Shui Wuyue's Explanation

In a quiet room, a child of about six years old sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, a cup of water placed before him.

This child was Yuki Qi, the focal point of a series of frictions between the Yuki Clan and the Kaguya Clan over the past six years.

The Yuki Clan claimed that the Kaguya Clan was keeping Yuki Qi under house arrest, but everyone knew that was nonsense.

The Yuki Clan was exceptionally united due to the unique inheritance pattern of their bloodline; even ordinary clansmen were protective of their own, let alone a child who had genuinely awakened the Yuki Clan's bloodline.

"Let me see your progress for this month."

Kneeling opposite Qi was a woman, her expression blank as she watched him.

Ever since Qi had accidentally awakened his bloodline at the age of four, this woman had been appointed by the clan as his master.

She did not teach Qi any ninjutsu, taijutsu, or even the use of ninja tools; what she taught was solely the control of his ability and the development of his body's flexibility.

Unlike other bloodline clans, the power of the Yuki Clan depended entirely on the level of their ability; they used their bloodline to enhance their combat effectiveness rather than using auxiliary skills to strengthen the bloodline.

In the woman's words, the Yuki Clan's bloodline—Ice Release—was like the Wood Release of the First Hokage of Konoha; it was a powerful kekkei genkai with special abilities that outsiders could only mimic superficially, capturing the form but never the essence.

It was said that once the Yuki Clan's bloodline reached a high stage, their mastery of Water Release could even surpass that of the Second Hokage of Konoha from back in the day—though, of course, this was merely a theoretical claim.

After all, this clan had risen too recently and belonged to a completely different era than the Second Hokage, making direct comparison impossible.

"Yes, Master."

The child bowed formally before turning his gaze toward the cup in front of him.

"Swoosh..."

The clear water in the cup seemed to be stimulated by something at that moment; it first shot out from the cup, then quickly gathered into a thin thread in the air. Once this was done, the line of water lashed out fiercely toward the woman sitting opposite Qi!

"Very good!"

Without the woman making a single movement, the thin line of water suddenly froze just as it was about to pierce her throat, then retreated back into the cup as if time were flowing in reverse.

It was as if... nothing had ever happened at all.

"Since you can now do this without breaking the cup, you can begin training at the next level."

The woman's expression finally shifted slightly, showing a hint of praise.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door...

"I remember saying that we are not to be disturbed during lesson time!"

Her teaching interrupted, a clear look of displeasure surfaced on the woman's face.

Her temper was truly not very good...

"Sister Zi, the Elder wishes to see Yuki Qi."

A low voice sounded from outside the door.

"The Elder said he must see him now."

"Understood, I will bring him over immediately."

The woman named Zi—Yuki Zi—frowned and stood up, looking at Qi across from her.

"You heard him; the Elder wants to see you. Follow me."

"Yes, Master."

Qi seemed to have only that one phrase. He stood up at an unhurried pace and followed Yuki Zi out the door.

The Yuki were a powerful clan, and powerful clans naturally possessed grand estates. In this world, such estates were essentially sprawling gardens. After turning countless corners, the two stood before a large building.

This was the heart of the Yuki Clan, the ancestral hall...

"Do not look around; it is very impolite. Keep up."

Seeing Qi glancing left and right, Yuki Zi frowned and offered a reminder.

"You are of the noble Yuki Clan; do not let the barbaric bloodline of the Kaguya Clan influence you."

Clearly, her distaste for the Kaguya Clan was profound.

Of course, this was not to say she held any prejudice against Qi; this was simply her usual way of speaking.

"Yes, Master."

Qi did not argue. He was the disciple, and she was the master; the master-disciple relationship here was far more rigid than on the Earth of his previous life.

In large ninja clans like the Yuki, the master-disciple bond was sometimes held in higher regard than blood relations.

For a disciple to contradict their master was a grave sign of disrespect. Although he wasn't actually "looking around" in a distracted sense, he could not refute her; otherwise, he would be seen as disrespectful to his master and would be condemned by others.

Everything had its pros and cons. While such rules were somewhat heartless, in return, the master would cultivate the disciple with all their might, fearing any oversight, and often with more dedication than raising their own children.

"Keep up."

