Naruto: From Novice to Grave

More than 10 days have passed in the blink of an eye.

It seems that Kirigakure really doesn't want to fight Konoha anymore, so they've kept quiet and are focused on fighting Sunagakure to the death.

Konoha began withdrawing its troops from the eastern front in batches.

Because the squad led by Jonin Gekko Kumomi included high-level sensory ninjas, they were assigned to be the last to retreat.

Normally, they mainly carry out patrol missions, patrolling along the coastline, keeping an eye on the direction of the Dead Water Kingdom, and preventing the Fog Shadow from resurfacing.

Watching everyone else happily go home, Higashino really couldn't understand. They were all doing things for Konoha, so why did the one who knew more always suffer more grievances? Konoha had so many sensory ninjas, why did they keep targeting him, a mere child?

Fortunately, the task is easy. All I need to do every now and then is take a trip along the coastal area between the Land of Waves and the Land of Whirlpools. I can train quietly in peace and quiet at other times.

On this day, the team had no mission. Tsukikage Yunjian went to find other Jonin to get to know each other. After training all morning, Higashino and the other two agreed to relax in the afternoon, go for a walk by the river, and have a wild game feast.

Life isn't just about war and training; there's also enjoyment. The scenery in the Land of Fire is quite nice, so let's treat it as a vacation.

A life that is enjoyed is a truly fulfilling life.

Hayate Gekko habitually became a fisherman. Ninjas usually carry basic survival tools, such as fishing lines and hooks.

This thing can be used not only to find food in rivers and lakes in emergencies, but also to set traps.

As for a fishing rod, a stick will do.

Uzuki Yugao has never been interested in fishing. Instead, she carefully distinguishes some wildflowers and uniquely shaped plants that she has never seen before around the woods by the river, and records them in her notebook.

Higashino Makoto was nowhere to be seen. He returned a while later, carrying two gray wild rabbits in one hand, two wild boar piglets led by a straw rope, and a small cage woven from wire and branches in the other, which contained many insects.

When Jifeng and Xiyan saw it, they didn't ask any questions. They thought it was just dinner he had prepared, but the amount was a bit too much, and there were also insects. Were they meant to be eaten?

After arriving at the riverbank, Makoto Higashino sat on the grass and silently entered Sage Mode without even clapping his hands.

Currently, he utilizes white natural energy in two ways.

First, it is absorbed into the body and filtered by one's own special consciousness, then integrated into the cells and consciousness to become nutrients that strengthen oneself.

In theory, any ninjutsu he uses is actually a sage technique.

The second method, like in the previous battles, involves temporarily absorbing white natural energy without filtering it through the conscious mind. This energy directly enters the meridians and merges with one's own chakra, solely to increase the power of ninjutsu.

Given his current compatibility with the white natural energy, he doesn't need to pay too much attention to the ratio between the two. If he absorbs too much, his consciousness will filter out the excess and return it to his body for absorption.

The only thing to be careful about is that you cannot absorb the natural energy of other colors, otherwise there is a risk of going berserk or being assimilated into a non-human form.

Today, he wanted to test what effect the white natural energy would have on other living beings.

I picked up a cicada-like insect. The little guy struggled in my hand, flapping its transparent wings vigorously, looking quite energetic.

Higashino Makoto channeled a wisp of white natural energy into the insect's body, causing it to shudder and then fall silent.

Every living being in the ninja world possesses chakra, even a cicada.

Although the total amount is very small, Higashino Makoto can still sense it when he focuses his perception on it.

But now, there's no reaction at all.

The cicada died, but it didn't turn into a stone toad, a monster, a snake, or a slug.

The other insects met the same fate; once the pure white natural energy entered their bodies, the insects died instantly.

He then reached out his wicked hand to the rabbits and wild boars, who, like humans, were viviparous mammals, and whose chakra reserves were far greater than those of insects.

But after absorbing the white natural energy, they struggled for only two seconds longer than the insects before finally leaping off the ground and ascending to heaven, their departure not peaceful.

