Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 121 High-Level Meeting (Part 2) (3/10)

Danzo Shimura raised his head, his gaze sweeping coldly over the people present before finally settling on the Third Hokage's face. He said in a hard tone, "Your analysis does make some sense, but anyone with a bit of sense can see the current state of the ninja world. What's there to be so surprised about? Besides, the rest of the content is really too alarmist, and you could even say it's just trying to attract attention."

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and looked calmly at Shimura Danzo: "Danzo, it seems you have a problem with Shinichi?"

"Of course I have an opinion."

Danzo Shimura's voice grew even colder as he tossed the document in his hand onto the table with a soft thud.

"Since he has such great talent! Why doesn't he train properly and focus on improving his strength? Why does he spend all his time doing such nonsense! Cooking competitions? Comics? Is this what a proper ninja should be doing?"

At this point, his gaze shifted to the Third Hokage, his tone becoming even sharper and more aggressive: "I not only have a problem with him, I have an even bigger problem with Hiruzen. If Hiruzen hadn't been so indulgent with him, would that kid have wasted his talent like this? Making him participate in some cooking competition, making him draw some manga?"

The Third Hokage did not answer directly; he simply reached into the drawer and took out two more documents, placing them on the table.

"This isn't this child's first report, it's the third. Please take a look at the previous two as well."

The secret agents stepped forward and delivered the two documents to the three advisor elders.

A moment later, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were startled again, their expressions becoming even more serious.

It turns out that in his report from two months ago, Shinichi Higashino directly deduced that the Third Kazekage had met with misfortune based solely on publicly available information, the Third Kazekage's consistent style, and subtle anomalies in Sunagakure.

At the time, the entire ninja world assumed that even if the Third Kazekage wasn't in seclusion as Sunagakure claimed, he was at least planning something else. No one expected that something had happened to the Third Kazekage.

"This child actually predicted it all back then?" Mitokado Homura couldn't help but blurt out, "What prediction?"

Danzo Shimura interrupted coldly, "Rumors about the Third Kazekage's disappearance or even death have been circulating for a while. This kid just happened to hear some rumors and it's nothing."

"I said Danzo, what's wrong with you..." Koharu Utatane glared at Danzo with a resentful expression.

She couldn't understand why Danzo had such a big problem with Shinichi, such a good kid. She could even say he harbored resentment towards him.

Correct!

It's just resentment!

"What's wrong with me?" Danzo met her gaze, his tone stiff. "A ninja who doesn't focus on the right path, spending his days on trivial matters like cooking and manga, is constantly distracted. What great things can he achieve? Hiruzen's indulgence is the real problem!"

"Winning the cooking competition brings honor to the village. As for comics, what's wrong with young people having their own hobbies?"

Xiaochun, who was turning over to her room, raised her voice, her tone equally impolite.

"Besides, that child's drawing is truly outstanding, and the story is interesting. I've seen many villagers try to make the dishes from the picture, and I've even tried making some myself. They're really quite delicious. How can you be so harsh on a child who loves life and is so talented? Danzo!"

"Harsh? I call this being clear-headed!"

Upon hearing this, Danzo's voice grew even colder and harder. He hadn't expected his old partner to directly confront him for that kid's sake.

"The drawings were a mess, the stories were a complete mess, and it made absolutely no sense! And those lines about food being a product of good intentions, or bringing happiness through food, were just......"

"How do you know it's a mess and the story is a complete blunder? And how do you know the lines?"

Koharu Utatane astutely grasped the key point and interrupted him directly: "Danzo, you've watched 'Cooking Master Boy' too?"

Danzo was momentarily speechless, then snorted coldly, "Hmph! I just wanted to see just how far our Konoha's great genius had gone down the path of neglecting his duties!"

Koharu Utatane chuckled lightly and said sarcastically, "Heh, it seems you watched quite closely, Danzo. You even remember the exact lines."

"Alright, Koharu, Danzo." The Third Hokage spoke up at the right moment, interrupting the argument that could have escalated further.

"We may have different opinions about Shinichi's upbringing and interests, but there's one last document. Let's continue reading it first, and then we can discuss it further."

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both nodded and immediately picked up the last document to read, while Danzo still hesitated to pick up the last document.

Time ticked by, and Mitomon En held the pages in his fingers, turning them slower and slower. His gaze was first solemn, then gradually cleared with a sense of sudden enlightenment, as if a long-standing fog had been lifted from his heart by the words on the paper.

Koharu even softened her breathing, her brows furrowing from tight to slowly relaxing, then furrowing again, clearly being drawn in by the logic within the text, gradually sinking into a re-examination of the ninja world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing overall situation, structure, and overall dynamics).

Danzo Shimura hadn't seen such an expression on the faces of his two old partners for many years; it was as if their preconceived notions had been completely overturned.

Danzo felt a sudden surge of irritation, let out a heavy snort, and finally reached out to grab the last document on the table.

Analysis and Prediction of the Current Situation in the Ninja World

He had opened the book with a critical eye, but as his gaze swept over the opening analysis of the macro situation, the sarcasm on his lips hadn't faded, but his gaze quickly slowed, his expression became more serious, and his heart was shaken.

The moment those two sentences hit him, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Upper decision decided by the economic background.

War is merely a continuation of politics through another means.

Danzo stared intently at the two lines of text, remaining motionless.

What Xiaochun said next was that this child had accurately predicted the trend of military expansion in various countries last year, and had such a clear understanding of the underlying logic of the ninja world.

Yan said that it was no wonder Hiruzen had initiated Konoha's war preparations so decisively; he had already seen it in the child's documents and reports.

Hiruzen told them to go back and study it carefully, and that another meeting would be held the next day.

Danzo didn't hear a single word of what was said; all he could see were those two sentences on the paper, scrolling back and forth in his mind's eye.

He didn't even know how he left the Hokage's office, how he walked through that familiar corridor, or how he walked out of the Hokage building.

When Danzo came to his senses, he was already standing at his own doorstep, completely unaware of the light drizzle falling on his shoulders.

Night fell in the study, the lamplight dim.

Danzo sat at his desk, with the document in front of him. He had read it countless times, for a very long time, until the sky outside the window turned from daytime to complete darkness.

But his gaze remained fixed on those few lines of text.

Upper decision decided by the economic background.

War is merely a continuation of politics through another means.

Danzo lived for over fifty years. He grew up amidst the smoke and fire of the late Warring States period, and in his youth followed the Second Hokage in his campaigns, experiencing the baptism of blood and fire in two Shinobi World Wars. He personally orchestrated countless clandestine conspiracies and made numerous exchanges of interests in the shadows of Konoha. His hands were stained with the blood of his enemies as well as the blood of his comrades.

He always thought he had figured out how the world worked.

The law of the jungle prevails, profit is paramount, and power determines everything.

But he never imagined that the world he had struggled through his entire life could be so thoroughly summarized in just two simple, cold, and undeniable sentences.

He had always thought he was the one who could see most clearly in the darkness, but only now did he realize that he had perhaps only seen ripples on the surface of the water his whole life, while that ten-year-old child—

"Shinichi Higashino..."

'

After a long while, Danzo let out a long sigh of relief. He put down the documents in his hand, got up and walked to the window. He opened the window and looked over the eaves, his gaze falling on the direction of the cemetery in the distance.

My thoughts seemed to be drawn by the continuous night rain, suddenly falling back to that rainy night four years ago.