Naruto: From Novice to Grave

After the dinner, everyone walked along the streets of Konoha.

Uzuki Yugao patted her slightly full belly: "Oh, I'm so full. If there were no war, I wish I could eat meat like this every day."

"Hey, real brother, how can we make the war end? If it were you, you would definitely have a way."

Over the years, Higashino Makoto has generally been the quietest person, but if anyone has a question, they always like to ask him.

Because they could always provide answers that people could accept, they naturally became the core of the group of four.

Actually, Higashino felt quite ashamed to be the leader of a bunch of kids, but luckily none of them were childish, and he did need friends his own age to put his parents at ease.

He can be precocious, intelligent, and self-disciplined, but he cannot be abnormal, withdrawn, or become a problem child.

Normally, Hayate Gekko and Shisui Uchiha are alright; at least their questions are quite ordinary. It's only this little loli, Yugao Uzuki, who always asks some strange questions.

However, because we are currently in a period of war, this question has just touched on everyone's curiosity and has also attracted the attention of the other two, including Hayate's classmate Tsubaki.

No one likes war, but ironically, everyone in the ninja world believes that ninjas are born for war.

Higashino Makoto smiled and looked at Uzuki Yugao, asking in return, "This world has day and night, men and women, just as there is war and there is peace."

So guess what would happen if the world only had daytime, and only men?

The three of them seemed to be deep in thought. Uzuki Yugao, possessing an external brain, didn't want to waste her brain cells and directly asked, "What will happen?"

"During the daytime, the world will be continuously heated by the sun until it melts, and all life will become extinct; only men will be slightly better off, except that humans will be unable to reproduce and will become extinct, but other creatures will still be able to live well, do you understand?"

"Although I don't quite understand, it feels like you're saying that war will never disappear, right, brother?"

"More or less. This isn't something you should be thinking about right now. Go back and focus on your cultivation."

"Oh, I see!"

"Good to know. Let's go to school."

Higashino Shin stopped the conversation. Gekko Hayate and the other two didn't think much of it, but Uchiha Shisui, with his charmingly large eyes, seemed to have even more questions he didn't understand.

There are no classes in the afternoon, but there is a graduation celebration ceremony, which Higashino and the others can attend as a way to get familiar with the atmosphere beforehand.

----------

The ceremony hadn't started yet, but the multi-classroom was already quite full.

Uchiha Shisui was still caught up in the previous conversation, trying to think more deeply, but ultimately couldn't come up with a solution.

"Seriously, could we find a quiet place to talk?"

Seeing that this guy was clearly getting stuck on something again, Higashino Makoto didn't refuse: "Okay."

For ninjas, whether the school rooftop is locked or not is meaningless, because they can scale walls and leap across rooftops.

The rooftop was very quiet, seemingly in a different world from the noisy classrooms downstairs.

Uchiha Shisui thought for a moment before voicing his question: "Shin, I know you're stronger than me, so why did you refuse to graduate early?"

Higashino first sensed that no one was eavesdropping, and then replied, "There's no reason. I just want to train for a little longer. And don't forget, we're only 8 years old."

"But this is wartime, and our comrades are dying on the battlefield every day. The number of ninjas in the village has dropped drastically. Isn't this the time when we need to join in?"

"Then what's the point of graduating seven- or eight-year-olds? They still need to train for a considerable period of time. Are we just going to send them straight to the front lines? What's the difference between that and killing them outright?"

Shisui frowned deeply: "But what you're saying doesn't align with the Will of Fire, does it? Is this your understanding of the Will of Fire?"

"Then let me ask you, what is the core of the Will of Fire?"

Shisui blurted out, "Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."

"You've memorized it well, Shisui-kun. Yes, the core of the Will of Fire is protection and sacrifice. But let me ask you again, will you wither and fall, turning to the ground and becoming mud to nourish the tree, or will you be a new, tender leaf?"

"I am...I am...Shin, you mean, my understanding of the Will of Fire is wrong? Even...Konoha, which made us graduate early, is wrong? The Hokage is wrong too?"

Uchiha Shisui was extremely surprised, his heart churning with emotion. He had never imagined that his friend's interpretation of the Will of Fire would be so extraordinary.

