Chapter 48: I've Got My Eye on You Two
Uchiha Kei chatted with Namikaze Minato for quite a while, and he could tell that Minato was genuinely friendly toward him. That alone made Kei feel a bit pleased inside. Although Minato's time in power would barely last a year before his death, there was still a window of opportunity. Perhaps Kei could squeeze a few benefits out of that brief period.
Kei had been thinking a lot about what to do in the future. After all, anyone who found themselves in this world, especially as a member of this particular clan, wouldn't have much of a choice—Kei included.
Danzo and the Third Hokage were far from decent. Both were devious and sanctimonious, though their styles differed. Danzo wore his darkness openly, always preaching that everything he did was "for the good of Konoha." The Third, on the other hand, masked himself in benevolence and compassion, posing as the kind and tolerant leader. But no one knew what went on behind the scenes better than Konoha's major clans.
You couldn't deny that these two managed the village quite well during their time. But with age came decay, and Konoha—the towering, radiant tree—was beginning to rot from the inside out. Power was the perfect catalyst for corruption. Though Danzo and the Third weren't exactly enemies, their unity was only surface-deep. Still, on certain matters, they saw eye to eye.
The way the Third tried to turn the Fourth into a puppet? That was all him. If he didn't have such ambitions, he wouldn't have taken back the Hokage seat after Minato's death instead of initiating another election. In his eyes, he was probably the ideal Hokage.
Sure, Danzo might try to interfere, but let's not forget the vote of confidence required from the jōnin. Danzo's highest achievement so far was merely serving as an interim Hokage.
Speaking of Danzo, he was completely consumed by power and ambition. His infiltration of the ANBU and full control of Root left no doubt as to his goals. The ANBU was the most complex unit in Konoha's military structure—mysterious, highly skilled in both protection and assassination—and officially, only the Hokage had command over them.
"Rest up. You'll be going home soon. Your team too," Minato said with a smile as he stood to leave. "Thanks to you guys, the tide of the war has basically turned."
Kei didn't respond. His mind was too full of tangled thoughts. He watched Minato's back as he left and silently wished the man good luck.
Minato was undeniably powerful—there was no doubt about that. Kei could still remember the aftermath of the battle where he had taken down four Iwagakure ninja. He'd seen an awe-inspiring scene: enormous Rasengans fell from the sky, each radiating a terrifying aura. Explosions lit up the battlefield as the Five-Tails howled in pain. That was when the battle had truly ended.
Kei remembered being absolutely stunned. In that moment, he realized just how lucky he was to have made it out alive. No wonder Obito had gotten beaten so badly when he attacked Konoha—even with one Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito was no match for Minato. And Obito's control over his Sharingan was on a whole different level compared to Kei's.
Still… Kei mused. If I had Obito's level of skill, my odds against Minato wouldn't be so bad.
"If you use Flying Thunder God and I freeze time the moment you appear… then just twist your neck. Simple," Kei thought to himself, a little darkly. What would happen to his eyes afterward? He wasn't sure. But the point was, if it came down to it, he had a plan—however reckless—to take down the Yellow Flash.
Lying back on the stone bed, Kei let his mind drift. That's when something else occurred to him—he might have underestimated Imai Kenta.
He'd always thought pretty highly of the guy, but now he realized… maybe not highly enough.
As one of the Iwagakure shinobi guarding the bridge, he was never going to be just some minor foot soldier. Yet, despite taking some damage and using up most of his chakra, Kenta returned alive—and victorious. That meant he had taken out the enemy ninja lurking beneath the bridge and completed the mission.
Kei had to admit: Kenta wasn't simple at all.
"Compared to that, Hyuga Ayaka didn't perform quite as well," Kei muttered, rubbing his chin.
Then he froze. "Wait a second… Don't tell me she got herself injured on purpose?"
Thinking back, Kei realized something strange. At the time, Kakashi was severely wounded. As both a teammate and a medic, Rin would naturally prioritize Kakashi. That meant Ayaka would be left to fend for herself.
At first, Kei had felt a little jealous of Ayaka for being injured—since it meant she got to go back early. But now? Now he was starting to think she did it deliberately.
Ayaka wasn't just some inexperienced rookie. She'd survived plenty of battles and was a member of the Hyuga clan. There was no way she'd go down so easily to a single Iwagakure jōnin.
She hated Kei, and Kei knew it. It wasn't just about the clan rivalry or their bloodline abilities. It was because they were the same kind of person.
Ayaka's disdain didn't bother him too much. He understood. To her, he was an unworthy team captain with no real strength. Anyone would be pissed.
And the long-standing tension between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans only made things worse. Sure, Kei could pull off a few assassinations with sneak attacks and surprise tactics, but Ayaka probably believed that her Byakugan and defense techniques made her far superior in direct combat.
But once Kei "awakened" his Sharingan, everything changed. Ayaka, having clashed with him during such a dangerous mission, probably realized she'd made an enemy—and chose to get herself injured before things escalated.
"That woman…" Kei thought with a wry smile. What, am I supposed to kill her back at base now? Or maybe take her out in the village later?
Yeah, right. Kei wasn't about to carve a slash across his forehead protector and go rogue just for some petty revenge. As annoying as she was, Ayaka still had value—especially as a human shield.
Besides, she was already on her way back to Konoha with Kakashi. She probably never expected that Kei and Kenta would also be sent back soon.
Can't wait to see the look on her face when we meet again, Kei thought with a smirk.
"I've got my eye on you two now."