When the Village Hidden in the Mist launched a few Ninjutsu and watched the fireworks, Konoha would launch a few Ninjutsu of their own and watch the fireworks together.
Rather than exchanging fire, it felt more like both sides were setting off fireworks to relieve boredom.
The atmosphere was essentially: If your Village Hidden in the Mist wants to fight a rotten war, then Konoha will accompany you in fighting a rotten war.
No rush, impatience, initiative, and refusal.
From the very beginning, Konoha's strategic policy had been one of attrition and delay.
Now that they were fighting on home soil, their supply lines were practically nonexistent, and resources from the Land of Fire continuously flowed toward the front lines.
The Village Hidden in the Mist, however, was conducting an overseas expedition, while food could still be requisitioned locally in the Land of Waves, every single tool had to be transported across the sea from the Land of Water, placing considerable pressure on their logistics.
Moreover, the Land of Waves had already been fortified by the Village Hidden in the Mist into an iron fortress. Layer upon layer of defensive works, combined with the advantages of their surrounding maritime environment, meant that any reckless assault would inevitably result in significant casualties, which was exactly what the Village Hidden in the Mist wanted.
In contrast, every additional day the Village Hidden in the Mist remained here increased their supply burden.
Every additional day Konoha delayed increased their advantage.
Under such circumstances, launching a direct amphibious assault would be truly foolish.
Meanwhile, during this period, nearly a thousand Kirigakure prisoners of war were gradually transported back to Konoha in batches by units rotating home for rest.
The final batch, numbering roughly three hundred prisoners, would be escorted by a large force of two thousand ninjas that was likewise scheduled to rotate back to the village.
During the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, prisoners of war were typically subjected to a formal presentation ceremony before imprisonment.
The prisoners would be escorted through Konoha's main streets, and villagers would line both sides of the road.
Some silent, some angry, and some pointing and whispering.
All kinds of gazes would fall upon them.
The defeated would lower their heads in public, their dignity gradually worn away under countless watchful eyes before finally being sent to prison.
This time, however, Konoha followed Shinichi's proposal not to humiliate prisoners of war.
No ceremony was arranged, no public parade, and no crowds of spectators.
The prisoners were simply escorted directly to Konoha prison.
However, although Konoha's F4 had jointly signed their names beneath the final clauses of the Rinkai City Convention, signing it was one thing, but actually implementing it was another.
At present, it was still only in the preliminary trial stage, or rather, these Kirigakure prisoners were the first experimental subjects.
Konoha's leadership also needed to assess the practicality of promoting this convention through the actual results of handling these prisoners.
More specific clauses, implementation standards, and even whether the Rinkai City Convention would eventually be officially announced to the public and promoted among the great ninja villages of the Shinobi World, all of that would still require systematic discussion and revision after its initiator, Shinichi Higashino, personally returned to the village.
There was also one arrangement that left everyone baffled.
After Shinichi returned to Konoha, these Kirigakure prisoners would regularly attend classes, with Shinichi himself as the lecturer.
As for what exactly he intended to teach these prisoners, even the senior leadership remained completely confused.
For now, they could only hope that the young man truly possessed the ability to reform people's hearts.
Meanwhile, in the southwest.
After failing to break through despite repeated offensives, the Village Hidden in the Sand found itself unable to gain even the slightest advantage against the combined presence of Konoha's three legendary Sannins.
Then, news suddenly arrived that the Village Hidden in the Mist had suffered a disastrous defeat on the southeastern coast.
As a result, the Village Hidden in the Sand finally quieted down as well.
How many tables the fourth Kazekage Rasa had slammed in private and how many curses he had uttered were unknown to outsiders.
In any case, the Village Hidden in the Sand's offensive likewise subsided.
They seemed to have returned to the same pattern of fighting a rotten war with Konoha that had existed at the beginning of the year.
Occasionally, they would launch a few insignificant attacks, cast a handful of Ninjutsu, capture a few unimportant outposts, and then be pushed back by Konoha.
Unwilling to truly commit and afraid to truly attack.
Naturally, Konoha was more than happy to see this.
No matter how well they defended, casualties were unavoidable against the Village Hidden in the Sand's relentless offensives.
Now the enemy had voluntarily slowed the pace and was willing to participate in this slow, dragging war together.
Konoha's consistent attitude toward that was welcome.
...
Early August, the scorching sun still blazed over the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire.
Most of the destruction left behind by the typhoon had already been cleaned up, the temporary camp bustled with activity, and everything operated in an orderly fashion.
That afternoon, Shinichi emerged from headquarters.
He had just received an important appointment.
Two days later, he would lead two thousand Konoha ninjas back to the village for rotation and rest as the commanding officer, while also escorting the final batch of more than three hundred Kirigakure prisoners of war.
This mixed force of rotating troops and prisoners would cross the heartland of the Land of Fire over the course of several days before reaching Konoha.
As Shinichi walked back toward his camp, fellow ninjas continuously greeted him along the way.
Shinichi nodded in response to each one without slowing his pace, yet his consciousness had already quietly sunk into the panel deep within his mind that only he could see.
[Name: Shinichi Higashino]
[Occupation: Jonin, Master swordsman]
[Talents: Master Level 1 (Purple), Incarnation of Wind Level 1 (Purple), Incarnation of Lightning Level 1 (Purple), Pinnacle of Medicine Level 1 (Purple)...]
(Note: Instead of Pinnacle of Wind Style for purple level talent, I'll be using Incarnation of Wind, which sounds much better, I believe.)
Compared to twenty days ago, Shinichi's system panel had undergone tremendous changes.
First, the Medical Specialist had upgraded to Pinnacle of Medicine Level 1 (Purple).
[Pinnacle of Medicine Level 1 (Purple): Your medical knowledge and practical ability have entered the ranks of the foremost representatives of this field. You have grasped the essence and soul of medicine. Various medical techniques have become extensions of your will and celebrations of life. Not only can you rapidly discern the root causes of most injuries, poisons, and diseases in the world, but you can also swiftly deduce the optimal treatment plan, simplifying complexity, reviving the dying, and restoring life.]
This upgrade appeared first, completing almost immediately on the night after the battle of Rinkai City concluded.
In truth, even before that battle, news of the medical scroll had already spread throughout the Shinobi World, and recognition of its medical significance had long since reached a critical threshold.
Now, with this talent upgraded to purple level and enhanced by the amplification and synergy of various other talents, Shinichi's overall accomplishments in medicine had entered the highest ranks of the current Shinobi World.
In terms of pure medical accumulation and practical experience, he might still be slightly inferior to Tsunade, but in terms of understanding the essence of medicine and the ability to create and deduce new treatments, he had already reached the pinnacle of the current era.
Next came Wind Style and Lightning Style.
The upgrades of these two talents/traits were separated by only a single day.
[Incarnation of Wind Level 1 (Purple): omitted...]
[Incarnation of Lightning Level 1 (Purple): omitted...]
These upgrades were the least surprising.