Chapter 416 — Let Them Take the Blame
Nara's stance and promise left Kei very satisfied.
Regardless of their past interactions, this meeting would likely mark the beginning of a new relationship between them.
As for Nara Kyōhei, Kei truly intended to promote him in the future.
The young man's performance had genuinely surprised him.
Still, Kei had long grown accustomed to Konoha being filled with hidden talents.
After everything he had experienced, he had seen too many people—individuals who never appeared in the original story—shine brilliantly around him.
Which only proved one thing:
The original narrative focused entirely on the main characters, inevitably overlooking countless other shinobi.
Konoha alone had tens of thousands of ninja.
That number was no joke.
If every one of their stories were told, even Kishimoto himself probably wouldn't have had the time or energy.
The era Kei lived in now wasn't the same time period as the original story.
Naturally, the people he encountered weren't limited to the characters from that narrative.
To him, the characters from the original plot were simply those destined to shine in the future.
But the countless unknown ninja hidden in the shadows didn't mean they lacked talent.
Using the promotion of someone like Nara Kyōhei, whom he already intended to elevate, as part of a political exchange with Nara Shikaku—
Whether it was merely for appearances or something Kei had already planned—
At the very least, it provided a perfect explanation for their meeting that night.
And as expected, news of their meeting spread quickly.
After all, when two Heads of Konoha met privately—especially two Heads who didn't appear particularly close—it was bound to attract attention.
Even if they had voted the same way during the reforms, others would still wonder:
What kind of deal had they made?
---
A few days later, during another meeting convened by Minato Namikaze, people seemed to finally understand what those two might have discussed.
At that meeting, Nara Shikaku proposed a revision to the earlier resolution—almost as if he had negotiated it directly with Kei.
And just as expected, Minato approved the modification.
The change itself wasn't major.
It was more like a supplement to the previous decision.
However, that supplement provided the major clans with a small buffer, easing some of their concerns.
The only part they disliked was the Hokage's veto power.
Yet during the vote that followed, the Uchiha clan immediately expressed support.
That part surprised no one.
What truly shocked them was that Shikaku, immediately after Kei, led the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance in supporting Minato.
As for the civilian jōnin, there was no hesitation at all.
They cast their votes directly in favor of the Hokage.
In simple terms—
This vote was even smoother than the previous one.
Minato had effectively secured the support of nearly all civilian ninja in Konoha.
Such political skill filled the opposition with unease.
For the first time, they truly felt that the Fourth Hokage had fully grown into his power.
And that he had chosen a path completely different from the Third Hokage's.
But no matter how anxious they felt, the result was finalized.
The reform would be implemented.
---
"The reform plan will officially begin two months from now," Minato declared firmly.
"In these two months, my only requirement is that the collection and registration of all ninjutsu materials be completed."
"I will assign this task to the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Hyūga clans."
Two months.
For some of the clan leaders present, that deadline made their expressions turn grim.
It was clearly aimed at them.
And it left no room for argument.
Sarutobi Kento, in particular, looked especially displeased.
The Third Hokage was still unconscious.
There was no one capable of intervening on their behalf.
Those ninjutsu were the key reason the Sarutobi clan maintained such a huge advantage over civilian ninja.
If they handed them over, what advantage would they have left?
Still—
At least they had two months of breathing room.
All Kento could do now was hope that Sarutobi Hiruzen would wake up before then.
---
"Additionally," Minato continued calmly, "because the Third Hokage was injured in battle, I have decided to appoint a new commander and dispatch additional combat forces to the frontlines."
His gaze shifted toward Uchiha Kei.
"Head Kei, you've been preparing for this for quite some time."
"Are you ready?"
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Kei replied as he stood up with a smile.
"Then I appoint you Commander of Konoha's Second Division. You may select additional personnel to reinforce your forces."
"Hokage-sama," Kei shook his head, "that won't be necessary. I only need two people."
"The frontline forces should already be sufficiently reinforced. I only need two companions who can coordinate with me."
Reinforcements had always been ongoing.
Konoha might not have as many combat ninja as Kumogakure, but maintaining the frontline numbers was essential.
Waiting until soldiers died before sending replacements would be absurd.
Even when large-scale battles occurred, not all forces could be deployed at once.
Someone had to defend the strongholds.
Otherwise, a single enemy raid could open the gates of the Land of Fire.
---
"I understand," Minato nodded.
He already knew who Kei intended to bring.
His two teammates.
Hyūga Ayaka posed no problem.
She belonged to the Hyūga branch family and held no critical position.
Taking her along wouldn't raise objections.
The second person, however, was more complicated—
Imai Kenta, the Head of the Mission Department.
His position was extremely important.
Fortunately, the department was functioning well.
Even though Nara Shikaku's father had retired due to age, he could temporarily oversee the department again.
Minato also knew Kei had met privately with Shikaku.
He didn't know what they discussed—and he didn't need to.
All that mattered was that Shikaku had supported Minato immediately after Kei in the meeting.
That alone revealed plenty.
Which meant Kenta could safely head to the battlefield.
---
"Head Kei," Minato said decisively, "submit the list of personnel you require to Head Shikaku."
"Whoever you choose is fine."
"You have my full support."
Minato's support carried significant weight.
Especially now that he had gained overwhelming public support.
