Chapter 415 — There Is Something Called "Hope" (Double Length Chapter)
The conversation between Minato and Kei was not hidden from Shikaku in the slightest.
Because Shikaku already knew far more than most people imagined.
And that was indeed the truth.
Shikaku had long been aware of Kei's dealings.
Otherwise, he could never have participated in that secret arrangement between Konoha and the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure.
What they had done was essentially equivalent to—
The prime minister, the cabinet leader, and the defense minister conspiring together to incite a coup inside an enemy nation while secretly supplying weapons and military resources.
Shikaku knew perfectly well how Uchiha Fugaku had been performing on the frontlines.
And he would never forget Kei's performance in Kirigakure.
If those two fought together on the battlefield against the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, there would almost certainly be no problems.
In fact…
Shikaku hadn't forgotten Yamanaka Masato's hesitant attitude either.
The man had stammered and refused to say anything.
Nor had Shikaku forgotten the warped terrain along Konoha's border, land that had been completely reshaped by battle.
By now, he was absolutely certain—
All of that had something to do with the sixteen-year-old boy standing before him.
Shikaku dared not speak of it.
After all, the reason Masato had remained silent wasn't just because of Kei's terrifying strength.
It was very likely that Minato Namikaze himself had also been involved.
---
The three of them discussed many things.
From the battlefield situation to various internal matters.
Only when evening arrived did they leave the Hokage Tower together.
Kei walked straight toward his home.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon be heading to the battlefield.
The Third Hokage had already returned to the village and was currently being treated in the medical department with Konoha's full support.
To be honest—
Kei had briefly entertained the idea of sneaking into the hospital in the middle of the night and pulling out the old man's oxygen tube.
But after thinking it over, he dismissed the thought.
If something like that happened, it would become a scandal of enormous proportions.
Of course, Kei didn't particularly care about such matters.
He was confident he could distance himself from the incident completely.
If necessary, he could even find someone to take the blame.
But now that he held a high position, he preferred to protect his reputation.
His methods might still be ruthless and dark—
But he valued his public image.
More importantly—
He was no longer afraid of the Third Hokage.
---
"Head Kei, please wait."
Just as Kei was lost in thought, a voice suddenly called from behind him.
He turned slightly.
It was Nara Shikaku, catching up to him.
"Shikaku-san," Kei greeted calmly with a nod.
"May I ask what you need?"
"Head Kei, there's no need to be so distant," Shikaku said helplessly.
"Well… there actually is something I'd like to discuss with you."
"I was wondering if you might have time tonight."
A discussion?
Kei tilted his head slightly.
After a brief moment of thought, he nodded.
He was genuinely curious about what Shikaku wanted to say.
Though if he had to guess—
It probably had something to do with the recent reforms.
Although Shikaku had voted in favor of Minato, his reasoning had likely been about maintaining balance.
But he probably never expected Hyūga Hiashi to make the decision he had.
Of course, the Nara clan itself had suffered no real losses.
That was likely a major factor behind Shikaku's vote.
The Nara clan used some ninjutsu, but their true strength lay in their clan secret techniques.
Those techniques were the foundation of their power.
Just like the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans.
---
Despite both being ministers, Kei and Shikaku were known for maintaining relatively approachable public personas.
So instead of choosing some luxurious restaurant, they simply headed to a small tavern.
The moment the two of them stepped inside, the lively tavern fell silent.
Most of the shinobi there were civilian ninja.
At first they stared in disbelief.
Then—
Their reactions turned into overwhelming enthusiasm.
After all, these two men had supported the reform.
---
"Feels pretty good, doesn't it, Shikaku-san?" Kei said with a faint smile after they found a quiet corner.
"Human hearts are surprisingly simple."
"No matter what your motives are, if you do something for them, they'll remember it and feel grateful."
"Perhaps my thinking is somewhat cynical."
"But that's simply reality."
Shikaku shook his head lightly.
"No. That's not cynical—it's realistic."
"And thank you for the reminder, Head Kei."
He sighed.
"To be honest, I never imagined my rather ordinary choice would cause such hostility from you."
"If Kyōhei hadn't remained completely safe this entire time, I might have believed you had already placed me on your enemy list."
