Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Time slipped away quietly during the war.

The Third Shinobi World War entered its most chaotic phase, with all nations facing dire situations where they were outnumbered.

Driven by a mix of interests and old and new hatreds, the ninjas were blinded by rage and none of them were willing to back down.

If we back down now, wouldn't all the loved ones and friends who died on the battlefield have died in vain?

The war was initially sparked by various conflicts and calculations of interests, and then spiraled out of control due to the hatred of the ninja community. At this point, it will not stop until all the blood is shed.

This is a vortex that will devour everything until everyone involved feels unbearable pain and begins to tire of it, at which point they will voluntarily leave.

Before we knew it, another year had passed. If we start counting from the time Konoha was founded, it should now be Konoha Year 49.

Unlike last time when they could be rotated back to rest, due to the intensity of the battle and the continuous increase in casualties, Konoha has begun to experience a shortage of troops.

Bad news: Higashino Jiro has been staying at the front lines and hasn't returned to the village for a long time. Now is the most critical moment, and the village dares not reduce the number of troops at the front.

Good news: at least he's still alive.

Although the Higashino family were still considered commoner ninjas, they had accumulated some strength over several generations. Higashino Jiro's strength was quite good, at least surpassing most Chunin elites and Special Jonin.

On April 1st, just a few days after Higashino Makoto's birthday, the Ninja Academy reopened, and he moved up to the third grade.

In the morning, after having breakfast, Higashino Makoto tidied up his ninja tool bag and went out to school.

Today wasn't a shadow clone; he usually shows up in person when school starts.

Higashino Megumi went to work at the hospital early in the morning.

During the war, hospitals were extremely busy with a surge in wounded patients. These were people who had been seriously wounded on the front lines and were sent back every so often after receiving basic treatment.

Medical conditions on the front lines are much more rudimentary, and some wounded soldiers require long-term treatment and recuperation, which is only possible in villages.

After recovering from their injuries, they will return to the battlefield. However, if a ninja has suffered physical disabilities or whose foundation has been damaged by excessive poisoning or long-term chakra drain, their only option is to retire.

That's considered good; many more people die directly on the front lines without even a chance to be rescued.

In addition, people like Higashino Megumi, who excel in medical ninjutsu, also need to combine various types of poisons encountered on the front lines to create universal antidotes and first-aid kits.

Konoha Hospital is not only a large comprehensive hospital that treats and saves lives, but also a factory that produces various medical and military supplies.

Because many medical ninjas were transferred to the battlefield, the hospital was short-staffed. Even Higashino Makoto often went there at night to help out, gaining practical experience while working overtime with his mother.

The only saving grace is that Higashino Megumi is a key member of the hospital and plays a greater role in the rear, so she has not been sent to the front lines for the time being.

But if the situation worsens, things will be hard to predict.

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Compared to when Konoha was reborn, there weren't many changes; time seemed to have temporarily stopped here.

But even as Higashino Makoto walked to the school, he could still see the enormous impact the war had had on the area.

The once bustling streets are now much quieter. Because of the war, in order to minimize opportunities for spies, Konoha has raised the level of screening for outsiders entering the village by several levels.

During the war, regular commissioned tasks were temporarily suspended, so there were not many commissioners coming over.

With a large number of ninjas being transferred to the front lines, the village's population has decreased significantly, leading to sluggish commerce and weak consumption. Many shop owners look listless when they open their doors in the morning.

As he walked, Makoto Higashino appreciated everything that was familiar to him.

There were still only three heads on the Fire Shadow Rock in the distance, but he knew that in less than two years, another young face would be added.

It's a pity that it's just a stone statue and can't show the hair color, otherwise the Hokage Rock would definitely look better than it is now, since the four Hokage have three different hair colors.

Black, white, yellow.

The black and white colors are not visible on the Hokage Rock, but they frequently appear in Higashino Makoto's eyes along the way.

Many households in the village have black and white banners hanging up.

This indicates that someone in the family has recently died; black and white are the colors used in funeral rites in this world.

Occasionally, members of the Uchiha Police Department could be seen on duty on the streets, and many villagers looked at them with some dissatisfaction.

Despite constantly boasting that the Uchiha are the strongest clan in the ninja world, they are now holed up in their village, with very few people going to the battlefield.

Unfortunately, these villagers had no idea that the higher-ups would not dare to send these warmongers to the battlefield unless absolutely necessary.

What would the village do if a clan that grows stronger with each battle were to unexpectedly produce a powerful figure like Madara?

The intercolumnar cell experiment, which was originally highly anticipated, yielded absolutely no results other than killing off a bunch of volunteers and non-volunteers.

There was one exception, but Danzo kept it a secret from him, and for the time being, no one else knew about it.

Judging by their ages, the surviving test subject was about the same age as Higashino.

Upon arriving at the school, the training ground in front of the teaching building was, as usual, crowded with people, but fewer than when Higashino Makoto enrolled.

There may be no fewer new students, but fewer parents are coming.

It's that time of year again for new students to enroll. The six-year-old kids are excited. At this moment, they feel that they are about to take the first step on their ninja journey, and a great legendary story is about to begin.

Their hearts were filled with the dream of becoming Hokage, and the cruelty of war that circulated in the streets and alleys did not frighten them at all.

This is what ninjas are like: only by experiencing the cruelty of killing will they spontaneously yearn for peace, or become mentally ill, purely enjoying the thrill of killing.

Standing in the classroom on the second floor, Dongye looked at the lively scene of the new students downstairs, just like when he himself entered school a few years ago.

Now, he is in his third year, making him a senior to the students two years ahead of him.

"Hey, big brother, it's so lively here, just like when we started school."

The speaker was Uzuki Yugao. She was now 8 years old, just like Higashino Makoto, but she was only 8 years old according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and would officially turn 11 years old after her birthday in November.

Compared to her previous chubby little face, she has grown much taller and is now graceful and elegant, showing the beginnings of a sharp and beautiful aura, after all, she is a swordswoman.

She has long, flowing purple hair and is very pretty. However, she is only 8 years old and still a little girl, but her thinking is much more mature than before.

Higashino Makoto smiled and looked at her, saying, "It's good to be lively. The war has made the village too deserted. It's rare to see such a cheerful scene."

"War, huh?" Uzuki Yugao said after a few seconds of silence. "I hope these juniors can avoid it, ah, no, it would be best if we didn't have to go either."

"That might be a bit difficult. Hayate is graduating today, isn't he?"

"Yes, the graduation exam will be held in the morning. Let me think, it should start around 9 o'clock."

Just as I had guessed when I enrolled, the school reduced the duration of general academic courses and increased the time spent on training courses, with improving students' combat effectiveness as the primary requirement.

Now, due to the casualties of the war, Konoha has begun to feel the shortage of manpower and urgently needs to replenish its fighting strength. Allowing the Ninja Academy students to graduate early is a last resort.

Starting from fourth grade, teachers will encourage students to graduate unless their grades are really bad.

The six-year education system has actually become a four-year system, which started several years ago. Kakashi graduating at the age of 5 is an exception, but most of his classmates, such as Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, Obito, and Rin, graduated at the age of 9.

It will also be recommended in the second and third grades, but it is not mandatory, giving students more choice.

But kids will be kids; when they hear about an opportunity to graduate early, no one will miss it.

Higashino was an exception; he refused Inoue Kuroiwa's recommendation, and at his request, Uzuki Yugao did not apply for early graduation.

But Uchiha Shisui is a different story, because he hasn't appeared in the class yet.

Not only him, but several other classmates also failed to show up.