You Know Nothing About the Real Me

"It never existed from the very beginning..."

Anko repeated what Kou had just said, her words filled with deep confusion.

She blinked hard, staring at Kou's face, which looked particularly serious under the streetlight, and frowned unhappily.

What do you mean by that? Aren't you sitting right here?

Just say what you want to say, stop being such a riddle-maker.

Kou did not directly respond to Anko's question, but simply shook his head slightly, and then began to recount a past event that seemed to have nothing to do with the previous topic in a calm tone.

"Anko, do you know why the Uchiha's reputation in the village was always lukewarm, both before and after I left?"

Does it even give the impression that the Uchiha never truly integrated into Konoha?

Anko stared blankly at Kou, her confusion only deepening instead of fading.

No way, I'm talking to you about feelings, and you're suddenly talking about politics? That's quite a leap!

She couldn't help but mentally rant and rave, then asked with dissatisfaction:

"So, what exactly are you trying to say...?"

"Let me finish speaking."

Kou raised his hand, cutting off her unfinished complaint.

He fixed his deep black eyes on Anko's face again and said meaningfully:

"You'll understand what I meant after I finish speaking."

Anko stared blankly at the knock in front of her, then nodded subconsciously.

The boy Kou at this moment seemed subtly different from the carefree, playful boy he remembered.

There was something in those eyes that she had never seen before.

Kou stood up and casually tossed the empty beer can into the trash can next to the bench, making a crisp clinking sound.

"The reason why the Uchiha has been unable to integrate into the village for so many years is not actually because of any fear from the Konoha High Command. There is one reason, and only one reason—"

Because the Uchiha is too conspicuous.

He put his hands in his pockets and slowly paced back and forth a couple of steps, as if giving Anko time to process what he had just said.

"The ninja village system has been in place for less than a century since the founding of Konoha."

The history of the major and minor ninja clans, represented by the Uchiha, exceeds five hundred years, starting from the Warring States Period, which has clear records.

Although the village system is now the mainstream in the Ninja World, in the hearts of the various ninja clans, whether the village or the clan is more important... is an unspoken truth.

Under Anko's increasingly confused gaze, Koko slowly turned his gaze to the Hokage Rock in the distance, illuminated by the moonlight:

"The decision to completely integrate the Senju Clan, a top-tier ninja clan that has flourished since the Warring States Period, into the ninja village was made by the First Hokage and the Second Hokage."

They abandoned the Senju Clan's traditional family structure, allowing clan members to cultivate various fields in Konoha —medicine, education, ninja, and even purely civilian life.

Because of this decision, the Senju Clan, which produced the First and Second Hokage, not only did not harbor any unwarranted ambitions for the position of the Third Hokage Hokage after their deaths,

Furthermore, because it was already deeply intertwined with Konoha's civil society, it became one of the most important forces at the beginning of the Third's reign.

Looking into Anko's eyes, which seemed to understand but not quite, he slowly added:

"In a sense, Konoha now is the Senju Clan itself."

The Senju Clan, completely bound to the village, naturally no longer needed to change any notions about the relationship between "village and clan".

But for other families, it's a completely different story.

He paused, then said slowly:

"Especially those two major clans whose size is so large that their every move can affect the entire situation in Konoha."

Hyuga, and Uchiha.

Faced with this inevitable shift in values during the ninja village era, the Hyuga and Uchiha, being long-established ninja families, were naturally unwilling to easily abandon their generational family values.

The goal is to teach the younger generation of the family to prioritize the interests of the village over those of the family.

However, compared to the Uchiha, the Hyuga much more restrained and sensible.

Kou turned his gaze away from the Hokage Rock and back to Anko's face:

The Hyuga Clan knew that such a viewpoint did not align with the mainstream values of Konoha during its ninja era.

Being overly flamboyant will only incite dissent among the smaller ninja clans that are gradually accepting the idea that "the village is greater than the clan," and may even be seen as a potential threat by the Konoha High Command.

Therefore, this family, which is renowned throughout the entire Ninja World, keeps a very low profile within Konoha and almost never participates in the inner circle of power in Konoha.

Their low profile is itself a silent statement to the Konoha High Command.

Hyuga acknowledges that he is a member of Konoha, but he will never abandon his core belief of prioritizing his clan.

They will not publicize this ideology, nor will they actively get involved in the core of Konoha's power; they will simply contribute their share when Konoha needs them.

Their survival philosophy has long been tacitly approved by the Konoha High Command.

"But the Uchiha... that's a completely different story."

At this point, Kou couldn't help but sigh.

He pulled his hands out of his pockets, shrugged, and continued to complain wearily:

"As a large clan with a long history, the Uchiha Clan's views are basically the same as the Hyuga's."

