Gisei Shiraishi cut off his long hair, opting for a short, layered style instead. He swapped his clan robes for a white medical coat with a black collar.
The cigarette... was still dangling from his mouth. No one could see it under the mask anyway.
Walking into the hospital, he was met with a massive wave of stares.
Gisei felt pretty helpless about it. People had just gotten used to his previous eccentric look, and now his sudden style change was making everyone's jaws drop all over again.
Sitting in his office, cigarette still in his mouth, Gisei began to fiddle with the worms.
Honestly, the worms he was raising in the box looked kind of cute, with tiny hairs standing straight up on their chubby bodies. Turning them over with his finger and watching their little bodies arch as they crawled was strangely healing.
Hmm... okay, fine. It was actually disgusting.
The thought of them wriggling inside his own heart made Gisei's face go pale.
Even though they had turned into pupae by now, it still felt incredibly weird.
He really shouldn't have learned that secret technique back then. Sure, his strength wouldn't have grown nearly this fast without planting the butterfly seed, but now he was caught by Mei, who held a fatal weakness over him.
He didn't know if the butterfly seeds he cultivated himself could be controlled by Mei, but remembering how she had handed him the seed without hesitation, a sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.
It wasn't just a gap in strength; it was suppression by rank.
Gisei sighed, closed the box, and looked out the window, lost in thought.
His original plan was about to die prematurely—thanks to Anna Takemoto again.
He could be as hard-hearted as iron toward outsiders, but he could never harden his heart against his own clansmen.
In the end, he owed this clan.
Whether he walked away or defected with them, his fate had been tied to this clan from the moment he was born.
There was no helping it. He was the clan head, after all. Gisei smiled bitterly and began to replan his future.
To dismantle the "Will of Fire," the first priority was, of course, a psychological blow.
He had a rough idea of how to deliver it.
The Hokage faction, led by the Third, prioritized Konoha's interests above all else.
What he needed to do was flip this mindset—put Konoha in the backseat and put the people first.
Simply put: Village First versus People First. This would be the ideological war between the future and the Third Hokage.
Power without conviction is like a castle built on clouds.
He first needed to change the mindset of his own clansmen, then influence the other ninja clans, and eventually move all of Konoha.
It sounded simple, but executing it would be difficult. People's concepts didn't change that easily, especially adults whose thinking was already set in stone.
So, should the target be the next generation?
Thinking of this, Gisei grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down one word: Education.
When mentioning education, one has to talk about the Ninja Academy.
The Academy founded by Tobirama Senju had always been regarded by the Third as a top priority.
If Gisei tried to propagate this ideology inside the Academy, it would undoubtedly enrage the Third, causing things to deteriorate completely.
If the Third believed this ideology had to be eliminated, he would either kill Gisei, force him to leave Konoha, or completely cut off all his connections within the village.
Clan extermination.
Gisei let out a breath of foul air. After thinking it over, he gave up on the Ninja Academy.
Things had to be done step by step; being too radical brought no benefits.
Since he couldn't insert his people into the Ninja Academy, Gisei had another idea.
Establish a clan school.
This was an internal affair of a ninja clan; even the Hokage couldn't interfere with that.
First, build up the ideological foundation of his clansmen and the Takemoto family. Even the Third couldn't touch him there.
This wasn't just to solve worries about his rear guard but also to prepare for the future collapse of Konoha.
As long as the "People First" ideology was recognized and spread, subsequent matters would be much easier to handle.
As long as he operated properly and kept Konoha in a dilemma of internal and external difficulties, sooner or later, other ninja clans would start having second thoughts.
When the time came to force one or two clans to take the lead in leaving Konoha, the domino effect would be catastrophic. Even if Konoha didn't collapse entirely, it would be severely damaged.
This was the only viable method he could think of at the moment.
Having thought it through, Gisei began to arrange the plan.
Establishing a clan school was no small matter; he had to handle the various arrangements personally. After all, this was about cultivating his own team.
He couldn't continue as the head of the Medical Corps either. A person's energy is limited, so he planned to enter the Administration Division.
His five years in the Anbu hadn't been wasted; he was very clear about Konoha's power structure.
Currently, the highest officials in the Administration Division were, naturally, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Below the two advisors, everyone was a head of various ninja clans—in name only. Commoners simply didn't exist there.
Clan heads held titles in the Administration Division and sent clansmen to handle trivial matters. Only if something major happened in Konoha would the heads be summoned for a meeting to discuss it.
When nothing was happening, the clan heads were very idle; even if they stayed at home for years, it was fine.
Gisei entering the Administration Division was naturally based on this logic as well.
However, entering the Administration Division still required informing the other clan heads; otherwise, it would be very awkward if he got rejected later.
There was no other way. Gisei sighed. He had always wanted to draw a line between himself and those ninja clans, but now he had to approach them himself.
Well, let's hold a meeting first and see the situation.
Gisei left a Shadow Clone in the hospital and went straight to the Takemoto house.
Arriving at the estate, he didn't see Anna Takemoto. Instead, Masamasa Takemoto walked out with a face like thunder.
"What are you here for?"
"I have something to discuss with Grandpa Shuichi."
"Telling me is the same. Don't go bothering Father for nothing; let the old man have some peace."
Masamasa had always disliked Gisei, considering him an ungrateful wretch who couldn't be tamed.
Yesterday, Anna had come back and talked about the situation between her and Gisei. Masamasa hadn't slept a wink all night.
That ungrateful wretch snatched away my daughter...
He had only this one thought in his mind all night. If his father hadn't suppressed him, he would have definitely broken Gisei's legs.
Gisei had a bit of a headache. He could see that Masamasa's expression was unfriendly. Although the man never had a pleasant face, he wasn't usually this rude.
He also knew that Masamasa didn't actually have much power in the Takemoto clan. As long as the old guy wasn't dead, it wasn't Masamasa's turn to give orders. Now that Anna had taken over the clan affairs, Masamasa's presence was even lower.
Gisei wanted to summon the other ninja clan heads for a gathering; Masamasa couldn't make the decision on such a matter.
Thinking carefully, Gisei felt he should still give some face; after all, they were family.
"I want to enter the Administration Division and plan to summon the clan heads to give them a heads-up. Can Uncle Masamasa make the decision?"
Masamasa frowned. "You're only sixteen. Wait until you're an adult for this kind of thing."
"Can't wait. Forget it, I'll talk to Grandpa Shuichi myself."
After speaking, Gisei barged past him into the house, shouting as he walked, "Old guy, are you dead yet? I've come to see you."
Masamasa's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and he gritted his teeth. "Little brat, do you know what respecting your elders means?!"
Gisei pretended not to hear, opened the door to Shuichi Takemoto's room, and walked right in.