That same night.
At this time, it had already entered the cold winter of January, and snow was falling heavily from the sky.
Snowflakes fluttered down, silently covering this land that had been ravaged by war.
This was the first night after the battle of Kikyo Pass, a night that many people would never see again.
The area where Konoha's field hospital's southwest army is located has now completely changed.
The once spacious tent area is now densely packed with makeshift medical sheds, with stretchers constantly moving in and out.
At a large tent, Shinichi and Nono Yakushi were moving among the wounded patients in their hospital beds.
Shinichi was squatting in front of a stretcher, his hands glowing with a soft green light as he treated the young man in his early twenties.
Meanwhile, after Nono Yakushi finished changing the dressing for one wounded patient, she stood up, her gaze involuntarily drifting once again toward Shinichi's back.
Nono Yakushiu remembered that several Medical Ninjas who followed Shinichi had said that Shinichi had deliberately drawn away hundreds of elite Sunagakure ninjas during the most intense part of the war to protect them.
When she first heard the news, her mind went blank, and her heart nearly stopped beating.
Several hundred people! And Pakura! Just him alone! How was that any different from seeking death?!
The period of time that followed was, for her and for many who knew the situation, an unprecedented torment.
Later, he returned and said nothing.
The thrilling chase and pursuit were not recounted, nor was the danger faced when confronting Pakura and the hundreds of elite Sunagakure ninjas.
He simply walked to the area with the most injured people, squatted down, and began to treat them, up until now.
"Alright."
Shinichi withdrew his Healing Jutsu and whispered the instructions: "The wound is healing well. With proper rest for ten to fifteen days, you should be able to move around again."
"Thank you for your help, Shinichi-kun."
After some time, in the washing area at the corner of the tent, Shinichi and Nono Yakushi were washing their hands.
"Shinichi."
Nono Yakushiu suddenly spoke.
"What do you plan to do after the war ends?"
Even though she knew the war had only just begun, Nono Yakushiu still couldn't help but ask about what would happen after the war.
Shinichi glanced at her, thought for a moment, and replied: "I'll probably continue being a ninja, and maybe draw some manga and research cooking on the side."
"What about you, big sister Nono?"
"Me..."
Nono Yakushiu smiled gently, "The old director is getting old. After the war ends, I plan to apply to the village to resign from my position as a ninja and return to the orphanage to take over the old director's job and continue caring for those children. Shinichi, what do you think?"
"I think it's great."
Shinichi nodded in agreement while saying, "You're such a gentle and thoughtful person, big sister Nono, you will definitely do a very good job."
"By the way, if you need any help, big sister Nono, such as repairing the yard or if the children need anything, please let me know."
"Don't worry, I won't stand on ceremony with you, Shinichi."
Nono Yakushiu smiled, replied, and continued washing her hands.
Shinichi lowered his head and continued washing off the blood on his hands, but another name involuntarily surfaced in his mind: Kabuto Yakushi.
According to the trajectory of his previous life, this child should have been found in the ruins of the battlefield after the final battle between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Sand, the battle of Kikyo Pass.
At that time, he had lost his memory and did not know who he was, where he came from, or where he was going.
The person who found him was none other than the Nono Yakushi standing beside him.
But in this time and space, everything changed because of him.
Konoha blocked the Village Hidden in the Sand's offensive from the very beginning, the battle of Kikyo Pass broke out ahead of schedule, and the battle line remained stable near the border of the Land of Fire.
The Village Hidden in the Sand was unable to penetrate deep into the heart of the Land of Fire, and Konoha did not launch a large-scale counter-offensive.
Therefore, Kabuto has not yet appeared near Kikyo Pass.
The child who should have been found in the ruins of the battlefield is now somewhere, waiting for a turning point in his fate.
Shinichi had been interested in this super genius for a long time. In the original timeline, his medical talent was no less than Tsunade's, his research talent and creative ability were comparable to Orochimaru's, and he could even fuse multiple Kekkei Genkai and later master Sage Mode.
He planned to recruit him, even making him his first disciple, and thus, Shinichi Higashino's most significant founding disciple.
Shinichi had read the manga and knew just how terrifying Kabuto's potential and talent were.
In Shinichi's view, Kabuto Yakushi's growth trajectory in the original timeline was a huge waste.
He spent most of his early years as a spy for Root and later Orochimaru, wasting his most precious growth period in conspiracies and disguises.
Even after receiving some of Orochimaru's true teachings and embarking on a path of independent research, the process was full of twists and turns and loneliness. Nevertheless, he eventually grew into a top-tier ninja in the Shinobi World and even became a near-boss-rank figure in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
What if he personally provided him with the instruction?
Shinichi himself has a profound understanding of Taijutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, pharmacology, chakra control, and other skills.
Moreover, Shinichi also has three attributes that can improve his teaching efficiency: the Chunin and Master swordsman occupations and the talent Guidance. These attributes may even be upgraded in the future, further increasing the teaching efficiency.
If he were to personally teach him, combined with Kabuto's terrifying talent and learning ability, his growth rate and future achievements would definitely far surpass that of the Kabuto from the original timeline who walked the gray area and finally found himself. He might even reach a completely new height that would make the entire Shinobi World take notice.
Thinking of this, Shinichi's lips curled into a slight smile.
Recruit members from Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, or other clans as students? What does that mean?
Those families that have been passed down for hundreds of years have produced countless powerful individuals whose names resound throughout the Shinobi World.
Even if another genius emerges, people will only say, "As expected of the xx clan." "The Kekkei Genkai is indeed powerful," and "He has inherited the glory of his ancestors."
People will attribute his students' success primarily to their lineage and clan resources, rather than to his teaching ability.
While accepting such a disciple may strengthen ties with that clan, it is more of an added bonus and does not highlight Shinichi Higashino's unique value and extraordinary vision as a mentor.
Even if he were to accept someone, it would certainly not be someone like the first disciple, who would be a benchmark figure.
He himself, Shinichi Higashino, started as an orphan from humble beginnings, and through his own talent, hard work, and planning, he rose step by step to become Konoha's most dazzling rising star and was regarded as the hope for the future.