After returning to the Konoha Military Police Force, Uchiha Kairen stayed for two weeks. He quickly realized that although the Sword Tournament had shown both civilians and ninja alike the true strength of the Uchiha, knowing that someone is strong didn't necessarily mean people would stop disliking them.
This police department—what a poisonous trap laid by the Second Hokage. The longer one stayed here, the more one would grow complacent. Spending years in a post akin to a city guard inevitably fostered a subtle sense of superiority. Combined with the Uchiha's innate pride, that superiority could easily turn into arrogance.
At times, Kairen even noticed certain clansmen showing unreasonable or domineering behavior toward others. If this continued, the clan's destruction would only be a matter of time. Power isolated from the people was like a rootless weed—it would eventually wither away.
This had to be addressed. But he couldn't act rashly; the clan's mood had to be considered. Besides, he was still too weak—both within the Uchiha and within Konoha, his strength was still far too insignificant.
Whatever he wanted to do, he first had to convince the elders. And even after convincing them, the execution wouldn't be in his hands. Tch… no matter which world it is, you still have to earn seniority before you can act. Especially in a clan.
Since he had recognized the problem, he had to find a way to fix it—even if he couldn't reform the entire clan, he could at least start with himself.
Kairen found two of his close friends, discussed it for a while, and decided to leave the village for a bit—to travel through the Land of Fire and inspect how the Uchiha's arrangements there were coming along.
Once they decided, they went to see Uchiha Nobunaga. After some discussion, they brought along Uchiha Danten and Uchiha Gorou. The five-man team reunited once again. This time, they accepted an escort mission for a trade caravan bound for the Fire Capital. When the mission was over, the five decided to stay there, assisting the Second Elder of the Uchiha in managing affairs in the capital.
Arriving in the Land of Fire filled Kairen with excitement. He'd wanted to come several times before, but one accident after another had delayed him. Now that he finally made it, he planned to enjoy it thoroughly.
The group first went to the Uchiha residence—a large estate, befitting the prestige of Konoha's foremost clan. Inside, they were greeted by the usually low-profile Second Elder.
Seeing several young clansmen from Konoha, the old man was overjoyed. He immediately had lunch prepared and warmly chatted with the boys.
As they recounted the events of the Sword Tournament, the old man listened with gleaming eyes. Uchiha Retsu spoke eloquently, no less than a bard. When he mentioned Uchiha Danten and Uchiha Kairen, he praised them lavishly, and Uchiha Gorou chimed in, the two bouncing off each other like a comedy duo.
In the middle of their lively exchange, a butler-like man entered, whispered a few words into the elder's ear, and handed him a letter.
The elder laughed heartily. "The Daimyō will host a banquet tonight for the Uchiha prodigies—he especially wishes to meet the young champion of the Sword Tournament." He glanced at Kairen with a knowing smile.
"Get ready, all of you. Tonight, you might meet some of the Land of Fire's nobles. Remember—within the Daimyō's court, officials are divided into factions.
"One faction, led by the Left Minister, advocates stability—maintaining strong relations with Konoha and supporting the eldest prince as heir.
"The other faction, led by the Right Minister and the Grand Minister of the Interior, is radical. They believe the Daimyō should reclaim full military authority, that all power should rest with the crown. They support the third prince.
"There are also neutrals—mainly the second prince and certain nobles who only care about profits, not politics. Each minister and noble is tied together through an intricate web of alliances and debts—cut one thread, and the others still remain."
He continued, "Our Uchiha work mainly with two neutral families: the Higashino family, who control the grain trade, and the Hirahara family, who deal in meat distribution. We have smaller dealings with other houses as well.
"We are ninja of Konoha. A common family might face harassment here—but we are Uchiha. Even now, these nobles remember our forebears—the man who wielded the fan and, with a single disagreement, could wipe out your entire clan." The elder chuckled softly. "Old men like me love to reminisce."
He rose to his feet and waved a hand. "Eat well, children. I'll go rest a bit."
As the old man's figure disappeared down the corridor, Kairen understood why the Second Elder had chosen to remain in the capital—because only here could he live within the fading light of past glory.
Only the oldest noble families still remembered the man who led the Uchiha toward divinity. Only here was the clan still seen as it once was.
Kairen tugged at Uchiha Honō sleeve and whispered, "I think this is an opportunity. If we play it right, we could turn this place into the Uchiha's backyard—and at the very least, secure steady funding for our group."
Honō frowned slightly. "I've thought about it too, but we're ninja, not merchants. Investing too much here doesn't seem worthwhile."
Kairen sighed inwardly. People of this era are still blind in some ways. Ninja were mercenaries, plain and simple. The hidden villages were just organized military contractors. They worked for pay. Why work for others when you can own the business yourself? Money could buy influence—and influence could buy everything else.
That evening, the group dressed and followed the Second Elder to the Daimyō's palace. They refused the noble attire prepared for them, instead choosing to wear their Konoha uniforms adorned with the Uchiha crest. It was a statement of allegiance—a silent declaration of where they stood.
Inside the grand hall, the Second Elder positioned them behind him, placing Kairen and Uchiha Danten at his sides. Various nobles approached to greet the elder, and soon small groups formed around him, exchanging polite chatter.
A few moments later, a court attendant entered and spoke briefly with each group before everyone returned to their seats—the Daimyō was about to arrive.
Kairen couldn't help but feel curious. In the original history, the Daimyō always seemed like a weak fool. He wanted to see for himself what that "fool" actually looked like.
When the Daimyō finally entered, everyone rose and bowed. After the formalities, he gave the signal for the feast to begin. Songstresses and dancers performed, though the entertainment was unremarkable.
The Second Elder leaned over and whispered, "When this dance ends, the Daimyō will want to meet you all. Be ready."
When the performance concluded, the Daimyō spoke briefly to his attendant, who then stepped forward and announced,
"Tonight's banquet is held because His Excellency, the Daimyō, has missed the company of his noble guests. Moreover, he has heard that several talented youths of the Uchiha clan are present—among them, the champion of the recent Sword Tournament, said to be the foremost swordsman of the new generation."
The Second Elder gave a polite bow to those nearby and turned to the young men behind him. "Go on—don't disgrace our clan's name."
The group rose, Kairen naturally taking the lead.
They walked to the center of the grand hall until they stood before the attendant. Kairen bowed slightly and spoke with composure,
"Your Excellency, I am Uchiha Kairen. It is an honor. As for being called the foremost swordsman of my generation—well, unless anyone here can defeat my clansman, Uchiha Danten, then I suppose the title does belong to me."