Many times, we walk very, very far, yet

Often, one forgets why they set out in the first place.

At that moment, Uchiha Kei threw caution to the wind and pulled the gacha, spending all the summoning scrolls he had hoarded for over half a year in one go.

As for who might object, who wanted to know where these Uchiha came from, or how these ninja bypassed Konoha's seals to enter the village—let alone whether there were others besides these Uchiha—Kei could no longer be bothered with such trifles.

In short, Kei's mindset at the time was: either you kill me, or you find a reasonable explanation for yourselves.

I, Uchiha Kei, act as I please throughout my life; why should I offer so many explanations? Between interrogation and all-out war, please choose for yourselves.

He carried the air of someone who couldn't care less about the deluge that might follow his death.

Thus, after a flash of light reminiscent of the Flying Thunder God, over sixty ninja appeared.

Six purple cards, a dozen blue cards, and the rest were green.

The purple cards had three tomoe, the blue cards had two, and the green cards had just awakened their Sharingan.

Tomoe are the comma-shaped marks.

Such a commotion naturally shocked the village's top brass.

Yet, intriguingly, things did not spiral into the worst-case scenario.

Suspicion is a fickle thing; it always leaves conspirators feeling bound and hesitant.

Especially when the object of that suspicion is an orphan with no attachments, someone who can act without regard for consequences. Before obtaining complete intelligence, the big shots chose to wait and see.

Now that Kei himself occupies a high position, looking back on the matter, he can understand their hesitation.

Back then, the village had no room for the Uchiha, and Fugaku, as clan head, lacked the capital to resist. When dozens of Uchiha with distinct features—all possessing at least one tomoe—appeared, regardless of who they were, they were at least Uchiha.

Although Fugaku and a few trusted aides hovered near the area where Kei and the newly arrived Uchiha were stationed for a long time, his indecisive nature led him to decide to simply leave them be.

He didn't even enter the courtyard where Uchiha Kei, armed and ready, was waiting.

At the time, Fugaku thought that since there were only a few dozen people, they would eventually have to contact the clan; if nothing else, the basic necessities of life would force their hand.

Just as the Daimyo could squeeze a ninja dry.

So, Fugaku acted as their shield against the village's prying eyes, claiming to the outside world that they were clansmen returning from seclusion. He then waited with peace of mind for these people to take the initiative to contact him, their clan head, before making further plans.

Of course, Fugaku also had a bit of a bluffing motive!

Damn it, the Hokage dares to bully our Uchiha like this only because he's seen through our cards and thinks he has us in the palm of his hand.

With this sudden appearance of a group of Uchiha, Fugaku believed that the Uchiha's days would surely be easier for a while. Because an unknown variable had emerged, he, Fugaku, was no longer the Fugaku the Hokage had fully figured out.

Now, even I can't see through myself; I don't believe you, Hokage, can see through me.

Fugaku was right; the Hokage did indeed give him a reprieve for quite some time because of this.

Originally, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, thought that dismantling the Uchiha was only a matter of time, and he felt he knew exactly what the Uchiha's foundation was.

Not only was one of the Uchiha's strongest combatants, Uchiha Shisui, his own man, but even the clan head's son, Uchiha Itachi, had been turned by Shisui.

To cooperate with Shisui, Sarutobi even went so far as to spread the word that the young Uchiha Itachi had the makings of a Hokage.

How could a five-year-old show the potential of a Hokage? It was nothing more than a word from the Hokage himself!

Thus, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, since he knew their strength, restricted their development, and dangled hope before them, there was no way the Uchiha could ever rebel.

You, Uchiha Fugaku, want to drag me down with you? I might not have as much time left as you, but in the current situation, I, Sarutobi, feel that your Uchiha clan's life probably won't last as long as mine.

Without a clear understanding of the situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose silence, because he believed someone would stick their neck out before he did.

That person was Danzo.

Danzo was reckless enough; he dispatched several Root members in a flash.

These Root members intended to interrogate the Uchiha, even bypassing Fugaku entirely.

But Kei, having watched the anime, knew that the so-called Root was a group of Anbu within the Anbu, an existence known to few outside the top brass and high-level Jonin.

They were ninja not on the official registry; those who acknowledged them understood what they were, but to those who didn't, they held no legal authority.

Especially in the situation at the time, Kei was already prepared for total war.

