In the psychology department of Konoha Hospital, Senju Risa smiled as she saw that familiar face enter through the doorway. After the Shinobi World War ended, Uchiha Ken frequently visited her for psychological treatment. Over time, they had become very familiar with each other.
Uchiha Ken initially believed he could withstand others' strange looks, but it turned out to be more difficult than he imagined. Although he had proven his loyalty through his actions in the war, there were still discordant voices that couldn't be completely eradicated. At first, Uchiha Ken didn't pay much attention, but somehow, he started to care more and more about these voices, even though they were insignificant compared to the entire village. He just couldn't remain indifferent!
So, after finding Senju Risa's department in Konoha Hospital, he immediately rushed to her, asking her to help him as she had during the war, to make his mind and body feel more at ease.
Senju Risa understood Uchiha Ken's psychological pressure. Whether it was due to the mission given by Fumori Masaki or her sympathy for Uchiha Ken, she tried her best to help him relieve his mental stress.
According to Senju Risa's observations, Uchiha Ken's mental fortitude was undoubtedly very strong, but something else was influencing him. She realized it was Uchiha Ken's Mangekyo Sharingan at work. While the Mangekyo Sharingan granted immense power, its nature also affected the brain.
As an experienced medical ninja, Senju Risa understood that influencing the mind through the body was always easier than influencing the mind through the mind. For example, to erase someone's memory, a genjutsu ninja would need considerable skill, while physical methods only required destroying the part of the brain that stored memories. The former required ten times more effort than the latter.
The essence of the Mangekyo Sharingan was ocular nerves that mutated after being stimulated by special chakra. When chakra was infused, it would undergo various changes, much like chakra pathways. As part of the body's nerves, each use would affect the user's brain.
Senju Risa considered whether to tell Uchiha Ken to stop using the Sharingan. If he didn't use it, the impact on his mind would be greatly reduced. But she immediately realized that asking an Uchiha to stop using the Sharingan was almost impossible. The Sharingan was the Uchiha clan's most powerful tool.
Of course, the influence of the Sharingan wasn't absolute. Otherwise, Uchiha Madara wouldn't have chosen to reconcile with Senju Hashirama back then. The reason they later parted ways was due to problems in how they handled affairs. Perhaps the Sharingan's influence was involved, but without changes in the external environment, the negative effects of the Sharingan wouldn't have gained the upper hand.
"Good morning, Ken," Senju Risa said gently.
"Hmm." Uchiha Ken nodded, looking a bit depressed. He sat down in the chair in front of Senju Risa with practiced ease, clasped his hands in front of him, and let out a deep sigh.
"What's wrong? Did something bad happen?" Senju Risa asked.
"Just now, Lord Hokage called me in and told me something." Uchiha Ken paused for a moment, then said, "He plans to appoint me to the Twelve Guardian Ninja."
"Ah?" Senju Risa exclaimed in surprise. The Twelve Guardian Ninja was no longer a secret; high-ranking ninjas all knew about it. Those with a deep family background could understand the true meaning of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. From Uchiha Ken's expression, he seemed to understand it too.
"I originally thought that as long as I worked hard, I would gain trust, but I didn't expect even Lord Hokage to be like this," Uchiha Ken said, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Why do you say that, Ken?" Senju Risa quickly asked.
"Isn't it? Otherwise, why would he want me to be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja? I'm just an ordinary Uchiha, with no powerful background. The only thing I have is my Uchiha identity. What reason do I have to be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja?" Uchiha Ken retorted.
Indeed, from the perspective of the Twelve Guardian Ninja's purpose, Uchiha Ken shouldn't have been chosen as a member because he couldn't serve as a hostage. If he was still chosen, it could only be for other reasons, such as banishing someone disliked.
Considering Uchiha Ken's not-so-clean record, it was understandable for him to think this way. Moreover, due to his Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Ken's temperament had gradually become somewhat extreme, manifesting as an intense focus on certain matters. For Uchiha Ken, his greatest hope after the war was to live a peaceful life in Konoha Village, able to talk with Senju Risa. Such a life was already pleasant enough.
