Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Chapter 119 Little Li! Little Li

"If I hadn't been quick-witted later," Naruto patted his chest, looking relieved, "if I hadn't used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique you taught me first when fighting Hinata, I might have ended up like Sasuke!"

"He's not as amazing as Naruto-kun made him out to be," Hinata said softly, her cheeks slightly flushed. "The main reason I was able to beat Sasuke-kun is that I used my full strength from the start, while he didn't use his full power and was caught off guard by me, which is why he lost."

After listening to this, Qiu Shui thought it made a lot of sense.

When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength.

Sasuke probably felt a bit cocky because things had been going too well for him lately, and he let his guard down for a moment.

This failure can be seen as a timely reminder for him, and it may not necessarily be a bad thing.

"Naruto, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you earlier." Qiu Shui stopped and turned around, looking at Naruto with a serious expression.

Since Naruto didn't do that, and he had misunderstood him based on preconceived notions, then admitting his mistake is necessary.

Even if it's a very small thing.

Even though Naruto's personality wouldn't make him care too much.

But Qiu Shui felt it was necessary to do so.

"Oh, Mr. Akisui, you don't need to apologize to me. It's not a big deal." Naruto scratched his head, feeling a little uncomfortable for a moment.

From childhood to adulthood, being misunderstood, wronged, and unjustly accused has been a daily occurrence for him.

Moreover, he didn't take what Teacher Qiushui said to heart at all.

However, he really didn't expect that Teacher Qiushui would apologize to him so solemnly.

A feeling that was hard to describe suddenly welled up in Naruto's heart.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Qiu Shui didn't say anything more. He turned around and bought two fruit baskets from a fruit shop by the roadside. Naruto and Hinata were very proactive, each holding one in their hands.

Shusui led Naruto and Hinata to Konoha Hospital.

At the front desk information desk, Qiushui introduced herself to the staff and asked for Xiao Li and Sasuke's room numbers.

After discovering that the two were not in the same ward, he thanked the staff.

Then he led Naruto and Hinata up to the third floor.

"Lee, Lee, how did you get beaten up so badly!" Naruto walked into room 301 and came to Lee's bedside. Seeing that Lee's face was bruised and swollen and his body was wrapped in white gauze like a mummy, he couldn't help but wail.

"Naruto... Naruto, I... I'm alright." Hearing the familiar voice, Lee struggled to open his swollen eyes, managing a weak smile. "You don't need to worry too much..."

"You've been beaten up like this and you still say you're fine!" Naruto stamped his feet in frustration. "That Hyuga Neji guy was way too ruthless!"

"It's not Neji's fault." Lee shook his head gently. "Actually, he was already holding back... It's my own unwillingness to admit defeat that led to this situation."

Hinata placed the fruit basket on the bedside table, stood aside, and looked at the layers of gauze on Lee's body and the bruises that had not yet completely faded. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

The scene before her reminded her of some unpleasant memories.

"Shusui-sensei! Quickly use your healing jutsu on Lee!" Naruto turned around and said urgently to Shusui beside him.

"? Teacher Qiushui is here too?" Xiao Li was slightly taken aback. Because his eyes were swollen from being hit, he hadn't noticed Qiushui's presence at all.

"Xiao Li, don't speak yet." Qiu Shui walked to his bedside, gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and quietly used the healing fruit's power.

The next second, the bruises and swelling on Xiao Li's face subsided at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Thank you, Teacher Qiushui." Xiao Li felt the pain in his body lessen by more than half and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Shusui-sensei, Hinata, Naruto, I'm sorry to have worried you." Lee lowered his head, a look of guilt on his face. "I should have been more careful just now."

During his fight with Neji, he felt that his persistence was the right thing to do.

Although he doesn't think he did anything wrong in retrospect, he now realizes that it's also wrong to make those who care about him worry about him.

"Xiao Li, there's no need to say such things." Qiu Shui looked at him earnestly, her tone gentle yet firm. "I've seen your performance. I greatly admire your fearless courage."

"Teacher Qiushui... are you telling the truth?" Xiao Li looked up and asked.

"Of course it's true. When has the teacher ever lied?" Qiu Shui smiled slightly. "Besides, after you were carried away just now, some students said they admired your spirit."

"Teacher Kai didn't lie to me..." Tears welled up in Xiao Li's eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "It turns out that perseverance will definitely earn everyone's recognition."

"Xiao Li, your persistence is certainly a good thing," Qiu Shui said, her smile fading and her tone becoming serious. "But excessive persistence can turn into a bad thing. Knowing you can't win but still continuing is a kind of foolish 'passion'."

