Chapter 642: Fate

Immediately, all of them looked at Guy. Lee asked in confusion, "What do you mean? What's wrong with Guy sensei?"

Hoka, Naruto and Sakura didn't understand either. Fujin answered, "Guy's talent was so bad that his admission to the academy was rejected initially."

The information surprised Hoka and the Genins. Lee wasn't aware of that particular information either. Even though Guy had told him that he was a failure as well, he didn't entirely believe him and felt that he was only saying so to make him feel better and motivate him.

Naruto thought, 'No way! How was someone as strong as him rejected by the academy?'

Seeing everyone staring at him, Guy displayed his trademark smile and gave a thumbs-up. He said, "That's right. I wasn't accepted initially. However, I didn't think you'd know about this, Fujin."

Fujin chuckled in response and continued, "By comparison, Orochimaru was the most talented student of his batch and perhaps his generation. He became a Genin when he was six years old and was trained by Lord Third since then.

And yet, today, I would rather have Orochimaru as my enemy than him. Even after having such a sensei, if he can't see this simple reality, then his future prospects are just hopeless no matter how talented he is."

Immediately, the eyes of everyone other than the Elite Jounins widened. Hoka looked at Guy in shock and thought, 'Is Fujin implying that Guy is stronger than Orochimaru? No, he is saying that Guy is considerably stronger than Orochimaru! Is he for real?'

Even Naruto looked at him in shock and thought, 'Wait! Fujin said that he might have not won against Orochimaru if they fought in neutral territory. And Sasuke said that Orochimaru is likely far stronger than Kakashi sensei and Zabuza. And yet, Fujin said that he would rather fight Orochimaru than Guy sensei!

Does that mean that Bushier Brows sensei is stronger than both Kakashi sensei and big brother Fujin? Holy crap! How strong is he?'

Sakura felt the same as well. She recalled the horrifying chakra emitted by both Orochimaru and Fujin and thought, 'Is Guy sensei so strong that he can defeat Orochimaru?'

Fujin continued, "Considering his upbringing, I can understand his emotions and thought process. I wouldn't have said what I did if he was still in the academy. However, since he is still stuck on those beliefs despite training under Guy for a couple of years, it shows that he has a very narrow mindset. If he doesn't change it, it will become his bane."

Hoka was surprised by Fujin's words. As he analyzed them, he couldn't help but see things from his perspective and felt that Fujin wasn't wrong. He thought, 'Even though Fujin said those words, his words could also be implied as if Neji changes his mindset in the future, then he might become very strong. So, it depends on Neji.'

Fujin's words had more impact on someone other than Hoka. Lee fell into deep thought. He had gone through the entire academy without any talent. He was then placed on the same team as Neji, who frequently talked about fate and repeatedly said that a failure will always stay a failure. Every time he lost to Neji, Tenten repeated Neji's words and said that he wouldn't be able to defeat Neji since Neji was a genius.

Of course, Lee later found his confidence due to Guy's training and the Eight Inner Gates Technique. However, those words always stayed in his mind as he hadn't defeated Neji yet because Guy didn't allow him to use the forbidden technique. He asked, "Fujin-san, what are your views about fate?"

Fujin looked at him and asked in return, "Fate? What of it?"

Lee asked, "Do you think that fate exists? If so, can we change our fate?"

Fujin thought for a bit and said, "Hmm, fate... That's rather controversial. Perhaps it does exist and everything that happens is fated. Or perhaps there's no such thing as fate and humans only blame it to avoid facing their shortcomings. I don't think anyone can say whether it exists for sure."

Fujin's answer surprised the ones around him. Lee thought, 'We blame fate to avoid facing our shortcomings? Is that what I did? Isn't that exactly what Neji is doing since he can't do anything about his bird seal?'

Renjiro thought, 'Impressive answer. People who believe in fate blame it every time something goes against them. Or they might compare themselves with someone who's born in luxury and blame their fate instead of working hard and exceeding them.'

Kakashi and Guy thought the same as well. Unlike them, Naruto didn't bother thinking so deeply and said, "If those are the two possibilities, then I will believe that fate doesn't exist!"

Lee nodded. However, to his and Naruto's surprise, Fujin chuckled and asked, "Even if it exists, what of it?"

Naruto asked, "What do you mean?"

Fujin asked again, "Even if fate exists, what would change? Why is it bad for you?"

Lee answered, "If fate exists, then wouldn't it mean that a failure will always remain a failure? No matter how much we train, we'll never be able to surpass the geniuses!"

Naruto's eyes suddenly widened and he said, "Wait a minute, I understand. Are you saying that we can just change our fate if we don't have the talent?"

Lee's eyes widened as well. He felt that Naruto's words were sensible. He said, "That's right! Even if I am fated to be weak, I will train hard and change my fate!"

Fujin chuckled again and asked, "If fate can be changed so easily, can it really be called fate?"

Fujin's question stumped everyone around him, including Kakashi and Renjiro, once again. Kakashi directly asked, "What are you implying?"

Fujin answered, "You are looking at it the wrong way. Who said that failures are destined to be failures? Why can't someone's fate be that they would start without any talent and reach the top through sheer hard work?

Look at Guy for instance. If fate exists, it would simply mean that he was fated to rise to the top through hard work despite not having any talent at the start. If it doesn't then he simply trained hard and proved everyone's opinion wrong. The same is also applicable for any others who feel like they aren't as talented as the supposed geniuses.

That's why I said that there is no reason to be worried about fate. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and quitting, just give it your all and train until you achieve your goals. Even if you're born a genius, you'll never amount to much without hard work."

Fujin's words made everyone think. Sakura thought, 'That's right! Our fates can be like that as well. After all, who said that a failure can't grow strong? We have a live example of Guy sensei in front of us!'

Kakashi analyzed Fujin's words and discovered a slight inconsistency in them. While he didn't particularly care about fate, he was interested in knowing more about Fujin. He asked, "Good answer, but what if someone is fated to be weak? Wouldn't that be unfair to them? What would be the point of them training hard if they are fated to stay weak? Should they just give up?"

Fujin answered, "Perhaps, but how would they know that they are fated to stay weak? It's not like everyone is given a fate certificate at birth to tell them what they can and cannot achieve in their life, right?"

Renjiro chuckled and said, "That's right. How would anyone know what their fate is?"

Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. And this is under the assumption that fate exists, which is again something we can't say with certainty. So, there is no point in staying stuck on it. Even if fate exists, no one knows what your fate is. Just live to your fullest extent and don't fall short on your effort so that you don't have any regrets."

Naruto, Sakura and Lee smiled confidently on hearing that. Even though the three Genins would grow to be extremely strong in the future and be famous throughout the world, all of them still had several insecurities. Fujin's words provided them with a lot of confidence. Hoka involuntarily nodded as well while Renjiro, Kakashi and Guy smiled seeing their students gaining confidence.

Fujin's eyes were still on the fight as he muttered, "Besides, there are so many more scary things in this world. For instance, no matter how much you train, what you do, how strong you get and how many goals you achieve, you'll eventually die in a few decades. Compared to the inevitability of death, fate is rather cute."

Immediately sweat appeared on Renjiro, Guy and Kakashi. They wondered, 'Is he motivating them or demotivating them?'