However, now Uchiha Ken was going to the Capital, meaning he wouldn't be able to return for a while and wouldn't see Senju Risa. This was what bothered him.
In her discussions with Fumori Masaki, Senju Risa understood that the Mangekyo Sharingan didn't make someone inherently evil, but rather made them extremely fixated on a particular matter, to the point of being willing to do anything. This willingness to do anything often led to bad outcomes, and that was the real reason.
Fumori Masaki said that as an Uchiha grew older and gained a deeper understanding of the world, they might gradually stabilize their mind. However, Uchiha Ken was young when he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. Without proper methods of improvement or strong stimulation, he might become increasingly extreme. He instructed Senju Risa to pay close attention.
From this, Senju Risa realized that the reason Uchiha Ken was bothered wasn't the lack of trust he mentioned; that was just an excuse. Through their psychological treatments over time, she understood that Uchiha Ken was fixated on something else, and he didn't really care much about trust.
As for what Uchiha Ken was truly fixated on, it made Senju Risa a bit embarrassed and difficult to articulate. She wasn't stupid. As Konoha Village's first generation psychological therapist, she had learned many things, even intelligence ninja techniques. Therefore, she had long since noticed Uchiha Ken's true thoughts.
Senju Risa had also discussed this matter with Fumori Masaki. Fumori Masaki, however, indicated that there was nothing to worry about. The key was how Senju Risa felt and whether she was willing to help Uchiha Ken. As for other matters, they were only somewhat unconventional, but not impossible.
Senju Risa went back and considered it repeatedly, finally deciding to remain responsible for Uchiha Ken's psychological treatment. She genuinely felt great sympathy for this young man who had experienced many hardships. Of course, it might also be that the process of psychological treatment made it difficult for her to let him go so easily.
However, Senju Risa was a bit surprised now. According to the planned course of treatment, it should have started from the aspect Uchiha Ken was fixated on, first stabilizing him, and then gradually increasing his understanding of the world, thereby alleviating the negative effects brought by the Mangekyo Sharingan.
But now, Fumori Masaki was sending Uchiha Ken away from the village to the Capital to serve as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. This made Senju Risa somewhat unable to understand, but she felt that Fumori Masaki must have his own intentions and couldn't genuinely have any negative views of Uchiha Ken, otherwise he wouldn't have entrusted her with this matter.
"I think things might not be as Ken imagines. Lord Hokage, he has never had a good impression of the Daimyo. Although he chooses people to serve as the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he must have his own reasons." Senju Risa carefully chose her words, "I heard that even Lord Hokage's daughter is going to serve as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Do you think it's because Lord Hokage dislikes his own daughter? That's impossible, right? There should be a place for Ken to shine there. Sending Ken to serve as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja is precisely a testament to his trust in Ken."
Uchiha Ken was somewhat speechless. In his conversation with Fumori Masaki, Fumori Masaki had indeed stated that he was sending Uchiha Ken because he trusted Uchiha Ken's strength. If any trouble arose during his time as a Guardian Ninja, Uchiha Ken could use his strength to protect the other villagers. Just as Senju Risa said, it was due to Fumori Masaki's trust. He had come here to complain, merely hoping to talk with Senju Risa.
Looking at Uchiha Ken's expression, Senju Risa smiled, thinking, "He's such a somewhat awkward child. It's better to give him some comfort."
"However, Ken is going to serve as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, so we probably won't be able to see each other for a long time." Senju Risa's tone carried a hint of regret. "Thinking about not seeing Ken for so long, I feel a little bit lonely."
"Risa?" Uchiha Ken's eyes widened slightly. Due to past circumstances, he directly called Senju Risa by her first name. However, now that the Senju name was almost forgotten, people's impression of Senju Risa was just the name Risa. Only some people from back then still remembered her Senju surname.
"You must take good care of yourself once you get there. If there's anything you don't understand, you can write to me. I'll do my best to help you. Although we won't be able to meet, psychological counseling can still continue. Information exchange is becoming smoother these days," Senju Risa said with a smile.
