Chapter 8: Uchiha Sasuke's Favorability!
Is it because what I said just now happened to align perfectly with Uchiha Itachi's own viewpoint?
This realization brought Shiraishi a small but genuine sense of surprise.
From the very beginning, Shiraishi had been certain of one thing: raising Uchiha Itachi's favorability would be extremely difficult.
Alice's cooking had forcibly increased it by two points.
But the second time Itachi ate Alice's food, his favorability did not increase at all.
That confirmed Shiraishi's judgment.
Yet now, Shiraishi had discovered a new way to raise Uchiha Itachi's favorability.
And that made him feel quietly excited.
Shiraishi did not like Uchiha Itachi as a person.
He did not agree with Itachi's ideals or worldview.
However, Shiraishi acknowledged Itachi's strength and talent without reservation.
If he were to make a request using Itachi's favorability, the response would certainly not be bad.
That meant the ninja cat he would obtain through enhancement would definitely not be ordinary.
And the reward he himself would receive would be even less so.
Shiraishi understood Itachi's beliefs very well.
Faith in the Will of Fire.
Putting the village above everything else.
Placing the clan second.
Previously, Shiraishi had believed that even if he agreed with Itachi's views, given Itachi's level of independent thinking and his attitude during their first conversation, it would still be nearly impossible to raise Itachi's favorability.
But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
Uchiha Itachi also wanted someone—anyone—to acknowledge his perspective.
Shiraishi followed the thought naturally and continued,
"That's exactly it. The situation of the Uchiha now is already very different from the past."
"In the past, we were an independent ninja clan."
"But now, we're one of Konoha's members."
"If people keep thinking about problems using the old mindset, issues are inevitable."
Uchiha Itachi nodded.
"Senior Shiraishi, about changing the mindset of the Uchiha clan members—I actually discussed this with Senior Shisui before."
"But Senior Shisui didn't agree with my idea."
Shiraishi looked at Itachi.
At that moment, the number above Itachi's head changed again.
From 70 to 72.
"What was your idea, Itachi?"
"Strike."
Itachi answered without hesitation.
"Persuasion, reasoning, reminders—none of those work."
"The Uchiha are far too self-centered by nature. It's extremely difficult for them to truly listen to others."
"In that case, only failure can wake them up."
"There needs to be an opportunity—one where the Uchiha suffer a crushing defeat."
Shiraishi glanced at Itachi quietly, without revealing his thoughts.
Self-centered?
Unable to listen to others?
Among all the Uchiha, who was more self-centered than you?
Who was worse at listening to others than you?
You could clearly see everyone else's flaws—yet remained blind to your own.
"What kind of opportunity?" Shiraishi asked.
"At least several elite Uchiha ninja must die."
Itachi spoke calmly.
"Only the deaths of multiple elite Uchiha would be enough of a blow to truly shake the clan awake."
"Otherwise, those people would never come to their senses."
"But Senior Shisui didn't agree. He said he didn't want to resolve matters through the deaths of innocent people."
"That would be wrong."
This time, Shiraishi did not blindly agree with Itachi.
He wanted to raise Itachi's favorability—but if he unconditionally endorsed those words, Itachi might act impulsively and without restraint.
That would inevitably lead to the deaths of innocent Uchiha clan members.
That was not something Shiraishi wanted to see.
"Shisui's concerns aren't without merit," Shiraishi said calmly.
"The situation may not have deteriorated to that extent yet."
"By the way, Itachi—have you talked to your father about this? What does Fugaku think?"
Uchiha Itachi fell silent for a moment.
"…No."
His tone turned slightly stiff.
Shiraishi noticed that the number above Itachi's head changed again.
But this time, it decreased.
From 72 down to 71.
Shiraishi: "..."
He had merely refrained from fully agreeing—he hadn't even refuted anything.
And yet his favorability still dropped?
"My father hasn't really discussed these matters with me."
"He believes I don't understand enough."
"In his eyes… I might still just be a child who hasn't grown up yet."
Shiraishi raised an eyebrow slightly.
