Chapter 433 — Impact
Uchiha Fugaku's return at the head of the army sent Konoha into an uproar.
Especially when the villagers saw the captured Cloud shinobi—heads lowered, bodies marked with sealing tags—
and the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki being carried away on stretchers, rushed directly to the medical division—
the excitement surged beyond words.
Konoha had suffered too much.
Since the beginning of the great shinobi wars, even when Konoha emerged victorious—
those victories had always come at a painful cost.
In the First War, they lost the Second Hokage.
In the Second War, Nawaki—the grandson of the First Hokage—was killed. Dan Katō died from severe injuries, his body discovered with his organs removed.
That trauma drove Tsunade—newly named one of the Legendary Sannin—into developing hemophobia, effectively costing Konoha one of its greatest combat medics.
The war itself had been grueling. Hanzō of the Salamander, the so-called "demigod" of the Rain, had resisted fiercely, dragging Konoha into a quagmire within the Land of Rain.
In truth, even though Konoha "won" that war—
it gained little more than it had lost.
Worse still, after the war, they lost Sakumo Hatake—
a powerful shinobi who chose to save his comrades over completing his mission.
As for the Third War…
it remained one of the most painful chapters in Konoha's history.
Surrounded by the other great villages and lacking sufficient high-level leadership, Konoha had been pushed to its limits.
That victory—
had been bought with lives.
Even though that war saw the rise of Minato Namikaze, a once-in-a-generation genius who became Hokage—
and figures like Uchiha Kei, who fought alongside him—
as well as Kakashi and other prodigies—
the truth remained unchanged.
Konoha had been forced to send even children onto the battlefield.
Put bluntly—
it was a desperate measure.
A choice made with no alternatives left.
And yet—
this war against Kumogakure was different.
The casualty rate was astonishingly low.
It could even be called—
an unprecedented victory.
Because from the very beginning—
Kumogakure's offensive had been completely halted by Uchiha Fugaku.
In the later stage of the war, everything changed.
The destruction of Kumogakure's forces wasn't even Konoha's doing—it was the result of those mysterious figures attempting to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, triggering a catastrophe that wiped them out.
Konoha had simply reaped the benefits—
like a fisherman profiting from the fight between two rivals.
A victory gained almost effortlessly.
But a win was still a win.
After all, it was Kumogakure who chose to deploy their Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
Had they learned nothing from what happened in Kirigakure?
If they hadn't attacked Konoha, would any of this have occurred?
Defeat was defeat—
no excuse could change that.
And this victory ignited morale within Konoha like never before.
Uchiha Fugaku, in particular, stood at the center of it all.
With a force outnumbered by at least two thousand on the frontlines, he had held the enemy back single-handedly.
And in direct confrontations—
he had defeated the Fourth Raikage twice.
Such achievements were nothing short of extraordinary.
As the head of the Uchiha clan, he already commanded attention. But over the past few years, thanks to Kei's careful maneuvering, the clan had almost completely shed its former stigma.
Coupled with their decisive support for Minato in the recent reforms, the Uchiha clan's standing within Konoha had risen dramatically.
And Fugaku, as its leader, benefited the most.
This battle had earned him immense political capital.
Amid the roaring celebrations, Fugaku accepted Minato's inspection, then dismissed the troops under the watchful eyes of the entire village.
Even the Second Division, originally meant to fall under Kei's command, had ultimately returned under Fugaku's leadership.
With the Third Hokage gravely injured and Kei never needing to reach the battlefield, Nara Kyōhei had led the unit back and regrouped with Fugaku before returning to Konoha together.
"Not bad, Kyōhei," Kei said with a smile, stepping forward and giving him a light pat on the shoulder.
After dismissing the troops, Fugaku simply nodded at Kei before heading straight toward his family—Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke, who had been waiting for him.
Kei, of course, had no intention of interrupting that moment. Instead, he turned his attention to Kyōhei.
"Thank you, Chief," Kyōhei replied with a grin. "If not for your intelligence, we probably would've been wiped out by the Eight-Tails. I never imagined a perfect Jinchūriki could be that terrifying."
"They are," Kei said calmly. "How did your unit fare?"
"We were lucky," Kyōhei answered. "It was dangerous, but we stayed well hidden."
He then went on to explain in detail.
Without the Third Hokage's command and with no replacement assigned, Kyōhei had temporarily taken control of the rear support unit. Knowing his own limitations, he chose not to act recklessly.
Instead, he led his forces back into concealment, prioritizing survival over action.
That decision—
saved them.
When the devastating shockwaves of that battle swept across the land, they had truly believed they were going to die.
