Naruto: From Novice to Grave

The Third Shinobi World War spiraled out of control amidst chaos, with infighting escalating into mutual slaughter. As the bloodshed subsided, the situation gradually became clearer, only to be disrupted by others.

In the midst of the carnage, some broke down and defected, some upheld their ideals, some were seriously injured and retired, and some even became heroes—heroes both alive and dead.

On the front lines of the Land of Grass, Iwagakure is showing signs of defeat under the attacks of Konoha and Kumogakure.

However, Konoha also suffered heavy casualties, and as a last resort, some of the freshmen who graduated a few years ago rushed to the battlefield with the passion of their youth.

Whether in the world of ordinary people in my past life or in this extraordinary world with chakra, war is all about resources and what matters most is one's foundation.

Ninjas are not gods; their chakra comes from their bodies. Soldier pills are just emergency supplies and cannot be eaten as food. If ninjas want to sustain themselves in battle, they need to eat well, and their appetite far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Food, shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags are the most consumed basic supplies, which are continuously sent to the battlefield from the rear of various ninja villages.

During transportation, we must also prevent enemy attacks that could cause losses. When stockpiling, we must be even more vigilant. If we were to be wiped out in one fell swoop, it would be a fatal blow to our side.

A sealing scroll? It's not that magical. That thing can't hold too much stuff, because sealing a large amount of resources requires an extremely high level of spiritual talent.

Summoning Jutsu is a type of space-time ninjutsu. Many people possess the aptitude for it, but those who reach extremely high levels are incredibly rare. Not everyone can seal tons of things with a single card like Tenten or the little girl Hydrangea.

What if we don't have enough supplies? Then we'll rob small countries, because at times like these, no one cares about their lives.

But the war had been going on for several years, and countless citizens and ninjas of the small country had died or been injured, so there was no more profit to be made from it.

In July, Konoha gained the upper hand thanks to its intelligence advantage. Minato Namikaze, the most outstanding Jonin who had been active on both the Iwagakure and Kumogakure fronts since the Third Shinobi World War, led his elite squad to successfully infiltrate behind Iwagakure's lines and blow up all their supplies.

Then, together with his students, they blew up the Kannabi Bridge, a crucial node in the Iwagakure supply line. This bridge was built over a deep ravine; if it were destroyed, people might be able to find a way to cross, but supplies would be in serious trouble.

On his way back, he also swept away a large number of Iwa ninja who were blocking the Konoha ninja.

Once the reinforcements surrounded them, the nearly two thousand Iwagakure ninja troops and wounded soldiers who were still between Kannabi Bridge and the front line became sitting ducks.

What could Onoki do? Could he just watch his men die?

Iwagakure follows a strategy of massing its troops, boasting the largest number of ninja among the Five Great Nations. Consequently, its casualty rate is also the highest. In the early stages, 10,000 ninja were easily defeated by the Third Raikage, A, resulting in a significant loss of many without any success in eliminating the enemy – who ultimately died from exhaustion.

Now, their forces have been reduced to a dangerous level, so Onoki has no choice but to make peace with Konoha in exchange for the lives of those people.

Because they also have to deal with Sunagakure and Kumogakure.

Following the surrender of Sunagakure, Konoha has once again defeated an opponent.

All the Konoha ninja who died or were wounded in this battle were heroes, but a few stood out in particular.

The greatest contributor was Minato Namikaze, a living hero. His strength has become a consensus in the ninja world, and he has become a new object of worship for the younger generation in the village, as well as a reliable partner for all the ninjas on the front lines.

Minato Namikaze initially defeated the future AB combination of Kumogakure, and later almost single-handedly forced Iwagakure to sue for peace. He was just like a hero described in a storybook.

The Konoha squad that held back Iwagakure's advance at the front lines was almost wiped out, with only Mimura and three others remaining. They carried on the legacy of their comrades and became heroes, living on.

This battle gave birth to two Sharingan heroes, who were instrumental in assisting their teacher, Minato Namikaze, in destroying the Kannabi Bridge.

Kakashi Hatake, alive.

Obito Uchiha, is he dead...? If he is, then in the eyes of the people of Konoha, he is dead, which has greatly improved the image of the Uchiha clan.

