Thirteenth Chapter: Reputation

To be honest, Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't want to get involved in this sort of thing so early.

Politics and all that? He was only eight. One wrong move, and he might lose his life.

Danzo was no pushover, and the Third Hokage only seemed noble and righteous. Then there were the Uchiha, Hyuga, Senju, and other clans—not one of them was easy to deal with.

If he could have chosen his background, he suddenly thought being a civilian wouldn't be so bad. Resources might be limited, but at least his life wouldn't be in danger.

But he'd been born into a ninja clan. Resources weren't a problem, but every step he took was fraught with danger.

And that was true even before he became strong. Even if he reached Kage Level, dealing with this situation would still give him a massive headache.

After thinking it over for a moment, Shiraishi Yoshijo made up his mind.

"Grandpa Shuichi, working at the hospital is what I want. I won't change my mind."

Takemoto Shuichi grew anxious. "Do you even know what working at the hospital means? It means giving up your identity as a ninja. You won't even have a ninja registration number."

"Without a ninja's identity, you'll have no chance of advancement in Konoha. No matter how skilled you are as a medic, what will you get besides a little recognition?"

"Life isn't that simple, especially when you were born into a ninja clan. You're bound to shoulder certain responsibilities. Do you really want to run away from them?"

By the end, Takemoto Shuichi's face had turned livid, and spittle flew all over Shiraishi Yoshijo.

Shiraishi Eizawa watched quietly, sipping his tea at a leisurely pace.

Shiraishi Yoshijo fell silent.

Takemoto Shuichi realized he'd overreacted. He calmed himself down, then tried to persuade him again.

"You don't need to worry about joining a ninja squad. We've already arranged absolutely reliable teammates for you."

"After you've trained for a few years and built up some experience, we'll put you in a position in the Konoha High Command. That'll be far better than staying at the hospital."

They'd already arranged everything for him. Shiraishi Yoshijo couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

But he'd already made up his mind. This was the time to stand firm and cut things off cleanly.

He needed to sever ties with these ninja clans now, before they became an unmanageable burden later.

"Grandpa Shuichi, please stop. I won't change my mind."

"Why? Give me a reason."

"There are only two of us left in my family: my uncle and me. I just want to grow up in peace, then live an ordinary life."

Takemoto Shuichi stared hard into his eyes. Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't back down; he held his ground under the pressure.

"There aren't only two of you. We're all your clan kin, bound together by blood!"

"Once a family splits, it becomes two clans."

Those were Shiraishi Eizawa's words from yesterday. Shiraishi Yoshijo used them to shut Takemoto Shuichi down.

Takemoto Shuichi's face went from livid to pale, then flushed red. Sparks began to flicker around him.

A powerful aura surged from him, bearing down almost entirely on Shiraishi Yoshijo.

It was awful. That was all Shiraishi Yoshijo could think.

The aura wasn't just a burst of Chakra. It was mixed with a terrifying killing intent.

Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't dare move. It felt as if someone were squeezing his heart, and it might burst at any moment.

This was the power of the strong. This kind of power—

It was utterly captivating!

Takemoto Shuichi had undoubtedly come from the same era as his grandfather, and that era had been almost constantly plagued by war. Anyone who survived those conditions was no weakling.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was forced to his knees by the aura. He had no doubt that if the old man wanted him dead, all it would take was a flick of his finger.

Shiraishi Eizawa could no longer sit still. He stood and said, "Uncle Shuichi, he's still a child. He can't withstand this kind of pressure. Why are you getting so angry?"

Takemoto Shuichi seemed truly furious. At those words, his aura only grew stronger.

Blood trickled from the corner of Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth. All he could hear was a buzzing in his head.

He knew he couldn't give in now, and he knew Takemoto Shuichi wouldn't kill him.

All he could do was grit his teeth and hold out. As long as he survived, the world would be his for the taking.

Takemoto Anna, standing behind the old man, looked completely baffled.

She couldn't understand why Shiraishi Yoshijo was resisting so stubbornly.

No one wanted to hurt him. Everyone was doing this for his sake.

What was wrong with living this way?

She had just celebrated her eleventh birthday. As she watched Shiraishi Yoshijo, it was as if she saw a new door opening.

"Grandpa, actually, we could do it this way. Let him go to the hospital, but have him take the assessment too. Wouldn't that solve everything?"

Takemoto Anna suddenly spoke up.

