Loyalty!

Kei felt he had made himself clear enough, and these reasons were sufficient to justify him not going to the battlefield.

But principles have never been the standard for everyone's actions; interests are.

The war on the front lines had indeed put a lot of pressure on Minato Namikaze. Being able to marry Kushina Uzumaki wasn't just because he was handsome. It also involved the condition of moving in with her family. He was willing to sacrifice for love, but that didn't mean he wanted to be subservient. He yearned to achieve great things.

However, he couldn't do it alone.

So, he placed his hopes on the Uchiha clan, whom he had visited before under the guidance of his teacher, Jiraiya.

He was a kind person, but not a fool. He knew that the clans he visited with his teacher, who seemed friendly and eager to get close to him, were only useful if they had something to gain. The Uchiha seemed to be the only ones who needed something from him.

He had originally thought that with the recognition of the Uchiha clan head, he would achieve his goal today and have these ninja clans send some of their members to the battlefield to alleviate the pressure on the front lines.

With a powerful clan like the Uchiha leading the way, everyone else would at least show some consideration.

Even if it was just a token gesture from each major clan, the situation on the front lines would be reversed.

After all, compared to ordinary ninjas, clan ninjas with secret techniques could fight two or three common ninjas, a fact acknowledged by all ninjas.

But now, it seemed he had been too optimistic. The Uchiha were not a monolithic entity, and the clan head's word was not final on all matters.

Still, Minato felt that while the current situation was not optimistic, it was not without hope. At least he knew that the elder who dared to contradict the clan head was a responsible Uchiha.

Although young, young people are always passionate. As long as he could transfer this sense of responsibility for the Uchiha to Konoha, he would still achieve his goal.

Fortunately, Kei didn't know what Minato was thinking. If he did, he would surely say, "What a conceited man, so off-putting."

"Kei-kun, you're still a child, you don't understand. Without the village, where would our homes be? If everyone were like you, only thinking about the survival of their own small families and not the village, then our village would cease to exist."

Listening to Minato's words, Kei felt that ninjas were indeed just warriors, lacking in education. He had been looking forward to something more, thinking that an idol-like figure would say something profound, but it turned out to be the same old absurd reasoning.

"Minato, the village was originally established to protect our families. If the village can no longer protect our families, then it has no reason to exist."

"Nonsense, what are you saying? This is the village our ancestors built with their blood!" Before Minato could speak, Fugaku couldn't help but retort.

Since Kei had already established the consensus that the Uchiha were the masters of Konoha, Fugaku did not want this consensus to be destroyed by Kei again.

Minato was also stunned by Kei's words, which seemed to be on the verge of rebellion. He stammered, "Kei-kun, don't you love your village?"

"For so many years, the village has always asked if we Uchiha love it, but it has never said whether it loves us Uchiha."

"This! How can the village not love you? The village loves everyone in it. The Uchiha are no exception."

"Love must always be a mutual effort. The Uchiha are willing to take ninety-nine steps forward for this love, but the prerequisite is that the village must take the first step. But now, the Uchiha have sacrificed a lot for the village, and there has been no response."

"Then, what does the Uchiha want the village to do?"

"Minato, you're being too naive. This is not something you can decide. Go and enjoy your welcome ceremony today. After all, there aren't many such happy days ahead."

Minato fell silent. Orochimaru fell silent. Fugaku didn't want to be silent, but he felt that this welcome ceremony, which was supposed to be ruined by Kei, seemed different today. He neither wanted to be silent nor had anything to say.

As the sun set, the gathering, filled with unspoken thoughts, did not need to linger. The sunlight stretched Kei's shadow, and everyone had their own calculations in their hearts.

The only ones without their own calculations were probably those brainless, hot-blooded youths.

Looking at Kei's retreating figure, Uchiha Itachi suddenly spoke, "Uchiha Kei, at the moment of Konoha's life or death, will you go to the battlefield? Or will you still find a reason not to participate in the fight!"

Everyone was shocked by Uchiha Itachi's innocent but pointed words.

Just a moment ago, they were all lost in deep thought about why they were fighting, and now someone thought Lord Kei was a coward.

Kei was disgusted. He hated people with such accurate innate intuition.

The atmosphere had been built up so much, and yet someone could still make such a correct judgment.

Minato immediately realized that these words were beneficial to the village, regardless of whether Kei answered or not. If he answered, it would be sophistry; if he didn't, it would be a sign of guilt.

Orochimaru's eyes grew colder. If he had a son like this, how worried he would be.

What did marriage bring to men?

Fugaku also felt a little guilty. If Itachi were the Hokage, these words would be perfectly appropriate, but whether Itachi saying them now was appropriate was another matter.

Everyone's heart was in their throats, waiting to see Kei's reaction.

After all, Lord Kei's great image of serving the village and its people had been established in the recent speech. He couldn't possibly go back on his word now.

Itachi's reaction would also be very interesting.

On a larger scale, it was Konoha Village questioning the Uchiha, but it was spoken through the mouth of a son of the Uchiha. If it was truly inappropriate, it could also be interpreted as internal discord within the Uchiha clan.

The short few seconds stretched infinitely.

Until a voice came from afar.

"My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and all I do is for justice!"

With that, ignoring everyone's reaction, Uchiha Kei raised his arm and shouted, "Uchiha, let's go home!"

At this moment, it seemed that in this cry of "Uchiha," it was no longer just the Uchiha of Uchiha Kei's faction. Those Uchiha who had been scattered and assigned to various battlefronts, those Uchiha who were finally rotated back, those Uchiha who were at odds with the village, all seemed to have found their belonging.

The Uchiha of the Shinsengumi sheathed their swords, their sabers held at their sides, and returned to Kei's side in perfect unison.

"Loyalty! Allegiance!"

The disciplined slogan infected all the Uchiha.

Immediately following, a series of chants—baffling, yet undeniably imposing—rang out.

"Loyalty! Integrity!"

The words flowed incessantly from the mouths of the Uchiha Clan.

Then, they spontaneously fell into line, joining Qi's procession home.

In that moment, the chaotic, unbridled revelry of Konoha Village stood in stark contrast to the iron-clad discipline of the Uchiha, splitting the village into two distinct worlds.

The Konoha villagers left behind exchanged bewildered glances, their disdainful gazes now laced with something else.

That emotion was longing, and envy.