Naruto: From Ninja Academy to an Early Grave

"Sasori... do you truly have no lingering attachment at all to the village where you grew up?"

As the sun dipped below the horizon and dusk settled over the land, the elderly Chiyo gazed at the last rays of sunlight and let out a silent sigh.

She then walked over to Gaara, knelt on the grass beside him, and blue light glowed from her hands as she poured her chakra into his body.

This was the Kinjutsu Chiyo had developed—One's Own Life Reincarnation.

A true ninjutsu capable of reversing life and death.

It wasn't as simple as injecting chakra into a corpse. The technique opened a connection between the world of the living and the Pure Land, summoned back the soul of the deceased, and reactivated the body with the user's own chakra.

It sounded simple in theory, but in reality it was an incredibly complicated technique involving countless forbidden principles.

And the price was straightforward.

A life for a life.

The rules governing life and death in the shinobi world might be vague, but exploiting the loopholes between the living world and the Pure Land wasn't so easy. Not everyone was Orochimaru, with his ridiculously slippery ways of cheating death.

Temari asked in confusion, "Chiyo-obaasan... what are you doing? Gaara... he's already gone."

"That's exactly why I'm bringing him back."

"But... that's impossible!"

"In the shinobi world, nothing is impossible."

Chiyo turned toward the younger puppet master beside her.

"Kankurō, watch carefully. This is the greatest forbidden technique I ever developed for puppet masters—One's Own Life Reincarnation."

"This jutsu can not only grant true life to puppets, but also save comrades who have only just died, preventing tragedies like this."

Kankurō wasn't stupid. He immediately asked, "Then, Chiyo-obaasan... what's the price?"

The old woman suddenly flashed a mischievous smile.

"The price? Why, the caster's own life, of course."

"No! Chiyo-obaasan, Sunagakure can't afford to lose you. Even Father wouldn't agree to this if he were here."

Temari was caught between a rock and a hard place, unsure what to do, while Kankurō stepped forward, intending to stop Chiyo.

"That's enough, Kankurō. Once a jutsu like this begins, it can't be stopped anymore."

"And you're wrong. I'm already an old woman. I don't have many years left, but Gaara is still young."

"The young possess limitless possibilities. Perhaps the state of the shinobi world, created by the mistakes of us old fools, will finally be changed by your generation."

"It's time for this hatred to end. Shinobi shouldn't remain trapped in this absurd cycle."

"You all deserve a brighter future."

Chiyo's words brought Kankurō to a halt.

They also left the younger shinobi from Konoha deep in thought.

Makoto said, "I never expected a veteran who lived through three great ninja wars to possess such enlightenment. You have my deepest respect."

Chiyo smiled faintly.

"When you've lived long enough, young man, you naturally witness more things and come to see them differently. Haven't you and the Fourth Hokage been striving toward the same goal all these years?"

Makoto sighed.

"Unfortunately, the other shinobi villages don't see things that way."

"The right opportunity will come eventually."

A trace of regret crossed Chiyo's face.

"It's just a pity this old woman won't live to see it."

One's Own Life Reincarnation had reached its final stage.

Chiyo's presence visibly weakened with every passing moment.

At the same time, Gaara's chest began rising and falling once more.

In this world, Chiyo had never fought her own grandson, so her chakra reserves were still abundant. She didn't need anyone else's help to bring Gaara back.

After a moment's thought, Makoto placed a hand against her back.

He transferred a portion of his own life force into her while simultaneously using the Two Forms Seal to delay her soul's return to the Pure Land.

Chiyo smiled helplessly.

"Why bother, young man? It won't change anything."

Makoto replied, "Because I'm the sort of person who hates regrets. If you can stay alive just a little longer... perhaps you'll have the chance to see your grandson one more time."

"You're right."

The playful smile returned to Chiyo's face.

She didn't fear death.

But deep down, there really was someone she still longed to see before she died.

Not long afterward, Gaara slowly opened his eyes, looking utterly bewildered.

Temari pulled him tightly into her embrace.

As tears of joy streamed down her face, she briefly explained everything that had happened.

Once Gaara finally understood, the violent hostility that had always lingered in his expression was gone.

He silently looked at everyone around him, as though he were seeing the world for the very first time.

"...Thank you."

It was a rare thing indeed to hear words of gratitude come from his mouth.

Temari and Kankurō knew then that their little brother had finally become a normal person.

