The Change

After thinking it through, Shiraishi Yoshijo could only smile bitterly.

That bastard Danzo had wanted to recruit him into the Anbu ever since the Ninja Academy opened. He had no idea what his uncle had been thinking—he'd actually come back to ask for Yoshijo's opinion.

Did he want Yoshijo to join the Third Hokage's side?

There was no chance of that. Never mind whether this interest group would agree; Yoshijo himself would be the first to refuse.

That bastard Danzo was cunning. If Yoshijo fell into his hands, he'd probably slap a Cursed Seal on him. Who would he even complain to then?

Wait. A flash of inspiration struck Shiraishi Yoshijo, and he suddenly thought of his parents' deaths.

They hadn't died in the Shinobi World War. They'd died on an ordinary mission, which had seemed suspicious to him from the start.

And when his parents died, the Third Hokage had only just taken office. If his whole family had been wiped out, who would benefit the most?

The Third Hokage.

At the thought, Shiraishi Yoshijo drew in a sharp breath.

With his family dead and him the only one left, Danzo and the Third Hokage would have plenty of ways to manipulate him.

They could control him and make him absorb all these clans. The Hokage's position and power would grow even greater.

If that really was what had happened, Shiraishi Yoshijo looked at his good uncle, Shiraishi Eizawa, and felt genuine gratitude toward him.

There was no doubt that Eizawa had borne the pressure from outside all these years, allowing Yoshijo to live so comfortably.

Thinking of how Shiraishi Eizawa had once fought Danzo, Yoshijo guessed it had been to show how resolute he was.

It had kept Danzo and the Third Hokage's faction from going too far, while also leaving Yoshijo room to choose.

If Yoshijo had really joined a ninja squad, the shadow of death would have followed close behind.

Eizawa had probably been wavering for the past two years, until Yoshijo said he wanted to work at the hospital and his uncle finally found him a way out.

Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't know whether someone like him had really existed in Konoha's history. If he had, he probably hadn't lived long.

Danzo would never let him go. Now that Yoshijo had made it clear he wouldn't be controlled, Danzo had no choice but to kill him and make this interest group collapse.

He hadn't realized it before, but now Shiraishi Yoshijo was sweating coldly.

He was relieved he'd chosen to work at the hospital, yet worried about what lay ahead.

The interest group led by the Takemoto Clan would definitely not let him live comfortably at the hospital. They would do everything they could to push him into power.

For their own interests, he would inevitably have to challenge the interest group led by the Third Hokage.

He didn't know if he could win, but Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't think it was worth doing.

Still, the matter of his parents had become a thorn in his heart.

If the Third Hokage and Danzo really had done it—

Shiraishi Yoshijo sneered, then tossed out two words and left.

"Boring."

Watching him go, Shiraishi Eizawa smiled bitterly.

"It really is boring."

Back in his room, Shiraishi Yoshijo opened a Ninjutsu scroll, but couldn't focus on it at all.

After forcing himself to read for a while, he set it aside and started staring into space.

What should he do?

Get rid of the Third Hokage and become the Fourth? How?

Unless something unexpected happened, the Third Hokage would outlive him. Thanks to his clan's damn Secret Technique, he probably wouldn't live to fifty.

A coup would be difficult, too. The interest group led by the Third Hokage was enormous.

Besides, the shinobi clans led by the Takemoto Clan only wanted him to secure benefits for them. If they really staged a coup, he'd probably be the first one they abandoned.

So his only choice was to stay at the hospital?

Keep a low profile, stay alive, then get two Sharingan and evolve them into the Rinnegan?

Once he was strong enough, he could start a coup and become Hokage?

Boring!

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Shiraishi Yoshijo had finally gotten a second chance at life. How could he let the village tie him down? Boring politics didn't suit him.

Had he really gotten a second chance just to become a small-town mayor?

Hey, hey, hey. Don't joke about that.

His family and relatives had been buried beneath the rotting leaves of Konoha. Was he supposed to become new rotting leaves himself?

Only an idiot would do that. Being a saint didn't suit him.

At the thought, Shiraishi Yoshijo's expression turned strange.

"Since you treated my family and relatives as fuel to feed on, don't blame me for treating you as fuel."

"Heh heh heh." Shiraishi Yoshijo let out a strange laugh, pulled a book from the shelf, and found his smile growing more and more unsettling as he read.

After a long while, Shiraishi Yoshijo closed the book, shut his eyes, and began to think.

If what the book said was true, then what he needed was a Cursed Seal.

A Cursed Seal that could control people.

But the Cursed Seals in the story had mostly been described in vague terms. Even now, Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't understand how they were made.

Did they have something to do with Sealing Technique?

He didn't know, but it didn't matter. He was still young. There would be chances to learn about such things in the future.