The ninja he had summoned included Gen, the leader of the Iga clan, and Danjō, the leader of the Koga clan.

Three or five Root members wanted to interrogate them?

That was no different from a group of thugs trying to rob an armory.

And so, that night, the arriving Root members finally achieved their wish: they were granted a comfortable tree root to bury their lives in, hidden away from the sun forever.

Clearly, Danzo had overestimated his own prestige. He thought that in Konoha, everyone had to give him face. Surely no one would dare start a war within the village?

He hadn't expected that this new group of ninja had been summoned by someone who would risk starting a war just to ensure an orphan had a meal.

One side wanted to fight a major battle, while the other assumed the opponent wouldn't dare—and thus, the misunderstanding was born.

It was just like how old-school gangsters often die at the hands of reckless youths, or how Zhang Haoran died at the hands of Zhang Yue.

In the instant he felt the "Cursed Seal of the Tongue" vanish, Danzo realized that today, someone truly wasn't giving him any face.

In his fury, Danzo considered taking his Root members to charge in, but after calming down, he realized that while his Root had many members, very few of them were actually capable of fighting.

All his past misdeeds were only possible because he had the Hokage's endorsement. People weren't giving face to Danzo; they were giving face to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who held the position of Hokage and possessed three formidable disciples.

With no other choice, Danzo had to go and coerce Sarutobi again, demanding that he punish the Uchiha for this.

But Sarutobi felt that Danzo's actions this time could serve as his own probe. If Uchiha Fugaku remained weak, he could push even harder; if he was no longer weak, then Danzo would be the perfect scapegoat.

And faced with an unknown Uchiha that had already caused a significant, bloody commotion, Sarutobi chickened out.

Digesting and dismantling the Uchiha was the true path; a direct confrontation was the worst possible strategy.

Thus, the two men failed to reach a consensus once again.

The incident concluded with yet another exchange of, "Sarutobi, you will regret this!" and, "Danzo, I am the Hokage."

Kei did not know that his actions had dragged the entire Uchiha clan into the fray.

In the end, the entire Uchiha clan and the entire Konoha, whether they liked it or not, accepted the fact that there was a branch of the Uchiha clan living outside, and they were gradually migrating back to Konoha bit by bit.

Once this matter had settled for a time without causing any negative repercussions, the lovely Hokage lineage had already burned the philosophy of the Will of Fire into those orphans who had originally followed Uchiha Kei.

The young Uchiha, who had never felt warmth before, were finally bathed in the governance of the Hokage's Will of Fire.

The Hokage visited the village's orphans, including those of the Uchiha clan, many times under the guise of offering condolences to the orphans of heroes.

Unfortunately, he did not see Kei.

But after all, children are easy to fool.

Kei no longer knew how many of those original orphans had turned their hearts toward the Hokage.

Kei understood this well; after all, the Hokage was the orthodox authority.

Putting himself in their shoes, if he were his ordinary self from his past life and was suddenly visited by a big shot, his own loyalty to the organization would certainly have risen a notch as well.

But understanding did not mean he could accept it.

Uchiha Kei, who had resolutely placed himself in dangerous situations just so those orphans could have a hot meal, felt that this was a betrayal.

It was a betrayal of class.

And so, those dozen or so orphans, though categorized as being of Kei's lineage, grew closer to Shisui's faction. Like human megaphones, they constantly transmitted Konoha's Will of Fire to Uchiha Kei.

Kei, meanwhile, no longer tried to change the world for the sake of orphans, but could no longer stop his own pace for the sake of his cause.

Often, we walk very, very far, yet we frequently forget why we started in the first place.

To outsiders, Uchiha Kei, the newly promoted elder of the Uchiha, was surrounded by stars, but in reality, he was a lonely man who could only keep company with "paper characters."

This left Kei unable to laugh or cry; is life always so contrary to one's wishes?

Kei even began to doubt himself, wondering if there was truly something wrong with his character. If not for the system forcing all the card characters he drew to have a clear mental imprint to serve Lord Uchiha Kei, would even these paper characters dislike him?

If Kei were a native of the Hokage world, the denial brought by such betrayal alone would have been enough to crush his spirit, just as it had crushed the powerful White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, back in the day.

It must be said that when it comes to killing the heart, the Hokage really knows how to play the game.

He understands human nature all too well!