In this world, Gaara had never accomplished the feat of saving the entire village by himself, so earning the villagers' acceptance would still take time.

But now that he had opened his heart and learned gratitude, it was only a matter of time.

As for Makoto's group, their mission had been a complete success. After spending one night resting, they set off for Konohagakure early the next morning, seeing Sunagakure's delegation off with full honors.

...

They had rushed here in haste.

The return trip, however, was leisurely.

Makoto had inherited the travel habits of his former jōnin leader, Gekkō Kumomi. Whenever they passed through a famous town known for its local attractions, he always made sure to stop and experience it.

Shinobi weren't supposed to spend their entire lives fighting and killing. They also needed to enjoy life.

Besides, the younger generation deserved opportunities to strengthen their bonds.

If he didn't do that, Hinata probably wouldn't complain...

But Sakura would definitely end up holding a grudge against him as her teacher.

First came the hot springs.

Then a lavish meal.

While they were eating, Kiba fed Akamaru and asked, "Makoto-sensei, does this mission count as S-rank?"

"Of course it does. We helped Sunagakure overcome a major crisis, and although the enemies you defeated were special clones, they were still far stronger than ordinary jōnin. Calling it an S-rank mission is completely justified."

"Woohoo! My service record just got even better! Shikamaru and the others are going to be so jealous!"

Shino silently crushed his teammate's fantasy.

"They won't."

"As for why... it's because they've completed S-rank missions too."

Kiba: "..."

This teammate hardly had any presence...

But every time he spoke, it stabbed straight through the heart.

Naruto suddenly asked, "Sensei... what are the Great Ninja Wars actually like?"

Everyone else immediately perked up, clearly interested.

Makoto smiled.

"War? It's completely different from the missions you're used to."

"During normal missions, if you encounter shinobi from another nation, you can choose to avoid them. Even if conflict breaks out, both sides usually try to show restraint to avoid needless casualties."

"But war is different."

"Any shinobi who isn't from Konoha—or one of Konoha's allies—is an enemy that must be killed."

"If you don't kill them, they'll kill you."

"It's a fight to the death. There's no room for reason, and every underhanded tactic is fair game."

"Everything is done so the village can win."

"Only by winning can you protect the family and comrades waiting back home."

Sasuke asked, "So... that's how the hatred between villages begins, isn't it, Sensei?"

"More or less."

"If you kill an enemy, that person has family, friends, and teammates. Naturally, they'll come to hate you—and Konoha."

"The same goes for you, Sasuke. If you were killed, your parents, your brother, and even Naruto and Sakura would all come to hate whoever did it."

Naruto frowned.

"So... is that why wars start?"

"No. That's only part of the reason.

"The causes of war are incredibly complicated. Hatred alone can't explain them.

"Every shinobi village enters a war because of its own interests and political position. Some are dissatisfied with the current balance of power, while others wage war to divert internal conflicts, and so on."

"Even Konoha has no choice. To resist invasion and protect our village, we must join the fighting to defend everything we hold dear."

Naruto asked quietly, "Is there really no way to get rid of war?"

Sasuke spoke up.

"If... the entire shinobi world became one country with a single shinobi village... wouldn't wars disappear?"

Makoto smiled.

"Sasuke... are you talking about unifying the world?"

"That is one possible solution."

"But it's not that simple."

"Even if you unite everyone through military force, unless you also unite their beliefs, rebellions will continue breaking out endlessly."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully.

"Unifying their beliefs..."

"Makoto-sensei, is that what you and my dad are always talking about? Reshaping everyone's way of thinking and giving humanity a common goal?"

"Exactly."

As soon as Makoto answered, his expression changed.

"That's enough discussion. Someone's coming."

A few moments later, a Konoha ANBU entered the restaurant.

Even with his mask on, everyone there recognized him.

Since there were no outsiders present, Sasuke asked curiously, "Brother? What are you doing here?"

Itachi ignored the question and went straight to the point.

"Makoto-senpai, please take them back to the village immediately."

"Oh? Has something important happened?"

"Within the past few days, the jinchūriki of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and the Takigakure leader have all disappeared."

"I'd wager every one of those incidents was the work of a Wood Release user."

"Correct."

"Aside from Takigakure, the other three great villages have jointly sent Konoha a formal letter demanding answers. All three have also begun mobilizing their forces."

"The situation is urgent."

"Understood."

"We'll head back immediately."