Chapter 173 – Sprouting
Not long ago, a heavy winter snow had fallen. Now, during the snowmelt, the air was at its coldest.
Yet in the Hidden Leaf Village, the atmosphere was anything but cold—streets and alleys were filled with the laughter of the new generation.
The thick blanket of snow had become their favorite toy. Snowballs whistled through the air across open spaces, while towering snowmen of every shape stood beneath the trees. Their hands and cheeks were flushed red from the chill, but they played on tirelessly.
The village's ninja, on the other hand, preferred warming a pot of sake at the tavern, chatting idly about topics of interest. In such weather, it was the finest of pleasures.
The war was, for Konoha, essentially over. Aside from honoring fallen comrades and those who had given their lives for the fight, there was one topic that dominated conversations—
the upcoming election for the next Hokage.
People judged and debated the candidates endlessly, with some talking as if they themselves were on the ballot.
Of all the names mentioned, none came up more often than Namikaze Minato.
The sunny, heroic figure had won the affection of most of Konoha's shinobi. The Third Great Ninja War had elevated him to legendary status, and the Battle of Kannabi Bridge had even been turned into a popular play circulating around the village.
That story also included the names of Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Kei, Imai Kenta, Hyuga Ayaka, Nohara Rin, and Uchiha Obito—though none enjoyed Minato's fame.
Now, with only a few weeks until the New Year, the Third Hokage had announced that the new Hokage would be chosen on the night before New Year's Eve. This would ensure that the dawn of the new year would also mark the start of the Fourth Hokage's era.
That meant only one or two weeks remained before the election.
At the tavern where Uchiha Kei and his companions sat, the air was as warm and lively as anywhere in the village.
The heat from the stove spread throughout the room, making anyone who stepped inside feel comfortably warm. It was a favorite spot for Konoha's chunin and genin, and even jonin could be spotted here from time to time.
Not far from their table, a group of tipsy shinobi were drinking and talking loudly, their faces flushed with drink, the hall filled with noise.
Kei smiled faintly at the scene, and with a small signal, Kenta and Ayaka followed his gaze, listening in on the conversation.
"Hic… Daigo, who do you think will win the Hokage election this time?"
The speaker, a chunin in uniform and clearly drunk, addressed a man seated across from him.
Daigo, a ninja in his thirties, had fought in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. He had witnessed most of Konoha's major battles in recent history. He and the drunk were comrades from the Third War, having fought together in the Land of Hot Water. Their bond was the kind that allowed them to entrust their backs to each other—even if they hadn't been in the same squad, and even now, with the war over, they remained close.
"How would I know? We're just chunin, not big shots—we don't have inside information," Daigo said with a chuckle, shaking his head.
"But Minato's reputation and accomplishments are impressive. He's got a real shot. Still… I never fought on the Grass Country front, so…"
Daigo sighed and took a sip of hot sake. Feeling its lingering warmth, he continued, "That's why I'm still more inclined toward Lord Orochimaru.
Back during the Second Ninja War, I served in Amegakure. If it weren't for the legendary Sannin, who knows how many more of us would've died?
It's a shame Lady Tsunade left, and Jiraiya-sama doesn't seem interested in running."
The drunk shook his head, gulped more sake, and replied, "Lord Orochimaru is certainly strong, but his personality is too aloof. Ordinary ninja can't get close to him.
And in the last war, it was Minato-sama's strike on Kannabi Bridge that ended things. If we're talking pure achievements, Minato's stand out more.
The Sannin's glory is shared among three people. I still think Minato-sama will win."
This speaker was in his early twenties—a member of the new generation.
They respected the Sannin and understood their terrifying power, but when it came to choosing between them and someone of their own era like Namikaze Minato, they favored the latter. The deciding factor was that many, like him, had served on the Grass Country front.
For these shinobi, Minato was the closest hero they knew. Even someone like Uchiha Kei was spoken of as a genius and hero worth admiring.
Still, Kei and his peers were late bloomers—before the Kannabi Bridge mission, few had even heard their names.
And once people did look into them, they found something peculiar: Kei's three-man cell had gone through one team change after another, making them seem, to some, like harbingers of misfortune.
But before that conversation could go further, another ninja slammed his hand on the table.
"Bullshit!"
The speaker was a middle-aged shinobi, also about seventy percent drunk. Rising to his feet in anger, he pointed at the younger man.
