Faced with the flood of questions from the crowd, especially from the reporters whose noses were even keener than Ninja Hounds, Shinichi offered no detailed explanation; he merely replied with a single sentence: "He is not beneath me."
After that, he said nothing more.
Returning to the front of the procession, he signaled everyone to continue the journey.
As for the details of the battle between the two, no one knew, but from that day onward, those five short words, he is not beneath me, grew wings and flew across the headlines of major newspapers.
Upon the already scorching public opinion landscape of the Shinobi World, they poured yet another bucket of hot oil.
...
Two days later, the Konoha group finally arrived at Konoha.
When the familiar gates appeared at the end of their vision, a long-suppressed cheer erupted from the ranks.
The coming period would be spent resting within the village.
As for the subsequent imprisonment and arrangements regarding the Kirigakure prisoners, those responsibilities would be handed over to Konoha's intelligence department and prison authorities.
As commander, Shinichi proceeded directly to the Hokage's office.
Only after thoroughly reporting the mission's details to the third Hokage did he finally return to the home he had been away from for so long.
That afternoon, Shinichi bathed and changed clothes, washing away all traces of travel and fatigue.
After completing every ritual that seemed capable of calming his mind, he returned to the living room and sat cross-legged.
With a quiet call, he opened the system panel visible only to himself.
[Name: Shinichi Higashino]
[Occupation: Jonin, Saint Swordsman]
[Talents: omitted...]
[Number of draws: 1 (Purple)]
The first thing that caught his eye was the occupation section.
Master Swordsman has finally upgraded into Saint Swordsman.
[Saint Swordsman: Your swordsmanship has established its own school and become a unique path. The efficiency of swordsmanship training and physical conditioning receives an extremely significant increase. Your efficiency when guiding others in sword-related things is greatly enhanced. Your understanding of the principles of weapon combat has transcended the limitations of individual weapons, allowing mutual verification between different systems and the deduction of higher martial truths.]
This upgrade was naturally expected.
After all, Shinichi was currently the largest source of attention in the entire Shinobi World.
The performance he and his clone Isshin had staged in public two days earlier, especially that post-battle declaration that he is not beneath me, had stirred unimaginable waves throughout newspapers and intelligence networks across the Shinobi World.
The occupation of Saint Swordsman had come naturally.
Feeling the subtle increase in strength within his body once again, along with the clearer and more refined sense of control over various weapons in his mind, Shinichi slowly shifted his gaze toward the item he anticipated most on the panel.
[lottery chances: 1 (Purple)]
"Come."
Taking a deep breath, Shinichi spoke inwardly, draw.
The next moment, a deep and dazzling purple light exploded within his consciousness, carrying an air of mystery and nobility.
Then, within the radiance, a new line of text slowly condensed and solidified.
[Cultivation Lord Level 1 (Purple): You have entered the representative realm of nurturing plant life. From this moment onward, every act of cultivation in your hands carries the possibility of creation and abundance. You can clearly perceive the state of every plant's life and optimize its growth accordingly, thereby shortening growth cycles, increasing yield and quality, or inducing directed mutations. Ultimately, you can cultivate rare crops possessing both extraordinary nutritional value and special enhancement effects.]
Oh? A farming-related talent?
Seeing this, Shinichi raised an eyebrow slightly. He reread the description of the Cultivation Lord several times before slowly looking away. His gaze then lingered upon two other talents, repeatedly moving between Gourmet, Pinnacle of Medicine, and Cultivation Lord.
The three formed a faint, complete, and interconnected chain: cultivation, cooking, and healing.
At the same time, lines of ancient words from his previous life surfaced unconsciously within his mind.
"Cut wood to make plows, bend wood to make farming tools, and teach the people the benefits of cultivation."
"He planted the five grains on the sunny slopes of Qishan, and the people of the nine provinces came to know grain as food, transforming the world."
"He tasted the flavors of a hundred herbs and encountered seventy poisons in a single day."
His gaze continued moving until it settled upon the Incarnation of Fire.
"Fire supports wood, occupies the south, governs summer. Therefore, it is called the Flame Emperor."
"The Flame Emperor used fire as his symbol. Thus, he became the master of fire and was named through fire."
Shinichi stared at the Incarnation of Fire for quite some time.
The controller of fire, using flames to burn wilderness and open farmland.
Using firelight to illuminate ignorance and dispel cold.
The Cultivation Lord, meanwhile, restored life to the scorched land opened by fire.
Planting seeds and harvesting grain allow humanity to truly enter an agricultural civilization rather than wander through hunting and gathering.
If fire was conquest, cultivation was creation.
If medicine was healing, cuisine was nourishment.
Fire, cultivation, medicine, and food...
For a brief moment, Shinichi seemed to glimpse the outline of an ancient figure.
"Huh? Who would've thought I was actually the Flame Emperor?"
Shinichi chuckled softly and muttered to himself.
Wasn't it true? In the mythology of his previous life, the Flame Emperor Shennong, one of the revered progenitors of civilization, just so happened to embody all these identities.
He was the controller of fire, ruling the world through the virtue of fire, hence the title Flame Emperor.
He was also the founder of agriculture, creating farming tools, planting the five grains, and teaching the people about cultivation.
Furthermore, he was the ancestor of medicine, personally tasted hundreds of herbs and poisons upon himself, opening the path of herbal healing for future generations.
Fire, cultivation, medicine, food, these four domains corresponded perfectly to the talents on his panel: Incarnation of Fire, Cultivation Lord, Pinnacle of Medicine, and Gourmet.
Of course, Shennong's achievements extended far beyond these; he was also the founder of commerce and markets and the creator and promoter of pottery.
One could even say that humanity's transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture began with the hands of this ancient king.
Naturally, the current Shinichi was far from deserving the title of Flame Emperor.
His fire was still primarily used for destruction rather than illumination; his cultivation abilities had only just been obtained and were nowhere near the level of teaching agriculture to the masses, yet the puzzle pieces were already in his possession.
What remained was merely time and accumulation.
And he liked this title very much; it suited him perfectly.
Since he had now decided upon this honorific, then that fake Shennong (Shinnō) in this world, that remnant at the Land of the Sky, would need to die properly in the future.
Who told him to dare use the alias Shennong?
(Note: His name Shinnō literally means "God/Divine Farmer", which is the on'yomi rendering of the name "Shennong", one of the first three sovereigns of China alongside Fuxi and Nuwa (and is considered China's first founder of tea). Source: Naruto.Fandom, trivia section.)
Thinking of this, a dangerous glint flashed through Shinichi's eyes, then he stood up once more, intending to thoroughly test the effects of his new talent.
...
Late that night, everything was silent, and moonlight filtered through the clouds, draping the entire Konoha beneath a hazy veil of silver-gray light.
At this hour, most of Konoha's residents had already sunk into peaceful dreams.
Outside the village, however, within the Forest of Death, a lone figure was strolling leisurely through the dense woods.
Towering ancient trees rose overhead, and twisted roots intertwined beneath his feet while half-human-height ferns and shrubs surrounded him.
Occasionally, a firefly lit up the darkness with a tiny point of light.