Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Two weeks later, in a town on the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire.

The mission to escort the caravan has been successfully completed, and Team 7 is taking a break here. Obito Uchiha, full of energy, drags Rin Nohara to stroll through the market.

As always, Kakashi Hatake chose to act alone, seeking a secluded place to continue his endless training.

With his hands in his pockets and head down, he walked briskly along the edge of the slightly noisy street, repeatedly going over the difficulties of the new technique "Chidori" and the key points of the training techniques for reaction and control that his teacher Minato had taught him.

Just as he was about to turn into a small alley, his peripheral vision was caught by a huge promotional poster hanging in front of a bookstore on the side of the road.

The poster was extremely eye-catching, even somewhat flamboyant, with an exaggerated mix of flames and food in the background, and a large line of text in the center that strongly impacted the visual experience—

"Konoha's genius ninja! The Land of Fire's top-tier chef! A passionate culinary legend unfolds—the serialization of 'Cooking Master Boy' is now live!!"

Below is a slightly smaller subtitle: "Watch how a ninja wields their brush to interpret the ultimate way of taste! The first issue includes a bonus: a master chef's secret recipe for Mapo Tofu explained in detail!"

Kakashi abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He raised his head, his eyes slightly narrowed, staring intently at the poster, especially the name "Shinichi Higashino" which was deliberately bolded and enlarged below the title.

A mixture of absurdity, anger, and a deeper sense of resentment, like an overturned spice jar, suddenly exploded in his chest.

This guy!

A few days ago, I went to participate in that so-called "First Choice Food Competition," which caused a huge stir throughout the village, and even led to a street-wide celebration, which was already outrageous enough.

Now, they've even started drawing comics?! And promoting them so aggressively?!

Shinichi Higashino, what exactly do you consider becoming stronger to be?

What do you think the path of the ninja is?

Is this a game where you can get distracted at will and show off all sorts of irrelevant talents?!

Kakashi clenched his fist silently in his pocket, his knuckles turning white.

He recalled the crushing defeat on the training field more than a month ago, the broken white teeth, and Shinichi's harsh yet incisive rebukes.

For the past month or so, he had been training like a masochist, savoring every second of that humiliation, squeezing out every bit of physical strength and chakra, all in order to catch up with or even surpass that figure.

And what about the other side?

He actually went to participate in some kind of food competition, and after winning the championship, he even leisurely started drawing comics!

A surge of anger, a feeling of being belittled or even mocked, welled up inside him.

Kakashi instinctively turned to leave, but stopped after taking only two steps.

He wanted to see what kind of mess this guy who defeated him had made of his lack of ambition!

Kakashi turned around with a sullen face and walked straight into the bookstore.

The store is brightly lit, lined with bookshelves, and quite popular. At the most eye-catching entrance, on the new book display stand, a stack of brand-new magazines is neatly arranged, with the cover featuring a color illustration from the first issue of "Chuka Ichiban".

A bright-eyed, smiling black-haired boy holds a knife and spatula, with flames rising and exquisite dishes behind him, creating a dynamic and vibrant scene.

The cover clearly states "Author: Shinichi Higashino" in one corner.

Kakashi picked up the book; it felt brand new. He quickly paid for it, and without even waiting for his change, he took the comic to a relatively quiet corner outside the store, leaned against the wall, and opened the first page.

At first, he frowned, his eyes filled with criticism and skepticism as he quickly scanned the settings about "Zhonghua Restaurant" and "Cooking Showdown".

But as the story unfolds, the protagonist "Shinichi" and his senior brother Shao'an engage in a final showdown over tofu. Especially when faced with the luxurious and elaborate Nine Treasures Crystal Tofu, Shinichi resolutely chooses to return to the basics and cook the seemingly simple Mapo Tofu...

Kakashi's page-turning speed unconsciously slowed down.

His gaze lingered on the manga panels, on the protagonist "Shinichi's" focused gaze as he handled the ingredients, his incredibly precise and steady control of the flames, and the powerful, almost palpable, depiction of the Mapo Tofu as it emerged from the oven.

The artwork is solid, the panel layout is smooth, and the narrative rhythm is crisp and efficient.

In particular, the descriptions of the cooking process, the meticulous attention to detail, the precise descriptions of heat control, and the profound understanding of the characteristics of the ingredients all demonstrate the author's tremendous dedication and a certain astonishing level of professionalism.

What truly resonated with Kakashi was the core of the story: facing powerful, cunning, and even unscrupulous opponents, the protagonist remained true to his original intention that "cooking is a way of being human, aimed at conveying happiness and warmth," and with the purest and most fundamental skills and intentions, he directly defeated the enemy who had strayed from the path of power.

"Cooking is an extension of the heart."

For some reason, the protagonist's words in the manga, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, created ripples in Kakashi's chaotic mind at that moment.

He slammed the comic book shut with a soft thud.

absurd!

ridiculous!