Not only that, but before he died, he gave his right eye as a gift to Kakashi, allowing this young genius, whose personality had changed drastically due to his father's suicide and ideological conflicts, to understand the meaning of comrades.

Fortunately, there are no fully-fledged gods in the ninja world, otherwise this Aunt Chen with her hair standing on end would definitely have come out and destroyed the light that had just risen in Kakashi's heart:

"Child, this is how the ninja world is. You have only received a ray of sunshine temporarily, but soon you will continue to lose your teammates, your teacher, and your teacher's wife. In the end, you will have nothing but an empty heart."

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Despite the enormous sacrifices, the powerful Konoha once again defeated an opponent of similar size, causing the intensity of the Third Shinobi World War to begin to decline.

This gave people hope. The villagers and ninjas in Konoha had reason to believe that this war, which was far more brutal than the previous two wars, was coming to an end, and that Konoha would ultimately achieve final victory, just as history had.

The only ones who were dissatisfied with this were probably the Uchiha clan.

I haven't gotten on the bus yet.jpg

Even Higashino Megumi expressed optimism about the future situation. Moreover, for the Higashino family, this was not the only piece of good news.

Higashino Jiro is still alive. Although he has many scars on his body, he is still fighting on the front line with great vigor.

He and Uzuki Yuwa both belong to the mobile patrol force, responsible for operating on the flanks of the main force, tracking down and eliminating any Iwagakure ninja who attempt to storm into the Land of Fire.

Later, as reinforcements, together with many comrades who had gathered, they captured the remaining troops of Iwagakure on the front lines.

If they were in Mimura Yomaki's defensive force, their bodies would probably be cold by now, since only four men remained in that unit.

If Minato Namikaze hadn't arrived in time to save the day, this entire force would have been wiped out.

This is a small piece of advice from Higashino Makoto. In order not to become the only man in the Higashino family, he used his precognitive abilities to give his father a little analysis in the past.

As a mobile force, the ninjas' exceptional speed allows them to retreat even if they can't win, and they can try to relay intelligence back to headquarters. Unlike defensive forces, which face the overwhelming force of the enemy and the responsibility of protecting the homeland, they have no chance to retreat.

This might be a bit unfair to those Konoha ninjas who died, but people are all selfish. Higashino can't really influence the overall situation, but he can slightly influence the choices of a certain relative.

Furthermore, the mobile unit is also a dangerous position, because they are facing the same elite assault teams of Iwagakure, including the famous Iwagakure demolition squad led by Kari. Their lives depend on their strength.

Fortunately, Higashino Jiro not only survived, but also received a promotion along with Uzuki Yuwa.

The frontline suffered heavy casualties, and both men were promoted to full-fledged Jonin due to their battle achievements and strength, receiving recommendations from many elite Jonin, including Minato Namikaze.

Essentially, this was a way of cultivating his own capable subordinates. Because of his status as a master and wife, coupled with his great contributions in this war, Minato Namikaze had become a hot candidate for the next Hokage.

As for the other three candidates?

Tsunade, who frequented casinos, went missing. Jiraiya, having no interest in the Hokage position, wholeheartedly recommended Orochimaru, the most likely candidate. Orochimaru was the commander of Konoha's first victory in the three wars, but because his methods did not conform to the Will of Fire, his teacher, the Third Hokage, deliberately downplayed his role in the story.

At this moment, Snake is completely absorbed in his experiments.

Aside from his resentful and loyal subordinates, perhaps only Danzo harbored ulterior motives and was fully committed to supporting the cause.

The Higashino family home, night.

Keigo Higashino held the letter in her hand, her eyes revealing an undisguised sense of relief.

"Thanks to the Sage of Six Paths, it seems this war may be coming to an end soon. Your father is still alive and well. Most importantly, I don't have to worry about your generation being dragged into the war."

"Mom, you're having too high expectations of reality."

"You brat, can't you say something nice to keep Mommy happy?"

"Alright, I hope Mom's wish comes true, but Mrs. Higashino, have you forgotten that there is a great country in this world called the Land of Water, and among the Five Great Ninja Villages there is the Hidden Mist Village? Those lunatics are not just spectators who will stand by and watch the show."

Higashino Megumi: "..."