Chapter 171 – Autumn's End, Winter's Arrival
Autumn passed, and winter quietly arrived. Before anyone realized it, Konoha Year 47 was drawing to a close, and the brighter, more prosperous Year 48 was just around the corner.
Uchiha Kei walked silently down the main street, watching the villagers of Konoha pass by with smiles of contentment on their faces. A rare sense of ease welled up in his heart.
A few months earlier, the final peace agreement between Iwagakure and Konoha had been delivered. This treaty all but marked the official end of the Third Shinobi World War.
Although the war was over, problems still lingered—such as enemy shinobi disguising themselves as Iwa-nin to raid Konoha outposts. Incidents like this had happened in the original timeline too, though they occurred after the Fourth Hokage took office. But clearly, this wasn't the kind of thing that would happen only once or twice.
The Five Great Nations might be too busy cleaning up their own mess to orchestrate such disruptions, but the shinobi world was more than just five nations—it was also filled with countless smaller countries. The political games between these smaller nations were equally vicious. When the great nations finished fighting on their lands and withdrew, each small country was left with damage of varying degrees.
To maintain the balance of power, the leaders of these small nations often encouraged the great powers to "trample" the less damaged countries again—sometimes for national interests, sometimes for the profits of arms dealers willing to pay them. In these games, human lives from other lands became nothing more than numbers and bargaining chips.
But these matters didn't concern Uchiha Kei directly. Kakashi had already begun training with the Anbu, though it was still uncertain when he'd start active missions. The influence of Namikaze Minato was far greater than Kei had expected—simply mentioning the matter to the Third Hokage had been enough to get approval.
The Third likely understood Kakashi's situation as well. And with the Uchiha clan taking a firmer stance regarding Orochimaru's affair, it was only natural to send Kakashi somewhere safer.
As Kei continued walking toward the tavern, he exchanged polite nods and smiles with passing villagers and shinobi. Today, Hyūga Ayaka had invited him and Imai Kenta to dinner, giving the reasonable excuse of "team bonding." Kei had no reason to refuse.
Over the past few months, the team had been assigned very few missions due to the relative peace. Kei had spent the downtime reorganizing his squad within the Police Force, bringing them into proper order. Thanks to Fukuhiko Kouta and Imai Kenta—the former a genuine civilian, the latter only pretending—the number of civilian shinobi in his squad now matched the number of Uchiha members.
Each four-man team now consisted of two Uchiha and two civilians. Some civilians even served as team captains, though they remained outnumbered by Uchiha leaders. Kei, despite his apparent indifference, was careful not to push things too far—especially since his clan members were far from weak.
With such a structure, he didn't have to worry about civilians causing dissent; shinobi naturally gravitated toward those with greater strength. He also enforced strict behavioral rules for his squads during missions. For the civilians, these rules were easy to follow—they had no inflated pride to get in the way, and they didn't want to be misunderstood.
Some Uchiha members found the rules unnecessary, but Kei was their most respected figure. Even if they didn't fully agree, they obeyed without complaint. Soon, they began to notice surprising results: villagers who once regarded them with indifference now greeted them with smiles. The usual hostility—uncooperative civilians, whispered insults—seemed to vanish.
In fact, villagers had even begun showing them kindness and concern. For these "fringe" Uchiha children, who came from less prominent families, this newfound acceptance was unfamiliar but deeply welcome.
They began to understand Kei's intentions, and their respect for him transformed into genuine loyalty. Before, they had admired him for awakening his Sharingan and rising from a "nobody" to Deputy Commander of the Police Force. Now, under Uchiha Kawa's quiet guidance, that admiration was becoming allegiance.
"Captain!"
As Kei neared the tavern, a few shinobi wearing Police Force insignia waved to him.
"Kawa?" Kei recognized them and smiled. "It's late—still on patrol?"
"Not too late, Captain," Kawa replied respectfully. "Just a few more areas to sweep, and then we'll be done. I'm treating them to dinner afterward. Care to join us?"