Kei shrugged indifferently.
"I dislike the way your clan does things."
"But everyone has their own rules for survival."
"And if you play that way, you can't expect me not to strike back."
"After all…"
"I truly dislike it."
"…But I didn't let those emotions completely influence my actions. Otherwise, they wouldn't have remained trivial matters."
"I also allowed Imai Kenta to continue maintaining contact with you. Otherwise, the people inside the Military Police Force might already have been withdrawn."
"You're quite straightforward, Head Kei," Shikaku laughed softly.
"But your control over the Military Police Force really is like an iron curtain. And then there's the connection with the Senju clan… Though I do wonder why Kenta still hasn't changed his surname back to Senju. Well, never mind—that's his personal choice. I shouldn't pry."
Shikaku could clearly sense just how tightly Kei controlled the Military Police.
Judging from the small bits of information occasionally reported by his clan members serving there, those same people likely didn't dare report anything too sensitive.
It was absolute control.
And that wasn't something just anyone could achieve.
Still, Shikaku had no interest in meddling in someone else's affairs. He had no desire to worry about such matters.
"Still, I must thank you for looking after him," Shikaku said with a smile.
"Kyōhei achieved great merit and even gained such significant command authority. Without your support, he would never have grown this far."
After a pause, he added slowly:
"I'm curious, Head Kei—what are your plans for him going forward? Kyōhei…"
"I'll make good use of him," Kei replied immediately, clearly understanding Shikaku's implication.
Shikaku truly cared about his clan members.
However, Kei had no intention of making any grand promises—after all, Shikaku hadn't offered any himself.
"I understand." Shikaku didn't seem disappointed.
He poured himself a cup of sake.
"Head Kei, I apologize—you're not yet fully of age, so I won't offer you any. You don't mind, do you?"
"It's fine," Kei nodded.
"But I assume you didn't ask me here just to talk about that, Shikaku-san?"
"I suppose now would be the right time…"
"Of course," Shikaku said. "There are quite a few things I'd like to discuss with you."
He took a sip of the warmed sake and exhaled slowly, a faint mist escaping his lips along with the fragrance of the drink.
In weather like this, warm sake was indeed comforting.
Still, he didn't drink much.
He genuinely wanted to talk with Kei—especially about the recent reforms, which left him with many questions.
Setting his cup down, Shikaku looked carefully at the young face before him.
At that moment, countless thoughts passed through his mind.
No matter how many times he marveled at this boy's youth—so completely disproportionate to his maturity and ruthlessness—Shikaku felt he had still underestimated him.
This young man had become something extraordinary:
A figure possessing both power and strategy, someone capable of breaking the rules of a long-established system.
Perhaps only the First Hokage had ever done something similar.
But the First Hokage's methods…
To be honest, Shikaku didn't think much of them.
Yes, Hashirama could say profound things that moved people.
But ultimately, he relied on overwhelming personal strength.
Shikaku had read the historical records and listened to the legends passed down by elders.
Once, he believed those stories were exaggerated.
But not anymore.
After witnessing the completely transformed terrain along Konoha's border, he finally understood:
Human power really could reshape the world.
---
"Head Kei," Shikaku said slowly, locking eyes with him,
"I constantly remind myself not to underestimate you."
"But no matter how highly I evaluate you, I always end up realizing the same thing."
"I've still underestimated you—your methods, your ability… and even your ambition."
"Is that so?" Kei smiled faintly, resting his head on one hand as he looked at Shikaku.
He didn't respond further.
Instead, he simply waited.
But unexpectedly, Shikaku didn't continue speaking right away.
Instead, he formed a series of hand seals.
Soon, strange sealing talismans appeared around the space surrounding their table.
Only then did Shikaku speak again.
"To break an established system… to shatter the old circles of interest… and then rebuild a new set of rules."
"What I want to know is your thoughts and your purpose."
"Though I'll admit I also have a somewhat malicious curiosity."
"You must be very pleased right now, aren't you?"
"So that's what you wanted to know," Kei sighed.
"Everyone is curious. Everyone wants to know why I did this."
"As one of Konoha's strongest… the most powerful clan in the village… and the leader of one of its strongest military forces…"
"Why would I still do something like this?"
