Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

The Iron Country, Crimson Armor Castle, the headquarters meeting hall of the Swordsmanship Association.

The atmosphere was so heavy it could be squeezed out of you.

On either side of the long table, prominent sword masters and masters of various martial arts schools in Red Armor City sat upright, their eyes downcast and their minds at ease.

At the head of the table, Chairman Yagyu Soichiro's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, his chest heaving violently with anger, and the heavy iron rod was right next to him, as if he was about to smash it on the table at any moment.

"Bang!"

He slammed his large, fan-like hand down hard on the hard wooden table, causing the cups and saucers to jump and the tea to splash everywhere.

"Our Red Armor Castle!" Yagyu Souichirou's voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the council hall. His beard and hair stood on end, and his gaze swept across the room like lightning, finally fixing on a certain spot on the lower right: "A truly remarkable figure has emerged! A reckless, lawless, and turbulent figure!"

"He turned the Southeast region upside down! Lawsuits from various dojos are flying at me like snowflakes! And that's not all, sparring matches are supposed to be about swordsmanship! But what about him?!"

Soichiro Yagyu's voice suddenly rose, filled with an almost absurd indignation:

"He actually used a gun! A swordsman, in the middle of a fair and square duel, pulled out a musket!"

"A swordsman! Instead of focusing on honing his swordsmanship and perfecting his own school's techniques, he spends all his time scheming about strange and ingenious tricks! Today he pulls out a musket, tomorrow is he going to bring a cannon to the dojo for a duel? The day after tomorrow is he planning to use all sorts of ninjutsu and genjutsu?! Huh?!?!"

He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, stood up, and waved his arms:

"Even when I go out for a meal, I can hear at least nine people discussing which dojo this big shot wrecked again, and which match he fired a gun in yet another time!"

Although the president did not name names directly, everyone present turned their gazes in the same direction without saying a word.

The young swordsman, Isshin, who was sitting at the far right, dressed in a dark swordsman's uniform, was calmly sipping his tea.

Faced with the president's storm of reprimands and the focused gaze of the entire room, Yixin remained as calm as if listening to a weather forecast.

He even had the leisure to slightly turn his head and, facing the equally tall and robust boy sitting next to him, dressed in a well-fitting samurai outfit, who was trying hard to sit upright but whose eyes couldn't help but wander around, spoke earnestly in a voice that was not loud but loud enough for anyone nearby to hear:

"Zhongyi, don't be like your father, nagging all day long over trivial matters."

The young man was none other than Yagyu Tadayoshi, the only son of Yagyu Soichiro.

This kid is a real troublemaker. Despite being born into a family of sword masters and having a father who is famous throughout the southeast, he has little interest in the family's traditional staff techniques. Instead, he dreams of becoming a ninja and has even given himself a ninja codename that he thinks is cool—Owl.

When Yixin pointed at him like that, he almost couldn't hold back his laughter. He quickly pursed his lips and his shoulders twitched suspiciously.

This subtle movement could not escape the eyes of Yagyu Soichiro. The chairman's gaze shot over like two bolts of cold lightning. Yagyu Tadayoshi immediately felt a chill run down his spine and quickly straightened his back, focusing his attention on his nose and mind.

Soichiro Yagyu stared at his son for a long while before slowly shifting his gaze back to Isshin, his tone cold and stern: "Isshin, what are you talking about?"

Unperturbed, Isshin gently placed the teacup back on the table, raised his head, and met Yagyu Souichirou's almost fiery gaze, replying with an extremely sincere, as if he had learned a great deal:

"I say, the president's insight is brilliant!"

Seeing Isshin's lazy, unyielding attitude, Yagyu Soichiro's forehead creased into a clear "well" shape, and his anger surged.

But you can't beat them in a fight, and arguing doesn't seem to do any good.

Soichiro Yagyu took a deep breath, forcibly transforming his surging anger into a kind of helpless, disappointed admonition.

