The Long Road of Training

Naruto returned home, only to find that Hui still hadn't come back. He waited around bored for ages, then, hearing the door open, excitedly rushed over. Hui jumped at the sight of him, and the things she was carrying in her hand all shook. "Naruto?"

"Hui, you're finally back! You know what? I beat Rock Lee today!" Naruto jumped with excitement, looking at Hui with a face that practically begged for praise.

"Mm, Naruto did great!" Hui paused, then smiled at him. She looked just like a mother looking at her child. Naruto rolled his eyes in a huff and turned his attention to the things Hui had brought home.

"Weren't we running low on money? Why did you go and buy so much?" Naruto stared at Hui in surprise.

Hui raised an eyebrow at him. "Let's go inside first." As she spoke, she led Naruto into the house and set all kinds of snacks on the table. Seeing how eager he looked, she giggled to herself.

Once everything was ready, Naruto lunged forward and started devouring the food. "Naruto, I have something to tell you, so don't say I'm abandoning you again!" Hui sighed helplessly.

At that, Naruto's brow furrowed, his face full of displeasure. He stared at Hui as if he meant to see right through her.

Hui, on the other hand, felt like a child who'd done something wrong. She shrugged as if it didn't matter.

Hui put down her chopsticks and said solemnly, "I'm leaving the village tomorrow. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so don't get mad yet. My teacher came to see me and wants to take me away to train. There'll be more opportunities for practical experience outside the village. I..."

"Then go!" Naruto interrupted her. His voice was firm and held none of his usual resentment. Hui was taken aback, staring at Naruto in bewilderment. Seeing how considerate and mature he'd suddenly become left her at a loss.

"I know we train differently. My methods don't suit you, and yours don't suit me, so I'm not going to stop you from getting stronger."

"But I really am grateful you've been with me these past few months. I'll miss it, but I know you have things you want to do. I'm dumb, but you've never looked down on me. And, and..."

Naruto paused and scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. He looked at Hui again and gave her that warm, radiant smile. Even his silly expression was infectious, and Hui couldn't help smiling too.

"Hui has always cared about me so much. You didn't treat me like everyone else did. You became my friend, and I don't feel so lonely and helpless anymore. I'm really, really happy!!"

After hearing Naruto say all that, Hui felt an ache in her heart, though she was also deeply moved and warmed by his words. She felt for Naruto, and was touched by his kindness. Honestly, why was he always so sunny?

I feel lucky to have met you, too. You know, I'm grateful to everyone in Konoha, and even to Gaara, whom I've never met. I'm grateful I got to meet you all...

Hui waited by the gate for a while, but Orochimaru still hadn't arrived. When she turned around, she saw him looking at her with an inscrutable smile.

"Are you ready?" Orochimaru asked in his characteristic hoarse voice.

Hui wasn't surprised at all. She needed a Jonin teacher to accompany her if she was going to leave the village.

"Yes," Hui replied calmly.

"Heh. Then let's go." Orochimaru smiled faintly. Hui's gaze turned cold as she followed him.

Hui embarked on a grueling training journey with Orochimaru.

She followed Orochimaru for a long time, expecting to return to his base, but they ended up at the Sound Ninja Village instead. She'd had her suspicions, though. Did he still not trust her completely?

The only way to describe Orochimaru's training methods was simple and brutal. There were no unnecessary steps: they just fought. Hui Youling, who hadn't learned anything yet, could do little more than get beaten to a pulp.

Orochimaru gave her time to practice the Three Body Technique. She worked hard at it every day, and he also taught her how to throw Kunai. But he didn't teach her any other ninjutsu; she had to figure out everything else for herself.

Every day felt like an exam. Every day was a battle.

Hui noticed that Orochimaru hit harder with each passing day. If she failed to make even the slightest improvement, he left her with more than just scrapes and bruises.

Even when she was knocked to the ground, the next blow came right on schedule. The injuries on Hui's body grew more numerous: bruises from impacts, cuts from scraping against the ground.

Like a discarded doll, she was flung through the air by ninjutsu and slammed hard into the ground. A kick sent her flying, and she skidded across the earth. She desperately tried to block the attacks, but it was like an ant trying to stop a chariot.

But she was in so much pain. Her old life had been like living in a greenhouse. Now she saw herself covered in blood. Pain radiated through every limb, and the smell of her own blood surrounded her.

She was afraid. She even thought about running away. But the next second, a giant snake three times her height would appear before her, hissing as it watched her menacingly.

Zhan mocked her endlessly in her mind. "Go on, run. You can train in the village and still get stronger. This place is terrifying. You'll die here."

Be afraid. Be terrified. Let those feelings surround you, and you can give up. Hui Youling, hand your body over to me, too. Cowards only need to run away.

Hui stared at the giant snake in a daze. Her face grew damp as silent tears slid down her cheeks. The past rushed through her mind, but in the end, it all became an overwhelming sense of guilt.

She kept questioning herself, trying to understand why she was alive and what the point of living was.

This is what you owe others. You brought this on yourself. Didn't you want to atone for your sins? Have you forgotten when you nearly drowned? That feeling of weakness and loneliness—have you forgotten that, too?

If she weren't so weak, she could teach the people who bullied Naruto a lesson. She could go to Sunagakure. She could change so many things. That was what made her life meaningful.

When she returned, Orochimaru didn't seem to care at all. Hui looked at the man standing there, her eyes filled with determination. Becoming Orochimaru's student was the only way she could grow stronger quickly. She'd fought so hard to get this chance.

If she returned to the village, she'd be just an ordinary ninja. She might not even be able to take the Chunin Ninja Exams. Without strength, she'd need Naruto to rescue her, and Gaara wouldn't even care that she existed.

She was just a grain of sand in a sea of people, looking up to everyone as they grew stronger. Even standing among the crowd, nobody would notice her. She'd suffer and regret everything, unable to change a thing. All she could do was watch from the sidelines and be an extra.

That wasn't the meaning of her life. That wasn't the value of her existence.

Hui bowed deeply to Orochimaru and apologized solemnly. "I'm sorry. I won't run away again."

Orochimaru narrowed his serpentine eyes at her and smiled faintly without replying, though more and more schemes were taking shape in his mind.

Uzumaki Eiyuling. She really was full of promise.

But after that, Orochimaru showed her no mercy at all. He only spared her life.

There was a lot Hui couldn't remember. She was beaten until she lost consciousness, sometimes even forgetting where she was. That left her afraid, with the sense that she was a clown being watched by a crowd.

Orochimaru had kept her around because he found her interesting. Maybe one day he'd lose interest and crush her to death without a second thought.

That fear drove Hui to train even harder. She became more reckless, desperate to grow stronger, no matter how badly she was hurt.

Hui thought that might change something, but Orochimaru still beat her until her face was swollen and bruised. She made no progress at all. Before she could even reach him, he sent her flying with a vicious blow.

Nobody here would feel sorry for her, and nobody would come to help.

Even though her Kunai seemed more accurate and unpredictable, and her movements more fluid, she was still like a toddler—an infant in Orochimaru's eyes!

But she couldn't accept it. Why was she like this? What could she even do now? There was someone she wanted to meet, and people she wanted to protect.

She glared at Orochimaru in frustration. He stood there, high above her. Once again, she could only lie helplessly on the ground and look up at him.

Hui struggled to her feet. Blood trickled down from her forehead, crossing her filthy face and growing darker and thicker.

"Ah!!" Hui gripped her Shuriken and charged at him once more, forming Hand Seals at speed.

All I need is to land one hit. I just need to prove my hard work means something...