In the evening, the four people's dinner was roasted wild boar.
Old Man Kosuke skillfully took down the iron pot behind him, lit a fire, boiled water, dismembered the boar, and removed its hair, followed by various skinning and deboning, all with quick and graceful movements.
While processing the wild boar, he imparted his experience to the three.
"The camp should be chosen in a leeward spot on a hill."
"Remember, even though we are Ninja, our bodies are very fragile, and when caught off guard, a single beast can take your life. When choosing a campsite, observe your surroundings, check for large beast footprints, and see if it's on a path where beasts frequently come to drink water."
"Watch my movements. When processing a beast, target its abdomen. In the wild, always remember that animal blood and internal organs must be cleaned thoroughly, because enemy Ninja will track you by the scent."
The Ino–Shika–Choji of the Fifth Generation nodded repeatedly. The theories in textbooks were ultimately different from reality. These small details seemed insignificant, but if not paid attention to, one might suffer an unexpected setback.
Even Ino listened very carefully. She wasn't a prince like Naruto, who didn't need to understand these things. He just needed to be reckless, and if he ever encountered danger, the Nine-Tailed Chakra, Minato's Chakra, Kushina's Chakra, Asura Chakra, and the Six Paths Sage within Naruto would all jump out to help him. Ino didn't have that ability; she could only rely on herself.
Ninja are much stronger than ordinary people, but their bodies are still fragile, still flesh and blood.
If she were to be bitten to death by a wild boar while sleeping in the wild due to her own carelessness, she would feel utterly frustrated.
After the wilderness survival lesson, they began to eat dinner.
The wild boar meat tasted decent. The skin was crispy, and the lean meat was firm, somewhat like beef, but the gamey smell was quite strong. Old Man Kosuke had limited seasonings, so Ino found it a bit hard to get used to.
But seeing Shikamaru eating little by little with a frown, she also forced herself to eat a few pieces.
Of the ten portions of wild boar meat, Old Man Kosuke ate one, Ino and Shikamaru ate one, and the remaining eight portions all went into Choji's stomach.
This guy truly wasn't picky about food.
Over the next two days, Old Man Kosuke continuously taught them the knowledge required for wilderness survival, as well as how to set traps, how to lure enemies into traps, how to shake off pursuers when retreating, how to eliminate traces, and other practical applications.
The three of them listened very attentively; even the foodie Choji showed no slackness at this time.
Perhaps in the late stages of Ninja wars, it would be one Susanoo on your side and one Summit Buddha on my side, with great power creating miracles, two giant mechs fighting it out. But in the early stages, this knowledge was still very useful.
Old Man Kosuke not only taught survival knowledge but also offered guidance on their Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and fighting styles.
The B-rank Shadow Clone Technique and the later A-rank Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu were both Ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage. As a subordinate of the Second Hokage, Old Man Kosuke knew the Shadow Clone Technique.
He didn't use Naruto's method of extracting tons of Chakra and practicing blindly. His method was very formal, explaining in detail how to subdivide Chakra, how to give the Shadow Clone partial consciousness, and how to make the Shadow Clone participate in combat.
Under his guidance, Ino gained a clear understanding of the key points of the Shadow Clone. She estimated that after further study back in the Village, she would be able to successfully master this B-rank Ninjutsu.
"I heard you specialize in Water Release Ninjutsu? Let this old man teach you another Water Release. Watch carefully! Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Old Man Kosuke quickly formed hand signs. After twelve signs, the river water nearby was agitated by his Chakra, and a giant Water Dragon soared into the sky. White waves churned, and the Water Dragon kicked up several meters of spray, winding and circling. With immense impact, it completely plowed through a patch of forest directly in front of the old man.
Ino was dumbfounded. The Water Dragon Bullet, which seemed useless in the manga, now witnessed firsthand, could only be described as worthy of being a Jonin-level Ninjutsu—its power was truly too strong! If she had this Jutsu when fighting Sasuke, one hit and Sasuke would be down. He could withstand a C-rank Wild Water Wave, but try withstanding a B-rank Water Dragon Bullet?
"Did you see clearly?" The old man didn't wait for Ino's answer: "I'll use it again."
Another Water Dragon Bullet shot into the sky, and another large section of the forest on their right was pushed down.
Kosuke asked, "What's the difference in how I used the two Jutsu, the first and the second?"
Ino secretly rolled her eyes. Was he really treating her like a child? Was she that stupid?
To satisfy the old man's teaching desire, she feigned excitement and replied, "The order of the hand signs and the total number of hand signs are different. For the first one, you made twelve signs, and for the second one… was it forty-two or forty-three signs?"
Kosuke corrected her, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet requires forty-four hand signs. Even a very skilled Water Release Ninja needs ten seconds to use this Jutsu. In other words, they need to make almost five signs per second. The truth is, very few people in the Ninja World can make hand signs that quickly anymore. Anyone who can complete the hand signs for Water Dragon Bullet within ten seconds is definitely an elite Jonin from their respective Village. If you encounter such an enemy, you only have one choice, and that is to run."
He seemed to want Ino to remember this, so he paused deliberately before continuing, "The Second Hokage-sama's understanding of Ninjutsu is unparalleled. He streamlined this Jutsu, requiring only three hand signs to complete the entire Jutsu. I am far from being able to compare to the Second Hokage-sama; I need twelve hand signs for Water Dragon Bullet."
Ino secretly exclaimed, 'Holy cow!' The Second Hokage was truly a great inventor! He simplified forty-four signs down to three?! That's a huge advantage!
Even though Ino always thought her fingers were flexible, five signs per second, completing forty-four signs in ten seconds, and also having to allocate Chakra in a specific way, add nature transformation, and perform shape transformation—after all that, the difficulty of this B-rank Water Release Ninjutsu was still too great. Simplification was good!
"Little girl, do you want to learn?" The old man asked with a kind expression.
Ino could only continue to act cute: "Yes, Grandpa Kosuke, I want to learn!"
"Then let's start by practicing this forty-four sign Water Dragon Bullet."
Ino: "..."
After practicing by the river for a whole day, Ino was very dissatisfied with her learning progress. Her 'Ninja' and 'Essence' stats were up to standard, but this time her 'Sign' stat of 5 points held her back.
Old Man Kosuke said that Ninja who could make five signs per second were extremely rare nowadays. This statement was both true and false; he hadn't seen Uchiha Itachi make hand signs. Uchiha Itachi made six signs per second when fighting Kakashi, and he could even make hand signs with one hand!
It must be said that Itachi, who ignored female beauty and practiced for twenty years as a bachelor, indeed had extraordinary hand speed! Undoubtedly, this was 'Sign' level 10, and Ino simply couldn't compare.
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