"If anything interesting happens there, you can also tell me about it. I've never been to the Capital, you know. I'm very curious about what it's like there," she said, leaning slightly towards Uchiha Ken.
"No problem!" Uchiha Ken's mood, which had been down because he was going to be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, suddenly brightened. He was very happy to have something to talk about with Senju Risa besides psychological counseling. He had been getting a headache from constantly having to find reasons to come for counseling, so if there were other things they could talk about, he would have much more freedom.
Seeing Uchiha Ken's happy expression as he left, Senju Risa suddenly felt a bit mischievous, as if she were tricking a child. Due to medical ninjutsu, she looked very young, but given her age, Uchiha Ken was indeed a child. If it were during the Warring States period, she could have been his mother.
"Ah, what should I do now? If this continues, I might get deeper and deeper. Captain Kazamori, really, giving me such a task." Senju Risa sighed softly, looking out the window, her gaze somewhat distant, as if she were thinking about something.
Meanwhile, Fumori Masaki had no idea what his former teammate was thinking. After his conversations with Uchiha Ken and Fujimura Yuuki ended, he wrote the last character on the list of Guardian Ninja to be submitted to the Daimyo, nodding slightly.
Fumori Masaki had now decided on the remaining three members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. One of them was Aburame Shibi of the Aburame clan, who was Aburame Shino's father. This person was taciturn but extremely strong, and his loyalty had always been clearly visible. Another reason for choosing him was to compensate for the other members' lack of reconnaissance ability. The Aburame clan's kikaichu were not only powerful weapons in combat but also excellent tools for reconnaissance. It was not easy to detect the tiny kikaichu gathering intelligence.
Another person was from the Hyuga clan. The Aburame clan's kikaichu could be used for auditory reconnaissance, while the Hyuga clan's Byakugan could perform visual reconnaissance, complementing Aburame Shibi. For example, the Hyuga clan could first determine the enemy's layout, and then the kikaichu could infiltrate. If the reconnaissance target had any special abilities, the kikaichu alone might be discovered.
The person the Hyuga clan put forward surprised Fumori Masaki. It was Hyuga Hizashi, Hyuga Neji's father. Originally, a branch family member's weight wasn't that significant, even if he was the main family's biological brother. However, perhaps due to Fumori Masaki's promotion of the new Shinobi Sect ideology, which deeply influenced the traditional, feudal Hyuga clan—especially its branch members—the Hyuga main family might have considered this. Although they still chose Hyuga Hiashi as the successor, they did not brand Hyuga Hizashi with the Caged Bird Seal at a young age, likely to alleviate the conflict between the main and branch families.
However, in Fumori Masaki's opinion, it was unknown how long this temporary solution could alleviate the conflict. The Hyuga clan would eventually have disputes again.
Because Hyuga Hizashi did not have the Caged Bird Seal, his Byakugan was not restricted, and to some extent, he still had the right to inherit the main family. This made Hyuga Hizashi significant enough to serve as a hostage, which is why he was chosen.
As for the last person, Fumori Masaki found it somewhat amusing. It was Mizuki, the good friend of Asuna and Akemi, and the daughter of his good friend. If calculated, Mizuki's relationship with Asuna was even closer.
Recalling the Uchiha clan's pursuit of emotions, Fumori Masaki always had a strange feeling. Upon learning that Asuna was to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Mizuki and her father Uchiha Kagami tried to persuade her without success. Mizuki then declared that she also wanted to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja. This made Fumori Masaki's feeling increasingly pronounced.
"Tsk, I don't know whether to be happy or what." Fumori Masaki thought of Asuna, Hatake Sakumo, and Mizuki, shaking his head slightly. After discussing with Uchiha Kagami, they still included Mizuki in the Twelve Guardian Ninja. With an Uchiha other than Uchiha Ken present, when Uchiha Ken entered a vortex of conflict, she should also be able to help Asuna, especially since Mizuki cared deeply about Asuna.
"Six people have been decided. Now we'll see what kind of people the Daimyo and his side will find. No matter who they are, they should all be our enemies," Fumori Masaki muttered to himself.