Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 198 Jiuquan

Five kilometers away from Narumi Castle, there is a gently sloping area with a slightly elevated elevation. The slope offers a wide view, with the ancient outline of Narumi Castle's walls and wisps of smoke visible to the south, and the route that the Konoha army must take to return to the north.

On one side of the slope, a natural spring gushes forth from a crevice in the rocks, its water clear and cold, flowing into a shallow stream that meanders towards Narumi Castle.

At this moment, a group led by Ichimichi, the old butler of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, stood solemnly and waited quietly.

Zongzheng was dressed in the formal attire of a high-ranking official from the Land of Fire. Although he was the steward of the daimyo's residence, he held a formal official position, serving as a high-ranking minister who oversaw both internal and external affairs of the daimyo's residence, assisted the daimyo in handling political affairs, and whose status was second only to the Grand Chancellor.

Old family.

Behind him, the city lord of Naruto City and a group of local officials, all dressed in formal official robes, stood at attention with their hands hanging down, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Moments later, smoke and dust began to rise on the distant horizon.

A well-disciplined and imposing army, like a returning dragon, slowly appeared in everyone's sight.

At the very front of the procession stood the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in a divine robe. A half-step behind him was Danzo Shimura, who had only his left arm remaining and a blank expression, and Orochimaru, whose lips always held a slight smile.

And standing slightly behind them was Shinichi Higashino.

When the procession reached the foot of the slope, the chief retainer of the Zongzheng family took the lead in straightening his clothes and, along with the officials from the Land of Fire behind him, went forward to greet them.

"Welcome back victorious, Your Excellency Hokage!" Zongzheng bowed deeply to the Third Hokage first, and the officials behind him also bowed in unison.

Straightening up, Zongzheng spoke with admiration: "Since the start of this battle, Konoha has first defeated Sunagakure in the southwest, then thwarted Kumogakure in the northeast, achieving victory after victory and upholding our nation's prestige in the ninja world. You are truly the pillars of our nation, your achievements are illustrious! I have come on His Highness's orders, representing the countless people of the Land of Fire, to extend my highest respect and gratitude to you and the Konoha ninja who fought so valiantly!"

He paused briefly, glanced around at the Konoha ninja behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose eyes, though weary, remained resolute, and continued, "Before setting off, His Highness the Daimyo specifically instructed me to convey his sentiments: the Land of Fire and Konoha are connected by blood, sharing weal and woe. No matter how the situation changes in the future, the nation's support for Konoha will remain as steadfast as ever! Soldiers at the front should focus on fighting bravely; the nation will fully shoulder all the responsibilities for supplies, compensation, and support from the rear!"

The Third Hokage smiled and nodded slightly in return: "Elder Sōjō, you flatter me. Protecting our home and country is the duty of Konoha ninja. The small victory we have achieved this time is inseparable from the full support and trust of His Highness the Daimyo and the nation. Hiruzen and the entire Konoha are deeply grateful."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries about national affairs and the war situation. Afterwards, the chief retainer of the clan, Zongzheng, also paid his respects to Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo with proper etiquette.

However, Orochimaru managed to maintain a perfunctory attitude, offering only a few brief replies, while Shimura Danzo remained expressionless throughout, showing no intention of responding at all.

However, the elder of the Zongzheng family seemed oblivious to this, his smile remaining peaceful and warm. Naturally, his gaze eventually fell on the young man standing quietly to the side, and his smile deepened.

"Captain Shinichi, it's been a long time. The last time we met was a year ago at the Kyoto Culinary Competition. Over the past year, His Highness the Daimyo has been talking about Captain Shinichi's cooking. He has mentioned it to me many times, saying that the taste of Whale Wave Jade is still lingering on his lips and teeth, and he always marvels at it whenever he thinks of it."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly present you with a new work." Shinichi nodded and said humbly.

"Of course, of course! However," the elder of the Zongzheng family changed his tone slightly, his smile becoming even gentler, "His Highness often says that Captain Shinichi is truly an unparalleled genius ninja, and should shine on the battlefield, protecting his homeland with bravery, so as not to waste his extraordinary talent."

