Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 196 The Boy Who Survived a Great Calamity

Several hours later, at the Konoha camp within the Land of Frost.

Although they encountered a few scattered groups of Cloud Village members on the way back, the groups were either too few in number or too weak, and were quickly eliminated before they could raise an alarm.

When they encountered large groups that might alert the main force of the Cloud Village on the front lines, the Konoha group decisively avoided them and chose a roundabout route.

In the end, this team, which consisted of the Shinichi Battalion, the Root elites, and 800 support troops, with a total of over a thousand people, crossed the border safely and returned to the Konoha headquarters.

Before the camp gate, the Konoha ninjas who had already rushed over upon hearing the news stood in two rows, their eyes filled with undisguised respect and awe as they watched this team that had returned from hell.

All the wounded, especially those who had lost too much blood and were nearly unconscious, were quickly and carefully carried off the plane and sent to rear field hospitals to receive the highest level of treatment.

Meanwhile, Shinichi Higashino, the young captain who led a legendary unit to achieve incredible results worthy of being recorded in the history of the Ninja Wars, walked steadily toward the central command post alongside the Third Hokage, under the gaze of countless ardent, admiring, and even awe-inspiring beams of light.

The morning light fell on his blood-stained headband and calm profile, casting a silhouette as straight as a pine tree.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Frost Country, at the Cloud Village headquarters, command center.

The Third Raikage sat alone at the command table, his once sharp eyes, which had struck fear into the hearts of countless enemies, lowered as he silently stared at the words on the paper, remaining motionless for a long time.

The tent was deathly silent, except for the sound of his heavy, slow breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally raised his head and slowly glanced at the commanders of various units waiting in the tent. His voice revealed a rare and undisguised weariness: "Order all units and teams... to withdraw."

Although the Third Raikage was extremely unwilling, he knew that the battle could not continue. Although their forces were still large, ...

"yes!"

The subordinates solemnly accepted the order and left the camp one after another.

The Third Raikage sat motionless for a long time. After a while, he twitched the corner of his mouth, as if he wanted to sneer, or perhaps it was a very soft self-mockery: "What a... lucky guy."

He knew perfectly well that the guy's ability to move freely in his own territory and escape death time and again was not just a matter of luck.

That requires a prodigious sense of the battlefield, unparalleled command and control, precise understanding of the psychology of both sides, and the insane courage to gamble everything even in dire straits.

but..

Luck might be an excuse that makes Yunyin, and himself, feel a little better.

October 1, Konoha 47.

The world-renowned Konoha-Kumakumo War, after a week of continuous battles between the two sides within the Land of Frost, has finally reached a turning point.

The Cloud Village took the lead in withdrawing its troops from the entire Frost Country and retreating to the southwestern border of the Lightning Country to hold their ground.

Konoha, on the other hand, had no intention of escalating the conflict and continuing to pursue Kumogakure.

After all, Konoha's primary goal was to force Kumogakure to withdraw from the war, rather than to fight to the death with them. Even though Kumogakure's logistics and medical systems had been severely damaged, if they were truly driven to the brink and the other side launched a decisive battle at any cost, Konoha would also suffer unbearable losses.

At that time, it will only make the Sand Village, which is still fighting, the Iwa Village, which is eyeing the enemy, and the Kirigakure, which is already itching to make a move and can hardly hold back, even more vulnerable.

Reap the benefits without lifting a finger!

Therefore, after confirming the withdrawal of Kumogakure, under the command of the Supreme Commander, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, they advanced deep into the woodlands of the Land of Frost.

Ye Yuanzheng's army also began an orderly retreat, embarking on their journey back to the Land of Fire.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the ninja world.

Sunagakure Village, Kazekage's office.

"Useless! This bunch of useless trash from Kumogakure!" The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, slammed the intelligence report onto the table, rarely losing his temper. "That kid Shinichi Higashino, is he really that lucky? He even managed to get back alive?"

He stared at the densely marked encirclement routes of the Land of Lightning on the map, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. These routes were drawn by his subordinates based on various intelligence reports.

The ability to repeatedly escape from a pursuit involving tens of thousands of people cannot be simply explained by "keen senses" or "outstanding strength".

For a moment, Luo Sha even wondered if Shinichi Higashino was the protagonist of some novel?

Otherwise, how come you always manage to escape death?

Their hunting in Sunagakure was like this, and so was their encirclement and suppression in Kumogakure in the north.

The Land of Earth, the high-level conference room of Iwagakure (Hidden Rock Village).

How could he have gotten away?

That kid is really lucky!

The same thought arose in the mind of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. He sighed inwardly and looked at the huge map on the wall.

The rich Land of Fire is certainly tempting, but the terrifying potential displayed by that Konoha boy named Shinichi Higashino is also truly frightening.

But Onoki's thinking was always pragmatic and utilitarian; war was a contest of comprehensive national strength and current combat power.

The village had been preparing for war for a long time, and what it urgently needed now was to immediately stabilize its internal situation, boost morale, and plunder resources.

Even if Shinichi Higashino might grow into someone like Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju in the future.

That would be twenty or thirty years from now.

As for what will happen if Shinichi Higashino really becomes Madara Uchiha?

To this, Ōnoki could only say that he had faith in the wisdom of future generations.

Finally, his gaze was firmly fixed on the map of the Land of Lightning.

The Cloud Fortress suffered a recent defeat, losing many soldiers and generals, and its logistics were in disarray. It was a time of internal turmoil and external weakness.

Compared to taking down Konoha, which is a tough nut to crack, tearing a piece of flesh from a wounded tiger is obviously less risky and yields more immediate benefits.

With this in mind, a ruthless and pragmatic plan gradually took shape in his mind.

Mizukage Village, Mizukage's Office.

