Naruto: From Novice to Grave

When the brothers Yuta and Yuto saw their captain again, they did not angrily confront him, but instead fell into deep confusion and became extremely depressed.

This was yet another heavy blow to their unsuccessful ninja career.

Not only that, but since the captain is a spy, they will also be implicated. They will inevitably be summoned by the Anbu (Anbu's secret police), and they may even lose their ninja status altogether.

On the contrary, Higashino Makoto felt that it might be a good thing for them. In his opinion, the two brothers were really not suited to be ninjas. Whatever they did in the future would be better than being ninjas.

The ninja world places great emphasis on intellect and physical talent, and a strong bloodline can bring these talents to their fullest potential, but the two brothers clearly had neither.

They're almost adults, but their chakra reserves are pitifully low. They can only use the basic Three Body Technique and throw shuriken. Even 9-year-old Uzuki Yugao could take on ten of these "seniors" by herself.

The two brothers realized that perhaps it was time to face a choice. The dream they had shouted when they were in school to become Hokage when they grew up had ultimately been defeated by the cruel reality.

In their eyes, Captain Law, who was quite capable, was tied up by a recent graduate and left lying on the roadside. Meanwhile, when the explosive tags in the cave exploded, Higashino Makoto easily used ninjutsu they couldn't understand to lead them all the way out.

Just like Kiba Inuzuka in the later Konoha 12, no matter how much he disliked Naruto Uzumaki, he had to face the gap between them. He didn't have the Uzumaki physique, the Nine-Tails' cheat, the Sannin's master, the identity of Ashura's chakra reincarnation, or the Sage of Six Paths' access.

He started with only one dog, and he ended with only one dog.

After a while, Gekko Yunjian finally appeared, and not only that, but he was also followed by two ninjas wearing animal masks.

This was the Anbu. They nodded to Higashino and the other two, acknowledging the contributions of this rookie team, and then took Ritsu away, bringing Yuta and Yuto back to Konoha.

Getting involved with spies, whether you know it or not, will definitely require going through the proper procedures with the secret service.

"Excellent, I'm very satisfied with your response!" Moonlight Cloud gave his students a thumbs up.

Higashino Makoto just smiled slightly, while Gekko Hayate was somewhat excited; he had finally gained his father's approval.

Uzuki Yugao deliberately put on an angry face: "Teacher, is this really your purpose? Accompanying us on the D-rank mission was just a side thing?"

"Oh, Xiyan seems unhappy. But I'm sorry, you've got it backwards. Your growth is what's truly important. As for today's events, it was an accident, just an accident."

"So what exactly happened?"

After thinking for a moment, Moonlight Cloud explained, "Well, a while ago, the Anbu caught a high-ranking spy from Iwagakure in the village, but that guy committed suicide beforehand. His brain was damaged, so he couldn't read any information, which cut off the clues of his spy network."

Many people have had contact with him, including the Law Squad, but it's wartime now, and the Dark Division doesn't have enough manpower to investigate. Besides, it's not appropriate to make too much of a commotion.

The ANBU knew I was leading a squad of genin, so they asked me to investigate any suspicious individuals I encountered. As you all saw, Ritsu was indeed suspicious.

"Aren't you afraid we might be in danger?"

"If even that kind of guy can take you down, then that means your journey ends here." Tsukikage Unmi looked at Uzuki Yugao seriously: "What do you think a ninja is? A ninja must always maintain a sharp intuition, able to detect and be vigilant about anything that seems amiss."

"Okay, would you say we've done a good job this time?"

"Of course it counts, this is a standard B-level mission."

"Great!" Uzuki Yugao excitedly waved her little fist. Now, she had a mid-to-high-level mission record on her genin resume that she could show off.

"Alright, Xiyan, our teacher has actually been secretly protecting us all along."

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Really, your perception is really useful. But don't get too cocky. I can't be by your side forever. Grow up quickly and become someone your companions can rely on, and more importantly, someone you can rely on yourself."

Moonlight Gale asked, "Teacher, shall we continue with today's task?"

"Of course you should. You should finish what you start. Cherish the time you have to do D-rank missions. This is the last day we agreed on. If you want to do D-rank missions again, you may have to wait until you grow up and become Jonin leading your own teams."

