The Way of the Ninja

After saying this, Uchiha Kei led the Uchiha group forward in a grand procession, leaving Minato behind.

Minato was clearly unsatisfied with this answer and was about to step forward to press the issue, but the Hokage's Anbu, much like the police in a movie, finally arrived fashionably late.

With no other choice, Minato had to abandon his confrontation with Kei, while simultaneously confirming that he and Kei were, in the end, people from two different worlds.

He had originally assumed that the Uchiha, who saw themselves as the masters of Konoha, would treat everything in the village with care. Now, it seemed that far from treating everything well, they couldn't even treat life itself with proper respect.

Indeed, the Third Hokage was right; the Uchiha were not to be trusted. Although there were kind-hearted individuals among them like Uchiha Obito, their leaders viewed human life as nothing more than blades of grass.

Kei did not realize that this moment of drifting apart was the beginning of the Uchiha and the future Hokage going their separate ways.

He truly did not like this Hokage.

It was a prejudice etched into his very bones, a memory that made it impossible for him to get along with any generation of Hokage.

Within the system, there are generally three types of newcomers: those who are like fish in water, being descendants of the system themselves; the aloof and taciturn descendants of scholarly families; and the timid, subservient descendants of ordinary households.

As long as they honestly muddle through within the system, all three types have a chance to gain power as time passes.

However, even if these three types belong to the same faction, they remain clearly divided and cannot get along.

Of course, this applies to men. Ordinary people who manage to gain power usually do so by marrying a wife who is already part of the system.

This is roughly the relationship between Hou Liangping, Gao Yuliang, and Sha Ruijin.

The environments in which they were raised make their perspectives incompatible. To try and come together would be a process of negating their own life experiences, which is simply unrealistic.

This is the reason why some people, despite being perfectly fine, just cannot get along with you.

Because from the moment you were born, you were never the same kind of person.

Your family background makes your views on things fundamentally different, which makes trying to persuade the other party entirely meaningless.

Kei had originally thought that although he was born into the Uchiha, he was still an ordinary person at heart and would surely have plenty of common ground with Minato.

Now it seemed that he was the Qi Tongwei of this story, and the smooth-sailing Minato simply could not empathize with him.

As they continued their journey, the scenery gradually grew desolate.

Overgrown with weeds and twisted branches, the lack of human presence had turned this lush-looking territory into a paradise for wild beasts.

A wild boar, running with the force of a mountain storm, didn't even bother to warn the group of ninjas that they had trespassed on its territory before charging blindly at them.

It then became the ninjas' midnight snack.

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

"The path I've walked on this journey... it's only getting narrower."

Even Qin Hui had three or five friends, but ever since Kei arrived in Konoha, he had offended one person today and another tomorrow. Among the prominent figures in Konoha, he couldn't find a single one who didn't hold a grudge against him.

People are, after all, emotional creatures.

Without friendship, without love, without family, only a cold, imposed loyalty—is such a life truly meaningful to him?

Having not lived a long life across his two incarnations combined, Kei felt a sense of self-doubt. Was this really the life he wanted?

The further they moved away from Konoha Village, the more relaxed Kei's group became.

The marching formation had now turned into a picnic. Oboro held a paper windmill and frolicked like a child, while Shujen, who had once been Oboro's nanny, habitually chased after her to look after her.

As Shujen's best friend, who also harbored feelings for Gennosuke, Kagerou watched her dear friend coaxing her romantic rival like a child, feeling quite helpless and pouting in jealousy from the sidelines.

Grandmother Ogen kindly stroked the belly of a Koga ninja. This Koga woman, who had married into Ogen's Iga clan, was pregnant—a joyous occasion for the Iga.

As Ogen's deputy, Tenshen stood guard on the perimeter. Watching the scene before him, he wore a smug look of triumph as he glanced at Danjō of the Koga.

Among those who had intermarried between Iga and Koga, the Iga now had five descendants, while the Koga had only three.

This time, the Iga had won.

Everyone was satisfied with their current life; their master never treated them as mere tools, which was far better than the Shogunate generals of the past.

Although their master was always shouting, "If there's trouble ahead, you go first if you can win, and let me run first if you can't," he had never actually dragged them into problems he couldn't solve.

Even for tasks that seemed difficult but offered great rewards, their master would only find ways to strike from the sidelines, borrowing strength to gain a share of the benefits, never placing them—his tools—in danger.

Uchiha Jūbei, skilled in astrology and divination, was known as the "Earthworm" and had survived death multiple times thanks to his abilities.

This man, who in his previous life would run at the first sign of danger and grab at any benefit, was now a limbless cripple. He was currently slithering along on his torso, using the iron scales attached to his abdomen like a snake to clear the path for Kei.

Kei, who always described himself in such unflattering terms, held a special place of respect in everyone's hearts.

A young female genin who had just graduated from the Iga Forty-Nine Temples still possessed the innocence of a child, yet she had already experienced the wars driven by the Shogunate. She understood deeply how cruel the world had once been.

Therefore, this current peace was especially precious to her; even seeing a wildflower by the roadside filled her with surprise and delight.

The innocent little girl didn't overthink it; she simply wanted to pick the flower and offer it to the great Lord Kei.

Standing at the height of a seven or eight-year-old, she was among the youngest of the genin Kei had summoned. Standing before the twelve or thirteen-year-old Kei, she could only look up and offer the little flower with a brilliant smile.

Looking down from above, Kei gazed at that smile and felt a sense of release.

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

"Perhaps the meaning of a man's existence is to strive for those who rely on him."

Qi crouched down, letting the little girl tuck a flower behind his ear. Already possessing a somewhat dissolute air, the wildflower made Qi look even more like a playboy.

"What's real or fake? These are people with emotions and warmth. They adore me and have entrusted me with absolute power, so I have an absolute responsibility to lead them toward a better life!"

"This is reality. No one can enjoy the perks of power while still clinging to the warmth reserved for ordinary people. This is the path you chose, Qi. Since you chose it, you must walk it with everything you have. Beyond that, everything else—everyone else—is secondary to you, and all of it is expendable!"

"Let so-called friendship, love, and family ties go to hell."

I only want those around me to live well.

This is my ninja way!