Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 127 In this Konoha, who is the master, you or me? (9/10)

Five days passed quickly.

The Hokage Building, on the third floor, in the main conference room.

This is Konoha's largest indoor meeting hall, capable of holding three thousand people. It is usually used for Jonin meetings.

The release of major decisions is now fully implemented.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, you are greeted by tiered seating that extends upwards in layers, resembling a giant fan-shaped theater.

The ceiling was high and inlaid with artistic lighting fixtures, all of which were now lit up, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

Directly in front of us was a podium half a meter above the ground. Behind the podium, a huge white screen had been hung up and the projection equipment was ready to be tested.

On either side of the podium stood flags symbolizing the flame emblem of the Land of Fire and the Konoha symbol.

Three thousand seats are now being filled with people.

No one speaks.

Three thousand people sat quietly, waiting. Occasionally, someone would whisper a few words, their voices barely audible before dissipating into the spacious room.

In the front row sat familiar faces: the heads of various clans, the elite Jonin of Konoha, and legendary figures rarely seen on ordinary days.

Further back were the special Jonin and Chunin captains, sitting upright with calm gazes fixed on the empty podium ahead.

The villagers of Konoha would occasionally look up and glance in the direction of the Hokage Building.

They knew there was a meeting there today, and they saw the familiar ninjas walking through the gate one by one.

But they didn't know what was being said inside, or what those people were listening to.

Especially the genin, they stood on the training ground, on street corners, and in front of their own homes, gazing into the distance in the direction of the Hokage Building.

Some were curious, some speculated, and some simply found the scene very impressive.

But they couldn't get in.

Today, only Chunin and above are qualified to participate. Even ordinary Chunin are not eligible; only those with seniority who serve as the Chunin captain of a squad can participate.

Inside the conference room, three thousand people were already seated.

In the very front row, right in the center, sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He wore a divine robe, his hands folded on his knees, and his gaze calmly fixed on the empty podium.

To his left were his two advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.

To his right was an unexpected figure.

Danzo Shimura.

The leader of the Roots, who always kept to himself and rarely appeared in public, sat there expressionless.

All of Konoha's top officials are present today.

Quiet.

All eyes were on the empty spot on the podium.

Waiting for that person to appear.

The door at the back of the conference room was pushed open, and everyone's eyes turned in that direction at the same time.

A figure walked in through the light and shadow of the door frame.

Shinichi Higashino.

He was dressed in a green vest in the style of Konoha, dressed neatly, with his headband properly tied in front of his forehead.

Three thousand gazes fell upon him at the same time.

In those moments of self-reflection, there is curiosity, scrutiny, expectation, complexity, and pride.

Shinichi walked forward along the central aisle, his footsteps particularly clear in the quiet space. The older ninjas on both sides of the seats followed his figure, watching him walk step by step toward the podium.

He walked to the front of the podium, stopped, turned around, and faced the three thousand gazes.

Shinichi took a deep breath and then spoke. His voice was clear and moderate, yet it carried clearly to every corner of the quiet space.

"First of all, thank you, Hokage and the three advisor elders."

Shinichi bowed slightly and greeted the row in front.

Regardless, it's right to thank the leader first.

"I am honored by the Hokage and the three advisor elders to stand here and discuss the upcoming battle with my seniors and colleagues."

"I am of limited knowledge and experience, and it is inappropriate for me to speak presumptuously here."

His gaze swept over those faces, those eyes that were either weathered, sharp, or deep and thoughtful.

"But since I have been given this task, I will share some of the things I have seen and thought with you all."

The Third Hokage sat in the front row, a pleased smile on his face, his hands raised, ready to applaud.

However...

"Slap, slap, slap!"

A crisp round of applause rang out, a solitary sound, yet remarkably loud.

The Third Hokage's hand, halfway raised, froze in mid-air; he was stunned.

Even many people in the audience were stunned.

Because the person clapping was in the first row, on the right.

Danzo Shimura.

The Root leader, who was always gloomy and cold, and never showed his emotions, was sitting there, clapping his hands repeatedly, his expression still hard and unreadable.

Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thing in each other's eyes: It's a ghost.

The Third Hokage's expression stiffened for a moment. His raised hand froze in mid-air, and his gaze lingered on Danzo's expressionless face for a second.

I haven't even clapped yet, why are you clapping?

In this Konoha, who is the master, you or me?

The thought only crossed the Third Hokage's mind for a moment before he resumed clapping, his movements natural and his smile gentle, as if nothing had happened.

As his applause rang out, the entire conference room seemed to be ignited, with applause spreading like a tide.

Everyone in the first row joined in the applause, then the second and third rows, and soon, the applause of three thousand people merged into one, so loud that the lights on the ceiling trembled slightly.

Shinichi stood on the podium, bathed in the light of the lamps.

He lowered his eyes slightly, taking in everything below the stage.

Danzo was the first to applaud, which surprised him somewhat, but it was just a surprise.

He remained expressionless, merely bowing slightly to greet the surroundings, but his eyes inadvertently swept over the faces below the stage.

He may not remember the people who applauded.

But those who don't applaud...

hehe...

Once the applause had completely subsided and the conference room fell silent again, Shinichi turned around, looked at the huge white curtain behind him, and nodded slightly.

Swish!

The projector lit up, and a huge and detailed map of the ninja world was clearly displayed in front of everyone.

The territories of the five great nations—the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, the Land of Thunder, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water—are marked with different colors.

The land of rivers, the land of grass, the land of waterfalls, the land of rain, the land of hot springs—all the small countries sandwiched between large nations were included.

Mountains, rivers, coastlines, border fortresses, important towns... every detail is clearly visible.

Shinichi stood in front of the map, the lights shining down from above, casting his shadow onto the curtain behind him.

He raised his hand and pointed to the location of the Wind Kingdom in the west on the map.

"Please take a look, everyone."

As he finished speaking, all three thousand eyes in the conference room turned to the huge screen.

Then, Zhen started speaking.

He started with Sunagakure, analyzing in detail why Rasa had to go to war, why the target would definitely be Konoha, and why it had to be at this time. He dissected the factors one by one, including the power structure, economic foundation, and geographical environment.

In the audience, some people frowned, some seemed lost in thought, and some nodded unconsciously.

Minato Namikaze's gaze fell on the boy on the stage, and his expression gradually changed from focused to serious.

Jiraiya, sitting next to him, crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, staring at the map and the boy standing in front of it, without saying a word.

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, his golden snake eyes fixed on Shinichi on the stage. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up, and then he stuck out his tongue and unconsciously licked his lips.

Tsunade, sitting in the first row, never took her eyes off the boy. She watched him stand on the stage, facing three thousand pairs of eyes, calmly analyzing the impending war.

Light poured down from the ceiling, enveloping him in a bright halo and blending him into the vast ninja world landscape behind him.

For a fleeting moment, Tsunade had a vague feeling that her disciple...

It's glowing!