"No problem."
Tsunade nodded.
At this moment, Jiraiya spoke again: "By the way, when you're gone, who will take over your responsibilities for logistics and medical affairs? Have you thought of a candidate?"
"Let that kid handle it."
Tsunade spoke almost without hesitation.
"That kid's Medical Ninjutsu is top-tier. He's meticulous and calm in dealing with situations. When I'm not around, he can handle everything perfectly. If something major happens, I can return quickly anyway."
"This…"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Although having a Special Jonin take charge is a bit against the rules, since you say so, let's do it this way."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Tsunade raised her eyebrows while looking at him with a half-smile.
"So you actually care about rules?"
Jiraiya laughed heartily and said nothing more.
...
Shinichi had no idea that he had already become the acting head of medical and logistics for the southwestern army. After returning to his tent, he did not rest immediately. Instead, he slowly ate the food he had personally prepared, bite by bite.
The moment the food entered his stomach, the talents [Endless Vitality] and [Gourmet] within his body began operating almost simultaneously.
The carefully selected and combined ingredients transformed into a warm flow of energy that spread through his limbs and bones, repairing bodily fatigue and replenishing his depleted chakra.
He closed his eyes, feeling that warmth spreading within him.
In reality, he was far less exhausted than he appeared.
Shinichi knew very well why he was working so hard, or deliberately appearing to work so hard.
Winning people's hearts.
The term sounded utilitarian, but he never avoided it.
Every surgery in the field hospital, every preparation of medicine, every wounded person saved, these people would remember him, and their comrades would remember him.
Those medical staff who witnessed him working day and night tirelessly would also remember him. They would all carve a thought into their hearts.
Shinichi Higashino was not just a genius.
He was a companion one could entrust their life to.
Even a leader to whom one could entrust the future.
This was the human heart.
His goal had never been limited to being a genius ninja, nor even just a powerful figure in the Shinobi World.
Shinichi's gaze had long been set on the very top of Konoha's power structure, the position of Hokage.
This was based on the fundamental logic of his system.
From student to Genin and Genin to Chunin, each major promotion in rank brought comprehensive enhancements to his occupations and new opportunities for draws.
Then what lay above Jonin? What was the pinnacle of the ninja occupation system?
It was Kage.
Only by ascending to the position of Kage could his ninja talents naturally advance to an entirely new level.
So Shinichi had to compete.
From displaying talent in the Ninja Academy, defeating Kakashi to establish his reputation as a genius; from aligning his thoughts and behavior with the so-called Will of Fire; from submitting strategic analysis reports to let the third Hokage and the council see his vision; from delivering speeches at village assemblies to make all of villagers of Konoha remember his voice, even when war broke out, he became the first underage ninja to voluntarily apply for the front lines.
A young genius who could have safely stayed in the rear but chose to face life and death alongside his comrades from the very beginning.
And in the most critical medical position, he worked with a burning intensity, desperately saving every comrade's life; every one of these actions was all for that position.
Because to reach that position, Shinichi needed strength, reputation, and the support of the people. He needed villagers, ninjas, major clans, and Konoha's higher-ups, all of them, to feel that Shinichi should be the one sitting there.
From the original timeline, due to the extreme brutality of the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha suffered heavy losses from fighting the four great nations one after another, leading the third Hokage to step down after the war and begin selecting the Fourth Hokage.
Now, with his own intervention, Konoha's losses in this war might not be severe enough to force the third Hokage to resign.
The post-war situation was full of uncertainty.
But Shinichi did not dare to gamble.
He also did not dare to place his hopes on another possibility, that Minato Namikaze might, as in the original timeline, suddenly die not long after becoming Hokage due to the nine-tails incident or some other unforeseen event.
Minato Namikaze was too young, only ten years older than him.
With his talent and reputation, if he smoothly inherited the position, he could sit firmly as Hokage for another twenty years, at which point he would only be in his forties, at the peak of his strength and prestige.
For Shinichi, who needed the Hokage position to drive the ultimate evolution of his occupation and various talents, this was completely unacceptable.
The trajectory of fate had already shifted, and the future window was blurred. He could not entrust his crucial path of advancement to luck or to the fluctuations of others' destinies.
He had to compete.
He had to compete now.
Strive in the present, strive for merit in every battle, strive for prestige accumulated in every rescue of the wounded comrade, strive for recognition in people's hearts, and grasp the uncertain future as firmly as possible in his own hands.
Shinichi clearly understood what he was facing.
Both he and Minato Namikaze came from the Hokage faction, the third Hokage's own people. He was Tsunade's disciple, while Minato was Jiraiya's disciple. In terms of mentorship, they were evenly matched.
But Tsunade was the princess of the Senju clan. That identity itself meant a foundation. In Konoha's education and medical departments, many descendants of the Senju clan held positions.
Those people were naturally Tsunade's supporters, and as her direct disciple, he could naturally inherit this political resource.
This was an advantage that Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze, could not match.
However, Minato Namikaze's wife was Kushina Uzumaki.
The nine-tails Jinchuriki.
The strategic significance of that identity required no explanation. A Jinchuriki was itself a village's nuclear weapon, and Kushina's existence meant that Minato was naturally bound to Konoha's most core deterrent power.
There was also another key factor, age.
If the Third Shinobi World War lasted more than three years, as in the original timeline, after the war, Shinichi would only be fourteen years old.
While Minato Namikaze would be twenty-four.
A ten-year difference.
At that age, what did a ten-year gap mean?
It meant that when Minato Namikaze was already seen by the world as a mature ninja capable of standing on his own, Shinichi would still be a minor.
It meant that when people discussed candidates for Hokage, their first thought was always: he's still too young, he's still a child, or he can wait.
This was too disadvantageous.
He had to accumulate enough prestige in this war and gather enough support from the people.
He had to make everyone see, so what if he was fourteen? So what if he was underage?
He had already accomplished what others could not achieve in a lifetime.
Let achievements speak.
Let people's hearts speak.
Let undeniable weight speak.
By that time, even if he was young, after the war, he could still form a powerful momentum to push himself toward that position.
Thinking of this, Shinichi raised his head. His gaze passed through the gaps of the tent, looking toward the night sky.
The wind and snow continued, the starlight flickering.
He will strive for first place!