a bit frustrated. Is it too late to send this son back for a do-over?
He really didn't seem very bright.
Minato felt that much of the knowledge he himself had grasped naturally had to be broken down and spoon-fed to Naruto, only to be met with more confusion and bewilderment.
The boy's aptitude was truly lacking.
After a sparring session, the exceptionally talented Fourth Hokage had to admit that the fighting style of Shadow Clones plus Rasengan was indeed the most suitable for Naruto.
Jiraiya and Kakashi hadn't been wrong; he was the one who had been mistaken. With Naruto's aptitude, he would never be able to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique in his lifetime.
His previous complaints had truly been unfair to everyone.
He planned to find an opportunity to apologize to them.
"Naruto, the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken is too damaging to your body. Don't use it anymore. The Great Ball Rasengan and the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan are more suitable for you."
Minato Namikaze forbade Naruto from using the Rasenshuriken. He could continue to practice Sage Mode, but at the same time, he found a new direction for his son's enhancement: the Nine-Tails.
He was the one who had placed the seal on Naruto. Kushina Uzumaki had left behind many notes on controlling the Tailed Beasts, and the notes of the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, were also in Konoha; Naruto just hadn't been able to see them before.
This knowledge was in no way inferior to the Cloud Village's research on Tailed Beasts; in fact, it could be said to be superior.
As Hokage, Minato Namikaze could access all of this knowledge. His comprehension was extremely high. Even though he wasn't a jinchuriki, after reading the notes left by his predecessor and his wife, he had already formulated a detailed plan for controlling the Nine-Tails.
He entered Naruto's spiritual world and immediately began instructing him to absorb the Nine-Tails' chakra and begin training in the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Naruto and Sasuke were both getting stronger, and Ino had not stopped her own progress.
She had Karin prepare a suit of red armor for her, used the Wild Lion's Mane Technique to lengthen her hair, and then dyed it black. Whenever she had free time, she would go out and "dance"!
Monks, wealthy merchants, and the trusted retainers of daimyo were all targets for her "dance."
Each time she caused a massacre on-site, she would leave three to five witnesses to spread the reputation of the "mysterious armored person."
Would it affect Madara Uchiha's plans? She didn't care. As long as someone else was taking the blame.
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