Uchiha Hui strolled around the village and noticed that the damage was considerably worse than he had imagined. After the Nine-Tails had run rampant, only a handful of places remained intact, including the Uchiha Clan Compound.
No wonder people had bought into those rumors.
Still, Uchiha Hui paid little mind to it. As he was now, he had no power to change the situation.
And so.
Uchiha Hui bought some fresh vegetables from a shop he remembered, then picked up plenty of fresh beef before preparing to head back to the compound.
Although Konoha had suffered devastating losses, basic infrastructure had been restored relatively quickly. There was no shortage of food or clothing. Of course, that probably had a great deal to do with how adaptable ninja were.
"Hm?!"
Uchiha Hui walked through the crowd. Not far away, some Konoha ninja seemed to be registering something, drawing quite a few villagers around them.
And among those people.
He spotted several who stood out.
-- Name: Sato Kai Identity: Chunin of Kirigakure, Land of Water Reputation: 1,689 points -- Name: Kobayashi Yuma Identity: Special Jōnin of Sunagakure, Land of Wind Reputation: 5,868 points -- Name: Watanabe Kazuya Identity: Chunin of Kusagakure, Land of Grass Reputation: 688 points --
Had Konoha become a sieve?!
Uchiha Hui was somewhat surprised.
It had been less than two days since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, yet so many "spies" had already appeared in the village. He had found this many without even looking for them. He could hardly imagine how many such people were scattered throughout Konoha.
Uchiha Hui couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
But he quickly caught himself. He could see their different identities because of his cheat, but that didn't mean these spies had only arrived in Konoha over the past few days.
After the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Everyone in Konoha was probably on edge. There was no way they would have reopened "trade" so soon, giving spies an opportunity to enter Konoha and gather intelligence.
In other words, these people had most likely been living in Konoha for a long time...
That explanation made much more sense to Uchiha Hui!
Report them?
What did that have to do with me?!
All of Konoha disliked the Uchiha. Even if I reported them, would that really win me any goodwill from those old geezers at the top?
Time to go!
Uchiha Hui continued on without looking back, having no intention whatsoever of reporting them.
And as he passed through the crowd.
He also overheard plenty of conversations. Words like "Uchiha," "monster," and "Fourth Hokage" came up particularly often. Some people even instinctively stopped talking when they noticed the Uchiha Clan Crest on his clothes.
What a joke!
Uchiha Hui wanted to tell them not to stop, to go right ahead. He had already heard everything anyway. Now they were going quiet just because he had come closer. Weren't they simply fooling themselves? Or were they genuinely afraid of the Uchiha?
Uchiha Hui soon left the crowd behind.
As he moved away, those who had noticed him began talking again, their voices filled with resentment.
"That guy just now was so arrogant. He had such a sour face, like everyone owed him money!"
"He's an Uchiha! What did you expect?"
"Hmph!"
"..."
Had Uchiha Hui heard them, he might have felt compelled to retort, "I'm not deliberately putting on a cold face. I'm just used to looking like this. It's not directed at you at all."
Unfortunately.
If he had still been there, most of them wouldn't have dared call him out by name.
The Uchiha's prestige had declined considerably in recent years, but it still carried weight among ordinary people and rank-and-file ninja. They were still Konoha's largest ninja clan, after all, weren't they?
On the way back.
Uchiha Hui considered his options for growing stronger.
Fighting made him stronger.
In that case, he could simply approach the clan's various ninja under the pretext of "sparring." Unfortunately, he wasn't on particularly good terms with them. Previously, the ninja who sided with Uchiha Fugaku had considered his methods "extreme," while the clan's radicals thought he was "reckless and dangerous."
He really hadn't won over either side.
As a result, he had ended up completely isolated.
So, for now, did that leave Uchiha Fugaku as his only possible sparring partner?
Uchiha Hui felt a headache coming on.
Uchiha Fugaku was the clan head and the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force. He was already a busy man, and with Konoha still struggling to rebuild, there was no telling how much work piled up on his desk every day.
Sparring sessions like the one they'd had that day certainly couldn't happen daily.
Carrying his newly purchased groceries.
Uchiha Hui suddenly paused for a moment, then headed toward a secluded area. It was a shortcut home that rarely saw any traffic even normally, and now almost no one would pass through.
Soon, he vanished from sight.
Just after he disappeared, a plainly dressed figure suddenly appeared. He looked from side to side, seemingly surprised that he had lost his target. His expression shifted several times before he finally gritted his teeth and continued chasing in one direction.
But just as he raised a foot to continue following, a voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Hey! How long are you planning to follow me?"
Uchiha Hui stood on a tree branch, still holding his grocery bags. He looked just like an office worker heading home after shopping.
Only now, his expression was rather dark.
-- Name: Sato Kai Identity: Chunin of Kirigakure, Land of Water Reputation: 1,689 points --
Wasn't this the spy I saw earlier? Why had he followed me here?
Or was this some scumbag's new way of screwing over the Uchiha? Staging a scene where an Uchiha was caught colluding with outsiders, for instance?
Countless possibilities flashed through Uchiha Hui's mind.
So, while keeping his eyes on the Kirigakure spy below, he continuously surveyed his surroundings. Yet he found no sign of a third party.
"You actually spotted me?!"
Sato Kai seemed somewhat surprised. He studied Uchiha Hui, his face full of astonishment, but after a brief glance around, he appeared perfectly composed.
He looked ordinary, the sort of person who could blend seamlessly into a crowd. He wasn't tall or imposing, and his build was on the thin side, fitting the stereotypical image of a villager these days.
"Well, that's fine too. I only wanted to see if I could find an opening through you, but instead of sticking to the main road, you came running out here! I suppose you're awfully confident! Is that what the Uchiha Clan is like?"
He spoke slowly, staring at Uchiha Hui.
As he spoke, he took a long sword from a scroll he carried. His entire demeanor changed in an instant, taking on a bloodthirsty edge.
"You actually decided to target me. You really are underestimating me!"
With a blank expression, Uchiha Hui set his freshly purchased groceries aside, then narrowed his eyes at the man.
Judging by reputation alone.
His opponent definitely wasn't stronger than him.
His own reputation was currently around 1,500, while the other man's was only around 1,600. Moreover, judging by his previous fight with Uchiha Fugaku, his strength was respectable among chunin.
And so.
Uchiha Hui had no intention of letting the man before him get away.
When he had first noticed the man following him, he had considered finding someone else to deal with him. But on second thought, he had abandoned that idea. He wanted to find out what the man was after, and too much commotion would certainly alert the village!
"One minute!"
Uchiha Hui uttered those words.
Below him, Sato Kai instinctively wanted to ask what he meant.
But in the space of a single breath.
He lost sight of Uchiha Hui entirely.
At some point, Uchiha Hui had already vanished from the branch!
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