After the dinner, everyone walked along the streets of Konoha.
Uzuki Yugao patted her slightly bulging belly. "Ah, that was delicious. If there were no war, and we could enjoy meat like this every day, that'd be wonderful.
Hey, Makoto, how do you make war disappear? If anyone could figure it out, it'd be you."
Over the years, Higashino Makoto had usually been the quietest one of them, but whenever anyone had a question, they always liked to ask him.
He could always give an answer everyone accepted, so he naturally became the core of their group of four.
Honestly, being the leader of a bunch of little kids was pretty embarrassing for Higashino Makoto. Fortunately, none of them were childish ghosts, and he really did need friends his own age to put his parents at ease.
He could be precocious, smart, and self-disciplined, but he couldn't be abnormal, antisocial, or become a problem child.
Gekko Hayate and Uchiha Shisui usually asked ordinary questions. Only Uzuki Yugao, the little girl, was always asking strange ones.
But with the War Period going on, this question happened to hit on something everyone was curious about. The other two were interested, too—even Tsubaki, Hayate's classmate.
Nobody liked war, but ironically, everyone in the Shinobi World believed that ninjas were born to fight in wars.
Higashino Makoto smiled and countered Uzuki Yugao's question. "This world has day and night, just as it has men and women. And just as there's war, there'll be peace.
"So, what do you think would happen if the world had only daytime? What if there were only men?"
Shisui and the others pondered this. Uzuki Yugao had an external brain and didn't want to waste her own brain cells, so she simply pressed him. "What would happen?"
"If it were always daytime, the sun would keep heating the world until everything melted and all living things went extinct. Only men would be a little better. Humanity couldn't reproduce and would die out, but other creatures would be fine. Do you understand?"
"I don't really understand, but it feels like you're saying war will never disappear. Is that right, Makoto?"
"More or less. This isn't something you need to think about right now. Go home and focus on your training."
"Oh, got it!"
"Good. Come on, let's go to school."
Higashino Makoto ended the conversation. Gekko Hayate and the others didn't think much of it, but Uchiha Shisui seemed to have even more questions in his captivating Carlan Eyes.
There were no classes that afternoon, but the graduating class was holding a celebration ceremony. Higashino Makoto and the others could attend and get a feel for the atmosphere ahead of time.
The ceremony hadn't started yet, but quite a few people were already seated in the General Classroom.
Uchiha Shisui was still thinking about their earlier conversation, trying to delve deeper into it, but he couldn't work anything out.
"Makoto, can we find somewhere quiet to talk?"
Seeing that the boy was clearly getting caught up in a mental loop again, Higashino Makoto didn't refuse. "Sure."
For ninjas, it didn't matter whether the school's rooftop was locked. They could simply scale the walls.
The rooftop was very quiet, as if it and the noisy classroom below belonged to two different worlds.
Uchiha Shisui thought it over before voicing his question. "Makoto, I know you're stronger than me. Why did you turn down early graduation?"
Higashino Makoto checked with his Sensing to make sure no one was eavesdropping before replying, "No particular reason. I just want more time to train. Besides, don't forget—we're only eight."
"But we're in the middle of a war. Our comrades are dying on the battlefield every day, and the village's ninja numbers are dropping fast. Isn't this exactly when the village needs us?"
"And then what? What's the point of graduating children who are seven or eight? They'd still need a long period of training. Are they supposed to be sent straight to the front? How would that be any different from killing them?"
Shisui knitted his brows. "But what you're saying doesn't align with the Will of Fire. Is this really how you understand it?"
"Then let me ask you: what's at the heart of the Will of Fire?"
Shisui answered without hesitation. "Where the leaves dance, the Fire Will Continue to Burn. The firelight will keep illuminating the village and help new leaves sprout."
"You've memorized it well, Shisui. That's right. The Will of Fire is about protection and sacrifice. But let me ask you this: are you a withered leaf that falls to the ground and becomes soil, nourishing the great tree, or are you a tender new leaf?"
"I'm... I'm... Makoto, are you saying my understanding of the Will of Fire is wrong? And that Konoha is wrong to let us graduate early? That the Hokage is wrong, too?"
Uchiha Shisui was stunned, his heart in turmoil. He had never imagined that his friend's interpretation of the Will of Fire could be so different from everyone else's.
