The Ninja Way

"Your families, the Ninja Academy, and even Senju Heye must have explained chakra refinement methods to you in detail. So I won't waste time repeating those basics here."

"However, one thing I must emphasize is that you must not only refine your chakra regularly, but also focus on sensing its flow and changes. Only then can you truly control and use your chakra with precision and flexibility." Senju Tobirama folded his arms across his chest and explained this point with an unusually serious expression.

As soon as he finished speaking, the members of the little group once known as F4... no, they should now be called F5, since Torifu Akimichi had officially joined them. They all nodded, showing they had taken his words to heart.

"Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. For clans with Kekkei Genkai, there's no need to put much effort into refining chakra. Just let it develop naturally." Senju Tobirama continued, calmly explaining the matter.

His gaze fell on the faces of the F5 before him, which showed a hint of envy. He went on, "It's true that Kekkei Genkai are an extraordinary gift from heaven. They allow those with special abilities to continuously explore and develop their bloodline traits while gradually increasing their chakra reserves."

"However, compared to chakra refined through one's own efforts, the chakra produced by developing a bloodline trait is often unstable. Worse still, sometimes this instability can even affect a person's temperament, causing a dramatic change in their personality."

Yesterday evening, when Qile learned that Tobirama would be teaching here, he was so eager to sneak a lesson that he tossed and turned all night! As soon as dawn came, he forgot even his daily Hand Seal practice and rushed straight to Kage Rock.

Once he arrived at Kage Rock, he quickly found a sturdy tree and used all his strength to hollow it out.

Now Qile was hiding in the tree hollow he had dug that morning, his ears perked up as he focused on eavesdropping on the conversation ahead.

His relaxed brows slowly furrowed, and he muttered under his breath, "Tch. Just as I thought! No matter what he's talking about, he always finds a way to bring up the Uchiha."

Throughout the entire Ninja World, only the Uchiha Clan experienced such a significant change in temperament as their Kekkei Genkai developed.

Still, even if Senju Tobirama could be unpleasant at times, there was no denying he was capable. Take the chakra produced through developing a Kekkei Genkai, for instance. You had to keep sensing and understanding it.

No one had ever mentioned this point to Qile before.

Just as Qile was lost in thought, Tobirama's booming voice rang out again. "Besides that, I'd like to ask you all: what matters most to a ninja?"

At Tobirama's question, the F5 exchanged uncertain glances, unable to think of an answer.

Seeing their reaction, Tobirama didn't make things difficult for them.

He nodded slightly, then slowly explained, "It's the Ninja Way!"

"The Ninja Way is the belief and path every ninja must seek out and hold fast to. Only when you find your own Ninja Way can you keep surpassing yourself on the path of training and grow ever stronger! So I hope you'll calm down and give serious thought to what your own Ninja Way is!"

At his words, the F5 all lowered their heads and fell into deep thought, seriously considering what their own Ninja Way might be.

Meanwhile, Qile, hiding inside the tree and secretly watching and learning, couldn't help frowning when he heard this. He wondered to himself, What should my own Ninja Way be...?

To Qile, the Ninja Way might simply mean setting a clear goal for himself and devoting his whole life to pursuing it.

However, deep down, Qile knew perfectly well that his greatest wish was simply to stay alive.

After all, he knew he had no way to change Madara's stubborn mind or stop him from carrying out the plans he had long been plotting.

Since Qile couldn't change what Madara did, danger and threats would always follow him like a shadow.

Of course, Qile had considered another possibility: he could just pretend to be a complete good-for-nothing. Maybe then Madara or someone else would lose interest in him and give up on using or harming him.

Once Madara left Konoha, Qile could find somewhere he considered relatively safe and live out his days in obscurity, just scraping by.

But whenever this thought crossed his mind, Qile couldn't help asking himself, Is this really the life I want? Is this aimless, mediocre existence really my choice?

He seemed completely lost in his thoughts, paying no attention to what Tobirama said next. All kinds of ideas and possibilities about the road ahead kept surfacing in his mind as time slipped by.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but at last, the surroundings fell quiet again. Tobirama had long since disappeared with the F5.

By then, the sun had moved to the western edge of the sky, as if it might sink below the horizon at any moment and bring the day to an end.

He slowly climbed out of the tree where he had been hiding and stood atop Kage Rock. He stood there in silence, gazing at the fading rays of the setting sun in the distance.

The golden sunlight seemed to drape all of Konoha in a magnificent golden veil, making the village look especially beautiful.

"Konoha really is beautiful. It's just a shame there's no future for me here!" Qile shook his head gently, a trace of regret and helplessness on his face.

Then he turned and looked at Yeling, who had been quietly following him all along. He asked softly, "Yeling, what's your Ninja Way?"

At this sudden question, Yeling paused, seeming a little puzzled as to why Qile had asked. After a moment of silence, a gentle smile gradually appeared on her lips, and she answered, "Well... if I had to give an answer, I think it would be protecting others..."

"Protecting others, huh?" Qile nodded thoughtfully, but gave no clear judgment or response. After a while, he suddenly chuckled and said lightly, "Heh... Since I've come this far, I'll become the greatest person in the Ninja World..."