Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

"Oh?"

Shinichi's icy voice shattered the deathly silence, mocking, "So you do care about your father's honor, huh? What have you been doing for the past three years, Kakashi?"

He stepped forward, staring intently at Kakashi's distraught face, and asked the same question again:

"So, why are you so weak?"

Kakashi's body trembled slightly, and his empty eyes seemed to be stung by those words, regaining a sliver of focus.

What did I say to you three years ago?

Shinichi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, like a heavy hammer striking Kakashi's memory.

"I'm telling you, if you don't know what to do, then strive to become stronger, strong enough to avoid falling into the same predicament as your father did, strong enough that you might be able to forge a third option even in dire circumstances!"

"But what have you been doing for the past three years? You graduated early, worked tirelessly on missions, and kept shouting about the supremacy of rules, as if that would prove you were right, that you had surpassed expectations!"

"But what about deep down? You're constantly in pain and conflicted. You long for someone to tell you that your father's choice wasn't wrong! You're trapped in a cage of your own making, torn between denying and understanding your father, torturing yourself in an inescapable hell!"

Shinichi pointed to the pile of broken metal on the ground:

"You're just endlessly torturing yourself, simulating difficult situations, agonizing over what you would choose if it were you? Was your father wrong or not? You're wasting all your energy on internal struggles and self-justification, using your obsession with rules to mask your inner fear and confusion! You've never truly faced the future, never accumulated the strength to break through the predicament and transcend the choice itself!"

"The sword is the blade of the heart!"

Shinichi's gaze swept over the broken White Fang, his tone heavy: "The reason White Fang became an invincible, legendary weapon in your father's hands was because it carried his unwavering faith, clear resolve, and burning determination to protect his comrades! It was a blade that resonated with his soul! But in your hands..."

He shook his head, his words like a final verdict:

"It's just a mirror, reflecting all the turmoil, fear, and self-imposed constraints in your heart. A person whose heart is full of contradictions and who can't find their own path will inevitably have a fragile and vulnerable weapon, no matter how sharp it is."

"If that's the case, then it's better to break this knife."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone looked at each other, even holding their breath.

Kurenai and Shizune had complicated expressions in their eyes, while Rin Nohara clasped her hands tightly to her chest, looking at Kakashi's back with a worried expression.

Obito Uchiha glanced at Kakashi, who stood motionless, then at Shinichi, whose face was stern. He opened his mouth, but ultimately only muttered under his breath, "What he said is true... but... wasn't it a bit too harsh..."

The Shinichi he remembered wasn't like this.

He was a kind and gentle person. He would nod when you met him on the street and got along well with other students. Sometimes you would see him helping the villagers when you were walking down the street. I never saw him be cold to anyone or lose his temper.

Obito hadn't said much to him, but the impression that "he was a good person" remained with him.

But now, the person standing in the middle of the field had no smile on his face, and his eyes were as cold as a kunai in winter. Obito suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with him.

But for some reason, looking at Shinichi like this, the first image that popped into his mind wasn't those cold, hard words from before—

It's something else entirely.

Back then, when Obito had just entered the Ninja Academy, he would rush into the school gate every morning and would always see someone on the edge of the playground carrying a stone, running around the playground.

One circle, another, and yet another.

The rock was huge, several times larger than the person himself. At first, Obito thought it was an upperclassman, but later he found out it was a student from the next class in the same year, named Shinichi Higashino.

"He's crazy," Obito thought at the time.

Later, he discovered that the person not only ran in the morning, but also during the lunch break, while others were eating lunch, chasing each other in the corridor, or chatting in groups in the classroom, that person stood under the cherry blossom tree by the playground, holding a sword.

He just held it up, once, then again.

Obito leaned against the railing, still chewing his half-eaten lunch, thinking: What's this guy after? Isn't he tired? Isn't he bored?

No one answered him.

Later, Obito stopped leaning on the railing, but he would still subconsciously glance at that spot when he occasionally passed by.

The person was still there, in the same posture, in the same place, and even the rhythm of his sword swings remained unchanged.

It was as if time had stood still for him, yet it was also as if time kept moving forward, while he remained in the same place, doing the same thing...

"Pick it up."

Shinichi's voice rang out again, interrupting Obito's deeper thoughts.

Kakashi's body trembled, and his empty eyes mechanically turned to Shinichi's face.

"I told you to pick it up! Kakashi!"

Shinichi's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"A broken sword can be forged again! A wavering belief can be reaffirmed! If you've strayed from the right path, turn back!"

