Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 174 [Unmatched by Ten Thousand Men]

Just as the Hidden Cloud Village was planning another powerful attack, and the Leaf Village was preparing to counter it,

The Land of Iron, Kyoto, the General's Mansion.

Unlike the escalating tension outside, where a major ninja war could erupt at any moment and engulf most of the ninja world, the Land of Iron remains quiet.

The winter sun streamed through the window into the hall, casting dappled light and shadow on the tatami mats. Several servants knelt quietly in the corner, brewing tea.

General Mifune sat in the main seat, with documents spread out in front of him, listening to his subordinates' report on preparations for the national fencing competition six months later.

The triennial event is now in its final stage of compiling the list of participants, with fencing associations from various regions and cities submitting their information to the organizers.

Beside Mifune, an elderly man with white hair and beard but still a vigorous face was slowly flipping through the information of some of the contestants that had been delivered.

He is none other than the previous generation's general, now over seventy years old, Rokkaku. Although he has long since retired, Mifune always invites him to listen in when handling important matters, as a sign of respect and to seek his advice.

Listening to his subordinate's detailed report, Mifune nodded or asked questions from time to time. Suddenly, Rokusha stopped flipping through the documents, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Mifune, take a look at this."

Liu Che handed the documents in his hand to San Chuan.

"Do you remember the interesting young man named Yixin that I mentioned to you last time?"

One heart?

Upon hearing the name, Mifune paused for a moment, then remembered, a smile appearing on his face: "Lord Rokusha, are you referring to that kid who went to Konoha a few months ago, hired Konoha ninjas, and fought against me?"

This incident sparked considerable discussion among the high-ranking officials and samurai of the Land of Iron. They felt that the young man's actions were unorthodox. Although he was pursuing a breakthrough in swordsmanship and everything he did was legal and compliant, hiring a ninja to fight against him seemed to deviate from the style of a traditional samurai.

"It's him." Rokusha nodded, gesturing for Mifune to see for himself.

Mifune took the document, his smile fading, and began to read it carefully.

The above details the activities of this young samurai named Isshin over the past two years.

At first, Mifune frowned slightly. The information showed that this boy was combative by nature. He not only traveled all over the country, but also frequently went to spar with famous sword dojos or renowned warriors in various places. He acted in a high-profile manner and even disregarded some feelings. It was not uncommon for him to challenge dojos.

However, upon seeing the more detailed battle records and bystander descriptions, Mifune's brows furrowed even more, then slowly relaxed, and finally he shook his head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"That kid..." Mifune closed the file, his tone complicated: "He's really belligerent, and he'll stop at nothing to achieve victory."

He looked at the subordinates beside him who were also looking over, and waved the documents in his hand: "You guys take a look too. This kid is very interesting. You could even say that, in some ways, he's a complete rebel."

Several subordinates dressed in traditional samurai attire, with calm demeanor, passed the document around in turn. Unlike Mifune's initial frown and helplessness, they read it with dark expressions throughout.

"This?! This is outrageous!"

"A swordsmanship contest using firearms?! This is utterly blasphemous!"

"Lord Mifune! Lord Rokusaku!" A subordinate of upright character, after reading the report, immediately knelt on one knee and said indignantly, "This brat's behavior completely violates the spirit of fair and square duels upheld by us samurai. He is a despicable scoundrel who resorts to opportunism and trickery! Please disqualify him from the competition and punish him accordingly to set an example!"

The others nodded in agreement, their faces showing dissatisfaction.

In their view, the sword is the soul of a warrior, and sword duels are a sacred ritual.

With a gun?

How is that any different from those ninjas who only care about results and stop at nothing to achieve them?

Even worse!

Mifune did not immediately respond to his subordinate's request, but instead turned his gaze back to Rokusha, who was sitting quietly to the side, and respectfully asked, "Lord Rokusha, what is your opinion?"

Rokusha smiled but did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Mifune, you are now the general of the Land of Iron. This matter should be decided by you."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "However, having lived for over seventy years and experienced many things, including making irreparable mistakes, I do have some perhaps outdated ideas that I can share."

"This kid's philosophy, his ruthless methods of achieving victory, certainly contradict the Bushido spirit passed down through generations. It's not worth promoting, much less advocating for it among the younger generation, but!"

Changing the subject, Liu Che continued, "But this kid is right about one thing: on a real battlefield, in the life-or-death struggle, no one cares whether the methods you use are honorable; the enemy will only do everything in their power to kill you."

Upon hearing this, several subordinates frowned, wanting to refute, but Liu Che raised his hand.

"I know what you're trying to say. We samurai pursue the Way! We pursue righteousness! We pursue honor! That's right, that's still the foundation of us samurai."

"But Mifune, and all of you, you still remember, right? The last Shinobi World War..."

Upon hearing this, the air in the room instantly froze, Mifune's expression turned serious, and his subordinates fell silent.

At that time, the Second Shinobi World War was raging.

The then-general, Rokusha, was stubborn and firmly believed that the permanent neutrality of the Land of Iron would be respected by all forces, especially since he had made a promise with the then-rising "demigod" Hanzo the Salamander.

Therefore, he assured the people and samurai with absolute certainty that Amegakure and other ninja villages would never invade the Land of Iron.

