Seeing the Rain ninja, A-yi, in such a state, Asuna and Uchiha Mizuki felt a pang of pity. They were only guiding the Rain ninja under the guise of practice, not torturing him.
From a guidance perspective, Uchiha Ken's actions were a bit excessive, having reduced the man to such a condition.
"I couldn't help it. If I didn't do that, he would definitely get back up," Uchiha Ken glanced at A-yi, shook his head slightly, and said, "But it looks like he still doesn't intend to give up. I don't know what he's thinking; it's completely meaningless."
"That proves he has great perseverance! Even if he can't be a regular ninja, he should be able to achieve something elsewhere," Uchiha Mizuki said, "Isn't there a person named Might Guy at the academy? Although he has no talent in ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu, he has carved out a place for himself in the village relying solely on his perseverance."
"I've always thought that was just a consolation for him. Although there are positions in the village suitable for people of his strength, if something happens, he won't be able to protect himself," Uchiha Ken said expressionlessly.
"That's just your prejudice!" Uchiha Mizuki exclaimed.
"Prejudice? No, I've seen such examples with my own eyes," Uchiha Ken lowered his head slightly, a shadow seemingly cast over his face. "That person helped countless people in his daily life, but just one explosion took him from this world."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Mizuki was about to ask who that person was, but then she realized the true identity of the person Uchiha Ken was referring to. That person was Uchiha Ken's father, the kind gentleman who worked in the civilian police force, but who died during the joint Chunin Exams due to the machinations of the Jashin cult.
Thinking of this, her negative impression of Uchiha Ken changed. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as she imagined; it was just his father's death in his youth that gave him a new perspective on the world.
"That was just an accident," Uchiha Mizuki's voice unconsciously softened.
"Perhaps it was an accident, but it was also due to a lack of power. If he had sufficient strength, the outcome might not have been the same," Uchiha Ken's expression also dimmed slightly, perhaps because he had brought up his father.
He took a deep breath, turned, and walked away.
Uchiha Mizuki didn't stop him from leaving. Asuna, behind her, had been observing silently, not saying a word. In fact, she didn't know what to say either.
Asuna was not a person of many words to begin with. During her time at the academy, she was known as a cold beauty who didn't talk much. Previously, if she hadn't felt responsible for guiding Maruta, she wouldn't have said so much to him.
"Mizuki, are you alright?" Asuna asked, seeing her best friend's troubled expression.
"I'm fine, just a little emotional for a moment," Uchiha Mizuki exhaled, smiled at Asuna, and then looked at the bewildered Maruta, who seemed like an outsider, and said, "Don't mind what that guy says. Just like Asuna's father said, everyone can find their place in society. What's important is the realization of one's own value. I deeply respect those medical ninjas who are physically weak."
As she spoke, she patted Asuna's shoulder and said, "You know, her father is the Hokage of our village, so what he says must be reasonable."
"Your... your father is the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village? Then aren't you..." Maruta hadn't realized that the girl he was training with was actually the Hokage's daughter, and he was momentarily dumbfounded.
"There's nothing worth mentioning," Asuna, not one to boast about her father, looked a bit uncomfortable and said, "Anyway, just try to improve based on the issues we discussed earlier."
It took Maruta a while to recover from his shock. The way he looked at Asuna also became reverent. She was the Hokage's daughter, no wonder she possessed such strength. And since the Hokage himself had said so, perhaps he really could have other paths.
If it were just Asuna alone, Maruta wouldn't have believed it so easily. However, after Uchiha Mizuki brought up Asuna's father's name, out of respect for the strong, Maruta subconsciously believed that even someone as incompetent as himself might have his own value.
With this thought, Maruta felt a surge of energy and prepared to strive. He began to recall the issues Asuna had pointed out earlier, mentally calculating how to improve.
Seeing this, Asuna felt a little relieved. Just then, someone nudged her arm. She turned her head and saw Uchiha Mizuki blinking, saying, "How's that? Isn't it faster to put it that way? No need to waste so many words."
"Amazing, Mizuki. I could never say something like that," Asuna hadn't expected that all her extensive explanations were less effective than Uchiha Mizuki's simple sentence, and she felt a bit dejected.