The most urgent matter now was Shiraishi Eizawa's health.

He didn't know whether Medical Ninjutsu could save his uncle's life, but he would do everything he could.

Whatever the reason, he didn't want his uncle to die.

After all, he was Yoshijo's last remaining relative.

The next day, his good uncle dragged Shiraishi Yoshijo out of bed and forced him to put on the clan outfit.

That colorful getup looked just like something a cross-dresser would wear.

After breakfast, Shiraishi Eizawa took him to the Takemoto Clan.

Starting today, Yoshijo would train with that old man.

"Uncle Eizawa, I'm going there to train. Why do I have to wear this?"

"This is your first time going there. It's important."

When they reached the Takemoto Clan, Shiraishi Yoshijo understood why he had to wear the outfit.

As they walked down the street, people kept bowing to them. Yoshijo felt awkward all over.

He wasn't used to this at all.

Most of the houses around his home were empty. They didn't even have neighbors; living there was like living in a ghost town.

This place was not only lively and prosperous, but, more importantly, full of warmth and life.

"Uncle Eizawa, who are all those people bowing to us?"

"Clan members."

When they met Takemoto Shuichi, Shiraishi Eizawa said, "Uncle Shuichi, I'm leaving Yoshijo in your hands. I'll head back now."

Takemoto Shuichi nodded, then turned and called, "Anna, hurry up. We're leaving."

Was he bringing his granddaughter to training, too?

Shiraishi Yoshijo couldn't understand what Takemoto Shuichi was thinking.

Only after they headed out did Takemoto Anna, dressed in simple clothes, catch up and walk behind them.

They hadn't gone far before a training ground appeared in front of them.

Standing on the grounds, Takemoto Shuichi said, "Yoshijo, your foundation is poor. I'm worried I might hurt you if I train with you, so Anna will be your opponent."

Shiraishi Yoshijo looked back at Takemoto Anna, who was staring at him, too.

"Is Anna-nee really strong?"

"Average."

That was Takemoto Anna's answer, and she sounded modest.

But when they actually started sparring, Shiraishi Yoshijo was dumbfounded.

Her "average" was anything but average!

Her Taijutsu alone was enough to subdue him in an instant, leaving him completely helpless.

So Shiraishi Yoshijo had a miserable day. He spent nearly the whole time getting beaten into the ground.

Takemoto Anna probably had the strength of a Chunin already. Beating him was like child's play.

She didn't even break a sweat, while by the end, Shiraishi Yoshijo was so exhausted he lay motionless on the ground.

"Anna-nee, you're amazing. How did you train?"

"I trained like this."

Shiraishi Yoshijo pointed at himself. "You mean, you trained like me?"

"Mm."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was speechless. He'd spent the whole day getting beaten up. Did she get beaten up every day?

Old man Takemoto Shuichi was ruthless.

After the day's training ended, Takemoto Shuichi took them home.

"Yoshijo, your home is a bit far from here. Why not just stay at my house?"

Takemoto Anna began coughing furiously.

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave him a strange look. "No, thank you, Grandpa Shuichi."

Takemoto Shuichi glared at Anna, then asked, "When is your graduation exam?"

At that, Shiraishi Yoshijo remembered that Kawano was bringing his daughter, Mie, to visit tomorrow. He'd find out the exact date then.

"My Ninja Academy teacher is visiting my house tomorrow. I'll find out then."

"Oh. I hope it isn't too soon. Right now, your most important priority is improving your Taijutsu. Ninjutsu isn't as important."

"I understand."

When he got home, Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't see Shiraishi Eizawa, so he went straight to his room.

Lying on the bed and feeling the aches all over his body, he grinned.

One day of training obviously wouldn't do much, but he could feel himself getting stronger.

Not physically, but mentally.

By the time someone reached the Jonin level, combat experience might not be all that useful.

But in fights between Genin and Chunin, experience was especially important.

He was already looking forward to training tomorrow.

But he couldn't just sit around now. Although Takemoto Shuichi had said there was no need to rush with Ninjutsu, knowing more was always a good thing.

Flipping through the scrolls, he came across the Body Flicker Technique and decided he should learn it first.

After practicing three times, Shiraishi Yoshijo had learned the Body Flicker Technique.

He wasn't particularly happy about it. It was only a relatively simple version of Body Flicker.

Still, he felt like he was learning Ninjutsu at an abnormal rate.

Was the Butterfly Seed in his body already taking effect?

He wondered, but still couldn't figure out why he was learning Ninjutsu so quickly.

Could it be because of his soul? If he counted his soul's age, he'd be a man in his thirties by now.

Yeah, he was an old man even older than Shiraishi Eizawa.

If Shiraishi Eizawa found out, he'd probably be too disgusted to eat.

Shiraishi Yoshijo grinned wickedly.