By comparing these experiences with my own first encounter with white natural energy, I realized that the consciousness of these animals seemed to have been broken down, or rather, annihilated.

Consciousness was annihilated, and the remaining energy became part of the natural energy.

It begins in nature and returns to nature; the body left behind will also be decomposed by nature after it decays.

I wonder what would happen if people came into contact with it. Maybe we could use some of the target's waste materials to experiment in future missions.

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Digging through the soil, we pulled out some burnt charcoal, lit it, and then placed a teppanyaki grill that we had brought over on top. Tonight's dinner is teppanyaki grilled meat.

Higashino brought over the sliced ​​meat, but half of the rabbit and wild boar were freshly killed, while the other half were killed by white natural energy. He carefully separated them.

Uzuki Yugao also picked some wild vegetables, including mushrooms, which were non-poisonous. She was no longer the little girl who wanted everyone to lie on the plank.

No fish! No fish! No fish!

I'll say it three times: Moonlight Gale is a shameful air force pilot; he couldn't even catch a single finger-length fish fry.

The two ate freshly killed meat. The slices of meat sizzled on the hot plate of oil, and after being sprinkled with seasonings, they smelled delicious.

Higashino grilled two slices of wild boar meat that had been killed by white natural energy, put them in his mouth to taste, and then spat them out.

It only tastes like seasoning, not meat. The taste is hard to describe. You could say it tastes like eating shit, but he's never actually eaten shit, so there's no comparison.

In short, unlike food, it seems that after absorbing the white natural energy, the wild boar's body was still there, but some substances in its body were annihilated along with its consciousness.

Moonlight Gale glanced at him with a puzzled look and began to ponder.

After happily devouring a piece of roasted wild boar meat, Uzuki Yugao asked, "Huh? Really, it's not to your taste? I think it's delicious!"

"No, there's something wrong with this meat."

"No, I'm enjoying it!"

"It's meat from my side."

"Really? I don't believe it!"

Higashino sensed the meat he had just eaten and found that there was no residual white natural energy, so he grilled two slices.

The little girl put it in her mouth, chewed it, and then spat it out: "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What is this? Aren't they all wild boar meat? How can there be such a big difference?"

Moonlight Gale ate another piece, spat it out, and said, "I remember, you were the one who killed that wild boar first, right? You didn't bleed it with a knife, and it suddenly died. Is that the reason?"

"Yes, it's a problem with how they were killed."

Uzuki Yugao didn't believe it: "Even if it wasn't bled, it wouldn't taste this bad. Do you think I've never eaten meat with blood on it before?"

Higashino Makoto thought for a moment and said, "It's related to my training method."

He didn't talk about natural energy, not because he was keeping it a secret, but because they were too young, and knowing it might not be a good thing; it could potentially harm them.

The little girl immediately became interested: "Is it that amazing? Can I learn it?"

Hayate Gekko's eyes were also shining; he wanted to become as strong as his teammates, but since they all trained together, he hadn't noticed anything different about Higashino.

It seems they just didn't know it; their teammate was indeed a genius, and his cultivation method seemed to have something special about it.

Higashino pointed at the wild boar meat: "Are you sure you want to learn? Didn't you see what happened to the rabbits and wild boars?"

The two immediately wilted. They had seen Higashino Makoto experiment, and whether they could learn it or not was another matter; they certainly didn't want to die on the spot.

Uzuki Yugao sighed, "Was it really that dangerous? Brother, are you alright? Does anything feel wrong?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Judging from today's simple experiment, white natural energy is indeed a unique cultivation method belonging to him, and others simply cannot touch it.

As for the consequences of touching it, further experiments are needed, but it's highly likely that it won't be much better than what happens to a wild boar.

Not only white natural energy, but all kinds of natural energy are extremely dangerous. You may be fine living in this environment, but if you recklessly absorb it into your body, the outcome will definitely be disastrous.

It seems that if I want the people around me to cultivate immortal arts, I still need to continue to look for a way.