Such a Shame

Before long, a week had passed, and the Uchiha clan's special training had yielded significant results.

First, both Rin and Shinichi had completed their water-walking training and could wobble their way across the Naka River. This was a respectable achievement. The Naka River was broad and swift, and once they could walk across it, they could run freely over calm water.

The improvement in chakra control had greatly enhanced both of their abilities across the board.

Rin in particular, after Uchiha Yu's reminder, tried using three basic medical ninjutsu: Hemostasis Technique, Healing Technique, and Wound Disinfection Technique. To her delight, she found that she could now use them with ease, without the previous feeling of losing control.

She even tried the Mystical Palm Technique and somehow managed to use it, albeit clumsily. Rin jumped and cheered in delight.

"Keep strengthening your chakra control. You'll soon be able to master the Mystical Palm Technique."

Hearing Uchiha Yu's encouragement, Rin happily replied, "I'll work hard!"

Uchiha Yu calmly reminded her, "Mastering the Mystical Palm Technique means your abilities will go beyond battlefield first aid. It places high demands on your medical knowledge."

"Rin, how is your progress in your medical studies?"

"Sorry, in that area..."

"You must understand that the Mystical Palm Technique reaches beyond the skin and muscles, deep into the internal organs, nerves, and chakra pathways. The slightest mistake could turn treatment into an accident that leaves someone disabled."

Rin's eyes were filled with determination as she declared loudly, "I'll study hard."

"My suggestion is that you don't try to teach yourself blindly, and there's no need to rush. Once you've mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, just go to the hospital and demonstrate it to any medical ninja over thirty. Someone will naturally arrange a teacher and courses for you."

"I understand. Thank you for your advice."

Uchiha Yu looked at the team's third member, the invisible Shinichi, and felt somewhat troubled.

Rin was an ordinary civilian ninja, but she had chosen an excellent path.

With Tsunade's vigorous support, Konoha's medical ninja system was the most advanced among the Five Great Nations. Its medical strength was several times greater than that of the other four nations combined, and it had proven its value brilliantly during the war.

Konoha had a great need for such technical ninja, so it was extremely generous. Any child willing to become a medical ninja could learn all the basic medical ninjutsu in advance and choose one advanced ninjutsu.

By comparison, there was hardly anything to look at in a purely combat-oriented civilian ninja like Shinichi. He only knew six E-rank basic ninjutsu. Against ordinary people or traditional samurai, a ninja like him still held an overwhelming advantage, but among ninja, he could barely beat anyone.

Uchiha Yu could skirt the rules and train him under the pretext of training Uchiha Obito, but he absolutely could not teach him any ninjutsu.

This was a matter of principle for Konoha, one acknowledged by both the ninja clans and the Hokage's central authority. The consequences of violating it would be extremely severe.

Unlike the First Hokage and Second Hokage, the Third Hokage was less forceful in every respect. To consolidate his power, he formed the Hokage Faction. It was a powerful interest group built around small and medium-sized ninja clans, with civilian ninja as its foundation. By controlling the source of ninjutsu, they attracted and controlled civilian ninja.

Breaking those restrictions and spreading ninjutsu knowledge would mean shaking the foundations of the Hokage's rule. They would never stand by and watch.

If a ninja clan spread ninjutsu knowledge, the Hokage would suppress it as a political enemy. If it was an individual, the Hokage would very likely tear off all pretenses and strike in the dark, just as he had dealt with Hatake Sakumo.

The ninja clans were equally unwilling to see ninjutsu spread. There were simply too many civilians, so proportionally, more geniuses would emerge among them. Given enough time, the ninja clans' advantage would collapse, and they might even be eliminated.

Uchiha Yu found this difficult to understand. If the era of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had never appeared, then every clan could treasure its own secrets, guard its family's ninjutsu and secret techniques, and preserve its military advantage. There would have been no problem with that.

But the Ninja World had already been shattered and rebuilt by those two titans, especially after the Senju Clan sacrificed itself, spread its bloodline, and popularized ninjutsu knowledge.

The social environment had already changed. How could they still cling to the old ways?

Look at the Sarutobi Clan of the Hokage. They were perfectly willing to teach ninjutsu to outsiders. As long as someone learned well enough, they could change their surname and join the Sarutobi Clan. That was the proper path.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had only been Hokage for fifteen years, yet the Sarutobi Clan's population had tripled. Naturally, that expansion relied on people changing their surnames and joining the clan. Moreover, those Sarutobi who changed their surnames were all talented. Even if they were not jonin or special jonin, they were specialists skilled in Sealing Jutsu or medical techniques. At worst, they were business talents capable of running enterprises and increasing the clan's income.

With talented people joining in an endless stream, the Sarutobi Clan could naturally expand rapidly while remaining extremely stable. As long as the Hokage remained in office and sufficient benefits were guaranteed, there would be no problem with cohesion.

Besides, those people had nowhere else to go.

Other than the Sarutobi Clan, no ninja clan operated like this. It was not because Hiruzen Sarutobi was particularly remarkable, but because his peers were such a dismal contrast that talented people could only pour into the Sarutobi Clan.

If Uchiha Yu could become the Uchiha clan head, he would follow the same prescription. He would even actively spread the clan's bloodline, learn from the Senju Clan, and have all clan members change their surnames through marriage, completely blending into Konoha's civilian population.

Then there would be no Uchiha openly inheriting the bloodline. Whoever awakened the Sharingan could change their surname back to Uchiha and form the Uchiha clan.

By then, anyone who wanted to destroy the Uchiha clan would have to kill at least half of Konoha's population. Who would dare commit such a clan massacre?

Of course, doing that would be extremely difficult.

First, that clan head would have to slaughter his way through the Uchiha clan and kill every Uchiha who clung to tradition. Then he would have to lead the Sharingan-wielding Uchiha who hated him, enduring suppression from the Hokage Faction for twenty years—an entire two generations.

Only when two consecutive generations of Uchiha rose from among the civilians, gathered into a new Uchiha clan, and completely merged with Konoha would that clan head's work truly be complete.

In the end, he could only retreat into obscurity beneath a mountain of infamy. He might even be judged by both Konoha and the Uchiha clan, just like Luo Ji, who had borne the sword for two hundred years.

What a shame.

The Uchiha clan was a shame. Uchiha Yu was not the clan head, and he had even less desire to sacrifice himself for the Uchiha clan.

Shinichi before him was also a shame. He clearly possessed better talent than Rin, yet he could not receive suitable training. He was destined to die in the Third Shinobi World War.

Uchiha Yu could only smile and say, "You're doing very well. The training has been effective. Next, you need to work hard to complete missions. Be sure to accumulate merits and exchange them for suitable ninjutsu. Keep it up."

Shinichi lowered his head in a bow. "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Yu."

Uchiha Obito, carrying one hundred kilograms of weight, was displeased. As he did squats, he began shouting.

"Yu! What about me? Is my special training really just physical conditioning?"

"This is my special training!"