Ino's enhanced Sandevistan Mk.2 could provide some basic mobility for the paralyzed Akimichi Clan members. Returning to the battlefield was out of the question, as their Chakra pathways had atrophied, but walking a few steps at home and moving around was certainly possible.
The Akimichi Clan members were endlessly grateful to her. Regaining their mobility and not needing family members to attend to them was a huge improvement. If they couldn't be Ninja, then so be it; in their current state, they couldn't be Ninja anyway.
Realizing that much of her knowledge could bring hope to these disabled individuals, Ino studied the Land of Snow's Chakra armor twice more.
A secondary heart was difficult to implement, involving too much Medical Ninjutsu knowledge, but attaching a mantis blade or a Kunai launcher to a severed arm was feasible.
While Ino was busy researching prosthetics, she didn't forget about Hinata.
To grow taller, nutrition, genetics, and exercise are all indispensable.
Hinata always felt her legs were short, and indeed, her legs were a bit short. When she wore those rather baggy pants, they looked even shorter.
Under Ino's influence, Sakura wore shorts and open-toed sandals all year round, and Tenten also wore capri pants and flip-flops. Only Hinata always kept herself tightly wrapped up.
Hinata's exercise volume was undeniable; Ino couldn't even compare to her.
Genetically, there were no issues; both her parents were quite tall.
The problem still lay in nutrition.
Ino took her out to improve her diet every few days, she drank milk daily, and tried to walk with her chest out and head held high.
These were external factors; internal assistance was also needed.
Regarding height, Water Release Chakra offered no benefits; the other elements—Wind, Earth, Fire, and Lightning—were also useless.
The most useful Chakra, the one most capable of promoting cell and bone growth, was still Yang Release Chakra.
The Akimichi Clan's Secret Technique and almost all Medical Ninjutsu involved Yang Release Chakra nature transformation. Many Ninja, without special training, naturally mastered this Chakra nature transformation. Conversely, without this Chakra nature transformation, one could not master Medical Ninjutsu.
Ino taught Hinata to develop her own Yang Release Chakra.
If Hinata's talent for housework was 100, her talent for learning Ninjutsu was probably less than 5.
Ino broke it down and explained it in excruciating detail.
"Do you understand?"
Hinata nodded dazedly: "...I understand."
But when she tried to practice, she still couldn't do it!
After two days of practice, Hinata started to cry: "Am I very stupid?"
Ino clutched her head. Even without her own buffs, her comprehension was higher than Hinata's. By the end, she felt like she was teaching Naruto.
"Forget it, let's stick to the old method. Don't resist, I'll go in... Ah, no!" Ino wanted to use Spirit Transformation Technique to guide Hinata's Chakra through her meridians dozens of times, forcing her to memorize the Chakra's flow through muscle memory.
Just as she was about to form the hand seals, she realized it wouldn't work.
The Dojutsu Power in her eyes was accumulating more and more. If she were to use Spirit Transformation Technique to enter Hinata's mental world now, Ino's Sharingan Dojutsu Power would clash with Hinata's Byakugan, contaminating each other.
After pondering for several days and consulting Tsunade and Shizune, she devised a so-called internal cultivation teaching method.
While called internal cultivation, it was actually more like traditional Qigong.
The two sat cross-legged, their palm Chakra points in contact. Ino used her own Yang Release Chakra to slowly stimulate Hinata's body cells.
Ino's Yang Release Chakra repeatedly surged through several acupoints in Hinata's hand. After Hinata's body adapted to this external energy, it slowly moved deeper.
She avoided the eight major acupoints, including the heart, focusing mainly on the meridians in the legs and lower abdomen.
Both of their heads were sweating. Yang Release Chakra carried a rich life force, and from a distance, their heads looked like steaming baskets.
Hinata's face was flushed. She felt two warm currents constantly circulating back and forth in her legs and lower abdomen, getting itchier and itchier, to the point of being unbearable.
She knew this was stimulating the Chakra meridians in her legs, stimulating cells, and accelerating bone growth, but this stimulation was really a bit too "stimulating"! She pressed her lips together, enduring with great difficulty. When Ino went to the washroom, she gulped down two large mouthfuls of cold water to suppress the agitation in her body.
The effect of the Qigong infusion was quite mediocre.
According to Might Guy, jumping rope was also a secret to growing taller. His family, for eighteen generations, loved jumping rope, which is why they grew tall and strong.
Ino thought it made sense and had Hinata jump rope.
This jumping was practically earth-shattering. Hinata was incredibly embarrassed, and Ino also felt a bit uneasy. This thing was shaking so much it almost flew off! Let's not jump anymore.
The jump rope method was rejected.
Ino used Wood Release to make a simple rowing machine for Hinata. Wood Release had the effect of absorbing Chakra. Once the absorption strength was controlled, then she could practice!
Hinata practiced for a while and found that it did have the effect of exercising her legs and lower back, but this thing mainly trained the upper body, right? She didn't want to go from having short legs to having short legs with hands that reached her knees.
The rowing machine was also rejected.
Unable to think of a good solution, swimming it was!
Ino felt that no one who liked swimming was short.
Swimming, of course, required a swimming pool.
Hinata, due to her extraordinary physical endowments, was incredibly conservative. Asking her to practice swimming in a swimsuit in plain sight? She would definitely be shy.
She could only practice at home.
The Yamanaka Clan's impression on the villagers was that they sold flowers; they certainly didn't have a swimming pool. This pool could only be found at the Hyuga Clan's residence.
Finding a pool, Ino casually used an "Exploding Water Colliding Wave" to fill it, then gestured for her to start practicing.
"Um... um, could you turn around, please?" Hinata asked softly.
We're so close, and you want me to turn around to change? Is that really necessary?
Ino thought for a moment, then turned around anyway.
Then she heard the sound of strips of cloth being unraveled, one by one, from Hinata's side.
She was a little speechless. Good heavens, you're really wasting your assets!
Hinata's swimsuit was a bit small. Even with Ino's back to her, she could tell it wouldn't fit!
"Why don't you just not wear it? This is your home, what are you afraid of? No outsiders will come."
Hinata didn't say anything, just shook her head.
Ino picked at her ear: "I remember when you were practicing your fists under the moonlight, you weren't wearing anything then..."
Before she could finish, Hinata's hand, quick as lightning, covered her mouth.
This was definitely a dark past! Hinata was practicing Rotation at that time, thinking that Chakra points had to be in an unobstructed environment to effectively release Chakra. But when she asked later, it wasn't like that at all; she could practice Rotation even with clothes on!
Hinata held Ino's mouth tightly from behind, not letting her talk about her dark past, when suddenly, little Hanabi skipped in.
Seeing the two in that posture, the little girl paused: "Onee-chan... Ino-neechan, what are you two doing?"
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