As he spoke, Kei suddenly reached for the flask of sake in front of Shikaku.
Ignoring the fact that it had been heated in water, he poured himself a cup and took a sip.
The sake was light—neither strong in flavor nor high in alcohol.
Yet somehow it still didn't taste quite right.
Perhaps because he hadn't touched alcohol for seventeen years in this life.
And as a shinobi, he had no interest in getting drunk.
---
"The answer is simple," Kei said as he set the cup down.
"I refuse to believe that the Nara clan, as part of Konoha's leadership, is unaware of the Uchiha clan's situation."
"I'm a very pragmatic person. I don't enjoy preaching lofty ideals."
"If I hadn't lost all sense of hope, all sense of security, and any belief in a future for both the Uchiha clan and the village…"
"I probably wouldn't have done any of this."
Shikaku fell silent.
He knew many things about the relationship between the village and the Uchiha.
Even though he had never personally participated in those matters.
A man as intelligent as Shikaku couldn't possibly fail to notice them.
The Uchiha had been isolated.
Isolated by the Third Hokage.
Through various political maneuvers, the village's ninja had been divided, while other clans were gradually drawn into the Hokage's faction.
Even those who didn't join were pressured into silence.
Yet somehow—
The Uchiha clan alone had been excluded.
It wasn't hard to imagine the future for a clan left completely isolated.
If the Uchiha ever made a desperate choice, the other clans would inevitably oppose them to protect their own interests.
A clan isolated from the village had no future.
No hope.
---
Shikaku took another sip of sake.
This boy… was frighteningly perceptive.
He could sense things that others couldn't.
And he had planned things—terrifying things.
---
"The existing rules were extremely unfavorable to me," Kei continued quietly.
"My only options were either defection… or waiting to die."
He lowered his gaze to the sake cup in his hand, slowly rotating it.
"I didn't want to leave."
"If the Uchiha clan abandoned Konoha, could we really survive outside the village?"
"After all, the Uchiha are a bloodline clan."
"And besides…"
"There are always those within the clan whose ambitions reach the heavens."
"You eliminated them, didn't you?" Shikaku sighed.
"You were only thirteen years old back then."
He paused.
"Let me ask you something."
"The Fourth Hokage's rise to power… did you have a hand in it?"
"Yes," Kei answered calmly with a faint smile.
"I framed Orochimaru."
"I killed Uchiha Yuu and Uchiha Shuu."
"Uchiha Shin and the elders who followed him also died by my hand."
"I personally dismantled two divisions of the Military Police."
"The two former division captains are still rotting in prison because of me."
"Of course, Orochimaru himself wasn't exactly innocent."
"Are you satisfied with that answer?"
Shikaku's hand trembled slightly.
That response was far beyond what he had expected.
Cold sweat formed on his back.
Was this a warning?
But then he thought of the canyon carved into the land near Konoha's border.
Slowly, he calmed himself.
At that moment, laughter suddenly echoed around them.
Shikaku turned his head slightly.
The tavern had filled with many ninja.
Their faces were bright with smiles.
It was the expression of people looking forward to the future—the light of hope.
After a long moment, Shikaku finally spoke quietly.
"You truly are a cold-blooded executioner."
"And everything you did was for yourself."
"But…"
"You have undeniably brought tremendous change to Konoha."
"As you said—no matter the motives or the standpoint, you changed the village."
"Congratulations, Head Kei."
"And… I apologize for some of the measures I previously took."
"What measures?" Kei looked at him calmly, suddenly showing a puzzled expression.
He lightly tapped the table.
"Shikaku-san, you must have had too much to drink."
"Oh, wait—I remember."
"You were talking about Kyōhei, weren't you?"
"Ah, yes," Shikaku smiled knowingly.
"What are your plans for him?"
"Before I leave," Kei said,
"The Hokage will likely 'accept certain proposals' and establish a special council for discussing internal conflicts."
"It will include representatives from genin, chūnin, and jōnin."
"At the same time, the Hokage will request one additional authority."
"A veto power in necessary situations."
"I will support the Hokage."
"What do you think?"
Shikaku nodded slowly.
"I understand what must be done, Head Kei."