Developing Kekkei Genkai related to Release Techniques is extremely difficult.
According to the more common understanding, the earliest ninjas who could use "Ice Release" and "Magnet Release" had mastered the basic Release Techniques to their limits, then fused two Chakra Natures to obtain a new Chakra Nature for their Release Techniques.
Most Kekkei Genkai ninjas do not possess the abilities of their predecessors and can only inherit the unique Release Techniques used by their ancestors through bloodline inheritance, forming Kekkei Genkai families.
Of course, there are exceptions to this.
The Second Tsuchikage, "Mu," could pass down his Kekkei Tota, "Dust Release," to his disciple, the Third Tsuchikage, through master-disciple teaching.
Ino was very envious of the secrets behind this, but there was no way they would teach her.
Moreover, even Kekkei Genkai with the same name can manifest in vastly different ways. A prime example of this is Kurotsuchi and Dota, both of whom wield Lava Release. The former is the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, while the latter is an elite Jonin from the Cloud Hidden Village. These two are definitely not related, and the Lava Release they unleash looks completely different in form and purpose, with no similarities to be found.
The Wood Release that Ino coveted was the unique Kekkei Genkai used by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju of Konoha. After the First Hokage's death, the village, in an attempt to regain this Kekkei Genkai that had once shaken the ninja world, conducted large-scale human experiments by implanting the First Hokage's cells into infants, hoping to achieve gene fusion during infancy. Out of sixty infants, only one survived and acquired the First Hokage's Wood Release ability, though its actual effectiveness was far from impressive and nowhere near as powerful as the First Hokage's.
Danzo, on the other hand, went all out and transplanted a significant amount of the First Hokage's cells into himself, but he couldn't use them at all. Whenever he tried, he would lose control, making it a complete failure.
The path of inheriting through cells was not an option for Ino. She was already twelve, almost thirteen years old, and reverting to infancy was impossible. Even if she could, the one-in-sixty success rate was far too low.
She could only try to meet the conditions for using Wood Release and see if she could forcefully unlock it using Pot Points.
The problem was that she didn't know what conditions she was missing. The current target of her observation, Moegi Kazamatsuri, was an excellent subject.
Moegi Kazamatsuri was likely a descendant of the Senju Clan scattered throughout the village, which was a reasonable assumption. But why did Tsunade, a direct descendant of Hashirama Senju, not possess Wood Release, while it appeared in a branch family member like Moegi? Could Moegi's talent be stronger than Tsunade's? Did she have more Chakra? That was completely impossible! There had to be something unknown at play here.
Elixirs, Secret Techniques, some kind of Chakra fusion trick, or perhaps a special bloodline awakening method passed down from ancestors—these were the only possibilities Ino could think of.
She hid in the shadows, observing while Naruto was still bragging to the three kids of the Konohamaru Corps.
Shikaku had instructed them not to leak any information about Mizuki and to keep it a strict secret. Ino and the others had kept their mouths shut, and no one had spoken a word about it. Naruto, however, didn't take it seriously at all and was now vividly recounting Mizuki's conspiracy.
How Mizuki had tricked him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, and how he and Teacher Iruka had wisely uncovered Mizuki's plot.
In the entire story, there was no mention of Ino or the others.
Konohamaru, an eight-year-old boy in his rebellious phase, was all ears when he heard stories about students defeating their teachers. His eyes sparkled with excitement.
But when it came to the specifics of how Naruto had defeated Mizuki, the conversation took a turn for the worse. As Naruto enthusiastically explained to Konohamaru the importance of "being curvy," "being perky," and "using the Sexy Technique," Ino, who was hiding in the shadows, couldn't help but facepalm. Konohamaru was truly being corrupted by Naruto. No wonder he would later famously declare, "My ninja way is my girlfriend!" Konohamaru and his bespectacled sidekick, Ise Udon, were both thrilled by the mention of the Sexy Technique. Moegi Kazamatsuri, however, had had enough. "Big brother! I'm a girl! Do you not see me as a girl at all? Talking about these things in public, have you considered my feelings?"
In the ninja world, children mature early. At eight years old, Moegi had once harbored a bit of a crush on Konohamaru, especially since he was the one who wrote the essay "My Grandfather, the Village Chief." But now? Hmph! Since you guys are so into this, you can just live with your big brother Naruto!
"Idiots! Perverts!" Moegi didn't even spare "Big Brother Naruto." She slapped each of them across the face, leaving the three of them bewildered, and stormed off alone.
The little girl walked home with her head down, feeling more and more wronged. As she walked, she accidentally bumped into a young woman.
Half an hour later, Ino was tending to Moegi's wounds in her family's flower shop.
Moegi had scraped her hands when she fell, and Ino took the opportunity to examine them closely. The healing ability seemed quite ordinary, just like a normal person's. It was nowhere near the legendary recovery of the First Hokage, who could take seventeen or eighteen stab wounds, lie on the ground for two minutes, and then stand up as if nothing had happened.
Ino, who had managed to befriend someone sixteen years her senior, had no trouble connecting with an eight-year-old girl.
They chatted about the Ninja Academy, shared tips on bargaining while shopping, and Ino even performed a couple of tricks by controlling water with her Chakra. In Moegi's eyes, Ino quickly went from being "Senior Yamanaka" to "Big Sister Ino."
"Alright, try not to get it wet when you go back. It should heal soon," Ino said with a smile as she bandaged Moegi's hand.
"Thank you, big sister," Moegi said politely.
Ino poured her a cup of tea, and the two of them chatted and laughed, quickly becoming close.
"Big sister, you were the top of this year's graduation exam, right? That's amazing!" Moegi, who was also a student at the Ninja Academy but four grades below Ino, was in awe. While no one knew who came in second, the name of the top graduate was well-known among the students. Many teachers compared Ino to the previous year's top graduate, Neji Hyuga, and the students had naturally taken notice.
Curious, Moegi asked, "Big sister, who do you think is stronger, you or Senior Neji?"
"Haha," Ino laughed modestly, "We've never fought, so it's hard to say. I think... I probably wouldn't be a match for him. Senior Neji is a year older than me and a genius from the Hyuga clan. I'm just good at studying, that's all."
Moegi pouted, "I think my sister is really amazing. She has great poise and is so gentle. She's a role model for us female ninjas."
As she breathed in the refreshing floral scent of the flower shop and saw the gentle and beautiful older sister, Moegi was still quite excited. Wasn't this big sister much better than that Naruto guy, who always had nothing but breasts on his mind?