With Ming Jing's return, the canal project got back on track. Everything seemed to be as it had been before, but Asuma still sensed a difference. Watching Ming Jing at work, he noticed that after this incident, the boy had become much more serious about his duties. In the past, Ming Jing would simply laugh off a clerk's minor mistakes. But today, Asuma saw Ming Jing scold a clerk until he cried.
During the noon break, Asuma looked at Ming Jing after finishing his meal and asked, "Why did you suddenly become so strict?"
Ming Jing gently set down his bowl and chopsticks. With a somewhat sorrowful sigh, he said, "Because someone hoped I would accomplish something. So I can't make mistakes anymore, nor can I allow those beneath me to make them."
Asuma could not help but think of that cool and distant girl. He sighed as well and said, "That's what a ninja's life is like. You never know when you might lose your comrades. So perhaps carrying on their will and continuing to work hard is the only thing we can do..."
Uh... Ming Jing stared blankly at Asuma, who had sunk into his memories. It felt like he had misunderstood something! Forget it, better not explain!
That evening, after finishing the day's work, Ming Jing finally had time to write to Uchiha Itachi. He spread out a sheet of white paper, steadied his mind, and wrote:
Itachi, my dearest friend! I have become the prime minister of a nation, overseeing the Daimyo and assisting in countless affairs. Yet you, my dearest friend, are still living such a leisurely life in Konoha.
How enviable!
Recently, I have been studying Genjutsu and discovered some interesting phenomena. After much thought, I realized that only you in this world could