After breakfast, Higashino Megumi went to work as usual.
Higashino Makoto was, after all, only just four years old. With an adult at home, there was no need for him to do housework, so the task of washing the dishes naturally fell to Higashino Jirō.
Fortunately, although the shinobi world's systems were relatively backward, the shinobi as a group were comparatively more progressive in their thinking, with men and women being relatively equal.
The Higashino family were merely commoners, not some great ninja clan. Higashino Jirō did not have the domineering manner of a household patriarch at home, and he was quite skilled at doing housework.
"Makoto, are you still going to study at home today?"
"Yes, Father. Is there something you need my help with?"
"Mm… not exactly. It's just that yesterday was your birthday, so I came straight home and haven't gone to the village to report in yet."
"Aside from that, everything else is personal business, but I might not be able to make it back by noon."
In principle, when a ninja returns to the village after completing a mission, they are supposed to report first. However, in cases like Higashino Jirō's—where he returned home first because of his son's birthday—the village would not be overly critical.
After all, it was not wartime, and Higashino Jirō was not the jōnin in charge of his assigned ninja unit, so detailed intelligence from the garrison period did not need to be reported by him.
On the contrary, this kind of deep affection for one's child was also a manifestation of the Will of Fire, something that counted as politically correct.
"Don't worry about me. You know, Father, I'll take good care of myself."
"I believe that completely, but I think you're too solitary. You should go out more, meet some friends your own age, and play ninja games. I think that would be good for your mental health."
"Did you play them when you were little? Were they fun?"
"…"
Fun. Thinking about it now, it was all filled with childhood memories.
But now he was a mature ninja, and even more so a father. When he saw the look of disdain on his son's face, as if looking at a childish fool, he suddenly did not want to answer.
A precocious child really made things both easy and helpless for a parent.
...
After his father left the house, Higashino Makoto sat alone in the study, quietly thinking over some matters.
The fatigue produced during chakra training was completely different from the weakness experienced when chakra had been exhausted before. At present, his chakra reserves were limited, and he should avoid letting such a situation occur again; otherwise, if it happened too many times, it might affect his physical growth.
Another matter was the direction of training going forward.
Now that he had chakra, should he go and train in the largely useless Three Basic Techniques and the ninjutsu kept at home?
Higashino Makoto quickly rejected this idea. There was no need to rush; only little kids who understood nothing would be eager to learn powerful ninjutsu.
As for chakra, he would first train the chakra extraction technique until it became a bodily instinct. He could not be sitting down cross-legged and forming seals every time he needed to use it; that was too low-end.
At the same time, he could begin training his chakra control ability. This was the most important foundation. As long as he could achieve precise control, learning any ninjutsu would yield twice the result with half the effort, including medical ninjutsu.
Yes—although Higashino Makoto did not intend to become a full-time medical ninja, medical ninjutsu was still part of his study plan. After all, there was a particularly specialized jōnin of medical ninjutsu in his family.
With a ready-made teacher right in front of him, he could not waste the opportunity.
This was also the reason he had previously begun studying basic human anatomy.
Medical ninjutsu was not something that could be used simply by learning it. One also had to master a large amount of prerequisite knowledge: understanding the operating mechanisms of the body's various tissues, the mechanisms by which medical chakra functioned, the effects of contact with different tissues, pharmacology, various common poisons and their effects after being combined, and so on.
Among all ninjutsu in the shinobi world, medical ninjutsu might be the one that required the most prerequisite knowledge.
After determining his direction, Higashino Makoto immediately began studying.
He would first extract chakra. Before the chakra within his meridians naturally dissipated completely, he could take the opportunity to read.
In this way, he could cycle back and forth, alternating tasks without wasting the time in between.
As for training methods like tree climbing and water walking to hone chakra control, those could be scheduled to begin practicing in the near future.
...
At noon, Higashino Jirō indeed did not come back. Higashino Makoto carried a stool into the kitchen and made himself a meal.
After the meal, he continued to be hopelessly immersed in training and reading.
Time flew by, and the sky gradually grew dark.
Higashino Makoto raised his head and glanced out the window, suddenly realizing his parents still had not returned. Had they gone on a date while avoiding him?
Just then, there came a rare knock at the door.
Inside Konohagakure, Higashino Makoto was not afraid of any danger. With some confusion, he opened the door and saw two little kids standing there.
One boy and one girl, both about the same age as him.
The girl had medium-length purple hair and looked very cute. The baby fat on her face made her look like a bun, and she was a bit short.
The boy's hair was black, long enough to cover his ears, with a strand falling across his forehead. He was about the same height as Higashino Makoto, but he was somewhat thin and weak, and his complexion also looked not very healthy.
"Hello, this is the Higashino household. Who are you looking for?"
The little girl stood behind the boy. Her small face was red, but it was not from shyness, and she did not avoid Higashino Makoto's gaze as he looked her over.
The boy, on the other hand, was much more composed, and he asked, "Are you Higashino Makoto?"
"I am. And you are?"
"My name is Gekkō Hayate."
"My name is Uzuki Yugao."
Higashino Makoto froze for a moment. So it was these two; he had actually run into the legendary plot characters, and he had not recognized them at first.
After all, there was still a big difference between anime and real humans.
"Oh, hello. What do you need me for?"
"Cough, cough." Gekkō Hayate gave a couple of light coughs and said, "Uncle Higashino asked us to come notify you to go eat at Yakiniku Q."
"Oh, alright. Thanks for the trouble. Wait a moment—I'll change clothes and then we'll go."
...
While walking, Higashino Makoto curiously sized up Gekkō Hayate, thinking to himself whether this guy had been sickly since childhood. Even so, he still managed to become a Special Jōnin in his early twenties—his talent was impressive.
Gekkō Hayate felt quite embarrassed by the way he was being looked at. His personality was rather shy and somewhat traditional, and he worried that he might have done something impolite. He asked timidly, "Um… is there something wrong with me?"
"No, nothing." After replying, Higashino Makoto looked at the two of them again and asked with a mischievous expression, "Hey, little Hayate— is the one next to you your girlfriend?"
Hayate's face flushed red. "Huh? How could that be? Yugao is only four years old, and I'm only five."
Uzuki Yugao stared with her innocent, wide eyes. "Um, Brother Hayate, what is a girlfriend?"
Gekkō Hayate: "…"
Higashino Makoto: "So you're one year older than me?"
"Hey, you two—you still haven't said what a girlfriend actually is."
Higashino Makoto: "It's the wife you have when you grow up."
"Huh? Ah?" Uzuki Yugao froze, her face instantly turning so red it looked like steam might come out.
Sure enough, children in the shinobi world were generally precocious—what a misfortune.
On the rest of the way, the two little ones did not speak to Higashino Makoto anymore.
It was not because they disliked him, but because they felt that although he was about the same age as them, the way he spoke was like an adult's, leaving them unsure how to interact with him.
Before long, the three arrived at Yakiniku Q.
Higashino Makoto raised his head and glanced at the signboard, thinking that this was also one of Konohagakure's famous landmarks. Unfortunately, he had not awakened any check-in system; otherwise, no matter what, he should have been able to get an S-rank ninjutsu out of it.