In all these years, no one has ever said such a thing to him.
Third No, not even the jonin teachers he brought with him, nor the people who were polite to him during the same period.
The way they looked at him was always like, OK, he worked hard, but that's all.
Can't compare to those three people. Can never compare to those three people.
But now there is a person standing in front of him, saying that his value is greater than those three people.
Hiruko's eyes felt a little sour. He blinked hard to suppress the sourness.
"Shaoyu Master..." His voice was hoarse, "I..."
"Stop talking nonsense," Shaoyu turned around and walked deeper into the woods, "Follow me."
Hiruko struggled to get up and staggered to follow.
After walking a few steps, he looked back at the corpses on the ground.
Two jounin and a dozen Chunin. All dead.
He is now extremely happy with his choice.
When Shaoyu brought Hiruko to Kumogakure, it was almost dark.
When the ninja on duty at the entrance of the village saw Shaoyu, he immediately stood up straight and saluted. Shaoyu nodded and walked directly in with Hiruko.
Hiruko walked and looked all the way. Kumogakure It was different from what he imagined.
The building is very strong, made of stone, and seems to be able to withstand strong winds and snow.
There were not many people on the street, but everyone was full of energy, walked with wind, and spoke loudly.
It is different from Konoha.
Konoha people like to walk with their heads down and talk in roundabout ways. People here seem to have no scruples, they just say what they want and do whatever they want.
He is just a bit dark.
"Sir Shaoyu," a man wearing a Chunin vest ran over, "Can I help you?"
Shaoyu pointed at Hiruko: "Arrange a place for him. Then go and allocate a piece of land to build a laboratory."
Chunin looked at Hiruko and nodded without asking any more questions, "Yes. How big do you want it to be?"
"Ask him." Shaoyu looked at Hiruko.
Hiruko was stunned for a moment, and then said quickly.
"The bigger the better... No, no, I mean, the laboratory needs a certain size and a separate residence. It is best to be farther away from the center of the village and quieter..."
Chunin listened, wrote it down in his notebook, and then looked at Shaoyu.
Shaoyu said, "Do as he says. Arrange the manpower yourself as soon as possible."
"Yes."
Chunin left with Hiruko. Before leaving, Hiruko looked back at Shaoyu and wanted to say something, but Shaoyu had already turned around and walked in the other direction.
In the afternoon of the next day, the laboratory site was laid out.
At the edge of the village near the foot of the mountain, there was a large open space with few people around and it was very quiet. Several ninjas were busy leveling the ground and carrying materials there.
Hiruko stood at the edge of the open space, looking at those people working there, feeling a little dazed.
So fast?
He thought he would have to wait at least a few days, but he started building it the next day. The efficiency of Kumogakure was much higher than he thought.
"Hiruko-sama."
A ninja ran over with a roll of blueprints in his hand.
"This is the design drawing of the laboratory. Please see if there is anything that needs to be changed. If not, we will build it according to this."
Hiruko took the drawing and looked at it a few times.
The design is very reasonable. There is a laboratory, a residence, a place to store materials, and even a basement. What he didn't expect, the other party thought of.
The ninja waited for a while and asked, "Any questions?"
"No, no." Hiruko said quickly, "Just build it like this, it's good."
The ninja nodded and went back to direct the work.
Hiruko stood there, looking at the busy people and the drawing, and suddenly felt a little sore in his eyes.
He grew up in Konoha and wanted to do research since he was a child. Konoha also has a laboratory, but it is all for Orochimaru and the others.
He applied and was rejected. He begged and was ignored. He tried to do it secretly and was almost punished when he was discovered.
No one has ever drawn a drawing for him.
No one has ever said, "Look at what you need and I'll build it for you."
He took a deep breath and suppressed the emotion.
The laboratory was built very quickly. On the third day, the main structure was almost ready. On the fifth day, the equipment inside also started to be moved in. On the seventh day, Hiruko was ready to move in.
He stood in his laboratory, looking at the brand-new equipment, the materials obtained from various villages, and the large sum of money allocated to him by Shaoyu, and the room specially reserved for him for research, and suddenly felt like he was in a dream.
"Hiruko-sama."
Someone called him at the door.
Hiruko turned around and saw a ninja standing there.
"Master Shaoyu sent someone to ask you to go to his place tonight."
Hiruko nodded. "Okay, I'll go right away."
He straightened his clothes and followed the man outside.
When he walked to the door, he looked back at his laboratory.
From now on, this will be his place.
He can do whatever research he wants inside without having to hide or worry about anyone breaking in.
Hiruko took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards Shaoyu's residence.
Shaoyu's residence is located in the back of the village. It is a small but neat yard. When Hiruko arrived, it was already dark and the lights were on in the yard.
He knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Hiruko Push the door and go in.
Shaoyu was sitting inside with some documents in front of him and was reading them. He raised his head and glanced at Hiruko.
"Sit."
Hiruko sat down opposite him.
"How is the laboratory?" Shaoyu asked.
"Very good," Hiruko said, "Much better than I expected. Thank you, Mr. Shaoyu."
Shaoyu waved his hand. "You're welcome. Just do your research."
Hiruko nodded.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Shaoyu Master, can I ask you a question?"
Shaoyu looked at him.
"Why do you want to help me?" Hiruko said, "I know I am valuable, but you gave me... too much. More than I thought."
Shaoyu leaned on the back of the chair and looked at him.
"Hiruko," he said, "Do you know why I betrayed Konoha?"
Hiruko was stunned for a moment and shook his head.
Shaoyu said, "Because Konoha can't tolerate talented people. Whether it's Uchiha or you, it's the same. You are capable, but you are not one of those three people, so you don't deserve good things. Orochimaru can get whatever he wants, but what about you? Even if you apply for a laboratory, you won't be approved."
Hiruko said nothing.
"I'm different." Shaoyu said, "I only look at ability. If you have the ability, I will give you a chance. If you can do it, it is your own credit. If you can't do it, it is also your own problem. It's as simple as that."
Hiruko looked at him.
"So I help you, not because I have a good heart," Shaoyu said, "But because it is useful to you. As long as you know it in your heart."