Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Seeing this, Kurokawa Yasumasa wisely stopped delving into the topic and softened his tone.

"Elder Takahashi, I've found out. The reward money those villagers raised is at most rated as C-rank in Konoha's mission system. According to Konoha's usual practice, such missions are usually only carried out by genin, with at most one chunin leading the team. These people have limited abilities and are not particularly difficult to deal with, but they represent Konoha."

He deliberately slowed his speech to make his words sound more persuasive:

"We don't need to clash with them and increase the risks. Since they want to complete their mission, let them complete their so-called mission. Afterwards, they will return to Konoha to report, and everything will be none of our business."

Elder Takahashi remained silent for a moment in the shadows, then his hood shifted slightly, and a chilling voice rang out: "In that case, I must be present when you meet with the Konoha ninja."

Kurokawa Yasumasa frowned slightly, quickly weighed his options, and nodded in agreement: "Alright. You will act as my butler and stand by my side. But do not make any rash moves! Do everything according to my plan."

"The end times are coming, but we turn to our God, whose Son has come to earth to bless all living beings."

Elder Takahashi didn't speak, but simply murmured a religious mantra before his figure slowly blended into the shadows behind him and disappeared.

The secret room returned to silence.

Kurokawa Yasumasa's lips curled into an undisguised sneer.

A bunch of brainwashed idiots!

He had indeed read the so-called "Holy Gospel." It was no different from other cult texts that were full of nonsense, such as "The end times will come in a few decades" and "Only by devoutly believing in the Holy Spirit and welcoming the birth of the Holy Son, so that our God may come into the world in his true form, can believers be led through the catastrophe and into the new world."

Decades later, will the end of the world come?

That's utter nonsense!

Even if there's a tiny bit of truth in that nonsense, what kind of bullshit doomsday will actually happen decades from now?

so what?

His body, ravaged by illness day and night, might not even last two years.

Catastrophe? A new era? What does it have to do with him?

The reason he tacitly allowed the church to operate here, and even reluctantly became one of them, is quite pragmatic:

The thing they gave him, that blood-red liquid supposedly a "gift from the Holy Spirit," could indeed suppress the excruciating pain of bone cancer that made him wish he were dead and slow down the progression of his condition.

And... the faintest, most desperate hope deep in my heart that this terminal illness might actually be cured.

..........

Three days later, in the northeastern part of the Land of Fire, at the edge of a dense forest near the border.

Two figures emerged one after the other, stepping out onto the soft, humus-covered soil of the forest.

Suddenly, a clearing opened up before me, revealing a gently sloping hilly area, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and the outlines of fields visible in the distance.

"Narumi Town is just ahead." Maruhoshi Kosuke, who was walking ahead, stopped and introduced the town in a calm tone. "This place is located on the northeastern edge of the Land of Fire. The climate is a bit cooler than in the village. There are many mountains and forests, and the arable land is not very fertile, but the mineral and timber resources are quite good. The local customs... are somewhat more rugged than those in the inland areas, after all, it is close to the border."

He turned to the side so Shinichi could see ahead more clearly, and continued, "If you go northeast from Narumi Town and cross that not-so-high border mountain range, you'll reach the Land of Hot Springs. It's a very interesting country with beautiful scenery, especially hot springs that are found all over the country. It's known as the Land of Health and Wellness, and even the country's name comes from that. Many nobles and wealthy merchants like to go there for health retreats and vacations."

Along the way, Kosuke Maruboshi did not simply teach Shinichi essential ninja skills such as mission reconnaissance, trace identification, and wilderness survival.

Whenever he passed through a place, he would recount its geographical features, customs, and even some anecdotes in great detail, as if he knew them intimately.

These seemingly trivial pieces of knowledge are actually the most intuitive understanding of the ninja world accumulated by an experienced old ninja, which is now being passed on to the young man behind him without reservation, subtly broadening his horizons.

Shinichi followed his gaze and looked towards the distant border mountains shrouded in mist.

The Land of Hot Water...

That place was not only a source of inspiration for Jiraiya, but also, in the original timeline, it seems to be the birthplace of Hidan, the later founder of the Akatsuki organization.

A guy who worships an evil god, possesses an immortal body, and has bizarre curse-killing abilities.

However, based on the timeline, Hidan shouldn't have been born yet. (Note)

The origins of the evil god cult and evil god he mentioned are unknown.

Shinichi withdrew his gaze from the distance and brought his thoughts back to the present.

"Senior, after we arrive, should we go see the client first, or go to the Narumi Castle police station to exchange information with the local guards?"

Maruhoshi Kosuke pondered for a moment before speaking, "The people who commissioned the service are scattered in several villages outside the city, while the police station is inside the city. Since it's on the way, let's go into the city first. Official records and details from on-site investigations are sometimes clearer than the anxious villagers' accounts, and it will save us from having to make another trip."

Without further delay, the two quickened their pace and soon arrived at the entrance to Narumi Castle.

The walls of this border town are not very high, but the guards and checks are quite strict.

Maruhoshi Kosuke stepped forward and calmly presented Konoha's mission credentials.

After carefully inspecting the two men's headscarves, the foot soldier captain turned and whispered a few words to one of his subordinates. Then, he politely said to the two men, "You two must be the Konoha ninja who have come to investigate the case of the missing child. The lord of the castle has instructed that since you have arrived, you must come to the manor for a chat. Please follow me."

Maruboshi Kosuke and Shinichi quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

Konoha Village indeed holds a superior position in the Land of Fire, and the Hokage is nominally the supreme military commander of the Land of Fire.

However, when it comes to local affairs, especially investigations involving civil cases, there is no clear hierarchical relationship between Konoha ninjas and local administrative officials.

The usual procedure is for ninjas to directly contact the person who commissioned the mission or to cooperate with local law enforcement agencies in intelligence gathering. Local officials rarely intervene directly or proactively unless the case involves a very high level of authority.

Moreover, the two of them were only genin.

For a city lord of considerable status to invite two low-ranking ninjas to his residence so quickly and solemnly seems, in terms of both manner and reason, somewhat... excessively courteous.

Their original plan was simply to go to the police station, review the case files, question the officers in charge, obtain preliminary official leads, and then leave.

"Thank you for leading the way." Maruboshi Kosuke gave a calm and even somewhat simple smile, as if he were just an ordinary old ninja who had accepted a kind invitation, showing no sign of anything unusual.

He turned slightly to the side, gesturing for Shinichi to follow.

Shin nodded silently and followed half a step behind Maruhoshi Kosuke. The two followed the guards and walked steadily through the city gate, heading towards the most conspicuous mansion in the city.

……