As the war dragged on, even the Land of Fire, with its abundant resources, began to feel the pressure. Prices for goods, especially fruits, continued to skyrocket.
Aida Sui cautiously ate his watermelon, chuckling awkwardly.
"My mom said the war's messing up trade routes, so prices are climbing fast. She's been stressing about our household expenses."
Being from a civilian family, Aida Sui wasn't as well-off as Ryoji Uchiha or Hyuga Suzune.
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Takuya agreed, nodding slightly as he set down the watermelon rind. "So, what brings you here? Didn't Kushina tell you I'd be out here?"
"Yes, Captain." Aida immediately put down his half-eaten watermelon, stood up, and gave Takuya a deep bow. "I came to ask for some guidance with my training."
Takuya had expected this.
Since Snowy had told him Aida was coming, Takuya had already guessed his purpose—it was about training and getting stronger.
For a fresh graduate with no clan backing, the best way to grow stronger was to seek guidance from their mentor. For civilian ninjas, this was often the only route.
Of course, whether the mentor was willing to teach or share experience—or even offer support—was entirely up to them. No one would judge Takuya if he decided not to teach anything at all.
Just look at the original series, for example.
Take Kakashi's team: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Aside from some basic training, Kakashi spent most of his time focusing on Sasuke, barely teaching Naruto and Sakura anything. Yet in the end, Sasuke didn't even appreciate it and ended up trying to kill him.
Ridiculous!
This was one of the reasons Takuya despised the student-teacher dynamic in the world of ninjas.
He could train you, teach you, and give you the best tools, but the student might still turn against him. Takuya wasn't about to fall into that trap.
To avoid these kinds of nasty situations, the best solution was simple: don't take on students.
"I can help you with some basic training," Takuya said, laying it out clearly. "But if you want to learn advanced jutsu, sword techniques, or taijutsu, you'll have to earn it yourself. You'll need to trade for that knowledge with your own contributions later."
He didn't want Aida to get his hopes up, so it was best to be straightforward.
"I understand, Captain. I'll work hard on my training."
"Good. Have a seat."
Takuya motioned for Aida to sit back down. He picked up another slice of watermelon and chewed thoughtfully as he considered what to do next.
Aida sat cross-legged, waiting anxiously in silence. He kept his eyes on Takuya, too nervous to speak.
Once Takuya finished his watermelon, he wiped his face at the river and let the cool water wake him up a bit. Finally, he turned to Aida with a more serious expression.
"Before we start, I want to know: how do you see yourself as a ninja?"
"Huh?" Aida was caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about your role. Every team member has a specific role—offense, support, recon. In our team, we already have offense and recon covered. What we're missing is support."
With the Sharingan and Byakugan in play, recon was more than covered, especially with the Byakugan. Offense and recon were also in good hands with Ryoji Uchiha and Hyuga Suzune. That left only the support role vacant.
But Aida wasn't exactly suited for support right now. At best, he was like a weaker version of Shoushu.
"Are you willing to put your own growth aside to support your teammates?" Takuya's question hit right to the core.
"I… I don't know."
Aida was at a loss. Strong offense, support, recon—these roles were all things the academy instructors had talked about. But most students, including Aida, hadn't really given it much thought.
He never imagined himself as a support type.
But after graduating, reality had hit hard. Both Ryoji Uchiha and Hyuga Suzune easily outclassed him, leaving Aida feeling stuck.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to earn their respect.
"Not knowing is normal," Takuya said, laughing softly as he patted Aida on the shoulder.
"Relax. I'm just giving you a standard example. To be honest, support roles don't really exist in our team. Besides, your teammates don't need support—they just want someone who doesn't get in their way."
"I'm telling you this because I want you to understand: you don't need to change yourself to gain their approval."
"There's a path for civilian ninjas too. I have a friend—"
"Is it Minato Namikaze?" Aida interrupted, sounding a little proud of himself.
Takuya chuckled. "Yeah, exactly. Minato's a civilian ninja, but he's incredibly gifted. More importantly, he stays true to himself. He doesn't bend over backward to please others, nor does he change his role just to fit someone's expectations."
"It's important to stay true to yourself. A lot of the theoretical stuff they taught you in the academy? You can pretty much throw that out the window—it's nonsense."
"…"
Aida could already picture his academy teachers having a heart attack if they heard that.
"Here's the truth: as much as your teammates matter, what matters more is becoming strong yourself. Otherwise, even if you're willing to sacrifice yourself for your team, if they don't respect you, what's the point?"
"Do you really think Ryoji Uchiha or Hyuga Suzune will see you differently if you put their needs ahead of your own?"
"I can tell you right now—they won't."
Every word Takuya said hit hard, cutting through Aida's idealistic notions like a blade.
Reality was harsh. Naïve ideas wouldn't get you far in the ninja world.
Takuya didn't want to be burdened with a teammate who was clueless about the harsh realities.
Those kinds of people didn't just get themselves killed—they endangered everyone around them too.
After giving Aida some time to process his words, Takuya continued.
"I might have Uchiha blood, but I was treated like a nobody when I needed support the most. No one cared. No one wanted to help."
"But now, those same people who once ignored me are the ones trying to kiss up to me. And do you know why?"
"Because I got stronger."
"So stop worrying about gaining others' approval. When you're strong enough, both the Uchiha and Hyuga will have no choice but to accept you as a true teammate."
"Alright, that's enough for today. From now on, we'll focus on the basics. Forget about learning powerful jutsu, taijutsu, or swordsmanship. What you need most right now is a solid foundation. We'll start with chakra control."
"This place has everything you need. Start by practicing tree climbing and walking on water. The goal is to gather chakra at your feet and maintain it. Keep at it until you can climb to the top of the tree without falling and walk across water without sinking. When you can do that, your basic training will be complete."
Ninjas from powerful clans were ahead of the game, not just because of their bloodline but because of the training they'd been given since childhood.
While Aida had been learning the most basic lessons at the academy, others had already been training for years.
"I got it!"
Determined, Aida shook his head to clear away his doubts. Then he gritted his teeth and started practicing.
Most ninja who excel at jutsu have good chakra control, and Aida was no different.
On his first try, he managed a few steps up the tree before slipping and falling, hitting the ground hard.
Takuya, leaning against the tree, yawned. "Keep going."
**********
Your next goal is 3500 power stones. And if you want more, join me on Patreon so you can read up to chapter 250+ at patron.com/ Emik01.