Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 103 The Indignant Villagers of Konoha (6/16)

"mean?"

Facing the barrage of criticism from almost all the Konoha onlookers around him, Isshin stood still, leaning on his sword with one hand, his expression calm and even somewhat indifferent.

As if he had heard Jingyin's words, he turned his gaze to the indignant girl and curled his lips into a smile that was hard to tell whether it was a laugh or a mockery.

"Little girl." His voice wasn't loud, but it strangely overwhelmed the noise and clearly reached the ears of everyone present: "On the battlefield, between life and death, will the enemy talk to you about rules or whether their methods are honorable? If you win, you live! If you lose, you lose your life. It's that simple."

"When I gave Konoha my commission, it was clearly written in black and white—any means necessary! I welcome Konoha to use any means necessary! Genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, secret techniques, sealing techniques, explosive tags, poison, bloodline limits—use whatever you want!"

"Because Ashina-ryu is a swordsmanship that uses any means necessary to win! As long as it can defeat the enemy, swords, fists, fire, traps, poison—anything in the world can be used as a sword! Being bound by forms and empty fame is nothing but shackles that the weak put on themselves!"

"Damn it! What kind of swordsmanship is firing a gun?!"

"Solicitation of arguments! Fallacies and heresies!"

"Exactly! If you're so capable, don't resort to those underhanded methods!"

"A swordsman using a musket instead of a sword! Shameless!"

"Go back! Konoha doesn't welcome a despicable person like you!"

"You XXXXX"

More insults and curses surged forth, mixed with the voices of many young ninjas.

Most of the older ninjas, though their expressions were solemn, remained silent.

The situation briefly spiraled out of control, and the Chunin in charge of coordinating the situation was sweating profusely, repeatedly shouting "Calm down!" but to little avail.

These Konoha scoundrels, how come I never knew they could swear so filthyly?

The sea eye, seemingly detached from the storm, turned a deaf ear to the cacophony of curses, but inwardly grumbled to itself.

When I become Hokage, I'll definitely teach them what "etiquette" is!

Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage had just recovered from his shock.

He realized he had made a mistake, a mistake based on common sense and experience.

This client, Isshin, is not some ordinary challenger who needs Konoha to save face; he is a true tiger whose physical strength and combat ability have probably reached a very high level.

What's even more troublesome is his unpredictable fighting style, which is even more cunning and ruthless than many veteran ninjas, and he will stop at nothing to achieve victory.

When did the Land of Iron produce such a person?

Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

An intelligence officer strode in, his expression clearly odd: "Lord Hokage! Latest update! That person who entrusted me with this task... he said he's not interested, that the opponents aren't strong enough, and the stage isn't big enough. He's packing his things now, and it seems he's preparing to leave! He even said in front of everyone... he plans to set off now to check out Sunagakure in the neighboring Land of Wind."

The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed.

go?

We can't let him leave now!

Not to mention the outstanding balance, which could be as high as two million taels, it is still a considerable income for Konoha at present.

To allow a samurai who defeated two Konoha ninjas to leave with the assessment that Konoha was "nothing special," and instead go to the Land of Wind, with which Konoha has a delicate relationship and may even become an enemy, is absolutely unacceptable from the perspectives of face, substance, and potential strategic impact!

He must be kept!

We must defeat him fair and square before he leaves Konoha, or at least demonstrate that Konoha has the strength to suppress his power!

Hmm—never mind, the situation is so tense right now, it's good to have some excitement.

In a flash, the Third Hokage made his decision. He stood up abruptly and said decisively, "Immediately contact that Isshin-san and convey my message!"

His gaze was intense as he spoke, word by word: "This time, it was Konoha's fault for poor arrangements. We underestimated Mr. Isshin's strength and spoiled his mood. Please apologize to Mr. Isshin on my behalf."

"Please, Mr. Isshin, stay in Konoha for one more day!"

"Tomorrow, the next match will be held at the largest official arena in Konoha! The stage will be large enough to accommodate all the villagers and ninjas who want to watch this exchange!"

"Furthermore, in the name of the Third Hokage, I guarantee that I will arrange a truly satisfying and enjoyable opponent for him!"

At this point, the Third Hokage waved his hand and said, "You must stop him! Do it immediately!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" The two staff members perked up, immediately accepted the order, and turned to run away.

The Third Hokage sat down again, picked up his pipe but didn't light it, and gazed intently out the window.

It seems we need to get serious. Who should we send to subdue this formidable dragon from the Land of Iron?

His terrifying physical strength and power, his swift and direct close-combat style, and his ruthless and uncompromising combat mentality.

It's a pity Minato went out on a mission, otherwise...

The Third Hokage's first thought was Minato Namikaze, but unfortunately, Minato had gone on a mission and wouldn't be back for at least ten days.

His mind raced through the names of several Jonin who were thirty years old or younger, but finally settled on one of them.

The sunset is really red.

This person is not only a seasoned genjutsu-type Jonin, but also, more importantly, calm and experienced.

"Let Shinku go. He just turned thirty this year, so he meets the requirements."

The Third Generation made his decision. He picked up his pen and began writing the official transfer order and explanation to the Mission Department and Kurenai Yuhi.

The streets and alleys of Konoha did not return to tranquility as the sun set.

Conversely, the topic of "despicable samurai" from the Land of Iron has generated unprecedented buzz.

"Have you heard? That guy from the Land of Iron uses a musket! How despicable!"

"A musket? Would those even work on a ninja?"

"That's what makes him so despicable! That musket of his is definitely not ordinary!"

"Even Jonin Kono lost! Really... sigh!"

"Doesn't the Land of Iron pride itself on the spirit of Bushido? How come such an anomaly has emerged from there?"

"I think he's just a bandit in samurai's clothing! He has absolutely no sense of honor!"

"But what he said does seem to make some sense... Who follows rules on the battlefield?"

"Bah! That's nonsense! It's perfectly acceptable for a ninja to use any means necessary, but for a samurai to use fire is cheating!"

Similar discussions could be heard everywhere—in pubs, restaurants, and street corners—with anger, disdain, and resentment being the prevailing emotions.

Just as the discussion was in full swing, new news spread like wildfire: "Breaking news! Isshin hasn't left yet!"

"The Hokage himself has spoken! The competition will continue tomorrow at 2 PM in the village's First Arena!"

"The First Arena? That's a formal venue that can seat 100,000 people! In previous years, it was used to host the Chunin Exams finals."

"It seems the village is serious this time; they'll definitely send out a truly powerful expert who can subdue him!"

"That's great! I'll definitely go check it out tomorrow!"

"Yeah! Let's see how that arrogant guy loses!"

"Let's see what tricks he'll pull this time!"

Public sentiment was reignited, shifting from simple anger to strong anticipation.

They believed that once the village truly took it seriously and unleashed its full strength, that despicable warrior would surely suffer a crushing defeat.