In truth, Lisa could also sense Ken Uchiha's intentions. She was an experienced ninja, and no matter how mature a young ninja seemed, unless they had undergone professional training from the Anbu, it wouldn't be easy to deceive her.
Moreover, in her years of practicing psychotherapy, Lisa had encountered people who developed feelings of affection for her due to the treatment. However, she understood that this was a result of opening up to the other person during the psychological treatment process, and to some extent, it could be considered a temporary illusion.
Initially, the young Lisa, not understanding this principle, had also intended to find someone to be with, but it only led to disappointment. Over time, she gradually came to understand this point, and as a result, she remains single to this day.
Among the many ninjas with psychological problems, the Uchiha clan members were undoubtedly the most severe due to their bloodline limit. When she took on Ken Uchiha, Lisa could already sense that this situation might arise because Ken Uchiha was still just a teenager, an age when people are often curious about mature women.
Even if Ken Uchiha wasn't someone who focused heavily on appearance, it was very normal for someone with a considerably severe psychological problem to develop a certain emotional dependence on a female psychotherapist. In response, Lisa maintained the appropriate boundaries with him, just as she had done in the past, because it was merely a temporary psychological dependence. Given time, the other person would gradually overcome it, and she believed Ken Uchiha would be no different.
However, Lisa might have underestimated the Uchiha clan's pursuit of emotions. Their bloodline limit was born from emotions so intense they seemed to destroy themselves.
Due to wartime necessity, Ken Uchiha was to be secretly transferred to the surprise attack unit. This was classified information, unknown to ordinary people, but Lisa was different. She had been a teammate in Masateru Kazemori's squad back then and was now his confidante, so she naturally knew some things.
The day before Ken Uchiha's departure, after their daily conversation, Lisa took a ninja pouch from a nearby drawer and handed it to Ken Uchiha, saying, "Ken, you're leaving soon, aren't you? I can't help you much on the battlefield. As a medical ninja, this is all I can give you."
Ken Uchiha took the ninja pouch and glanced inside, finding it filled with various medicines, all of which looked to be of very high quality—he didn't know these were some of the more advanced medicines even in the Medical Department—this was indeed the best gift a medical ninja could offer.
"Thank you, Lisa." Ken Uchiha smiled, putting the items away. "To be honest, I really don't want to leave. These days meeting with you have been some of the rare happy times in my youth."
"There will definitely be more in the future. There are probably people like that around you already; you just haven't noticed them before," Lisa said with a smile.
Ken Uchiha fell silent for a moment, thinking of his two teammates, especially that guy, Yuki Fujimura, then said, "Perhaps."
"See you later," Lisa said, looking at Ken Uchiha and offering him her sincere blessings, which meant she hoped he would survive on the battlefield.
"Thank you," Ken Uchiha nodded at Lisa. Although he wanted to stay a bit longer, he still had some things to do before leaving, so he had to stand up and bid farewell.
Watching Ken Uchiha leave, Lisa leaned back gently, exhaling. Thinking that Ken Uchiha would be leaving here tomorrow to go to the front lines, she suddenly felt a little lonely in her heart. After all, these days had indeed been very pleasant.
Lisa had invested a great deal of energy into Ken Uchiha's psychological issues. It could be said that Ken Uchiha was the most troublesome patient she had encountered in years, not only because he had common psychological problems but also the mental influence brought by the Mangekyo Sharingan, something no one else had.
Lisa deeply understood everything about Ken Uchiha.
She was also very sympathetic to his past. After the Warring States period, it was rare for children in Konoha Village to lose both parents, let alone be exploited by a trusted adoptive father.
Lisa cared deeply for Ken Uchiha, dedicating herself to helping him emerge from the shadows of his past. It seemed she might have overdone it a bit, and out of a woman's maternal instinct, she had even grown fond of this young man.
—Can psychological dependence also be mutual?