Although they acknowledge themselves as members of Konoha, the vast majority of Uchiha would undoubtedly choose to side with their clan when it comes to choosing between their family and the village.

If one can live a low-key life like Hyuga and not flaunt this philosophy excessively, Konoha will naturally tacitly approve of it.

Unfortunately, the inherently proud Uchiha could never approve of such a style of conduct that involved almost hiding one's identity.

There is nothing inherently wrong with regarding one's family name as the highest honor.

But promoting such a family-centric ideology in a village is no small matter.

Kou said helplessly, recalling those old fogies in the family who couldn't see the bigger picture back then, and muttered speechlessly:

"Moreover, the Uchiha aspires to join the core of Konoha's power structure. Even if the Konoha High Command leadership doesn't say anything, the villagers and ninjas from smaller clans will naturally harbor resentment towards such an arrogant and detached large clan."

Looking at Anko's bewildered little face, which was completely overloaded with thoughts, he smiled and slowly spoke in the most straightforward and easy-to-understand way:

Simply put, the Uchiha's style of doing things is what's known as "not fitting in."

Hearing Kou's simple, bean-shaped response, a look of realization finally flashed across Anko's bewildered eyes.

She punched her knee hard and complained to Kou in an annoyed tone:

"Why didn't you just say that earlier! Why all this fancy stuff? Who can understand it all?"

"It's clearly your own poor comprehension skills that's the problem."

Kou's lips twitched, but he quickly composed himself, his helpless expression replaced by a serious and solemn one.

"Please listen patiently to what I have to say. After you hear what I'm about to say, you'll understand what I was trying to convey."

Under the watchful gaze of Anko, which had regained its focus, Kou continued in a deep voice:

"It's not that no one in the Uchiha Uchiha is unaware of the drawbacks of this style of doing things."

After succeeding as clan leader, Fugaku dedicated himself to changing this dangerous atmosphere within the clan.

They shouldn't become invisible in the village like the Hyuga Clan, but at least they shouldn't continue to promote the idea of family supremacy so recklessly in the village as they used to.

Konoha, on the other hand, did not harbor any prejudice against the Uchiha.

The fact that the Uchiha frequently talked about family values and gradually became estranged from the majority of the villagers was also something that the Konoha High Command did not want to see.

Therefore, the Uchiha and Konoha, almost at the same time, both developed an extremely urgent need.

A variable that could break this deadlock...

"Variable?"

Anko repeated the word in a low voice, her words filled with deep doubt.

"Ah, a variable."

Looking at Anko's bewildered little face, a gentle smile slowly appeared on his own face.

That smile held a frankness that Anko had never seen before, yet it also carried a faint bitterness that felt equally unfamiliar to her.

"The Uchiha needs a 'cause' that can change the clan's Uchiha atmosphere and help them break free from the stereotype of being 'arrogant and disdainful of associating with ordinary villagers.'"

Konoha, too, longs for such a "cause" to appear, thereby easing the Uchiha and appeasing this unstable Uchiha.

Gazing at the Anko, the smile on his lips deepened even further.

"Think about it, Anko, if at this moment, a member of the Uchiha Clan who could gain the approval of the majority of the clan appeared..."

This person, contrary to the arrogant and self-centered style of the Uchiha, strongly identified with Konoha and the Will of Fire, and maintained good relationships with everyone in the village...

So, in the eyes of both the Uchiha and Konoha, how valuable is this person?

Hearing Kou's meaningful words, Anko's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Kou's smiling face, as if she couldn't believe the idea that had just popped into her mind.

"Hey, you, you wouldn't happen to be...?"

"That's right, I aspired to become that kind of person from a very young age."

Kou smiled and nodded at her, but that smile seemed utterly unfamiliar to Anko.

"Such a person will not only receive the enormous resources of the Uchiha Clan, but also the support and covert protection of the Konoha High Command."

Even if they were sent to the battlefield, they would receive subtle care from various quarters.

"And the only price to pay for doing this is to wear a false mask in ordinary days."

He paused here, then murmured with a hint of self-mockery:

"For someone like me who lacks natural talent and lives in constant fear of dying on the battlefield, this is an extremely cost-effective option."

Looking into Anko's eyes, which were gradually filled with shock, the smile on his face had completely disappeared without him noticing.

He spread his hands, staring calmly yet cruelly into Anko's eyes.

In that voice, there was a sincerity that Anko had known for over a decade but had never heard from him before.

He, Uchiha Kuro, finally removed the mask that had been deceiving her all along from before his former comrades!

"Now you should understand what I just meant."

In the dim light, Kou Kan looked down at Anko and slowly lowered his head, speaking in a calm, low voice:

"The kind-hearted Uchiha Kuro that you know never existed in the first place."

"From beginning to end, you knew nothing about the real me..."