Chapter 456: Ninja Way Origins Research Society’s Founding Ceremony (Part 1)

"However, I fear my junior brother is overthinking it. I merely happened to encounter that child in the village today and felt that he truly possessed an innocent heart, so I casually mentioned him to you, junior brother. I had no intention of finding any Narayana Child."

"I see."

Genjo smiled without exposing the truth, merely adding meaningfully, "However, in some other stories, although the Narayana Child begins as emperor Indra’s incarnation and subordinate, in the end he becomes a supreme existence whose status far surpasses Indra’s. The follower becomes the exalted one, the servant becomes the master. What does senior brother think of such a story?"

Did Genjo think that the goggle-wearing kid would surpass him in the future?

Or rather, that he would usurp control of the Eye of the Moon Plan?

Upon hearing this, a trace of disdain flashed through Madara’s heart, though his expression remained as calm as an ancient well. He did not continue that topic, instead beginning another.

"Speaking of which, I rather think that what monk Ichisun said before about Buddha and demon being one has some merit. One whose heart contains great love will inevitably be destroyed by great hatred. One who wishes to save all living beings must first sink into the suffering of those living beings. How about you and I make another wager, junior brother?"

"Let’s wager on whether that child, when he one day comes to witness the world’s true face, will still be able to preserve the innocent heart he has today."

The prayer beads moving through Genjo’s fingers suddenly stopped. He looked at the middle-aged monk beside him and remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head gently.

"I won’t."

"Why?" Madara frowned.

The last time, in the ruined temple, they had wagered on lightning. The young monk had lost decisively, yet he had not hesitated in the slightest.

Why was he shrinking back this time instead?

Genjo sighed softly. His clear eyes met the other’s beneath the moonlight as he spoke calmly.

"To confuse people’s hearts and reverse cause and effect!"

"You, senior brother, intend to shoot the arrow first and then paint the target afterward. Ridiculously pitiful!"

...

What else the two fake monks discussed atop that cliff afterward, no one knew.

However, when Madara departed, his expression was far from pleasant. Evidently, in the end he had still failed to persuade Genjo to make that wager with him, or rather, he had once again failed to win the debate against Genjo.

Just like that, another two days passed.

After September began, more and more outsiders arrived in Konoha. Representatives from the various great ninja villages and neighboring nations arrived one after another. Even travelers and merchants who had nothing to do with the event and had merely come to join the excitement or catch a glimpse of the famous Shinichi Higashino flocked there in great numbers.

As for how many of them were actually spies from other ninja villages, no one knew.

For a time, nearly every inn in Konoha was fully occupied, and the society’s preparations entered their final sprint.

The banners were hung, the venue was fully arranged, and every step of the program had been checked one by one.

And when everything had finally settled into place, September 10th of Konoha Year 47, the date that Shinichi had chosen on a whim, yet one destined to be recorded in the history of the Shinobi World, finally arrived.

As the eastern horizon was just beginning to glow with the pale light of dawn and the sky had only started to brighten, Konoha quietly awakened. Streams of people began converging upon the square from every direction within the village.

Representatives from the various small ninja villages entered the venue one after another early in the morning under the guidance of the Shinichi Society’s reception staff, introducing themselves and exchanging the names of their villages.

The great clans of Konoha also sent representatives.

Fugaku Uchiha took his seat in the front row together with several clan elders.

Hiashi Hyuga walked alongside several elders of the Hyuga clan.

Ren Inuzuka and his wife chatted and laughed amid the crowd. Some ordinary villagers, unable to squeeze into the better spots near the front, simply climbed onto the branches of several old banyan trees at the edge of the square, swinging their legs as they looked down.

Before long, more than ten thousand people had gathered in the square.

A dense sea of heads stretched from the temporary stage all the way to the far end of the square. The morning sunlight passed over the rooftops, bathing the enormous stone faces on Hokage Rock in a warm golden glow.

Each person had come for a different reason. Some were excited, some indifferent, some were there to gather intelligence, some merely to join the excitement, and some were already waiting eagerly to watch a spectacle unfold.

But regardless of their motives, amid the anticipation of countless people harboring their own thoughts, the founding ceremony finally began.

Because there were simply too many people attending, and although all the necessary procedures for Shinichi Society had already been completed beforehand, it had never been formally registered in the true sense, the first part of the association’s founding ceremony was for the third Hokage to take the stage, deliver a speech, and officially approve the association’s registration on behalf of Konoha.

Immediately afterward, chief butler Sosho took the stage and read a congratulatory message on behalf of the Fire Daimyo. As he spoke, the expressions on the faces of the representatives from the smaller countries’ hidden villages below the stage were particularly interesting.

Next, the banner was lowered, and the red cloth covering the plaque was removed by the person in charge.

The words "Ninja Way Origins Research Society" gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

At this point, the formal proceedings were complete. But everyone knew that the real highlight was only just beginning.

In the front row of the audience, the third Hokage sat side by side with chief butler Sosho. Beside them sat the Shadow Clones of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

Even Danzo Shimura, who almost never appeared in public, especially before the people of Konoha, had made an unprecedented appearance.

Behind them, Tsunade sat with her arms folded while on her left and right side were the Shadow Clones of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru watched the stage with great interest, his golden snake-like eyes flickering with an inscrutable fascination, while Jiraiya’s gaze repeatedly drifted toward the section of the venue specially reserved for representatives from foreign nations and villages.

’Was that Yahiko? And Konan? They came too?’

Jiraiya’s eyes settled on the three figures dressed in black robes. His initial surprise quietly transformed into gratification, gratified that they had grown up, and gratified that they had come of their own accord to witness this gathering.

It seemed that they, too, were pursuing something. Perhaps the path before them, like his own, was still unclear, but at least they were still walking it.

The three members of the Akatsuki were currently seated in the guest section.

Yahiko looked around repeatedly, and after seeing that none of the Hyuga clan members present had activated their Byakugan, he quietly released Nagato’s Shadow Clone, carefully disguised with the Transformation Technique, from a sealing scroll.