In the end, a person's thoughts always change with time and with the growth of their own abilities—just like those who buy lottery tickets, imagining that if they win the jackpot, they will surely live peacefully and enjoy life.
In reality, the vast majority of people cannot do that. If they truly win, their thoughts and desires will expand along with their wealth.
Only those with firm willpower can remain true to their original intentions.
After Makoto was reborn into the shinobi world, because his previous life had not been particularly successful, his thoughts were simple: study well, train hard, and enjoy the brilliance of life.
When he was weak, he had never thought of interfering in others' fates. Everything was centered on his own safety and growth.
Events like the White Fang incident, the outbreak of the Third Shinobi War, the tragedy of Minato's team—he had never considered changing any of them. He knew that with his age and strength at the time, he could not alter the outcome, and might instead drag his entire family into danger.
Now, as his strength grew, he still would not casually interfere with others' fates. But for tragedies within his reach, he would take the initiative to do something.
For example, the Nine-Tails incident.
Some disasters affect the entirety of Konoha. His whole family lived in this village—whether he tried to change things or not, they could not remain untouched. Both he and his family would be affected.
Since that was the case, he might as well guide events toward a direction he was willing to see.
In fact, from the moment he came into this world, as long as he was still alive, the timeline in his memory had already begun to change.
But the point at which he truly began to influence the entire world likely started when he stepped onto the battlefield of the Third Shinobi War in June of Konoha Year 50.
In the original timeline, among the "Konoha Twelve," Tenten was the oldest, followed by Hyūga Neji and Rock Lee. They had all been born last year and were essentially unaffected by Makoto.
As for where Rock Lee currently lived or who his parents were, Makoto had no idea, nor would he deliberately access civilian records through ANBU.
The "Konoha Nine" born this year were the ones most affected by him. Whether their personalities would still match those in his memory was uncertain.
Konoha Year 51, December 27—the third day after Makoto returned from the northern front—Hyūga clan main branch heir Hyūga Hiashi's daughter, Hinata-sama, was born.
Whether she would still grow up to have that gentle yet resilient personality remained to be seen.
The birth of the main branch heir was a major event for Konoha. Any ninja of status would be aware of it.
However, the Hyūga were the clan that adhered most strictly to ancient traditions in the shinobi world. For important occasions such as Hinata's birth, one-month celebration, or first birthday, they would not invite key figures from the village to hold grand banquets. Instead, they would close their doors and celebrate according to Hyūga traditions.
In this regard, they were even more closed-off than the Uchiha, placing less importance on integration and bonds with the village as a whole.
Fortunately, the Byakugan held immense strategic value. With the branch family—the more numerous side—being controlled by the Caged Bird seal, and the Hyūga rarely producing top-tier powerhouses, the village did not mind their self-contained ways.
Most importantly, unlike the Sharingan, awakening the Byakugan did not cause psychological changes. It would not produce unstable extremists.
As long as they followed orders when needed and lived peacefully otherwise, a clan that did not cause trouble was, to the higher-ups, a good clan.
...
Starting from December 30, aside from necessary personnel on duty, most of Konoha was on holiday.
Kumogakure on the northern front and Kirigakure in the southeast also quieted down. Even the smaller villages still fighting each other to the bitter end showed signs of calm.
Shinobi were still human. They, too, wanted to enjoy a peaceful New Year. After all, no one knew whether they would still be alive next year.
That night, Makoto brought Yamato along to Yakiniku Q for a gathering with friends.
After graduation, due to differing mission schedules, it was difficult for ninjas to gather as they once did. The days before the New Year were one of the best opportunities.
When the two arrived at the reserved large private room, everyone else was already there.
Including Hayate, Uzuki Yūgao, Uchiha Shisui, Hyūga Tokuma, Aburame Muta, Inuzuka Meko, and Hayate's classmate Tsubaki.
Including Makoto and Yamato, there were nine people in total.
These were his peers in Konoha—classmates or friends of similar age with whom he had good relationships.
As for that cheap dog from Inuzuka—sorry, the owner of Yakiniku Q did not allow animals at the table. The Inuzuka clan was currently lobbying the village to allow their combat partners to dine alongside them.
Their clan might well be the earliest animal rights advocates in the shinobi world.
Ninken truly lived up to being the most loyal companions of shinobi. Unlike those arrogant ninja cats, who did not care about human opinions at all—going wherever they pleased, eating wherever they pleased, living freely.
Yamato had been specially brought along by Makoto. Now that he had left Root and become a normal ninja, he naturally needed to get to know more peers.
Excluding Yamato, who had not attended the academy, and Tsubaki, who had yet to graduate, the remaining seven could be considered the "Konoha rookies" who had graduated in the past two years.
However, unlike the original timeline's Twelve, they had graduated early due to the war and had already been on the battlefield. Their strength and experience far surpassed what the Twelve would have had at graduation.
In times of war, it was common for children aged eight or nine to become chūnin. In times of peace, twelve-year-olds had only just graduated. It was not that the later generation was weaker—it was simply a difference in era.
Graduating early was not a good thing for students.
