That very night.
It was already the deep cold of January, and a vast snowfall began to descend from the sky.
Snowflakes drifted down in silence, blanketing this land that had been ravaged by war.
This was the first night after the Battle of Kikyō Pass—and also a night many would never live to see again.
In the southwestern Konoha army's field hospital zone, everything had completely changed.
What had once been a relatively spacious tent area was now densely packed with hastily erected medical shelters. Stretchers moved in and out without pause, almost never stopping.
Inside one of the large tents, Shinichi and Nonō moved back and forth among rows of wounded.
Shinichi crouched beside a stretcher, his hands glowing with a gentle green light as he treated a young injured man in his early twenties.
After finishing dressing a patient's wounds, Nonō stood up, yet her gaze was unconsciously drawn once more to the boy's back.
She remembered that several of the medical-nin working alongside Shinichi had mentioned that, at the fiercest point of the battle earlier that day, he had voluntarily drawn away several hundred Sunagakure shinobi to protect them.
When she first heard that news, her mind had gone blank, her heart nearly stopping.
Several hundred people! And Pakura among them! Him alone! How was that any different from throwing his life away?!
For a long stretch of time afterward, for her—and for many others who knew—it had been an agony unlike any before.
Later, he came back.
And after returning, he said nothing.
He did not recount that heart-stopping chase. He did not mention the dangers of facing Pakura and hundreds of elite Sunagakure shinobi.
He simply walked to the area with the most wounded, crouched down, and began saving people.
And he had continued doing so until now.
"Alright."
Shinichi withdrew the Mystical Palm Technique and spoke softly: "The wound's healing well. Rest properly for ten to fifteen days, and you should be able to move around again."
"Thank you, Shinichi-kun."
Some time later, in the washing area at the corner of the tent, Shinichi and Nonō were cleaning their hands.
"Shinichi."
Nonō suddenly spoke.
"After the war ends, what do you plan to do?"
Even though she knew full well that the war had only just begun, she still couldn't help but ask about what would come after.
Shinichi glanced at her, thought for a moment, and replied: "I'll probably keep working as a ninja… maybe draw some manga on the side, and study cooking a bit."
"What about you, Nonō-neesan?"
"As for me…" Nonō smiled gently. "The old director is getting on in years. After the war, I plan to apply to the village to resign from being a ninja, return to the orphanage, take over his work, and continue taking care of the children. Shinichi, what do you think?"
"I think that's great."
Shinichi nodded. "Someone as gentle and attentive as you, Nonō-neesan, will definitely do an excellent job."
"Oh, right—when the time comes, if you need help—repairs to the orphanage, or anything the children might need—be sure to tell me."
"Don't worry, I won't stand on ceremony with you," she replied with a smile, lowering her head to continue washing her hands.
Shinichi also lowered his head, continuing to wash the traces from his hands.
But in his mind, another name surfaced uncontrollably—Kabuto.
Yakushi Kabuto.
According to the trajectory of his previous life, this child should have been discovered on the battlefield ruins after Konoha's final battle against Sunagakure—the Battle of Kikyō Pass.
At that time, he had lost his memory. He didn't know who he was, where he came from, or where he should go.
And the one who found him… was the very Yakushi Nonō standing before him.
But in this timeline, because of him, everything had changed.
Konoha had held back Sunagakure's offensive from the very beginning. The Battle of Kikyō Pass had erupted earlier, and the frontlines had remained stable near the borders of the Land of Fire. Sunagakure had failed to push deep into Konoha's territory, and Konoha had never launched that kind of large-scale counteroffensive.
So Kabuto… had not yet appeared near Kikyō Pass.
That child who was meant to be found in the ruins of the battlefield—
At this moment, he was somewhere unknown, waiting for the turning point of his fate.
For this genius—who in the original timeline possessed medical talent not inferior to Tsunade, whose research ability and creativity could stand shoulder to shoulder with Orochimaru, and who in the later stages could even integrate multiple bloodline limits and master Sage Mode—Shinichi had long been deeply interested.