He paused, his expression turning solemn: "Speaking of which, since the start of this war, His Highness has been closely following the battles on the front lines. In particular, upon hearing of Captain Shinichi's daring exploits in the heart of the Land of Lightning, repeatedly inflicting heavy losses on powerful enemies, His Highness has expressed his admiration and deep emotion. He believes that such achievements and such courage should be commemorated with national honors, to be known throughout the world!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand gently.

Three officials from the Land of Fire, who had been standing solemnly to the side, each holding a brocade box, stepped forward and opened them one by one.

The moment the first brocade box was opened, a faint fragrance of ink seemed to waft out, revealing a roll of meticulously framed imperial gold-patterned paper.

In the second brocade box lay a wine bottle with an elegant shape, made entirely of high-quality porcelain and decorated with gorgeous golden cloud patterns. It was clear at a glance that it was a special imperial wine supplied to the palace.

The third brocade box contained a beautifully crafted katana with an ancient design and a blade as smooth as autumn water, clearly no ordinary item.

The head of the Zongzheng family took out the scroll first. He slowly unfolded it with both hands, and four powerful and majestic characters appeared before everyone's eyes on the white paper with gold patterns.

Unrivaled in the entire army!

A collective gasp of surprise and shock rippled through the crowd of Konoha ninja watching.

But this emotion came quickly and went quickly, soon being replaced by a calm respect.

There's not much to say. Shinichi Higashino is fully deserving of these four words, or rather, these four words are the only ones that truly deserve Shinichi Higashino.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, smiled with satisfaction and nodded without saying a word. Danzo Shimura let out a soft snort, while Orochimaru's golden snake eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile on his lips deepened a little.

Unrivaled in the entire army?

good good!

This fire country daimyo is such a smooth talker, I absolutely adore him!

Shinichi was practically overjoyed inside, but on his face, he feigned hesitation and said tentatively, "Elder Sōjō, this victory is the result of the united efforts and valiant fighting of all my colleagues in Konoha. I, Shinichi, truly do not deserve such an honor alone... this..."

Zongzheng didn't speak, but looked at the Third Hokage.

After a moment's thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly said, "Shinichi, as the captain of the Shinichi Battalion, you led from the front in this battle, demonstrating both wisdom and courage. Your contributions are evident to all."

"His Highness bestows this inscription upon you not only as a personal commendation but also as an affirmation of the equally brave and fearless team you lead. Although all Konoha ninjas are brave, your performance is exemplary and worthy of emulation and learning by everyone. Accept it; this is an honor you deserve. It is hoped that you will take this as encouragement and continue to lead your colleagues to create a more glorious future for Konoha and the Land of Fire."

"This..." Zhen Yi still hesitated.

At this moment, Shimura Danzo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke coldly: "Take it, what are you arguing about?"

Shinichi then bowed respectfully to the head of the Imperial Clan and solemnly accepted the inscription "The Bravest of the Entire Army" written by the Emperor himself: "Indeed... Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness! We, the entire generation of members and all our colleagues in Konoha, accept your praise."

Zongzheng smiled and nodded, then picked up the exquisite imperial wine bottle and handed it to Zhenyi: "This is imperial wine personally bestowed by His Highness, also to reward Captain Zhenyi for his unparalleled feat this time."

This time, Shinichi didn't hesitate like before, nor did he refuse on the grounds that he was a minor. He simply stretched out his hands and steadily took the bottle.

After accepting the wine, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. Then, he solemnly asked, "Elder, now that this wine has been bestowed upon me, may I make my own arrangements?"

The clan elder was slightly taken aback, but a smile returned to his face as he nodded: "Of course, since the imperial wine has already been bestowed upon Captain Shinichi, it is up to the captain to decide what to do with it."

He had assumed that the boy's arrangement would either be presented to the Third Hokage as a sign of respect, or be kept to be honored as a teacher in the future, or used for some kind of ceremony. However, the boy simply nodded and made a move that surprised everyone present.

"good!"

