At the northeastern main camp of Konohagakure, the moment news spread that Narumi Town had officially been renamed Sakemizu Town by decree of the Daimyō, the entire camp erupted into an uproar.
Especially the members of Shinichi's unit. Almost the instant they heard the news, they could no longer contain their excitement and rushed to report the major development to Shinichi himself. Every face was filled with a sense of pride, as though they themselves shared in the honor.
Naturally, Shinichi responded with a modest smile, humbly attributing the credit to the collective and dedicating the glory to every Konoha ninja who had fought in the war.
Yet no one understood more clearly than he did that in this matter, the greatest beneficiary — perhaps even the only true beneficiary — was himself.
'This Daimyō knows how to play the game.'
After dealing with two more Konoha ninja who stopped to speak with him along the way, Shinichi muttered inwardly, thoroughly satisfied with the outcome.
Then, setting the matter aside for the time being now that it had already been finalized, he stirred his thoughts slightly and quietly summoned his personal interface.
Compared to yesterday, there had indeed been a subtle change on the panel.
The green Entry, [Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent], had vanished. In its place was a new Entry radiating blue light:
[Perseverance (Blue): Your persistence itself has begun to create miracles through accumulation. While studying, training, or working, your concentration increases and fatigue decreases, while you are guaranteed to make slight progress. In addition, the longer you continuously devote time and effort to a specific field, the greater the permanent improvement to your long-term training efficiency in that field becomes. The longer the investment, the deeper the accumulation, and the higher the efficiency.]
[Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent] had been one of his earliest green Entries, accompanying him ever since his days at the Ninja Academy.
But in the blink of an eye, five years had passed, and only last night had it finally completed its transformation, evolving into the current [Perseverance].
Over the years, not only had his diligence never weakened, it had in fact become even harsher and more relentless.
Sometimes, the brilliance of genius overshadowed the shine of sweat.
As Shinichi's reputation as a genius grew louder and brighter, more and more people began focusing solely on his monstrous talent. His diligence became little more than an assumed backdrop in their eyes — something so natural they subconsciously ignored it altogether.
Now, however, as the major shinobi villages continuously gathered and repeatedly reviewed intelligence regarding him, while growing increasingly wary of his terrifying talent, they had likely also begun noticing the diligence hidden within those records.
They had begun to realize that Higashino Shinichi's terrifying strength might not come solely from his overwhelming talent, but also from an almost obsessive level of hard work.
And that realization had ultimately triggered this Entry's evolution.
'Perseverance...'
Shinichi carefully examined the description of the new Entry.
Much like when [Diligence] had evolved into [Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent], the core effect had barely changed. The only difference was the newly added trait. And now, the evolution from [Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent] to [Perseverance] was much the same — it had merely gained a new characteristic.
The longer he invested himself in a particular field, the greater his efficiency in that field would become.
At first glance, it looked like another theoretically limitless divine ability.
But "theoretically limitless" and "practically valuable" were two entirely different things.
Just like the "guaranteed slight progress" effect from [Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent] sounded wonderful in theory, yet in practice, that "slight" progress had been almost microscopic.
He had estimated it himself before — if [Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent] were the only Entry he possessed, then even with thirty or forty years of bitter training, he still might never have reached the threshold of a jōnin.
The true value lay in time and compound growth.
Now, everything depended on just how powerful the snowballing effect of [Perseverance] truly was. Only then could he determine whether it really deserved to be called a divine ability — or whether, for someone whose strength was already advancing by leaps and bounds like himself, it still qualified as one.
But no matter what, as long as this positive cycle genuinely existed, as long as time continued to pass, and as long as he kept investing himself into it, then his efficiency would only continue growing faster and faster.
The snowball would keep rolling, growing larger and larger.
And one day, that tiny stream would inevitably become a roaring river.
'Time... truly is one of the most powerful forces in existence. And also the fairest judge.'
A trace of understanding surfaced in Shinichi's heart.
Calmly, he closed the personal interface.
Then he stepped forward, facing the rising morning sun outside the camp as he began yet another day of unwavering training — as steady and immovable as clockwork.
'Let the snowball of [Perseverance] start rolling from this very moment.'
...
April 10, Year 47 of Konoha.
After spending several days resting in the region that had been renamed "Sakemizu Town," the massive Northeastern Army Group of the Land of Fire began an orderly withdrawal in successive waves.
The first to depart were the various local shinobi clans and regional military organizations of the Land of Fire that had been mobilized to assist in the campaign. The ninja monks of the Fire Temple, for example, set off on their return journey after completing the necessary handovers and coordination work.
