Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 114 What kind of little punk are you? Go talk to my psychic powers! (Two chapters combined)

As evening fell, the streets and taverns of Konoha were bustling with more activity than ever before.

"My God! You really missed out by not going today!" A ruddy-faced villager patted his friend on the shoulder, spitting as he spoke: "That samurai from the Land of Iron, wow! He's really something! Although his methods are a bit... cough, not so refined, even the Crimson Jonin and the Hizashi Jonin were defeated by him!"

"What? Even those two..." His companion was so shocked that he almost dropped his wine glass.

"Absolutely! But the best part is yet to come!" The uncle's eyes lit up, and he gestured wildly. "Our village's Shinichi, Higashino Shinichi! That kid stepped up! Good heavens, you didn't see it, he went head-to-head with that samurai, even breaking his sword! Then, with a whoosh, he unleashed a sea of ​​fire with a wave of his hand, without even needing to form hand seals!"

He took a swig of his drink, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "That last move was truly terrifying! A fiery red ball, like a miniature sun, slammed down, and the samurai's entire body turned into a bronze statue just to withstand it! After the fight, guess what? The samurai actually clapped his hands and, in front of everyone, declared that Shinichi was some kind of unprecedented genius, and even said he was willing to call him the strongest! They agreed to fight again when they had both become the strongest in their respective countries!"

"The strongest? Shinichi is only ten years old!" The friend gasped.

"He's going to be the strongest ninja in the future! Well, that's about right. With Shinichi's talent, he'll definitely become the strongest ninja of this era!"

"Is that so? As expected of Shinichi!" my friend exclaimed. "I used to just think this kid was outstanding, but today I realize I had seriously underestimated him."

Similar discussions buzzed throughout Konoha, with excitement, pride, and amazement permeating the air amidst the cooking smoke and lamplight.

The Hokage's office was brightly lit.

A staff member from the mission department was bowing as he gave his final report to the Third Hokage.

"My lord, Mr. Isshin, the client, has just settled all payments at the mission reception desk," the staff member reported. "He expressed extreme satisfaction with this exchange, believing it to be well worth the money. In addition to the basic 500,000 taels, he also added an extra 2 million taels according to the highest standard, bringing the total to 2.5 million taels, which has all been deposited into the treasury."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated behind his large desk, nodded upon hearing this, a gentle smile on his face: "Yes! Although this matter was fraught with twists and turns and caused quite a stir, the final result was ultimately quite good."

After a moment's thought, he continued, "Since it was Shinichi who faced off against the client in the final showdown, and Shinichi's performance earned the client's approval, then let's consider this special mission completed under Shinichi's command. The mission records and reward distribution will be handled accordingly."

"Yes, Lord Third Generation, I will arrange it immediately," the staff member replied respectfully.

"Oh, by the way," the Third Hokage seemed to remember something and casually asked, "Where is that client, Isshin-san, now? Has he already left Konoha?"

"Reporting to the Hokage, Mr. Isshin is currently dining at the Aji no Takumi restaurant in the village," the staff member replied. "According to the person accompanying him, he plans to leave the village and return to the Land of Iron after finishing his meal."

The report should have ended there, but a very strange look appeared on the staff member's face, as if what was about to be said was difficult to say.

He hesitated for a moment, then added, "The other three generations of masters, before leaving after paying their commissions, asked us a question."

"Oh? What's the problem?" The Third Hokage raised his eyes.

The staff member organized his thoughts and tried to repeat the story verbatim: "He asked Konoha if they needed mercenaries for the upcoming war. If so, he could serve as a mercenary for Konoha on the battlefield, and the price was negotiable."

Hiring mercenaries?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly taken aback at first, and then a feeling mixed with absurdity and amusement welled up in his heart.

Historically, only various forces and nobles from different countries have come to Konoha to issue missions and hire Konoha ninjas. When has anyone ever asked Konoha if it needed to hire mercenaries?

The warriors of this Iron Country are truly unique in their belligerence and mindset.

Although the Third Shinobi World War has not yet officially broken out, border frictions are constant, major powers are preparing for war, and tensions are about to escalate. This is a reality that anyone with eyes can see, so it is not entirely unfounded for the other side to raise this issue at this time.

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then gently tapped the table and instructed the staff, "Please convey my gratitude to Mr. Isshin for his generous payment and my admiration for his formidable strength. As for the matter of hiring mercenaries..."

"Please convey to Mr. Isshin that Konoha appreciates his kindness. However, since its founding, Konoha has relied on the unity and strength of its ninjas to protect its homeland, which is sufficient to meet any challenge. We have full confidence in our ninjas."

"Furthermore, as a permanently neutral country, the Land of Iron has a tradition and stance that its samurai do not participate in battles between ninjas. As a renowned samurai of the Land of Iron, if Mr. Isshin were to be employed by Konoha to participate in the war, it would likely affect the Land of Iron's neutral stance and Mr. Isshin's own reputation. Konoha appreciates this sentiment."