Seeing that Qi humbly accepted her instruction and made no further "improper" movements, the woman nodded in satisfaction and led Qi into the ancestral hall.

"I pay my respects to the Elder. I have brought Yuki Qi."

Inside the hall, only the old man was present. He sat motionless at the head of the room with his eyes closed. Only when he heard the woman's voice did he open his eyes and look at the two kneeling before him.

"You've arrived. How has your training been lately?"

"He is quite good."

Yuki Zi's lips curled up slightly.

"It is just that his manners are somewhat lacking; the savage bloodline of the Kaguya Clan still has some influence over him."

"Is that so..."

The elder suddenly felt an urge to laugh, but he held it back. He knew very well that Yuki Zi was particularly obsessive about certain things.

"Very well, you may step out first. I wish to have a proper chat with this child."

"Elder, as his master, there is something I would like to ask."

Yuki Zi bowed, but she did not withdraw.

"Is the Elder summoning Qi at this time because the time is drawing near?"

"Indeed, just as you suspected. It seems you have perfectly completed the task assigned to you as well."

The elder nodded, not denying it. After all, not every member of the Yuki Clan was so oblivious.

"Yes, the instruction of Qi has gone smoothly. I have taught him the method for cultivating chakra in its entirety; he only needs to continue training according to these methods."

Yuki Zi sighed.

"Since that is the case, Zi will take her leave."

With that, she did not look at Qi again, exiting the ancestral hall quite decisively and closing the heavy doors behind her.

"Now, it is just the two of us, Qi."

Seeing that Yuki Zi had completely departed, the elder finally turned his gaze toward Qi. His expression was quite gentle at this moment.

"This is our first time meeting, is it not?"

"Yes, Elder."

Qi could not fathom what the elder meant, but he had been in this world for six years. From an infant who could not even speak to the child's body he inhabited now, his early panic had long since vanished. He had learned how to survive here.

Furthermore, he had transmigrated directly into the body of an infant, which was truly a stroke of luck. No matter how panicked he felt, the way he expressed it through an infant's body was merely crying, which did not arouse suspicion.

This gave him enough time to adapt to this world—a world he had once loved very much in his past life, known as "Naruto."

But loving the story of Naruto did not mean he liked being transmigrated here. Moreover, even in his past life, he hadn't watched Naruto for a long time. He only knew that in a single instant, he had lost everything he once cherished—family, friends, lovers...

Time could dull a person's pain, but it could not change his current situation. Here, he was an outsider; he would be forever alone. Furthermore, he was currently in the Yuki household, and he knew this was a clan on the verge of extinction.

An unforeseeable future is not terrifying; what is terrifying is knowing the future but not the exact time it will arrive, especially when that future concerns one's own life.

Therefore, after the clan assigned him a master, Qi exerted almost every ounce of strength he had, terrified of wasting a single second.

Every bit of accumulation he gained now would increase his chances of survival later, so he had no choice but to work hard.

Compared to other clans, the Yuki bloodline cultivation method was relatively simple and straightforward. From beginning to end, it was a single method: the more precise one's control over chakra, the more naturally the secret techniques would follow. Conversely, if your control was insufficient, you would fail regardless.

Therefore, the difficulty lay in the fact that the improvement process was grueling and honest, with no shortcuts. The vast majority of the Yuki clan members either lacked the talent or could not focus on their training due to time constraints, resulting in a lifetime of being unable to reach the pinnacle.

For the past two years, Qi had been nothing if not diligent in his training, yet he was still only at the elementary stage. This showed just how difficult it was to raise the level of the Yuki bloodline.

"Do not be nervous. In the Yuki Clan, we do not stand on such ceremony. Your master's lessons are one thing, but you are free to speak your mind at other times."

Seeming to notice Qi's discomfort, the elder comforted him.

"Tell me, how do you feel the clan treats you?"

This was a strange question. A dignified elder actually asking a junior such a thing...

Though puzzled, Qi still answered honestly: "The clan treats me very well!"

"Do you truly believe that?"

The elder let out a cold laugh, his eyes sharp as lightning, staring fixedly at Qi. He opened his mouth and unleashed a barrage of questions.

"You have been confined by the clan, never stepping a single step outside the clan residence. Do you not feel aggrieved?"

