Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 161 Cloud Hidden Declares War

Konoha Building, Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage sat behind his desk, looking at the document that had just been handed to him with a headache. It was a request to go to the northeastern border to assist the front lines of Kumogakure.

The applicant was none other than Shinichi Higashino, who had just returned to the village less than a day ago.

The Third Hokage looked at the document, feeling both gratified and conflicted.

It's heartening that this child, having just come down from the front lines and barely had time to catch his breath, volunteered to go to an even more dangerous front. Such awareness and sense of responsibility are the best embodiment of the Will of Fire. If all the younger generation in the village had this kind of heart, what would Konoha have to worry about for the future?

The dilemma was that the Third Hokage didn't want to send the child to the front lines against Kumogakure so soon.

Sunagakure and Kumogakure are completely different concepts.

Although Sunagakure is one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, its barren land and scarce resources have limited the number and quality of its ninjas, and its strength has consistently ranked at the bottom among the Five Great Ninja Villages.

And Yunyin...

It was a powerful ninja village that established itself through martial arts, with a fierce and valiant culture that revered strength and military achievements. Its strength was among the top of the five great ninja villages, making it a truly formidable enemy.

Therefore, Konoha attached extraordinary importance to the northeastern front from the very beginning.

He dispatched his most trusted disciple, Orochimaru, who was known for his meticulousness and expertise in handling complex situations, as the general to personally oversee the construction of a defensive line with over eight thousand elite ninjas.

Minato, with his exceptional talent and ever-improving mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, was also deployed there early on as a key strategic mobile force.

Even a few days ago, Danzo Shimura led the elite forces of "Root" and the Dark Division to the area to be responsible for the most difficult intelligence war and the game of the shadows.

The current troop strength on the Northeast front has reached nearly 10,000.

When necessary, the Third Hokage himself is prepared to go to the front lines and command the overall situation.

Such escalating measures, with all their elite forces deployed, demonstrate the Konoha leadership's fear and high regard for Kumogakure as a potential adversary.

Should we send Shinichi to a place like that right now?

He's still so young, just promoted to Jonin. Although he has made great contributions and demonstrated amazing talent and temperament, can he adapt to the brutal and direct fighting style of the Cloud Village? Can he protect himself? Will he become a target because he's too dazzling, and be hunted down by the Cloud Village at any cost?

Konoha cannot afford to lose such a future; that child already carries a heavy burden on his shoulders.

The Third Hokage rubbed his temples.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open.

Sarutobi Biwako walked in carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of soup and several side dishes on it. She placed the tray on the table, went around behind the Third Hokage, and gently pressed her hand on his temple, slowly massaging it.

"What are you worrying about now?"

The Third Hokage closed his eyes, letting his wife's fingers press on his pressure points. After a moment, he sighed softly.

"It's Shinichi, he just got back yesterday and submitted his application today to go to the northeastern front, Lake Biwa. What should I do?"

Sarutobi Biwako paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Yesterday I went to the hospital to help out, and I heard many wounded soldiers who came back from the southwest talk about this child. They always said that the child was a hero, always able to stand up in the most desperate times, a hero who stood in front of everyone. They believed in him, respected him, and were even willing to give their lives to him."

The Third Hokage listened quietly without interrupting.

"Hiruzen".

At this point, Sarutobi Biwako's voice became even softer: "That child is no longer a fledgling that we need to protect under our wings, afraid that he will fall and get hurt. He has already braved the flames of war in the southwest, and he has flown very high and very steadily. He has even become the wings of many people."

"I understand that you want to protect him, but some birds are destined to belong to the vast sky from the moment they hatch, to fight the sky and face the fiercest storms."

"Moreover, given this child's abilities, temperament, and intelligence, the fact that he dared to submit the application on his own initiative must mean that he had given it careful consideration and had a clear assessment of the potential risks."

At this point, Sarutobi Biwako withdrew her hand, walked around to the Third Hokage, and looked down at him.

"Hiruzen, as an elder, when a child makes a well-thought-out choice and demonstrates the courage and responsibility to face danger, what we should do is not to stop them in the name of love, but to stand behind them and give them the strongest support and the fullest trust."

The Third Hokage raised his head, met his wife's gaze, and remained silent for a long time.

He reached for the document, unfolded it, picked up a pen, and signed his name.

That noon.

"Jonin Shinichi Higashino, in view of the current situation, the Hokage's office has decided that in three days, you will lead the Fourth Independent Combat Battalion to the northeastern border front and be incorporated into the Northeast Area Army under the command of Orochimaru, the frontline commander."

'

Shinichi had just returned home after training, and before the sweat on his body had even dried, he received a document delivered by an ANBU member.

Huh?

Did the Third Hokage agree so readily?

I thought I would have to wait at least a while longer, or that he might have other considerations?

That's fine, it saves me from having to explain myself again.

Shinichi closed the document in his hand and then looked up at the sky in the northeast direction.

There, the clouds remained thick.

But in his eyes, the rolling trails of those clouds, and the movement of every wisp of air, seemed clearly visible.

The increased neural reaction speed and dynamic vision brought by [Lightning Flash] should be no less than the boost from the Mangekyou Sharingan, right?

Shinichi thought to himself.

Of course, the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan goes far beyond dynamic vision and nerve reaction speed. It also possesses a variety of bizarre and powerful exclusive eye techniques, an amplification of Yin Release chakra, and genjutsu abilities that are practically bug-level, all of which are not found in [Lightning Flash].

However, the [Lightning Flash] has a huge advantage that the Mangekyou Sharingan can never match: it does not require chakra to maintain!

While the Mangekyou Sharingan is powerful, each activation, especially when using a dojutsu, consumes a large amount of chakra and places a heavy burden on the body, particularly the eyes. Overuse can even lead to blindness.

Unlike [Lightning Flash], it is more like a passive, permanent visual enhancement and neural optimization.

As long as he is alive, as long as his eyes and nerves are still functioning normally, this reaction speed and dynamic vision will continue.

This is undoubtedly a huge advantage.

"The clouds in Northeast China are perhaps more interesting than the sandstorms in Southwest China."

Shinichi muttered to himself, turned around and went back into the house to begin making more thorough preparations for the upcoming trip.

During the three days that Shinichi was waiting, a piece of news shook the entire ninja world like a thunderbolt.

Kumogakure, citing the disappearance of its ninjas while on a mission within the Land of Fire, demanded the dispatch of a large-scale search force to the Land of Fire for a thorough and unrestricted search to ensure the safety of the Kumogakure ninjas and to uncover the truth.

Such unreasonable demands, which involve national sovereignty and dignity, were naturally rejected directly and decisively by Konoha.

So, at dawn the next day, the Hidden Cloud Village launched a full-scale surprise attack on the northeastern border of the Land of Fire and officially declared war on the Hidden Leaf Village!

The entire ninja world was in an uproar!

.

Everyone knows that this war is no longer just a local conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure.

Although Kirigakure and Iwagakure are still observing and have not yet officially entered the fray.

But everyone knew that from this moment on, the Third Shinobi World War had inevitably begun to fully erupt!