"Should I use Water Dragon Bullet? Exploding Water Colliding Wave, or Water Severing Wave?" Ino thought hazily, her mind reacting much slower than usual. It took her a long while to finally come up with a way to sober up.
That was the Partial Hydrification Technique.
Her talent in Ninja techniques was indeed remarkable now. Out of the five hand seals required for the technique, she messed up two, but relying on her proficient control over Ninja techniques, she still managed to hydrate her left hand.
She shook it randomly, and as some of the alcohol was separated, she felt her dizziness slightly alleviated.
Tsunade urged her from the side, "Hurry up, hurry up! Practice quickly! Don't let me down... hic... my expectations, expectations..."
A miracle happened! This time, Ino mobilized her Chakra, stimulated cell growth, and successfully revived a dying saury.
Her Yang attribute was also activated, and now her Yang Release level was lv1.
Among the seven Ninja attributes, she had already mastered Water, Earth, Wind, Yin, and Yang, five Chakra Natures, only missing Fire and Lightning.
She laughed triumphantly, "I did it?! I did it! I told you I'm a genius, there's no reason to be stuck on such a beginner-level technique for so many days! Hahaha—great! Let's keep drinking!"
Tsunade shouted outside, "Hey! Boss, bring more wine, you know me, right? Put all the wine on Jiraiya's tab, hic... on Jiraiya's tab, that white-haired guy from last time."
Five days later, Jiraiya came to pay the wine bill.
Tsunade, along with three people and a pig, were all drunk.
He had already anticipated that Tsunade would have another drinking buddy! These days, it's hard to learn good things, but bad habits come easily.
"Wake up, little Ino, hey hey?! Hurry back, the Third Hokage told me to inform you, the Chunin Exams are about to start!" Jiraiya shouted into her ear.
Ino tilted her head to look at him, and it took her about five minutes to react.
She was shocked, "Chunin... Chunin? The Chunin Exams! They've already started? What's the date today?!"
She looked around and saw the calendar, then breathed a sigh of relief, scared to death, there was still half a month until the exams.
Jiraiya laughed heartily, extremely amused.
It seemed there was still time, but returning to the Hidden Leaf Village, registering, and reviewing the theoretical aspects all required time. There was no need to get a perfect score in the exam, but she couldn't hand in a blank paper like Naruto, right? The genius persona couldn't be lost, and with that calculation, time was really tight.
She washed her face, combed her hair, and changed clothes. When she came out, she saw Tsunade hitting Jiraiya.
Ino turned into a spectator, hiding in the corner with Shizune to watch the show.
Jiraiya and Tsunade, friends who were just a thin layer away from breaking through, were used to this mode of interaction. After playing around like children for a while, the two fifty-year-olds finally returned to normal.
Jiraiya went to settle the bill, while Tsunade started drinking porridge on her own.
Ino walked over, scratching her head, "Teacher, that..."
Tsunade handed her a book list and a Summoning Scroll.
She spoke with an air of authority, "Your knowledge base isn't sufficient. Medical Ninja Techniques and regular Ninja Techniques are ultimately different; you must lay a solid foundation. Learn more, observe more, and it would be best for you to participate in more surgeries to treat patients. With enough practice, you'll naturally get the hang of it! I remember you know the Summoning Technique, right? Sign your name here, and from now on, you'll be considered part of the Shikkotsu Forest lineage!"
Ino signed her name on the Shikkotsu Forest's Summoning Scroll, which would allow her to use the Summoning Technique to call upon the Slug Sage's clones from Shikkotsu Forest. These clones had astonishing healing abilities, capable of saving anyone as long as they weren't already dead. When Shizune learned that Ino was going to participate in the Chunin Exams, she also taught her a technique: Ninja Art: Poison Mist.
Similar to Jiraiya's Oilification, Shizune transformed Chakra into a special chemical substance, which she could then spray from her mouth. This substance would instantly react with the air, turning into a poisonous mist.
Ino's learning speed in Medical Ninja Techniques was average—not particularly fast, but not slow either. However, when it came to learning techniques that sounded particularly sinister, she was unusually quick.
After Shizune explained and demonstrated the technique once, Ino could already perform the Hand Seals and release it.
Learning from a scroll? Unnecessary, I already know it! Her learning speed was comparable to Kakashi's ability to copy techniques directly with his Sharingan.
Ino bid farewell to the three of them one by one, and even gave the pet pig Tonton's front leg a little tug before leaving the town to return to the village for the Chunin Exams.
"She's such a polite and good kid," Jiraiya really liked Ino's personality, feeling an inexplicable compatibility between them.
Tsunade also thought Ino was quite good, but she couldn't say it outright, "What's the use of being polite? Can it feed you? She's been mooching off my wine these past two days!"
Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly; he wanted to say that he was the one who paid for the wine, but he was afraid of getting beaten.
By the time Ino was out of sight in the distance, he finally whispered, "Nurture her well. With such strong talent in Ninja Techniques, she will surely become an outstanding ninja in the future."
Tsunade snorted, "That's just nonsense. As if I needed you to tell me that!"
Shizune quietly said to Tsunade, "Actually, I think Ino's talent in Ninja Techniques far surpasses her talent in Medical Ninja Techniques. Her Yin Release level is also quite high, and there are similarities with the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique. Perhaps we could have her help try to complete the technique that my uncle left behind? You only got a part of that technique back then, and over the years, we've tried to complete the missing parts, but it's still not perfect."
Bringing up this topic, Tsunade's mood immediately soured. After some serious thought, she slowly shook her head, "Have me and my newly accepted disciple research Ninja Techniques together? Do I still want to keep my dignity? No way! Neither of us has Yin attribute Chakra, and the completed technique isn't certain to work. I need to study it further. But it's getting late today, let's go have some wine! — Jiraiya, are you coming?"
Jiraiya's smile was quite smug, "I'm going to meet a female fan later, hehehe—"
Leaving Tsunade and Shizune to go back and drink, he sauntered away.
He knew who they were talking about, and it made him feel bad too.
It's just that childhood friends can't compare to new encounters, right? He wanted to compete in a manly way, but the other person was dead. How could he compete with a dead man?
"Ah—" he sighed heavily, deciding to find two pretty girls to chat with and ease his boredom.
Without any delay, Ino returned to the Hidden Leaf Village and first went to report to the Third Hokage.
She had to explain clearly about her encounter with the Fourth Raikage.
Where she had met him, and why they had crossed paths, she recounted everything in detail.
Then there was the matter of Tsunade.
Since she had become Tsunade's apprentice, it was only natural that she would follow and learn from her. Now that the Third Hokage was still alive, there was no immediate reality where the burden of the village had to be shouldered by Tsunade.
At this moment, even if Naruto used his Talk No Jutsu, he wouldn't be able to persuade Tsunade to return to the village. But the village would still assign Ino various tasks. As a tool, what could she do?