"Your parents were torn apart by the clan, never to see each other again, eventually dying of exhaustion from longing for one another. Do you not hate the clan?"

"As a member of the Yuki, you are forbidden from learning any ninja techniques. For two years, you have lived on coarse tea and plain rice, your clothing and food inferior even to the servants. The clan has done nothing more than have someone teach you to exercise your bloodline. Do you have no complaints?"

Values differ, and what the elder said—especially the last point—was a very important matter in the ninja world. Most people would find it absolutely unacceptable.

This was not like Earth. On Earth, six years old is the age for kindergarten, but here, it is the graduation age for a talented individual to master basic ninja techniques. The later one starts, the greater the disadvantage.

The Yuki Clan not teaching Qi any ninja techniques, from the perspective of this world, was equivalent to crippling him.

But Qi was not an ordinary child, and naturally, he would not harbor resentment like a normal child. The clan having someone teach him to train clearly meant they did not intend to abandon him; there had to be a reason for doing so.

"I do not! The rules of the ninja world are simply as they are. My parents lacked the power to break the rules, so they could only accept the punishment. The clan is nurturing me; I am grateful for that, so why would I harbor resentment?"

After finishing these words, he fell silent, allowing the elder to size him up.

"Your temperament is actually quite good; you are not so hot-headed..."

After a long while, the elder nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Many clans, once they fall, are unable to rise again simply because they have grown accustomed to luxury and can no longer endure hardship, nor can they bear setbacks and grievances. Without backbone, there is no possibility of revival."

This sentence was clearly pointed. Qi's body could not help but tremble slightly.

"Regarding your mother, the clan never expected her to be so infatuated as to starve herself to death. Although the clan had the heart to shield her, she was determined to die, and there was nothing we could do. The man from the Kaguya Clan was the same."

The old man ignored Qi's strange reaction and let out a long sigh.

"However, the accidental death of your parents actually salvaged the tense relationship between our two clans at the time. It was only then that we shifted from confrontation to peace talks, which is why the Daimyo has repeatedly delayed taking action against the clan."

The final sentence was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for Qi!

The Daimyo is going to move against the Yuki Clan!?

He jerked his head up to look at the old man, no longer able to hide his emotions.

So this... it was coming after all!?

How fast...

He felt an immense bitterness... In his current state, could he survive this impending clan-wide catastrophe?

"It seems you aren't too stupid after all. You finally have the mindset a ninja should have; when facing the Daimyo, the first reaction shouldn't be contempt, but caution."

The old man nodded with satisfaction.

"We ninjas and the rulers of the country exist in an interdependent relationship, but a single clan cannot establish an equal footing. The Yuki Clan, being difficult to control, has now become a thorn in the Daimyo's side."

At this, Qi finally couldn't help but ask.

"If that is the case, why does the Daimyo want to exterminate my Yuki Clan? Ninjas are the military force of the country, and the Daimyo holds the nation's resources; he has no need to worry about ninjas being uncontrollable. What benefit does he gain from doing this?"

"Very good. You have clan consciousness, which puts me more at ease."

The old man wore a pleased expression; clearly, Qi's use of "my Yuki Clan" had satisfied him.

"However, you are wrong about one thing: the Yuki Clan is the Yuki Clan, and Kirigakure is Kirigakure. The two cannot be lumped together."

"What!?"

Now, Qi was truly shocked. The Yuki Clan was not actually affiliated with Kirigakure?

"There is more than one way for ninjas to exist; independent ninja clans are everywhere. My Yuki Clan rose during the civil war, and from the beginning, we followed the Daimyo, not the Mizukage."

The old man began to explain carefully to Qi.

"Therefore, when the Daimyo deals with my Yuki Clan, the Mizukage will not interfere, nor can he."

"Then why doesn't our clan simply join Kirigakure?"

Qi was even more confused now.

"It is too late. The system is already set; how can one just join? Besides, given the situation of the Yuki Clan, voluntarily asking to join Kirigakure is not a good thing. Even if we could survive, we would no longer be the Yuki Clan."

The old man shook his head.

"You are still young; you will understand in the future. Although we ninjas are not as pedantic as samurai, we cannot abandon the honor of the clan. Without honor, there is no cohesion."