Many of them had already died on the battlefield.
...
Unlike his rigid behavior within the Hyūga clan, once outside, Hyūga Tokuma was cheerful and carefree—the most active person at every gathering.
Many branch family members were similar, likely because of the heavy suppression they experienced within the clan grounds.
Makoto introduced Yamato to everyone, explaining their relationship, though he concealed the highly confidential details about Root and the Wood Release experiments.
Tokuma said in surprise, "So doesn't that mean you've got yourself a younger brother now, Makoto?"
"Well, if Yamato is willing, you could say that."
Yamato, being an honest kid, replied, "I don't mind. It actually seems pretty nice."
Tokuma patted Yamato's shoulder like an older brother. "Of course it is! Makoto's super reliable. Makes me want a younger sibling too—but my parents won't have another."
Makoto said, "No need to trouble them. I don't mind being your older brother. Come on, call me 'big brother' and let us hear it."
"Go to hell!"
"Hahahaha!" xN
Seeing Tokuma get shut down, the room was instantly filled with laughter.
Even Shisui, whose expression had grown more melancholic than before, laughed heartily. He enjoyed the joyful atmosphere of being with friends—it allowed him to temporarily forget the increasingly tense relationship between his clan and the village.
Here, there was no distinction of clans. He could even sling an arm around someone from the Hyūga clan.
He felt that this was how clans and the village should truly coexist.
Makoto said, "I thought you wouldn't make it back from your mission in the Land of Hot Water."
Tokuma replied, "No way. Once the young lord of the Land of Hot Water succeeded as Daimyō, our escort mission was complete. Now that he's Daimyō, those Kumogakure bastards won't act so easily."
Muta suddenly said, "Actually, staying in the Land of Hot Water wouldn't be so bad."
Tokuma nodded. "Exactly. Maybe we could've even taken part in the battle at the Sakama mine."
Meko disagreed. "You guys must be crazy. I heard Kumogakure's Two-Tails jinchūriki was on that battlefield. I don't want to face that kind of monster."
Tokuma rolled his Byakugan at his teammate. "So what if it's a jinchūriki? She almost got beaten to death by Makoto anyway."
Meko replied, "The problem is, she might not beat Makoto—but she can definitely kill us."
Makoto said, "Meko's right. Jinchūriki are still very dangerous. And Muta, you probably don't know this, but the Two-Tails uses fire—it's basically your natural enemy."
Muta: "…"
No matter the type of insect, they were naturally afraid of fire. Their clan had yet to find a solution.
Tokuma curiously asked Shisui, "Did you run into any jinchūriki in the southeast?"
"No. We didn't have large-scale battles with Kirigakure. And…" Shisui hesitated before adding, "In front of the Uchiha clan, using a jinchūriki would be pretty foolish, wouldn't it?"
To keep the Uchiha from causing trouble within the village, the Third Hokage had assigned them to the southeast to play cat-and-mouse with Kirigakure.
Shisui had been active there and had repeatedly earned merit, making a name for himself among Kirigakure.
Many in the shinobi world knew that the Sharingan could control tailed beasts. Kirigakure would not dare gamble with their own jinchūriki. Besides, whether they even had one available was another matter.
Hayate, influenced by Makoto, was far stronger than in the original timeline at the same age. He had also earned considerable merit on the battlefield with his team, making him quite famous among his peers and popular with female classmates.
However, in his effort to close the gap with Makoto, he trained extremely hard, almost embodying a mindset of "no women in my heart, and my blade will naturally be divine."
He only kept in contact with his former desk mate, Tsubaki.
Unfortunately, her talent was limited. She had yet to graduate, and being among these same-age prodigies put immense pressure on her.
Tsubaki sighed to Yūgao and Meko, "I really envy you all. I'm still just an academy student."
Meko said, "There's nothing to envy. You only see those of us who survived—you don't see the many who died."
"Do you know your classmate Naoka? The first time she encountered an enemy, she lost her life—died without any value. Not graduating early is actually a good thing."
Yūgao added, "Yeah, the battlefield is brutal. You don't have to obsess over combat ability—you could develop talents in other areas."
Tsubaki nodded. "Actually, I've always wanted to become a medical ninja."
Yūgao said, "In that case, just ask Makoto. His medical ninjutsu is very impressive."
"Huh? Really?"
Makoto smiled. "Of course. If you want to learn medical ninjutsu, you should start building your foundation now."
"After we get back, I'll organize my study materials and notes. Tomorrow, I'll have Hayate deliver them to you. If there's anything you don't understand later, you can go to the hospital and ask my mother."
Tsubaki said excitedly, "Really? I… thank you so much!"
Everyone present came from shinobi families. While the Higashino family had not originally been one, it still had two generations of accumulated experience.
Tsubaki's situation was different. She was a complete civilian—no ninja in her family, no foundation. Even if she wanted to learn, there was no one to teach her.
Makoto had always been willing to help his friends grow.
At the same time, he greatly enjoyed these occasional gatherings with friends.
Humans, after all, are social creatures. No one can exist entirely alone in the world.
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