Sparks of Thought

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the document from his desk and read it carefully.

Mo Jingxian, once an abandoned son of the Uchiha clan, a fallen genius.

The document recorded his life in meticulous detail, even including evaluations from Jiraiya and Orochimaru at the end.

The investigation was handled by Root, and Danzo himself had handed it to him.

He hesitated for a moment; someone he hadn't paid much attention to suddenly jumped out.

Whether Uchiha Sen or Mo Jingxian, ninjas without ambition were ultimately of limited value.

But now, it was different.

Mo Jingxian had made a move at the funeral, and the power of that Ice Release was still fresh in the Hokage's memory.

Perhaps others didn't understand, but as a Doctor of Ninjutsu, the Hokage could see the value of this technique.

Instantaneous casting.

As everyone knew, the more powerful a ninjutsu, the more complex its internal logical structure.

The preparation time for a technique was determined by its structure.

In other words, the shorter the pre-attack time of a ninjutsu, the greater its value.

The so-called ninjutsu nature masters mostly just reduced a few hand seals through proficiency, and then they could be called masters.

After all, in battles between ninjas, one second was enough to determine life and death.

Even if you were just a little faster than the enemy, your chances of survival would greatly increase.

And Mo Jingxian's technique combined offense, control, and sealing. Its logical structure must be extremely complex, yet he could cast it instantaneously.

Especially before the technique was activated, there was no leakage of aura, and it even fooled everyone's senses present, including himself.

To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bit confused.

You must know that Mo Jingxian was only nine years old this year. He had only seen such talent in Orochimaru before.

No!

Perhaps Mo Jingxian could do even better, because he possessed a dojutsu different from the traditional Sharingan.

The specific functions of those eyes were not recorded and were unknown.

There was too little information currently. The only thing that could be confirmed was that it had a genjutsu enhancement function, as Yashiro personally tested.

Yashiro, as an elite ninja of the previous generation, was a sufficient touchstone.

In fact, it wasn't necessary to understand everything; even the tip of the iceberg that had been revealed was enough to attract everyone's attention.

Although Danzo lacked vision, his eyes still had their unique merits.

Those he targeted were all geniuses among geniuses, a fact that even Hiruzen Sarutobi had to admit.

He had just rejected Danzo's request to take the person.

Now, the Hokage was troubled, unsure of where to place Mo Jingxian.

Perhaps he could change his approach.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lit a pipe and inhaled, the pungent smoke circulating from his nasal cavity to his lungs.

After exhaling the smoke, his thoughts gradually took shape.

He flipped the document back to the comments section at the end.

[Jiraiya: No signs of Mo Jingxian becoming a destroyer have been found. Continue observation.]

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly. His disciple had been brainwashed by the toads and was now focused on finding the child of prophecy.

He continued reading.

[Orochimaru: Alienated from everything in the world, inherently rebellious.]

Orochimaru's comment was quite accurate; this was his impression of Mo Jingxian.

Before, he could have ignored it and let him fend for himself.

But now, as Hokage, he had the obligation to guide this genius boy with extreme ideology back onto the right path.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi instantly appeared before the desk, kneeling on one knee. "Your subordinate is here."

"Bring Mo Jingxian to see me."

"Yes!"

--

The entire bow was 1.5 meters long and made entirely of purple sandalwood, with a white shide at the end.

Chakra metal was added at key points, and it could achieve maximum destructive effect when used with chakra arrows.

This bow had a draw weight of 120 pounds, with a normal range within 150 meters and an extreme range of up to 300 meters.

The master of "Yitie Zhu" had provided two sets of bowstrings and five chakra arrows.

Mo Jingxian opened the bow case and took out the recurve bow; inside the box lay five chakra arrows shimmering with a faint, eerie light.

Beside them were two quivers of ordinary iron arrows, each containing 100, which was more than enough for Ayako Hyuuga to use in battle.

He handed the bow to the girl. "Give it a try."

"It's so heavy." Ayako's arm sank slightly as she took the bow. "Alright, I'll try."

The Byakugan activated.

The target 90 meters away looked no different than if it were right in front of her eyes.

"Hum!"

The bowstring snapped back rapidly, and the arrow shot out like a meteor, striking the bullseye in the blink of an eye.

"Your clan is practically born to be archers," Mo Jingxian remarked with a sigh, then suggested, "Let's see its maximum power."

Vacation time passed quickly, and five days flew by in the blink of an eye.

This morning, the two of them picked up their custom-made bow and arrows and immediately headed to a remote training ground to test them.

The results were excellent; the Hyuuga clan's Byakugan, when paired with ranged weaponry, allowed them to fully utilize their inherent advantages.

Ayako Hyuuga picked an arrow from the bow case and nocked it onto the string.

Chakra flowed from her palm into the weapon.

The bowstring began to tighten, requiring more strength with every inch she pulled back.

Gradually.

The arrowhead began to shimmer with the glow of chakra, a sign of energy overflow.

The longbow bent into a full moon, and Ayako's gaze locked onto a large tree outside the training ground.

The distance between them was estimated to be around two hundred meters.

Ayako released her grip.

"Boom!"

The bowstring vibrated, the sound echoing through the surrounding space.

The arrow, glowing with white light, carved a streak through the air, moving far beyond the resolution of an ordinary eye.

