I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

After returning to the room where Imagawa Yoshimoto had previously reviewed documents, Uesugi Tetsuya did not find her or Okabe Motonobu.

He probably had something urgent to attend to and left.

But since he didn't have anything urgent to report right now, he said goodbye to Matsudaira Motoyasu and returned to his own courtyard.

Although it's cold in late autumn, the afternoon sun feels warm and cozy on your skin.

Uesugi Tetsu took out the tea set that Imagawa Yoshimoto had left for him, poured the tea powder into hot water, stirred it casually, and then gulped it down.

"Hmm, the taste is pretty much the same."

As someone who was chewing on peonies commented, basking in the warm sunshine, he began to plan for the future, treating it as a rest during his meditation retreat.

—The closest ones to me are Matsudaira Motoyasu and the Imagawa family's breathing techniques.

These two breathing techniques should be much stronger than the nine "Daimyo Family" breathing techniques we just saw.

In particular, the breathing techniques held by the Imagawa family.

Uesugi Tetsu had very reasonable grounds to suspect that the Four Extremes Breathing Technique passed down by Tokugawa Ieyasu was not the one he initially practiced.

Rather, it was one of the three breathing techniques he later acquired from the Imagawa, Oda, or Toyotomi families.

After all, the Matsudaira family isn't that powerful right now—if the Matsudaira family had the complete Four Extremes Breathing Technique, why would they be willing to submit to the rule of the Imagawa family?

However, obtaining these two breathing techniques will probably... no, it should be said that it will definitely not be as easy as it was this time.

It will definitely take a long time to build a good relationship with a little turtle like Matsudaira Motoyasu.

As for the Imagawa family's breathing techniques, it's impossible to get them for free under the pretext of "observation" like this time, because of Okabe Motonobu's presence.

But it's not like we're completely clueless.

Uesugi Tetsuya drank the hot tea in one gulp, feeling a warm current flow from his stomach to his limbs, and couldn't help but exhale a comfortable breath.

—As long as the Mikawa riot can be resolved perfectly, given Imagawa Yoshimoto's attitude towards himself, obtaining this breathing technique will not be too difficult.

Oh right, and those elders might still be hiding some crucial parts from me.

When the time comes, I'll definitely dig up all these little secrets.

Uesugi Tetsu tapped the stone table lightly with his fingers, producing a crisp sound.

He grinned happily.

Anyway, it's just something that happens conveniently.

—Imagawa Yoshimoto will definitely take action against these clueless retainers soon.

She couldn't possibly abandon the already clearly unstable rear and follow him and Okabe Motonobu to suppress the riots in Mikawa Province.

In that case, we might have just suppressed Sanhe, and then our hometown would be stolen by these old bastards.

Therefore, she would never allow such a thing to happen.

There's also how to "deify" Imagawa Yoshimoto when slaying the great demon; that's something I need to think about carefully...

Uesugi Tetsuya's fingers, which were tapping on the stone table, suddenly stopped. He turned his gaze to the large tree at the corner not far away.

He said calmly, "Come out."

After failing to see anyone appear, Uesugi Tetsu sighed and raised his voice slightly.

“I noticed you’ve been following me all along, Shiraishi.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a furtive, short, and thin figure finally emerged from behind the tree.

Even though Shiraishi had been indulging in carbs at the Imagawa restaurant for over half a month, it's not something that can be done so quickly.

He walked over with his head down, as if he had done something wrong, without saying a word.

It wasn't until he reached the stone table that Shiraishi noticed a small bottle containing konpeito (Japanese candy) protruding in front of him.

Uesugi Tetsuya's nonchalant voice came through.

"Here, I asked Yiyuan to buy this for you. Remember to thank her when you see her later."

"Oh...oh, okay, boss."

Shiraishi blankly accepted the small bottle.

His eyes reflected the candy he had once dreamed of eating, but now he was hesitant to open it.

Bai Shi looked up and asked, "Boss, I'm so useless compared to the others, will you abandon me in the future?"

"Hmm?" Uesugi Tetsu shook his head, then immediately replied, "Of course not."

Staring at the stunned Shiraishi, Uesugi Tetsu thought for two seconds before offering a fitting analogy.

"Now that I'm taking care of you, it's like Lord Okabe taking care of Kaguya... you know, that little mouse that was perched on her shoulder, you must have seen it before."

That's the feeling, the same emotion.

"Is that so..."

Shiraishi said "Oh," thought for a long time, then unscrewed the bottle stopper, pinched a piece of konpeito and put it in his mouth.

Konpeito melts in your mouth.

It's very sweet and delicious, but also has an unexpected sour and astringent taste.

Just as Shiraishi was about to reach out and eat all the konpeito one by one, Uesugi Tetsu's cheerful voice came from behind.

"Alright, the questions have been asked, and the candy has been eaten."

Uesugi Tetsu took out the ninja manual that he had specifically requested for Shiraishi from his storage backpack and threw it in front of Shiraishi.

He clapped his hands with a smile and said to Shiraishi, whose mouth was slightly open.

"Didn't you say you were a master of the Iga clan? So I thought I'd give you this manual to practice with. It'll be incredibly powerful once you master it, so..."

Uesugi Tetsu gazed down at the thin boy, asking the question earnestly, word by word.

