The Way of the Ninja

After saying this, Uchiha Kei continued on with the Uchiha clan, their procession stretching far and wide, leaving Minato behind,

Minato was clearly dissatisfied with that answer and was about to press Kei further, but the Hokage's Anbu, like the police in a movie, finally arrived—late as ever.

With no other choice, Minato had to give up pestering Kei, while also realizing that he and Kei were ultimately on different paths.

He had once thought that the Uchiha, who considered themselves Konoha's masters, would treat everything in Konoha well. Now it seemed they couldn't even treat lives with care, let alone everything else.

The Third had been right. The Uchiha couldn't be trusted. Although there were kind people among them, like Uchiha Obito, their leaders treated human lives as if they were weeds.

Kei hadn't expected that, at that moment, as they moved farther apart, the Uchiha and the future Hokage would be parting ways.

He truly didn't like this Hokage.

It was the prejudice embedded in his bones by memories that made it impossible for him to get along with any Hokage.

There were generally three kinds of newcomers within the system: those born into families already in the system, who fit right in; those from scholarly families, who were aloof and quiet; and those from ordinary families, who were timid and submissive.

As long as they kept their heads down and stayed in the system, all three kinds had a chance to rise over time.

But even when they belonged to the same faction, these three kinds of people remained sharply divided and couldn't get along.

Of course, this was speaking of men with men. Ordinary people who rose to power had generally married a wife from within the system.

That was roughly the relationship between Hou Liangping, Gao Yuliang, and Sha Ruijin.

The environments they had grown up in made it hard for them to accept each other's ideas. Coming together would mean rejecting everything they had experienced throughout their lives, which simply wasn't realistic.

That was why some people could be perfectly nice, yet you still couldn't get along with them.

Because from the moment you were born, you weren't the same kind of person.

Your family environments made you see things in entirely different ways, making it pointless to try to convince each other.

Kei had once thought that although he was born into the Uchiha clan, he was still an ordinary person at heart, and that he and Minato would surely have plenty in common.

But now it seemed he was the Qi Tongwei in this situation. Minato, whose life had gone smoothly, simply couldn't understand Kei's feelings.

As they continued along the road, the scenery grew increasingly desolate.

Weeds grew thick, and the trees twisted strangely. Few people ever came here, turning this seemingly lush territory into a beast's playground.

A wild boar, charging like a mountain mist, didn't even bother warning the ninja that they'd entered its territory. It simply barreled straight at them.

Then it became the ninja's late-night snack.

Uchiha Kei kept his hands tucked into the sleeves of his kimono and couldn't help shaking his head.

"The path I've taken has only gotten narrower and narrower."

Even Qin Hui had three or five close friends, but ever since Kei arrived in Konoha, he'd offended one person today and another tomorrow. There wasn't a single influential person in Konoha who didn't have a grudge against him.

People were, after all, emotional creatures.

Without friendship, without love, without family—only the cold loyalty imposed on him—did a life like that really mean anything?

Kei, who couldn't even be called long-lived when his two lifetimes were added together, began to doubt himself. Was this really the life he wanted?

The farther they got from Konoha, the more relaxed Kei's group became.

The marching column had now turned into a group on an outing. Oboro ran around like a child with a paper pinwheel in her hand. Shujen, who had once been Oboro's nanny, instinctively chased after her to look after her.

Kagerou, Shujen's close friend who was also in love with Genzō, watched her best friend coddle her romantic rival like a child. She could only pout and sulk with jealousy.

Granny Ogen gently stroked the belly of a Koga ninja. The Koga woman, who had married into Ogen's Iga Clan, was pregnant—a joyous occasion for Iga.

As Ogen's deputy, Tenshen kept watch on the outskirts. Watching the scene before him, he looked smugly at Danjō of Koga.

Of the people from Iga and Koga who had married across clan lines, five Iga had heirs now, while Koga had only three.

This time, Iga had won.

Everyone was content with their life here. Their lord never treated them like tools, which was far better than the shoguns of the past.

Although their lord was always shouting, "When trouble comes, if you can win, you go first. If you can't, let me run first,"

all this time, he had never gone looking for trouble he couldn't handle.

Even when something looked difficult but promised great benefits, their lord only found ways to work around it, turn others' strength to his advantage, and share in the spoils. He never put them, his tools, in danger.

Uchiha Jūbei, who was skilled at astrology and divination, was known as the "Bottom-Feeder." Thanks to his abilities, he had escaped death many times.

In his past life, this man with no limbs had been the sort to run first when danger came and grab the spoils first when there were benefits. Now he wriggled his limbless body along, using the iron scales fitted to his belly like a snake to clear the way for Kei.

Kei always described himself as a terrible person, but in everyone's hearts, he held a special place of respect.

A newly graduated female Genin from the Iga Forty-Nine Temples was still as innocent as a child. But this child had already lived through the wars ruled over by the Shogunate. She had deeply experienced just how cruel the world had once been.

That was why the peace of this moment was especially precious. Even seeing wildflowers by the roadside filled her with delight.

The innocent little girl didn't give it a second thought. She only wanted to pick the flower and offer it to the great Lord Kei.

She was only seven or eight, young even among the Genin Kei had summoned. Standing before the twelve- or thirteen-year-old Kei, she could only look up at him, then cheerfully offer him the little flower.

Looking down at the smile before him, Kei felt a weight lift from his heart.

"Ah! This damned sense of responsibility men have!"

"Maybe the meaning of a man's existence is to fight for those who depend on him."

Kei crouched down and let the little girl tuck the flower behind his ear. The wildflower made Kei, who was already a bit of a ladies' man, look even more like a playboy.

"What's true or false about it? These are all people with feelings and warmth. They cherish me and have given me absolute power, so I have an absolute responsibility to lead them toward a better life!"

"This is reality. No one can enjoy power and still enjoy the warmth reserved for ordinary people. You chose this path yourself, Kei. Now that you've chosen it, you have to give it everything you've got. Beyond that, everything and everyone else is secondary. You can let them go!"

"To hell with so-called friendship, love, and family."

All I want is for the people around me to live well.

This is my way of the ninja!