Shinichi responded, and then, under the watchful and curious gazes of everyone, he picked up the wine bottle, turned around and slowly walked towards the clear spring that was not far away. Without hesitation, he uncorked the bottle and poured all the wine into the clear spring!

The gentle smile of the Zongzheng family elder froze instantly, and an official from the Land of Fire beside him was about to reprimand him, but before he could speak, a cold and chilling killing intent locked onto him.

The reprimand that the official from the Land of Fire was about to utter was abruptly stuck in his throat. He had no doubt that if he dared to say even half a word, the Hidden Ninja of Konoha would kill him on the spot without any regard for the consequences.

At this moment, Shinichi had already turned around and was facing the densely packed Konoha ninja behind him, all of whom were also looking astonished and confused.

He raised the now-empty porcelain wine bottle high in his hand, his clear voice echoing across the sun-drenched slope: "Fellow colleagues! This victory has repelled a powerful enemy, enhanced Konoha's reputation, and upheld the dignity of the Land of Fire! This achievement is by no means solely the work of me, Higashino Shinichi!"

His gaze swept over faces that were either young, weathered, or scarred, yet all equally resolute.

"It is all the Konoha ninja who participated in this battle, every comrade who fought bravely and selflessly, and everyone's shared courage, wisdom, and blood that forged the foundation of this victory!"

"This victory toast should be shared with all our comrades who shed blood, sweat, and sacrificed for this victory!"

"Today, I pour this wine into this spring! With the water of this spring, I toast this victory! In the name of this spring, I commemorate today's achievement!"

"This wine! This spring! I shall drink with you all!"

silence.

The scene fell into a brief, almost breathless silence.

next second!

"good!!!"

"Let's drink together! Let's drink with the captain!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the ranks of the First Battalion, like a spark thrown into boiling oil!

"Let's drink together with Captain Shinichi!"

"To victory! To Konoha!"

First it was the members of the First Brigade, and then the entire crowd erupted in excitement as if they had been set ablaze!

This! This is outrageous!

The officials of the Land of Fire stood by, dumbfounded, their expressions stiff, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

What they were thinking is something we won't discuss for now.

That evening, in the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire.

After hearing about what happened outside Narumi Town today, especially about Shinichi Higashino publicly pouring wine into the spring and drinking with the entire army, the daimyo of the Land of Fire, seated behind his desk, was slightly taken aback, then—

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of hearty laughter broke the silence of the study.

"Great! Shinichi Higashino is truly fascinating! So interesting!"

He clapped his hands and laughed, showing no displeasure whatsoever. A moment later, the daimyo of the Land of Fire's eyes flashed with a brilliant light, as if he had thought of a brilliant idea.

Since this young hero of Konoha is so adept at maximizing the value of the gift, then his daimyo might as well give it a push, making this performance even more spectacular and far-reaching.

This would not only further curry favor with and win over this promising future powerhouse, but also demonstrate the Fire Kingdom's favor and magnanimity towards its meritorious subjects, and leave behind a beautiful story of harmonious coexistence between ruler and subject, and shared blessings.

"Someone come here!"

A subordinate entered in response and bowed to receive the order.

The daimyo hesitated for a moment, his smile deepening, and slowly said, "Pass on my order: from this day forward, Narumi Town shall be renamed..."

"7

He paused for a moment, as if savoring the new name.

"Let's call it Jiuquan Town!"

Thus, a new name, born from the young hero's ingenious ideas and heroic deeds, was officially recorded in the geography and history of the Land of Fire.

Jiuquan Town.

Shinichi is unaware of this at the moment, but if he were to find out, he would surely be pleased with the daimyo of the Land of Fire's sensible nature.

Because this is not just a simple name change.

This will be an official endorsement and geographical inscription of the Land of Fire, a symbol that formally binds his personal legend to this land.

From then on, whenever people mentioned "Sakegi", they would naturally think of "Shinichi the Crimson Flame" and his kindness to his comrades.

This is a kind of cultural implantation, a kind of cognitive anchoring.

This will have a subtle but profound benefit on his future reputation, the breadth of his knowledge of terms, and even his far-reaching strategic planning.

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