The Malice That Finally Awoke

Thinking about this, Hiruzen did not insist that Shiraishi Yoshijo must join the Anbu. Instead, he took a scroll out from his robe.

He handed the scroll to Shiraishi Yoshijo and said, "These are the medical Ninjutsu researched by the Anbu. Since you are unwilling to join the Anbu, then stay at the hospital. These Ninjutsu can also be put to good use in your hands."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was somewhat surprised, his expression softening slightly as he took the scroll and shoved it into his robe without even looking at it.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. If there is nothing else, I will be leaving."

"Wait a moment. Since you accepted that, I hope you will accept this as well."

Hiruzen took a Konoha forehead protector from under his desk, along with a file, and handed them to him.

Shiraishi Yoshijo understood Hiruzen's meaning the moment he saw the forehead protector.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately accepted it.

Having the status of a ninja meant fulfilling the responsibilities of a ninja.

Although Shiraishi Yoshijo was somewhat resistant, he understood that living in a ninja village meant this was a life he would have to face sooner or later.

Besides, with the status of a ninja, his future benefits would increase accordingly; there wasn't much money left at home!

After putting away the forehead protector, Shiraishi Yoshijo turned and left the room.

Only after the office door closed did Hiruzen silently pick up his pipe and begin to smoke.

Danzo glanced at him and said, "Hiruzen, is it really okay to just hand those Ninjutsu over to him? And why not be more forceful with your attitude? You are always like this—naive!"

"Danzo, he is still just a child. Why can't you trust him?"

Seeing that the two were on the verge of arguing again, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura hurriedly acted as peacemakers, urging them both to calm down.

"You know the basic Chakra control required for medical Ninjutsu, and you know his Shide secret technique. It won't be long before he displays terrifying talent in medical Ninjutsu."

Danzo remained furious: "You let him stay in the hospital; do you know how much of an advantage this will give him?"

"Those guys were already restless, and you are just adding fuel to the fire. You are truly too naive."

Hiruzen slammed his pipe onto the desk: "What would you have me do? Forcing him into the Anbu—wouldn't that be adding even more fuel to the fire?"

"Danzo, violence cannot solve any problems; it will only bring endless pain to the village."

"In the underground training ground, even when facing the Aburame boy, he still held back. I believe he will not do anything to disappoint me."

Neither could convince the other, and in the end, Danzo could only leave with a cold snort.

After Danzo left, Hiruzen closed his eyes and said, "Danzo is becoming increasingly extreme. If this continues..."

Utatane Koharu said, "The things he has done inevitably make his personality dark, but he is also single-mindedly devoted to the village."

Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement: "Without Danzo, there would be no peace in the village today. Hiruzen, you should also try to see things from his perspective."

Hiruzen silently picked up his pipe and walked to the window to smoke.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a look and coughed a few times.

"Regarding the matter of Shiraishi Yoshijo, we also agree with your approach, Hiruzen. It's just that there are always ninja clans surrounding that boy, and I fear he will be influenced by them..."

Speaking of this, Utatane Koharu hesitated: "Should we also find some medical ninjas to enter the hospital? At the very least, we cannot let him have total control, or the situation will become very difficult to manage."

Hiruzen sighed: "I understand. You may select them from the Anbu."

Ever since Shiraishi Yoshijo began using medical Ninjutsu at the hospital, he had his own office.

Sitting in his office, he took out the scroll Hiruzen had given him, glanced at it for a few seconds, and tossed it onto the desk.

Hemostasis Technique, Healing Technique, Mystical Palm Technique—these were the three Ninjutsu recorded on the scroll.

In his view, they were somewhat low-level, though he understood that these three Ninjutsu were effectively the ceiling for most medical ninjas.

As for his own medical Ninjutsu, Shiraishi Yoshijo had been under a certain illusion ever since he accelerated the maturation of the Butterfly Seed.

An illusion of being seemingly omnipotent.

He did not know where his limits lay.

Thinking of this, he lit another cigarette, and after finishing it, he muttered to himself, "I've been smoking for a week; it's time to cleanse my lungs."

Chakra circulated through his body, gradually converting into water-attribute Chakra.

He placed his hand against his chest, and a faint glow emanated from his palm.

Before long, a mass of water bubbles mixed with impurities was drawn out from his body, which he casually tossed into the trash can.