To avoid disturbing Maruta, Uchiha Mizuki and Asuna walked a little further away. Hearing this, Uchiha Mizuki chuckled softly and said, "That's also thanks to those words, otherwise, what good would it do just to mention your father's name?"
"If Father's name were really that useful, it would be great, but it seems it's only useful in special circumstances," Asuna said.
"That's right. If it were that easy, the Medical Department wouldn't need to struggle with the field of psychotherapy. I hear your father often goes to the Medical Department to inquire about the progress of this field," Uchiha Mizuki said.
"Anyway, I have to thank you for helping him overcome his distress," Asuna said.
"There's nothing to thank me for. Seeing him like this just reminds me of those people at the academy," Although Uchiha Mizuki came from a prestigious family, the proud Uchiha clan, her father, Uchiha Kagami, was a gentle man.
He often took her to the Masaki family's home to play, so she hadn't developed an arrogant personality.
As she had said before, she deeply respected those ninjas who, though lacking in pure power, possessed strong medical and research capabilities. The strength of these individuals lay not in destructive power, but in promoting the village's strength in other aspects. She believed their value was no less than that of regular ninjas.
"I understand, Asuna-san. Let's try again," At this moment, Maruta's joyful voice rang out.
"Alright, go ahead. I also need to check on my situation," Uchiha Mizuki pointed in a direction where her assigned Rain ninja was. So, she parted ways with Asuna and walked in her own direction.
"Good work. Please give it your all," Asuna picked up the ninja blade she had placed on the ground, its tip pointing downwards, and stared at Maruta, saying.
Asuna's expression was cold, devoid of warmth, which had always intimidated Maruta, possibly leading to his numerous mistakes. But now, Maruta suppressed his fear and looked at Asuna seriously, saying, "Please guide me."
With that, Maruta threw a large number of shuriken. Using the shuriken as cover, his body moved, demonstrating the tactics he had planned in his mind one by one.
From this moment on, Maruta's performance gradually improved. Although there were no drastic changes, his complete immersion in the fight made every one of his movements exhibit astonishing vitality and spirit.
Asuna was naturally pleased by this. Her counterattacks were equally serious, dissecting the opponent's tactics one by one. On the surface, Maruta appeared to be defeated even more miserably than before.
However, for the two combatants, the experience was completely different. Maruta could feel his own progress, and his mood was not disheartened by the defeat.
Until the end of the day's practice, Maruta, whose stamina was almost exhausted, sat on the ground, panting heavily. He glanced at Asuna, who was still standing. Apart from a little sweat, her complexion looked good. He was surprised, wondering how this seemingly frail girl had so much stamina.
He, of course, didn't know that Asuna's seemingly delicate body was due to the Masaki family's bloodline. Masaki clan members generally had slender physiques; among his peers, Fumori Masaki was the thinnest.
And her abundant stamina came from the Senju clan's bloodline. Asuna's body was highly active, giving her powerful explosive capabilities.
Asuna took out a handkerchief, wiped her sweat, and said to Maruta, who was sitting on the ground, "You've already made progress. Keep it up, and you'll definitely become stronger in the future."
"Thank you for the compliment," Maruta smiled, feeling somewhat satisfied.
After the training, everyone returned to their rooms. As foreign guests, the Leaf ninjas were treated to meals delivered to their doors by the village, consisting of the village's finest cuisine.
While everyone rested, the results of this training session were recorded as data and sent to Hanzo's desk.
Hanzo picked up the document and read it carefully, which included the matters concerning Asuna and Maruta, and Uchiha Ken and A-yi. As the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, he was naturally very concerned about the situation of young ninjas, even if these young ninjas were not outstanding individuals from his village.
The discussions of Asuna and the others were also written in the report. They had no intention of concealing anything. Hanzo reviewed both sides' remarks from beginning to end.
First, he agreed with Uchiha Ken's sentiment that as an excellent ninja, one must naturally focus on one's own strength. However, Asuna's remarks also seemed to have a unique perspective, because the Hidden Rain Village was not a particularly strong village, and geniuses were almost nonexistent.