But those words brought him a different kind of surprise.
Because the tone alone made it very clear—Uchiha Itachi harbored some dissatisfaction toward Uchiha Fugaku.
This gave Shiraishi exactly what he needed to complete the test Shisui had entrusted to him.
To push Uchiha Shisui one step closer toward the position of clan head.
Once Uchiha Shisui became clan head, the situation of the Uchiha would change completely.
And more importantly—
Shiraishi could influence Shisui.
At that moment, Uchiha Sasuke walked over.
"Big brother, Senior Shiraishi."
The conversation between the two came to an end.
Shiraishi looked at the number above Sasuke's head.
Compared to Itachi's, Sasuke's number had changed even more.
It had risen from 36 to 40—a four-point increase.
"Oh right, Senior Shiraishi," Itachi said, "how long will the tea snacks take?"
"It'll still be a while. Is something the matter, Itachi?"
"I do have something to take care of."
"How about this—I'll take Sasuke with me for now. When I'm done, can I come back?"
"Does Sasuke have something to do too?"
Itachi hesitated.
"…No."
"If you're at ease, you can leave Sasuke here," Shiraishi suggested.
"When the snacks are ready, I'll personally send him back. How about that?"
"You can focus on your business without worrying."
Perhaps it was the effect of the 71 favorability.
Or perhaps it was Sasuke's pleading gaze.
After hesitating briefly, Itachi agreed.
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Shiraishi."
"It's no trouble at all. I'm the only one in the shop most of the time anyway—having someone around makes it livelier, and I'll have someone to talk to."
Itachi left.
Shiraishi and Sasuke walked him to the door.
Only after Itachi's figure completely disappeared did Shiraishi lead Sasuke back into the backyard.
Several ninja cats were lazily napping in the sunlight.
"Senior Shiraishi, can I pet it?"
Sasuke stared at a chubby tabby cat.
"Of course you can."
Shiraishi nodded.
"All the ninja cats in this shop have good temperaments. As long as you don't intend to hurt them and genuinely want to be friends, they'll like you."
Sasuke's hand gently landed on the tabby's fur.
"Meow~"
The cat stretched lazily.
"So cute!"
Sasuke's eyes lit up instantly.
The number above his head increased by another point.
"Senior Shiraishi, when I grow up, how do I choose a ninja cat?"
"Are all ninja cats powerful?"
"Or is my brother's crow stronger?"
"They each have their own strengths," Shiraishi replied.
"To choose a ninja cat, the first step is earning its recognition—and that's actually quite difficult."
"Most Uchiha don't have ninja cats at all."
"Some aren't interested, while others simply never find the right match."
"Choosing a ninja cat is just like choosing a partner."
"You need mutual trust and mutual reliance to work together at your best."
Sasuke glanced back toward the shop.
"Like Senior Shiraishi and Hirako Shinji?"
"More or less," Shiraishi answered.
After a brief pause, he added,
"Actually… I used to have a younger brother too."
"Senior Shiraishi had a younger brother as well? Where is he?"
"...He passed away."
"He fell seriously ill, and we couldn't save him."
"I'm sorry…"
"It's alright. It's all in the past."
"That's why I envy Itachi a little—having a younger brother."
"And I can tell, Itachi truly cherishes you."
There was no doubt about that.
Not only from Itachi's own words.
But also from the original storyline—
Where Itachi slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, yet deliberately left Sasuke alive.
Shiraishi continued,
"He mentioned some things about you before. Sasuke, you must really like Itachi too, right?"
"Yes!"
"I like my big brother the most!"
Sasuke nodded vigorously.
"My brother is really amazing. I want to be as amazing as him someday."
"It's just a shame… after he graduated, he became so busy. He barely has time to play with me."
"Itachi doesn't have a choice," Shiraishi said gently.
"Being a ninja is busy—especially a genius like him."
Sasuke replied earnestly,
"I know. I'm not blaming my brother."
Shiraishi reached out and patted Sasuke's shoulder.
"Sasuke, is there anything you want to play?"