The Third Mizukage silently finished reading the report in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.

"Lord Mizukage! How much longer are we going to wait?" A furious voice shattered the silence. The Kaguya clan leader made no attempt to hide his impatience: "My clansmen, your bone blades are itching for battle! Declare war on Konoha immediately!"

Although he addressed me as "sir," his tone lacked any respect; instead, it was full of arrogance and impatience.

"Wait a little longer." The Third Mizukage didn't even look up, simply uttering three words.

Just as the Konoha expeditionary force embarked on its return journey, undercurrents were swirling among the various ninja villages.

In the Iron Kingdom, at the headquarters of World Weekly, the phone in the editor-in-chief's office suddenly rang.

"Feed? Is this Mr. Peter Parker? What brings you here this time? Is it the latest news about the Northern Route..."

"..." Upon hearing that familiar voice, the editor-in-chief's tone immediately became enthusiastic.

The most attention-grabbing event in the ninja world right now is undoubtedly the war between Konoha and Kumogakure.

As one of the largest-circulation neutral newspapers in the ninja world, the World Weekly focused on the pivotal war between Konoha and Kumogakure.

The report was thorough and meticulous.

And recently, all the topics have undoubtedly revolved around Shinichi Higashino, the youngest genius Jonin in Konoha's history.

At the age of eleven, his strength rivals that of established masters, and his feat of single-handedly infiltrating enemy territory and stirring up trouble—each of these achievements is enough to ignite public opinion.

Countless casinos even opened betting odds on whether this legendary young man could return alive from the encirclement of the Cloud Hidden Army's massive forces.

This mysterious "Peter Parker" has been providing firsthand "insider information" about Shinichi Higashino's operations since the middle of the war. The speed and richness of his intelligence have led to record-breaking sales and influence for World Weekly.

The editor-in-chief speculated that this Peter Parker should be a Cloud Village ninja who participated in the encirclement operation, and may even have witnessed Shinichi Higashino's battles multiple times.

As for why they didn't suspect it was someone from Konoha?

"Why don't you just say he's Shinichi Higashino himself?"

The editor-in-chief once jokingly said this to his subordinates.

"Hmm... I see... perception ability?" The editor-in-chief nodded repeatedly while jotting down notes on a sticky note, but when he heard the term, his pen paused, and a hint of confusion appeared on his face: "Mr. Peter Parker, what exactly do you mean by this perception ability? Our readers might..."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone before a patient explanation came through: "Sensory perception is a precious and unique ability of a ninja. It can transcend conventional senses such as sight and hearing, allowing them to detect the movement of chakra and living beings, and even malice, within a certain range. It plays a crucial role in war..."

'

"Oh! I see! Very clear! Thank you so much, Mr. Peter Parker! Your scoops are always so timely and professional!" The editor-in-chief thanked him repeatedly as if he had just realized something, and then respectfully hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, the editor-in-chief rubbed his temples and fell into thought.

Perception?

Should it be featured prominently?

But what ordinary reader would understand this stuff?

If even he doesn't understand it, how can he expect it to be a selling point?

The editor-in-chief curled his lip. As a media professional who was well-versed in public psychology, he knew that the public had absolutely no interest in or intuitive understanding of "sensory ability," a professional concept belonging to ninjas.

What they love to watch are legends, miracles, and dramatic heroic stories.

After pondering for a moment, the editor-in-chief's small eyes lit up; he had an idea. He picked up his pen and wrote down what he considered to be a highly sensational headline:

[The boy who survived a great ordeal! Unveiling the survival journey of Shinichi Higashino, the "miracle child of Konoha"]

Yes! That's what makes it interesting!

Compared to a dry "detailed explanation of sensory abilities," words like "miracle," "surviving a near-death experience," and "luck" are much more eye-catching, sparking discussion and imagination.

He immediately picked up his pen and wrote furiously, vividly describing how this genius boy had "luckily" escaped the Cloud Hidden Army's inescapable net time and time again, how he had "coincidentally" avoided deadly ambushes, and how he had "miraculously" escaped death.

After writing the last period, the editor-in-chief blew on the still-wet ink with satisfaction, confident that this report would once again spark a sales frenzy.

Sigh, the popularization of education in the ninja world still has a long way to go.

As the editor-in-chief of a top-tier newspaper, he didn't even know what sensory abilities were.

On the other end of the phone, Yixin put down the receiver and shook her head helplessly.

Unlike intuitive and easy-to-understand concepts such as "great strength," "high defense," and "fast speed," "sensory ability" is an abstract and vague concept for non-ninja groups, and even for many genin.

His vocabulary system, however, requires the outside world to have a clear and specific understanding of a certain characteristic of his.

What's even more challenging is that generating purple entries is far more difficult than he expected.

Take [Fire Release Mastery] as an example. This was his first entry to advance to purple rank. It was based on the shocking achievement of "breaking the strongest shield," which was enough to shake all countries and ninja villages. It was also based on the full-scale publicity by the Land of Fire, as well as the concepts of "flame" and "high temperature," which even ordinary people could intuitively feel.

In other words, purple entries require both the deep recognition of top experts and the widespread awareness of the general public; they represent a dual requirement of "quality" and "quantity."

In contrast, [transparency].

Top-tier perception is invaluable in duels between experts and in strategic planning, a fact that the village's Kage-level powerhouses and elites have long been aware of and even fear.

But how can this "intangible" value be transformed into a "concept" that can be clearly understood and deeply impressed by a wider range of people, including ordinary people who have only a superficial understanding of the ninja world?

difficult!

Extremely difficult!

Am I really going to have to personally provide free public education for the ninja world in the future?

Shinichi frowned inwardly.

Wouldn't that make me a saint?

This is such a hassle!

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