However, Hanzo of the Salamander broke the agreement without hesitation, leading the elite Amegakure forces in a daring invasion and launching a surprise attack using various ninja techniques, including potent poison.

The unprepared border defenses of the Land of Iron crumbled at the first touch. The samurai suffered heavy losses in the face of unprecedented and bizarre ninjutsu and deadly poisonous fog. Large swathes of the land fell, and civilians were displaced.

Although Hanzo was eventually defeated thanks to the efforts of Mifune and other new generation of core samurai, as well as factors from other ninja villages, the price paid was extremely heavy.

This incident directly led to the resignation of General Liu.

After that, the old general, who had once stubbornly adhered to every principle of traditional Bushido, underwent a profound change in his mindset.

The light from Rokusha slowly swept over the crowd, his voice low and deep: "Last time, my stubbornness and naivety cost the country dearly. It's right that we uphold our principles, but the enemy will not show us any mercy. Now, a new Shinobi World War has begun, perhaps even larger than the last one. We don't know if there will be another ambitious figure like Hanzo, or someone even more cunning and unscrupulous, who will set their sights on the Land of Iron."

At this point, Rokusha looked at Mifune: "Perhaps, while we uphold the orthodox Bushido and cultivate upright samurai, allowing a samurai and school like Isshin who is slightly less rule-abiding or even unorthodox may not be entirely a bad thing."

"Like a knife, it needs the most orthodox and sharpest blade, but doesn't it also need a less conspicuous yet unexpected hook to deal with those unpredictable and cunning enemies?"

Upon hearing this, Mifune remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding and saying, "Lord Rokusha, you are right. In chaotic times, we need the righteous sword of upholding morality, but perhaps we also need a strange blade that exists outside the rules."

At this point, Mifune turned to his subordinates and said, "How about this, if this kid's methods aren't... well... not that excessive in six months, let's just pretend we didn't see anything."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, then solemnly accepted the order: "Yes!"

What a belligerent and ruthless guy!

This thought, tinged with a mixture of disdain, helplessness, and curiosity, arose simultaneously in the minds of everyone in the room.

Meanwhile, at the northeastern headquarters of the Land of Fire, Shinichi was unaware that in the distant Land of Iron, the high-ranking officials were embroiled in a heated debate over his doppelganger-like behavior, which even prompted an old general to reflect deeply on the country's strategy.

He was staring blankly at his personal panel. The green "Bloodstained Battle" talent had disappeared, replaced by a deep blue aura.

[Unmatched (Blue): Your fighting spirit and momentum can now substantially influence the outside world. Your sheer power can intimidate groups of enemies, creating a powerful sense of oppression. In intense battle, your fighting spirit will be transformed into actual strength. As the battle drags on or you become injured, your pain perception and physical exhaustion will gradually decrease, while your strength, speed, and reaction time will gradually increase (with an upper limit). When these abilities reach their peak, you can unleash your fighting spirit in one fell swoop, significantly enhancing your attack effectiveness.]

Who is this top-ranked influencer who suddenly sent me this insight?

Is it Kumogakure or Sunagakure?

I don't think I give them the impression of being combative, do I?

but....

Shinichi thought back to the arena duel he staged with his clone a few months ago, and his image as a belligerent fighter spread throughout Konoha.

Although the external perception effect of the clone attribute was only 50%, the scale and shock of that battle were simply too great, with 100,000 people watching and the whole village talking about it.

The green entry for "Fighting Blood and Sweat" itself contains the cognitive contribution of someone who is determined to challenge other places in the Land of Iron and is inherently belligerent.

That arena incident added another chapter to the story.

Although the two stacks didn't immediately reach the blue level due to the 50% discount, they should have reached a critical point.

Now, it seems that some people have added the final and most crucial spark to this already near-breakthrough understanding.

Thinking of this, Shinichi closed his eyes. With a slight thought, an invisible and powerful aura seemed to quietly spread out from him. This was a force originating from the level of spirit and will.

A domineering and indomitable spirit, a resolute determination to go against the tide, and an aura of ruthless killing as if a thousand troops were nothing!

This aura, though intangible and formless, seemed to possess weight, instantly making the already stagnant air inside the tent even heavier and thicker, and even the halo of the lamplight appeared to slightly contract and distort inward.

At the same time, Shinichi tries to recall the scenes of fighting the enemy in the past. These memories of blood and fire seem to turn into kindling to ignite some kind of inner flame.

In an instant, an invisible heat surged from the deepest part of his heart, flowing through his limbs and bones. Zhenyi's blood and qi also boiled slightly, and the blood vessels under his skin bulged faintly!

The powerful aura emanating from him became even more domineering and sharp, like a blade drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed. The curtains swayed slightly in the invisible force of his aura, and the papers on the table made a soft rustling sound.

very good!

Shinichi reopened his eyes, clenched his fist, and then relaxed it.

He raised his head, his gaze passing through the tent flap to the distant snowstorm.

Just in time, the Cloud Village's reinforcements should have arrived, and a new and powerful offensive is about to begin.

We'll give it a try then!

Unlike typical ninjas who hide their information and abilities, the protagonist reveals his abilities more and more as the story progresses (except for a few trump cards), clearly and openly telling everyone how strong he is.

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