Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Hyuga Tokuma glared at his teammate with his pale eyes: "You bastard, I was the one challenging the real thing, why did you have to interfere, hmph!"

Aburame Muta ignored him, silently put away his insects, then glanced at Inuzuka Meiko. The girl instantly rolled her eyes at him and then turned her head to the other side.

Neither of you two can beat me, you think you can?

Now only the husky is left. Rocky noticed that Higashino was looking at him, his eyes now much smarter. He shook his head and said, "We're all Konoha comrades. Is it good to fight each other like this? It's not good. Konoha ninjas should value harmony and not fight amongst themselves. You three better watch yourselves."

After giving Tokuma and the other two a perfunctory scolding, Rocky wagged his tail and slipped away.

Inuzuka Meiko looked at her silly dog ​​with murderous intent in her eyes. This bastard! She decided that from now on, she would switch to the cheapest dog food and grooming shampoo.

The fighting on the front lines has ended, so most of the new graduates from the past few years have become idle.

The campsites were all next to each other, and Hyuga Tokuma's challenge attracted a lot of onlookers.

Then everyone witnessed that the legendary hero of the same age was indeed worthy of the name, and he took the attack of the famous Hyuga ninja without moving an inch.

So terrifying, the air in the room suddenly seemed to thin out as if drawn out.

Even if someone is eager to try, they immediately lose heart when they think about their own mediocre fighting ability.

But there are still some who refuse to admit defeat, such as the son of a certain Third Hokage.

He was pulled to the back during the previous siege of the Mist Ninja elites, and during the counterattack, he was not given the mission to be at the forefront of the attack. The Jonin leading the team from his own clan kept a close eye on him the whole time.

Damn it, he should have been the one to shine!

If he could achieve what Higashino Makoto did, he would definitely be able to prove his talent to his father.

It's time to settle things with this rising star.

Fortunately, his teammates Kurenai Yuhi and Aoba Yamashiro managed to restrain the second son of the Hokage.

Hong advised, "Asuma, Zhen is just our junior, four years below us. Even if you win, it doesn't prove anything."

That was quite a compliment. What she and Yamashiro Aoba really wanted to say was, "Even if you go up there, you'll only get beaten up. This guy is clearly even more ruthless than our fellow genius Kakashi."

Sarutobi Asuma suddenly realized, "That's right, I'm four years older than him. If I win, I won't have any prestige; if I lose, I'll lose even more face." He could already imagine the disappointed look in his father's eyes.

The effect is comparable to being doused with ice water; your hot blood suddenly cools down.

Let's just forget about it and not even compare!

See, this is one of the little troubles that comes with fame: there are always younger people around his age trying to challenge him and prove themselves.

Fortunately, Might Guy only had eyes for Kakashi.

However, Higashino usually refuses, and he will only agree to fight if he is familiar with his classmates like Hyuga Tokuma.

----------

As darkness fell, Higashino Makoto emerged from the camp's medical station, followed by Uzuki Yugao, who carried a food box.

"Actually, you don't need to bring it over. There are places to eat in the medical department."

"Yeah, yeah, the food that Mai Utatane brought was even better."

Higashino's emotional intelligence immediately kicked in: "No, the food you brought is still more delicious, Yugao. I just think it's too tiring for you to run back and forth like this."

The little girl immediately became smug, but still pouted: "Hmph, if I hadn't come, that older sister would have clung to you. You're our Konoha's little hero now."

"Okay, it's not too busy here anyway, so I don't need to come over anymore!"

With that assurance in hand, Uzuki Yugao walked with a more cheerful gait, skipping and hopping like a sparrow. She held onto Higashino's hand tightly, not letting anyone else hang on, just so she could save a spot for herself.

The children in the ninja world are indeed precocious, especially the girls. They start protecting their food at a young age and begin their actions to dominate ecological niches early on.

What a tragedy! I'm only 10 years old, and I haven't even loaded a bullet yet.

Wait, something's not right. Higashino suddenly realized that, thanks to the nourishment of the white natural energy, his body was developing better than that of his peers.

Throughout the thousands of years of my past life, there were plenty of people who got married and became fathers at the age of twelve or thirteen, so he certainly met the requirements.

But he was an upright man. He had never studied metallurgy, didn't know how to smelt copper, and didn't like driving large trucks.

Forget about the bird, let's wait until it's fully grown.

Halfway there, they encountered Uchiha Shisui, who was waiting on the side.

The young man with the kaxilan said gently, "I'm sorry, Xiyan, I have something I'd like to talk to Zhen about."

