Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 100 A Special Request (3/16)

The Hokage's office was filled with smoke.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a large desk, the light from his pipe flickering as he carefully reviewed a special mission request submitted by the mission reception office.

The contents of the letter of authorization caused even the well-informed Third Hokage to raise an eyebrow slightly.

The client is a samurai from the Land of Iron named Isshin.

This is not surprising. As the leading ninja village in the ninja world, Konoha has received countless missions from all over the continent, and even from other ninja villages, whether directly or indirectly.

What's special is the content of the task.

This single-minded warrior's request was neither escort, nor espionage, nor annihilation.

His request was simple and direct, even somewhat crude – hiring someone to fight.

Specifically, he commissioned Konoha to find a suitable opponent for him in Konoha for a public match.

The opponent must be between thirty and thirty years old, with no limit on strength, but it is explicitly stated that the opponent should be strong enough, preferably a Jonin.

What's even more unusual is that he demanded the competition be held in a public place with a large audience, and the more audience the better.

The task is tentatively rated as A-level, but the reward structure is quite interesting: the base deposit is as high as 500,000 taels, which is extremely generous in the entire A-level task reward range (usually between 150,000 and 1 million taels).

If Konoha can provide a strong opponent that satisfies them and organize a large enough audience to watch the match, the additional reward can be as high as two million ryo, depending on the strength of the opponent and the size of the audience!

The total is two and a half million taels!

This already falls into the category of S-rank mission rewards, and it's considered quite good even within the S-rank category.

Faced with this request, which was straightforward in its wording, had a strange purpose, and involved a huge sum of money, the staff at the mission reception office were at a loss for a moment. In the end, following the procedure, they presented this somewhat hot potato scroll to the Hokage.

The Third Hokage put down his pipe and picked up the simple intelligence scroll attached to the side. It contained information provided by Isshin himself, the commissioner, as well as quick verification and supplements from Konoha's intelligence department based on limited channels.

Intelligence indicates that Ashina Isshin is indeed a young samurai who has risen to prominence in the Land of Iron over the past year, especially active in the southeastern region.

He was known for his fierce and ruthless swordsmanship and unconventional behavior. He was a complete battle maniac and a swordsmanship challenger. His reputation for being combative was not unfounded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze returned to the letter of authorization, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.

"Find a strong opponent for a public contest... the more spectators the better..." He repeated the key requirement in a low voice, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

The motive is not hard to guess: for a young samurai like Isshin, challenging strong opponents is the best way to hone his swordsmanship.

The demand for public display and a large audience is simply for the purpose of gaining fame—to widely publicize the achievement of defeating the Konoha ninjas, which can both intimidate peers and greatly enhance the prestige of the individual and the school.

This is a very typical martial artist's mindset: direct, even somewhat aggressive.

What about the risks?

Almost zero.

The pilot test was conducted within a controlled area of ​​Konoha Village, so there was no risk of mission leakage or endangering the client.

However, this mission was still too strange, even childish, so it's no wonder the mission department couldn't make up its mind.

But the Third Hokage's gaze lingered on the astonishing reward figure, his brows slightly relaxed, then slowly furrowed again.

money.

What Konoha lacks most right now, besides time, is money.

The intense preparations for war that lasted for more than half a year were like a bottomless pit, frantically devouring the village's financial reserves.

The bulk purchase and maintenance of weapons and ninja tools, the stockpiling of consumables such as explosive tags, the construction and reinforcement of border defense fortifications, the frequent mobilization of ninja troops and their additional allowances, and the stockpiling of medical supplies—each of these costs is enormous.

Despite the support from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, the overall economic contraction and tax revenue slowdown under the shadow of war are undeniable facts, and the village's treasury is dwindling at a visible rate.

Moreover, the report that Shinichi submitted some time ago, which directly concluded that the Third Kazekage was dead, was logical and well-founded, but the Third Hokage still felt that the boy's judgment was somewhat abrupt.

However, out of trust in the child, he did intensify his intelligence gathering on Sunagakure during this period. According to the information he obtained, something was indeed wrong with Sunagakure at the moment, when all the major ninja villages were preparing for war.

Instead, Sunagakure frequently appeared within the Land of Wind and surrounding small countries, as if they were urgently searching for something.

This made the Third Hokage realize that Shinichi's judgment was very likely true. Even if it wasn't explicitly stated that he was dead, his long-term disappearance meant that his fate was unknown.

When one's fate is unknown, it often means that the person is dead.

Therefore, the Third Hokage plans to further accelerate and increase war preparations, which will further widen the funding gap.

