Biwako Sarutobi paused for a moment, then slowly began to speak: "Yesterday, I went to the hospital to help out, and I heard many wounded ninjas who had returned from the southwest talk about this child. They always said that he was a hero, always able to stand up in the most desperate times, a hero who stood in front of everyone. They believed in him, respected him, and were even willing to entrust their lives to him."
The third Hokage listened quietly without interrupting.
"Hiruzen."
At this point, Biwako Sarutobi's voice became even softer: "That child is no longer a fledgling that we need to protect under our wings, afraid that he will fall and get hurt. He has already braved the flames of war in the southwest, and he has flown very high and very steadily. He has even become the wings of many people."
"I understand that you want to protect him, but some birds are destined to belong to the vast sky from the moment they hatch; they are meant to soar and face the fiercest storms."
"Moreover, given this child's abilities, temperament, and intelligence, the fact that he dared to submit the application on his own initiative must mean that he had given it careful consideration and had a clear assessment of the potential risks."
At this point, Biwako Sarutobi withdrew her hand, walked around to the third Hokage, and looked at him.
"Hiruzen, as an elder, when a child makes a well-thought-out choice and demonstrates the courage and responsibility to face danger, what we should do is not to stop them in the name of love, but to stand behind them and give them the strongest support and the fullest trust."
The third Hokage raised his head, met his wife's gaze, and remained silent for a long time. Then he reached for the document, unfolded it, picked up a pen, and signed his name.
...
That noon.
"Jonin Shinichi Higashino, in view of the current situation and after deliberation by the Hokage's office, it has been decided that in three days, you will lead the fourth independent combat battalion to the northeastern border front, and be incorporated into the northeastern forces under the command of Orochimaru, the frontline commander."
Shinichi had just returned home after training, and before the sweat on his body had even dried, he received a document delivered by an Anbu member.
'Huh? Did the third Hokage agree so readily?'
He thought he would have to wait at least a while longer, or that he might have other considerations?
That's fine, it saves him from having to explain himself again.
Shinichi closed the document in his hand and then looked up at the sky in the northeast direction.
There, the clouds remained thick.
But in his eyes, the rolling trails of those clouds and the movement of every wisp of air seemed clearly visible.
The increased neural reaction speed and dynamic vision brought about by Lightning Speed Reflex should be comparable to the enhancement of the Mangekyou Sharingan, right?
Shinichi thought to himself.
Of course, the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan goes far beyond dynamic vision and nerve reaction speed. It also possesses a variety of bizarre and powerful exclusive Visual Jutsus, its amplification of yin release chakra, and its almost bug-level Genjutsus were all things that Lightning Speed Reflex did not possess.
However, the Lightning Speed Reflex has a huge advantage that the Mangekyou Sharingan absolutely cannot match: It doesn't require chakra to maintain!
While the Mangekyou Sharingan is powerful, each activation, especially when using a Visual Jutsu, consumes a large amount of chakra and places a heavy burden on the body, particularly the eyes. Overuse can even lead to blindness.
Unlike Lightning Speed Reflex, it is more like a passive, permanent visual enhancement and neural optimization.
As long as he is alive, as long as his eyes and nerves are still functioning normally, this reaction speed and dynamic vision will continue.
This is undoubtedly a huge advantage.
"The clouds in the northeast are perhaps more interesting than the sandstorms in the southwest."
Shinichi muttered to himself, then turned and went back into the house to begin making more thorough preparations for the upcoming trip.
During the three days that Shinichi was waiting, a piece of news shook the entire Shinobi World like a thunderbolt.
Village Hidden in the Cloud, on the grounds that a ninja from their village went missing while carrying out a mission within the Land of Fire, forcefully demanded to dispatch a large-scale search force into the Land of Fire to conduct a thorough and unrestricted search to ensure the safety of their ninja and uncover the truth.
Such unreasonable demands, which involve national sovereignty and dignity, were naturally rejected by Konoha in a direct and decisive manner.
So, at dawn the next day, the Village Hidden in the Cloud launched a full-scale surprise attack on the northeastern border of the Land of Fire and officially declared war on the Hidden Leaf Village!
The entire Shinobi World was in an uproar!
Everyone knows that this war is no longer just a local conflict between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Sand.
Although Village Hidden in the Mist and the Village Hidden in the Stones are still observing and have not yet officially entered the fray.
But everyone knew that from this moment on, the Third Shinobi World War had inevitably begun to erupt in full force!
January 24, Konoha Year 47.
Early in the morning, the sky had not yet fully brightened; the gray clouds hung low, and people's breath condensed into white mist in the air, lingering for a long time without dispersing.
In front of Konoha's main gate, several hundred-man units were assembling.
Shinichi stood at the very front of one of the units.
According to Konoha's conventions, newly promoted Jonin did not have the qualification to command a large unit of a hundred people. Such positions were usually reserved for veteran Jonin with deep experience, commanding ability, and battlefield adaptability.
And Shinichi, standing here, clearly showed that the higher-ups of Konoha had, from the very beginning, already regarded him as a veteran Jonin.
No one questioned it.
The ninjas in the unit who were older and more experienced than Shinichi looked at him with only calmness and trust. Many of them had just come back from the southwest front and had personally witnessed this young man's performance on the battlefield.
"Captain Shinichi."
A Jonin who looked about thirty years old, with an old scar on his face, stepped forward and reported, "Fourth battalion, one hundred expected, one hundred present, equipment checked and confirmed, all personnel in good condition, ready to depart at any time."
Shinichi looked at him and nodded. "Good work, senior Ueno. Return to your position and await the departure order."
"Yes!"
The Jonin named Ueno turned sharply and returned to his place in the formation.
At this moment, a figure approached from the front. It was the overall commander of this five-hundred-man reinforcement force, Konoha's renowned Genjutsu expert and elite Jonin, Shinku Yuhi.
"Shinichi, how is the preparation of the fourth battalion?"
"Senior, preparations are complete."
Shinichi replied.
Shinku Yuhi glanced at him and did not say much, only slightly nodding. Then he looked at everyone, took a deep breath, and loudly said, "All battalions, depart!"
As soon as the words fell, the five hundred people instantly turned into afterimages and disappeared from where they stood.
The cold wind howled past, lifting the remaining snow on the ground.
In front of Konoha's gate, only an empty snowfield remained, and the distant black dots that were gradually fading away.