Chapter 155: Those Who Believe in Miracles Are as Great as the Miracles Themselves
Ninja Academy Classroom.
"Rock Lee, if you can't use ninjutsu, you won't even become a ninja, let alone an excellent one. Just give up," a student said bluntly.
"True. How are you supposed to fight others without ninjutsu? Everyone knows taijutsu; you'd just be missing all the tools everyone else has."
"Hahaha, Rock Lee is too naive."
"Only geniuses like Neji can become excellent ninjas."
Hearing Rock Lee's question, the students spoke up one after another. It wasn't necessarily that they wanted to mock him; they just felt the conclusion was obvious. Between two ninjas, if you only know taijutsu while the other knows taijutsu plus dozens of other methods, the gap is simply too wide to bridge.
"Naive. A predetermined fate won't change just because of your thoughts," Neji Hyuga remarked, his voice full of disdain for Lee's ideas. In his mind, those who become excellent ninjas are destined to do so. Someone like Rock Lee, whose chakra control is abysmal, is destined by fate to lack the talent of a ninja. It was just like how his own father was destined to be a sacrificial pawn simply because he was born a moment too late.
Destiny. Everything was destined.
Rock Lee ignored his classmates. He stared intently at Tonbo Tobitake, waiting to hear the answer from his lips.
"Haha, Student Rock Lee asked a great question. Can someone who cannot use ninjutsu truly become a ninja? The answer is... yes," Tonbo said with a smile.
Looking at Lee's face—before he adopted the bowl cut—he looked a bit like the protagonist of Cooking Master Boy from Tonbo's previous life.
"Sensei is lying! We've never heard of an excellent ninja who relied only on taijutsu."
"Exactly, Sensei is tricking us."
Most students didn't believe it. Only Rock Lee's eyes gradually brightened as he leaned in to hear more. Neji, meanwhile, assumed Tonbo was just being kind and didn't want to crush a child's spirit.
"I'm not lying. Let me tell you a story," Tonbo said.
The classroom fell silent. They wanted to hear what kind of story this could possibly be.
"In the distant Land of Stars, there once lived a taijutsu ninja named Kael. When he was young, his country was controlled by a criminal group called the Black Flag. They created a fake celebrity hero named Corin to trick the civilians out of their money. Kael was a child who idolized Corin. One day, while Corin was making a deal with the Black Flag, Kael discovered the truth... and the Black Flag discovered him."
The students were immediately hooked. Regardless of whether it was true, it was a good story. Hearing that Kael was caught, they even began to worry. Rock Lee listened with rapt attention.
"Just as Kael was about to be killed, Corin blocked the Black Flag's blades. Corin himself was just an ordinary person, not a ninja. Seeing that Corin was no longer under their control, the Black Flag exposed his secret in front of everyone. The legend of the hero Corin was revealed as a lie; everyone had been tricked. Corin was tied up in the most crowded part of the Land of Stars, and the people threw eggs and trash at him, spitting on him for his deception..."
Gasp! The students were fully focused. That damn Black Flag group deserves to die!
"Finally, Kael stood before Corin and asked him why. Why did he lie? Why did he do it? Corin said he had done many bad things in his life, but Kael reminded him of his long-lost younger brother. He wanted to protect the will that belonged only to himself in his heart. He told Kael to live on well, to carry that smile, and to find his own will."
"And then what happened?" a student asked breathlessly.
"Finally, Kael took on the name of Corin, becoming Corin II. To end the Black Flag's oppression of his country, he did everything possible to learn the power of a ninja. His chakra control was also poor, but he never gave up. He did it. He created an earth-shattering taijutsu—the very technique that the first Corin had advertised when he was a celebrity. This technique was called Iron Fist. To create it, Corin II endured hardships you cannot imagine. He tempered his body in volcanoes, wastelands, deserts, and the deep sea without any resources. Eventually, he saved the Land of Stars and destroyed the Black Flag. This is proof that a taijutsu ninja can also be an excellent ninja."
Tonbo finished his narration slowly. Rock Lee's eyes were glowing. A taijutsu ninja that strong actually exists? If he saved a country, isn't that just like being the Hokage?
"Sensei, your story is good, but it's just a story. It's impossible to be an excellent ninja with just taijutsu."
"Yeah, Sensei is still trying to trick us. We aren't three-year-olds."
"How can there be a taijutsu like that? He would have starved to death in a volcano without resources."
The students' comments made Rock Lee's expression sink again. Right... it's just a story.
"Childish," Neji thought. In such an environment, becoming an excellent ninja was impossible. If the Black Flag controlled the country, they wouldn't let you learn the power to overthrow them. Developing taijutsu was the same—chakra is the combination of spiritual and physical energy. You can't just 'develop' it out of nothing. Taijutsu still requires chakra as a foundation. Neji felt only someone like Lee, who refused to accept fate, would believe such nonsense.
"Do you all think this is just a story? Do you think I'm lying?" Tonbo laughed.
"Yes."
"Excellent. Learning to question is also one of the necessary conditions for becoming an excellent ninja."
Tonbo actually viewed this as a good sign. If a simple story could fool a bunch of military academy trainees, that would be a bad sign for the village's future.
But Rock Lee felt even more dejected. So it really was just a made-up story. Can a ninja who can't use ninjutsu only be 'excellent' in man-made tales?
"But," Tonbo continued, "there is one more thing I haven't told you. The essence of that story can be condensed into one sentence: Those who believe in miracles are as great as the miracles themselves. When you believe in a miracle, you are already a candidate for being an excellent ninja, regardless of whether you have the potential for ninjutsu."
Tonbo was serious about this. When you believe in a miracle, you will find a way to overcome any desperate situation, creating a sliver of hope. To not believe in miracles is to accept a mediocre life without trying—something Tonbo had learned from his own past life. For a ninja, that spark of belief is vital.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!