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After Pakura left, Ken turned and headed back toward Konoha.
Saving her had never been an act of pure impulse. He had a goal in mind—he wanted her on his side.
An elite jonin with a bloodline limit was incredibly valuable.
More importantly, Pakura was the kind of shinobi who would give everything for her village. That alone spoke volumes about her character. Reliable. Trustworthy.
Someone like her… probably wouldn't betray him.
The reason Ken was gathering powerful allies now was simple. One day, if things ever turned sour between the Uchiha and Konoha, his clan needed the strength—and the confidence—to stand their ground.
The Uchiha didn't have to harm the village.
But Konoha had no right to harm the Uchiha either.
If it came to that… the Uchiha would fight back with everything they had.
No one wanted war.
But if it really came down to it, they wouldn't hesitate to protect themselves.
This trip had been more than worth it.
First, his Sage Body had reached Level 3, greatly boosting both his physical strength and chakra reserves.
Second, he had learned the A-rank medical ninjutsu—Mystical Palm Technique—officially becoming a medical ninja.
And third… he had recruited Pakura, the Scorch Release user from Sunagakure.
After more than a day of travel, Ken finally returned to Konohagakure.
Walking through the familiar, Japanese-style streets, he quickly noticed something different.
There were more outsiders than usual.
Different skin tones. Different appearances.
Looking closer, he realized—
They were all shinobi from Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village.
One of the strongest villages in existence. Second only to Konoha.
Located high in the mountains of the Land of Lightning, its people had a distinctive look.
The men were dark-skinned, muscular, and imposing.
The women were fair-skinned, with striking figures.
Regardless of gender, they all had exotic features, fiery personalities, and were especially skilled in Lightning Release and taijutsu.
"Kumo ninja showing up this early?" Ken muttered, rubbing his chin.
Konoha Year 53.
Kumogakure had sent a delegation to Konoha.
On the surface, it was for signing a peace treaty.
In reality… it was to steal the Byakugan.
If his memory was right, the timing lined up almost perfectly.
"Konoha screws over Hyuga Hiashi, the elders screw over Hyuga Hizashi… it's just layers of people screwing each other over," Ken muttered with a shake of his head.
It was clearly Kumogakure that attempted to kidnap Hyuga Hinata to steal the Byakugan.
And yet, for the sake of "peace," Hiruzen Sarutobi ended up sacrificing Hizashi instead.
Ridiculous.
The fault lay with Kumo.
So why did Konoha have to pay the price?
Completely absurd.
Ken fell into thought.
Just what exactly had Hiruzen relied on to become Hokage?
Was it really just his ability to skillfully wield that oversized staff of his?
Still, even though both the Hyuga and Uchiha were bloodline clans within Konoha, their relationship had never been good.
Since it didn't concern him, Ken had no intention of interfering.
Not his problem.
Let them tear each other apart.
While he was lost in thought, a loud, energetic voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Uchiha Ken! Come face the righteous iron fist of the future Hokage!"
A powerful gust of wind came with the incoming punch.
Ken lightly tapped the ground and shifted his body aside.
A chubby kid flew right past him, unable to stop himself, and crashed face-first onto the ground—an undignified, textbook "faceplant."
That voice.
That cringey line.
He didn't even need to look.
Sarutobi Kei.
"Ken! Long time no see!"
Hitomi rushed over, her face lighting up as she ran to his side.
A faint blush spread across her delicate features.
Her soft, pale hand wrapped tightly around his arm.
He had been gone for quite a while, and she had missed him a lot.
She'd even gone out hoping to run into him by chance.
And somehow… she actually did.
Ken gently patted her hand, then spoke in a serious tone.
"Hitomi, even though we're friends, we should keep some distance. Especially between boys and girls. You can't do this in the future."
"Let go."
"I just got excited because I hadn't seen you in so long…" Hitomi nodded shyly, her cheeks still red.
Ken really is a man of principles, she thought.
The next moment, Ken walked over to Sarutobi Kei and casually slung an arm around his shoulders.
Hitomi froze.
Wait.
Didn't you just say friends should keep their distance?
Then why are you hugging Kei?!
…I don't get it at all.
Ignoring her confused expression, Ken looked at Kei with a solemn face.
"Kei, do you know what the most important quality of a Hokage is?"
The sudden question caught Kei off guard.
"What is it?"
Ken answered firmly, "The willingness to sacrifice yourself!"
"The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, fought to the death against the traitor Uchiha Madara for the sake of the village!"
"The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, gave his life to hold off Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and the Kumo forces to protect his comrades!"
"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails and bring peace to the village!"
"If you want to become Hokage… shouldn't you learn how to sacrifice?"
Ken locked eyes with Kei, his voice carrying weight.
"Y-Yes!" Kei's blood was boiling with excitement after that speech.
"Good. Then treat me to Ichiraku Ramen. I'm starving."
After days of eating dry rations and whatever wild game he could find, Ken was honestly sick of it.
"Deal!" Kei agreed without hesitation.
In his mind, if he could become Hokage one day, then learning to sacrifice early on would surely carry forward into the future.
Then his expression suddenly turned miserable.
"Ken… can you maybe eat a little less?"
Last time, Ken had eaten twelve bowls of ramen in one sitting.
Kei's allowance had taken a devastating hit.
Even though he got more money now than before, it still wasn't enough to handle both Ken and Hitomi—two absolute bottomless pits.
Ken patted his shoulder.
"Kei, you need to broaden your horizons."
"I can't broaden them…" Kei said pitifully.
"Just think about how you'll go down in history as Hokage. That's meaningful, right?"
"…Fine! Eat as much as you want today—I've got it covered!" Kei declared, waving his hand grandly.
The three of them headed toward Ichiraku Ramen together.
Ken had a faint smile on his face.
Hitomi kept sneaking glances at him, clearly still puzzled about his whole "keep your distance" thing.
As for Kei, he walked along with a grin, occasionally clenching his fists—already feeling like he might've bragged a bit too much.
Suddenly, three people approached from the opposite direction.
They had distinct, foreign features.
Cold expressions.
Their eyes carried a sense of superiority, as if everything around them was beneath them.
Then—
One of them, a boy around eight or nine years old, walked straight toward Ken without even trying to avoid him, despite the wide street.
He slammed into him head-on.
The force was strong enough that an average academy student would've been knocked flat.
But unfortunately for him…
He had picked the wrong target.
Ken simply tensed his shoulder slightly.
The boy was sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground.
A teenage girl, around fifteen or sixteen, cried out in alarm.
"Omoi! Are you okay!?"
"...."