A Few Thoughts on Vacation

When the Two Brothers, Yuta and Yuto, saw their captain again, they didn't angrily confront him. They simply sank into deep confusion, their spirits utterly crushed.

Their unsuccessful ninja careers had taken yet another heavy blow.

Not only that, but their captain had been a spy, and they'd be implicated too. A trip to Anbu for questioning was unavoidable, and they might even lose their jobs as ninjas for good.

Higashino Makoto, on the other hand, thought it might actually be a good thing for them. In his eyes, the Two Brothers really weren't suited to being ninjas. Whatever they did in the future, it would be better than being ninjas.

The Shinobi World placed tremendous importance on intelligence and physical talent. Powerful bloodlines could bring those talents to their fullest potential, but the Two Brothers clearly had neither.

They were nearly adults, yet their Chakra Amount was pitifully low. They could manage the Basic Three Body Techniques and throw Shuriken, but even nine-year-old Uzuki Yugao could take on ten "seniors" like them at once.

By now, the Two Brothers had realized that perhaps it was time to face a choice. The dream they'd proclaimed at school—that they'd become Hokage when they grew up—had ultimately lost to the merciless reality.

In their eyes, Captain Ritsu, who was fairly capable, had been tied up like a dog by a freshly graduated junior. And when the Explosive Tags went off in the cave, Higashino Makoto had effortlessly used a Ninjutsu they couldn't understand to carry them all the way out.

Just like Kiba Inuzuka, one of the future Konoha 11, who could be as unwilling as he liked to accept Naruto Uzumaki, but still had to face the gap between them. He didn't have the Uzumaki Body, the Nine-Tails cheat code, a Sannin master, the identity of Asura Chakra's reincarnation, or special access granted by the Sage of Six Paths.

At the start, all he had was a dog. By the end, all he still had was a dog.

A while later, Yugao Gekko finally showed up. Two ninjas wearing Animal Masks were with him.

They were Anbu. They nodded to Higashino Makoto's group of three, acknowledging the credit the rookie team had earned, then took Ritsu away along with Yuta and Yuto, bringing them back to Konoha.

Anyone connected to a spy, whether knowingly or not, had to go through the Anbu's procedures.

"Not bad. I'm very pleased with how you handled things!" Yugao Gekko gave his students a thumbs-up.

Higashino Makoto only smiled faintly, while Gekko Hayate looked excited. He had finally earned his father's approval.

Uzuki Yugao deliberately put on an angry face. "Sensei, was this your real objective all along? Was doing a D-Rank Mission with us just a side benefit?"

"Oh, Yugao seems upset. But I'm sorry—you've got it backward. Your growth was what really mattered. As for what happened today, it was an accident. Just an accident."

"Then what exactly happened?"

Yugao Gekko thought for a moment, then decided to explain. "Well, some time ago, Anbu caught a high-ranking Iwagakure spy in the village. But the man killed himself beforehand, destroying his brain and leaving us unable to get any information. We lost the lead on his Spy Network.

"A lot of people had been in contact with him, and Ritsu Squad was among them. But it's the War Period, and Anbu doesn't have enough people to investigate everyone. Besides, it wouldn't be wise to make too much of a scene.

"Anbu knew I was leading a Genin squad, so they asked me to look into any suspicious people we happened to encounter along the way. And you saw the result for yourselves—Ritsu really was up to no good."

"Aren't you worried we might be in danger?"

"If someone like that could take you out, then you'd have reached the end of the road." Yugao Gekko looked seriously at Uzuki Yugao. "What do you think a ninja is? A ninja must always have keen instincts and be able to notice and stay alert to anything out of place."

"Fine, then. Does this count as earning merit?"

"Of course. This was a standard B-Rank Mission."

"Great!" Uzuki Yugao excitedly waved her little fists. Now her Genin record included a mid- to high-level mission she could brag about.

"Come on, Yugao. Sensei was actually protecting us from the shadows the whole time."

"I knew I couldn't fool you, Makoto. Your Perception Ability really is useful. But don't get cocky. I can't stay by your side forever, so hurry up and grow. Become someone your teammates can rely on—and, more importantly, someone you can rely on yourself."

Gekko Hayate asked, "Sensei, are we still going to continue today's mission?"

