029-I'm Good at Helping People Open Their Eyes

After the gathering ended, everyone walked along Konoha's streets.

Uzuki Yugao patted her slightly full belly: "Ah, I'm so full. If only there were no war, we could eat meat happily like this every day."

"Hey, Makoto, how can we make war disappear? If it's you, you must have a way, right?"

Over the past few years, Higashino Shinichi was usually the one who spoke the least, but if anyone had a problem, they always liked to ask him.

Because he could always give answers that people accepted, he naturally became the core of their group of four.

Actually, being the leader of a few brats was pretty embarrassing for Higashino Shinichi, but thankfully none of them were childish ghosts, and he did need friends his own age around him to reassure his parents.

He could be precocious, smart, and disciplined, but he couldn't be abnormal, withdrawn, or a problem child.

Usually, Hayate Gekko and Uchiha Shisui were fine—at least the questions they asked were ordinary. Only Uzuki Yugao, that little girl, always asked strange questions.

But since they were in the war period right now, this question happened to hit everyone's curiosity, drawing the attention of the other two as well, even Hayate's classmate Tsubaki.

No one liked war, but ironically, everyone in the shinobi world believed that ninja were born for war.

Higashino Shinichi smiled, looked at Uzuki Yugao, and asked back: "In this world, there's day and there's night, there are men and there are women, just like there's war and there's peace."

"So guess, what would happen if the world only had day, or only had men?"

Shisui and the other two were lost in thought. Uzuki Yugao had an external brain and didn't want to waste her own brain cells, so she pressed directly: "What would happen?"

"With only day, the world would be continuously heated by the sun until it melted, and all life would go extinct. With only men, it'd be a little better—just that humans couldn't reproduce, so humans would go extinct, but other creatures could still live fine. Do you understand?"

"Even though I don't really get it, I feel like you're saying war will never disappear. Right, Makoto?"

"Pretty much. This isn't something you need to think about right now. Just go back and train properly."

"Oh, I got it!"

"Good. Let's go to the school."

Higashino Shinichi ended the topic. Hayate Gekko's trio didn't think much of it, but Uchiha Shisui, with his captivating Carlan Eyes, seemed to have even more questions he couldn't understand.

There were no classes in the afternoon, but there was a graduation ceremony. Higashino Shinichi and the others could attend too, just to get familiar with the atmosphere in advance.

The ceremony hadn't started yet, but the General Classroom was already filled with people.

Uchiha Shisui was still stuck on the earlier conversation, trying to think deeper, but in the end, he couldn't figure it out.

"Makoto, can we find a quiet place to talk?"

Higashino Shinichi looked at this guy who was clearly overthinking again and didn't refuse: "Sure."

For ninja, whether the school rooftop was locked or not didn't matter—they could scale walls and walk on eaves.

On the rooftop, it was very quiet, as if it were a different world from the noisy classroom below.

Uchiha Shisui thought for a moment before voicing his question: "Makoto, I know you're stronger than me. Why do you refuse to graduate early?"

Higashino Shinichi first sensed around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then replied: "No particular reason. I just want to train a bit longer. And don't forget, we're only eight years old."

"But this is the war period. Every day, comrades die on the frontline. The number of ninja in the village is dropping sharply. Isn't this the time when we need to join?"

"And then what? What's the point of letting seven- or eight-year-old kids graduate? They'd still need to train for a considerable time anyway. Or do you mean sending them straight to the frontline? How is that any different from just killing them?"

Shisui frowned deeply: "But saying that doesn't align with the Will of Fire, does it? Is this your understanding of the Will of Fire?"

"Then let me ask you: what is the core of the Will of Fire?"

Shisui blurted out: "Where leaves dance, fire will continue to burn. The fire will keep lighting the village and let new leaves sprout."

"You've memorized it well, Shisui. Right, the Will of Fire's essence is protection and sacrifice. But let me ask you again: are you the withered, fallen leaf that turns to mud and nourishes the big tree, or the new sprouting leaf?"

"I am... I am... Makoto, do you mean my understanding of the Will of Fire is wrong? Or even... that Konoha letting us graduate early is wrong? That the Hokage is wrong?"

Uchiha Shisui was shocked, his heart churning. He had never thought that his friend's interpretation of the Will of Fire could be so different from the norm.

