Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Having lived two lives, this is the first time Higashino has experienced what it feels like to be famous.

That means that once you step outside, everyone will stare at you, and even strangers will have an "aha!" look on their faces after being prompted by their companions: "Oh! So it's him. He's so amazing at such a young age. When he grows up, won't he be able to fly to the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun?"

To be honest, I really enjoyed it. It was a completely new life experience, a glory I had never enjoyed in my previous life.

From then on, he could say that he was a well-known handsome young man in and around Konoha Village.

However, this fame soon brought a little trouble.

The morning after the successful counterattack by Kirigakure, intelligence came back from the defense line in the direction of the Land of Waves. According to the reconnaissance team that went to the Land of Waves, the Kirigakure ninja stationed there had also withdrawn, leaving completely.

It can only be said that the Mist Ninja in the south still had some conscience; they didn't forget to notify their allies when they ran away, so as to prevent them from being wiped out by Konoha.

This was exactly what the Eastern Front Command had anticipated. Konoha had no intention of attacking there, and there was no need to increase casualties in a war they had already won.

With this, the war between Konoha and Kirigakure truly came to an end, and peace was finally restored to the southeastern region of the Land of Fire.

Command ordered that, apart from the necessary patrol teams, all other personnel in the Land of Waves area could withdraw and get some rest.

However, all Konoha ninjas cannot return to the village for the time being and need to continue to be stationed on the eastern front. Only after a few days, once it is confirmed that Kirigakure will not launch another attack, will they begin to gradually withdraw their troops.

As for the Hidden Mist Village surrendering and signing a peace agreement?

No way, this guy is a weirdo in the ninja world.

Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure are all located on the mainland, and their territories are connected, separated by small countries that act as buffer zones.

The Sand Village could surrender on the spot after a defeat and immediately sign a peace treaty. The Iwa Village could do the same, but they were as stubborn as rocks and kept dragging it out.

But an agreement will eventually be signed after the war ends.

In the entire ninja world, only Kirigakure doesn't play by the rules. Even after losing a battle, they don't surrender or sign a peace treaty; instead, they simply withdraw their troops and retreat back to the Land of Water.

In any case, their geographical conditions are special. They are located on an archipelago overseas, separated by a vast ocean, making it difficult for outsiders to invade.

It's all about being a rogue, it's all about mindset. If you're so tough, come and hit me!

Regardless, the Hidden Mist Village's defeat is a fact, and for the time being, they have no spare strength to launch another attack. The Konoha ninjas on the front lines are no longer subject to strict wartime control policies. Apart from not being allowed to leave the camp without permission, they can do their own things, whether it's training or having gatherings, and the higher-ups won't interfere.

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The next day at noon, August 10th, after finishing his meal, Higashino Makoto planned to go to the temporary medical department to see if there was anything he could help with.

Regardless of whether he agrees with the ninja culture or not, he has always presented himself as a good young man who loves his village and his comrades.

His character can't be ruined, after all, he's not an orphan, his parents are still alive, and his whole family lives in Konoha.

As soon as they stepped outside, they encountered the Hyuga Tokuma squad, who had been transferred back from the Wave Defense Line.

This guy was still recovering from serious injuries sustained while leading the Jonin Sarutobi Hitsuki, so he didn't participate in the battle and instead carried out patrol duties on the northern defense line.

Higashino greeted them with a smile: "Yo, Tokuma, Muta, Meiko, you're back too! And that... husky!"

Aburame Muta and Inuzuka Meiko nodded in response; both of them were taciturn.

The husky tilted its head and said, "My name is Rocky, not Husky."

"Alright, Rocky, I hope you can win the gold belt in the Inuzuka family's ninja dog boxing tournament!"

Rocky: "???"

The optimistic Hyuga Tokuma grabbed Higashino Makoto's shoulders, his eyes blazing: "Makoto, I heard from Himon that you were really shining in battle! When did you become so amazing?"

Higashino Makoto frowned: "I've always been good, you're only realizing that today? I remember someone got beaten up by me on their first day of school, right?"