"Huh? Can't I listen?"

"Of course, let's go together."

"Let's forget it, you guys chat, I'm going back."

Uzuki Yugao felt no hostility towards her male friend who was seeking out Higashino Makoto.

It can only be said that the young girl is too young and has not experienced the harsh realities of society. Sometimes, the person who steals your man may not be a woman, but a man.

Fortunately, Higashino is truly straight, always has been. He believes that the main road to the opposite sex is the right path, while any winding path is heresy.

----------

Two figures sat on the grass by the quiet stream outside the camp, admiring the moonlight in the sky.

Although the moon in the ninja world is man-made, it is still tidally locked to Earth, so its phases are no different from those in the previous life.

Higashino Makoto laughed, "Shisui, you're not here to challenge me too, are you?"

Uchiha Shisui shook his head, his expression serious: "No, although some people in the clan hinted that I should do that, I refused. I don't know what the point of doing that would be."

"The significance? Of course, it's the implicit competition. If you win, the Uchiha clan can maximize their benefits from the victory in this war."

"Then why don't they go themselves?"

"Do you think all your family members are villains? Although Uchiha clan ninjas are generally arrogant, they would never do something as disrespectful as attacking a child from the same village."

Shisui's eyes lit up: "Shin, you always manage to explain things that I can't understand in a simple and clear way."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about today?"

Do you remember the question Xiyan asked you when I graduated?

"Xiyan has asked many questions, which one are you referring to?"

"War, about war, I want to know if your answer is still the same as before, that you believe war will never disappear?"

Sure enough, the precocious Uchiha brat enjoyed pondering these grand questions, especially after witnessing the cruelty of war.

Instead of answering directly, Higashino asked, "Shisui, what strong desires do you have?"

"Strong desire? What aspect do you mean?"

"Food, the opposite sex, wealth, power, authority—any desire you have for something is called a desire. For example, if you want the world to be at peace forever, that is also a desire."

"Is that so?" Uchiha Shisui thought for a moment and said with certainty, "Then I do have desires. I hope for world peace!"

Do you know, Zhen, I arrived at the Eastern Front even earlier than you. Here, I've witnessed the deaths of too many of my comrades from the village, the deaths of my clansmen, and... the deaths of people my age, some of whom were even our classmates.

If there hadn't been a war, I think they would all be alive and well.

"But what if someone insists on starting a war? What are you going to do?"

Shisui activated his Sharingan and answered without hesitation, "Then defeat them and stop the war!"

"Very good, very spirited! But isn't your act of defeating them just starting another war?"

"Huh? This..." Shisui's mind was a bit foggy, feeling like his CPU was being severely overclocked, and the two tomoe in his eyes were spinning rapidly.

Higashino prayed in his heart: Please don't do this, Shisui-sensei, please don't do this. If I really make you get the Three Tomoe, the Uchiha clan will never let me go. They will definitely tie me up and make me a top lecturer.

Perhaps Higashino's answer wasn't too surprising to him, and ultimately failed to elicit the three-tomoe jade.

Shisui murmured, "Is it really impossible to eliminate war?"

"As long as there are people, there will be desires. Humans form families, clans, ninja villages, and countries. Countless desires intertwine to form the entire human society."

From individuals to nations, every group has its own interests and needs. When these needs cannot be met peacefully, war breaks out. How do you eliminate this?

After a long pause, little Zhishui finally said, "Then eliminate everyone's desires!"

Higashino was truly shocked. What the hell was the difference between this and hanging everyone from the God Tree? Are all the Uchiha clan members this extreme?

"Still water, war will not destroy humanity, but eliminating desires will lead to the extinction of humanity."

When your great-grandmother Otsutsuki hung people on trees, she still knew to leave some behind to reproduce! You unfilial descendants, all you know is to hang them all.

"Besides this, do you have a better way?"

"Shisui, you need to understand one thing: solutions shouldn't be something we kids have to come up with; that's the business of the Hokage or Daimyo of each country."

Even if we find a solution, do you have the power to implement it? So my advice to you remains the same as before: train and study, strengthen your body and mind, stand aside and observe, and learn from the failures of others.

Do you understand? Even if you find a method now, it's meaningless. It won't satisfy the interests of the more powerful. Your method is nothing but a mirage.

Uchiha Shisui sighed, "Alright, Shin, you're right. I was overthinking it!"

Overthinking is a common trait among the genius youths of the Uchiha clan, isn't it?