First Battle and Burden

"You know how your mother is. Every day you're out on a mission, she's at home worrying about you."

"Ahaha!" Higashino Jiro scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Higashino Makoto thought for a moment, then explained, "How should I put it... it might not be what you think, Father. This Perception Ability isn't something from bloodline; it's an accidental side effect of a special Training Method I have. I'll tell you about it later, I hope you can understand."

"Of course I understand. My son is starting to have his own little secrets."

Higashino Jiro nodded with a smile, then said seriously, "Makoto, you did the right thing. Combat between ninjas is an Intelligence Battle.

It's correct for ninjas to keep their techniques strictly confidential. Having your important ninjutsu secrets exposed is a very dangerous thing. I hope you understand that."

"I've always understood."

"Good. Then let me ask you something. In a ninja's fight... no, including Samurai, even Commoners too—what matters most in a fight between people?

Is it ninjutsu? Taijutsu? Genjutsu? A Special Secret Jutsu? Or a powerful weapon?"

Higashino Makoto thought it over. They all seemed important, but clearly his father had a different answer in mind. In the end, he shook his head. "I don't know."

"It's courage. Overcoming the emotions of fear, hesitation, and escape on a psychological level. Facing life and death head-on, daring to fight.

Find it, master it, let your Hot Blood boil, and keep a clear head at the same time. No matter how desperate the situation, never give up searching for any chance to win.

Courage isn't impulse. A clear mind is more important than any technique."

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Father."

Higashino Jiro said nothing more. Instead, he suddenly threw a straight punch at Higashino Makoto's forehead—not very fast.

Higashino Makoto's body instinctively wanted to lean back and dodge, but he quickly realized that was his natural reaction from his Previous Life as a Commoner.

But now, he was a prospective ninja, possessing the supernatural power of Chakra. Even at just over four years old, with Chakra amplifying his body, his reaction speed and strength far exceeded his thirty-something-year-old body from his previous life.

He instantly suppressed the urge to lean back. Instead, using his small stature to his advantage, he ducked low, bent his knees, and pushed off his legs—not retreating but advancing. He dodged the attack while throwing a punch straight at Higashino Jiro's abdomen in return.

Higashino Jiro didn't dodge at all. His advantage was height and reach. He bent his knee and lifted his leg, driving his knee toward Higashino Makoto's face—attack against attack.

Even half his leg was longer than his son's entire arm; he would hit first.

They were practically tangled together, too close to change moves. Higashino Makoto had no choice but to withdraw his punch and defend, quickly crossing his arms in front of his face. His father's knee sent him flying.

Higashino Makoto felt like he'd been hit by a truck. The immense force sent him tumbling through the air several times. All he could do was struggle to keep his balance and control his landing on his feet.

When he landed, he coated his right hand with Chakra, bent low, and dug his fingers into the ground.

Even so, the force dragged him another two or three meters, leaving three straight furrows of churned-up earth behind him.

Throughout this, his eyes stayed wide, fixed on his father's next move.

Sure enough, the man charged after him, but just as he got close, he used a simple Body Flicker Technique and vanished from Higashino Makoto's sight.

"Behind you."

Higashino Makoto couldn't see him, but he had his Perception Ability and naturally detected him. He immediately half-turned and kicked sideways, his sole meeting Higashino Jiro's fist.

The difference in their strength was obvious. He was sent flying again.

Higashino Jiro gave him no chance to catch his breath. He rushed in again at high speed, attacking with a steady pace and force, using both hands and feet in a relentless assault on Higashino Makoto.

Higashino Makoto dodged or blocked, like a sapling weathering a storm, at constant risk of snapping.

But he kept his father's recent lesson in mind, striving to stay clear-headed and look for a chance to counter.

Soon, he turned his small stature from a disadvantage into an advantage. He darted left and right, his fists and feet constantly aimed at his father's kidneys and groin.

Those were the vital spots he could reach quickly in a fight.

