"Welcome, Mr. Hamura," someone said while offering him a bouquet.
"Hello, Mr. Masato Nakai, It's a pleasure to meet you." Dan replied, accepting the bouquet.
Masato Nakai looked at Ryu and thought, "Who is this well-suited kid? He is giving bad boss vibes. I am not ready to deal with another rich brat like the last boss."
Masato Nakai, "Please come and address your staff; they are eager to meet their new employer."
"Please lead the way," Dan said. "Ryu, come."
"He is your grandson." Masato Nakai asked.
"Yes, his name is Ryu. He is in the 1st year of Ninja Academy."
"You brought him here for an introduction. You must be genuinely proud of him," Masato remarked.
"I am actually." Dan said, smiling.
"I have looked into you. I was surprised when I found out that you are a retired ninja. Ninjas are not interested in ventures like our company." Masato said.
"Yes, I'm a retired Jonin, and yes, I'm interested. So is my grandson," Dan answered.
Masato replied, "You are the talk of the town in the fire capital. Everyone was talking about how a new fuinjutsu seal has been crafted after a long decade. The last boss was a noble from Fire Capital. After he died, his son inherited the company. He cut our budget to more than half. It was very difficult to continue working in the company after that. The staff is hopeful after they hear they will be working under a new boss."
Dan smiled and replied, "I understand your intention in telling me this, but you do not need to worry; I am one to promote research and innovation."
They were led to the conference hall filled with the most important individuals of the company. They sat in their seats.
Masato Nakai took the lead and addressed everyone, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen and fellow colleagues. I now present to you the new member of this family and our new boss, Dan Hamura."
He continued with the introduction, "Mr. Hamura here is a retired Jonin, and from what I hear, he is a genius at fuinjutsu. When I happened to know that we would be under the care of a new boss, the curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up looking into Mr. Hamura. What I found not only relieved me of my prior anxiety that always comes with a new boss, but it also instilled a new hope in me for a better future. I came to know that the Hamura clan is a clan of crafters and builders. So I know we will be able to feel better working under someone who understands the art of creation. Now, without taking much time, please let's welcome him with a round of applause."
Applause filled the room. Following this, Masato Nakai proceeded, "Now, I would like to invite Mr. Hamura to share some words of encouragement with us."
Dan stood up and stared, addressing the people around him.
He began, "Hello everyone. I am Dan Hamura. As Masato-san mentioned, I come from a clan known for our craftsmanship. Specifically, we crafted armour and weapons for the Senju Clan, a prominent forest clan, long before the establishment of any village."
"But this time, I aim to create something different—an instrument for progress and innovation rather than destruction and war. I trust that each of you will join me in this exciting journey."
Everyone clapped and cheered.
Dan said, "Please sit down; we have a lot to discuss."
He continued, "I know the company was going through a rough patch under the previous leadership due to budget cuts, and everyone is sceptical if that is going to continue. But let me assure you that instead of cuts, the new Hamura industries will go into pretty big expansion. I have, and most importantly, our new Director of Innovation has a big vision for this company. It will take time and, most importantly, money, but I am sure we will get there with all of us working together. For those wondering about what this new post of Director of Innovation and his big vision is, let me introduce him. Please welcome, My grandson, Ryu Hamura."
Everyone was confused and surprised when a brat in a well-tailored suit with funny hair and eye-catching retro sunglasses stood up.
"Good morning, everyone," Ryu started speaking. "First, I would like to thank Grandpa Dan. For his encouraging words. To maintain professionalism, I would be calling you Director Dan or Boss in this setting from now on."
Dan smiled hearing this.
Ryu continued, "Now you all may be wondering what a brat is doing in here. Some of you might think that they will now have to deal with tantrums and whatnot and this is blatant nepotism. But let me assure you all that those thoughts will be over once I explain my vision for this company."
"Let us begin," Ryu declared. "If I had the time, I would have prepared a projector and slides, but I have an alternative. I apologise for the intrusion, but rest assured, it's harmless."
With that apology, he began forming some hand seals, and air vibrated for a second when chakra flowed from Ryu towards the audience.
- Genjutsu-[Mind Palace] projection
Landscape changed to a recreation of the void. Masato Nakai understood what was happening and realised and spoke, "Genjutsu."
Before anyone could object, Ryu spoke up, "I know what you all are thinking. But rest assured, it's for the presentation and not an invasive kind of genjutsu."
Masato Nakai calmed down and thought, "This brat is already a ninja as well. But Dan Hamura told me that he was a 1st-year student at the ninja academy. Such powerful genjutsu."
At that particular moment, Masato Nakai realised that Ryu was not your average kid.
Others were wondering if they would be exploited under Genjutsu; one of two were reserve Gennin among the staff, but the majority were civilians. It was not normal to put them under genjutsu.
An image of a monkey appeared in front of them. A live moving image scratching his back.
Ryu engaged the audience, asking, "Given that this is not an intelligent summoning beast, can anyone discern the distinctions between us and this animal?"
One of the girl employees raised her hand and replied, "We are humans, and this is an animal."
"How are we different from it then? Just like us, it eats, poops, and reproduces." Ryu asked.
Masato Nakai then spoke, "It's about our cognitive abilities. Humans possess greater mental capacity for thinking."
"You are half right," Ryu said.
Masato Nakai raised an eyebrow. He was not expecting a kid to say he was half wrong.
Ryu explained, "Animals have the capacity to think, though not identical to humans. They are capable of using tools, particularly when trained. Summoning beasts have evolved further, likely due to the influence of chakra in their system. But how did humans evolve differently?"
"I have a theory. According to me, it is not the ability to think that separated us from this animal. but what we did after an idea was born in our minds."
Everyone looked around and thought what that would be.
Ryu spoke in a slow and low tone, "We communicated that idea. That's how we are different from them."
"Have you ever heard the saying that ideas are immortal?" Ryu paused for effect. "Once an idea takes root, it becomes indestructible. That's the true power of ideas.""
Ryu pointed at the monkey and said, "Although they can also communicate in some form, like using hand signs and growling, it's not very effective. is it?"
Everyone nodded. Ryu was right; he highlighted that our ability to share makes us different from animals. Many animals can think, but to share the exact idea is exclusive to humans. That's why we are called an evolved species.
"Hand signs are the most primitive form of communication. I think this is the reason that hand signs are an integral part of ninjutsu. These hand signs are ingrained in our minds, instincts, and in our blood from when we were a primitive species."
"When we started speaking, the first idea was shared from one person to another. Thus began the journey of ideas. Those ideas evolved in that journey, through the addition of each person's unique thoughts."
Everyone nodded, not finding any flaw in Ryu's logic.
Masato Nakai thought, "This brat is not simple. Everything he said is right. But where is he leading this conversation? Is he trying to tell us the importance of effective communication in an organisation? That was his big vision?"
Ryu continued, "This exchange and journey of ideas is what leads to the collective consciousness of civilisations. This exchange of ideas marked a pivotal moment in our civilisation. It sparked innovation and progress, allowing us to evolve and adapt to our ever-changing world. The power of communication cannot be underestimated in shaping the course of history."
"It pushed us towards growth, and we evolved from that to the most dominant and dangerous species on the planet." Ryu said, pointing towards the monkey.
##PoWeR StOnEs##
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