Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 54: Moegi Kazamatsuri

Developing Kekkei Genkai in ninjutsu is extremely difficult.

According to popular belief, the earliest ninjas who could use "Ice Release" or "Magnet Release" had trained their basic elemental ninjutsu to the limit, then fused two chakra natures to obtain a completely new chakra nature.

Most Kekkei Genkai users don't have the ability of their predecessors and can only inherit unique ninjutsu used by their ancestors through bloodline inheritance, forming Kekkei Genkai families.

Of course, there are exceptions.

The Second Tsuchikage, "Mu," was able to pass down his Kekkei Touta, "Dust Release," through mentorship, teaching it to his disciple, the Third Tsuchikage.

Ino was very envious of this technique, but there was no way Mu would teach her.

Additionally, even Kekkei Genkai with the same name can manifest in vastly different ways. Examples include Kurotsuchi and Dodai, both users of "Lava Release." The former is the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage from the Hidden Stone Village, while the latter is an elite jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village. These two are definitely not related, and their Lava Release techniques look and function completely differently.

The Wood Release that Ino is fixated on is the unique Kekkei Genkai used by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. After the First Hokage's death, the village attempted to regain this fearsome Kekkei Genkai by implanting Hashirama's cells into infants, conducting large-scale human experiments to fuse the genes during infancy. Out of sixty infants, only one survived and gained the Wood Release ability, though its effectiveness was far inferior to the First Hokage's.

Danzo went all out, transplanting many of Hashirama's cells into himself, but he couldn't control the power. Every time he tried, it went out of control, making it a complete failure.

The path of inheriting through cells doesn't work for Ino. She's already twelve, almost thirteen. Reverting to infancy is impossible, and even if she could, a one-in-sixty success rate is too low.

She can only try to meet the conditions for using Wood Release and see if she can forcefully activate it with her "Pot Points."

The problem is, she doesn't know what conditions she's missing. Moegi Kazamatsuri, right in front of her, is an excellent observation target.

Moegi Kazamatsuri is likely a descendant of the Senju clan scattered throughout the village, which is a reasonable assumption. But why does Tsunade, a direct descendant of Hashirama Senju, not possess Wood Release, while it appears in a branch family member like Moegi?

Is Moegi's talent greater than Tsunade's? Does she have more chakra? Impossible! There must be something else at play.

Secret medicines, secret techniques, some unique method of chakra fusion, or perhaps a special bloodline awakening method passed down through generations these are the only possibilities Ino can think of.

Hiding in the shadows, Ino observes while Naruto continues boasting to the three kids of the Konohamaru Corps.

Shikaku had instructed them not to leak any information about Mizuki and to keep it a strict secret. Ino and the others had kept their mouths shut, but Naruto didn't care. He was vividly recounting Mizuki's conspiracy.

How Mizuki tricked him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, and how he and Iruka-sensei cleverly uncovered the plot.

The entire story made no mention of Ino or the others.

Konohamaru, an eight-year-old in his rebellious phase, was completely enthralled by the tale of a student standing up to a teacher.

But when it came to how they actually defeated Mizuki, Naruto started going off-topic. As he enthusiastically explained to Konohamaru the importance of "being bold," "being flashy," and "using sexy techniques," Ino, hiding in the shadows, was utterly exasperated.

Konohamaru was truly ruined by Naruto. No wonder he'd later famously say, "My ninja way is my girlfriend."

Konohamaru and his bespectacled sidekick, Udon Ise, were excited by the talk of sexy techniques, but Moegi had had enough. "Hey! I'm a girl! Are you completely ignoring that? Talking about this in public have you considered how I feel?"

People in the ninja world mature early. At eight years old, Moegi had once harbored some feelings for Konohamaru, especially after he wrote that essay titled "My Grandpa, the Hokage." But now? Hah! If you're all about this, go live with your big brother Naruto!

"Idiots! Perverts!" Moegi didn't even spare "Big Brother Naruto," slapping each of them before storming off, leaving the three utterly confused.

The little girl walked home, feeling more and more wronged. As she walked, she accidentally bumped into a older sister.

Half an hour later, Ino was tending to Moegi's wounds in her family's flower shop.

Moegi had scraped her hands when she fell, and Ino took the opportunity to examine them closely. The recovery rate was completely ordinary, just like a normal person's. There was no sign of the First Hokage's legendary ability to recover from seventeen or eighteen stab wounds and stand up perfectly fine after lying down for two minutes.

Ino, who had managed to befriend someone sixteen years her senior, had no trouble connecting with an eight-year-old girl.

By chatting about topics from the ninja academy, sharing shopping tips, and even performing a few water manipulation tricks with chakra, Ino went from being "Senior Ino" to "Big Sister Ino" in Moegi's eyes.

"Alright, try not to get it wet, and it'll heal quickly," Ino said with a smile as she bandaged Moegi's hand.

"Thank you, Big Sister," Moegi said politely.

Ino poured her a cup of tea, and the two chatted and laughed, quickly becoming close.

"Big Sister, you're the top graduate of this year's class, right? That's amazing!" Moegi, also a student at the ninja academy but four grades below Ino, had heard all about her. While no one knew who came in second, Ino's name was legendary among the students. Many teachers compared her to the previous year's top graduate, Neji Hyūga, and the students remembered her well.

Curious, Moegi asked, "Big Sister, who do you think is stronger, you or Neji-senpai?"

Ino laughed, her tone modest. "We've never fought, so it's hard to say. I think... I'm probably no match for him. Neji-senpai is a year older and a genius of the Hyūga clan. I'm just good at studying."

Moegi pouted. "I think you're amazing, Big Sister. You're elegant, kind, and a role model for us female ninjas."

Surrounded by the fragrant flowers in the shop and in the presence of such a gentle and beautiful older sister, Moegi was thrilled. This kind of big sister was far better than that perverted Naruto!

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