But it did seem to make sense. He had simply never looked at it from this angle. He'd always thought the Will of Fire meant sacrifice and giving everything, but had never considered his own age.
Now that he thought about it, he was only a tender leaf that had just sprouted from the great tree. It wasn't his turn to burn yet.
After all, no one had invaded Konoha, and the village wasn't facing a desperate fight for survival.
The new interpretation clashed violently with the beliefs he'd accepted for years, making his head spin.
Looking at Kage Rock in the distance, Higashino Makoto said slowly, "I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth. The Will of Fire doesn't belong to any one person. It's the will of all the people of Konoha, and everyone has the right to interpret it. There's no right or wrong."
"That can't be. There has to be a right answer, there has to. Isn't that so, Makoto?"
"If you insist on seeing it that way, fine. There is. My friend, there is. The strongest person is the one who's right. So, Shisui, if you aren't strong enough, focus on your training and don't think about this. You'll only end up in a dead end."
"No, we can't use strength as the standard for what's right and wrong. That's the wrong path."
"Then let me ask you this: even if your ideals are right and everyone agrees with you, what happens if someone stronger kills you? Will your ideals still matter then?"
Shisui said urgently, "How could they not? More people would agree with them, wouldn't they?"
"Of course. If an idea is right, people will naturally agree with it. But their voices are too quiet. They need a loudspeaker, and strength is that loudspeaker."
"But, Makoto, doesn't that mean the strongest person gets to rule over everything? Then why do we need the Will of Fire?"
Higashino Makoto sighed. "In essence, your understanding isn't wrong, because this is the Shinobi World. But strength without the guidance of sound ideals leads to chaos, while sound ideals without the backing of strength are just empty talk.
"Sound ideals are the principles of our Ninja Way, and strength is what keeps others from distorting those principles at will."
"Is that it? Is that what you meant? It does sound reasonable."
Seeing that Shisui had finally understood at least a little, Higashino Makoto was about to invite him downstairs when he suddenly sensed a cold Chakra gathering around Shisui's eyes.
His senses were incredibly sharp. He couldn't be wrong about this, but it was a little ridiculous.
Higashino Makoto stared at Shisui's eyes. The boy's original dark brown pupils quickly turned red and began to spin. Then two black Tomoe appeared in them.
He really had awakened his Sharingan on the spot—and gone straight to Two Tomoe.
The good news: Shisui was graduating early, so it was unlikely they'd be teammates. In other words, Higashino Makoto wouldn't have to be used as the material for his eye awakening.
The bad news: he really had helped Shisui awaken his eyes, just by talking to him.
He hoped he wouldn't end up as the Uchiha Clan's go-to therapist, a specialist in helping people awaken their eyes.
Shisui sensed that something was wrong, too. He looked up and saw Higashino Makoto staring at him curiously. Confused, he asked, "What's wrong, Makoto? Is there something on my face?"
"Oh, there's definitely something. Congratulations—you've gained some impressive power. What a wonderful clan you come from."
After speaking, Higashino Makoto raised his hand and released Chakra, shaping it into a smooth Water Screen like a mirror. This was simple for him. It was the combined result of his Chakra Control training reaching its second stage and his Water Release Nature Cultivation.
Shisui looked at his reflection, unable to believe it. "Is that me? Did I awaken the Sharingan? But the clan elders said you had to lose..."
"Do you still not understand, Shisui? Are the things said by people you consider authorities necessarily correct? This world is complicated. We have to learn about it and understand it as we grow. Don't rush to find answers when you're young, because they're often incomplete or even wrong—or they might be traps someone deliberately set for you to fall into."
Shisui nodded and smiled with evident relief. "I understand. Thank you, Makoto. You really are a good friend."
Higashino Makoto leaned back slightly. Shisui sounded sincere, but paired with those eerie, crimson Sharingan eyes, the whole thing felt completely different.
At that moment, he could understand how that old geezer Senju Tobirama must have felt.
You naturally evil Uchiha brat, I'll personally...
Seeing that Shisui still seemed to have plenty of questions for him, Higashino Makoto hurriedly cut him off. "We can talk more later. The ceremony's about to start. Let's go downstairs."
He'd only explained the Will of Fire, and Shisui had already awakened Two Tomoe. If they talked any longer, wouldn't he take off? Maybe he'd awaken the Mangekyo right then and there just to show him.
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