Having said this, he reached into his robe, pulled out a scroll, and handed it to Qi.

"Take this. These are the secret techniques of our Yuki Clan, along with some ninjutsu. You could say this is the essence of our clan's combat skills. You must keep it safe; it must never fall into the hands of outsiders."

This statement was terrifying, and Qi dared not be negligent, quickly taking it.

This is the difference between a clan and a rogue ninja. Rogue ninjas, whether in terms of ninjutsu or secret techniques, are quite limited—either few and unrefined, or many and chaotic.

A rogue ninja's greatest wish is to join a clan or a hidden village to obtain more refined ninja skills, all of which are monopolized by the various clans and villages.

Any single ninja skill is the result of countless generations of a clan's work; it is incredibly precious and would never be passed on to outsiders.

The old man's actions clearly indicated he was making final arrangements...

"Do not be surprised that there is only one scroll. The combat techniques of our Yuki Clan are the simplest of all. Although there are many Water Release techniques in the ninja world, you can acquire them through other channels in the future. I believe you have the ability."

The old man smiled and pointed to the scroll in Qi's hand.

"What is primary here are the secret techniques that only our Yuki Clan can use, and some unique ways of releasing Water Release techniques. They can be applied to any Water Release."

"Whether a ninja is powerful or not is not determined by whether they have a vast array of ninjutsu, but by whether their ninja skills are refined. Being able to achieve the greatest results with the least consumption—that is what you need to master!"

These words cleared up Qi's doubts. He finally understood why, in the story he had seen in his previous life, even powerful figures didn't just throw out a whole basket of random ninjutsu.

On the contrary, the ninjutsu they used, while not numerous, were highly effective.

"I have been taught!"

This time, he bowed deeply to the old man with genuine sincerity.

What the old man said was not idle chatter; every word concerned his future survival. This scroll alone was an invaluable treasure, the very essence of the Yuki Clan...

But clearly, the old man's instructions were not yet finished.

After accepting Qi's deep bow, he continued his narrative.

"Our Yuki Clan has been too prominent in recent years, making our clansmen restless and ultimately provoking the Daimyo's suspicion, leading him to want to exterminate us. So remember, in the future, you must keep a low profile!"

"Keep a low profile! People will subconsciously ignore you, which will allow you to live longer, and then you can find an opportunity to strike from behind and kill your enemies!"

Stroking his beard, the old man suddenly changed his tone, sounding somewhat wistful.

"Our Yuki Clan is now on the Daimyo's list, everyone except you. He doesn't even know what you look like, which is why I am entrusting everything to you. One day, when you have the chance to rebuild our clan, you must remember today's lesson."

"In a few days, I will have someone secretly send you to the Kaguya Clan. You don't need to worry; the Kaguya Clan will not treat you poorly. Your father was the younger brother of the Kaguya Clan head, and you are his nephew. He will teach you the Kaguya combat techniques."

He smacked his lips, his tone carrying a rare note of praise that was completely different from Yuki Zi.

"That is truly good stuff... The Kaguya Clan is a prestigious bloodline family with a long history; their taijutsu, in particular, accumulated over countless generations, can be called the best in the Land of Water."

After chattering on to this point, he couldn't help but glare at Qi and puff out his beard.

"If you can master the combat techniques of both clans, there will surely be a place for you among the powerhouses of the ninja world one day!"

Perhaps it had been a long time since he had spoken so freely, but the old man ended up lecturing for a full three hours. Fortunately, Qi's patience had been tempered like steel by now; he remained kneeling on the ground without moving a muscle, recording every word the old man said into his heart.

In the end, the old man concluded with these words.

"Remember, the foundation of a clan lies in unity. If you can rebuild the Yuki Clan one day, remember that while the world is vast, the clansmen are paramount. If you achieve this, the clan will flourish! Conversely, if you cannot, then the Yuki Clan might as well perish right here!"

The world is vast, the clansmen are paramount!

Qi kept these words in mind, but there was one thing he was thinking...

As for the troublesome business of reviving the clan, you should really let someone else do it!

In matters like these, it has always been the seniors who bleed while the juniors drink the blood; I'd have to be stuffed to the gills to go out and bleed for it myself!