Hanzo was a miracle of the Land of Rain. A miracle is a miracle precisely because it cannot be replicated. In his youth, for experimental purposes, he was implanted with a salamander's gallbladder by the villagers. Most people died from this, and only he survived, thus earning the qualification to become a ninja.
After entering the Hidden Rain Village, Hanzo began to learn ninja techniques. To avoid being eliminated in the brutal training, he worked tirelessly, only seeking to enhance his strength.
When going on missions, he also learned. Duels with ninjas from other countries were also a form of learning. It was precisely because of this that his strength reached such a formidable level.
Hanzo had never fought against the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but he could feel that he wouldn't be inferior to any Kage. This was because, during the last Shinobi World War, when he dueled a jonin from the Hidden Sand Village, he could clearly feel that the opponent's strength was nothing special.
The jonin rank is the pinnacle of a village. In the Five Great Shinobi Villages, anyone who obtains jonin qualification can participate in important village discussions, and when necessary, they have the right to nominate, recommend, and confirm the qualifications of Kage candidates.
Only those who can reach this level can be called true jonin.
Therefore, even in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the number of jonin is extremely small. The so-called jonin in the Hidden Rain Village might not even be evaluated as jonin in the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
But at least, Hanzo's strength had already surpassed that of the jonin of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and he considered himself not far from a Kage.
However, there was only one person as powerful as Hanzo in the entire Hidden Rain Village. The rest were incompetent, and the so-called jonin were only at the chunin level of other ninja villages.
This made Hanzo feel very uneasy. It was precisely because he wanted to improve their strength that he engaged in the exchange student program with the Hidden Leaf Village.
Now, he vaguely had an epiphany. Perhaps he couldn't instantly raise the aptitude of the Hidden Rain Village's ninjas to the level of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but he could reform the education system to fully develop the ninjas' aptitudes and place them in suitable positions.
This was another way to increase the strength of the ninja village.
According to Fumori Masaki's daughter, this seemed to be an educational method called specialized learning. Hanzo nodded slightly, thinking he should try to implement it in the Hidden Rain Village in the future.
While Hanzo was contemplating how to reform the Hidden Rain Village's educational policy, Asuna and Uchiha Mizuki, having finished showering, ate dinner and chatted, mainly about the exchange student program.
As they talked, Uchiha Mizuki couldn't help but bring up Uchiha Ken.
"Actually, I'm quite worried about him," Uchiha Mizuki swallowed her food and said, "He's not as bad as he seems, but if he's left unchecked, he might really go astray in the future."
"Why do you say that?" Asuna asked curiously.
"My father once said that our clan excels in warfare and is willing to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. Behind this warlike tradition is the clan's pursuit of power, and this pursuit is reflected in the power of the Sharingan."
Uchiha Mizuki placed her finished meal on a nearby table, leaned back, her black hair spread out, and stared at the ceiling.
"Although I am my father's daughter, my peers in the clan who have awakened the Sharingan secretly mock me, believing that I haven't even awakened the Sharingan yet and am truly disgracing my father's name," Uchiha Mizuki said.
"Those words are too much," Asuna said, a little indignant.
"There's nothing to be done, that's just the clan's tradition. Even Father can't overturn it all at once. Even though the police force and the villagers get along relatively well now, Father hasn't relaxed. He always keeps an eye on the clan's situation."
When Uchiha Mizuki was young, she couldn't understand why her father, despite not having as many responsibilities as the Hokage, was always busier than the Hokage. Now, however, she could understand.
"According to Father, the clan must reverse this pursuit of power, otherwise, the clan's future is very likely to repeat past tragedies," Uchiha Mizuki said.
"Past tragedies?"
"I don't know much, but according to clan records, it seems that those Uchiha clan members who pursued power would eventually walk a path of lifelong solitude. For them, emotions were a burden, something that had to be discarded."
Uchiha Mizuki frowned slightly. "Just like the past clan head, Uchiha Madara. Regarding this, and regarding those people in the clan, I also have some feelings, so I don't have much affection for them.
However, Uchiha Ken is different. He looks exactly like those people, but now it seems there is still a warm place in his heart. That's why I'm more worried about whether he will walk that path in the future."