Didn't I Become Hokage for Nothing?

Inside his home, Shiraishi sat cross-legged in the living room, practicing his breathing techniques.

Ever since regaining his body, Shiraishi had dedicated the majority of his time each day to breathing exercises and refining his qi, working to restore his true essence.

However, limited by the mediocre aptitude of this current body, the rate at which Shiraishi could increase his true essence was quite slow.

To compensate, Shiraishi adopted an extreme approach, choosing to overdraw his body's vitality. He squeezed every ounce of potential and energy from his physical form to refine as much true essence as possible, using it to nourish his soul and heal the wounds sustained during his self-detonation.

The cultivation methods of the Nine Nether Sect focused heavily on the spirit, but that did not mean they disregarded the physical body.

The spirit was the core of cultivation, while the physical body served as the vessel for the spirit and magical power; it was an external suit of armor, a sturdy ship meant to traverse the bitter sea and reach the shore of transcendence.

Therefore, in the cultivation philosophy of the Nine Nether Sect, the more tempered and resilient the body, the better, for only a sufficiently powerful body could house a powerful spirit.

Shiraishi's current method of cultivation treated this body merely as a temporary vessel, a tool used to nurture his spirit.

After completing one cycle of breathing and refining, Shiraishi slowly opened his eyes. A sickly flush appeared on his cheeks, rather than the healthy glow one would expect from a cultivator filled with vitality.

Shiraishi was well aware of his condition; under this exhaustive, predatory style of cultivation, the body would completely collapse within three years at most.

Yet he did not care; three years was more than enough time for him to prepare a body that was both compatible and possessed outstanding aptitude.

Shiraishi turned his head toward the door, his keen spiritual sense allowing him to detect someone approaching his residence well in advance.

As a knock sounded, Shiraishi walked barefoot out of the living room, reached the door, pressed the handle, and opened it.

Standing outside was an Anbu ninja wearing a mask.

"The Hokage wishes to see you," the Anbu ninja said in a cold, emotionless voice.

"Understood," Shiraishi replied calmly. He put on his shoes and left the house with the Anbu ninja.

A few minutes later, Shiraishi arrived at the Hokage's office and saw Danzo sitting at the desk.

Danzo spoke, ordering all the Anbu ninjas guarding in the shadows to withdraw, then stood up and walked over to Shiraishi.

"I have already informed Orochimaru. Starting tomorrow, you will participate in the cloning experiments in the name of being my confidant.

Whatever kind of body you require, feel free to tell Orochimaru your demands. As long as it is within his power, he will do his utmost to fulfill them."

Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Shiraishi's face. He did not show the excitement Danzo had expected; instead, he acted as if he had just heard of a trivial, unimportant matter.

"Very well. Once the experiments are complete, our previous transaction will be considered finished," Shiraishi said with a smile.

Danzo stared into Shiraishi's eyes, trying to discern something from those deep, unfathomable depths, but he found absolutely nothing.

What kind of body would Shiraishi create? Once he possessed a suitable body, to what level would his power reach?

Whenever Danzo recalled the various bizarre abilities Shiraishi had displayed previously, his heart was filled with apprehension.

"To be honest, I am quite curious: what kind of body will you forge for yourself?" Danzo feigned curiosity, hoping to glean some information from Shiraishi.

"You will see," Shiraishi replied with a composed tone, revealing nothing to Danzo.

"Actually, if you desire an excellent body, I can arrange for ninjas from any of the village's clans to be provided to you—even those from the Uchiha or Hyuga would be no problem," Danzo said deliberately after returning to his seat.

"Uchiha? Hyuga? I have no interest in mixed-blood things." Seeing Danzo's curiosity, Shiraishi intentionally leaked information to pique his intense interest.

Sure enough, upon hearing Shiraishi's words, Danzo's curiosity grew even stronger. "I am talking about pure-blooded Uchiha and Hyuga."

"Pure-blooded? There are no pure-blooded Uchiha or Hyuga," Shiraishi said meaningfully.

With that, Shiraishi turned around and made to leave.

"Wait!" Danzo stood up hurriedly, calling out to stop him.

"What do you mean by that?"

Shiraishi paused, tilted his head slightly, and glanced back over his shoulder, saying in a mocking tone, "Guess."

As the words fell, Shiraishi opened the door and walked out of the office, leaving Danzo alone behind the desk. Danzo gripped the table, veins bulging on his hands, his face flushed red—he looked more uncomfortable than if he had swallowed a fly.

There are no pure-blooded Uchiha or Hyuga? Why would he say such a thing? What secret was hidden behind those words?

Danzo felt as if countless ants were crawling in his heart, an itch that was unbearable.

Bang!

Danzo slammed his hand heavily onto the desk, desperately wanting to find a way to counter Shiraishi.

Otherwise, before he became Hokage, he had been suppressed by that bastard Hiruzen.

Now that he had become Hokage, he was being suppressed by this mysterious existence of unknown origin.

If things continued this way, had his time as Hokage been for nothing?

In a training ground outside the Uchiha compound, Itachi stood in the woods, holding several shuriken and kunai between his fingers.

Wooden targets facing different directions hung from the surrounding tree trunks; this was a place he had specifically set up to practice his ninja tool throwing.

Itachi stood in the clearing between several large trees, holding his breath and focusing his mind. After calculating the flight paths of the tools in his head, he turned his body slightly, twisted his waist and abdomen, and exerted force from his legs. His lowered right hand whipped out like a spring, launching the tools.

Immediately following, his left hand moved, throwing with explosive force. The two waves of tools, flying one after the other, collided in mid-air, deflected off each other, and struck the centers of all the wooden targets with precision.

This precise, elegant, and artistic throwing technique was the ninja tool throwing method passed down by the Uchiha clan, perfectly embodying the arrogant nature of the clan.

The Uchiha did not merely seek to kill their enemies; they sought to kill them with the most flamboyant and elegant methods possible.

Tobirama, residing within Itachi's body, had witnessed Itachi's performance from start to finish. Although he held deep hostility toward the Uchiha, he had to admit in his heart that this child, Itachi, was an absolute genius.

It was not just his talent as a ninja; after spending these past few days together, Tobirama had discovered that this child's genius also manifested in his precocious way of thinking.

What kind of child would ponder the meaning of life before the age of four?

Aside from the lunatics of the Uchiha, no child from any other clan would contemplate such things at this age.

"Itachi, well done." Tobirama's voice resonated within Itachi's mind.

Itachi smiled shyly and said nothing, simply retrieving the ninja tools he had just thrown in silence.

"Your shurikenjutsu and your precise control of chakra have already surpassed that of an average ninja. The vast majority of chunin are far inferior to you in terms of technique; the only things they have over you are their physical constitution and chakra reserves," Tobirama commented truthfully.

Itachi replied modestly, "I still need to continue working hard."

Within Itachi's mental space, a smile appeared on Tobirama's face that he himself had not even noticed; his favor for this unconventional Uchiha child was steadily growing.

If Itachi were not a member of the Uchiha clan, based solely on the talent and mindset he had displayed over these past few days, Tobirama would have long since spoken up to take him as a disciple and mentor him properly.

But because Itachi was an Uchiha, Tobirama was forced to spend more time observing him to see what the child's true character was like.

And, what kind of conspiracy the mastermind behind the scenes had in mind by placing him inside this child's body.