In the eyes of ordinary people in the shinobi world, the Third Shinobi World War had long since ended, brought to a halt several years ago by the chaotic clash between Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure.
But in the eyes of the upper ranks of the major hidden villages, the war had never truly ended. It was only a temporary ceasefire, and everything still depended on the outcome of the years-long standoff and friction between Konoha and Kumogakure after the Nine-Tails Incident.
If both Konoha and Kumogakure suffered little and eventually withdrew, then everything would be fine, and the war could be considered truly over.
But if the two strongest villages in the shinobi world ended up wounding each other badly, both suffering heavy losses, or if either side alone took severe damage, then the other three great hidden villages might step in and reignite the flames of war across the entire shinobi world.
That was also why Sarutobi Hiruzen had instructed Makoto not to kill too many people. What he wanted was peace in the shinobi world, not to drag everyone back into endless war again before his retirement.
An old fox like Ōnoki, after suffering once already, would not make a move again unless he saw an absolutely golden opportunity.
As for Sunagakure and Kirigakure, they had never been content with being mocked as the filler among the Five Great Hidden Villages. They desperately wanted those two strongest big brothers to die. They dreamed of it.
If you two don't die, how are we supposed to rise to the top?
So they had been keeping a close watch on everything between Konoha and Kumogakure, especially the conflict that broke out on the night the two sides signed the peace agreement.
Including the escalation in hostilities afterward.
Everyone knew this was a battle that would determine the future of the shinobi world.
Whether there would be war or peace would be decided in this one gamble.
What no one expected, however, was that the battle would come so quickly and end just as quickly. Kumogakure, which had seemed so overbearing and powerful, was swept aside by Konoha in just a few moves.
Seriously, we gave you a chance, and you were useless, damn it!
Even more absurd was that, despite holding an overwhelming advantage and almost capturing Kumogakure's elites alive, including the A-B Combo, Konoha actually let off the opponent that had kept provoking them.
That wasn't just stupid. It was stupidity at its finest!
Then again, we gave you a chance, and you were useless, idiots!
But that was not the real focus of this battle. No one found it surprising that Konoha, the strongest hidden village in the shinobi world, had won. What was surprising was the way it won.
That was not Konoha's victory.
It was a stage that belonged to one man alone.
Wood Release, which had once bulldozed across the shinobi world and suppressed all under heaven, had appeared once more.
After the battle, the relevant intelligence quickly landed on the desks of the major leaders.
Ōnoki: What the hell is there left to fight? Might as well wash up and go to sleep.
Better focus on teaching that little blond brat of ours properly. He's one of my possible successors, after all. Can't let him grow crooked.
Rasa: Our alliance with Konoha is eternal—at least until that fellow named Higashino Makoto dies of old age.
But when he thought about how much younger Higashino Makoto was than him, Rasa turned his eyes toward his youngest son. It was about time to test whether he truly had the capacity to be a jinchūriki.
Kirigakure's elder Genji: Seal off the village and solve our internal problems first.
Third Mizukage: The internal problems that old man is talking about... he doesn't mean me, does he?
Karatachi Yagura: My coral staff is already thirsting for battle, but sadly, I'm still not strong enough. I need more power. Three-Tails, get over here.
Uchiha Obito: Good. Very spirited!
But it's still not enough. I'll inject even more spirit into you.
...
On the day after the battle with Kumogakure, multiple intelligence squads that had been sent out returned, and all of them reported the same thing.
The Fourth Raikage had indeed withdrawn with all Kumogakure forces, completely leaving the Land of Hot Water. He had not even stopped in the Land of the Moon.
At noon, after a brief discussion, Makoto, Hizashi, and several captains from the current rotation force decided that tomorrow they would first bring part of the troops back to the village, while the rest would remain stationed here. Any later arrangements would be left to the village to decide.
That afternoon, as usual, Makoto was sitting in a tree training when he sensed a familiar chakra fluctuation at the edge of the forest. His figure flashed, and he vanished by using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Orochimaru-senpai, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Makoto."
Orochimaru stared at Makoto with a puzzled expression, then lowered his head to look at himself. He felt as though there might be something unclean inside his body.
Makoto smiled. "Relax. I didn't leave a Flying Thunder God mark on you. But in this forest, marks can exist anywhere."
"Layering Flying Thunder God marks on top of Wood Release, hm? What an interesting idea." Orochimaru ran his tongue around once. "Anko is doing well these days, I assume?"
"Are you concerned about your once-beloved disciple, or the cursed seal on her body?"
"Hehe, both."
"My, my, who would've thought Orochimaru-senpai still retained a trace of sensei-student affection for Anko-senpai? But don't worry. Aside from being a little depressed, she's doing quite well."
"The Third hasn't made things difficult for her. Of course, the Sealing Team still hasn't figured out what the cursed seal actually does. I didn't tell them."
