Two Little Ones

After breakfast, Higashino Megumi went to work as usual.

Higashino Makoto had only just turned four, after all, and with an adult at home, there was no need for him to do any housework. Washing the dishes naturally fell to Higashino Jiro.

Fortunately, although the Shinobi World had a relatively backward social system, the ninja as a group were comparatively progressive in their thinking, and men and women were relatively equal.

The Higashino Family were just civilians, not some great Ninja Clan. Higashino Jiro wasn't the sort of patriarch who expected everyone else to do the housework; he was quite skilled at it himself.

"Makoto, are you staying home to study again today?"

"Yes, Father. Is there something you need me to help with?"

"Hmm... It's not that there's anything in particular. Since yesterday was your birthday, I came straight home and haven't reported to the village yet.

Besides that, I've got some personal errands to run, so I might not be back by noon."

In theory, ninjas had to report in as soon as they returned to the village from a mission. But the village wouldn't reprimand someone like Higashino Jiro for coming home first because it was his son's birthday.

After all, it wasn't wartime, and Higashino Jiro wasn't the Jonin in charge of his ninja squad. There was no need for him to report the detailed intelligence gathered during their deployment.

On the contrary, the deep affection he showed his son was also an expression of the Will of Fire—a form of Political Correctness.

"Don't worry about me, Father. You know I can take care of myself."

"I'm quite sure you can. But I think you're too solitary. You should get out more, meet some friends your age, and play some ninja games. I think it'd be good for your mental health."

"Did you play those when you were little? Were they fun?"

"..."

They were fun. Even now, they brought back so many childhood memories.

But he was a mature ninja now, and a father to boot. When he saw the look on his son's face, as though he thought games were for childish ghosts, he suddenly didn't feel like answering.

Precocious children really did make parenting both easier and more exasperating.

After his father left, Higashino Makoto sat quietly in the study, thinking things over by himself.

The fatigue he felt while refining Chakra was completely different from the weakness he'd experienced when his Chakra had been depleted. His Chakra Amount was limited for now, so he should avoid letting that happen again. If it happened too often, it might affect his physical growth.

Then there was the matter of his Training Direction from here on.

Now that he had Chakra, should he start learning the useless Three Body Techniques and the family's ninjutsu?

Higashino Makoto quickly dismissed the idea. There was no need to rush. Only a clueless kid would be impatient to learn powerful ninjutsu.

As for Chakra, he should first train the Refinement Technique until it became second nature. He couldn't keep having to sit down and form an Unfinished Seal every time he wanted to use it. That was way too low-class.

At the same time, he could start practicing Chakra Control. That was the most important foundation. As long as he could control his Chakra precisely, learning any ninjutsu would be twice as effective, including Medical Ninjutsu.

Yes, Higashino Makoto had no plans to become a full-time Medical Ninja, but Medical Ninjutsu was still part of his study plan. After all, there was a Medical Special Jonin in his family.

A ready-made teacher was right there in front of him. He couldn't waste the opportunity.

That was also why he'd started studying the basics of human anatomy earlier.

Medical Ninjutsu wasn't something you could simply learn and then use. You also needed to master a great deal of prerequisite knowledge: how the body's various tissues functioned, how Medical Chakra worked, how it affected different tissues in the body, the properties of medicines, and the effects of common poisons and their combinations, among other things.

Of all the techniques in the Shinobi World, Medical Ninjutsu might require the most prior knowledge.

With his direction decided, Higashino Makoto immediately got to studying.

First, he refined Chakra. While the Chakra in his network of pathways was naturally fading away, he could read a book.

By alternating between the two, he wouldn't waste any time in between.

As for exercises like tree climbing and Water Walking, which trained Chakra control, he could start practicing those before long.

Just as expected, Higashino Jiro didn't come home at noon. Higashino Makoto dragged a stool into the kitchen and made himself a meal.

If his parents had suddenly come home then, they would have discovered that the food their son had made was completely different from theirs—or even from the cuisine of this world.

He'd made Chinese Cuisine. He'd been a pretty good cook in his previous life.

As for the Shinobi World's cuisine, it was the same as Japanese cuisine in his previous life. He knew how to make some of it, but since he was cooking for himself, he preferred the familiar flavors he missed.

After eating, he lost himself in his studies and training again.

Time flew by, and dusk fell.

Higashino Makoto looked up at the window and suddenly realized his parents still hadn't come home. Had they gone on a date without telling him?

Just then, the rarely heard sound of a knock came from outside.

He wasn't worried about danger in Konoha, so Higashino Makoto opened the door, curious. Two little kids stood outside.

A boy and a girl, both about his age.

The girl had shoulder-length purple hair and a very cute face. Her chubby cheeks made her look like a little bun, and she was on the short side.

The boy had black hair that covered his ears, with a lock falling across his forehead. He was about the same height as Higashino Makoto, but rather frail, and he didn't look very healthy.

"Hello, this is the Higashino home. Who are you looking for?"

The little girl stood behind the boy, her cheeks flushed. She didn't seem shy, though, and didn't avoid Higashino Makoto's gaze as he sized her up.

The boy was much more composed. "Are you Higashino Makoto?"

"I am. Who are you?"

"My name is Gekko Hayate."

"My name is Uzuki Yugao."

Higashino Makoto froze for a moment. So it was those two. He'd actually run into characters from the story! He hadn't recognized them at first.

After all, there was a huge difference between anime characters and real people.

"Oh, hello. What do you need?"

"Ahem." Gekko Hayate coughed softly. "Uncle Higashino asked us to come over and tell you to join us for a meal at Yakiniku Q."

"Oh, sure. Sorry for the trouble. Wait a moment while I change, then we can go."

As they walked, Higashino Makoto eyed Gekko Hayate curiously. Did this guy have some kind of illness even as a kid? And yet he made Special Jonin in his early twenties. That's some talent.

Gekko Hayate grew uncomfortable under his gaze. He was rather shy and a little old-fashioned, and worried he'd done something rude. "Um, is there something wrong with me?"

"No, nothing." After answering, Higashino Makoto looked at the two of them with a mischievous grin. "Hey, little Hayate, is the girl beside you your girlfriend?"

Little Hayate blushed. "Huh? Of course not! Yugao is only four, and I'm only five."

Uzuki Yugao looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Um, Big Brother Hayate, what's a girlfriend?"

Gekko Hayate: "..."

Higashino Makoto: "So you're a year older than me?"

"Hey, you two! You still haven't told me what a girlfriend is!"

Higashino Makoto: "It's who you marry when you grow up."

"Huh? Ah?" Uzuki Yugao froze, her face turning red as if steam were about to pour out of it.

Just as he'd thought, children in the Shinobi World were generally precocious. What a disaster.

The Two Little Ones didn't say another word to Higashino Makoto for the rest of the walk.

It wasn't that they disliked him. Although he was about their age, he spoke like an adult, and they didn't know how to talk to him.

Before long, the three of them arrived at Yakiniku Q.

Higashino Makoto looked up at the sign and thought that this was another famous Konoha landmark. Too bad he hadn't awakened a check-in system. If he had, he'd at least have gotten an S-Rank ninjutsu out of it.