As this thought arose, an indescribable melancholy, even a trace of confusion, quietly welled up in his heart.
Shinichi knew very clearly what kind of person he was and whether in his previous life or this one, he had always been an extreme egoist.
He possessed normal human emotions; he could be moved by deeply touching stories and feel admiration for truly selfless and great individuals, but if he himself were asked to dedicate himself selflessly or engage in purely altruistic acts, Shinichi had always declined.
Many of his actions were built upon a foundation of self-interest.
And in this world, the future Shinichi Higashino would inevitably make people happier and make the world a better place. He had no doubt about that.
At that time, countless people would regard him as a Sage, perhaps even as a savior, yet Shinichi had never possessed even the slightest motivation that should belong to a Sage.
From beginning to end, he wanted to do these things only because they could help him generate and upgrade talents, allowing him to gain more bargaining chips in his survival and struggles within this world.
That was all.
Shinichi did not love the people of the world; he loved only the cognition they brought him.
Then, could a Shinichi like that be considered a Sage?
For a time, Shinichi fell into deep thought. He did not know how much time had passed until a ray of morning sunlight crossed the window frame and flashed across his eyes, pulling him back to reality.
Looking at the sea of rice outside the window, dyed brilliant gold by the rising sun, he remained silent for a moment before letting out a self-mocking laugh.
"Why am I even struggling with this?"
So what if he did not love the people of the world? How many people in this world, when doing altruistic deeds, were in essence merely seeking peace of mind, fame, or some hidden form of self-satisfaction?
Did the starting point really matter?
What mattered was the result.
The people of the world would eat their fill because of him, survive because of him, and live better lives because of him. Meanwhile, Shinichi would gain more and deeper cognition. Both sides would obtain what they wanted; that was enough.
He truly did not love the people of the world, but he would do everything a Sage should do, and he had no intention of removing that mask of being a Sage in the future.
Even if his original intention was for talents, cognition, and to make himself stronger, the people of the world did not need to know any of that.
They only needed to know that Shinichi Higashino had made their lives better.
"Since things have come this far, I should focus on getting things done first."
Shinichi gathered his thoughts, turned around, and pushed open the laboratory door. His steps were brisk, and there was no longer the slightest trace of melancholy or confusion in his heart; he did not need to be a Sage whose inner and outer selves were perfectly unified; he only needed to be himself.
Perhaps merely a selfish Sage or a self-serving savior, someone who loved only the cognition brought by the people of the world, yet could make the world better and allow people to live good lives…
That morning, while most of Konoha had only just begun their day's work, Shinichi had already quietly left the village and embarked on a fifteen-to-thirty-day survey journey around the Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the third Hokage received the three bottles of potion Shinichi had submitted, along with the detailed report attached to them.
He picked up the three small bottles and, in the morning light streaming through the window, carefully examined them for quite some time before setting them down and opening the report, reading it word by word.
A long time later, the third Hokage finally put down the document with a solemn expression, though inwardly he was overjoyed.
He had never expected Shinichi to bring him such a tremendous surprise like the three Light Water.
Perhaps it did not possess the immediate emergency-healing effects of medical scrolls, which could stop bleeding the moment they were torn open and heal wounds once activated; however, in terms of long-term influence, especially economic influence, the significance of these three potion bottles far exceeded that of medical scrolls.
Medical scrolls were indeed excellent things, but for now, they remained consumable military supplies. Their costs were high, their production process complex, involving both Sealing Jutsu and medical chakra.
Output was limited, and each one required a specially trained ninja to manufacture.
Even if mass production became possible, the method of production itself destined them to remain scarce goods. In the foreseeable future, they could only be prioritized for frontline troops, certain nobles, and high-ranking officials.
As for the three Light Water, whether it was production, processing, or the cultivation and harvesting of the three Light trees that supplied its raw materials, Shinichi had explained everything candidly in the report.
Every step could be completed by ordinary people. As for the three Light trees currently in his laboratory, once he returned from his survey, branches could be cut from them to cultivate large numbers of new three Light trees while ensuring they possessed identical effects.
Although the third Hokage did not know why Shinichi was so certain, he trusted the child.
"Who should I assign to watch over them?"
The third Hokage fell into thought.
Although Shinichi had stated in the report that no special guarding was necessary, he still could not feel at ease.
The significance of these three trees was simply too great.
Even though Shinichi had already mastered the ability to cultivate new saplings from trees created from Wood Style, whether future trees with the exact same effects could still be produced remained unknown.
These three light trees were currently the only seeds, and absolutely nothing could happen to them.
After pondering for a while, the third Hokage summoned two Anbu squads and instructed them to take shifts guarding Shinichi's private laboratory twenty-four hours a day, forbidding any unrelated personnel from approaching.
After issuing his orders, he fell into another layer of contemplation.
The guards had been arranged, but what about the caretakers?
The Anbu could prevent outsiders from approaching, but they were not skilled in Medical Ninjutsu, nor did they understand how to monitor plant growth.
If something happened to the three trees while Shinichi was away, and the Anbu on duty failed to notice it in time, the loss would be irreparable.
Several names flashed through his mind, only to be dismissed one by one.
In the end, his thoughts settled on two names.
A short while later, Shizune and Kurenai Yuhi entered the office.
"Hokage-sama."
The third Hokage looked at them warmly, and after exchanging a few greetings, he handed over the mission documents.
An S-rank mission!?
The girls had only just opened the mission scroll when the prominent mission rank on the first page startled them. Both tensed immediately, instinctively assuming it was an extremely dangerous and difficult mission, but as they continued reading, they discovered it was not dangerous at all.
They simply had to go to Shinichi's laboratory, observe and record the growth conditions of three trees, and report any abnormalities immediately; that was all.
They did not even need to water them or apply fertilizer.
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