But it seems that what he said is not wrong. However, he has never interpreted it from this perspective. He has always believed that the Will of Fire is about sacrifice and dedication, but he has never considered his own age.

Thinking about it today, he was just a tender leaf that had just sprouted from a big tree, and it wasn't his turn to burn.

After all, Konoha hadn't been attacked and was facing a life-or-death situation.

For a time, the new interpretation clashed sharply with the theories that had been accepted over the years, leaving his mind buzzing.

Looking at the Hokage Rock not far away, Higashino Makoto slowly said, "I didn't say that. Don't label me. The Will of Fire is not anyone's will, but the will of all Konoha people. Everyone has the right to interpret it, regardless of right or wrong."

"Impossible. There must be right and wrong, there must be, right?"

"If you insist on this, then fine, brother, yes, the strongest is right. So, Shisui, if you're not strong enough, then focus on your training and don't think about these things, or you'll end up in a dead end."

"No, we cannot use strength as the standard for right and wrong; that is a wrong path."

"Then let me continue. Even if your will is correct, and universally acknowledged, but someone more powerful kills you, does your will still have any meaning?"

Shisui exclaimed urgently, "How could there not be? More people will agree, won't they?"

"Yes, as long as the idea is correct, there will naturally be people who agree with it, but their voices are too weak and they need a megaphone. And the powerful force is that megaphone."

"But, really, wouldn't that just mean whoever is the strongest will dominate everything? Then what's the point of having the Will of Fire?"

Higashino sighed: "In essence, your understanding is not wrong, because this is the ninja world. However, power alone without the guidance of the right ideology is chaos, and the right ideology alone without the support of power is empty talk."

The correct principles are the guiding principles of our ninja way, while powerful strength is the guarantee that these principles will not be arbitrarily distorted.

"Is that so? So that's what you meant? That seems to make sense."

Higashino Masami Shisui finally understood a little and was about to invite him downstairs when he suddenly felt a cold chakra gathering towards his eyes.

His perception is so sharp, it can't be wrong, but this is a bit outrageous.

Higashino stared intently into Shisui's eyes, only to see Shisui's original brown-black pupils rapidly turn red and slowly rotate, after which two black tomoe appeared on them.

He actually activated his Sharingan on the spot, immediately creating a two-tomoe Sharingan.

Good news: Shisui graduated early and is unlikely to team up with me, which means I don't have to become the material for him to open his eyes.

Bad news: I did open that eye for him, through conversation.

I hope I don't become the Uchiha clan's personal psychological counselor or professional eye-opener in the future.

Shisui sensed something was wrong too. He looked up and saw Higashino Makoto staring at him with curiosity. Somewhat bewildered, he asked, "What's wrong, Makoto? Is there something wrong with me?"

"This is a big problem. Congratulations on gaining considerable power. You are truly an enviable clan."

After speaking, Higashino Shin raised his hand and released chakra, condensing a smooth water curtain like a mirror. This technique was very simple for him. This was the result of his chakra control training entering the second stage, combined with his water attribute training.

Shisui looked at himself in the mirror, somewhat incredulous: "Is this me? Have I awakened the Sharingan? But didn't my clan elders say we had to lose...?"

"Don't you understand, Zhishui? Are the things those you consider authoritative people say necessarily correct? This world is complex, and we need to gradually understand and experience it as we grow up. Don't rush to get answers when you're young, because they are often incomplete or even wrong, or they might be traps set by others to make you fall into."

Shisui nodded, smiling with a sense of relief: "I understand, thank you, Zhen, you really are a good friend."

Higashino leaned back slightly. Shisui's tone was sincere, but when paired with his eerie red Sharingan, the whole feeling changed.

At this moment, he began to understand the feelings of that old devil, Tobirama Senju.

That inherently evil Uchiha brat, I'll personally...

Seeing that Shisui seemed to have many questions he wanted answered, Higashino Makoto quickly stopped him, saying, "We can talk about it later. The ceremony is about to begin. Let's go downstairs."

Just explaining the Will of Fire has already given you two tomoe. If you keep talking, you'll probably take off like a rocket! You might just open your kaleidoscope right there and then.