The So-Called Way of the Ninja

Walking through the streets of Kirigakure, Kanna looked around with a hint of curiosity.

The Land of Water was established on a massive island comparable to a continent amidst the vast ocean. Thus, compared to the flat, prosperous, and thriving Konohagakure, the environment of Kirigakure was far harsher. It was filled with high mountains and hills, where barrel-shaped buildings were nestled, connected by bridges to facilitate travel. Man-made vegetation covered the walls of the grey-brown structures, finally adding a touch of life to the village.

At this moment, the Kanna family was walking across one such bridge, roughly thirty or forty meters above the ground. Kanna merely glanced down at the earth below before feeling a wave of dizziness, quickly averting his gaze.

Kanna's reaction to the height was caught by Kanna Tokiomi, who frowned, let out a cold, displeased snort, and quickened his pace.

As the descendant of two high-level ninjas, someone destined to fight as a "ninja" in the future, how could he be afraid of heights? Seeing Kanna like this, Kanna Tokiomi felt a surge of annoyance, wondering why his son was so disappointing—it was a complete loss of face for him.

Who was Kanna Tokiomi? An aide to the Mizukage, the second or third most important figure in the village. By that logic, Kanna's status was only slightly lower than that of the future protagonist, Uzumaki Naruto. His parents were the elite of the elite, yet judging by his current performance, Kanna seemed to have inherited none of his parents' strengths, appearing instead more cowardly than most of his peers.

Kanna Morishita Mai sighed, silently took Kanna's hand, and followed behind her husband without a word.

Along the way, ninjas who recognized Kanna Tokiomi would bow slightly from a distance to show respect upon seeing his grim expression, while Morishita Mai would respond with a smile, finally preventing outsiders from seeing the Mizukage's aide make a fool of himself.

The journey continued in silence until the three of them returned home. Opening the door and stepping into the entryway, the first thing Kanna noticed was a painting hanging directly above.

A burly samurai stood against the wind, his long hair fluttering. His right hand gripped a gleaming sharp sword with a yellow tassel on the hilt, while his left hand held the scabbard. With furrowed brows and glaring eyes, he was captured in a lunging downward strike, as if he intended to cut down anyone who entered the foyer.

It was a strange painting. Usually, entryways displayed works that welcomed guests; what was the meaning of a painting that "slashed" at visitors?

Kanna secretly committed it to memory. To him, everything in this world was incredibly novel and piqued his interest. This painting clearly held an unusual significance, even if he couldn't discern it yet.

After changing his shoes in the entryway, Kanna officially stepped into his "home." It was a tatami-style room, and behind the sliding door was a piece of calligraphy inscribed with the eight characters: "Neither coming nor going, neither death nor life." On the east wall of the main hall, another scroll was hung: "Only in the Center."

If the previous "Kanna" could not understand the meaning of these words at all, the current Kanna could at least barely interpret their literal sense.

The phrase "Neither coming nor going, neither death nor life" had to be connected to "Only in the Center." Its meaning could be explained in four words: Uphold your original heart!

This was a concept belonging to Buddhism—that all things in the world are empty, with no birth, death, or change. By realizing this, one could attain all laws, losing nothing, neither coming nor going, neither death nor life; only the "Center" remains, only "I" remain.

Although it wasn't easy to understand, Kanna could sense that the burden on his "cheap father" was clearly not light; otherwise, he wouldn't have posted these two scrolls as maxims to constantly warn himself.

Looking at it from another angle, Kanna Tokiomi's "cultivation" clearly hadn't reached the peak; otherwise, he wouldn't be troubled by external things, let alone be angered by his son's performance in the graduation exam.

Upholding one's original heart is easy to say but incredibly difficult to do. For a ninja, this manifests as adhering to one's own Ninja Way, never sinking due to any setback. Like Madara Uchiha, who was invincible for the first half of his life with his influence spreading across the entire ninja world, only to realize his mistakes at the very last moment of his life, filled with regret. Then there was Uchiha Obito, whose Ninja Way nearly collapsed after a few words from Naruto. These were classic examples of losing one's original heart.

Even if one turns back from the bitter sea, that is still "change"! That is still "loss"! Someone who truly upholds their original heart should be persistent, perhaps even pathologically convinced that they are right, constantly restraining themselves with their "original heart" and remaining unmoved by external factors. In cruder terms: even if facts prove I am wrong, it is merely an illusion, because it is not I who is wrong, but the world.

Truly, one cannot become a Buddha without becoming a demon, Kanna thought silently. I heard the progenitor of this world, the Sage of Six Paths, was also born a monk. I wonder what his "original heart" was? To govern the order of the world and forever ensure the peace of this land?

The Sage of Six Paths' mother, Otsutsuki Kaguya, once attempted to create a dream world, rounding up all of humanity and ushering them into the most beautiful dreams, which, in Madara's words, would "ensure there is no more vanity or sin in the world." From a certain perspective, that didn't seem so bad, did it?

And the Sage of Six Paths protected humanity, putting righteousness before family, fighting his own mother, and ultimately sealing her away, shattering her delusion of destroying the old world—that seemed even less wrong, didn't it?

So, who was wrong?

Neither was wrong; the world was what was wrong.

Two scrolls, twelve characters, triggered a long period of deep thought in Kanna, to the point where he was somewhat absent-minded at the dinner table.

A ninja is not just someone who knows how to fight; one must find their own Ninja Way, know what they are pursuing and what they are defending, and know what is right and wrong for them. If one doesn't understand these things, even if they achieve the level of the Six Paths, they will eventually end up like Obito.

What should I do? Why do I exist? Kanna pondered these questions repeatedly, mechanically picking up food to eat. This appearance only made him seem more dull and spiritless in the eyes of Kanna Tokiomi.

"Hmph." Kanna Tokiomi let out a long sigh, put down his bowl, and stared intensely at Kanna.

Stared at by his father, Kanna immediately felt uncomfortable and was startled out of his deep thoughts, blankly meeting his gaze.

"Finished eating?" Kanna Tokiomi said coldly, his face taut. "Then come to my room."

"You two should talk more," Morishita Mai said, opening her mouth, but since her husband was the master of the house, she could only add, "Kanna, listen well to your father."

"I know." Kanna had no objections and followed his father obediently into his room.

There were no other decorations in Kanna Tokiomi's room, save for a single scroll that Kanna had expected: a single character, "Spirit."

This "Spirit" was not the "spirit" of a divine being, nor the "spirit" of a Taoist deity, but the "spirit" of the center (the "Center" from "Only in the Center," meaning the human heart), the "spirit" of one's original heart, the "spirit" of essence and energy—it could be understood as willpower, the Ninja Way, and so on.

Hanging calligraphy in one's room was a habit for many ninjas. Some hung "Zen," others hung "Ninja," and words with deep meanings like "Way," "Heart," or "Self" were all favored by ninjas. It was not at all strange for Kanna Tokiomi to hang the character "Spirit."

Kanna Tokiomi's room was also tatami-style. As soon as they entered, Tokiomi sat cross-legged under the "Spirit" character, nodded slightly, and said, "Sit."

From the memories in his mind, Kanna knew his family's discipline was very strict, so upon hearing his father's command, he did not hesitate. He sat down openly, mimicking Tokiomi's posture, and without avoiding his gaze, looked straight at him.

Tokiomi nodded inwardly; the ninja-like composure his son displayed, which was different from the past, gave him some comfort.

"Tell me, what exactly happened three months ago? I heard that Momochi Zabuza slaughtered everyone except you. You are the only survivor and the only witness to the incident. Tell me clearly about the situation at that time."