Next came those who had suffered serious injuries during the campaign and required long-term recovery, along with Konoha ninja such as the members of Shinichi's unit, who had endured months of extremely high-intensity missions and were mentally exhausted.
Under the personal leadership of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, they became the first group to rotate out and begin the journey back to Konohagakure.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, remained behind as commander of the northeastern front.
Nearly five thousand Konoha ninja still remained under his command, stationed along critical border positions to closely monitor Kumogakure's movements and guard against any possible counterattack.
After all, no one could guarantee that those Kumogakure ninja, famous for their ferocity and occasional recklessness, would not suddenly lose their minds out of resentment over their crushing defeat and launch another invasion southward at any cost.
From a rational standpoint, that seemed unlikely.
Kumogakure's logistics and medical systems had suffered catastrophic damage. Large quantities of core administrative documents and intelligence records had gone up in flames.
For a very long time to come, they would have their hands full cleaning up the mess and restoring basic operations. They simply lacked the strength to launch another large-scale cross-border campaign.
But in the shinobi world, one should never overestimate an enemy.
Especially not the reason or restraint of an enemy that had just suffered a devastating loss.
Before the official departure, the Third Hokage stood in the main camp and, before all of Konoha's forces on the northeastern front, personally announced an important decision to the fully assembled members of Shinichi's unit.
He was granting Shinichi's unit an official designation.
Its brilliant achievements during the Land of Lightning campaign—accomplishments worthy of being recorded in the history of shinobi warfare—would receive the highest level of public commendation and formal recognition for collective merit.
However, Shinichi's unit had been a wartime formation numbering five hundred personnel, far exceeding the size of a standard combat force.
A formation of that scale could not realistically be maintained as a permanent standing unit.
Particularly in peacetime, such a large force would create numerous practical difficulties involving organization, funding, and routine mission assignments.
Therefore, Shinichi's unit would not retain its full active-duty wartime structure.
But that did not mean it would be disbanded.
The affiliation and service records of every member who had ever appeared on Shinichi's unit roster would be permanently preserved.
Whenever the village faced a major threat or needed to carry out an exceptionally difficult special operation, it would have the authority to immediately and preferentially recall these battle-hardened elites—ninja with proven experience and seamless teamwork—to rapidly reconstitute Shinichi's unit and deploy it to critical battlefields.
Shinichi himself was more than happy with this arrangement.
After surviving life-and-death trials together in the Land of Lightning, every member of Shinichi's unit had already developed an almost faith-like sense of loyalty and belonging toward him.
Rather than keeping them gathered around him as an independent force that would attract too much attention, it would be better to scatter them like sparks.
Dispersed throughout Konoha's regular military units, departments, and every corner of the village, they would become more than just its finest backbone.
They would also become the most powerful firsthand witnesses and storytellers of Shinichi's legend.
Through daily training, missions, and casual conversations, they would naturally spread the legends of Shinichi's unit, the deeds of Higashino Shinichi, his ideals, and his personal charisma.
They would influence more comrades, attract more admirers and ambitious ninja, and continuously expand Shinichi's personal prestige and popular support.
A single spark could start a prairie fire.
Only when they spread out would Shinichi's influence truly reach every corner of Konoha.
...
Three days later, in the morning.
Konohagakure's main gate.
Both sides of the road were already packed with people.
Men and women, old and young—nearly the entire village had poured out and gathered along the roadside, eagerly waiting.
When the first group of returning Konoha ninja finally appeared at the village gates, carrying with them the dust of long roads and the lingering scent of gunpowder and war, marching in orderly but visibly weary ranks—
The whole of Konoha seemed to ignite in an instant.
"They're back! They're back!"
"It's the Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama has returned!"
"And Shinichi! Shinichi's gotten taller again!"
"Dad! Dad's over there!"
"Big Brother! Look over here!"
Cheers, screams, tears of overwhelming joy, and the cries of people calling out the names of their loved ones blended together.
Mixed with tears and laughter, they became an ocean of emotion.
At the very front of the procession walked the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As he advanced, he frequently waved to the excited crowds lining both sides of the road.
Yet behind him, the eyes of countless Konoha villagers and ninja alike were drawn, almost unconsciously, to the young figure walking beside him—only half a step behind.
Higashino Shinichi.
That name, over the past few months—and especially during the last month and a half—had already spread like wildfire throughout Konohagakure and even across the entire Land of Fire.
Breaking the Strongest Shield.
Penetrating deep into the Land of Lightning.
Entering and leaving Kumogakure four separate times.
Smashing the Raikage Building.
Being hunted by an army of more than ten thousand troops and still leading his men to a miraculous survival.