The staff member understood immediately and bowed, saying, "Yes, I understand. I will definitely convey the Hokage's message to Mr. Isshin properly."

"Go."

After the staff left, the office returned to silence. After a moment, he seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke in a deep voice to the empty corner of the office: "You two, go and check on Gen. Make sure that nothing unnecessary happens in the next few days."

His tone was calm, and without needing to be explicitly stated, the Anbu instantly understood the Hokage's intention and looked at Sukune.

Keep an eye on Elder Shimura Danzo, who always sees all potential threats, especially powerful outsiders he can't control, as thorns in his side, and often does extreme things in the name of "for Konoha," but in the end, the Hokage always has to clean up the mess and take responsibility.

"yes!"

After two brief responses, there was a slight movement in the air in the office before silence returned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly, rubbing his temples, hoping this was just unnecessary.

That samurai, Isshin, was flamboyant and his behavior was controversial, but he was a legitimate client who had demonstrated great strength and received a generous reward. He came to Konoha to commission a match, and then mysteriously disappeared, or even died.

This will inevitably attract huge criticism. Even if it wasn't Konoha that did it, Konoha will still have to take the blame.

Isshin was unaware of the arrangements taking place in the Hokage's office, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

At this moment, he was in the Wei Zhi Jiang restaurant, enjoying several large plates of signature grilled meat and Zhenyi Mapo Tofu, completely oblivious to the complex gazes from the surrounding diners, a mixture of awe and curiosity.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Yixin slammed a few banknotes on the table, shouldered his iconic, awe-inspiring halberd, and strolled out of the shop amidst the somewhat nervous yet composed "Welcome to visit again next time" from the shop owner, Fujiwara.

The streets of Konoha were just beginning to light up, and a cool evening breeze was blowing.

His tall figure and the weapon he wielded made him stand out among the passersby. Wherever he went, people instinctively made way for him, and whispers gathered behind him.

"Look, that's the person!"

"It was he who brought together the True Red Jonin and the Hizashi Jonin..."

","Shh, keep your voice down."

He ignored all the discussions and simply walked along the main road with unhurried but large strides towards the gates of Konoha.

His expression was calm, even carrying a hint of languor after a hearty meal, as if he wasn't the one who had stirred up a storm in the arena today and made the strongest pact with the genius of Konoha.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow of him, overlapping with the shadow of the halberd slung diagonally over his shoulder, projecting onto the neat road of Konoha, gradually fading into the distance.

Root? Danzo?

What a nobody.

Go talk to my psychic abilities.

He left seemingly nonchalantly and without any precautions, but in reality, he had already prepared an escape route.

Long before he officially entered Konoha as the samurai Isshin, on the night he met up with his original body in Tsukimi Village and signed the summoning contract two days ago, everything had already been arranged.

At that time, in addition to adjusting the clone's attributes and signing a summoning contract, the main body also released two additional shadow clones.

The two shadow clones set off simultaneously, stealthily heading northwest towards the Land of Fire.

Judging by the time, we should be nearing the Land of Grass by now.

One of the shadow clones carried a bottle of the original's blood.

As long as he steps out of the Konoha gates at this moment, and the safe distance is confirmed, Higashino Shinichi's main body, who is staying in Konoha, can instantly dispel one of his shadow clones with a thought, and the memories and information will return.

Then, when the other shadow clone, who is far away in the Land of Grass, sees the shadow clone next to him return, he will immediately know that "the matter of Konoha is over".

The rest is simple.

That shadow clone uses the blood of the original body it carries as a medium to perform summoning techniques.

At that time, regardless of any undercurrents within or outside Konoha, and regardless of whether the so-called Root or any other people who covet him actually dare to make a move, he can be summoned directly from near Konoha to the Land of Grass using a summoning technique that ignores spatial distance.

This is the greatest source of his confidence to go to the meeting alone and stir up trouble in Konoha; it is the composure that puts him in an invincible position from the start.

The magnificent gates of Konoha were now in sight. The guarding ninjas watched him approach with complex expressions, but after checking his documents and verifying his identity, they silently made way for him.

Isshin glanced back one last time at the Hidden Leaf Village, where night was falling and the village was brightly lit. His gaze lingered briefly on the towering Hokage Rock before he chuckled softly.

He turned around and strode out the door, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness and the outline of the distant mountains. The ninjas guarding the door watched the direction he disappeared in, and they all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This troublesome and powerful guest has finally left.

What they didn't know was that almost at the same moment Yixin's figure disappeared around the corner.

In a remote mountain forest somewhere in the Land of Grass, a cloud of white smoke exploded.

Tall and imposing, Isshin, carrying a halberd, stood there leisurely, gazing southeast towards Konoha, a satisfied smile on his face.

Our journey to Konoha has come to a successful conclusion.

"There's something very interesting." After saying the last sentence, the shadow clone who used the summoning technique turned into a cloud of white mist and dissipated in the night wind, returning directly to Shinichi Higashino's original body in Konoha.

"Oh?" Sensing the message transmitted after the shadow clone returned, Isshin grinned: "This is actually quite interesting."

