Kawasaki clapped his hands. "Any more questions?"
The Uchiha gathered below all shook their heads.
"Very good. The practical instruction will begin tomorrow. Give it a try for a while. If you don't like it, you can rotate over to the Village Hidden in the Sound later on. Alright, meeting dismissed!"
When the notice about the Uchiha's free practical training appeared on the public bulletin board, many ninja couldn't believe their eyes. After all, when did something as good as free instruction ever happen? It was practically a charity.
But Kawasaki was currently vying for the position of Fifth Hokage; he wouldn't post nonsense on an official bulletin board.
A number of civilians, deciding to see for themselves, made their way to the Uchiha territory. They soon discovered that many others had the same idea. People gathered in small groups before the Uchiha main gate.
The gate was wide open, but few dared to step inside. The Uchiha were, after all, one of the most distinguished and noble clans.
At first, when the crowd was small, everyone was reserved and timid. But as more people arrived, the atmosphere changed. Most of them knew each other, and together, they summoned their courage and walked into the Uchiha compound.
The Uchiha guards at the gate didn't stop them. Instead, they told them where the training grounds were located. Along the way, thoughtfully placed signs guided them.
Following the signs, the crowd soon arrived at the Uchiha's training grounds. When they got there, they found it was already packed with people. These were clearly the ones who had arrived earlier. Most were Genin, with a few Chunin mixed in.
The training ground was divided into many sections, and an Uchiha clan member stood in each one. As soon as someone arrived, they were ushered onto the field to spar. There were no self-introductions, no unnecessary words.
Beside the training grounds, a group of people wearing medical caps waited. The moment anyone was injured, they would receive immediate on-site treatment.
The Ninja Academy, aside from teaching how to draw out chakra, only taught the three basic jutsu, taijutsu, and how to use ninja tools. For a Genin, this meant their offensive options were extremely limited. Many recent graduates didn't even know any other ninjutsu. For more than half a year after graduation, they were stuck doing missions like weeding gardens and finding lost pets.
Because of this, although many people stepped up to fight, they were quickly defeated by the Uchiha.
After defeating an opponent, each Uchiha would offer a couple of simple critiques.
"Your shuriken accuracy is too poor. You can't even hit a moving target. You might as well save your ninja tools."
"Your taijutsu fundamentals are weak. Your footing is unsteady. You need to strengthen your legs."
The scene was a repeating cycle: a Genin would step up, only to be defeated in a few moves. They would then walk away, bruised or limping.
But they were all grateful. Getting injured now was far better than losing their lives on a mission later. Not every jonin-sensei assigned by the village would guide you diligently. They were busy too, and a few pointers here and there were the best one could hope for. Some instructors were completely hands-off. If you were sharp, they might give you a few extra tips. If you weren't, they'd forget your name.
It wasn't unheard of for a sensei to quietly use a student as cannon fodder on a mission. As long as no one found out, if you died, you died. The world of the ninja was just that cruel.
Even if you were assigned a teacher with good character, they might not be the right fit for you. Might Guy was an excellent ninja with an upstanding character. But what did he teach Tenten? The way of the ninja, experience, and basic taijutsu? A good teacher didn't guarantee you would learn what you needed.
But this place, the Uchiha compound, was offering free private lessons.
And there was more...
Some of the injured were preparing to go home to apply their own medicine and come back after they healed. But they had barely taken a few steps before they were grabbed by the people in medical caps.
"Move, move! It's my turn!"
Several Uchiha medics bickered for a moment before a Genin with a swollen foot was pulled away by a woman named Uchiha Rina.
Rina's theoretical knowledge was already extensive; even Shizune had praised her progress. But she had always lacked practical experience, a fact that greatly troubled her. Fortunately, the clan head's sudden decision to offer free practical training had provided her with plenty of opportunities.
"What are you doing? I don't have money for treatment," the Genin said, bewildered. He saw Rina's cap and knew she was a medical-nin.
Rina handled the situation with practiced ease. "Oh, don't worry, our medical services are free. However, I am an intern, so the treatment might not be perfect. I hope you don't mind."
The Genin was overjoyed. "It's free? I don't mind, I don't mind at all! How could I possibly mind..."
Meanwhile, in the streets of Konoha, Neji, Tenten, and Lee were walking with their packs on their backs. Might Guy had originally planned to take the three of them out for wilderness training, but he had been unexpectedly summoned for an urgent mission.
Now, Team Guy had nothing to do.
Suddenly, Tenten noticed a large crowd gathered around the bulletin board up ahead. "I'm going to see what's happening."
Curious, Tenten tried to push her way through, but the crowd was too dense.
"Lee, watch Tenten and make sure she doesn't get hurt!" Neji ordered, seeing how crowded it was.
Lee shot his hand up. "Don't worry, Neji! I will protect Tenten!"
Neji was also curious. What could be so important that it drew such a large crowd? He spotted a few members of the Hyuga clan maintaining order nearby, and he happened to know them. He decided to walk over and ask directly.
"Shiboku-senpai, why are there so many people? Is there some big announcement on the board?"
Shiboku had noticed Neji approaching. Hearing his question, he explained, "It's an announcement from Elder Uchiha Kawasaki. He's declared that the Uchiha clan is now offering free practical training courses."
"Free practical training?" Neji's face was a mask of surprise. "Is it for a specific group of people?"
Shiboku shook his head. "It doesn't say. It's open to anyone who wants to come. As long as you have the desire to improve yourself, their gates are open to you."
Neji felt a little skeptical. After all, the members of his own Hyuga clan were incredibly busy. The Hyuga in the Guard Corps had their patrol duties, and the other clan members were constantly taking missions to earn extra money. With the Byakugan and at least a Chunin-level skill set, finding a team for a mission was never difficult.
Even if someone was willing to offer practical instruction, it would be for their own junior clan members or very close friends. Neji had never heard of anyone offering to teach strangers for free like this.
However, this was exactly what Neji needed. It had been a while since he graduated from the Academy, but most of his time was spent on trivial tasks like finding lost cats and dogs. Though he was gifted and trained diligently every day, the lack of real combat experience was a bottleneck, and his progress had slowed.
Neji asked Shiboku hesitantly, "Shiboku-senpai, can I go?"
Shiboku paused for a second, then burst out laughing. "Of course you can go. The Hyuga and the Uchiha are on great terms these days."
As a Special Jounin, Shiboku knew a thing or two about the affairs of the village's leadership. His words put Neji at ease.
Neji's face brightened. He saw that Tenten and Lee had managed to squeeze their way out of the crowd. He quickly bowed to Shiboku.
"Thank you, Shiboku-senpai. I'm heading over then."