Standing outside the door, watching Aunt Kiko's figure gradually recede, Kei lowered his waving right hand, a faint trace of emotion showing in his eyes.
Ever since coming to this world, especially the moment he realized he was going to become an orphan, Kei had always thought his life ahead would be several times bleaker than his previous one, not merely because of his surroundings, but even more because people's hearts were different.
Yet Aunt Kiko had shattered what Kei had "taken for granted"!
As an "outsider" in terms of blood ties.
Kiko Minazuki's care for him could truly be called meticulous in every respect.
This was also the only warmth deep within Kei's heart in this life.
Aunt Kiko, this is a critical time when every second counts, but don't worry. I definitely won't die so easily! I have a goal I absolutely must achieve!
Kei took a deep breath and tightened his fists slightly, thinking to himself.
After one last, lingering look in the direction Kiko Minazuki had left.
Kei turned around, closed the door, and returned inside.
Given the current situation, the advantages of enrolling a year early far outweighed the drawbacks for Kei. From his perspective, it was very necessary for him to enter the Ninja Academy next year, when he turned five!
The most important reason was that he hoped to become an official Mist Ninja as soon as possible!
Even if he had to shoulder greater risks for it, Kei would not hesitate, because only by becoming a Mist Ninja could he escape his current constraints as much as possible and gain as much freedom as he could!
Besides, there were limits to training alone. For a ninja who wanted to grow stronger in the shortest possible time, tempering oneself in actual combat was the most direct and effective path.
Another reason was that, for a ninja to improve his standing and prestige, he had to complete more missions, secure more benefits for his village, and let the world understand his strength!
Strength, status, power!
Kei's goals had always been clear and explicit. He absolutely could not waste even a little time, much less a gap as significant as an entire year.
Of course, he would not rush things because of this and take unnecessary, excessively high, irrational risks. Every choice he made had been carefully considered, especially the matter of the "risk of war" Kiko Minazuki had mentioned earlier.
Others might not know, but Kei knew very well that this Shinobi World War had already reached its final stages!
Because it was now September of Konoha Year 37!
That was right. Kei had been born precisely when the Second Shinobi World War had just broken out in the original story, and now, as he approached his fifth birthday, the Second Shinobi World War was also about to end!
This was the advantage of foreknowledge a "transmigrator" possessed. Even though the original story had not devoted much space to describing this part of its "history," it had still revealed some relatively important information.
With a "little butterfly" like him yet to flap his wings and exert his influence, this Shinobi World War would surely reach exactly the same conclusion as in the original plot.
To put it plainly, if he enrolled next year, he would not need to worry at all about being "volunteered" into graduating early and thrown onto the battlefield.
The war was about to end, so why would the village force the little ones in the Ninja Academy to graduate early and become cannon fodder?!
After all, such an approach.
To put it bluntly, amounted to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs!
The damage to a village's continuity would be immensely severe.
Kei could fully foresee that he would have several years to grow in peace, but only those few years.
After all, anyone familiar with Naruto's plot knew that, unlike the more than ten years separating the Second Shinobi World War from the First Shinobi World War, only about five years separated the Third Shinobi World War from the Second Shinobi World War!
The most important reason for this was that the First Shinobi World War had been far too brutal. Not only had the death rate among low- and mid-level ninja been terrifyingly high, but even four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' Second Kage had died in battle!
The Five Great Shinobi Villages had naturally needed more than ten years to slowly recover. In this Shinobi World War, their losses were certainly not small either, but compared with the previous war, they really could not be called devastating. Moreover, thanks to Hanzo of the Salamander, an extraordinarily powerful figure who had risen outside the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Shinobi World had settled at a strangely delicate point of balance, making this Shinobi World War far less intense than the first.
With the major shinobi villages' losses not being particularly severe.
The time needed to recover had naturally shortened considerably.
Then, spurred by the Third Kazekage's mysterious disappearance, the Third Shinobi World War had broken out just five short years later!
It was precisely because of this that Kei had to hurry and enroll!
Then, before the Third Shinobi World War officially broke out, he absolutely had to.
Become an official Mist Ninja.
Only by accumulating more reserves and growing stronger as quickly as possible could he give himself as much of an extra chance as possible of surviving that brutal Shinobi World War!
It was a critical time when he could not afford even the slightest relaxation.
Just as Kei himself had told Kiko Minazuki, this coming stretch of time would be his most important!
Or, more accurately, ever since the moment over a year ago when Kei had first managed to extract chakra, the strings deep within his heart had remained taut!
A critical period when every second counted.
Kei was pushing toward his limits at every moment.
Physically, this was true.
And mentally, it was the same!
Precisely because he was a transmigrator, Kei knew very well what he would have to face in the future: the Third Shinobi World War, and that "classmate Runtu" in the more distant future!
That sense of urgency Kei felt was something others could not understand, much less know about!
And while Kei continued his training in an orderly fashion and made his final preparations before enrollment, in just over two months, the situation in the Shinobi World developed in the direction he had "predicted"!
The Five Great Shinobi Villages all began consciously keeping the situation under control and further drawing their forces back. Ordinary people might not have noticed anything yet, but to the discerning members of the major nations' leadership, this war had already entered its final stages!
Each had halted its large-scale military operations, leaving only some small-scale clashes along the nations' borders.
And the first to take a step toward "peace" were Konoha and Amegakure!
After the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, representing Konohagakure, signed a peace agreement with Amegakure's leader, Hanzo of the Salamander.
The Kage of the other four great shinobi villages also clearly realized that the war had indeed reached the point where it had to end!
With every major shinobi village having its own misgivings.
There was naturally no way to keep fighting this war!
The peace treaty between Konoha and Amegakure also became the final straw, returning the entire Shinobi World to its previous state of incredibly fragile balance.