Uchiha Fugaku was back?
As he followed Uchiha Jun toward Uchiha Fugaku's residence, Uchiha Kei couldn't help wondering. If he remembered correctly, this "Eternal Ground Devil" had gone to the front lines, and had even brought his son along.
His return now also meant, from another angle, that Iwa's offensive was faltering. Maybe in a few months—or even just a few weeks—the negotiations would be wrapped up.
After all, hundreds or even thousands of Iwa Ninja had become wandering ghosts this time around. That might even include the Third Tsuchikage's son, Kitsuchi—though Uchiha Kei figured the man had probably already retreated.
But that didn't matter. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki was still in Namikaze Minato's hands. With that bargaining chip, Konoha had nothing to fear. The Third Tsuchikage would never give up a strategic weapon like that.
This was Namikaze Minato's moment in the spotlight, and a golden opportunity to build political capital. During his half-month in Konoha, Uchiha Kei had already caught the occasional whisper about it.
No matter how focused Uchiha Kei was, and no matter how well Konoha kept things under wraps, public opinion had to be guided. Simply keeping everything hidden wasn't enough.
No one was likely to believe the claims about Orochimaru. Whether they were true or not, Konoha's blunders this time made it obvious that they were getting desperate.
Perhaps different ways of thinking led to different approaches. Coming from a technologically advanced world, Uchiha Kei could see things more clearly.
If nothing went wrong, his investment would pay off. But he would have to wait patiently for the real returns. After all, Namikaze Minato was only the Jonin Commander, not the Hokage.
The Hokage was a special position. Even a Hokage with little real influence carried far more stature and symbolic weight than a Jonin