Tsunade didn't want to talk too much about herself. Seeing that Ino knew Kato Dan, she ostrich-like glossed over his life story.
"He." Tsunade didn't even want to mention his name, using "he" to refer to him.
"He had a Secret Technique, which is now in my hands. Do you want to learn it?"
Is it the Spirit Transformation Technique? Ino was very interested in this technique. The Spirit Transformation Technique and the Mind Body Switch series of Secret Techniques have many similarities. Spirit Transformation, as the name suggests, is definitely a technique that turns oneself into a spirit body. Not only would it be convenient for causing trouble, but its destructive power would also be considerable.
Kato Dan's death was most likely due to attracting too much attention, with someone secretly striking him down. If she was careful and not so ostentatious, this technique would still be very safe.
If conditions allowed, of course she wanted to learn it.
"Mm-hmm, Teacher, I want to learn it."
Tsunade glanced at her without a change in expression. She had originally intended to take this technique to her grave, but this disciple, whether in terms of Ninjutsu talent, Chakra, or Yin Release level, was simply too suitable for the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Her lover probably wouldn't want his technique to be lost, right? Tsunade sighed inwardly.
"You really want to learn it?"
"Mm-hmm."
"You really, really want to learn it?"
Ino's expression was strange: "...Yes, I want to learn it."
Tsunade took a sip of sake, minding her own business: "Unfortunately, you can't learn it yet."
Ino almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. If she couldn't learn it, why was she even telling her this nonsense!
Even though she was constantly drinking, Tsunade's mood was very low when she brought up this past event.
"After he passed away, when I was sorting through his belongings, this Secret Technique in the scroll only contained a part of the Chakra flow and hand seals. The incantations and secret medicine parts were lost with his death."
Ino nodded, indicating understanding. Secret Techniques were like this. If it weren't for the promise to teach her Steam Impurities Explosion, the Second Mizukage certainly wouldn't have fully explained the key points of the Water Release Secret Technique.
He had no choice but to explain; if he didn't, Ino definitely wouldn't have learned Steam Impurities Explosion. The correlation between these two techniques was too high.
Now, Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique had lost a lot of key information with his demise.
Tsunade suddenly became bold: "Whether it's Ninjutsu or Secret Technique, they were all created by people initially. If the predecessors could do it, we, the successors, naturally can too. Little Ino, do you have confidence?"
What confidence do I have! Ino was bewildered by Tsunade's question, highly suspecting that her big-chested teacher was drunk.
Tonton, the pet pig, nudged her twice, making "puyo puyo" sounds, meaning, 'Hurry up and state your position.'
Ino had a forehead full of black lines. I, a dignified time traveler (transmigrator), need a pig to teach me what to do?
She then imitated Might Guy and Lee, shouting with immense passion: "I have confidence!"
"Good, then I'll… Huh? Actually, we can skip some steps. How about this: you use the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique on me, the Mind Body Switch Technique, right? Is that the name? Come, use it on me once, take over my body. I'll take this opportunity to study it and see if I can improve the Spirit Transformation Technique based on your foundation."
Shizune and Tonton, who were playing nearby, also quieted down. One person and one pig focused intently, watching how Ino would "directly confront" Tsunade.
Is it really appropriate to discuss such intense topics while we're in a hot spring? Ino seemed very hesitant. Wouldn't it be better if everyone put on clothes, found a quiet room, and then discussed the Spirit Transformation?
Tsunade thought it was very appropriate, so Ino could only comply.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming in, Mind Body Switch Technique!" She formed hand seals, aimed at Tsunade, and the next second, Ino's consciousness, enveloped by Chakra, rushed into Tsunade's mental world.
Tsunade didn't resist, stepping aside and letting Ino's consciousness take over her body.
Ino took the lead, conversing with Tsunade in the mental world. While family Secret Technique training couldn't be mentioned, some external effects could be discussed.
"This is truly a peculiar technique. Is your Yamanaka Clan also… Never mind, that's not important. The Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique seems very similar to the Spirit Transformation Technique to me, yet there's a fundamental difference. If my body gets injured, will your body also get injured?"
Ino nodded: "Yes, it's because the Secret Technique connects the two. If your body gets injured now, my main body will also get injured. That's why the Yamanaka Clan has always only been responsible for intelligence gathering. In combat, we need Ino–Shika–Choji to cooperate."
Tsunade thought seriously for a moment: "Alright, you can leave. I need to redesign the approach to the Ninjutsu."
Her redesign took two days. There were five days left until the Chunin Exams. Subtracting Ino's one-day return journey, that meant she only had four days left.
The three people and one pig had just left the Land of Tea when they were blocked by a group of debt collectors.
They could fight back against Ninja, but when facing ordinary people, Tsunade still adhered to some older rules: not to use Ninjutsu on ordinary people.
They could only run.
"Don't let them escape! The one with the biggest chest is Tsunade!"
Tsunade quickly wrapped her clothes twice around her chest.
"The one with the 'Gamble' character on her clothes is Tsunade!"
Tsunade immediately put her clothes on Shizune.
"Catch them! The one with the golden ponytail is Tsunade!"
Tsunade immediately transformed into a little loli, and a large group of debt collectors rushed towards Ino.
The three people and one pig scattered and fled. After shaking off the debt collectors, they reunited in the back mountains outside the town.
Tonton was so tired she made a series of "puyo puyo" sounds. Ino also sat on a large rock nearby, adjusting her breathing. Mama mia, the feeling of not paying debts and running off was so exhilarating!
Tsunade had instructed her not to use Ninjutsu or Chakra, stating that this was also part of Taijutsu training. She could only run using her physical strength and was now utterly exhausted.
Seeing that the debt collectors hadn't caught up, the three people and one pig all breathed a sigh of relief.
Drinking, gambling, being chased, running, and discussing the Spirit Transformation Technique in their spare time became their daily pastime for the last four days.
Tsunade and Shizune were too strong-willed. Both heroes lacked Yin Style Chakra, yet the Spirit Transformation Technique had extremely high requirements for Yin Style Chakra and Yin Release. For the past decade or so, they could only wildly speculate about the Spirit Transformation Technique, but they couldn't actually practice it themselves; they couldn't even pass the first hurdle of initiation.
Ino's timely appearance compensated for their shortcomings in practical application.
Not to mention her superb Yin Release level, Ino's high "Ninja" stat of 10 also gave her enough comprehension to participate in the completion of this Secret Technique.
The Spirit Transformation Technique is an S-rank soul Ninjutsu that allows the soul to leave the body. Currently, a lot of content is missing from the entire technique. One of the most critical problems is that once the caster performs Spirit Transformation, they might become a pure soul, with the connection between the soul and body directly severed, instantly turning into a wandering ghost. After a few minutes or tens of minutes, the spirit body dissipates, and that person dies!
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