"Shiroishi, can you become a world-renowned ninja?"

Chapter 169 Turns out I'm a genius? Tempering stage, nearing completion! (6k)

Ugh?

A world-renowned...great ninja?

A gust of chilly autumn wind suddenly rose, lifting the thin boy's sideburns.

Shiraishi stood frozen in place, recalling the definition of the word "ninja" that Uesugi Tetsu had once explained to him.

The term "ninja" is roughly equivalent to "samurai," and it's a topic that people can't avoid when discussing this era.

The only difference is that the former bows down in the darkness, while the latter receives admiration and applause in the light.

While a "great ninja" cannot be compared to a "daimyo," he can certainly be ranked alongside renowned figures like a "great swordsman."

During his time at the Imagawa-kan, he did indeed understand what Ki-gyojutsu was and made significant progress in it, becoming much better than he had been before.

However, Shiraishi still knew that he could hardly deal with even the most incompetent samurai.

There's no other reason than that his physical condition is still too weak.

And a great ninja... should be even more powerful than hundreds of them combined.

He stared at the exquisitely bound manual placed in front of him, which even faintly exuded the scent of ink, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should take it or not.

Because of his childhood experiences, Shiraishi has a lot more to think about, and his thoughts are more varied.

For example, right now, he was thinking about what would happen if he got his hands on this manual but failed to cultivate it to its full potential, leading to Uesugi Tetsu being extremely disappointed in him.

If he hadn't taken it, he could have maintained the identity of a "domestic pet" and been able to live off the Imagawa family as a samurai who freeloaded, thanks to his boss.

But if he takes it... Shiraishi has no idea how things will turn out.

Moreover, how could I possibly become a "great ninja"?

That's completely impossible.

Shiraishi Hikaru almost burst out laughing when he thought about what Uesugi Tetsu had just said to him.

—After all, he wouldn't even dare to think like that when he's full and having sweet dreams!

"Boss..."

For a fleeting moment, Shiraishi wanted to blurt out the words of refusal, saying that he only wanted to maintain the peaceful and joyful life he had now, where he could live in a house and have enough to eat and drink.

Anning lived happily after eating her fill, grew up, grew old, and then died.

No need to worry about starving to death today, no need to worry about waking up one day to find yourself tied up in a terrible place, and no need to worry about how to get through the next winter.

The short period of time that Shiraishi spent in the Imagawa residence was the life he had longed for since he could remember.

As for anything more, he wouldn't dare to hope for more.

"Ok?"

Uesugi Tetsu watched as Shiraishi's fingers continued to rub against the small bottle containing konpeito, and asked with a smile and curiosity, "What are you thinking about?"

Bai Shi was speechless for a moment.

He thought of the high-ranking officials who had been following Uesugi Tetsuya these past few days—Imagawa Yoshimoto, Okabe Motonobu, Matsudaira Motoyasu, Asahina Yasutomo…

And then there were those dreadful elders who had to bow down to the eldest son this morning.

At that moment, it seemed as if two tiny figures that looked exactly like him popped out from beside Shiraishi's ear.

One of them was dressed in coarse linen clothes, sitting slumped with a round belly, chewing on a ball of fine rice.

The little man patted his belly lazily and said, "Isn't it enough to be able to eat and drink my fill? What more could I ask for?"

The other was completely shrouded in black, with only a pair of indifferent eyes showing, appearing both lonely and powerful.

He said coldly, "If you are content with the status quo, you will still be unable to do anything when you encounter the same situation again."

But Bai Shi's thoughts went beyond that.

He thinks more deeply and is more realistic.

The boss is his backer and the reason he was able to obtain this "warrior" identity.

—And if I don't do something, will I be forgotten by the boss?

After all, there's a limit to how much patience you can have when it comes to keeping a pet.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, Shiraishi responded: "Boss, according to what you said, aren't ninjas supposed to be people who can't be known by others?"

So after that, no one will ever know me.

He reached out and hesitated for a moment before picking up the ninja manual in front of him, but then gave a clever answer.

Uesugi Tetsuya, understanding the unspoken meaning, couldn't help but smile. He patted the boy's head twice and said, "That's good too."

"In short, keep it up."

Uesugi Tetsu said to the boy who looked up at him blankly, "If you can master all the techniques in this manual, I might as well teach you the breathing method I've been practicing."

He said casually,

"But let's open it and take a look first—although I found an illustrated version that's easier for you to understand, this manual is still a bit difficult."

After listening to what he said silently, Shiraishi stood still and slowly turned the first page of the manual in his hand.

Then, he stared wide-eyed, somewhat bewildered.

Is it a bit difficult?

No… Shiraishi feels that this manual seems to…

It's a bit too simplistic.

In that instant, a large notification popped up in front of Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes.

[Current impact of the Worldly Journey on history: 0.5% → 1%!]

Just as Uesugi Tetsuya was about to continue tempering the skin, his body suddenly trembled, suppressing all the emotions that had not yet been revealed, and he immediately glanced at Shiraishi out of the corner of his eye.

—Bai Shi merely opened the first page of this ordinary manual, which could only be cultivated to about one and a half levels, and his influence on history actually increased to 1%!?

Uesugi Tetsu's mood was unusually fluctuating.

Shiraishi's talent in "illustration + ninja" is truly exceptional!