Lisa quietly took a sip of tea, slowly exhaling, and thought: "It seems there is still so much to research in the field of psychotherapy. However, with time, things should gradually improve, and that child will find someone truly suitable for him."
Meanwhile, back in his room, Ken Uchiha continued to pack his belongings, carefully putting away the medical kit Lisa had given him. He swore deep down that he must survive the upcoming war so that he could meet Lisa again in the future. No matter what kind of enemy, he would eliminate them!
With this thought, Ken Uchiha's Sharingan involuntarily appeared, the intricate pattern of the Mangekyo in his pupils. He had gradually adapted to these brand-new eyes, and he understood how to use the dōjutsu abilities each eye possessed.
It must be said, the Mangekyo Sharingan truly lived up to its legendary status as the pinnacle of the Sharingan. Ken Uchiha could feel his strength once again entering a phase of rapid improvement. His chakra and physical attributes had both increased, but the greatest change, of course, came from the Sharingan.
Once everything was packed, Ken Uchiha went to bed to rest. Before long, he slowly drifted off to sleep. His sleep quality had also improved; in the beginning, he couldn't sleep well every night.
The next day, Ken Uchiha suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. He saw a person wearing a mask and a purple tight-fitting uniform standing beside him, exuding a chilling aura—an aura that came from years of operating in the field. This person was an Anbu member.
"Chunin Ken Uchiha, I'm here to take you to standby," the Anbu said quietly, his tone flat, neither overly enthusiastic nor overly cold.
Ken Uchiha had previously been informed that he was going to a new unit, so he wasn't too surprised. The fact that the Anbu had to escort him indicated the importance of this mission.
Ken Uchiha nodded, flipped himself off the bed, picked up the luggage he had packed yesterday, and said to the Anbu member, "Alright, let's go."
Thus, the Anbu member quietly led Ken Uchiha away from there, heading towards the location of the surprise attack unit. To ensure the surprise attack unit remained unknown to ordinary people, the transfer and placement of each member were strictly selected, the more secret, the better.
Because high-ranking officials like Kagami Uchiha had already decided that the transfer of the surprise attack unit would be conducted via Katsuyu, it didn't matter even if they went deep into the mountains and old forests. As long as one Katsuyu remained there, rapid transfers could be made.
Therefore, Tsunade specifically summoned a small Katsuyu and had an Anbu member take it to the surprise attack unit. Katsuyu were split bodies of the Katsuyu Sage, sharing a common consciousness. As long as one was present, the other split-body Katsuyu would sense it. If it weren't for the difficulty of widespread implementation—maintaining a single summoning contract was feasible, but with a large increase in numbers, Tsunade couldn't maintain it for long—it would be the unique wireless communication of the ninja world.
The two entered a complex valley in the Land of Rivers, passing through winding paths until they reached a narrow mountain pass. Nearby was a cave where the members of the surprise attack unit were gathered.
The moment Ken Uchiha appeared, everyone else's gaze focused on him. As the adopted son of Setsuna Uchiha, he had been a focal point of attention after the village betrayal incident. Those who fell from power due to the Setsuna Uchiha incident would undoubtedly dislike him. However, those individuals were either executed or suspended, so they wouldn't be present here.
Most of the people assigned to the surprise attack unit were Konoha ninjas transferred under the guise of a purge. They understood the purpose of being treated this way from the start and knew they weren't directly implicated, so they didn't harbor much hatred towards Ken Uchiha. At most, there was a sense of strangeness due to Ken Uchiha's identity. Those who had been implicated had also largely undergone psychological treatment, and even if they felt some aversion towards Ken Uchiha, they wouldn't show it.
Immediately after, the Anbu explained the mission they were to undertake to everyone. Their primary role was to break the stalemate when the battle between Konoha and Sand ninjas reached a deadlock. In terms of the mission's significance, there was nothing particularly special; the only thing to note was the timing.