"Throw away that self-imposed, ridiculous multiple-choice question you've created! From now on, you're only allowed to think about one thing—get stronger!"

"With the determination to become stronger, pick up this broken sword! Then, with your own hands, with every bit of strength you earn in the future, reforge it!"

"Temper it with your will, sharpen it with your awareness! Let it witness how you cut through the confusion step by step, how you become ten times, a hundred times stronger than you are now! Strong enough to protect everything you want to protect, strong enough that no one can force you to make choices anymore, strong enough that you yourself are the one who can rewrite the rules and create a third path!"

"That brat's mouth is still so sharp." Tsunade snorted coldly, seemingly remembering something.

Upon hearing this, Minato realized that Tsunade and Shinichi seemed to have some kind of connection or story, but he considerately did not delve into it, and simply smiled gently: "Although the method was a bit intense, Shinichi is indeed someone who values ​​his comrades very much and hopes that his comrades can also become stronger. Perhaps, this is also a unique kind of gentleness."

In the arena, Kakashi gripped the broken blade tightly, the cold edge of the hilt almost digging into his palm.

"I..." He slowly raised his head, his voice terribly hoarse, "...I understand."

He spoke softly, yet it seemed as if he had used up all his strength at that moment. He didn't say much, nor did he utter any grand words. He simply carefully and preciously put away the broken blade and the surrounding fragments.

Seeing this, Shinichi didn't say anything more.

He stopped looking at Kakashi, turned to face the others, and his voice returned to its usual calm:

"That's enough of the interlude. Don't forget the real reason we've gathered here; the testing continues."

He paused briefly, then said, "First, we need a temporary captain to coordinate this joint operation. I've volunteered for the position. What are your thoughts?"

Kurenai and Shizune nodded first, and Rin Nohara also nodded slightly in agreement. Obito Uchiha looked at Kakashi, then at Shinichi, and scratched his head: "I have no objection... Anyway, someone has to make the decision."

Kakashi remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Okay." Shin nodded and then got to the point: "As the captain, I need to understand everyone's areas of expertise in order to formulate tactics. Please give a brief overview..."

After understanding the basic information, Shinichi quickly assigned roles such as reconnaissance, luring, restraint, and main attack, taking into account the terrain and the possible action patterns of the two teachers, and emphasized the timing and signals for coordination.

After some time, the joint operation began.

The six boys from the two classes, under Shinichi's command, demonstrated a level of teamwork and tactical execution that exceeded expectations.

During their exchange, Minato and Tsunade gradually revealed expressions of approval in their eyes. They had no intention of truly stopping these children; the core of the test was to observe their character and cooperation.

Having achieved their goal, the two tacitly sought an opportunity to let the bell slip through their defenses, creating a plausible opening.

Ultimately, through a carefully planned feint and coordinated attack, Shinichi and Kakashi each managed to snatch the bells from Tsunade and Minato, respectively.

"Alright." Tsunade crossed her arms, a playful smile on her lips. "Now you two have both gotten the bells. So, what are you going to do next? There are only two bells."

The atmosphere became subtle again, and the rules were clearly laid out before us.

Two bells, six people.

Shinichi remained calm. He walked up to Kakashi and held out his hand: "Give me your bell."

Kakashi hesitated slightly, but still handed over the bell in his hand.

Shinichi, holding two bells, turned to Tsunade and asked, "Tsunade-sensei, now that both bells are in the hands of Team 10, according to the rules you announced, does that mean all members of Team 10 have passed the test?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and nodded: "Not bad, according to the rules, your class has passed."

"Very good." Shinichi turned around and handed both bells to Kakashi without hesitation.

Then, he looked at Minato Namikaze and asked in the same clear tone, "Minato-sensei, now that both bells are in Team 7's hands, according to the rules, Team 7 is considered to have passed the test with all members, right?"

There was a moment of silence, then everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

Obito Uchiha was the first to react, jumping up excitedly: "That's right! You can do that too! Great! We don't have to be eliminated!"

Nohara Rin looked at the two bells, then at Shinichi, her eyes filled with gratitude. Yuhi Kurenai and Shizune also smiled with relief.

Kakashi looked at Shinichi with a complicated expression.

Minato Namikaze looked at the scene before him with a warm and gratified smile on his face. Tsunade snorted but did not object.

"Ah, yes." Minato smiled and nodded. "Since both bells are now in the hands of Class 7, then according to the rules, Class 7 has also passed the test. Congratulations, both classes have passed!"

His announcement brought an unexpected yet happy ending to this joint test, which was fraught with twists and turns and unexpected events.

The test has been successfully completed.