But it seemed to make sense, too. He just had never looked at it from this angle. He had always believed the Will of Fire was about sacrifice and devotion, but he had never considered his own age.

Thinking about it now, he was just a newly sprouted leaf on the big tree—it wasn't his turn to burn yet.

After all, Konoha hadn't been invaded to the point of life or death.

For a moment, this new interpretation clashed violently with the theory he had accepted for years, making his head buzz.

Higashino Shinichi looked at the Hokage Rock in the distance and said slowly: "I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth. The Will of Fire isn't one person's will—it's the will of everyone in Konoha. Everyone has the right to interpret it, and there's no right or wrong."

"That's impossible. There must be right and wrong. There must be. Right, Makoto?"

"If you insist, then fine. There is, brother, there is. The one with the strongest power is right. So, Shisui, if your power isn't strong enough, just train in peace and don't think about these things. You'll walk into a dead end."

"No, we can't use power as the standard for right and wrong. That's a crooked path."

"Then let me ask you: even if your will is correct and recognized by the world, if someone stronger kills you, does your will still matter?"

Shisui said urgently: "How could it not? More people would agree with it, wouldn't they?"

"Yes, as long as it's a correct idea, people will naturally agree. But their voices are too weak. They need a loudspeaker, and strong power is that loudspeaker."

"But, Makoto, doesn't that just mean whoever is strongest rules everything? Then what do we need the Will of Fire for?"

Higashino Shinichi sighed. "In essence, you're not wrong to think that way, because this is the Shinobi World. But power without the guidance of correct principles leads to chaos, and correct principles without the backing of power are just empty talk."

"Correct principles are the code of our ninja way, while strong power is the guarantee to uphold that code from being willfully distorted."

"Is that so? So that's what you meant? It does seem quite reasonable."

Seeing that Shisui had finally grasped a bit, Higashino Shinichi was about to call him down together, when he suddenly sensed a cold, sinister chakra converging toward his eyes.

His perception was far too sharp to be mistaken, but this was frankly absurd.

Higashino Shinichi stared intently at his eyes. Shisui's original brown-black pupils rapidly turned red, slowly spinning, and then two black tomoe emerged upon them.

He really did unlock the Sharingan on the spot, and started off with Two Tomoe right away.

Good news: Shisui was graduating early, so it was unlikely they'd be teamed up—meaning he wouldn't have to serve as the expendable material for Shisui's eye awakening.

Bad news: He had indeed helped Shisui awaken those eyes, through conversation alone.

He hoped he wouldn't end up as the Uchiha Clan's exclusive psychological counselor and professional eye-opener.

Shisui also sensed something was wrong. Looking up to see Higashino Shinichi staring at him with curiosity, he asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Shinichi? Is there something off about me?"

"Something off? That's an understatement. Congratulations, you've gained considerable power. Truly an enviable clan."

After saying this, Higashino Shinichi raised his hand and released chakra, condensing a smooth Water Screen like a mirror. This kind of technique was simple for him—the combined result of entering the second stage of Chakra Control training plus Water Release Nature Cultivation.

Shisui stared at his reflection in the mirror, hardly believing it. "Is this me? Did I just awaken the Sharingan? But the clan's Seniors said I'd have to lose..."

"Still don't get it, Shisui? Are the words of those you consider authorities always correct? This world is complicated. We need to slowly understand and realize things as we grow. Don't rush to find answers when you're young, because they're often incomplete, or even wrong—or traps others set for you to fall into."

Shisui nodded, letting out a relieved smile. "I understand. Thank you, Shinichi. You really are a true good friend."

Higashino Shinichi leaned back slightly. Shisui's tone was sincere, but paired with those eerie, crimson Sharingan, the whole feel changed.

At that moment, he somewhat understood the psychological feelings of that old geezer Senju Tobirama.

Innate evil Uchiha Kid, here I go personally...

Seeing that Shisui still seemed to have many questions he wanted answered, Higashino Shinichi quickly cut him off. "We'll talk more later. The ceremony's about to start. Let's go downstairs."

Just interpreting the Will of Fire got you Two Tomoe. If I talked any longer, you'd probably take off—you might even pop out a Mangekyo right in front of me.