Early in the morning, within Konoha's training grounds, Higashino Shin sat quietly cross-legged on a tree trunk, undergoing the second stage of his Chakra control cultivation.
Now that he was full nine years old, he was much taller than before, even taller than most of his peers. His face looked more mature, and while he still had short, messy hair, his deep brown hair seemed a bit darker than before.
To his relief, his looks still took after his mother, Higashino Megumi, with well-defined features. He was confident that in the future, he would definitely be a handsome man who would make young girls gape and young wives unable to keep their legs closed.
After a long while, Higashino Shin opened his eyes and sighed slightly; he wasn't very satisfied with his cultivation progress.
The second stage of Chakra control cultivation involved adjusting the ratio of physical energy and spiritual energy when fusing them into Chakra, pushing it toward the Yin and Yang poles.
Through his help at the hospital over the years, he learned that generally, a Ninja who pushes the physical energy ratio to 60% can become a decent Medical Ninja. Conversely, if spiritual energy accounts for 60%, one would be like a fish in water when practicing Genjutsu or certain Yin Attribute Secret Techniques.
By the time he was over five years old, Higashino Shin had already pushed the Yin-Yang ratio to 70%.
He didn't know about the Senju and Uchiha, but for ordinary Ninjas, this might be the peak of a lifetime's cultivation. Beyond this, without the support of a Bloodline, ordinary people simply cannot take another step forward; it's not something that can be achieved through hard work alone.
Kurenai Yuhi practiced Genjutsu for decades, only to fall after a single glance from Uchiha Itachi.
Severe injuries that ordinary Medical Ninjas couldn't save would be healed just by having the person take a bite of Karin.
In the Ninja World, Bloodline cheats are just that unreasonable. The endpoint of your lifetime's cultivation is merely the starting point for a powerful Bloodline.
If it weren't for the continuous modification of his body by the White Natural Energy, Higashino Shin would never have had the chance to break through this ceiling for ordinary Ninjas.
However, four years have passed, and after pushing the Yin and Yang ratios to 85% each, the subsequent progress has been at a snail's pace.
Just like his Natural Energy cultivation, he was stuck at the second stage. Not only that, he had a premonition that if he pushed any further, his physical body would not be able to withstand it.
Perhaps, once the Natural Energy enters the third stage of stabilized Sage Mode, the situation will change. After all, besides his day-after-day hard work, the White Natural Energy was the biggest contributor to his current progress.
Now, he had temporarily finished developing his own offensive and defensive methods, and even his Medical Ninjutsu had grown rapidly due to frequently assisting his mother at the hospital.
Since neither of the two main paths he was focusing on could be accelerated just because he wanted them to, it was time to graduate.
Having decided on his direction, Higashino Shin leaped out of the forest. His body drifted toward home like a wisp of light smoke; his way of traveling was already in a completely different style from that of ordinary Ninjas.
Higashino Shin's movements were elegant and agile, a style far superior to the straightforward movements of typical Ninjas.
---
At the breakfast table, Higashino Megumi seemed a bit distracted.
After finishing his meal meticulously, Higashino Shin asked, "Mom, are you worried about me?"
"What else? My son, Mom doesn't know whether to praise you for your sharp mind or scold you for being a jinx. That damned Hidden Mist really did join in."
"Don't worry, Mom. A Hidden Mist at its peak might have significantly impacted the overall situation, but that broken Village is currently in a crippled state and won't affect the final outcome. Weren't the strongest Seven Swordsmen neutralized by Senior Duy?"
"Duy... I didn't expect him to be able to go to such lengths. Although he died in the line of duty, he saved his own son. He truly was a great father." Higashino Megumi sighed and continued, "What you said is true, but no matter how useless the Hidden Mist is, they've delayed the end of the war. And you, you're about to graduate."
"The timing is just right. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I hope so. Do you need me to accompany you to school?"
"No need, just go about your business." After saying that, Higashino Shin waved and left for school.
Higashino Megumi shook her head as she watched his retreating figure. Her child had suddenly grown up. She was probably the most worry-free mother in the history of Konoha.
Perhaps having another child would let her experience the joy of raising one, but she and Higashino Jiro had gradually moved away from that idea.
What if another war breaks out in a few years? Children of Ninja families are destined to become Ninjas if they have the Aptitude. She really didn't want to worry all over again.
Konoha appeared even more desolate than before. Foot traffic had decreased significantly, and the families holding funerals changed every few days.
What thoughts did those Ninjas who died in the line of duty have before they perished? Did anyone ever wonder why they, who possessed extraordinary power, were destined to be consumed generation after generation in the meat grinder of war, while the powerless Daimyos and nobles could sleep soundly, their descendants flourishing, holding onto power for generations and living luxurious, decadent lives?
He wondered when a Ninja would be born who would trample over the bones of the nobility.
Given the Ninja World's distorted educational system and twisted ideological perceptions, it would probably be very difficult.
In any case, Higashino Shin wasn't going to do it. After all, before his Rebirth, he was already an adult with fixed values. Essentially, except for his family and a small circle of friends, he found it hard to have any cultural identification with this Japanese-style world.
He hadn't changed; he was reborn into this world to enjoy a different kind of wonderful life, not to be a savior.
With idle thoughts running through his head while admiring the familiar scenery, Higashino Shin soon met up with Yūgao Uzuki, and they arrived at the multi-purpose classroom together.
A lot of people had already arrived; all the remaining students from the entire fourth grade were there.
In fact, they had only attended school for three years. Having just entered the fourth grade this year, they were required to graduate early. Compared to the complete six-year system during peacetime, the duration of wartime education had been cut in half.
In the crowd, there were some older than them—Seniors who had failed to graduate successfully—as well as some very young students from the second or third grades who were confident in their strength and eager to become official Ninjas.
He wondered what Senju Hashirama, residing in the Pure Land, would think if he saw this scene.
"Hey, Shin-niisan, what do you think this year's graduation topic will be?" Yūgao Uzuki was testing her external brain again.
"How should I know? Do you take me for a fortune teller? Besides, for you, what difference does it make? Is there any of the Three Basic Jutsu you don't know? I can teach you on the spot."
"Ahaha, true."
Amidst their idle chatter, the exam soon began.
After a 40-minute written exam on general knowledge and an hour's break, the teachers quickly graded the papers and recorded the scores. Then, they moved on to the Ninjutsu assessment phase.
To everyone's surprise, this year's Ninjutsu assessment wasn't one specific technique from the Three Basic Jutsu, but was left to the students' choice.
Those lacking confidence could choose the one they were best at, while those who were sufficiently confident could take turns demonstrating them.
In front of the many grading teachers and the Sandaime, the students were like products being inspected, showing off their strength on stage with excited faces.
The Three Basic Jutsu, as the most fundamental Ninjutsu for entry-level Ninjas, served more as a test than for actual combat.
They allowed teachers to judge the students' level of mastery over Chakra and Ninjutsu, their basic observation skills, instant memory capacity, and their grasp of timing for casting.
Based on these, suitable team leaders could be arranged for them and their future paths planned out.
It was wartime, and manpower was scarce. The team leader wasn't necessarily a Jonin; it could also be a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
As for what the students could learn from their team leader in the future, that depended entirely on how responsible the teacher was and the level of harmony in their relationship.
However, Ninjas who could serve as team leaders generally either had good personalities or were specifically selected by the higher-ups based on special relationship considerations with the students.