Chapter 55: There's Still Another Way
After leaving Uchiha Fugaku's home, Uchiha Kei returned directly to his own house.
To Kei, Fugaku's probing felt almost childish. It wasn't just Kei's previous-life education that allowed him to see through such tactics—his knowledge of the storyline made Fugaku's intentions plain as day.
On one hand, Fugaku was clearly fed up with how Konoha treated the Uchiha. As one of the founding clans, to be so heavily suppressed was humiliating for anyone. That frustration was genuine.
But on the other hand, Fugaku was still Itachi's father—meaning he too carried a deep, idealistic hope for peace in the village. In that regard, he and Itachi were very much alike.
The difference was, as clan head, Fugaku also bore responsibility. In that tangled web of conflicting emotions, mixed with the distrust that had built up since the Nine-Tails incident, he ultimately chose the path of a coup.
"What a pity," Kei thought as he lay on his bed. "He had strength, he had ambition—but he wasn't a true schemer."
Ironically, it was the son he raised who ended up breaking the clan.
Kei understood him… but couldn't entirely agree with him.
He understood the familial bond—if he were in Fugaku's position, maybe he'd prioritize family too. But what he couldn't wrap his head around was the sheer recklessness of putting the fate of the entire clan into the hands of a single son, forcing Itachi to choose between family and village.
That kind of decision? Kei would never accept.
Fortunately, it was still early. Itachi was just a kid, and Shisui hadn't matured yet either. Kei, while still lacking in power, now had the Mangekyō as his foundation and room to grow.
And more importantly—he had options.
Three paths lay before him, though none of them were ideal.
The first—the easiest and most straightforward—was to side with Konoha. He'd seen countless fanfics where the MC defected to the village. But Kei had no desire to do that.
He knew what kind of people ruled Konoha. Fugaku probably did too. The four elders were all products of Tobirama's ideology. Their stance on the Uchiha was no secret.
Kei didn't trust them. If anything, he'd rather wipe them out.
The second path was to help the Uchiha with their coup and put them in the position they so desperately craved.
But honestly? That idea was even more absurd than the first.
Aside from himself, the rest of the Uchiha were borderline lunatics.
The ones with Sharingan were unstable; the ones without weren't strong enough. And who among them had the right to be Hokage?
Was he supposed to take the role himself?
He didn't have the status or the qualifications.
The third option was to build up his strength and escape the village before the Uchiha were wiped out.
But deep down, Kei hated this idea too.
Following Madara Uchiha was a dead end.
Even if he managed to kill Naruto and Sasuke before they fully grew into their roles and tried to warn Madara about the deception surrounding his resurrection…
The odds of success weren't much better than helping the Uchiha seize power.
Madara was too arrogant to believe Kei. And Obito was no pushover either.
And let's not forget the Sage of Six Paths. That old man was still lurking in spirit form, watching the world unfold. Who knew what kind of divine backlash Kei would face if he killed Naruto and Sasuke?
As for going full rogue like some second-rate villain? Kei didn't have the mindset for that.
And who knew when the Akatsuki or Konoha would come hunting him?
Bounty hunters might line up to take him out for cash.
In short—being a rogue ninja with no backing was practically suicide.
"Sigh... no matter how I look at it, every road leads to death," Kei muttered, rubbing his temples.
The situation was a mess. But he knew he had to make a decision—eventually.
If only the person ruling Konoha could be someone kind to the Uchiha…
Suddenly, Kei paused, a new thought taking shape.
It was rough and full of obstacles, but… if it worked, everything could change.
Of course, first he had to win Fugaku's trust and gain more influence within the clan.
"Thankfully, I know Fugaku's mindset and his true intentions thanks to the original timeline," Kei whispered, a sly grin forming at the corner of his lips. "All I need is a 'keystone'—just one small anchor point, and the rest will fall into place. As for everything else..."
Everything else could be figured out later.
This new possibility—perhaps it would become Kei's fourth path.
But it was too early to act. For now, he needed to be patient, take one step at a time. He still wasn't strong enough.
He had to strengthen himself—to truly wield the power of the Mangekyō. In this world, power was survival.
"As for who the fish in the pond really is, and who's watching from the edge…"
Kei chuckled.
"That's still up for debate."
Fugaku, to his credit, followed through immediately.
At dawn the next day, several Uchiha clan shinobi showed up at Kei's doorstep. They were there to escort him to the clan's library.
Over the years, the Uchiha had accumulated a vast collection of scrolls and writings—covering ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even the training journals of past masters. Entry to the library required special permission.
Normally, the Sharingan was a baseline requirement—but even that wasn't enough.
Due to the sensitive nature of the materials, one also needed the explicit approval of either the clan head or an elder.
Kei now had both: a fully matured Three Tomoe Sharingan and Fugaku's endorsement. He was in.
The sudden arrival of the shinobi startled Uchiha Keisuke and Uchiha Ryoko. But once they learned why, they were overwhelmed with pride.
After all, not just anyone could access the library.
And now, their son had done it.
Even if... that son didn't seem to fully acknowledge them.