Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

"That's enough for today," Ino said, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she spoke to Hinata.

"Okay, sure," Hinata agreed and handed Ino one of the two towels she had brought.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Ino, your taijutsu has improved a lot," Hinata said, finally managing to find a topic to discuss after some thought.

Hinata had been finding it harder and harder to defeat Ino, which was proof of her significant progress.

"Well, my taijutsu was so terrible before that it's no wonder my progress seems fast. It'll probably slow down from here," Ino replied with a smile.

"But why did you suddenly decide to train your taijutsu? I thought your role in your team was mainly supportive," Hinata asked curiously.

"Oh, it's because I realized I can't always rely on my teammates in every battle. For situations where I have to fight alone, taijutsu is essential whether it's for dodging, escaping, or increasing the chances of landing my clan's secret techniques," Ino explained after thinking for a moment.

"I see. That makes sense," Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Hinata, I found out from Natsuro that Naruto spends most of his time training with Lord Jiraiya in the hills behind the village," Ino said suddenly.

True to her promise, Ino had gathered plenty of information about Naruto from Natsuro.

"Huh?" Hinata's face immediately turned red, and she realized what Ino was hinting at.

"I also heard that Naruto's training consumes a lot of chakra, and he often doesn't have time to eat," Ino added.

"Really? That sounds so tough!" Hinata said, her face showing concern. "But if he doesn't eat, won't that affect his training?"

Ino paused, slightly taken aback. She had intended to use this information to help Hinata get closer to Naruto, but Hinata's first reaction was pure worry for him.

Ino smiled. It was clear how deeply Hinata cared for Naruto.

"Exactly. It would affect him. That's why, for Naruto's health and the success of his training, you could bring him some Ichiraku Ramen, along with some healthy side dishes and soldier pills," Ino suggested.

Since Hinata was so worried, Ino figured this was the perfect way to encourage her to interact with Naruto. If one attempt didn't work, then several would. Eventually, Hinata would get used to being around him!

Ino couldn't help but silently praise her own plan.

"Ichiraku Ramen? Naruto-kun's favorite place?" Hinata asked, clearly familiar with Naruto's preferences.

"Exactly," Ino said, recalling what Natsuro had told her about Naruto's obsession with ramen, especially Ichiraku Ramen, to the point of it being almost ridiculous.

"Alright, I'll prepare something for Naruto-kun," Hinata said, nodding firmly and patting her cheeks. This wasn't the time to be shy, Naruto-kun was working so hard, and she needed to come up with a proper meal plan for him.

Ichiraku Ramen alone wouldn't be enough. She'd need to include vegetables, fruits, and, of course, meat. If he needed a lot of chakra, she'd have to prepare extra soldier pills as well…

Thinking of Naruto's likely appetite, Hinata decided to prepare much more than she would for herself.

Watching Hinata lost in thought, Ino smiled and left her alone, deciding not to interrupt her anymore.

As Ino walked home, she felt incredibly fulfilled.

Occasionally taking on missions, training, and ending her days with dates with Natsuro was perfect.

What was originally a rare treat had recently become more frequent, as he seemed to have a lot of free time lately. Now, she just needed to go home, freshen up, and head over to meet him.

As she thought about this, Ino's body suddenly froze, and she fell into a dazed state.

When she regained awareness, she was shocked.

What was happening?

Ino "watched" as her body moved on its own, without her issuing any commands. She had lost control of her own body!

This state was all too familiar to her, it was the Mind Transfer Jutsu!

Ino quickly recognized what was happening, and that realization only deepened her shock.

Who had used the Mind Transfer Jutsu on her? A fellow Yamanaka clan member?

But why would someone from her clan use this technique on her?

Confused, Ino tried to break free from the jutsu's control. After all, she was familiar with the technique and understood its mechanics, so escaping shouldn't be… too hard?

However, to her dismay, no matter how much she struggled with her spiritual energy, she couldn't break free. It felt like the gap between her and the caster was insurmountable.

The other person's spiritual energy was overwhelming. Though Ino had never seen such strength before, she felt it might even rival her father, Inoichi Yamanaka!

Why would someone of such a level want to control her? She hadn't done anything to harm the clan… Or was there another reason?

Moreover, the person had deliberately blurred their appearance. This made sense as they clearly didn't want to be identified.

If Ino saw who it was and reported it to her father, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar in the Yamanaka clan.

From Ino's perspective, her body seemed to be behaving curiously, inspecting her hands and feet as if experiencing them for the first time. Then, it moved experimentally.

This only deepened Ino's confusion. Why pretend to be unfamiliar with the body? Such power couldn't possibly come from a novice.