"Isshin, I know you are warlike and crave to clash with the strong to hone your skills. This is a swordsman's nature. But everything must be done in a proper way and with moderation! Your recklessness and making enemies everywhere may seem enjoyable, but in reality, you are putting yourself in the eye of the storm, attracting countless criticisms and hidden dangers. What good will this do for your long-term training or for the reputation of the Ashina School?"

At this point, his voice softened slightly: "Now that you are a recognized master of Red Armor City, bearing the responsibility of bringing glory to the city in the next National Swordsmanship Tournament, and with only a year left until the competition, this is the golden period for calming your mind, strengthening your physique, and refining your skills! You should put aside those trivial thoughts and devote all your energy to proper swordsmanship training!"

"The National Swordplay Tournament is far more significant than the small-scale sparring you did before. At that time, the direct descendants of various schools, the secret weapons cultivated by each city, and folk masters hidden in the city and mountains with unique skills will all gather together. The number of masters will be as numerous as carp crossing a river! It is a true stage for fierce competition and a gathering of heroes."

"wind?"

Upon hearing a certain word, Yixin, who had been half-closing her eyelids and seemingly lost in thought, suddenly seemed to have a nerve touched.

He suddenly raised his head, gazing at the vast sky outside the council chamber window, and unconsciously murmured a sigh, tinged with a strange sense of melancholy:

"A gentle breeze indeed! As the saying goes, the wind follows the tiger, the clouds follow the dragon, and the heroes of dragon and tiger soar proudly across the sky."

"You brat!!!"

Yagyu Soichiro was taken aback at first, but when he realized that this brat wasn't listening to his well-intentioned plan at all, but instead was rambling on about some nonsensical things, his old face, which had just calmed down, instantly turned from red to black, and then from black to purple.

"Are you even listening to me?! What kind of nonsensical, illegible nonsense are you spouting?! I'm trying to talk to you about serious matters!"

"oh...."

It seemed that the roar had just pulled him back from his reverie. He blinked and looked apologetically enlightened: "Sorry, President, I was just speaking from the heart."

"You're right, I'll behave myself from now on."

Upon hearing this, the council chamber was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Soichiro Yagyu's angry expression froze. He wondered if he was hallucinating from anger.

Has this kid changed his ways? Has the sun risen in the west? Or is he plotting something even worse?

Various thoughts flashed through Yagyu Soichiro's mind, and in the end, he decided to temporarily believe this rare act of submission, even if it was just a facade.

He snorted heavily, his expression softening slightly, but his tone remained stern: "Remember what you said, kid! That's all for today, meeting adjourned!"

The owners looked at each other, filled with suspicion and unfinished discussions, and then got up and left. Yagyu Soichiro rubbed his temples and walked wearily toward the back hall.

As the crowd dispersed, Yagyu Tadayoshi darted to Isshin's side like a nimble monkey, lowering his voice: "Teacher, are you really planning to behave yourself for the next year? This isn't like you!"

Yes, Yagyu Tadayoshi has now officially become a disciple of Isshin, becoming the second disciple of the Ashina School.

His reason for dreaming of becoming a ninja was quite rebellious. In his view, the rules and regulations of Bushido were too numerous and restrictive, making people feel frustrated and uncomfortable.

Everyone is using chakra, right?

In contrast, a ninja who is not bound by tradition, can freely use all kinds of strange ninjutsu and methods, and decides life and death in battle, is more in line with his romantic imagination of freedom and power.

Unfortunately, the Land of Iron is a land of samurai, without a proper lineage of ninjas. His old-fashioned father strictly forbade him from leaving the Land of Iron to pursue the ninja way, which made Yagyu Tadayoshi extremely depressed.

Until a year ago, a swordsman named Isshin appeared, whose style was completely different from all the swordsmen in the Land of Iron and who believed in "winning by any means necessary," like a sharp light shining in his gloomy dreams.

Without much hesitation, Yagyu Tadayoshi found an opportunity to become an apprentice. When Yagyu Soichiro found out later, he was furious, but it was too late, and he could only accept it reluctantly.

"We'll talk about that later. Zhongyi, let's go back to the temple first."

Yagyu Tadashi's expression turned serious: "Master, please call me Owl in private!"