Any one of those achievements, taken on its own, would have been enough to make a ninja famous throughout the shinobi world.
And yet all of them belonged to a single boy who was only eleven years old.
The Third Hokage clearly felt the attention converging on them.
He turned his head slightly and glanced at the calm-faced Shinichi beside him. A trace of pride and emotion flashed through his eyes before he turned back to the crowd and spoke in a resonant voice: "People of Konoha! We have returned!"
"This victory belongs to every Konoha ninja who shed blood on the front lines! It belongs to every villager who supported us from behind the scenes through their hard work and dedication! It belongs to the Will of Fire that we all protect together!"
"We paid a price in sacrifice, but we also earned glory! We have proven Konoha's resilience and strength!"
"And today, we are not only welcoming our heroes home. We must also remember that peace and victory do not come easily. Every one of us must continue working to build an even stronger Konoha and safeguard this hard-won tranquility!"
"Let us welcome our heroes home!"
"Long live Konoha!"
"Long live the Hokage-sama!"
"Long live Konoha!"
The cheers surged to another peak, the roar of the crowd seeming almost capable of overturning the heavens themselves.
A smile rested on Shinichi's face as he watched the scene unfold. From time to time, he nodded in acknowledgment to the villagers cheering for him.
At the same time, something far more tangible than the surrounding celebration was stirring within him.
It's here!
Shinichi narrowed his eyes slightly.
On the personal interface visible only to him, the words representing the Entry [Clear Comprehension and Thorough Insight] in the Talent section suddenly shattered apart.
A mysterious and noble violet radiance erupted forth and stabilized itself among the sequence of Talent Entries.
[Piercing Insight LV1 (Purple): Your wisdom and comprehension have ascended to a representative level within this field. You can draw inferences from one thing to another, perceive the greater whole from the smallest detail, and understand the operational principles of complex systems through a single phenomenon or object. From a mass of confusing appearances, you can rapidly strip away everything unnecessary and identify the most critical information and logical connections. When faced with new knowledge, skills, or problems, your learning, training, and analytical efficiency will increase dramatically.]
Piercing Insight.
Shinichi carefully savored the new purple Entry.
It felt as though some dimension of his soul had quietly opened, elevating him into a realm he had never experienced before.
He could clearly sense that his mind had been lifted onto a platform that was both clearer and loftier than before, as though he had gained a pair of eyes capable of piercing through layer after layer of concealment and gazing directly upon the essence of things.
Instinctively, he looked toward the boiling sea of people before him.
The moment his gaze swept across the crowd, information flooded in like a raging tide.
Countless voices.
Countless images.
Countless scents.
Countless fragments of emotion.
Countless undercurrents of intent.
To ordinary people, it would have been nothing more than a chaotic ocean of noise and confusion.
Yet at this moment, it was as though a supercomputer had instantly organized, classified, and analyzed everything.
Piercing Insight.
In its most literal sense, perceiving things with the same clarity and certainty as one would observe a flame before their eyes.
Then perhaps it was finally time...
...to take a look at the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A sharp glint flashed through Shinichi's narrowed eyes before quickly fading, returning them to their usual calm and profound stillness.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Danzō did not participate in the grand celebration beneath the sunlight.
Instead, he quietly returned to the underground Root headquarters together with his unit.
Inside the Root assembly hall, a long silence hung in the air before Danzō finally spoke.
"Preparations for the Wood Release experiment... are to be terminated in their entirety."
Several Root elites standing within the shadows behind him visibly stiffened.
Danzō offered no explanation, nor did he wait for any reaction from his subordinates.
Having issued the order, he turned and left the hall.
Years ago, Konoha's leadership had attempted to transplant the First Hokage's cells into adult volunteers, hoping to cultivate users capable of wielding Wood Release.
The experiments had repeatedly failed, producing only more casualties.
As a result, the project had been immediately shut down.
During the latter half of the previous year, unwilling to give up, Danzō had contacted Orochimaru, whose desire for the First Hokage's power matched his own.
Together, they planned to secretly restart the experiments.
This time, their attention had turned toward children—hosts whose bodies were purer and more adaptable.
They had intended to secretly abduct homeless children and orphans from towns and villages surrounding Konoha and use them as new experimental material.
But then the war broke out.
Their attention was diverted elsewhere, especially after Orochimaru was dispatched to the front lines as commander of the northeastern theater against Kumogakure.
The project had been forced into temporary suspension.
And now...
There was no longer any need for it.
The Wood of the past should remain in the past.
A monument.
A symbol of history.
The Fire of the present was what they should truly seize.
The real future of Konoha.
And the future of this era as well.
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