Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 199 [Persistence] [Insightful Insight]

Konoha's Northeast Headquarters.

When the news reached the camp that Narumi-cho had been officially renamed Sakeizumi-cho by the daimyo, the entire camp was in an uproar.

Especially the members of Shinichi's squad, they could hardly contain their excitement at first, rushing to Shinichi to report this important news, their faces filled with pride and honor.

Shinichi, of course, smiled and remained humble, attributing the credit to the collective and the glory to all the Konoha ninja who fought hard.

However, he knew better than anyone else that the biggest, or even the only, beneficiary in this matter was himself.

Just like the legendary Marquis of Champion in his past life memories, who roamed the desert, sealed the wolf's lair, and made unparalleled achievements that are recorded in history, but the name that people ultimately remember is just that one.

"That's a sensible name."

After dealing with two more Konoha ninjas who spoke with him on the way, Shinichi thought to himself that he was quite satisfied with the result.

He then put aside the matter that had already been settled for the time being, and with a slight thought, quietly summoned his personal panel.

Compared to yesterday, there is indeed a slight change on the panel. The original green entry "Diligence can make up for lack of talent" has disappeared, replaced by a new entry emitting a blue glow:

[Persistence (Blue): Your persistence itself begins to produce a culmination of miracles. In learning, spiritual practice, and work, you will see increased focus and reduced fatigue, inevitably leading to slight progress. Furthermore, as you dedicate more time and energy to a particular area, your long-term practice efficiency in that area will gradually but steadily and permanently improve. The longer you invest, the deeper the accumulation, and the higher the efficiency.]

"Diligence can make up for lack of talent" can be said to be one of his earliest green entries, which has been with him since his ninja academy days.

But five years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it wasn't until last night that it finally completed its transformation and upgraded to its current form, "Perseverance".

Over the years, his diligence has not diminished at all; in fact, it has become even greater and more ruthless. But as Erzhuzi said in later generations, "Don't deny my efforts because of my genius!"

The brilliance of genius can sometimes overshadow the sheen of sweat.

As his reputation as a true genius grew louder and his brilliance became more dazzling, more and more people began to focus on his extraordinary talent, taking his diligence for granted as a mere backdrop, or even subconsciously ignoring it.

Now, as the various ninja villages continue to collect and repeatedly review his information, while becoming increasingly wary of his astonishing talent, they should also discover his diligence from his deeds.

The reason why Shinichi Higashino is so strong is perhaps not only due to his amazing talent, but also because of his almost obsessive diligence, which led to the upgrade of this entry.

"Persistence is key..."

Shinichi carefully read the description of the new entry. Similar to when [Diligence] was upgraded to [Diligence Can Make Up for Lack of Talent], the basic effect was almost unchanged, only the new feature was added. The same is true for the current upgrade of [Diligence Can Make Up for Lack of Talent] to [Perseverance], except that there is one more feature.

The longer one invests in a particular field, the greater the efficiency improvement in that field.

This seems to be another incredible skill with theoretically unlimited potential.

However, theoretical unlimited potential and practical value are two different things. Just like the idea that "diligence can make up for lack of talent" and "there will definitely be slight progress" sounds wonderful, but in reality, that slight progress is negligible.

He estimated that if he only relied on diligence to make up for his shortcomings, he might not be able to reach the threshold of becoming a Jonin even after thirty or forty years of hard training.

The real value lies in time and compound interest.

Now, we'll see how effective the "Perseverance" snowball effect is to determine whether it's a divine skill, or whether it's a divine skill for Shinichi, whose strength has improved by leaps and bounds.

But in any case, as long as this positive cycle truly exists, as long as time goes on, and as long as he continues to invest, the efficiency will increase, and the snowball will grow bigger and bigger.

One day, it will flow from a trickle into a mighty river.

"Time... is indeed one of the most powerful forces, and also the fairest judge."

F

Shinichi understood this clearly, calmly closed his personal panel, and then started another day of unwavering training, facing the rising sun outside the camp.

Let the snowball of perseverance start rolling right now.

April 10th, the 47th year of Konoha.

After a few days of rest in the area, which was renamed "Sakesen-cho", the massive Northeast Army of the Land of Fire began to withdraw in batches in an orderly manner.

The first to set off were the various ninja clans and local military organizations from the Land of Fire who had been conscripted to fight alongside them, such as the ninja monks of the Fire Temple. After completing various handover tasks, they embarked on their journey home.

