The path must be walked one step at a time, but one's eyes should not be fixed on one's feet. One's gaze must look forward, far ahead.
From Konoha Village to the Land of Fire, and then to the entire Ninja World, such a leap seems too grand, too unrealistic—yet this is the necessary scope and vision for a person to accomplish things. First, one must clarify their first step, what goal to achieve, and what to do in the second and third steps, and what goals to achieve, all within a clear strategic objective. Only with strategic planning can one formulate major strategies around this strategic core.
If the "strategic" level of a matter is correct, then some tactical errors in localized areas become less important.
"Kana, you're in charge of sales. Set up stalls in these few locations in Konoha... Get missions from the Hokage, the lowest rank, 500 Ryo, don't set the price too high. If no one takes the mission, then hire some temporary workers—remember, they must have good figures and good looks. Their appearance must be presentable, or if not, find people within the clan..."
"You need to constantly monitor these points, collect data on customer traffic and sales, and then analyze them later."
"And also—"
As Ino said "and also," Kana was inexplicably hit with an assignment: Ino required her to write a detailed analytical report within a week, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of these locations.
Ino didn't expect Kana to analyze much all at once. This ability to collect and analyze data needs to be slowly accumulated through dozens, even hundreds, of practices of collecting, analyzing, then modifying, perfecting, and re-analyzing. She intended for Kana to be responsible for the sales sector in the future, so she wanted to cultivate the corresponding abilities in advance.
It doesn't matter if the analysis isn't good. She will review it and help Kana with any gaps or deficiencies. Even if they can't be filled immediately, with the passage of time and more experience, Kana will improve by looking back at her previous analyses.
The key is:
To learn.
"Yes, Princess Ino!"
After arranging their tasks, Nana went to handle production, while Kana stayed by Ino's side. Once Ino was free, she remembered the Kuji-in... She very seriously formed the 'Bing' seal. The hand seal was correct, but she felt nothing. She tried the 'Dou', 'Zhe', 'Jie', 'Zhen', 'Lie', 'Qian' six seals again, still with no effect.
It wasn't until she tried the last 'Xing' seal that she suddenly felt something. She felt as if her mind was a wild boar, irritable and full of power, ready to charge out with a single thought. The Chakra in her body was simultaneously vibrated by the twelve meridians—the passively vibrated Chakra was not much, and it was chaotic.
"Mind Transfer... does that mean I just aim at the target and charge directly? But this kind of Chakra doesn't seem quite right..."
For spirit and consciousness to enter another person's body, a medium is required. The omnipresent natural energy is, of course, one medium, and the Ninja's own Chakra is another—but the differences between them are quite significant:
If natural energy is a wild wasteland, then the Ninja's own Chakra is a road. If the Chakra is turbid, it's a country lane, a dirt road; if the Chakra is pure, it's a highway.
A dirt road can certainly be traveled—
But it's slow and arduous.
"Nine seals... seven of them are completely useless? No wonder the Yamanaka Clan only chose the first and last two—are these the only two that work?"
Ino complained inwardly, but she didn't give up. Instead, she thought, "Perhaps my method of forming the seals is wrong? Do the nine seals need to be progressive, one after another? Can't they be separated?"
She remembered that in her "previous life," it seemed the Kuji-in was continuous, starting from 'Lin' and ending with 'Xing'.
The second 'Bing' seal had no effect, perhaps because they lacked a progressive foundation. How can there be a two without a one? And without a two, where would three, four, five, six, seven, and eight come from?
"Let's try again..."
Lin!
Her sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and Chakra meridian perception were evenly enhanced. The traces of the family's Secret Technique on Kana and Yamanaka Nobuko, who were nearby, were clearly captured—Kana and Yamanaka Nobuko were both Chunin, and their innate family Secret Technique foundations were already impressive, and Ino's Technique of Returning Light and Hearing Back was already strong—now it was further enhanced.
The traces of their Secret Techniques had obvious differences, or rather, every Yamanaka Clan Secret Technique user would have differences due to their unique bodies.
But these meridian changes, without exception, evolved instinctively after arduous training:
Mixed Chakra would instinctively tend towards a high-throughput, low-loss mode with extensive practice, passively adapting to the demands of mental power passing through... Ino recorded this in the form of musical notes—these samples would be very useful for researching the family's Secret Technique.
Then, without further hesitation, when she felt her 'Lin' state was full, she progressed the hand seal to 'Bing'!
Bing!
An extremely strange sensation arose. She actually perceived Kana's and her mother's closeness, as well as the faint, diffused emotions of admiration and reverence from the surrounding clan members, and some confusion, fondness, and jealousy from the neighbors... "Is this... Malice Perception? But Malice Perception seems to only sense malice, while mine seems to be able to perceive many emotions, both good and bad. Kagura Minds Eye?"
A thought flashed through her mind, then was immediately suppressed. Now was not the time to overthink; she needed to complete the remaining hand seals in one go to see what was happening—she was already incredibly excited for the next seals.
Dou!
Upon forming the 'Dou' seal, Ino naturally felt a "link." When her attention focused on a certain object, a strong connection would form with that object, as if an invisible chain bound the two together.
Ino switched targets, selecting Kana.
The two were then linked together.
Zhe!
This connection was suddenly fixed. If the 'Dou' seal was like connecting two people with an iron chain, rousing one's spirit and will towards the target, then 'Zhe' was a lock, locking and sealing the two people at the ends of that iron chain—the keyhole was even welded shut. One wonders if the Shinigami's blade could cut it open.
This connection and locking was a Ninjutsu that worked outside the field of vision. She didn't need to see her opponent or find the enemy with her eyes; as long as her Chakra sensed the person's presence, she could link to them and lock on from beyond visual range...
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