War and Birthday (A Little Investment, Monthly Votes, etc.)

Time flowed by, day after day, as Higashino Makoto immersed himself in training.

During this period, his father, Higashino Jiro, rotated back once and found time to train with his son again, but he bailed after about ten days.

Because he was shocked to discover that he could no longer keep up with his son's rapidly growing strength.

He was both happy and frustrated about this.

Happy, because his son was indeed a genius—one no less than Kakashi Hatake, the only genius he could think of by his standards.

Frustrated, because his authority as a father was about to crumble.

To preserve the image of a strong father in his son's eyes, he decisively slipped away.

After their last sparring match ended, he turned around, facing the rising sun, crossed his arms, and secretly rubbed them to ease the pain while speaking in a low, husky voice: "Makoto, your progress is truly incredible. I'm sure you'll surpass me in a few years.

It's really moving. I never thought you'd have such capacity. You're truly my son. But I have nothing left to teach you.

From here on, you'll have to find your own path. Keep it up, son. I'm waiting for the day you catch up and stand by my side."

With that, Higashino Jiro left, leaving Higashino Makoto with the impression of a broad, tough, and solitary figure, as if invincible in the world.

Higashino Makoto watched the back disappearing into the morning light, feeling a bit emotional. This father of his was beyond reproach—strong, witty, never putting on airs, giving him whatever he wanted, and always rushing back for his birthday no matter how busy the mission.

He just got a little chuunibyou and showy sometimes.

Did he forget that his own son had a monstrous Perception Ability? If Higashino Makoto hadn't sensed his father's subtle hand movements behind his back, he might have actually bought it.

Old Man, you just can't cough up any more gold coins. No need to be so down about it, right?

Oh, wait. His father was still young, not even 26 yet, so he wasn't an old man. No wonder his chuunibyou spirit hadn't faded.

What a cute and charming young father.

The old year ended, and the new year began. Higashino Makoto turned six, just the right age to enter the Ninja Academy.

But before that, just a few months into the new year, a major event shook the shinobi world—one Higashino Makoto already knew was coming.

The Kazekage of Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest, had gone missing.

No one knew when he disappeared. Higashino Jiro only mentioned that recently, large squads of Suna shinobi had been frequently active near the border, seemingly planning something big.

But before the results of various nations' investigations by their Spies in the Land of Wind could come out, the news was blown wide open by someone inside Sunagakure itself.

The Third Kazekage was missing—no body found, alive or dead.

The shinobi world wasn't ancient times. Though it hadn't entered the information age, news still spread fairly quickly. Soon, the matter reached every major and minor ninja village.

Seeing that the news couldn't be hidden, Sunagakure decided to cut their losses. Whether to divert the boiling pressure from their own shinobi or to prevent internal factions from tearing each other apart over the Kazekage seat, external war was inevitable.

Who to fight? Naturally, the richest target. Were they going to pick on poor Amegakure? Even if they couldn't win, they could at least bite off a few chunks and fill their bellies. So Suna declared war on Konoha. Large squads of shinobi crossed the Land of Rivers and invaded the Land of Fire's territory.

A reason? That was easy to find. Suna threw the blame on Konoha, claiming Konoha had conspired to kill their Third Kazekage. This Battle was one of revenge.

After all, Konoha had the Darkness of the Shinobi World. Just pin it on him first. Whether it was true didn't matter—as long as Suna's shinobi believed it, morale would be boosted.

Danzo: "???"

Damn it, this really has nothing to do with me.

Inside the Root Organization's underground base, Shimura Danzo really wanted to shout that, but he was a seasoned shinobi and held back.

Because it was simple: whether it was him or not didn't matter. They just needed a pretext for war. What mattered was that the war had started, and the next step was figuring out how to beat those Bastards from Suna to vent the anger of being framed.

He was the one who always set others up, never the other way around. Suna was doomed. Shimura Danzo said so. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't save them.

Higashino Makoto had lived in the shinobi world for nearly six years and finally experienced what the arrival of war felt like.

The ninja forces stationed at the border barely held off Suna's advance, bogging down in a stalemate at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire. But that wasn't enough. The entire Konoha immediately shifted from mission mode.

Large numbers of dispatched shinobi were recalled, formed into squads, and marched toward the Frontline.

The village's usual peaceful atmosphere vanished, replaced by tension.

Villagers stood on both sides of the road, watching the departing troops with grim faces.