It's just a made-up story!

He tried to dispel the strange feeling in his heart, but the image of those clear yet all-knowing eyes that had defeated him kept appearing in his mind.

And that figure who used to run around the ninja academy's training ground day after day, carrying stones and wielding a sword.

Shinichi Higashino!

I don't care how much free time you have to spend on these irrelevant things!

But I will never stop!

I will catch up with you and defeat you decisively!

Kakashi forcefully stuffed the manga into his ninja tool bag, turned around, and strode towards the open field outside the town. His back was straighter and more resolute than when he came.

By evening, the agreed meeting time had passed.

Obito Uchiha paced back and forth in his inn room, finally unable to contain himself any longer and exclaimed, "Why isn't Kakashi back yet? Wasn't he supposed to be back before dark?"

Rin Nohara also looked worried: "Kakashi often trains alone, but he always returns to the team on time... I hope nothing bad has happened?"

Minato Namikaze, who had been quietly sitting by the window flipping through the mission scroll, looked up, closed the scroll, and stood up: "Don't worry, I'll go check on things. You all stay at the inn and don't leave without permission."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had vanished from the spot, leaving only a faint spatial ripple.

Dusk was falling in the open fields outside the town.

Minato's figure flashed through the sparse trees and rocks, moving so fast that it left only a blurry golden afterimage on the retina.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

A strange and jarring noise came on the evening breeze.

The sound was like hundreds or thousands of birds screeching sharply at the same time, or like metal rubbing together at a high frequency, containing a violent and unrestrained fluctuation of lightning-attribute chakra.

It's Kakashi!

Minato's eyes narrowed, he instantly determined the direction, and his figure disappeared again.

The next moment, he quietly landed on a branch of a large, leafy tree and peered through the gaps at a cleared area below.

On the open ground, Kakashi Hatake slightly bent over, his right hand forming a claw and held at his side.

A blindingly bright azure lightning bolt surged, condensed, and compressed wildly from his palm, emitting a sickening chorus of birdsong!

The lightning, highly condensed into a sharp form, resembled a short spear made of pure lightning that he held in his hand, constantly hissing and roaring!

The lightning illuminated half of his face and his dark eyes. His eyes no longer held their usual indifference or confusion, but only a fanatical focus and a certain intense emotion that was about to burst forth.

"Drink!"

Kakashi let out a low roar, and his figure suddenly transformed into a straight blue bolt of lightning, rushing forward at a speed far exceeding his usual limits!

The target was a huge, gray-black rock at the end of the open space, about the size of a house, that had weathered countless years of wind and rain!

Screech—Boom!

The cry of the thousand birds rose to its highest point in an instant, only to be swallowed up by an even deeper and more terrifying roar!

The blue lightning bolt pierced into the giant rock without any hindrance!

Like a red-hot knife cutting into solidified grease, it pierced directly through the center of that indestructible rock, creating a terrifying hole with torn edges and a transparent interior!

Kakashi appeared on the other side of the giant rock, still in a thrusting stance, his right arm deeply embedded in the rock.

He slowly pulled his arm out, and the lightning gradually faded.

The next moment, the giant rock, having lost its internal structural support, had countless large cracks spread across its surface, emitting a series of heart-stopping cracking sounds, before collapsing with a deafening roar and turning into a pile of smoldering rubble.

It worked!

It really worked!

Kakashi looked down at his right hand, which still felt tingly and stinging and crackled with tiny sparks of electricity, then suddenly looked up at the pile of rubble.

More than a month of frantic training, countless failures, backlashes, muscle tears, and chakra imbalances; the questioning of his father's path, the hatred for his own weakness, the resentment and pursuit of that figure...

All the repression, all the obsession, all the pain and confusion, at this moment, seemed to find a violent outlet with this blow!

"Ha! I did it! Haha... I did it! Haha... Chidori!!! Hahahaha! Shinichi Higashino!!! Did you see that!? Hahahaha! I did it!!!"

A low, hoarse laugh escaped from his throat, initially suppressed and intermittent, then growing louder and more out of control, eventually turning into a loud, unrestrained laugh that was a mixture of ecstasy, catharsis, pain, and madness!

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

The laughter echoed through the empty, twilight wilderness. It was no longer the aloof and precocious boy of the past, but more like a young wolf that had broken free of some shackles and was howling at the moon, carrying an unwilling wildness and an almost ferocious release after long-term suppression.

On a horizontal branch of a large tree, Minato Namikaze silently watched this scene without immediately revealing himself.

His usually warm, sun-like blue eyes appeared exceptionally deep and serene at this moment. He saw the dangerous and powerful new technique in his disciple's hands, and even more so, the heavy psychological burden that was almost overflowing behind the maniacal laughter.

Let him vent...

The evening breeze carried fine dust and the unique grassy smell of the wilderness.

Minato's figure seemed to melt into the deepening twilight, disappearing silently.