"Thank you." After thanking him, Orochimaru looked at the forest in front of them. "The legendary Wood Release... Makoto, don't tell me you underwent a cell transplant experiment like Yamato did?"
Because Yamato had left Root earlier than in the original timeline and had even moved into the Higashino household, Orochimaru had naturally already investigated everything.
Makoto denied it. "No. I don't need to rely on such a crude and dangerous method. I studied Yamato's Wood Release and your abandoned failed test subjects, and then developed it myself."
"Oh? You developed it yourself? What terrifying talent."
Orochimaru did not doubt him. He knew Makoto had no reason to lie.
"The shinobi world has never lacked talented ninja," Makoto said modestly, then probed, "Orochimaru-senpai, after all these years active in the shinobi world, haven't you discovered anything unusual?"
The snake's expression suddenly turned vivid. "I have. Makoto, do you know about the Sage of Six Paths?"
"If you're referring to the legendary origin of ninjas, then yes, I've seen mentions in folktales and certain records. But that's just myth, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid the Sage of Six Paths is more than just a myth. Because I discovered that someone has awakened the eyes that, according to legend, only the Sage of Six Paths possessed—the Rinnegan."
"The Rinnegan?" Makoto feigned surprise. "One of the three great dōjutsu of the shinobi world, the most mysterious Rinnegan… does something like that really exist?"
"Yes. Since the Byakugan and the Sharingan both truly exist, then the appearance of the Rinnegan doesn't seem so hard to understand, does it?"
"I can understand it, but it's still surprising. Is it powerful?"
A greedy glint flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. "It's not a question of whether it's powerful. It's the kind of thing that… how should I put it… completely transcends the conceptual understanding of ordinary ninja. It possesses the true might of a sage."
Makoto said, "It seems Orochimaru-senpai hasn't just discovered the Rinnegan—you've encountered it as well, haven't you?"
"Not yet. I only happened to witness a battle involving the Rinnegan once. The other party seems to belong to some organization, and they've already noticed that I'm investigating them."
"I think it won't be long before I meet the owner of those eyes. Makoto, would you be interested in going with me when the time comes, to see just what kind of miraculous abilities the legendary Rinnegan possesses?"
"No, Orochimaru-senpai, I'm not interested. The next few years are a critical period for my training—I don't want to be distracted." "Besides, a path like this, similar to the Sharingan, relying on the mutation of a specific organ to gain power, doesn't align with the system I'm following."
Makoto refused directly. Orochimaru revealing so much today clearly meant he had ulterior motives—he wanted to drag him into dealing with the Rinnegan.
He truly wasn't afraid of the Rinnegan right now. But what benefit would there be in killing Nagato? None at all. He didn't need to stuff those eyes into his own sockets.
Who knew how many backdoors Madara and Black Zetsu had left inside those eyes.
"What a pity."
Makoto didn't want to dwell on the topic and changed the subject. "Recently, has Danzō been in contact with you?"
"He has. Because of your existence, he's more desperate than ever for Wood Release. He even plans to transplant it into his own body."
"That old man doesn't want to live anymore?"
"Which is why he came to me—hoping I could eliminate the risk of Wood Release going berserk."
"Fine, then keep cooperating. If you get any intel, remember to share it."
"Hehe, no problem. But, Makoto, I'm also very interested in the path you're walking."
"That's fine. My training path will gradually be promoted within Konoha in the future. It'll be easy for you to get it. If there's anything you don't understand, just come to the dojo and find me."
"Then it's settled."
...
Somewhere on the outskirts of the forest, Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu were also gathering intelligence.
Although they appeared to be standing on the ground, their true bodies were entirely within Kamui's intangible space.
Makoto possessed powerful sensory abilities—this wasn't a secret in the current shinobi world. They didn't want to take any risks.
Black Zetsu said, "You once said that without the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, a ninja would always have limits. But Obito, it seems you've miscalculated. That brat named Higashino Makoto—his Wood Release is already no weaker than Senju Hashirama's."
Obito still spoke stubbornly, using Madara's tone with arrogant confidence. "So what? In front of the Rinnegan, it's nothing."
"…" Black Zetsu didn't know how to respond. Faced with a drama addict, he endured it. "But this might affect our plan, no?"
"Hmph. Let's see if he can get past Nagato first."
"Speaking of Nagato, he seems interested in recruiting Orochimaru into the organization." "But now it looks like that guy still maintains ties with Konoha."
"It doesn't matter. Since we know about it, it won't become a threat. And I think it's actually a good thing. He only has a one-sided connection with that brat Higashino Makoto, doesn't he?"
"That means Higashino Makoto isn't as loyal to Konoha as he appears on the surface. Perhaps in the future, we might have a chance to make use of that."
Black Zetsu felt that Obito had finally been smart for once.
For anyone who could benefit his plan, Black Zetsu's first instinct was always to make use of them. If that didn't work, then he would find a way to destroy them.
For over a thousand years, that was how he had always operated.
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