Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Chapter 99 - Thank you for the invitation. I'm on the battlefield, preparing to retreat.

"It's blocked again!"

"Wow, that's amazing! What kind of defensive ninjutsu is that?"

Seeing that Higashino Makoto had once again taken the Raikage's attack without injury, the ordinary ninjas of Konoha were stunned and then began to inquire about this miraculous ninjutsu that could save their lives.

After all, as ninjas, everyone knows that their own body is their fatal weakness. A ninja can flatten a residential area with a single ninjutsu, but can also be killed by a small shuriken.

If we could master this defensive method, wouldn't we be less likely to die so easily in the future?

The Jonin breathed a collective sigh of relief. They couldn't understand why things had suddenly turned out this way. They were all prepared for a big battle with the Cloud Ninja, but the group fight suddenly turned into a one-on-one duel.

What kind of trashy plot is this, straight out of a third-rate Sengoku novel? Two armies facing off, and the first thing they do is have a duel between their commanders? The problem is, their current commander is Minato, a Jonin.

But now that this junior has already agreed to the Raikage's request in front of both sides' ninjas, there's no going back. It's not just his problem anymore.

Those familiar to Higashino Makoto, such as Tsukikage Kumomi, Sarutobi Higetsu, and Hyuga Hiashi, or Jonin who knew him, were fully focused, ready to step in and save people at any moment, and then they would engage in battle with the Kumo ninja.

Minato Namikaze kept the Flying Thunder God Technique active the whole time. Higashino had his kunai on him, and he was confident that he could bring the person out the moment the defensive ninjutsu was broken.

We cannot let what happened between Obito and Rin happen again.

For the Cloud Ninja, the gradually darkening sky was a reflection of their mood at that moment.

It wasn't that they didn't believe in their leader's offensive capabilities, but rather that they were considering another issue: if Konoha ninjas all possessed such defensive abilities, how could this war continue? How would their ninja villages maintain their standing in the ninja world afterward?

After the Fourth Raikage jumped away once again, he finally took a serious look at the brat he thought was just a big talker, and began to think about a serious problem.

That is, he is now disgusted, extremely uncomfortable, and in a real predicament.

Oh, no, ninjas aren't ordinary people. Fighting tigers is a piece of cake for them. It should be that riding the Sage of Six Paths would be difficult for them to dismount.

His outward appearance may seem as reckless as those burly, dark-skinned men in the village, but he's not truly incapable of using his brain; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the Raikage.

His original suggestion to let Higashino Makoto take three of his attacks was just a casual remark, meant to both strike a blow at the sharp-tongued brat and mock Konoha, so he could then retreat with his men.

His passion told him he wanted to make a big splash here, but his rationality as the village's leader told him he couldn't. If something went wrong here, that old fox Onoki would definitely not give up the opportunity to beat up their Kumogakure.

But who knew that this little rascal wouldn't play by the rules and actually agreed.

This is how the Cloud Village always does things: they like to ask for exorbitant amounts of money. If they can get something out of it, they've made a profit; if they can't, they can still win in terms of momentum and achieve a mental victory. Either way, they've won.

So since the other party agreed, he didn't mind killing a Konoha genius.

The problem is, he failed to defeat his opponent despite his two all-out attacks.

That's bad.

The key point now is that he can no longer launch a third attack, because he will lose whether he attacks or not.

It's not honorable to kill that brat. For a dignified Raikage to kill a Konoha kid with three attacks would make him look like a fraud.

If he doesn't die, it will be even more embarrassing. From now on, he'll have to put a sack over his head when he goes out so no one can recognize him.

Moreover, he had a premonition that the third attack would likely not turn out well. He wasn't proficient in the Cloud Village's strongest attack technique, the strongest spear developed by his father—the "Hell Thrust" series, and its power wouldn't exceed that of "Lightning Torture Level Thousand-Year Dance".

Therefore, we must find a solution that satisfies both sides.

Have it.

Raikage's eyes lit up, and he looked at Higashino Makoto with admiration, asking, "Kid, what's your name?"

"Konoha ninja, Higashino Makoto."

"Good, good. Konoha is indeed the village founded by the God of Shinobi. It is a place where geniuses emerge in large numbers. It even has such powerful defensive ninjutsu."

"Seeing how proficient you are at such a young age, you're a genius. It would be such a shame if you died. I don't plan to use my strongest third strike on you, because I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of brilliance you'll shine in the ninja world in the future."