Among them were their fathers, Husbands, and sons, all setting off without hesitation to protect the Land of Fire and Konoha.

But how many would return safely? No one knew.

The High Level sent people to the Capital of Fire to meet the Daimyo, requesting funds for wartime, while also convening daily meetings with representatives from major clans and Commoner Ninja to discuss war plans.

Everyone knew that once war broke out, it wouldn't stay between two countries. Before long, all major military powers would be dragged in.

The border between Fire and Wind had to be held, but other borders couldn't be neglected either. More personnel were needed as a precaution.

After the first two great wars, this was all standard procedure.

Time slipped by in this tense atmosphere, and Higashino Makoto welcomed his sixth birthday.

That evening, Higashino Megumi and Higashino Jiro smiled as they watched their son close his eyes and silently make a wish in front of the cake.

In truth, Higashino Makoto had always just gone through the motions. There were no Dragon Pineapples in the shinobi world. What good was making a wish?

But today was different. Because of the war, he made his wish with earnest seriousness.

Higashino Jiro smiled and asked, "Makoto, what did you wish for this year?"

"If I say it out loud, it won't come true."

"That's right, that's right." Higashino Megumi pulled out a thick notebook. "Here, this is the gift I prepared. It has my compiled notes on the key points of Medical Ninjutsu."

"And this is mine." Higashino Jiro once again produced a short Ninja Sword, the same style as the Kurogane Wood one he'd given before, but this time it was the real deal.

"Before, you were too young, and I was afraid you'd accidentally hurt yourself or someone else, so I didn't give you a real blade. But I know you've grown up—you're not as naive as other children, and your mind is mature. So it's time."

"Thank you, Father. Thank you, Mother." Higashino Makoto put the notebook away and casually drew the blade to inspect it.

It wasn't a new sword. The hilt and scabbard showed signs of wear, clearly aged, but the blade itself was gleaming and pristine, without a single scratch. Etched into it were two characters: Higashino.

Just those two, in traditional Chinese script. After all, this was a Japanese-style world; having Chinese characters was perfectly normal.

Higashino Jiro explained, "This was your Grandfather's personal blade. The metal is mixed with Chakra Metal—back then, it cost our family every bit of savings we had."

"Your Grandfather used this sword, and your Uncle used it too. Later, it got damaged and was kept at home as a family heirloom."

"Recently, I had an Artisan restore it. Now, I'm passing it on to you. I hope it will earn a name for itself in your hands. I believe with your abilities, you can do it."

Higashino Makoto did have an Uncle—otherwise, his father wouldn't be called Jiro, but Taro. But both his Uncle and Grandfather had died in the previous two great wars, and his Grandmother had passed away after the Second Shinobi War.

As for his Mother's family, there was no one left. Higashino Megumi had been a War Orphan since she was very young.

"I will, Father." Higashino Makoto sheathed the sword and asked, "When do you leave? Which direction?"

The Couple was silent for a moment. Finally, Higashino Jiro said, "The day after tomorrow. Iwagakure forces have appeared in the Land of Grass, and they need more hands over there."

Yes, not long after Sunagakure and Konoha started fighting, Iwagakure was also preparing to join in.

Higashino Jiro had just been reassigned from the Land of Rivers border, narrowly avoiding the war. But now he had no choice but to accept orders and prepare to hold the Land of Grass front.

"Be careful, Father. Don't try to be a hero if you run into an Enemy Squad. Stay alive—Mother and I will be waiting for you at home."

Higashino Jiro patted his son's head. "Don't worry. You know my strength well enough. I'm not that easy to kill."

Unlike Sunagakure, which had few ninjas and specialized in poison and puppets, Iwagakure followed the Troop Spawning Route. While they lacked many Masters, their lower and mid-tier ninjas were thick as locusts. In wartime, they rarely deployed Elite Squads acting alone; they usually moved in companies or even battalions.

When they ran into a Master like Minato Namikaze, they'd get farmed for war merits. But for Regular Ninja from Konoha, it was a huge problem—one wrong move and they'd get Ganged Up and killed.

Two days later, another Ninja Army unit set out. The difference this time was that Higashino Makoto had joined the Farewell Party lining both sides of the road.

This was war.

Higashino Makoto knew that Konoha seemed to be handling things well for now. But once Kumogakure joined in, and later Kirigakure threw its hat into the ring, that was when Konoha would be Stretched Thin, forced to let Ninja Academy students graduate early to fill the ranks.

Given the current timeline, he would very likely be one of them.