After all, even the strongest ninja couldn't withstand the pain of a crushed family jewel.

He just hoped Higashino Megumi wouldn't beat him to death for it.

Higashino Jiro, a Chunin at the top of his rank, naturally wouldn't let a Kid who'd just learned to fight hit his vitals.

He blocked repeatedly, slapping away the wicked little hands aiming at his lower regions, while gradually increasing the speed and force of his counters, forcing his son to adapt quickly to combat.

The two went back and forth in the small Training Ground, their swift figures locked in a fierce offensive and defensive battle.

Higashino Makoto knew his father was helping him get used to fighting. And he was rapidly transforming. The habits of his Previous Life as a Commoner were slowly fading, and he was gradually integrating into the Naruto World's rhythm of combat. At the same time, his brain couldn't help but buzz with excitement; he was starting to enjoy the thrill of the fight.

A moment later, Higashino Makoto collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The stamina he could normally maintain for long training sessions was drained in no time during the fight.

But his emotions were unusually excited. The surge of adrenaline made his small face flush red, and his body trembled slightly.

Higashino Jiro stood beside him, looking thoroughly pleased. "Not bad. I didn't expect you to find the rhythm so quickly and overcome your body's instinctive reactions so fast.

That caught me a bit off guard. You're my son, after all. Maybe you really do have talent on par with Kakashi."

"But I didn't win, did I, Father? You didn't even use the swordsmanship you're good at, let alone ninjutsu. You kept your strength and speed within what I could handle."

"Fool, how old are you? How many years have you trained? To fight like this on your first time is already remarkable."

"But I heard that Kakashi defeated two Chunin when he was five."

"Who told you that? I don't know anything about it."

"I heard someone in the village say it before."

Has anyone in the village ever said that? Higashino Makoto didn't know—his source of information was the anime he'd watched in his Previous Life, where Kakashi easily dealt with two Chunin who were beating up Might Guy.

"Well, maybe so. He is that person's child, after all. But son, Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and Kage are just rank divisions. You must never use them as a standard to judge a ninja's strength.

Even among Genin, there are those whose strength rivals Jonin. The gap in ability between Chunin in the village is also enormous. After all, the number of Jonin in the village is kept within a certain range by the High Level. It's not something you can achieve just by reaching a certain power level.

Jonin are the real power-holding class of the village. They have the right to vote in the Jonin Council to decide the Hokage and influence village policy. At the same time, the ratio of their numbers maintains the balance between Ninja Clan ninjas and Commoner Ninjas. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand. Becoming a Jonin isn't just about strength—there are political considerations too."

Higashino Jiro raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.

"Pretty sharp, Kid. You catch on fast. Your Father here only figured that out after you were born."

"You made it so obvious, how could I not get it? By the way, Father, why don't you apply to become a Special Jonin?"

"That kind of thing is just a consolation prize. It means nothing to me. Let's drop it and talk about something useful. Makoto, lately when you train, does it feel too easy?"

"Yes, Father. Even without refining Chakra, just using physical strength, I can easily finish all the old exercises.

But increasing my training time would cut into my study progress. Do you have any good ideas, Father?"

"After a ninja adapts to Chakra for a while, their physique gets a huge boost. That's normal. So today, I came for this reason."

Higashino Jiro finished speaking, walked over to where he'd been hiding earlier, and brought back a backpack. It looked pretty heavy.

Higashino Makoto opened it and found a special set of equipment. He immediately put it on, wrapping bands around his arms and legs as well.

"Weighted Equipment, huh. That's not a bad method either."

"I prepared this specially for you. The weight should suit your current physique. Most of the slots on it are empty. Later, as your body grows, you can insert Metal Blocks with Sealing Jutsu into them. I've left those in the study."

"Thank you, Father!"

"Alright, keep training. Pay attention to your body's limits. Don't blindly increase the weight and damage your foundation. Even Tsunade-sama wouldn't be able to help you recover."

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

"I trust you. After all, you've never let us down."