"You're talking nonsense. I wasn't beaten. I just lost to you in a training match." Hyuga Tokuma vehemently denied it, then changed his tune: "Come fight me, Shin. Let me see just how strong you really are."

"Okay!" Higashino Makoto naturally wouldn't refuse his old classmate's request.

The two men set up their fighting stances in the open space outside the door.

Higashino Shin didn't have any special posture; he just stood there quietly. Hyuga Tokuma's eyes were bulging with veins as he activated his Byakugan, and he slightly lowered his body, making the starting motion of Gentle Fist.

His hands are covered in chakra, which allows him to strike an opponent's meridians and acupoints upon contact with their body.

Once hit, the opponent's chakra circulation will stop. The more pressure points are hit, the harder it is to break through. This is a good technique for capturing prisoners alive.

In a life-or-death battle, the Hyuga clan members won't just hit ordinary pressure points, but vital, fatal points. If you're not careful, one strike can be fatal.

So don't think that the Soft Fist is useless just because it can't kill someone with dozens of strikes. That's because the opponent just wants to control you, not kill you.

If Hyuga were truly that kind, she wouldn't have survived for over a thousand years in the ninja world.

Hyuga Tokuma discovered that Higashino Makoto was just standing there naturally, and he couldn't find a single flaw in his defense, so he had no choice but to force his way in.

He flashed in front of Higashino Makoto, unleashing the Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm technique. His hands moved like a phantom, continuously attacking the various chakra points he could see with his Byakugan.

Under the transformation of white natural energy over the past few years, Higashino's body is now completely different from what it used to be. His strength, power, agility, and reaction time far surpass those of ordinary ninjas.

His feet didn't move at all, and his hands were like a phantom, always striking Hyuga Tokuma's wrists just as he was about to hit him.

He could have done it with one hand, but in order not to discourage his old classmate too much, he decided it was better to use both hands.

Seeing that his attacks were ineffective, Tokuma Hyuga changed his footwork, turned around, and circled around to Higashino Makoto's left to continue his attack, followed by his back and right...

I kept spinning around in circles, as if I were facing a wooden dummy.

Higashino Makoto's body did not follow his turn, nor did he even turn his head. He perfectly neutralized each of Higashino's attacks without relying on his eyes.

Finally, Hyuga Tokuma stopped his attack and frantically waved his hands: "I'm not fighting anymore, I can't break through your defense at all. Shin, you are indeed as strong as a monster. You don't even need to use ninjutsu against me."

"See, you're insulting me again. But you are much stronger than before. It seems you have been working hard all along, Tokuma!"

Hyuga Tokuma was an optimistic person and wouldn't be discouraged by failure. He spread his hands helplessly and said, "I've realized that the harder I try, the more I feel the gap between us. Shin, what should I do if I encounter an enemy as strong as you in the future?"

"What to do? If you're alone, of course you should run away. But if you have teammates around, why not choose a righteous gang fight?"

"Hmm? You make a good point."

"Of course that makes sense, haven't you already done it?"

"What?" Hyuga Tokuma asked, looking puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Higashino didn't answer him, but instead looked at Aburame Muta, who was standing to the side pretending to be invisible: "Muta, shall we continue?"

Aburame Muta said in her usual emotionless tone, "No need, I've already lost. Um... could you give me back the parasitic insect?"

Higashino smiled, bent down, placed his palm on the ground, and casually pulled out a chakra cage the size of a soccer ball, inside which was a bunch of black parasitic insects.

That was when Higashino Makoto and Hyuga Tokuma were fighting, Aburame Muta secretly sent it down from underground to test them. Higashino Makoto didn't say anything after discovering it, but quietly placed a "Peaceful Corner" technique under his feet to trap it.

The parasitic insects that feed on chakra are helpless against the corner of tranquility formed by Higashino Makoto's chakra; their teeth are too weak to bite through it.

Defensive ninjutsu can protect yourself, and of course, it can also trap others, just like the [Water Release: Water Prison Technique]. It all depends on how you want to use it.