"Now that you have the courage to face strong opponents, what you should do next is to work hard to improve your strength and then take on challenges, instead of engaging in meaningless battles like before."

Have you considered that if your actions just now resulted in serious injury, preventing you from ever becoming a ninja again, would you be able to accept that outcome?

Actually, the reason why Shusui didn't stop Lee's actions was twofold: firstly, because he felt it was Lee's own choice, and secondly, because he had secretly observed with his Tenseigan and confirmed that Neji hadn't intended to kill him.

But now that the battle is over, he feels it is necessary to correct Xiao Li's impulsiveness.

Moreover, Qiu Shui cannot be with Xiao Li all the time.

He didn't want Xiao Li to be ruined by a simple battle when he encountered a powerful opponent in the future.

"Teacher Qiushui, I'm sorry...." Xiao Li's eyes reddened again. "I promise I won't be so impulsive again."

Becoming a ninja has always been his dream.

He felt that his life would be meaningless if he couldn't become a ninja.

Now, after hearing what Teacher Qiushui said, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"You don't need to apologize to me." Qiu Shui shook her head, her tone softening again. "Your life and choices are all determined by yourself. No matter what choice you make, your teacher will always support you."

But I hope you can think about it more. If you really become a useless person, not only will I and Guy be sad, but Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and the others will also be sad.

"Yes! Teacher Qiushui, I understand. Thank you for your guidance," Xiao Li said earnestly.

[Li Luoke, a high-quality SS-level talent, has increased his favorability towards you; the current training relationship has been upgraded to level two.]

[Reward: Rock Breathing Technique (Intermediate)]

As Qiu Shui looked at the pop-up message, her slight dissatisfaction with him comforting Xiao Li while Xiao Li was thinking about Kai vanished instantly.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of memories about the practice and usage of the Water Breathing Technique flooded his mind.

Rock Breathing Technique was also modified, becoming a forbidden technique like Water Breathing Technique and Lightning Breathing Technique.

However, after comparing the Rock Breathing Technique with the other two breathing techniques, Shusui discovered that the physical requirements for learning the Rock Breathing Technique were far higher than those of the other two breathing techniques. Moreover, the effect of the Rock Breathing Technique was only to increase strength, unlike the Water Breathing Technique and the Lightning Breathing Technique, which could also be used to increase the power of ninjutsu.

However, the Rock Breathing Technique is not without its advantages. It requires less chakra to activate compared to the Water Breathing Technique and the Lightning Breathing Technique.

Qiu Shui felt that this Rock Breathing technique was tailor-made for Xiao Li.

Because Rock Lee's physique far surpasses that of his peers, even Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata are currently no match for him. Moreover, Rock Lee has very little chakra, which perfectly solves the problem of needing to consume a large amount of chakra to use breathing techniques.

"Little Li, take good care of your injuries. We're going to the fourth floor to visit Sasuke now," Qiu Shui said gently. "I'll teach you a powerful taijutsu technique in a while."

"Thank you, Teacher Qiushui," Xiao Li said gratefully.

Inside ward 301.

"Damn it, if the three of us had teamed up from the start, we definitely wouldn't have lost to that white-eyed monster!" Takeshi Gouda said through gritted teeth, his body wrapped in bandages.

His family had promised that if he ranked in the top three in his class in the final exams, they would not only buy him his favorite limited-edition kunai, but also take him on a trip.

Now everything has been ruined by Hinata, that Byakugan monster.

"Once my injuries heal, I'll definitely get my revenge," Takeshi Gouda added bitterly, slamming his fist on the sheet, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

"Gonda, I think we should just give up." A boy wrapped in the same bandage on the next hospital bed shook his head. "Even if the three of us go up against her together, we might not be a match for her."

He has a fairly clear understanding of himself.

He can bully honest people or those weaker than himself, but someone like Hinata is not someone he can mess with.

He and another companion worked together and, without even touching Hinata, were knocked to the ground and unable to move within seconds.

He felt that adding another Gouda Takeshi wouldn't make much difference.

"How can you be so spineless!" Takeshi glared at him, displeased. "If word gets out, how will we ever be able to hold our heads high at school?"

"Gonda, I think...maybe we should just forget about it." Another boy, also wrapped in the same bandage, showed obvious fear on his face. "I see Neji in her."

Takeshi Gouda opened his mouth, about to say something, when a blond boy and a girl who looked well-behaved but made his heart pound suddenly walked into the ward.

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