Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 115 Old Man Spotted Remembers That Summer Four Years Ago

A few days later, in the Land of Grass, deep within an underground cave.

The colossal Outer Path Golem stands silently in the center of the cave, like a still mountain.

Countless root-like tubes, like blood vessels or vines, extend from its trunk, densely connecting to the withered figure at the bottom of the golem.

That was a person.

It was more like a skeleton dried by time than a human. His long, gray hair almost dragged on the ground, and his skin clung tightly to his bones, with layers of wrinkles like the bark of an ancient tree. Several thick, tubular objects pierced his back, firmly fixing him to the bottom of the golem.

He just stood there with his head down, motionless, as if he had been dead for many years.

The cave was so quiet that only the sound of dripping water could be heard.

"Madara-sama! Madara-sama!"

A white figure emerged from the rock wall; it was White Zetsu, with his usual carefree smile on his face.

"Something really big has happened in Konoha!" White Zetsu leaned close to the gaunt figure, his voice tinged with excitement: "It's a super-big thing!"

The skeleton stirred slightly, its eyelids twitching a little.

Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

Sharingan!

But the scarlet, eerie Sharingan revealed a deep sense of age and turbidity, as if all its luster had been worn away by the years.

However, beneath that murky surface, one can still vaguely glimpse the shadow of that man who once dominated the ninja world.

"What is it?"

Is war about to break out again?

The thought crossed Madara Uchiha's mind, but White Zetsu's answer took him by surprise.

"It's Shinichi Higashino!"

White Zetsu waved his arms excitedly: "Lord Madara, do you remember that Shinichi Higashino I mentioned to you before? That brat from Konoha!"

Shinichi Higashino?

Four years later, upon hearing that familiar name again, Madara Uchiha was momentarily dazed, his thoughts drifting uncontrollably back to that summer four years ago.

It was a very hot summer.

Even though he was deep underground where there was no sunlight, he couldn't seem to escape the heat; the air in the cave was so stuffy it made him feel uneasy.

The sound of dripping water continued tirelessly, one drop after another, as if counting down the days for his decaying body.

He's too old.

So old that he couldn't remember how many years he had been here, so old that his skin was stuck to his bones and looked like it would fall apart at any moment, so old that he could only rely on the Outer Path Statue to keep him alive until the very end.

He is going to die.

Madara Uchiha was well aware of this; this body wouldn't last more than a few years, but he hadn't yet finished what he needed to do.

Project Moon Eye! Infinite Tsukuyomi!

That world, free from war and suffering, that only he could create.

Nagato.

That child from the Uzumaki clan possesses the eyes he bestowed upon him. When the time is right, Nagato will become the executor of collecting the Tailed Beasts, revive him with the Rinnegan, and help him complete his plan.

But Madara Uchiha suddenly realized that perhaps one executor was not enough; he also needed a supervisor or a guide.

A person who can supervise and guide Nagato, ensuring the plan doesn't go astray, a person who can keep an eye on the plan even after his death.

So he dispatched White Zetsu to Konoha to see if the Uchiha clan had any suitable children.

"Lord Madara! Lord Madara! I'm back!"

White Zetsu emerged from the rock wall, his face gleaming with excitement.

Madara Uchiha opened his eyes and looked at it.

"How's it going with the Uchiha clan?"

White Zetsu scratched his head: "Uchiha... I've looked at them, and they don't seem to have any particularly outstanding kids, they're just so-so."

Madara Uchiha frowned slightly.

No suitable child?

"However, Lord Madara!" White Zetsu's voice suddenly rose, as if he had remembered something particularly interesting: "I saw a really fun kid at the Konoha Ninja Academy!"

"What child?"

"His name is Shinichi Higashino! He just started school recently, but guess what? He carries a huge rock to school every day!" White Zetsu gestured wildly, "That rock is huge! Several times bigger than him! He just carries it on his back and keeps running!"

Madara Uchiha remained silent for a while.

"That's all?"

"And another thing! And another thing!" Bai Jue completely ignored his tone: "That kid doesn't play during his lunch break either. He just practices his sword by himself on the playground, swinging it again and again, so seriously! I watched him practice for a long, long time, my eyes were getting sore, and he was still practicing!"

"Are you done talking?"

"And there's more! I also saw..."

'

"alright."

Bai Jue's voice abruptly stopped.

Madara Uchiha closed his eyes, his voice tinged with weariness: "Next time, go see the Uchiha."