"A bit painful, though the Chakra consumption isn't much. I'll just do this once a month from now on."

After cleansing his lungs, he stared out the window, lost in thought.

Ever since Shiraishi Eizawa died, he had lost his purpose.

Now, he really needed to think carefully about what to do in the future.

First, he needed to solve the problem of his total Chakra volume.

He was ten years old this year and already possessed the Chakra volume of a Chunin.

Among his classmates, he was a bona fide genius; even compared to Orochimaru, he wasn't far behind.

In another four or five years, he would have the Chakra volume of a Jonin.

If he could truly live in peace in Konoha, he might have been satisfied.

Unfortunately, he was well aware of how much he loathed this village.

Living here always gave him the feeling of residing within an illusion.

It was like a colorful soap bubble, ready to burst at the slightest touch.

The Will of Fire was like a sun hanging high in the sky, shining down upon everyone in Konoha.

They all lived in a dream, and he did not want to be assimilated by them.

That was why he used this eccentric attire to remind himself.

He was different from them.

Either be lonely, or be vulgar.

He considered himself a vulgar person, but for now, he was also a lonely one.

He wanted to leave Konoha.

But before leaving, he had to extract enough nutrients from this great tree to survive.

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought carefully; currently, there were only three ways he could think of to solve his Chakra volume issue.

The first was bloodline.

Representatives of this aspect included the Sharingan, the cells of Senju Hashirama, and the Sage Body of the Uzumaki clan.

The Byakugan of the Hyuga should also have such functions, but it was simply impossible to obtain.

The simplest was the Sharingan; with his current medical Ninjutsu, he could basically achieve plug-and-play.

However, non-Uchiha using the Sharingan would suffer from rejection reactions, a problem that even medical Ninjutsu could not solve.

Unless, like Orochimaru, he directly reincarnated into the body of an Uchiha clan member.

Shiraishi Yoshijo did not want to become that kind of pervert yet, even though he already looked like one.

As for Hashirama cells, unless he cooperated with Danzo, there was no possibility of obtaining them.

Unfortunately, Danzo would not trust him.

The Sage Body of the Uzumaki clan was also unrealistic.

The second was Sealing Technique, the most representative being Tsunade's Yin Seal.

This should be a Sealing Technique taught to Tsunade by Uzumaki Mito, and he did not know if he could use it himself.

It was just that, for now, it was basically impossible to obtain.

As for the last one, it was the Tailed Beast.

Becoming a Jinchuriki would allow one to use the Tailed Beast's Chakra, which was quite a convenient, large-scale power bank.

However, Tailed Beasts were top-secret in every village; even if he actually obtained one, he would likely be hunted to death.

Moreover, sealing a Tailed Beast also required Sealing Technique.

Over the past few days, he had roughly looked through the family's classics on Sealing Technique, but they were all basic knowledge.

There was only one Sealing Technique with real value: the Five Elements Seal.

Unfortunately, even the Five Elements Seal was not something that could be learned easily.

The basic knowledge of Sealing Technique was obscure and difficult to understand; Shiraishi Yoshijo felt dizzy just from flipping through it briefly.

If he were to research Sealing Technique himself, it would likely consume a considerable amount of time.

But this was already the best method he could think of for now.

"No choice, I'll have to learn Sealing Technique first."

Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed, then used the Reverse Summoning Technique to arrive at Butterfly Habitat Valley.

Mei was lying there sleeping as usual.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stared at her for a while, then began to search for the classics on Sealing Technique.

After taking out a few books, he returned to his office and began to study with a calm mind.

In Butterfly Habitat Valley, Mei, who had been sleeping there, suddenly opened her eyes.

After letting out a yawn, she said thoughtfully, "Learning Sealing Technique first, not a bad choice."

She got up and walked out of the main hall, stared at the sky for a while, and then returned to the hall.

There was an extra scroll in her hand; she thought for a moment and then casually tossed it onto the bookshelf.

"Would this be a bit too obvious?"

Mei muttered to herself, "The guys from before were all unwilling to cooperate with me; although this little guy is special, it won't be that simple."

"No choice then." Mei reached out and took the scroll back.

"I'll test him out when he comes next time."

As she spoke, Mei lay back down on the bed in the main hall and fell asleep.