Naruto: Starting With Creating A Genius Persona

Shinichi nodded without saying anything further, and just then, a flash of golden light instantly appeared on the scene.

"Senior Minato, how are things?" Shinichi stepped forward and asked directly.

"Based on my observations and the tracks they left along the way, the enemy should have retreated toward the Northeastern Border."

Minato Namikaze returned the kunai in his hand to the tool pouch at his waist, his brows tightly furrowed.

"However, Shinichi, I have a feeling something isn’t right. Could it be a trap?"

Shinichi nodded.

"That is indeed something worth paying attention to."

"How about this, Senior Minato? Stay here for the time being and wait for the reinforcement force that will arrive afterward, then inform them of the situation here. Monk Genjo and I will move ahead first to see exactly what’s waiting for us. Along the way, I’ll continue leaving Flying Thunder God Technique markers for you. Once you have the coordinates, you can rendezvous with us at any time."

"Once we’re near the target location, I’ll create another Shadow Clone to receive you and handle the deployment of the troops that arrive afterward."

Hearing this, Minato hesitated for a moment. Reason told him that this was the most sensible arrangement.

Someone needed to coordinate with Konoha’s reinforcements after they arrived. Village Hidden in the Waterfall also required a top-tier combatant to remain behind in case the enemy suddenly returned, and the person capable of bringing Shinichi and Monk Genjo back instantly to provide support was undoubtedly him, the wielder of space-time Ninjutsu.

Emotionally, however, he was still somewhat uneasy.

His hesitation lasted only a moment before he ultimately nodded solemnly.

"Be extra careful over there."

"I will."

Shinichi responded before giving Minato a few more detailed instructions regarding the reinforcements’ deployment after they arrived.

Once everything had been properly arranged, he and Genjo leaped into the air simultaneously, transforming into two streaks of light that shot across the night sky toward the Northeastern Border. Their figures rapidly shrank into the distance before finally disappearing into the endless darkness.

Minato’s instincts had indeed been correct. There really was a trap, and it had been meticulously prepared.

While inspecting the outskirts of the village earlier to determine whether any enemy remnants were still hiding there, Shinichi had already used the extraordinary vision granted by Clarity + Lightning Speed Reflex to examine the traces left behind by the retreating enemy.

Then, through the super deduction of Seeing Through Things as Clearly as Observing a Flame, he quickly realized that the Village Hidden in the Stones had almost certainly laid a trap, one that was very likely aimed specifically at him.

However, realizing that was one thing; Shinichi himself was not worried in the slightest.

The enemy might have gone to great lengths to prepare a trap specifically for him, but they could never have anticipated that Genjo, his clone, had also come this time.

Nor could they possibly know that both he and Genjo could use the manifestation power of Incarnation to summon Isshin, who was still far away in Konoha, directly onto the battlefield.

That meant they effectively had three top-tier combatants, and adding Minato Namikaze, who could instantly enter the battlefield at any time using the Flying Thunder God Technique, made it four.

Not to mention the eight hundred Konoha ninja who would arrive later as reinforcements.

After calculating everything, the strength currently at his disposal far exceeded what he had commanded back when he had led the Shinichi Battalion in the Land of Lightning.

Back then, he had never feared being surrounded by an army of ten thousand. So where was the Village Hidden in the Stones supposed to find another army of ten thousand to surround him now?

Besides, taking a step back, Shinichi had never intended to confront the enemy head-on from the very beginning.

He had already thought everything through on the journey from Konoha. He had no advantage in terms of time and could never reach the Village Hidden in the Waterfall before it fell. The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was inevitably going to be captured by the well-prepared forces of the Village Hidden in the Stones and Village Hidden in the Grass.

That meant the opportunity for Genjo’s Mangekyo Sharingan to awaken was almost certainly not tied to the wish-granting mechanism of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

If someone else had already made a wish before he arrived, then by the time he got there, it would already be far too late.

The greater probability is that the catalyst for the awakening lies in something else that happened during this incident; it’s just that Shinichi still hasn’t figured out exactly what that catalyst is.

And it was precisely this judgment that made him even more determined not to confront the enemy head-on.

Others might not understand how the wish-granting by the Box of Ultimate Bliss worked, but how could he not?

Once Satori was released, the situation would inevitably spiral out of control. The people of the Village Hidden in the Stones and Village Hidden in the Grass would bear the brunt of it first, and the entire battlefield would instantly descend into complete chaos.

By then, the carefully prepared trap would be utterly ruined. The forces of the Village Hidden in the Stones and Village Hidden in the Grass would be scrambling to deal with that mind-reading, immortal monster, leaving them with no spare attention for any ambush.

And the more chaotic the situation became, the easier it would be for Shinichi to seize the opportunity and fish in troubled waters!

...

Meanwhile, in the Gray Mist Valley.

The dense fog blanketing the sky resembled a heavy gray curtain, completely enveloping the entire canyon. Hidden within this stretch of fog where one couldn’t see a hand in front of one’s face, countless dark figures had already concealed themselves at every strategic pass.

At the deepest part of the valley, upon a relatively open basin, roughly three hundred people stood in neat formation, all their eyes fixed upon the enormous, bizarre box standing at the center of their ranks.

It was a gigantic jet-black box over a dozen people tall, its surface covered with ancient, twisted patterns. Most bizarre of all, each of its four sides bore a gigantic human face.

Directly in front of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, the unconscious Seven-Tails Jinchuriki had been casually thrown onto the ground like a dead dog.

Moments later, Village Hidden in the Grass’s leader, Morihara Hayato, dragged his frail, disease-ridden body forward.

After staggering to the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki’s side, he coughed violently before slowly forming a hand seal.

Seeing this, Mui and the twelve Kusagakure advisors standing not far away all let out sighs of relief.

According to Village Hidden in the Grass’s ancient legends, only the one who personally opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss, in other words, the one who ultimately offered chakra to it, would obtain the right to make a wish.

As long as Morihara Hayato personally opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss, the right to make a wish would remain firmly in the Village Hidden in the Grass’s hands. Even if the Village Hidden in the Stones suddenly turned against them, it would be useless.

The Village Hidden in the Stones side, however, had given it no such thought.

Gari stood off to one side with his arms folded, a faint smile hanging on his lips, his eyes filled with interest.

The Iwagakure ninja behind him mostly wore expressions of idle spectators. They neither stopped Village Hidden in the Grass’s solemn ceremony nor urged them to hurry.