Her suggestion opened a door for Takemoto Shuichi as well.

Takemoto Shuichi fell quiet. Shiraishi Eizawa's eyes lit up, and the two exchanged a look, immediately reaching an agreement.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was gasping for breath, like a fish about to die of thirst.

"Heh. You sure are something, old man!"

Shiraishi Yoshijo might once have felt some respect for the old man, but now it had all vanished.

All that remained was fear.

His life had been entirely in someone else's hands. He'd never experienced anything like it.

It was like lying on an operating table, forced to entrust his life to a doctor.

Ah, what a shocking and captivating power.

An ambition he'd never felt before began to rise within him. He wanted that power.

He wanted to control other people's fates. He wanted more power, and he wanted power that was stronger.

Takemoto Shuichi realized he'd gone too far. Faced with Shiraishi Yoshijo's disrespect, he could only laugh awkwardly a few times.

"It's settled. Starting tomorrow, you'll train with me. With the strength you have now, passing the assessment is impossible."

Takemoto Shuichi left with Takemoto Anna after dropping those words.

As she left, Takemoto Anna glanced at Shiraishi Yoshijo, her expression inscrutable.

Once they were gone, Shiraishi Yoshijo finally relaxed. He went completely limp.

He sprawled on the floor, not wanting to move at all, and stared blankly at the sky.

"Come on. They're gone, so get up. Wash your hands and eat."

Shiraishi Eizawa couldn't stand watching him any longer.

After dinner, Shiraishi Yoshijo prepared to return to his room.

As he pushed the door open, Shiraishi Eizawa's voice rang out.

"Isn't there anything you want to ask?"

"Ask what? I'll find out sooner or later anyway."

"Ow, ow! Could you stop pinching my ear?"

Shiraishi Eizawa dragged him back to the table by his ear.

"Why are you acting so serious? If you have something to say, just say it."

Shiraishi Yoshijo rolled his eyes. He thought it over, then spoke.

"There are only two of us left. Their family is so powerful and well-established, so why are they still clinging to us? Is it really just because of the Secret Technique inheritance?"

That was what puzzled Shiraishi Yoshijo most. His family had been reduced to a crippled uncle and a child who hadn't grown up yet. They didn't have a fortune, either.

He just couldn't understand why Takemoto Shuichi was so determined to drag him into this, going to such lengths to put him in a position of power.

Shiraishi Eizawa smiled. "The Secret Technique? Even if you offered it to Grandpa Shuichi, he wouldn't take it."

"The things that truly have value in this world are never the things you can see."

There he went again with all that high-minded nonsense, Shiraishi Yoshijo grumbled inwardly.

Shiraishi Eizawa seemed to realize that Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't understand. He sighed.

"What our family truly has isn't a Secret Technique. It's our reputation."

Reputation. Put that way, Shiraishi Yoshijo understood.

There were many names beginning with Shiraishi on the Konoha Memorial Stone. They were all members of his clan.

They had paid with their lives and earned honor. Their clanmates' sacrifices had helped build Konoha, and they had also built the Shide Clan.

Like the Senju motto of leading the charge in every battle, sometimes such things carried more weight than a fist.

An emperor didn't need to be an unmatched warrior. He needed to speak with authority.

When people believed in you, they would make you great. If they didn't believe in you, even holding a knife to their throats wouldn't make them truly submit.

At most, they would submit in appearance, but not in their hearts.

"Though the Takemoto Clan and our family are related by blood, we split into two clans. They don't have that kind of reputation."

"Before Konoha was founded, we were already a major clan, and many ninja clans depended on us. Even after Konoha was founded, they remained closely connected to us."

"As long as someone from our family is still around, that reputation will endure. If our family dies out, this whole interest group will collapse."

By then, Shiraishi Yoshijo fully understood the situation he was in.

Whether it was the Takemoto Clan or the other ninja clans, they needed a reputation to command the people.

Without that authority, they would become a disorganized rabble, and their interests in Konoha would shrink drastically.

They knew this well, which was why they were clinging to him. The Shide Clan had fallen so far that its own stake in the matter had been reduced to almost nothing.

If they could put him in a position of power and have him fight for influence in the village on their behalf, they would maximize their interests.

He could even imagine that if he really rose to power, more ninja clans might come to depend on him.

This interest group would grow even larger.

If he proved himself, perhaps he could even aspire to become Hokage.