Two Sides

Hozuki Mangetsu did not show the slightest hint of annoyance after receiving such an attack. Instead, he spoke in a tone that Kanna found extremely grating: "As expected of my target! Truly impressive! It seems the rumors about you outside are all false. With the strength you've shown just now, that guy Zabuza wouldn't stand a chance against you!"

To Kanna, this way of speaking sounded like: You actually managed to hurt me? Remarkable!

It was not that Kanna was being pretentious; in truth, he felt that in the entire Naruto world, there were only two or three people qualified to say such things. Otsutsuki Kaguya was one, Madara Uchiha was another, Sasuke Uchiha after the Fourth Shinobi World War counted as one, and Six Paths Obito counted as half. As for the Sage of Six Paths, Hashirama, and Naruto, they would never say such things.

To use oneself as the standard for judging another's strength—what a level of arrogant self-confidence that contained!

But Kanna was not a child after all; he possessed the mindset of an adult and understood that this phenomenon of looking down on others, which existed pervasively in Kirigakure, had to do with their education system. Every ninja here was truly forged through slaughter; it would be a miracle if they could communicate normally.

In other words, Kanna's assessment of Kirigakure was that the people here were all lunatics, a group of egoists.

Those who had never truly stayed in such a village could not understand Kanna's current mood. As the saying went, "killing someone is just a nod to the ground," but in Kirigakure, it translated to: I'm hitting you because I think highly of you; ordinary people aren't even qualified to cross blades with me, or perhaps, You can actually fight me? I'll acknowledge your strength then.

Waving his hand, Kanna couldn't be bothered to say more to Hozuki Mangetsu and signaled for him to get lost.

The matter concluded quickly. Because of the unprovoked fighting and being repeat offenders, Kanna was sentenced to three days in solitary confinement. Although Hozuki Mangetsu had provoked him first, Kanna had struck the first blow, so his labor correction period was extended by two months, and Ringo Ameyuri's by one month.

Regarding this, Kanna was happy to have some peace and quiet. The people sent by the Hayashinaka Clan would arrive soon, and given Ringo Ameyuri's personality, she would likely be here within a couple of days as well.

Before entering the solitary confinement cell, Kanna had a heart-to-heart talk with the director, Gotō Shinnosuke.

"Actually, I support the Third Mizukage and your father," Shinnosuke said, rubbing his temples wearily. "In other words, I am on your side. But on the other hand, I am also a ninja of Kirigakure, drawing a salary from the village, and I need to be responsible for my work. Therefore, I cannot help you in this matter; I can only choose to remain neutral."

Kanna felt a slight warmth in his heart and said, "That is enough. I think Father and the others will feel a bit more at ease knowing they have your support."

"However, in most cases, change is always difficult," Shinnosuke sighed. "The only help I can provide you is the so-called 'punishment' you are receiving now. The solitary confinement area is supervised by my subordinates, and no unauthorized persons are allowed to enter, so you don't need to worry about attacks from those people. Furthermore, if you need anything, just tell my subordinate; he will report it to me. As long as it isn't an unreasonable request, I will satisfy it."

"To be honest, I also think those clans are going a bit too far. But if you stand from their perspective, the Third Mizukage's policies also have their flaws. After all, the existing system has continued for so many years, which to some extent proves its correctness. Before the new policies are accepted, we cannot determine who is right and who is wrong. This is also why most people do not intervene, and dare not intervene."

"Regarding this, Kanna, you must understand and have your own thoughts. Do not blindly approve or oppose one side just because of your father. The situation of you being brought into the Juvenile Correction Center was agreed upon by your father. Under normal procedures, matters involving the families of the Mizukage's aides cannot be resolved in a day or two. I think you should understand now, right? Your father does not want you to be caught up in the infighting of the higher-ups; he hopes you will have your own thoughts and make your own choices."

Kanna fell silent. Before this, he had indeed, as Shinnosuke said, not thought too much about it. After all, that was his father, and in his view, the clans represented a minority while the village represented the majority. Plus, those clans had attacked him, so he had struck back at the Security Force without hesitation.

Looking at things from two or even multiple sides—Kanna certainly understood this phrase, but doing it was incredibly difficult.

The Third Mizukage had almost no historical records, so Kanna did not know what kind of person he really was. He could become a beloved leader after the reforms succeeded, or he could turn into a dictator pushing for autocracy; no one knew.

This was a conflict of ideologies: reform or tradition? Every era, every country, and every village had its own difficulties. One could not simply choose a side based on external appearances or personal preferences.

If Kanna were the First Hokage Hashirama, he could say that maintaining the village and protecting it was correct, and even if the village had flaws, all that needed to be done was to guide and correct it, not overthrow it.

If Kanna were Madara Uchiha, he could say that since the old ways had been proven wrong, there was no need to maintain them; breaking the old order and creating a new world was the correct path.

If Kanna were the Sage of Six Paths, he could also say that all things had their own meaning for existing, and the world was in a cycle, so there was no need to dwell on momentary conflicts; let things take their course, and time would correct everything.

But Kanna was none of them. Currently, he was unknown, just a pawn in the ninja world, so he had neither the ability nor the qualification to intervene.

"Perhaps," Kanna said wistfully. "Maybe everything you say is right. But some things aren't just about understanding them to make the right choice. There are so many bonds in this world; how could it be so easy to cut them clean? Forget it, let's not talk about this. Director Shinnosuke, do you know why those clans chose me and Ameyuri to attack the Third and his people?"

"As for that..." Shinnosuke paused and replied, "This situation involves another matter. Some time ago, the Third Mizukage reassigned many people's duties, streamlined the functions of some departments, and forcibly stripped the clans of their power. Therefore, those clans decided to retaliate. They wanted to indefinitely extend your and Ringo Ameyuri's labor correction period by actively attacking you or provoking you into breaking the rules. You must know that your age is the period when a ninja's abilities grow the fastest. If you are kept here and cannot receive sufficient training, you will fall far behind your peers and find it very difficult to catch up later."

Teenagers in this world were generally precocious; eleven or twelve was the period when their minds matured. During this time, they began to construct their own values and worldviews, and because of their rich imagination and strong adaptability, their progress in the way of the ninja was very fast—it was a prime time for improvement.

Having understood the clans' goal, Kanna wasn't too worried about this point. His path ahead was bright, and such setbacks could not hinder him. However, that girl Ringo Ameyuri—if she were delayed for a year or two, it might have a huge impact on her future development.

It could be that her mastery of ninjutsu would stagnate or even plummet, or she might lose her former pride and competitive spirit due to day-after-day of suppression. For a ninja, these were fatal.

Kakashi had become listless during his youth due to the deaths of Obito and Rin, and his rate of progress had slowed down by more than half! This situation only changed gradually after he left the Anbu under the Third Hokage's orders to become a Jōnin sensei, which showed how strong the influence of environment and experience was on a person.

Seeing that Kanna's expression was a bit off, Shinnosuke comforted him: "But there is no need to worry too much. I have already said that as the director of the Juvenile Correction Center, I can provide you with the maximum amount of help here. Moreover, I have accepted your parents' request and can teach you some things."

"Teach us what?" Kanna asked, stunned.

Shinnosuke smiled slightly and uttered four words.

"My way of the ninja."