The terrain around them was nearly destroyed.
But because they were farther from the epicenter—and reacted quickly—they managed to survive.
"Not bad," Kei nodded. "Aside from a few unlucky ones… most made it back alive."
He sighed briefly—but only briefly.
Such losses didn't shake him.
Not anymore.
On chaotic battlefields, death could come from anywhere—enemy or ally alike. Being caught in the crossfire was simply part of war.
"…Yeah. No one could've predicted that," Kyōhei shrugged. "Still, we were lucky it happened to Kumogakure—and that the war ended because of it."
"Mm." Kei nodded, but soon noticed Nara Shikaku approaching.
After a brief pause, he patted Kyōhei's shoulder again.
"I'd like to tell you to get some rest… but I don't think you'll have that luxury."
"…Huh?" Kyōhei blinked, his face immediately falling. "Come on, Chief, I just got back."
"Is that so? I was actually thinking of moving you up a bit… but if you're too tired—"
"Wait—no, no! I'm tired, but I can manage!"
---
"So many people…"
Uchiha Shisui stood among the crowd, watching the sea of villagers and listening to the thunderous cheers. His voice carried a trace of awe.
Today marked the return of Konoha's main forces, and like everyone else, he had come to witness it.
But instead of standing with the Uchiha clan, he had come alongside his team and their leader, Fukuhiko Kōhei.
The Third Hokage had promised to train him—and had even begun doing so.
But with the outbreak of war, Hiruzen had been forced to the frontlines.
Without a mentor, Shisui returned to his original squad and resumed missions under Kōhei.
They were still too young for war.
Minato would never allow it—not unless the situation was as dire as during the Third War.
"Of course there are so many people," Kōhei said, nodding. "Even if this victory came with a bit of luck, it's still a perfect win."
Lowering his voice, he added,
"And don't forget—Kei cast the deciding vote on behalf of the Uchiha clan for the Fourth Hokage's reform. That speech of his… plus Fugaku being your clan head—it's no surprise the reaction is like this."
Shisui glanced at his squad leader, thoughtful.
By all accounts, Kōhei should have been a loyal supporter of the Third Hokage.
And yet—
his words, his attitude…
didn't quite match that stance.
Recently, Shisui had learned a great deal.
Though he still wasn't someone who could catch Kei's attention—
he had begun to understand things.
And now—
he found himself wondering:
What was his captain really thinking?
Because that subtle shift in attitude…
had started even before the reforms.
Shisui let out a quiet breath.
These past days had been difficult.
From Kei, he had learned truths he could never have imagined.
From Uchiha Shin, he had received guidance that stripped away his naivety.
Even though the Third Hokage treated him well—
he could no longer view things so simply.
He was Uchiha.
And he knew what that had once meant in Konoha.
Yes, the clan bore responsibility for its isolation—
but was the Hokage entirely blameless?
Hiruzen was a great leader.
A man willing to sacrifice everything for the village.
But he was still human.
He could make mistakes.
He could be influenced.
He had his own interests.
The Uchiha had once been isolated—
trapped in a vicious cycle.
Cut off from the village.
Prideful.
Unwilling to change.
Believing Konoha depended on them—
that Konoha belonged to them.
And that mindset had only deepened the divide.
Until—
someone appeared.
Someone who bore the burden of bloodshed.
Someone who crushed the clan's most arrogant leaders with ruthless force.
And then—
reformed everything.
Bridged the widening gap between Uchiha and Konoha.
That person—
was Uchiha Kei.
Even when others believed he was merely Fugaku's proxy—
he had already reshaped everything from the shadows.
Shisui had learned all of this from Uchiha Shin.
And Shin had said something he would never forget:
"I hate him. I fear him. He's ruthless, cold… and he doesn't care about the clan."
"But I respect him."
"Because without him… the Uchiha would've already fallen into ruin."
Now, with Minato's reforms pushing for equality—
redistributing influence from clans to civilian shinobi—
Kei had chosen to support it.
Publicly.
Decisively.
For the clans, it wasn't necessarily a good thing.
But for the village—
it was monumental.
To integrate the Uchiha into Konoha.
To end their isolation.
That had been Shisui's quiet dream.
And Kei—
had achieved it.
Without bloodshed.
Without conflict.
In a way completely different from his usual methods.
How could that not shake Shisui to his core?
The joy on the faces of civilian shinobi—
their gratitude when they looked at him—
those expressions burned into his memory.
They were hope.
His hope.
Their hope.
And yet—
the Third Hokage's allies stood firmly against this reform.
In that moment—
Shisui finally understood Kei's earlier words.
"…I think I see it now, Kei-sama."
---