The surprise attack unit had to appear when the Sand ninjas' mobilization capabilities reached their limit. Otherwise, the Sand ninjas might have time to adjust themselves, thereby changing their resilience, which could prevent the surprise attack unit from achieving its intended goal. However, this was the responsibility of the person in charge of summoning on the main battlefield and had little to do with the surprise attack unit.
Ken Uchiha walked to the side and sat down against the wall. For the rest of the time, he would quietly wait for the war to break out.
The war with the Sand ninjas had been going on for almost two years. For the Sand Hidden Village, it was almost reaching its breaking point; now was the time to go all in.
In mid-July, the Sand ninja forces launched a large-scale counterattack. Based on carefully collected intelligence and a meticulous plan, the main Sand ninja forces poured into the Land of Rivers, attacking target cities. The Konoha ninja forces, due to the "great purge," experienced problems with team coordination and retreated steadily in the face of the enemy's fierce offensive.
In less than a week, the Sand ninja forces actually captured several cities that they had previously been unable to take, which even surprised the Sand ninjas themselves. They hadn't expected it to go so smoothly, and the passive resistance shown by the other side further fueled the Sand ninjas' enthusiasm.
At the war council, Chiyo excitedly declared this to be the dawn for the Sand Hidden Village since the war began, stating that the Konoha ninja forces were on their last legs and it was time for their counterattack. She believed this was the beginning of the Sand Hidden Village breaking the stalemate and that they might even achieve their pre-war objectives.
Under Chiyo's encouragement, the morale of the entire Sand ninja force was exceptionally high, and they fought with extraordinary bravery. The conflicts within the unit were temporarily forgotten in the joy of victory.
Facing such a high-spirited enemy, the Konoha ninja forces chose not to engage in a head-on battle but instead retreated step by step, giving up some less important cities one by one. Of course, from the Sand ninjas' perspective, this was their strength forcing the enemy to abandon them.
Looking at the enemy's marching routes on the battle map, Kagami Uchiha glanced at the people around him and said, "The enemy has taken the bait. Success or failure depends on this single move."
Konoha ninjas deliberately chose to retreat to further mislead the enemy with victories and defeats, making their psychological state even more unbalanced. In Kagami Uchiha's plan, it didn't matter if the situation became a stalemate or even slightly unfavorable; the key was to keep the Sand ninjas' string tightly stretched, so that the surprise attack unit's operation would be valuable and more likely to trigger a chain reaction like an avalanche.
The detailed plan was known only to Kagami Uchiha himself and those at or above the squad leader rank, while everyone else was completely unaware. In the war council at the entire camp, others expressed confusion and opposition to such a retreat, believing these losses were completely unnecessary, but their opinions were suppressed.
Even though he faced misunderstanding from others, Kagami Uchiha had no intention of giving up. Having come this far, how could he abandon it due to a moment of weakness?
Kagami Uchiha also felt some heartache over these losses, especially the casualties. He didn't want this either, but if he didn't proceed this way, the losses incurred by a prolonged war might be even greater. As a commander, he had to choose the method that maximized benefits, and sometimes that meant appearing very ruthless; necessary losses were essential.
Perhaps the people at the lower levels couldn't understand such measures, but Kagami Uchiha had no good way to explain it. He had only one choice: for these ninjas who died in battle, Kagami Uchiha would remember them well, and in the village, he would secure the best compensation and honor for their families. This was the only compensation he could offer.
Precisely because of such sacrifices, Kagami Uchiha could not back down. This war against the Sand Hidden Village had to be decided with a clear victor.
Kagami Uchiha instructed the squad leaders to calm the emotions of their troops, telling them that this was preparation for ultimate victory, but still did not reveal the existence of the surprise attack unit. Now was a critical moment; if a moment of relaxation caused the enemy to see through their strategy, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain.
Kagami Uchiha stared intently at the map, muttering softly, "Come on, jump in quickly. Let's end this war and free everyone."