"Oh...yes, Lord Madara."

White Zetsu muttered to himself as he slowly merged into the rock wall.

Some time later.

"Lord Madara! Lord Madara! I'm back!"

"explain."

"I went to check on the Uchiha group again, and there really aren't any particularly good prospects. There are a few kids who are alright, but they're just so-so. They're nowhere near as good as you."

"Um."

"However, Lord Madara! That Shinichi Higashino, he's done something interesting again!" White Zetsu's voice became excited again as he said this.

Madara Uchiha's eyelid twitched.

He is...

'

"Shut up."

White Zetsu shut up.

"Next time, I'll only watch the Uchiha."

"Yes, Lord Ban..."

'

Some more days passed.

"Lord Madara, there's really nothing wrong with the Uchiha clan."

"Um."

"But that Shinichi Higashino, he..."

'

"go out."

The White Jueshan Mountains have disappeared.

I don't know how many times this has happened.

"Lord Madara, I really looked into the Uchiha clan this time! There's a kid named Uchiha Shisui who seems to have good talent, but he's still too young; he hasn't even attended the Ninja Academy yet."

"Um."

"But Lord Madara, do you still remember that Shinichi Higashino? He—"

"That's enough!"

Madara Uchiha opened his eyes and looked at the white figure. In his cloudy eyes, a rare hint of helplessness, or even exhaustion, was revealed.

"I'm sending you to see the Uchiha."

"Yes, yes, I went to see it."

"I didn't ask you to keep an eye on that brat."

"Yes, yes, I know, I know."

"Then why do you bring him up every time you come back?"

White Zetsu scratched his head, his expression utterly innocent: "Because he's really interesting, Madara-sama! I don't know why, but I just like looking at him, it's like... right, a sense of familiarity. In human terms, he just gives me a sense of familiarity, and I can't help but look at him, and then I can't help but want to tell Madara-sama..."

'

Madara Uchiha fell silent.

A White Zetsu, which is not even human or even animal, felt a sense of kinship with a Konoha orphan he didn't know.

He was too old, too old to ponder these strange things, much less to argue with this heartless fellow.

But he had really had enough!

"Starting today!"

Madara Uchiha took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Go to Konoha and do only one thing! Keep an eye on the Uchiha clan and see if there are any suitable, talented individuals..."

"The children who are capable, the rest—don't look at them! Don't listen to them! Don't worry about them! Don't remember them! And don't come back to me to tell them!"

"But that Shinichi Higashino..."

'

"No Shinichi Higashino!"

White Zetsu opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Madara Uchiha's aged yet undeniable face, he ultimately kept his mouth shut.

"Yes, Lord Ban."

White Zetsu slowly blended into the rock wall and disappeared.

Shinichi Higashino.

That name suddenly and unexpectedly entered his mind in that hot summer four years ago.

Although Madara Uchiha had never seen this kid before, he had formed a certain impression of him through White Zetsu's repeated descriptions.

A child who runs with stones on his back every morning and swings a knife alone on the playground at noon, seemingly unaware of the meaning of fatigue.

Inside the cave, the water droplets continued to drip.

One moment, one moment.

Madara Uchiha closed his eyes and remained motionless, his thoughts gradually drifting away from the summer of four years ago and back to the present.

"Speak."

Madara Uchiha spoke in a hoarse, low voice, "What has that brat from Konoha done this time?"

Just consider it a way to pass the time; listening to it won't hurt...

Upon hearing this, White Zetsu immediately became excited: "Hey, Lord Madara, you have no idea! This was absolutely amazing!"

'

Madara Uchiha listened quietly as White Zetsu excitedly recounted what had happened at the Konoha Arena.

Swordsmanship vs. swordsmanship, polearms against polearms, fire release without hand seals, absolute defense—both displayed a level of skill far exceeding their respective ages, especially that brat named Shinichi Higashino.

But none of this stirred Madara Uchiha's heart. Only the invitation to the final battle for the strongest ninja in the future piqued his interest.

Is it the strongest?

Madara Uchiha closed his eyes, waiting for his future resurrection. By then, that brat named Shinichi Higashino should have grown up. If he were still alive then, if he still deserved that title—

Thinking of this, Madara Uchiha's lips twitched slightly.

Let's give it a try. Let Madara Uchiha see for himself just how good this brat named Shinichi Higashino really is, and whether he's even worthy of being called a...

The strongest!