"He seemed to instinctively use force differently in combat, as though he'd been correcting his movements without realizing it."
"His movements had become more precise and more efficient."
"Corrected without realizing it..."
Danzo's visible eye narrowed slightly as he digested the idea.
"It seems Nara Dan's Taijutsu has reached a level I can't understand."
"Even a technique he taught casually has such a remarkable effect."
"Did the Eight Inner Gates enhance him that much?"
"Isn't that a Forbidden Technique that consumes one's potential?"
After a moment's thought, Danzo abruptly pointed to a Root ninja standing nearby.
"Ino Rinya, teach him this technique."
"The so-called Stance Training."
Ino Rinya looked troubled, his face full of reluctance.
"Lord Danzo, it's not that I'm unwilling..."
"It's just that Teacher Nara used some strange force to guide me through it."
"Whenever I trained, Teacher Nara had to stay beside me and correct me."
"But I don't understand the principles behind this technique at all."
"I can use it myself, but I truly don't know how to teach it."
In National Martial Arts, there was a saying: "One true transmission of force is worth ten thousand volumes of false teachings."
Every style of boxing was passed down by the previous generation using Jin Force to work through the next generation's body. Only then could the younger generation gradually develop the force unique to that style.
Stance Training worked the same way. If you didn't understand its principles, you couldn't teach it just by explaining it.
Danzo frowned at that, but he didn't doubt that Ino Rinya was genuinely unwilling, or that he was holding anything back.
For one thing, Ino Rinya's talent was limited, and Nara Dan would surely have taken precautions with his technique.
Even the Hyuga had to use the Caged Bird. Many Ninja World Secret Techniques were bound deep in their practitioners' memories, and even Genjutsu searches were usually ineffective.
For another, Danzo had something Ino Rinya couldn't refuse hanging over him. He wasn't worried about a mere Genin trying anything.
"It doesn't matter if you can't teach him."
"Just keep things normal while you're working under Nara Dan."
"But don't even think about trying anything."
Danzo's cold gaze fixed on Ino Rinya like a knife.
"You know what will happen otherwise."
"Your sister is still studying at the Ninja Academy."
At the mention of his sister, Ino Rinya quickly nodded, making it clear he wouldn't complain about Danzo's orders.
"But you don't need to be so nervous."
Danzo still had the basic qualities of a leader. He knew how to follow a threat with a reward, and he was far better than the Third at making grand promises.
"As long as you do a good job..."
"Then I'll make sure you and your sister get access to more ninjutsu resources."
"I could even arrange positions for your sister at a hospital or school."
"None of that would be a problem."
For women, whose physical abilities were far inferior to men's, staying away from the battlefield and dangerous missions was undoubtedly the best choice.
After all, successful kunoichi like Tsunade were rare. Most female ninja had far lower survival rates on the battlefield than men.
Before Ino Rinya could respond, Danzo used the Body Flicker Technique and left.
In his eyes, ninja whose weaknesses he could exploit were all like fleas in his hand, there for him to control as he pleased.
Even if something went wrong, this was only a piece he could afford to leave in reserve.
Watching Danzo disappear into the distance, Ino Rinya wore an expression of deep worry and uncertainty.
No one wanted to be threatened with their own secrets.
He wasn't one of those Root ninja who'd been thoroughly brainwashed. Ino Rinya was just an ordinary civilian Genin.
He'd only been picked by the Third to fill a spot.
At the time, Nara Dan had taken on a mission outside the graduation season, so there were hardly any idle Genin available.
That was why Ino Rinya, whose teammates had all died on a mission, had been selected.
Danzo had approached him later.
With Danzo's knack for worming his way into everything, he naturally wouldn't pass up any chance to infiltrate Nara Dan's circle.
Under ordinary circumstances, Ino Rinya would have had no choice but to let life grind him down.
He stood there in silence for a while, then returned to his shabby home.
From a hole in the floorboards, he took out the scroll Nara Dan had given him.
That was right—he'd kept the scroll's existence from Danzo. And its contents had changed his outlook.
Though Ino Rinya treasured the scroll like a priceless possession and had carefully wiped every speck of dust from it, it wasn't like Hyuga Nana's scroll, which contained some powerful Secret Technique.
In fact, the scroll was unusual. When he opened it, there was only one line.
It was a question:
"What do you want?"
Ino Rinya stared at the words, and the room fell into a long silence.
The Hokage Office was always shrouded in smoke.
But today, it seemed to have an unexpected visitor.
"Bang!"
The office door was kicked open with brute force.
Behind it stood a slender, graceful figure with golden hair.
"Old man! What did you call me here for?!"
Her clear voice brimmed with impatience. On closer listening, her words were also a little slurred.
The Third smiled bitterly, helpless as ever.
"Tsunade, could you at least knock before you come in?"
"I'm not in the habit."
Tsunade's beautiful face was flushed, and a distinct purple diamond-shaped mark stood out on her forehead.
Her slender figure swayed unsteadily. With every sway, her body moved in a way that would have drawn any man's gaze.
"Tsunade... you've been drinking again?"
The Third frowned and sighed.
It seemed Tsunade's inner turmoil was getting worse. She used to be rude to him, but she'd never shown up drunk in the Hokage Office.
"Just a little."
"Only a tiny bit."
Tsunade held up her slender hand, showing a tiny gap between her thumb and forefinger.
But the Third saw an entire Konoha—and even the whole Ninja World—in that gap.
"All right. Try not to drink, if you can."
The Third gave her a perfunctory warning. He couldn't control her, and he had no right to.
After all, the deaths of loved ones and family were a crushing burden for anyone.
Even for a woman like Tsunade.
"I called you here today because I wanted to tell you..."
"War is about to break out again."
The Third's expression turned serious, an unusual sight.
"Konoha may be in far worse shape this time than it was in the previous two wars."
The previous two Ninja World Wars had already shown that even without the God of Shinobi, Konoha's overall strength still stood above every other village.
No single village could stand against Konoha.
Konoha was so powerful that most villages had to unite just to tear a piece of flesh from it.
So this time, Konoha was very likely to face attacks on multiple fronts.
That would place enormous pressure on both Konoha's elite fighters and its overall forces.
"So I still want you on the front lines..."
"As commander of the Land of Wind front."
Tsunade laughed out loud, then scoffed through the smell of alcohol on her breath.
"Old man, are you going senile?"
Before you continue