Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 173 [Clarity]

After reporting the incident of being ambushed by Kumogakure to Orochimaru, Shinichi returned to his own tent.

It's unclear whether he heard what Shinichi had said to the Fourth Battalion before, or whether he had this plan all along.

After listening, he didn't say much, but just praised him for doing a good job and said he would recommend him for credit later. Then he told Zhen to go and rest.

Shinichi now understands Orochimaru's attitude towards him. Just like how Orochimaru treated Sasuke Uchiha in later years, he makes no attempt to hide his strong interest in him and is generous with his appreciation and rewards. This makes things easier.

Eat the sugar coating, and you can fire the cannonballs back.

At the same time, Shinichi also learned two other important pieces of information from Orochimaru.

On the Cloud Village side, a new batch of reinforcements will arrive at the front line in the next few days. The number of people is quite large, and it is said that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, who has been rumored to be coming, is among them.

Shinichi had no idea how Orochimaru had obtained such detailed information, but this meant that the pressure would increase dramatically.

Meanwhile, Konoha was concerned about the recent frequent actions of Kirigakure on the southeast coast, which seemed to be taking advantage of the situation and preparing to invade. In order to stabilize the situation in the southeast...

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had no choice but to send his two old partners, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, to the area to keep watch, just in case.

Koharu and Mitokado...

Shinichi had indeed seen some scattered discussions about the settings in his previous life, saying that these two advisors were described as extremely powerful in the official settings or some materials, especially Mitokado Homura, and some even said that his strength at his peak was comparable to that of the Third Hokage.

Of course, the veracity of this claim is questionable, since they are portrayed in the story as conservative and stubborn politicians, with no record of them taking direct action.

But since the Third Hokage entrusted him with the important task of guarding the southeastern coast where conflict might break out, even if his strength was not on par with the Third Hokage, he was definitely a true powerhouse in the ninja world, at least at the Kage level or close to it.

It was precisely because of the need to send these two heavyweight figures to the southeast that the Third Hokage had to cancel his original plan to personally oversee and command the front lines in the northeast in the next few days, and instead remain in Konoha to coordinate the overall situation.

After all, the lesson of the last Shinobi World War, where Konoha suffered heavy losses because the main force was deployed and the rear was left vulnerable, was still fresh in everyone's mind.

Shinichi Higashino understood the Third Hokage's caution. As the Kage of a village, especially in a situation of fighting on multiple fronts, ensuring the absolute safety of the headquarters was the top priority. However, this change also genuinely affected the balance of power on the northeastern front.

With the Cloud Village reinforcing its troops, Konoha lost the morale boost and high-level combat support that the Hokage's personal presence would have provided, resulting in a net loss for one side.

The pressure undoubtedly fell on Orochimaru, the supreme commander of the current northeastern front, and all the front-line troops, including himself.

"In a few days, the Cloud Village will definitely launch another strong attack in an attempt to break the deadlock."

Shinichi sat in the tent, carefully putting away the scroll in his hand, and thought to himself.

I have to...

Just then, a feeling stirred within him, interrupting Shinichi's further thoughts.

A thought struck him, and he opened his personal panel. He saw that the green entry for "Spiritual Awareness" had suddenly shone brightly, then shattered with a bang, bursting out with an even purer and deeper azure halo!

As the light swirled and converged, a new line of text, shimmering with a faint glow, slowly emerged:

[Clarity (Blue): Your senses can easily perceive energy flow and life force. Without the need for eyes, you can "see" the form, strength, and attributes of life and energy, and accurately lock onto disguised or hidden targets.]

It actually got upgraded?

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, then closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes inside his body.

The next moment, his chakra began to spread out from the surrounding area, forming an invisible and intangible wave.

An invisible web of perception!

Or rather, it's a completely new perspective!

Within the coverage area of ​​this "net," all the scenes were clearly presented in his mind.

In the corner of the tent, a tiny insect, barely visible to the naked eye, was crawling along the wall. The sensation of its tiny legs rubbing against the ground was as if it were right on his fingertips.

Near the tent, Konoha ninjas patrolling or changing shifts walked by quickly or slowly. With [Clear Vision], the weight of their footsteps, the frequency of their breathing, and even the flow of chakra within their bodies were all clearly visible.