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After the mission was completed, the third shift was given two days of rest.

Two days later, they will officially leave the village to carry out their mission and face new challenges.

This can be considered Konoha's last act of kindness. Even if they lack sufficient troops and have to send children to the battlefield, they must at least give them a period of adjustment, whether long or short.

In this respect, each village has its own approach, which are basically similar. Only Kirigakure is the most unique. Their ninjas gain enough killing experience from their comrades before going out.

Since those with poor talent are just experience packs anyway, it's better to let our own people do the grinding first.

Therefore, Kirigakure is also known as the Village of Three Abundances: Abundant Madmen, Abundant Perverts, and Abundant Rogue Ninjas.

During his two-day holiday, Higashino enjoyed a rare moment of leisure. Apart from his daily training, he spent his days either admiring the scenery of Konoha from the Hokage Rock or basking in the warm spring sun by the river.

Besides self-cultivation, life also includes enjoying leisurely moments; only in this way can one truly feel the joy of being alive.

This is especially important for someone who has died once.

Training is to ensure one's continued survival, while becoming a ninja is to live a more exciting and thrilling life; these are not contradictory.

After all, he wasn't like those transmigrated predecessors who were either born into the Uchiha clan and constantly worried about not being strong enough, or who were stabbed to death by Itachi on the night of the clan's massacre.

If he hadn't been born into the Hyuga branch family, he would have spent his days struggling with the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead.

Or they're orphans, afraid of standing out too much and ending up on Danzo's blacklist, leading to a classic "you regret it, I'm the Hokage" dialogue in the Hokage's office.

He would never create trouble for himself in order to change the so-called ninja world or anyone's fate.

Having been in the ninja world for nine years, the only thing he has changed is probably the three people he grew up with. Uchiha Shisui awakened his Sharingan because of him. As for the future, we'll see.

Moonlight Gale? That certainly wouldn't let him die young.

Finally, Higashino Makoto had subtly inquired with his parents and confirmed that he did not have the blood of the Senju and was a commoner who was as pure as could be, so he did not have to struggle to restore the glory of the Senju.

Without the advantage of natural energy, his limit in this life would be just an ordinary Jonin, like Higashino Jiro, who would be nothing more than a roadside figure when facing the god-like figures of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

If that's the case, then he should be on the path of using the Eight Gates to kill his life, or he should be risking contact with Orochimaru to see if he can change his fate through scientific research.

To be honest, neither of these paths is favorable to him. The Eight Gates Formation has a high ceiling, but there is only one chance to unleash its full potential.

As for scientific research, he is very self-aware that he is not cut out for it. Besides mastering a solid theoretical foundation, the most important thing for doing research is that spark of creativity.

There's a saying that goes something like this: genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

He has 99% perspiration, but 1% talent is a bit of a stretch for him.

So his current success is entirely due to some kind of cheat code, and there's nothing to be ashamed of. In this world, cheat codes are the key to a future.

In terms of current strength, the development of his own attack and defense methods has come to a temporary end, including medical ninjutsu and the second stage of chakra training, all of which have reached the limit of this body.

The flow of chakra toward the yin and yang poles almost completely stopped.

This was no longer a matter of his effort; rather, his instincts told him that forcing himself to continue might be dangerous.

Kurama Yakumo and Uchiha Itachi possessed unparalleled genjutsu abilities, so why did their bodies deteriorate so quickly? Kaguya Kimimaro had formidable regenerative abilities, yet she couldn't cure her bloodstain disease.

The most outrageous one is Hashirama Senju, who possessed the most extreme vitality of a ninja, yet he died before reaching the age of 60.

Therefore, Higashino Makoto speculated that without an extraordinary physique, forcibly increasing Yin-Yang attributes is not a good thing.

Everything will only change when the white natural energy is cultivated to the third stage and the body enters the normal immortal mode.

As for his current strength? Higashino really didn't know. You only know after fighting him. Anyway, a Jonin like Gekko Kumomi posed absolutely no threat to him.

As for Kage-level ninjas? How about we try putting a sack over Hiruzen Sarutobi's head sometime?