Makoto Higashino: "————"

"Higashino, really. You survived two of my attacks. You should be proud of yourself. From now on, I'll call you 'The Shield of Konoha.'"

Makoto Higashino: "—"

He finally understood the plan of this big guy who was rough on the outside but shrewd on the inside.

So your teacher isn't your father, the Third Raikage, but the so-called demigod of the ninja world, Hanzo of the Salamander, right? That must be it!

The Cloud Ninja felt that their leader was upright and great at this moment. A few Cloud Ninja who were clear-headed lowered their heads quietly, their feelings were hard to describe.

Thanks for the invitation. I'm on the battlefield right now. I just finished listening to Raikage's speech. Those who know, know. Those who don't, don't ask. If you want to ask, just check if your neck is big enough to be cut by Raikage's hot blade.

The Raikage nodded slightly to Higashino Makoto in affirmation, then quickly turned to the head of Konoha: "Namikaze Minato, let's leave it at that for today. Konoha has earned my approval with its strength. So, how about we work together to bring that old devil Onoki down from his pedestal?"

Minato Namikaze was perfectly clear-headed: "I'm sorry, Raikage, the war between Konoha and Iwagakure is over. Now, as long as Kumogakure withdraws, this war will truly come to an end. I think that's what you should be considering."

"The end? Heh, you're too naive. The peace agreement is nothing but a piece of waste paper. Onoki will not give up his ambitions for Konoha. He didn't even sign an agreement with Konoha."

"That's a matter between Konoha and Iwagakure; there's no need for Lord Raikage to concern himself with it."

"Heh, just you wait and see, you'll soon find out that old geezer Ohnoki is not to be trusted."

After Raikage finished speaking, he ordered his men to take away the bodies of their fallen comrades.

They marched with such great fanfare.

"The shield of Konoha, a turtle shell hard, idiot, bastard, oh yeah!" Killer Bee's boring rap provided background music for their departure.

All Konoha ninja: "————"

That's it? No more fighting? This feels so strange. What about today's events?

What else can be said? Of course, Konoha won. Not only did they completely wipe out the Cloud Ninja in the Land of Hot Springs south of Konoha's defenses, avenging those bastards who tried to steal the Byakugan and eliminating their worries, but they also forced the Cloud Ninja's AB combination to retreat.

If this isn't a victory, then what is?

Never mind, we've won no matter how you look at it, let's cheer first. Ordinary ninjas don't care about that, as long as they survived a great battle today and didn't die, that's enough.

"Victory! Long live Konoha!"

66

"We won!"

Some people even rushed up and threw Makoto Higashino into the air.

"The Shield of Konoha! The Shield of Konoha!"

Looking at the moon in the sky, Higashino Makoto felt speechless. He thought to himself, "I'm doomed. Will I end up like the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, with this becoming my title in the ninja world?"

The problem is, he's not only strong in defense, but also in attack. For the Raikage's third attack, he originally planned not to use defensive ninjutsu, but to use a new ninjutsu to attack instead of defending.

It doesn't make sense that only the Raikage is allowed to hit him, and he doesn't fight back.

Who knew that bastard would pull a prank of admiring his junior, causing this duel to end so abruptly?

No, I need to find a way to get rid of this lousy nickname later, otherwise it will seem like he's wearing a turtle shell and only knows how to defend himself.

If you can't get rid of it, then learn from Daenerys Targaryen and come up with some more impressive titles so that this "shield of Konoha" can be squeezed into the crowd and become inconspicuous. Uzuki Yugao didn't care about any of that. She jumped to Higashino Makoto's side and hugged him tightly, completely ignoring the whistling from the bored men around them.

"You can't do anything so dangerous again, okay? Seriously, you scared me to death!"

"Don't worry, Xiyan, I know what I'm doing."

Kakashi looked at the junior who was being cared for by his teammates in the crowd, his eyes filled with sadness. If—if he also had such strong defensive power, he should be able to protect Obito and Rin.

Higashino Shin-chan, I hope you can continue to grow stronger, protect your teammates, and never experience the same pain as me.

Minato Namikaze noticed Kakashi's sorrow, patted his disciple on the shoulder, and then walked up to Shin Higashino and said, "Shin, you've created a miracle, but as a ninja, you must follow orders. Don't act recklessly next time."

"I will, Minato-senpai. Oh, by the way, your kunai."

Minato glanced at it and said, "Here's your kunai. I'm giving it to you as a memento of this victory."

Makoto Higashino: "————"

Does this count as Minato Namikaze planting a hole in him?