He planned to take him under his wing, even make him his very first disciple—the founding disciple of truly special significance to him, Higashino Shinichi.
Shinichi had read the "script." He knew just how terrifying Kabuto's potential and talent were.
In his view, Kabuto's growth trajectory in the original timeline was an enormous waste. In his early years, most of his time had been spent being used as a spy by Root and later by Orochimaru, his most precious period of growth consumed in schemes and disguises.
Even later, after receiving part of Orochimaru's teachings and embarking on his own path of research, the process had been filled with distortion and loneliness. And yet, even so, he ultimately grew into a top-tier powerhouse of the ninja world, even becoming a near boss-level figure during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
What if he were guided personally by Shinichi instead?
Shinichi himself possessed deep understanding in taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, pharmacology, chakra control, and more.
What's more, Shinichi had the three Entries—"Chūnin," "Sword Master," and "Guidance"—which could enhance teaching efficiency. In the future, these Entries would even upgrade further, and the boost to teaching efficiency they provided would continue to increase.
If he personally trained him, combined with Yakushi Kabuto's terrifying talent and learning ability, then his growth speed and future achievements would absolutely surpass that "Kabuto" who wandered in the gray areas before finally finding himself in the original timeline. He might even reach an entirely new height that would make the entire ninja world look up in astonishment.
At this thought, the corner of Shinichi's lips curled into a faint smile.
Take in a Senju? An Uchiha? A Hyūga? Or members of some other bloodline clan as disciples?
What would be the point?
Those clans had existed for thousands of years, producing countless strong individuals whose names resounded across the ninja world. Even if another genius emerged, people would only say, "As expected of the so-and-so clan," "Their bloodline truly is powerful," "They've inherited the glory of their ancestors."
People would first credit their bloodline and clan resources—not his guidance as a teacher.
Taking such disciples might strengthen ties with those clans, but it would merely be icing on the cake, unable to highlight his own unique value and extraordinary insight as a mentor.
Even if he were to take them in, it would absolutely not be for a position as significant as the founding disciple—the very first standard-bearer.
He himself—Higashino Shinichi—had risen from a civilian orphan, relying on his own "talent," effort, and planning to reach where he stood today, becoming the brightest new star of Konoha, seen as the hope of the future.
His rise itself was the best proof that "commoners can surpass the great clans," and an essential part of his image as a practitioner of the Will of Fire.
Then his first disciple should ideally carry forward that same symbolic meaning.
To nurture another disciple of ordinary origin who could ultimately become a peerless powerhouse.
Only then could it perfectly prove that Higashino Shinichi was not only powerful himself, but also possessed the ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary—to transform the mundane into something miraculous through his teaching.
It would prove that his path, his philosophy, and his methods of instruction were effective—that they could break the shackles of bloodline and background, and train top-tier powerhouses.
This would be of immeasurable help to him in building prestige, consolidating his image as a leader of the common people, and gaining the support and admiration of more lower- and middle-tier shinobi, as well as the general populace.
At the same time, it would feed back into the further upgrading of his teaching-related Entries. The more ordinary the disciple's background, the lower their starting point, and the higher their eventual achievements, the more it would prove the instructor's capability.
The stronger the disciple, the greater his reputation.
The greater his reputation, the faster his Entries would upgrade.
The faster his Entries upgraded, the stronger the disciples he could train.
This was a perfect, completely positive feedback loop.
And Yakushi Kabuto… was the most ideal candidate.
"Shinichi?"
Nonō's voice came from beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
Shinichi came back to his senses and looked at her.
"What is it?"
"What were you just thinking about?" Nonō looked at him with some curiosity. "You were smiling a little strangely."
Shinichi smiled and shook his head, replying: "It's nothing, Nonō-neesan… I just thought of something… interesting."
Nonō looked at him for a moment, but did not press further.
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