"No need," Kei shook his head with a smile. "I've got a gathering to attend. You all keep at it—good work."
He gave Kawa a light pat on the shoulder before continuing down the street. The patrol team bowed deeply in return.
Their workload had grown heavier lately, as many important districts had been placed under Kei's jurisdiction—territory that, strictly speaking, shouldn't have been assigned to his unit at all.
It was yet another sign of the political tug-of-war between Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku and Great Elder Uchiha Shin. The fact that such key areas had fallen into Kei's hands suggested that Fugaku currently held the advantage.
Still, it was only an advantage, not a decisive victory. Fugaku was determined, but he preferred measured, non-confrontational methods—unlike Kei, who had no qualms about striking hard when necessary.
Within the boundaries of clan politics, the Great Elder had no fear of Uchiha Fugaku.
He ordered the two squad leaders loyal to him to keep a low profile, while he shifted his focus entirely to investigating the disappearance of Uchiha Yuu.
In terms of reputation within the clan, the Great Elder actually gained more support after relinquishing part of his control over the Police Force and redirecting his men to investigate Orochimaru.
In short, it was a trade-off. On the surface, it seemed like Fugaku had gained a slight advantage, but in truth, the Great Elder's backing had grown stronger.
What puzzled both Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Fugaku, however, was the Great Elder's next move—one so unexpected that they even wondered if he was secretly working with them.
Because Uchiha Shin, the Great Elder, suddenly began using public opinion to put pressure on the Third Hokage.
His approach was loud and high-profile—risky enough to provoke backlash—but the intent was strangely similar to Kei's own strategy. In fact, the pressure he was applying on the Hokage was even greater.
"Still… this kind of reckless move will definitely leave a deep impression on the Third Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be pleased to see Shin personally stirring up public sentiment against him. But given Shin's seniority, his respectable war record, and the fact that the Hokage might already be leaning in a certain direction, Hiruzen would likely put on a show of "listening to all voices, including the Uchiha."
That way, he could use the excuse of "bowing to clan pressure" to score political points with other noble clans—while also reminding the villagers just how arrogant the Uchiha could be.
This kind of move gave Kei a headache, but it was Fugaku who was truly troubled. Kei, on the other hand, was curious to see how Fugaku would handle it.
The power struggle between those two had given Kei plenty of room to maneuver—and in fact, he was probably the biggest winner in this round of clan infighting.
Fugaku's subtle promotion of him within the clan had also transformed Kei from a so-called "fringe member" into someone with genuine influence.
"Deputy Commander of the Police Force, leader of one of the three main squads… and 'figurehead of the fringe group.' Hah."
That last title wasn't something he had claimed for himself.
These days, nearly every Uchiha family from the clan's lower rungs wanted to send their children to Kei's unit. Even some older shinobi had expressed interest in joining him.
Of course, Kei didn't accept everyone—his squad couldn't expand indefinitely. Unless the other two main squads were brought under his command, he had already reached the practical limit of his influence within the Police Force.
Arriving at the tavern, Kei was immediately recognized by the server, who cheerfully held the door open for him.
Kei nodded politely and followed the man inside.
Hyūga Ayaka had reserved a relatively quiet corner. Led by the server, Kei soon spotted the table—where Ayaka and Imai Kenta were already waiting.
Once again, he was the last to arrive.
"Captain, you really have a problem with punctuality," Kenta said with his trademark grin as soon as Kei walked in. "Late again, huh?"
"It's fine. You two should be used to it by now."
Kei shrugged casually and took his seat. As the server poured his tea, Kei suddenly glanced over at Ayaka.
"Didn't think you'd invite us out after your house arrest was lifted. You really are unlucky, though—becoming a widow before you even got married. Tsk, tsk."
At Kei's remark, the server's hand trembled slightly as he poured the tea. He suddenly realized that the relationship within this so-called "Hero Squad" was… a lot murkier than he had thought.