The task in front of them was so simple it was almost child's play. There was no need to go to dangerous places or fight to the death. All they had to do was arrange a few matches on their own turf and organize some villagers to watch. In return, they could receive a huge reward of at least 500,000 and possibly as much as 2.5 million.

Although it's just a drop in the ocean compared to the costs of preparing for the war, it's still a windfall, so why not take it?

The only thing to consider is saving face.

It's not about the face of the Konoha ninjas, but the face of the person who made the request.

He was just a samurai after all.

The Third Hokage calmly remarked that the person who commissioned this project must have unique swordsmanship to have made a name for himself in the Land of Iron, but this was Konoha.

Before his thoughts had even officially shifted to whether he would win or lose, his subconscious mind had already begun to consider:

Who should be sent to ensure a lively fight, allowing the visiting samurai patron to enjoy himself and demonstrate Konoha's magnanimity, while also maintaining control of the situation at crucial moments to prevent the opponent from suffering an unbearable defeat?

After all, the other party is a generous guest. It is proper to treat guests well so that they can come with high spirits and leave satisfied. It is also related to the demeanor of Konoha.

The opponent has spent a lot of money, and what they are hoping for is a fierce competition that can inspire their fighting spirit and prove what they have learned, rather than a crushing defeat that can instantly destroy their confidence.

With this in mind, the Third Hokage had already made up his mind.

He picked up his pen and smoothly wrote his comments and decision in the comments section of the commission letter: "Approved, rated as a Class A special cooperation mission! The mission department will coordinate and select suitable personnel to participate. The competition venue can be arranged in the third training ground. Villagers and off-duty ninjas are allowed to watch the competition to a certain extent. It will be conducted under the guise of a ninja and samurai exchange seminar. It is essential to control the pace of the competition, ensure that it is stopped when the point is reached, maintain a friendly atmosphere, and collect payment according to the agreed terms."

After writing the last word, he gently blew the ink dry and handed the letter of authorization to the secret agent standing by.

"Notify the mission department to proceed accordingly."

"Yes!" The ANBU member took the scroll and disappeared in an instant.

A day later, on Konoha's main street, the afternoon sun shone warmly on the bustling street.

Several villagers gathered at the entrance of the meatball shop, eating snacks and chatting excitedly about the latest happenings.

"Have you heard? A samurai from the Land of Iron spent a fortune to come to Konoha and challenge someone to a duel!" A middle-aged man started the conversation, his face showing excitement at the spectacle.

"I know, I know! There were notices posted all over the street just now, saying there's going to be some kind of ninja and samurai exchange." A housewife next to me chimed in, her tone full of curiosity: "They said it'll be at the Third Training Ground tomorrow, and we're welcome to come and watch. Making such a big fuss, that samurai must have some guts."

"Arrogance? Those out-of-towners just don't know their place!"

A well-dressed man, resembling a shop owner, raised his chin and snorted with the arrogance typical of Konoha's unruly citizens: "The Land of Iron? No matter how hard their samurai train, what tricks can they pull? Just country bumpkins. This is Konoha! The head of the Five Great Ninja Villages! Ninjas are the true power! Their strength is nothing compared to our taijutsu, ninjutsu..."

"Illusions are no match for us! And when it comes to swordsmanship, Konoha is the best in the world!"

"That's true," a younger craftsman scratched his head. "However, I heard that samurai named Isshin is quite young, but he's already made a name for himself in the Land of Iron. He might actually be quite skilled. Besides, he actually placed a legitimate commission and paid for it. Making such a big fuss is probably just to see what it's like, or, well, to use Konoha's name to make a name for himself?"

"Make a name for yourself? This stinking country bumpkin from out of town thinks he can make a name for himself by stepping on Konoha?"

The shop owner raised his voice, drawing sidelong glances from passersby: "Dream on! Do you think the ninjas of Konoha are pushovers? If you ask me, any decent Chunin would be enough to teach him a lesson! I'll have to go see how he gets out of this tomorrow."

"It's worth going to see, just to see something new."

"I think that anyone who dares to come to Konoha to challenge, regardless of winning or losing, is indeed quite bold."

"Since there's going to be some excitement, why not go?"

A cacophony of voices rang out, a mixture of curiosity, skepticism, disdain, and anticipation, spreading with the flow of people.

The news of the Iron Country samurai coming to challenge them was like a tiny spark, igniting a small flame in the peaceful daily life of Konoha.

Most people waited with a superior, condescending curiosity, for this exchange whose outcome seemed predetermined.