Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Day 6, morning.

Before the unit's assembly time, Higashino Makoto went to his usual ninja tool shop.

He still had ninja tools like shuriken and kunai. Besides, once he was on the front lines, these things would be supplied by the village, so the ninjas wouldn't need to spend their own money to buy them.

Since I didn't know how long I would be staying on the Eastern Front, I prepared to bring extra knife-protecting oil before I left.

His short sword is a valuable chakra weapon, not a consumable like ordinary weapons. It requires frequent maintenance and care, and the village does not provide the special sword oil it uses.

There weren't many customers in the shop. Lingyin was serving them. Her husband, Tieyan, was young but a very skilled ninja tool blacksmith. During the war, he was often too busy to be seen.

Neither the couple had the talent to become ninjas, so it's unclear why their daughter, Tenten, chose to become one.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere of Konoha that influenced them, since becoming a ninja was the goal of every child growing up there.

Tian Tian was born in early March, making her the oldest of the twelve little ones. Currently, her two teammates are still in their mother's womb, while the other nine have not yet been created by their parents.

The little one is now three months old and is crawling around in the crib next to her. Unfortunately, there is a guardrail on the side of the crib, which prevents her from trying to climb out.

The kids in the ninja world are so energetic.

Higashino Makoto stepped forward and pinched her little cheek. The little one immediately found a new target and, not at all shy, grabbed Higashino Makoto's finger and put it in her mouth.

"Eeya eeya!" After realizing it couldn't bite, it started protesting again.

"Shin, Tenten seems to really like you!" Rinne came over after finishing her work.

"I don't look fierce, and besides, she's not shy, Sister Lingyin. The little one often sees strangers in the store, so she's probably used to it."

"You're right. So, Zhen, what do you need today?"

"Give me four boxes of knife care kits."

"Really? You need so many?" Rinne was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I'll go get them for you."

Very few people buy the care oil for chakra weapons, so it's not on the counter in the shop; she has to go to the back storage room to get it.

"Thank you!" Soon, after taking the set and putting it into his ninja tool bag, Higashino Makoto prepared to pay.

Lingyin stopped him: "Shin, are you buying so much at once, are you going to the front lines?"

"Yes."

"Consider these a gift from your older sister. Promise me you'll take good care of yourself, and don't be reckless on the battlefield."

Higashino Makoto smiled and replied earnestly, "Don't worry, Suzune-nee, I'd like to see who Tenten will resemble more when she grows up."

"Of course it's me! Someone like her father would be finished!"

----------

On the main road of Konoha, support troops have begun to gather.

Many villagers stood on both sides, all there to bid farewell to their loved ones. Some were saying goodbye to their families, while others were alone.

In a world rife with war, not everyone has family. Wars between ninjas have a very high mortality rate; often, they lose their lives without even having the chance to be injured.

Higashino Makoto reunited with his team and took a look at the group that had set off together. There were relatively few adults and many teenagers, all of whom were recent graduates.

The youngest is under 10 years old, just like Higashino Makoto, while the oldest is at most 12 or 13 years old.

Konoha couldn't do anything about this; it wasn't that they didn't have enough adult ninjas, but rather that the village needed to maintain the necessary protective forces.

Ninjas are not ordinary troops; their high mobility and stealth make them ideal for stealing enemy crystals, leaving the village too vulnerable, which is a very dangerous thing.

Higashino Makoto spotted many familiar faces in the crowd, such as Might Guy and his two teammates, Genma Shiranui with a senbon in his mouth, and Ebisu wearing sunglasses.

Because of Might Guy's outstanding achievements last year, he received special training from the Hokage and was transferred back to the village to rest when the war was not intense.

Now, they are heading to the battlefield once again.

I wonder if the Genma brothers have a younger sister named Mai? I can ask them later.

There was another boy wearing sunglasses. Higashino heard his companion call him Aoba, so he figured it must be Yamashiro Aoba. His companion had distinctive features: long, naturally curly hair and red eyes, but unfortunately, they didn't have black magatama; they were Kurenai Yuhi.

Since Kurenai is there, the other one with a precocious face must be Sarutobi Asuma, judging from how he seems to be glued to Kurenai.

The third generation leader sent his sons to the battlefield; what else can others say?

Besides, Izumo Kamizuki and Tetsuo Koko, who were classmates of Hayate Gekko, were also there, but Makoto Higashino, one of the two gatekeepers' teammates, didn't recognize them.

Higashino has always had a small social circle and prefers to stay at home studying, so apart from Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki, he hasn't encountered many familiar people.

I never expected to encounter so many people today. These people will become the backbone of Konoha in the future.

Unfortunately, Iruka Umino wasn't there, nor was Tsubaki, Hayate's female classmate. They... well, they weren't talented enough to graduate early.

In fact, Iruka's parents were quite strong. They were promoted to Jonin during this war and were an important force representing civilian ninjas in the Konoha Jonin Team.

Unfortunately, Iruka did not inherit the two's talent for ninjutsu; he only had a very solid theoretical knowledge.

Uzuki Yugao was pulled aside by her mother, who was giving her some detailed instructions. Higashino Megumi also stroked her son's head but didn't say anything.

After Yugao returned to the group, Uzuki Sakura said to Tsukikage Unmi, "Unmi-nii, I'm entrusting the children to you."

"Don't worry, I will protect them. You don't need to be too concerned."

Having already assessed her son's strength, Higashino Megumi instructed, "Shin, protect your companions."

"I will, Mom."

----------

When the time came, everyone said goodbye to their relatives and friends and set off immediately.

After leaving the gates of Konoha, the troops dispersed and gradually disappeared into the forest along the roadside. This is how ninjas march; they usually don't take the main road, nor do they all stay together.

They often form small groups of two or three familiar people, looking out for each other. These small groups maintain a distance from each other, forming a flexible whole that appears loose but is actually closely connected.

This is to prevent being ambushed by enemies on the road and being overwhelmed by a map-wide ninjutsu.

Although this possibility is very small, since the gathering of reinforcements is not a secret, the choice of the route of advance is top secret.

Accompanying Higashino Makoto's team were familiar faces: his classmates, Hinata Tokuma and Aburame Muta, who had applied to graduate early last year.

My teammate is a girl from the Inuzuka family named Inuzuka Meiko. She's in the same year as Gekko Hayate and has a half-grown... husky with her.

Higashino Makoto's eyes held a subtle expression, as if he sensed a bleak future ahead.

"Your gaze is a bit off. Do you have a problem with me?" This husky has very keen senses and noticed that someone was watching it.

"I swear I absolutely didn't!" Higashino Makoto vehemently denied it.

"It's best if you don't, otherwise I'll bite you."

Good heavens! This dog can talk! It's actually talking to a husky! I knew the ninja world was amazing, but this is just too amazing!

The three were led by a Jonin from the Sarutobi clan named Sarutobi Hijiki.

He laughed and said, "Don't worry, kid from Yunjian Class, Rocky is very reliable."

Damn it, a dog named Rocky? Do you have fists the size of a casserole dish?

Gekko Unsuke smiled and said, "Seriously, the Inuzuka family's ninja dogs are quite reliable partners for us Konoha ninjas."

"I know, teacher."

Higashino truly believed this. He was simply taken aback when he suddenly saw the little expert at destroying things, after all, this ninja dog's eyes held a certain intelligence.

However, the composition of Hyuga Tokuma's team is quite subtle. Isn't this the configuration of Team 8 in the future Konoha 12?

One was playing with a dog, the other with insects, and they both rolled their eyes.

It seems to be a reconnaissance team.