A few days later, Kei quietly departed Konoha with Hyūga Ayaka and Imai Kenta.
There was no public announcement.
No formal order.
No one even knew they had left.
Everything was done in absolute secrecy.
With Minato's help, they used the Flying Thunder God Technique to arrive directly at Uchiha Fugaku's battlefield camp.
---
Fugaku was reviewing reports when they appeared.
After so much time recovering, he had nearly returned to full health.
Yet he had refrained from fighting the Fourth Raikage again.
Not because he didn't want to—
But because he knew that if he moved recklessly, the Kumogakure forces might discover that the hidden Konoha unit behind their lines lacked both a commander and powerful defenders.
If that happened, he might face both the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki simultaneously.
Even fighting the Raikage alone had already pushed him to his limits.
Though he hadn't been injured and had severely wounded the Raikage in return—
That battle made one thing clear.
Facing both enemies at once was impossible.
His mobility simply wasn't high enough.
Against those two monsters, that weakness could prove fatal.
Still, Fugaku wasn't worried.
He knew Kei would arrive soon.
Through letters exchanged with Kei, he had already learned about the situation in Konoha.
Minato and Kei had successfully completed the final stage of their long-planned reforms.
And after some time stabilizing the internal situation, things were likely under control.
Which meant Kei would soon appear on the battlefield.
---
Nearly half a year earlier, Kei had already begun spreading rumors in preparation.
Now most of Konoha believed that powerful Uchiha warriors could summon a chakra giant called Susanoo.
The color of the Susanoo varied—sometimes overlapping between users.
Kei's Susanoo was black.
The mysterious Uchiha who attacked Kirigakure also had a black Susanoo.
It seemed like too great a coincidence.
But the ninja of Konoha believed it.
What Kirigakure thought didn't matter.
They would never come to Konoha demanding explanations.
Perhaps Black Zetsu had decided Kei was too dangerous to pursue the matter.
And Konoha certainly had no intention of clarifying anything.
After all, Kei was a Head of one of the departments of the village.
Thus the matter quietly faded away.
In simple terms—
Even if Kei stirred chaos on the battlefield, as long as he didn't go too far, few people would connect him with the mysterious attacker from Kirigakure.
At least Konoha wouldn't.
Well…
At least not openly.
Other villages might reach different conclusions.
But regardless, Kei's preparations were already complete.
---
While reading the latest report from Konoha, Fugaku suddenly frowned.
He felt someone nearby.
Turning quickly, he looked behind him.
"Hm?" Fugaku blinked in surprise.
"Hokage-sama… Kei… and Head Kenta?"
"You're here?"
"Yes," Minato replied with a smile.
Kei tilted his head slightly.
Fugaku clearly hadn't greeted Ayaka at all.
The man was being petty.
But Kei ignored it.
Fugaku had always been somewhat unhappy about Kei's ambiguous relationship with Ayaka.
He still clung to a certain bloodline pride.
As clan leader, he didn't like the idea that someone from the Uchiha clan might prefer someone from a rival clan—
Especially a Hyūga branch family member.
---
"Konoha's internal affairs are mostly settled," Kei said after everyone sat down.
"So we've come."
"How are things on the frontlines?"
"For now, everything is stable," Fugaku replied.
"But the Fourth Raikage's strength surprised me."
"And with the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki present, I can only fight one of them at a time—and even then I must go all out."
"But now that you're here, I believe things will become much easier."
"Is that so?" Kei rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Then he suddenly said:
"Hypothetically…"
"What if I launch a surprise attack on Kumogakure's camp at dawn?"
"Attack their camp?" Fugaku, Minato, Kenta, and Ayaka all stared at him in shock.
But soon, they calmed down.
And began seriously considering what Kei truly meant.
They were not fools.
The moment Uchiha Kei said those words, they immediately understood what he meant.
They had arrived here using Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique.
But others didn't necessarily know that Minato's technique could transport so many people across such a vast distance.
The current Minato—though not an Edo Tensei with infinite chakra—was already no weaker than his counterpart in the original timeline.
As a secret Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, once he borrowed Kurama's chakra, he could teleport over extremely long distances.
The farthest he had ever teleported was when he carried Kei and three others all the way from Kirigakure to Konoha in a single jump.
And that had been when he was weaker than he was now.
Back then, his relationship with the Nine-Tails hadn't been as harmonious as it was now, and the amount of chakra he could borrow was far more limited.
No one knew exactly when Kei had departed.
But Minato could simply return to the village and casually mention that Kei had left "last night."
Then all he needed to do was let Kakashi, during a casual gathering with his old academy friends, "accidentally" mention the same thing in passing.
For an ordinary ninja, even traveling at full speed, it would still take several days to reach this battlefield.
Which meant that if Kei launched an attack on Kumogakure at dawn tomorrow, he could easily avoid suspicion.
As long as he appeared at Konoha's frontline camp a few days later, everything would look perfectly normal.
Once they thought it through, everyone present felt the plan made sense.
Minato nodded.
"That could work. But what excuse are you planning to use?"
"The excuse is simple," Kei said with a shrug.
"Didn't both Konoha and Kirigakure suffer attacks recently?"
"That organization's objectives seem pretty clear."
"They attack under the pretense of capturing Tailed Beasts, and their main targets are the Tailed Beasts themselves."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"So this time…"
"That group will probably have to take the blame for me again."