I Don't Regret It

Uchiha Kei's return to Konoha didn't cause much of a stir. What he and his team had done on the front lines of the Land of Grass battlefield had long since spread, and nearly every Konoha Ninja who'd taken part in the fighting knew just how capable that little brat Uchiha Kei was!

Their mission had been classified, but now that the fighting had largely settled down, the Konoha Ninja had learned what it involved: going behind enemy lines to "get themselves killed."

But even on a mission like that, Uchiha Kei and the other two kids in his squad had shown remarkable intelligence. They'd rescued at least fifteen Konoha prisoners.

And after Minato's Squad suffered casualties, they'd stepped in as replacements and helped complete a mission that could bring the whole war to an end!

That wasn't all. The three kids' achievements were even more astounding!

Thanks to Uchiha Kei's decision, a group of Konoha Ninja had suddenly appeared behind Iwa Ninja lines, throwing their forces into disarray and damaging the morale of their front-line troops.

After that, Kei and the others had even raided the defensive line set up by the Iwa Ninja, nearly wiping out the squad led by Kitsuchi, the Third Tsuchikage's son.

Namikaze Minato had rescued them in the end, but that only proved how capable those kids were.

And finally, even after their numbers had dwindled to just three, Uchiha Kei and his team had still completed the mission.

Namikaze Minato had defeated and captured the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, hastening the end of the war. Imai Kenta, a Commoner Ninja, had directly blown up Kannabi Bridge.

Uchiha Kei had outdone even that. He'd killed Haku, a member of the Iwa Ninja Demolition Unit, then taken on the four members of the Ishi-mizu-shu Squad when they surrounded him during their return to the front—and killed them all!

Kei looked pretty awful, of course. On the day Minato brought him back, he'd been so exhausted he could barely move.

But nobody dared mock him. More Konoha Ninja than anyone could count had suffered at the hands of the Iwa Ninja he'd killed.

Whether it was Haku from the Demolition Unit or the Ishi-mizu-shu Squad, they'd shed the blood of countless Konoha Ninja. Some of their victims might even have been friends or comrades.

By killing those Iwa Ninja, Kei had avenged them. The Konoha Ninja were stunned, but also grateful—and naturally, they were glad he was heading back to Konoha.

Someone as talented as him had already done so much on the front lines. The rest was up to them.

Ordinary Ninja really were rather sweet. Konoha's rot was confined to its inner core; its exterior was still "in full bloom."

"But that makes it all the more dangerous."

After taking it easy on his stone bed for several days, Uchiha Kei could finally get up and move around properly.

He'd spent half a month on the road, fighting nonstop. Near the end, he'd swallowed countless Ration Pills, along with medicine from the Akimichi Clan. His body had been pushed to its limit.

Even after several days of proper rest, Kei knew he still hadn't fully recovered. He'd need at least another week to recuperate before he was back to the condition he'd been in before setting out.

But it didn't matter now. He wouldn't have to risk his life on the battlefield anymore. He was heading back to Konoha tomorrow.

The battlefield Medical Ninja didn't want him moving around, but they couldn't stop him from getting tired of lying down. They restricted him to light activity within the camp; training and fighting were out of the question.

As he walked out, countless Konoha Ninja greeted him. Kei didn't feel much about it, but he still smiled and returned each greeting.

Even if he didn't care much inside, smiling and responding to everyone who showed him kindness was basic courtesy.

It made people feel "acknowledged." After that, whether you needed a favor from them or wanted them to do something for you, things would go much more smoothly.

These Konoha Ninja were decent people, and most of them came from civilian backgrounds. They had the simplest, most straightforward way of looking at things, so it was important to "get along with them."

"Hm?" As he walked, Uchiha Kei suddenly spotted a familiar face—Yamanaka Masato.

Masato wasn't wearing his combat uniform. Bandages wrapped him from head to toe, and he looked seriously injured.

Kei had assumed Yamanaka Masato was dead. Otherwise, when they'd broken through the Iwa Ninja defensive line and faced Kitsuchi's squad, Masato and the others should have been nearby, distracting some of the Iwa Ninja, instead of leaving Kei and his team to solve the problem with Shadow Clones.

But now it seemed the man was alive—though he wasn't exactly in good shape.

"Yamanaka Jonin, long time no see." Kei decided to go over and greet him.

"Oh, it's you, Kei-kun." Masato froze for a moment, then broke into a smile when he saw Kei. "You did great! I heard you even took out the Ishi-mizu-shu Squad. Impressive!"

"You're too kind." Kei modestly shook his head, showing no arrogance.

The Ishi-mizu-shu Squad had earned quite a reputation on the Land of Grass battlefield. They'd killed a great many Konoha Ninja.

The four members worked together seamlessly, with a balance of offense and defense, and every one of them was a capable Jonin. They'd been around for as long as Konoha and Iwa had been at war.

They'd just been unlucky enough to run into Uchiha Kei after he'd awakened the Mangekyo—and he'd caught them completely off guard. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have been taken out so easily.

"Yamanaka Jonin, what happened to you?"

Kei didn't want to dwell on that squad. Their wounds wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, and he'd passed out from exhaustion before he could dispose of the bodies. Fortunately, the Iwa Ninja should have taken them away.

"Oh, we got surrounded." Yamanaka Masato glanced at the bandages around his body, unconcerned. "Just call me Masato, Kei-kun. I broke a few ribs, and my arms and legs are fractured in places, but at least I made it back alive. It's a shame about the others..."

Kei fell silent. It seemed the entire Bait Squad really had been buried in the Land of Grass.

Kei still remembered the Jonin named Kageyama Kosuke, the one who'd been inspired by the Will of Fire. He wondered if Kosuke regretted it.

Kei didn't know whether the others regretted their choices. He only knew that his own decision had been the right one. So many Jonin and Chunin had gone on that mission together, yet in the end, only one had made it back alive—and he was gravely injured.

He could imagine that if he'd stayed behind, his fate might not have been any better. He might even have been buried in some nameless forest.

"Even though I let someone else die in my place, I don't regret it. I guess everyone has their own dreams and their own way of making life count."