"What do you and Itachi usually do together?"
"Kunai throwing practice."
"Kunai throwing?"
Shiraishi pointed toward a corner of the backyard.
"There's a target over there. I have plenty of discarded kunai."
"I'll have Hirako Shinji practice kunai throwing with you. How about it?"
"Really?"
Sasuke's eyes sparkled.
Soon, Shiraishi prepared everything.
"Hirako Shinji, come here for a moment."
"Yes, sir."
"Practice kunai throwing with Sasuke."
"Yes, sir."
Hirako Shinji glanced calmly at Sasuke.
Dealing with small children gave him a slight headache—but Shiraishi's orders were absolute.
Shiraishi returned to the shop.
At this stage, his primary objective was raising Uchiha Sasuke's favorability.
Secondarily, raising Uchiha Itachi's.
Shiraishi wasn't confident he could push Itachi's favorability above 90.
But lacking confidence didn't mean giving up.
At present, Shiraishi had already identified two ways to raise Itachi's favorability.
One: Alice's cooking.
Two: agreeing with Itachi's views.
Both methods worked.
But both had problems.
The former was slow.
The latter was unstable.
Both required time.
As for raising Sasuke's favorability, there were three clear approaches.
Food.
Ninja cats.
And praising Uchiha Itachi in front of him.
Right now, Sasuke deeply idolized his brother.
Praising Itachi in front of Sasuke would naturally earn Sasuke's approval.
However, there was one thing to be careful about.
Sasuke was a hardcore brother-con.
And Itachi was an extreme little-brother-con.
Shiraishi could be kind to Sasuke—that would earn Itachi's gratitude.
But he couldn't spend too much time with Sasuke or become too close.
Otherwise, Itachi would grow wary and resistant.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
The sound of kunai striking the target rang out repeatedly.
Shiraishi calculated silently.
"Once Sasuke's favorability reaches 90, it'll be time to choose the next target."
Several figures surfaced in his mind.
"Uchiha Izumi, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto…"
"Other than these, there really aren't many good options within the Uchiha clan."
"But once I make a request using Sasuke's favorability, receive a response, and enhance a ninja cat…"
"My overall strength will definitely undergo a huge transformation."
"And by then, my choices will be far greater."
A tantalizing aroma drifted out from the kitchen.
Shiraishi glanced outside.
The street was empty.
Clearly, no customers would be coming anytime soon.
So he headed into the kitchen.
Alice stood atop a stool, diligently preparing the snacks.
In terms of strength and stamina, Alice had no real issues—she was, after all, a genin-level ninja cat.
Already stronger than ordinary humans.
The only inconvenience was her height.
Alice worked with intense focus.
"Master."
She turned around only during a brief pause.
"Alice, you've worked hard."
Shiraishi felt increasingly satisfied with Alice's presence.
She didn't just improve his quality of life—
She also provided him with an extremely versatile method for raising others' favorability.
Food was something few people could resist.
"It's nothing. Cooking is fun, and being able to help you is Alice's honor."
"How long until it's done?"
"About half an hour."
"Alright. Once it's finished, put it directly in the lounge."
"Yes, Master."
Half an hour later, Shiraishi returned to the backyard.
Sasuke looked incredibly happy—sweat soaked his clothes, yet he remained completely immersed in throwing kunai, cheering excitedly every time he hit the target.
"Senior Hirako, again!"
But Hirako Shinji noticed Shiraishi's arrival and stopped.
Sasuke followed suit.
"Senior Shiraishi!"
"Sasuke, did you have fun?"
"Thank you, Senior Shiraishi! I'm really happy!"
Sasuke said with a bright smile.
"That's good to hear. The tea snacks are ready, and it's getting late. I'll send you home."
"If we wait too long, Itachi will get worried."
Sasuke glanced reluctantly at Hirako Shinji and the target, then nodded.
"Okay."
At the door, Sasuke suddenly looked up at Shiraishi.
"Senior Shiraishi… can I come again in the future?"
"Of course. Anytime."