Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

In the 45th year of Konoha, Sunagakure of the Land of Wind hosted the Chunin Exams, and in accordance with the conventions of the ninja world, Konoha of the Land of Fire, as an ally, was among those invited.

In addition, some small and medium-sized ninja villages located around the countries of Wind and Fire, such as Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Hoshigakure, have also received invitations and will send their respective teams to participate.

On the day of departure, at the first light of dawn, a group of more than thirty people had already gathered outside the main gate of Konoha.

Apart from Jiraiya, who served as the team leader, most of the participants were genin who had signed up for the exam and their team leaders.

Jiraiya stood at the front of the line, clearly distracted, as if forced into his post, and listlessly began his brief address:

"Ah—well, everyone, the purpose of our trip to Sunagakure is the Chunin Exams. Remember, you represent the face of Konoha, so you must… never mind… safety first, and act within your capabilities. Sunagakure is a place with lots of sand and little water, so be careful." His words lacked any inspiring encouragement, sounding more like a perfunctory routine. After speaking, he waved his hand: "Alright, let's go."

The group then set off on their journey to Sunagakure.

After traveling for three days, the group finally crossed the border of the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Rivers, located between the Lands of Wind and Fire.

Despite the monotony of the journey, Shinichi remained as diligent as ever. Whenever the team stopped to rest, he would always find a quiet corner near the camp to train without fail.

This day was no exception. After finishing his training, he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked back to the camp.

During the journey, he had a sudden thought and summoned his personal panel, which only he could see.

Name: Shinichi Higashino

Class: Genin/Swordsman

Talent: (omitted)

Compared to when I first became a genin six months ago, the changes in my stats are not significant.

Besides upgrading [Affinity] to [Charm], the only other addition is [Medical Basics].

Looking at the panel in front of him, Shinichi frowned slightly, realizing that he was currently facing two obvious bottlenecks:

First, his cognitive threshold has increased significantly. He is already a recognized genius in Konoha. Many performances that would be amazing for others are taken for granted when applied to him.

People's expectations of his excellence have been raised, resulting in a decrease in the impression score and depth of understanding that can be obtained with the same effort and results.

Second, the halo effect. Certain outstanding talents can act like spotlights, attracting most of the attention and making it difficult for outsiders to clearly perceive and remember their other talents.

Given his physical skills, there's no way he should still have a white basic entry.

However, under the overall impression of genius, especially under the double halo of swordsmanship genius who "defeated White Fang's sword technique" and ninjutsu genius who "independently developed A-rank hand seal ninjutsu", his solid and outstanding skills in taijutsu were obscured and downplayed.

This is similar to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. 95% of the world's knowledge and legends focus on his incredible Wood Release, so much so that the fact that he was also a top master of the five elemental chakras and even a master of medical ninjutsu is overshadowed by his dazzling aura and becomes little known.

"If only shadow clones could also disguise themselves..."

Shinichi had put a lot of effort into this idea, but eventually figured out the system's seemingly simple yet strict rules: Shadow clones could help him gain knowledge, but only if the outside world clearly knew that the Shadow clone was "Higashino Shinichi".

This means that he can have his shadow clones perform different activities with different focuses, using his original appearance and identity—for example, one could practice physical skills while the other could practice medicine—in order to try to diversify his focus and gain a multifaceted understanding.

However, doing so essentially just divides his time into several parts, and all his perceptions will ultimately be superimposed on the single identity of "Shinichi Higashino." While the efficiency is slightly faster, it still cannot solve the problem of "halo obscuring" his identity.

He had also considered more ingenious methods: during a mission that lasted more than six months, he had his shadow clones change into completely different appearances and identities, using a brand new identity to specialize in building reputation in a certain field in the city and surrounding area during the mission.

For example, create a "Genjutsu Ninja A" who is skilled in illusion magic and calm and collected. This Genjutsu Ninja, whom he calls "Crow," acts calmly and uses exquisite methods. In the deliberately arranged encounters he has in several cities during his mission, he demonstrates remarkable skill in illusion magic and a calm demeanor.

Based on Shinichi's previous estimates of the conditions for generating white-level affixes, the level and attention shown by "Raven" should be sufficient to create a white-level affix for [Illusion Basics], and may even drive the upgrade of the [Calm] affix.

However, after more than six months of trying, the panel remained silent.

No matter how deep an impression "Crow" left in the local area, or how much praise and speculation it garnered, these perceptions were like rootless duckweed, unable to connect with him, Shinichi Higashino. Illusion-related entries never appeared, and the word "calm" remained unchanged.

This means that the core rule of cognition lies in "unity of name and reality," and cognition must be clearly directed at the real name and real person of "Shinichi Higashino."

Disguise means severing the causal chain between cognition and reality.

Therefore, his idea of ​​using shadow clones to create an independent database of entries completely failed. He could not be "genius ninja Shinichi Higashino", "genius genjutsu star Crow", or "physical master Yi".

All his talents must be recognized under the unique identity of "Shinichi Higashino," which is already shrouded in the halo of genius.

"What should I do?"

Shinichi pondered silently in his heart.

One approach is to focus on a breakthrough and reach the pinnacle. Concentrate all resources and character development to first achieve unparalleled mastery in a specific field, reaching a level of achievement recognized throughout the ninja world, and then use this as a basis to challenge for higher-level entries.

However, the drawbacks of doing so are obvious: the growth of other entries will inevitably be slowed down or even stagnated, while the basic bonuses brought by these entries are crucial to him.

Moreover, even if he becomes a god-like figure in a certain field, he will probably still fall into the same predicament as the First Hokage—the world's attention will be firmly drawn to that most dazzling halo, and his other talents will still be difficult to gain enough recognition to support the upgrade of his entry.

Another approach is to pursue multiple fronts simultaneously, seeking a balance. However, this requires more sophisticated design and longer-term management, and given the current limited time and raised cognitive thresholds, efficiency becomes an issue.

"When I become Hokage, the first thing I'll do is set up a propaganda department, then buy up all the major newspapers and radio stations in the ninja world, and even have a column about my deeds in textbooks of various countries."

Shinichi thought viciously, and not only that, he had planned even more meticulously.

For example, they change their promotional focus every few years. In recent years, they have focused on his physical strength and extraordinary power; a few years later, they emphasize his medical benevolence; and a few years after that, they emphasize his strategic planning to create a three-dimensional impression of him as an "all-around super genius" among the ninja world's public.

A bizarre image even flashed through my mind for a moment: in the classroom of the future, the teacher points to the textbook.

"Class, today we're going to learn a new lesson—'The Hokage Knocked the Moon Down with a Pebble'..."

"...The Hokage bent down, picked up a pebble from the flower bed, and looked at the sky, saying, 'Damn the Otsutsuki.' He threw the pebble upwards with all his might, and soon the moon in the sky suddenly burst into a dazzling light before falling..."

"Waaaaah, the Hokage is so great!"

"The Hokage's kindness is never-ending..."

In the brightly lit classroom, a group of little girls raised their hands high, jumped around, and had tears in their eyes.

Attention! The classroom lights are not on at this time.

Depend on!

Shinichi shuddered and quickly banished the increasingly outrageous image from his mind.