Further away, on a branch of a cedar tree at the edge of the camp, a bird was preening its feathers, and even the slightest breeze from its flapping wings could be caught.

This net could continue to expand outwards. Shinichi could sense that its limits were far beyond this, but he immediately calmed his mind and controlled the dissipated chakra to slowly retract.

"My perception range and accuracy have improved dramatically!"

Shinichi reopened his eyes, and then his mind began to work again, trying to combine this new perceptual ability with his existing talent attributes.

His clear black and white eyes seemed to flash with a glassy luster, and in the next moment, the world in Shinichi's eyes changed once again.

He was inside a closed tent, with thick curtains blocking his view.

But in Shinichi's view at this moment, the tent's obstruction was useless.

He could not only see the humanoid chakra orbs moving around outside, but also see the silhouettes of ninjas sitting or lying down inside the tents of other barracks, and even see the explosive tags and other items containing special chakra energy that they carried.

"It actually can be combined with [Lightning Speed]?"

Seeing this, Shinichi's lips curled up slightly. In a way, he now possessed his own unique "Byakugan," which could see through obstacles and perceive chakra from a distance.

Moreover, it's the kind that doesn't require chakra to maintain; it only requires some mental effort to perceive, calculate, and process the information obtained.

That's a really good thing, but...

Shinichi withdrew his gaze and closed the panel.

Which top-ranked fan provided the assist this time?

hehe..

Meanwhile, at the Cloud Hidden Headquarters, in the command center.

Brubi knelt on one knee, head bowed.

"Uncle, it was my fault for not doing things properly. I failed to capture Konoha's Shinichi, and instead he discovered our plans ahead of time."

After a moment of silence, the Third Raikage slowly said, "It's not your fault. Nobody could have imagined that the kid from Konoha would have such keen senses."

Then, as if talking to himself, the Third Raikage continued, "It seems that what those useless Sunagakure people said was true; Shinichi Higashino does indeed possess powerful sensory abilities."

Shortly after they went to war with Konoha, Sunagakure passed on information about Konoha to Kumogakure through special channels, highlighting the name "Shinichi Higashino".

The intelligence report mentioned his formidable fire-style techniques and swordsmanship, his composure and command abilities beyond his years, and his eerie behavior at various crucial moments, as if he could foresee danger.

Here, Sunagakure emphasizes that they seem to possess extremely powerful sensory abilities or early warning intuition.

"Tsuchidai." After muttering to himself, the Third Raikage turned to his trusted confidant, Tsuchidai, and said, "Don't you think this kid looks more and more like someone?"

After a moment of silence, Tsuchikage spoke, "The Second Hokage."

"Yes, Second Hokage." The Third Raikage nodded, his tone complex.

With top-notch talent in developing and applying ninjutsu, powerful perception and early warning abilities, and even rumors that he made an astonishingly accurate prediction of the war's trajectory before the outbreak of this conflict, his squad operations and local command have repeatedly demonstrated unconventional thinking since entering the battlefield.

In other words, this kid also possesses excellent strategic vision and command ability.

All these factors combined make it look more and more like the Second Hokage.

In some ways, this Shinichi Higashino is even more terrifying than Tobirama Senju.

After all, Tobirama Senju at that age did not have this level of performance, not even the First Hokage or Madara Uchiha.

Moreover, Tobirama Senju was born into the Senju clan and was the young master who inherited the bloodline of a top-tier ninja clan. He was born extraordinary and received the best resources, the most systematic training, and the deepest cultural influence from a young age. His strength was inevitable due to his bloodline and background.

But this Shinichi Higashino, after repeated confirmation by intelligence, is completely a commoner orphan.

A guy who doesn't have the Senju bloodline but could potentially grow into the second Tobirama Senju, or even more troublesome.

Who knows, he might become a terrifying brat who combines the strength and power of the First Hokage with the wisdom and breadth of knowledge of the Second Hokage.

There's even the Third Hokage's—

The Third Raikage fell silent, recalling the Vajra Staff that kid often used.

The Third Raikage remained silent for a long time before turning his gaze back to the map in front of him.

"Pass down the order: once Troy and Yukito arrive, immediately deploy the general offensive plan."

"Yes."