Following them were those who had been seriously injured in this campaign and needed long-term rest and recovery, as well as Konoha ninjas like the members of the Shinichi Battalion who had experienced months of extremely high-intensity missions and were mentally exhausted.

Led by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, they were the first group of people to rest and recuperate before embarking on their journey back to Konoha.

Orochimaru, as the commander-in-chief of the northeastern front, continued to guard the strategic border area. He still had nearly 5,000 Konoha ninja under his command, closely monitoring the movements of Kumogakure and guarding against a possible counterattack.

After all, no one could guarantee that the Cloud Village ninjas, known for their fierceness and even recklessness, wouldn't suddenly turn on them out of resentment at their crushing defeat.

However, he went mad and recklessly invaded the south again.

Logically speaking, this seems unlikely, given that the logistics and medical systems of Kumogakure suffered a devastating blow, and a large number of core administrative documents and intelligence data were destroyed.

For a long time to come, the Cloud Recesses will have to focus on cleaning up the mess and restoring basic operations, and they will be unable to launch another cross-border expedition.

However, in the ninja world, never overestimate the enemy, especially the rationality and bottom line of an enemy who has just suffered a great loss.

Before officially setting off, the Third Hokage, in front of all the Konoha ninja from the northeast, personally announced an important decision to the assembled Shinichi Battalion at the headquarters.

The Shinichi Battalion was given an official designation.

Their brilliant achievements in the battle against the Land of Lightning, which are worthy of being recorded in the history of the Shinobi World War, are to be publicly commended and recognized as collective merits at the highest level.

However, since the Shinichi Battalion, a special wartime unit, had a size of up to 500, far exceeding the size of a regular combat unit, it was impossible to retain it as a permanent unit for a long period of time.

Especially in peacetime, such a scale is too large, and there are many practical difficulties in terms of organization, funding, and daily task allocation.

Therefore, the full-strength active duty establishment of the Shinichi Battalion will not be retained for the time being.

But this does not mean disbandment. The affiliation and merit records of all members who were once on the Shinichi Brigade roster will be permanently preserved.

When the village faces a major threat and needs to carry out high-difficulty special combat missions, it will have the right to prioritize the re-recruitment of these experienced and well-coordinated elites and quickly reorganize them into the Shinichi Battalion to be deployed to the key battlefield. Shinichi himself is happy to see this happen. After being tempered by life and death in the Land of Lightning, all the members of the Shinichi Battalion have long developed an almost religious loyalty and sense of belonging to him.

Rather than keeping them around as a separate, overly conspicuous force, it's better to scatter them like sparks.

Scattered throughout Konoha's various regular units, departments, and even corners, they will not only be the most capable backbone, but also the most powerful firsthand witnesses and disseminators of the Shinichi legend.

In their daily training, missions, and casual conversations, they can subtly spread the legend of Captain Shinichi, Shinichi Higashino's deeds, ideals, and personal charm, influencing more colleagues, attracting the attention of more admirers and aspirants, and continuously expanding Shinichi's personal reputation and popular support.

A single spark can start a prairie fire; only when they spread can Shinichi Higashino's influence truly penetrate every corner of Konoha.

Three days later, at dawn, at the main gate of Konoha Village.

.

The roadsides were already packed with people; almost the entire village, young and old, had poured out and crowded on both sides of the road, eagerly waiting.

When the first group of returning Konoha ninjas, carrying the scent of dust and gunpowder, appeared at the gates of Konoha with orderly but slightly weary steps.

The entire leaf seemed to be set ablaze in an instant.

"They're back! They're back!"

"Hokage-sama! It's Hokage-sama!"

"And Shinichi! Shinichi's grown taller again!"

"Daddy! Daddy's over there!"

"Brother! Look here!"

Cheers, screams, cries of joy, and calls of loved ones mingled with tears and laughter, creating an ocean of emotion.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked at the very front of the procession, waving to the excited crowds on both sides of the road as he went.

Behind him, the eyes of many Konoha villagers and ninjas were involuntarily focused on the young figure walking alongside the Third Hokage, only half a step behind.

Shinichi Higashino.

