The Severed Path

Looking at Chiba's bewildered expression, Xia Mu sighed once more and began to recount his own experiences from when he sought to study.

"At first, I wanted to join the Rain Ninja, but it was only after I went there that I discovered they didn't recruit children from outside the village."

"I pleaded there for a long time, but it yielded no results whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, Chiba suddenly realized something, and his expression turned grim.

Glancing briefly at Chiba, Xia Mu continued, "Nowadays, every ninja village, whether large or small, has long since established its own complete system. In many cases, they end up weeding out a large portion of their own village's children, let alone those of us from the outside."

"Therefore, wanting to join a ninja village is simply an unrealistic notion."

Chiba frowned slightly; he understood that what Xia Mu said was the truth.

It was no longer the era when the major ninja villages were first established and suffering from a shortage of manpower. Back then, ordinary people might have had a chance to join a village, especially in Konoha under the leadership of the kind First Hokage.

But today, every ninja village had no lack of resources for training the next generation; in fact, they often faced a shortage of resources.

For instance, the impoverished Mist Ninja and Sand Ninja were even forced to downsize their ranks.

Under such circumstances, children from outside villages had absolutely no opportunity to join.

Especially since every village was constantly trying to infiltrate and counter-infiltrate the others, such an opportunity was even more impossible.

Who would be foolish enough to easily give the opposition a chance to infiltrate their own village?

Previously, Chiba had been preoccupied with learning how to use chakra and finding a way to learn ninjutsu, leaving him no time to think too deeply. But now, with just a few words, Xia Mu had almost completely severed Chiba's hope.

Chiba suddenly understood why Shadow had said at the beginning that even if he had talent, he was destined to be nothing more than an ant for his entire life.

He also understood why Scarface had been willing to let him go.

Everything was simply because he had no chance of ever becoming a ninja.

In an instant, cold sweat began to stream down Chiba's face.

Could it be that he was truly destined, as Shadow said, to be an ant for the rest of his life?

Seeing that Chiba's face was filled with confusion, Xia Mu sighed softly again.

"In fact, there are still ways to learn the method of using chakra, but the hope is very slim."

"What method?"

Hearing that there was still a chance, Chiba clutched at it like a drowning man grasping at a straw, staring anxiously at Xia Mu.

"One way is that I've heard ninja villages sometimes recruit children who are exceptionally talented or clever. Of course, this is done by them sending people out to find them at random. If you approach them yourself, they won't take you. So, it's essentially a matter of luck, though if you live near a ninja village year-round, the chances might be slightly higher."

After hearing this "method" from Xia Mu, which was hardly a method at all, Chiba couldn't help but offer a bitter smile.

Chiba could roughly guess what those so-called special exceptions made by major ninja villages entailed.

Konoha's Root seemed to have a tradition of recruiting orphans in such a manner, but Chiba would rather die than enter that terrifying place.

Being brainwashed and ravaged by brutal training until he became a tool was definitely not the outcome he wanted.

Moreover, who knew if those "specially recruited" individuals weren't just being snatched up by scientists like Orochimaru for research?

Even if there were truly normal special recruitment programs, Chiba absolutely did not want to be selected.

Chiba didn't believe these people lacked lie-detection methods. As an ordinary person without any training, he would likely trip up under the interrogation of experienced, cunning ninjas. A single genjutsu would probably finish him off, and he might even be captured as a spy.

If they then used some machine or ninjutsu to pry open his brain and extract even more information, the situation would be even more disastrous.

Therefore, while this method might count as a glimmer of hope for others, for Chiba, it was no different from the deadliest of poisons.

Just as Chiba's brow furrowed into a knot, Xia Mu spoke again.

"In fact, there might be one last way. And this is a method I once tried myself; I even almost succeeded."

"What method?"

Looking at the slightly nervous Chiba, Xia Mu slowly spat out a few words: "Have you heard of the samurai?"

"Samurai."

Chiba suddenly became lost in thought.

"It seems you know of the samurai. As a samurai, there is actually a chance to learn chakra, and the difficulty of learning should be much lower than trying to enter a ninja village. Furthermore, I've heard that when a samurai's training reaches a high level, they are not inferior to those powerful ninjas."

As he spoke, a flash of memory crossed Xia Mu's eyes.

"Back then, I participated in the training camp for selecting samurai in the Land of Iron. They weren't as strictly guarded against other ninja villages; after all, they always maintained neutrality and didn't have much value for infiltration. Many of the samurai they trained were meant to serve other countries, but they did place great importance on one thing."

"What thing?"

"Physical talent—that is, your bodily condition. Back then, there were many who participated in the selection with me and passed the preliminary round, but in the end, less than one-tenth passed. And I was one of those who were eliminated."

"Hmm? So that means..."

Before Chiba's eyes could even light up, Xia Mu dealt him another heavy blow.

"But this path, which seems the simplest, might be the hardest one for you in my opinion."

"Why?"

Chiba was slightly stunned, and suddenly, he realized something.

"Is it because of my body?"

"That's right. To be honest, your physical condition is not only mediocre in my eyes, it's actually quite poor. I don't mean that you're weak due to malnutrition, but rather that your innate physical talent is insufficient, and you haven't had any training since childhood. If you were to go to the selection, you likely wouldn't even pass the preliminary round. So, I say..."

Xia Mu gently placed his hand on Chiba's shoulder.

"Give up. Although it might sound cruel, it's obvious. Your chances of becoming a ninja are extremely slim."

Before Chiba could even argue, Xia Mu continued in a soft voice: "And that's not all. Even if you were eventually able to learn chakra, what would it matter?"

"As far as I know, the best age to learn chakra is under ten. If you're older than that, even if you manage to learn it, the improvement you'll gain will likely be very limited."

"Given your situation, your innate talent is already lacking. Even if you eventually learn chakra, it's highly probable that you will remain a genin for the rest of your life."

"And as a genin caught up in such a brutal war, how much of a chance do you think you have of surviving?"

Chiba lowered his head in silence, clenching his fists tightly.

With just a few simple sentences, Xia Mu had easily shattered all of Chiba's fantasies.

In a world where knowledge of ninjutsu is completely monopolized by hidden villages, a commoner like him—one from a small nation without exceptional talent—was almost sentenced to death on the path of learning ninjutsu from the very beginning.

Seeing Chiba looking so dejected, Xia Mu felt a slight pang of sympathy.

He had walked that same path himself years ago, and he certainly understood the cruelty of having one's dreams shattered.

However, in Xia Mu's view, no matter how cruel the truth was, it was still better than letting him blindly embark on a path of no return.

Patting Chiba's shoulder gently, Xia Mu consoled him: "It's not a big deal if you can't learn ninjutsu. Follow me to learn some simple skills; that will be enough for you to handle ordinary people. Learn a trade as well, and in the future, finding a remote place to live a peaceful life is also a very good choice. Think it over carefully."

With that, Xia Mu turned and walked toward his tent.

Silently watching Xia Mu's retreating figure, Chiba clenched his fists tightly.

Is it really true that I have no choice but to give up?