Chapter 54: The Pond and the Fish
The Uchiha clan registry was practically a list of the dead. Aside from Uchiha Sasuke, everyone listed had met an untimely end.
Even those who hadn't died initially eventually perished. Whether it was Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Obito, or even Uchiha Madara—who had seemingly returned from death—all were ultimately gone. Only Sasuke remained.
Uchiha Kei had no interest in being "recorded in history," but since the comment came from Uchiha Fugaku, he simply nodded silently, not voicing any opinion.
After that, the two fell into a quiet lull, broken only by the gentle sound of water flowing in the pond and the rhythmic clack of a bamboo tube hitting stone.
Kei turned his gaze toward the fish in the small pond, while Fugaku sipped his tea in silence. After a while, Fugaku slowly set his cup down and fixed his eyes on Kei.
"Kei-kun, let me ask—what do you think of Kakashi's eye?" Fugaku's tone was calm, though his demeanor seemed indifferent.
Kakashi's eye?
Kei glanced at him and immediately understood the true intent behind the question. It was another test.
From the very beginning, Fugaku had been probing him. It was true Kei had shown a few small flaws—but so what? As Kei had said before, if he had a Sharingan, why wouldn't he use it? It changed his fate and kept him alive.
As long as Fugaku couldn't see into Kei's heart, any slip-ups meant little. Without confirmation, suspicions remained just that.
Moreover, Fugaku had no clue how Kei had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—something he likely couldn't even guess.
The question about the Sharingan had been to gauge Kei's attitude toward the clan; this one about Kakashi's eye was to test his stance on the village.
Kei saw through it all. He wasn't sure how Fugaku viewed his loyalty to the clan, but his own attitude had always been neutral.
Truthfully, he may have left the impression of someone who didn't particularly care about the clan—and why wouldn't he? He'd never received any nurturing or support from them.
If Kei had suddenly become a staunch clan loyalist, that would've been even more suspicious. Not everyone was like Uchiha Obito.
"This matter is something the clan leader should decide. I'm just a Chūnin," Kei responded without hesitation. It wasn't something he needed to think deeply about.
"Is that so? I heard Obito gave Kakashi that eye willingly. How do you think this matter will end?" Fugaku tilted his head slightly, eyeing Kei curiously.
"I'm just a Chūnin, Clan Leader," Kei repeated calmly but firmly, making it clear he had no intention of involving himself.
"Hah… seems you hold some resentment toward both the clan and the village," Fugaku chuckled softly and sighed. "Alright, I understand. Since Kei-kun has no thoughts on this, I won't press further."
A ninja who didn't care much for the clan and wasn't swayed by clan ideals would normally be cast aside.
But that assumed the clan had actually nurtured that person.
No clan raises a wolf only to be bitten—but if you didn't nurture someone and still expected loyalty, that's just delusion. No reasonable person would believe in such blind devotion.
Fugaku felt Kei was precisely that kind of person. He didn't pretend to be grateful or spout lines like "Without the clan, I wouldn't exist."
And somehow, that made Fugaku feel more at ease.
Think about it—this boy had never received formal training from the clan. His father trained him briefly, then he was thrown onto the battlefield, where he awakened his Sharingan and survived.
Why would someone like that feel indebted to the clan?
But such a person was also worth cultivating. He was real—resentful, perhaps, but grounded.
If he wasn't proud to be an Uchiha, then the clan would just have to redefine what it meant to be one.
Kei wasn't unique in the Uchiha clan. Many were like him—marginalized, overlooked.
If he hadn't awakened the Sharingan, Fugaku probably wouldn't even know his name, let alone come to see him.
"You do have potential, but from today on, you'll need to adjust your mindset," Fugaku took a sip of tea. "Remember this—regardless of how little you value the clan, without it, you wouldn't have survived. You need the clan's recognition."
"Because I have these eyes now?" Kei asked coldly, his Sharingan glowing crimson.
"Yes. I don't like it either, but that's the reality of this clan."
Fugaku nodded without hesitation. "Strength and the Sharingan are the only criteria we use to judge potential. Your father never distinguished himself, and so your birth drew little attention. Not every Uchiha can awaken the Sharingan, but every one who does has the potential to become strong. I hope you understand that, Kei-kun."
Fugaku didn't even flinch at Kei's glowing red eyes. Rude or not, he simply didn't care.
Calmly sipping his tea again, he turned to the pond, watching the fish swim freely—then sighed.
Kei was one of those fish, trapped in the Uchiha clan's pond. No one could escape its confines.
Then again, wasn't the whole Uchiha clan just fish in a larger pond?
The pond had grown from a clan to a village. Everyone seemed free, but they were all bound by invisible currents.
Maybe only those who truly controlled the pond could sit calmly at the center, drinking tea, watching the fish fight to prove their worth.
But how many could ever reach that point?
"I think I understand now, Clan Leader." Kei suddenly deactivated his Sharingan and spoke calmly. "So… what do I get in return?"
"The clan's attention. Its influence. And its support." Fugaku smiled. "All the things you never had—you'll have them now."
Ah, little fish… one must still swim in the pond to be seen.
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