Some of our ancestors' sayings only made sense once you understood the underlying logic.
Take "you can't judge a book by its cover." What it really meant was that most of the time, people did need to judge by appearances; cases where appearances were misleading were rare.
With the flashy arrival of Konoha's Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Fugaku and Orochimaru ended their vague, pointless conversation.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the man before them.
Though they stood in opposing camps, Uchiha Kei had to admit that if success in this world required luck, then Minato Namikaze was a man luck had every reason to favor.
The young man before him had a cheerful appearance, a kind smile, and peerless skill in Space-Time Ninjutsu. A man this striking would stand out anywhere, like a firefly in the darkness—so bright, so exceptional.
So this was what people called charisma.
And Minato was indeed at the height of his life. He had only recently married the princess of the Uzumaki Clan, daughter of the former Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, and now his career was flourishing too. He had earned renown equal to one of the Sannin. You couldn't call that anything but success.
And the confidence success gave a man only made his charisma shine all the brighter.
"Lord Fugaku, Lord Orochimaru! You're both here!"
After his flash of arrival, Minato spoke first. It was only a simple greeting, but coming from him, it was like a ray of sunlight on a gentle summer day, warming everyone's heart.
Those words pushed Kei, who had already been relegated to the sidelines by Fugaku's arrival, even farther to the margins.
Watching the man's every word and action, Kei could practically see the light in Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
What could be more perfect than a future Hokage who respected the Uchiha?
What, you said he'd only politely greeted the Uchiha Clan's head?
That was still far better than many other people in Konoha managed.
At least Fugaku was satisfied.
"Four highs and one inside!"
That politeness, though, had only been for one person. Even so, Kei, who hadn't been treated politely, felt that the saying "people's values follow their appearances" was terrifying.
He'd been ignored, yet he couldn't bring himself to feel even the slightest ill will toward the man before him. Was there any ninjutsu more terrifying than that?
He didn't even feel the slightest urge to argue back over being ignored.
This wasn't right. Damn hero worship. How could he be so certain this man was admirable without even knowing his life story?
How was that any different from worshipping Li Yunlong without knowing his life story?
It was historical nihilism.
Forget it. No need to make such a big deal of it.
Sigh! So what if he was ignored? The real world wasn't some imaginary harem where whoever was best with words won the harem battle.
Heroes were the same. They'd simply found the courage to become noble when life gave them the chance to shine. There was no need to force morality on them, too.
Now that he was facing the real Minato Namikaze, perhaps it was a good opportunity to see what tricks this common-born man who'd risen above the rest had up his sleeve.
So, in the real world, verbal sparring in political struggles was only a precursor to action. Often, both sides—whether they'd gained the upper hand in words or suffered a verbal defeat—got what they wanted.
Kei could believe that his encounter with Orochimaru had been chance, but he absolutely didn't believe Minato's arrival was a coincidence.
Since Minato had come with a purpose, Kei would see for himself what this flawless, invincible figure everyone praised was really made of.
Let him be handsome. Kei wanted to see what sort of scheme he'd charm his way into today.
Uchiha Kei reined in his presence and made himself as inconspicuous as possible, wanting to see why the man had come.
Although Konoha's upper brass treated this kind, handsome man like a hot-blooded fool they could manipulate, Kei never underestimated an opponent.
Weakness and ignorance weren't obstacles to survival. Arrogance was.
No matter how much you looked down on someone, if they were qualified to talk to you, that meant you were probably on about the same level. After all, you never got the chance to talk to the people you admired and respected.
Was that dialectics?
Apparently, today, though Kei thought he was qualified to speak with Minato Namikaze, Minato didn't think so.
Perhaps, in Minato's eyes, Kei was like Uchiha Itachi—just another young, distinguished future member of the Uchiha Clan.
Why Minato saw him that way wasn't something Kei cared about.
Right now, Kei just wanted to see how this brilliant rising star would put on a show at the political spectacle being staged for him today.
Whether meeting Uchiha Fugaku in a setting like this was part of the festivities or not would depend on Minato's words and actions.
This kind of tactic seemed familiar, like playing house as a child. Everyone ignored you while fawning over someone else. If that person showed you even the slightest kindness, you'd immediately become their devoted follower, then start ignoring someone else and fawning over whoever was kind to you.
He wondered if the scene before him was just another game of house.
Having calmly accepted that he was an expendable nobody at the scene, Kei went into hiding.
Orochimaru, who had been wondering whether to give Minato a hand out of consideration for Jiraiya, had apparently noticed something more interesting as well.
The words he'd been about to use to introduce the two sides turned into an ordinary greeting.
"Oh, Minato! Have you just come back from the battlefield?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" He spoke with the proper gratitude for Orochimaru's concern, yet his manner was brimming with energy.
He was already the star of the village's festivities, and a large number of shinobi returning from the front lines began to gather around them. Seeing the actions of the man who had led them to victory, they felt a surge of excitement.
They believed that following a man like him would make victory hard-won, but still within reach.
"You've worked hard on this campaign!" Fugaku hurried to offer his praise, looking at the exhausted Uchiha who had returned from the battlefield. His words of gratitude were meant for them.
"No, I haven't worked hard. The shinobi on the front lines are the ones who've had it tough. I only offered what support I could. But the situation at the front isn't optimistic, Lord Orochimaru, Lord Fugaku. The front needs everyone's help."
At Fugaku's words, Minato got straight to the point and stated what he wanted, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He made no attempt to hide it.
That made Kei, with his dark and suspicious mind, deeply uncomfortable. He thought Minato's request was a bit much.
You show up out of nowhere, exchange a few pleasantries, and then make a request? How could you act like it was so natural?
Perhaps his own heart was full of filth. If he were making such a request, he'd surely beat around the bush, arrange a mutually beneficial deal, and then get what he wanted.
But Minato Namikaze thought it was perfectly natural. Was this the legendary selflessness?
And that wasn't even the strangest part. Who would've thought Uchiha Fugaku would be so moved by just one sentence?
Before you continue