"Of course. You should always see things through. Treasure your time doing D-Rank Missions. Today is the last day we agreed on. Next time you want to do one, you might have to wait until you're grown up and leading a team as a Jonin."

After the mission ended, Third Squad got two days off.

Two days later, they would officially leave the village to carry out missions and face new challenges.

This was the last bit of kindness Konoha could offer. Even when short on manpower and forced to send children to the battlefield, they still had to give them some time, long or short, to adjust.

Each village handled this differently, though most were more or less the same. Kirigakure was the only real outlier. Its ninjas had already racked up enough kills on their comrades before ever leaving home.

After all, those without talent were just experience points. Better to let their own people grind them first.

That was why Kirigakure was also known as the Village of Three Multiples: too many crazies, too many freaks, and too many Rogue Ninjas.

During his two days off, Higashino Makoto finally got to enjoy some leisure. Apart from his daily training, he spent his days either admiring Konoha's scenery from Kage Rock or basking in the warm spring sunshine by the river.

Life wasn't only about training. There was also the leisure of enjoying the moment. Only then could you truly feel the joy of being alive.

For someone who had died once, that was especially important.

Training was to make sure he could keep living. Being a ninja was to make life more exciting. There was no contradiction between the two.

After all, unlike those Transmigrators who came before him, he hadn't been born into the Uchiha Clan, constantly worrying that he wasn't strong enough and that Itachi would stab him to death on the night of the clan's massacre.

He hadn't been born into the Hyuga Branch Family, spending every day fighting the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead.

Nor was he an orphan, afraid that standing out too much would put him on Danzo's list and lead to the classic scene in the Hokage Office: "You regret it, I become Hokage."

He certainly wasn't going to cause himself trouble by trying to change the so-called Shinobi World or alter someone else's fate.

In his nine years in the Shinobi World, the only people he'd probably changed were the three who'd grown up with him. Uchiha Shisui had awakened his Sharingan because of him. As for what came next, he'd deal with it when the time came.

Gekko Hayate? He definitely wasn't going to let him die young.

Finally, Higashino Makoto had discreetly asked his parents about his background and confirmed that he had no Senju blood. He was an utterly ordinary civilian, and didn't have to be forced to work toward restoring the glory of the Senju Clan.

Without the Natural Energy cheat, his limit in this life would've been that of an ordinary Jonin, like Higashino Jiro. Facing the godlike figures of the Fourth Shinobi World War, he'd be nothing but a dog on the roadside.

If that had been the case, he'd probably have taken the Life-Consuming path of the Eight Inner Gates, or risked approaching Orochimaru to see if scientific research could change his fate.

Honestly, neither path suited him. The Eight Inner Gates had a high ceiling, but they offered only one chance to shine.

As for research, he knew himself well enough to understand he wasn't cut out for it. Beyond a deep theoretical foundation, research required, above all, that flash of creative inspiration.

What was that saying? Genius was one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

He had the ninety-nine percent perspiration, but that one percent of talent was asking a bit much of him.

So all his current hard work was entirely thanks to his cheat. There was nothing to be embarrassed about; in this world, cheats were the only way to have a future.

As far as his current abilities went, he'd temporarily reached the limit in developing his offensive and defensive techniques. Medical Ninjutsu and the second stage of Chakra training had likewise reached the limits of his body.

His efforts to push his Chakra toward the Yin Yang Extremes had almost completely stalled.

It wasn't a matter of how hard he tried. His instincts were telling him that forcing his way forward might be dangerous.

Why were Kurama Yakumo and Itachi Uchiha unrivaled in Genjutsu, yet their bodies deteriorated so quickly? Kaguya Kimimaro's body could regenerate at an astonishing rate, yet he still couldn't cure his Kekkei Genkai disease.

The most outrageous case was Hashirama Senju. He had the greatest life force of any ninja, yet he died before even reaching sixty.

So Higashino Makoto suspected that pushing Yin and Yang Release too far without a superhuman constitution wasn't a good idea.

Everything would have to wait until he'd trained White Natural Energy to the third stage and his body entered Normal Sage Mode. Only then might things change.

As for his current strength, Higashino Makoto really had no idea. You could only tell by fighting. In any case, a Jonin like Yugao Gekko posed no threat to him at all.

As for a Kage-level ninja? Maybe he should try throwing a sack over Hiruzen Sarutobi's head someday?