Half an hour later, at the edge of the same forest.

The trees were broken at the roots and lay scattered on the ground, the road twisted beyond recognition, as if it had been ravaged by a giant beast.

Seven or eight corpses lay sprawled amidst the chaos. Judging from the headbands they wore and their uniform clothing, they were clearly ninjas from Kusagakure.

The deaths were mostly swift and clean, with skulls shattered, split in two, or twisted and deformed by immense force, exuding the efficiency and intimidation brought about by pure violence.

Yi Xin sat on a relatively clean rock, his halberd stuck diagonally in the ground beside him, the blade still stained with some fresh blood.

He was observing with great interest the young couple in front of him, who were still shaken and supporting each other.

Both of them had striking blood-red hair and were around twenty years old.

The man was slightly thin, wore round black-rimmed glasses, had a pale face, and a scholarly air. At this moment, his eyes were filled with lingering fear and vigilance, but he tried his best to remain calm.

The woman nestled beside him, her hair also ablaze with red, and her eyes, as red as rubies, mirroring her hair color. She looked uneasily at Isshin, then couldn't help glancing at the corpses of the grass ninja, her body trembling slightly.

"Thank you so much for saving us, sir." The man composed himself, took his wife's hand, and bowed deeply to the burly warrior on the rock. His voice trembled with the shock of surviving a close call. The woman also bowed her head in thanks, her voice barely audible.

"Hmm." Isshin hummed in response, his gaze sweeping over their striking red hair before asking directly, "Why did the people of Kusagakure capture you two?"

Although he said that, he already had a general idea in his mind.

The young man and woman exchanged a glance, a struggle flashing in their eyes. Finally, the man stepped forward and decided to tell the truth: "My lord, we are the remnants of the Uzumaki clan. My name is Uzumaki Dosaku, and this is my wife, Uzumaki Kicho."

After the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the young children wandered around with their surviving clansmen, enduring hardships until they finally arrived in the relatively remote border region of the Land of Grass a few years ago, where they settled down under assumed names.

The two relied on each other and ran a small clinic to make a living. Dosaku inherited some knowledge of medical ninjutsu and herbs from the Yuu clan and gradually gained a small reputation in the area, while his wife, Kicho, served as his assistant and managed the clinic.

Life could have continued peacefully like this, until a few days ago, an unexpected event shattered the tranquility.

A severely wounded and dying ninja from Kusagakure was taken to their clinic by his comrades.

After examining the injuries, Daoze discovered that they were too severe, and with his medical skills and the available resources, there was simply no way to save the patient.

Just as he was about to declare his inability to do anything, his kind wife, Kicho, couldn't bear to watch a life slip away before her eyes and made a decision—she let the dying Kusanagi bite her arm.

A miracle happened.

After biting Kicho's arm, the severe injury to the grass ninja stabilized and began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The person was saved.

However, it brought disaster.

After recovering and returning to the village, the grass ninja not only failed to repay the life-saving grace, but also reported on the miraculous healing ability of the Butterfly Cicada.

Soon, a group of grass ninjas came to their door and tried to forcibly take the couple away without explanation, clearly intending to control Guichao's and perhaps Dosaku's medical skills as medical resources.

Resistance was futile. Just as they were in despair, being taken away to Kusagakure, this man carrying an exaggerated weapon...

Like a war god, the samurai descended from the sky and annihilated all the grass ninjas with overwhelming force.

"That's how it all happened." After finishing his account, Uzumaki Dosaku bowed deeply again. Beside him, Kicho held her husband's hand tightly, her eyes still filled with fear.

"I see." Isshin nodded, his face revealing little emotion, but inwardly he thought, "Just as I thought."

Red hair, healing abilities, hiding in the grass... It seems this couple is most likely Xiang's parents in the future.

"So what are your plans next?"

Whirlpool Daoce and Whirlpool Guidie exchanged a glance, their faces showing the same bewilderment and helplessness.

They couldn't stay in the Land of Grass anymore, and in other places... they had already tasted the hardships of a nomadic life, not to mention the possibility that other ninja villages or forces might covet their abilities.

Seeing the two remain silent, Yixin didn't try to persuade them further. He simply shouldered his halberd, turned around, and walked into the depths of the forest, leaving behind the words, "If you have nowhere to go, just follow me. If you're willing, come along."

His pace wasn't fast, but he showed no sign of waiting.

The couple looked at each other again, their eyes filled with hesitation and unease.

Should we continue wandering aimlessly, awaiting unknown misfortune?

Or should they follow this powerful, mysterious warrior who seems to have no ill intentions towards them?

Finally, Uzumaki Dosaku gritted his teeth and gripped his wife's slightly cool hand tightly.

"Let's follow them, Gui Die," he said softly, his eyes hardening. "At least this sir saved our lives."

Gui Die nodded, the fear in her red eyes receding slightly. Looking at the imposing figure in front of her, she softly hummed in agreement.

Without further hesitation, the two took their steps and followed the figure carrying the enormous weapon, gradually disappearing into the dense jungle.