This name has been circulating wildly in Konoha and even the entire Land of Fire for the past few months, especially the past month or so. Breaking through the strongest shield, penetrating deep into the Land of Lightning's heartland, entering and leaving Kumogakure four times, destroying the Raikage Building, being surrounded by tens of thousands of troops but ultimately leading his troops to a miraculous survival... Any one of these achievements alone would be enough to make any ninja famous throughout the ninja world.

All of this happened to a boy who was only eleven years old.

The Third Hokage clearly felt the focused gaze. He slightly turned his head, glanced at Shinichi beside him who remained calm, a look of relief and emotion flashing in his eyes. Then, turning to the crowd, he announced loudly, "My fellow Konoha comrades! We've returned!"

"This victory belongs to every Konoha ninja who fought valiantly on the front lines! It belongs to every villager who silently supported us and worked tirelessly in the rear! It belongs to the Will of Fire that we all protect!"

"We made sacrifices, and we reaped glory! We proved Konoha's resilience and strength!"

"Today, we not only welcome our heroes home in triumph, but also remember that peace and victory are hard-won and require the continued efforts of each and every one of us to build a stronger Konoha and safeguard this hard-won tranquility!"

"Let us welcome our heroes home!"

"Long live Konoha!"

"Long live the Hokage!"

"Long live Konoha!"

The cheers reached another peak, the sound almost lifting the sky.

Zhenyi watched this scene with a smile, occasionally nodding to the cheering villagers.

At the same time, a feeling far more genuine than the cheers from the crowd was stirring within him.

coming!

Zhenyi narrowed his eyes slightly. On the personal panel that only he could see, the words representing the [Clarity and Enlightenment] talent item shattered with a bang, and a mysterious and noble purple light suddenly shot out, hovering stably in the sequence of talent items.

[Insightful LV1 (Purple): Your wisdom and comprehension have reached a representative level in this field. You can draw inferences from similar cases, see the big picture from small details, understand the operating rules of complex systems from single phenomena or things, and quickly extract the most crucial information and logical chains from complex appearances. When faced with new knowledge, skills, or problems, your learning, practice, and analytical efficiency will experience a leap forward.]

Seeing through everything perfectly.

As Shinichi savored this brand-new purple entry, it felt as if a certain dimension of his soul had been quietly opened, elevating him to an unprecedented realm.

He could clearly feel that his thoughts had been placed on a clearer, higher platform, as if he had gained a pair of discerning eyes that could penetrate all obscurities and reach the essence of things.

He subconsciously looked at the bustling crowd before him. As far as the eye could see, information surged forth like a tidal wave—countless sounds, countless images, countless smells, countless fragments of emotions, countless undercurrents of intentions... a noisy and chaotic ocean of information that appeared to the ears and eyes of ordinary people.

At this moment, it seems as if a supercomputer has instantly sorted, categorized, and analyzed it.

"Seeing through things as clearly as observing a flame" literally means having a keen insight into things, just as clearly and thoroughly as observing a flame.

So, it's time to go and see the so-called Flying Thunder God Technique!

Shinichi's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them, but he quickly regained his usual calm and profound composure.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Danzo Shimura did not participate in the grand, sunlit triumphant celebration ceremony. Instead, he led his Root team back quietly to their base, which was buried deep beneath Konoha.

After a long silence in the Root Hall, Danzo Shimura finally spoke: "Preparations for the Wood Release experiment... are hereby terminated."

Upon hearing this, the several elite members of the Root Sect standing in the shadows behind him all trembled slightly.

Without offering any explanation or waiting for his subordinates' reaction, Shimura Danzo gave the order and then turned and left the Root Hall.

In the past, the Konoha leadership attempted to conduct the First Hokage cell transplantation experiment on adults who volunteered to become test subjects in an attempt to cultivate users who could use Wood Release. However, the experiment failed repeatedly and resulted in many casualties, so it was immediately terminated.

In the latter half of last year, unwilling to give up, he contacted Orochimaru, who was also filled with desire, and planned to secretly restart the experiment of the First Hokage's cells.

This time, they set their sights on children, who are purer and more malleable. They plan to secretly kidnap homeless or orphans from towns and villages around Konoha as new experimental subjects.

However, with the outbreak of war, their energy, especially Orochimaru's need to go to the front line as the commander-in-chief to deal with the Cloud Village, forced them to temporarily shelve the plan.

But that's no longer necessary.

Let the wood of the past remain in the past, serving as a monument and symbol of history.

The fire they are now fighting for is the true future that belongs to Konoha and to this era.