"Hey! What are you trying to do?!" Ino shouted in the mental space, but her voice received no response. The other person ignored her completely, as if she didn't exist.

"Damn it!"

Ino watched helplessly as the person controlling her smiled at her reflection in a street mirror, as if mocking her helplessness.

Then, "Ino" began walking in a familiar direction it was the road to Natsuro's house.

Ino's eyes widened. Was their goal to approach Natsuro through her?

And if they were using such a method, it couldn't be someone friendly to Natsuro. Did they want to steal something from him? Or worse…

Ino grew increasingly anxious and struggled even harder, but it was all in vain.

She could only watch as her body entered Natsuro's house. "She" greeted Natsuro's mother, Shinai, with practiced ease, then seemed momentarily stunned to learn that Shali wasn't home.

After a brief pause, "Ino" asked if she could visit Natsuro's room. Shinai, thinking nothing of it, agreed.

Watching this unfold, Ino felt an even greater sense of crisis. Even though her struggles were ineffective, she couldn't stop.

Once inside his room, "Ino" began to look around before rifling through his belongings, clearly searching for something.

"So that's it! This person wants to use my identity to steal Natsuro's jutsu!" Ino clenched her teeth in frustration.

Natsuro's house was always guarded, so to bypass the watchers, the perpetrator had used her frequent visits to gain easy access. This way, they could steal what they wanted!

After a while, "Ino" smiled, holding a scroll in her hands. It seemed they had found their target.

At this moment, Ino also found it odd. The Mind Transfer Jutsu shouldn't have this range. The distance from where she had been hit to Natsuro's house was significant.

Had they worked in a team?

Was the caster being carried by an accomplice to maintain proximity? If so, Natsuro should be able to detect them…

Feeling a sliver of hope, Ino let out a sigh of relief.

Ino let out a sigh of relief.

At that moment, she heard a familiar voice and widened her eyes in surprise. The person controlling her had encountered Natsuro, who had just returned home.

"Hmph! Whoever that person is, they definitely can't fool Natsuro!" Ino thought, brimming with confidence. However, to her shock, the imposter began conversing with him in a way that perfectly mimicked how she usually acted.

Natsuro didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"How is that possible?" Ino couldn't believe it. Had someone been spying on her interactions with Natsuro? How else could they mimic her behavior so naturally?

"Natsuro, close your eyes. I have a surprise for you," "Ino" said with a smile.

"Don't close them!" Ino shouted internally, but her despair deepened as she watched he obediently close his eyes.

Seeing Natsuro completely let his guard down, Ino felt as if her body was holding a kunai, ready to...

"No… don't… don't!"

Ino couldn't bear to think about the potential outcome. Even if it meant fighting to the death, she wouldn't let this person succeed! Resolving herself to act, she suddenly felt something strange.

The presence controlling her body had disappeared. She could move freely again!

"Are you scared?" came Natsuro's familiar voice, breaking the tension.

Ino, confused, looked at Natsuro, her mind racing with things she wanted to say, questions she needed to ask.

But what did he mean by that? Did he have something to do with what had just happened?

"Spirit Transformation Jutsu. It's a new ninjutsu I just learned. It's a bit like the Mind Transfer Jutsu, don't you think?" Natsuro explained with a calm smile.

Ino's eyes widened. So the person who had been controlling her… was Natsuro all along?!

"Since it was my first time using it, I wanted to try it out on someone close to me. And I thought it'd be fun to tease you a little. Were you scared?" Natsuro said, grinning as he looked at Ino's blank expression. His heart skipped a beat, worried he might have taken the joke too far.

The next moment, Ino lunged at Natsuro, hitting him repeatedly, though her blows were light and without real force.

Natsuro didn't resist, letting her vent her frustration. Maybe I really went overboard, he thought. He'd even tried to make his expression friendly during the prank though what he didn't realize was that, under Ino's emotional filter, it had come across as mockery!

"You scared me to death! I thought someone was trying to harm you!" Ino said, finally calming down and reverting to her usual self.

"Sorry, I won't do it again. I just wanted to see how you'd react," Natsuro apologized.

Hearing this, Ino glared at him again. "You're not getting off that easily. How do you plan to make it up to me?"

"Want to learn the Spirit Transformation Jutsu? The technique I just used?" Natsuro offered with a smile.

His intention wasn't just to tease Ino; he also wanted to demonstrate the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to her.

Of course, his primary goal had been to test the technique, and judging by the results, he was more than satisfied!

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Currently on Chapter 231 - Before the Ceremony