"Lord Orochimaru is far beyond your ability to judge! Do you have any idea how terrifying the war in the Land of Rain was?
We weren't just fighting Rain ninja—we faced Stone and Sand at the same time! Without the Sannin, you wouldn't be here today to run your mouth.
And even in this last war, Lord Orochimaru led us against the Sand in the Land of Rivers, then crushed the Cloud forces in the Land of Hot Water!
What do you know, you brat?!"
With that, he ripped off his outer shirt, revealing bronze-toned skin covered in scars—so many and so deep they made onlookers wince.
One in particular ran from his chest down to his abdomen, a deep and dangerous wound.
Several nearby ninja sucked in a breath, wondering how he'd even survived an injury like that.
"See this scar? I got it in the Land of Hot Water, when we were surrounded by Cloud forces.
If Lord Orochimaru hadn't saved us, I'd have been dead! And if Minato hadn't been under Jiraiya-sama, he'd have been serving under Lord Orochimaru too!
More accomplished than Orochimaru? Don't make me laugh, you ignorant kids!"
The furious ninja spat out his words. Back in the Second Great Ninja War, he had been a mere chūnin; now, he was a special jōnin.
He had personally fought in the Rain Country battle that had cemented the legendary fame of the "Three Sannin." From that day forward, every ninja rescued by them had become a staunch supporter for life.
This time, too, he had found himself in a desperate situation. If not for Orochimaru's timely arrival with reinforcements to annihilate the surrounding Cloud-nin, he would have died where he stood.
What he didn't expect was that the young chūnin across from him seemed to grow just as heated.
Ninjas—especially young ones—cared deeply about pride, and even more so after a few drinks.
The young ninja's face flushed bright red. Ignoring the difference in their ranks, he stood up and shouted back in anger.
"Even so, in this war, Lord Minato's contributions were the greatest! You can't just ignore the facts because someone saved you on the battlefield.
I, for one, support Lord Minato—and let's not forget the scandal surrounding Lord Orochimaru this time!"
"What did you just say, brat?"
"What's there to repeat? The Uchiha have been investigating Lord Orochimaru for weeks—one of their guard division captains has gone missing! Sure, Lord Kei profited from the situation, and his actions reminded us all how important the Police Force is—but are you saying the captain's disappearance, and the Uchiha clan's investigation, are all baseless lies?"
"You looking to die, kid?"
"The truth is the truth!"
The argument escalated quickly. With the alcohol fanning the flames, harsh words turned into shoves and punches.
Soon no one could tell who threw the first blow, but in moments, the tavern erupted into a full-on brawl.
The surrounding shinobi formed a ring around the chaos, cheering and jeering as more and more people joined in. The scene descended into pure disorder.
Uchiha Kei sat quietly, watching the chain of events unfold. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Beside him, Imai Kenta and Hyūga Ayaka also observed coldly. They now understood exactly what Kei had meant earlier by "seeds."
And those seeds, it seemed, had already sprouted—taking root and growing vigorously, the trend only accelerating.
"So this is your plan?" Kenta sighed. "When did you seize this opportunity—right after Lord Orochimaru's scandal broke?"
"More or less," Kei replied with a small smile.
"The so-called 'experiments' serve a dual purpose. One is to stir public sentiment—and that's working well. The disappearances put pressure on certain people and factions. You could say it's making use of… discarded materials.
As for the other purpose, I'll keep that to myself for now."
"Shame," Ayaka chuckled, shaking her head. "But I suppose you'll tell us someday. So then, Kei—how confident are you?"
Kenta leaned in, his tone turning serious.
"And what about after? Once the new Hokage takes the seat—can you guarantee he won't just be a puppet?
I don't think your chosen Fourth is the type to scheme and manipulate. Even if he has the ability…"
He trailed off. There was no need to finish the thought—they all understood.
The Fourth Hokage's abilities were undeniable: intelligence, combat skill, his stance against enemies—flawless. But he had no deep-rooted faction backing him. And his personality… it would allow the Third Hokage to keep him firmly under control. In the end, he might truly become nothing more than a figurehead.
"That's not something we need to worry about," Kei said lightly, sidestepping the question. "I'm sure there'll be others far more concerned with that than we are."
Ayaka's lips curved into a knowing smile.
"You mean your… other partner? The one who helped you seize the former division captain? Let me think—he's your clan head, isn't he?"
"Who's to say?" Kei answered with mock innocence.
"Exactly. No one will ever know."