Then, a series of "thwack" sounds came from the distance, startling several crows from their perches.

"Let's go take a look."

Mo Jingxian took the lead, with Ayako following closely behind.

When the two arrived at the spot, they were stunned by the scene before them.

The chakra arrow had pierced through four trees thicker than a person, embedding itself deep into the fifth.

Cracks spread from the holes left in the trunks, and the internal structure of the trees had been severely damaged.

If this were to hit a person, it seemed there would be no need to inject chakra for control.

Mo Jingxian had miscalculated slightly.

It wasn't that there was a deviation, but rather that the effect was too good.

"Not bad." Mo Jingxian struggled to pull the arrow out. "The lethality is enough to threaten an Elite Jounin."

Ayako held the chakra arrow, feeling a pang of distress as she looked at the wear on the arrowhead; she estimated it could be used at most two more times.

Seeing her acting like a frugal housewife, Mo Jingxian was amused and teased:

"When I have money, we'll forge a pile of chakra arrowheads so you can shoot as many as you want."

"You're such a dork!"

His expression stiffened for a moment. "I say... could you stop copying the way I talk? It feels wrong; it's too jarring."

"What feels wrong?" Ayako raised an eyebrow and shot him a sidelong glance. "I think it's just fine."

"Fine, whatever makes you happy."

Mo Jingxian found a quiet spot to sit down and continued to nourish the elements he had newly converted today.

As things stood, he avoided using chakra whenever possible until all of it was converted into elements.

He tried his best to maintain a state of nourishment.

Ayako Hyuuga knew his situation and chose to quietly familiarize herself with her new weapon alone.

After practicing for two hours, Ayako leaned over to him and signaled, "There's a kid who has been watching you. Do you know him?"

Mo Jingxian looked over.

"I know him. He's the genius of the Uchiha clan, Shisui Uchiha."

"So that's Shisui. I heard he's only five years old this year."

Mo Jingxian nodded.

While they were speaking, Shisui walked toward the two of them.

"Senior Uchiha Sen." Shisui approached the two, polite and disciplined.

"Mo Jingxian." He pointed to the space beside him. "If you have something to say, sit down. No need to be so tense."

He had recovered his true self, and his personality was becoming increasingly similar to how it had been in his past life.

Once, he had only wanted to survive in this chaotic Ninja World by keeping his head down.

Of course, he still thought that way now, but beyond that, it would be even better if he could create a Peach Blossom Spring.

Surfing the web in his spare time, grabbing some skewers in the middle of the night—just thinking about it was wonderful.

Although it seemed like a bit of a luxury right now, what if it actually came true?

Shisui Uchiha was clearly stunned; Mo Jingxian seemed different from how the clan described him.

He hesitated for a moment before leaning over and sitting down beside them.

"Speak." Mo Jingxian looked at the little boy and smiled. "What do you need me for?"

"I don't understand." Shisui organized his thoughts. "Everyone in the clan says you are a traitor, but since you fought on the front lines to protect Konoha, I feel they are wrong."

Shisui looked up at Mo Jingxian. "Can you tell me, who is wrong?"

He sighed inwardly; another little kid with the Hokage mindset.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn't a child this age be pestering their parents for candy?

There was no helping it; this was just the Ninja World.

"Before I answer you..." Mo Jingxian winked at Shisui. "Let me ask you a question first."

"Mm, go ahead."

"Hypothetically: if the Five Great Shinobi Nations were all destroyed tomorrow, and you had the power to save one village, which one would you choose?"

Shisui did not hesitate, blurting out, "Konoha."

Only after saying it did he frown, feeling a pang of guilt.

Mo Jingxian smiled even more happily at Shisui's reaction; this was a kind-hearted child.

"Let me ask you again: if that person were a Sand ninja, who do you think he would choose to save?"

Shisui couldn't bring himself to answer; despite his reluctance, the answer was already obvious.

"So you see." Mo Jingxian patted little Shisui on the shoulder. "There is no right or wrong; it is merely a matter of standing in different positions and viewing problems from different angles. Don't you agree?"

Shisui's little head felt a bit itchy; too much information had been crammed in all at once.

He pondered for a while, and in the end, he still felt that what Mo Jingxian said made sense.

"Then, Brother Sen." Shisui's eyes were overflowing with a thirst for knowledge. "What must people do to understand each other so that war no longer happens?"

The change in address indicated Shisui's approval, but the child's question was clearly beyond his years.

Mo Jingxian thought for a moment and explained it in language he could understand:

"That question is too big and too empty.

How about this, let's start by discussing smaller aspects.

Take us two, for example—what do you think of me as a person?"

Shisui thought about it. "I think Brother Sen is a good person. You aren't like what the people in the clan say; they are wrong."

"It's not that they are wrong, it's their position, just as I said before." Mo Jingxian pointed to the woods nearby. "Look... there are big trees, flowers, and wild grass. Even though they don't belong to the same species, they can coexist harmoniously in the same world. Why can't people do the same?"

Ayako glanced at Mo Jingxian and then at Shisui, understanding his intention.

So, she chimed in, "Because people have thoughts—some are noble, some are malicious—and that is why there is strife."

Shisui's eyes lit up. "Then, Big Sister, how does one distinguish between good and evil thoughts?"

"Measure them by one standard: treat others as human, and treat yourself as human!"