Chapter 84: Something Feels Off
After gathering some intel on Uchiha Yuu's strength, Uchiha Kei began planning how to obtain information about Yuu's patrol routes.
Since he had already decided to make a move, Kei had no intention of showing mercy—or of dragging things out.
He and his squad had been back in Konoha for a while now. Although the battles at the front lines had mostly concluded, negotiations hadn't been finalized yet, meaning the villages were still technically in a state of conflict.
It wouldn't be surprising if their team were sent back into the Land of Grass for another mission—or perhaps assigned to something else.
After all, no available combat strength could be wasted in times like these.
Kei remembered that after this period, Kakashi's squad was once again dispatched into the Land of Grass—only to fall into a trap meticulously set by Uchiha Madara, who had already obtained key intelligence beforehand.
During that mission, Rin Nohara had the Three-Tails forcibly sealed inside her. To protect Konoha, she chose to die by Kakashi's hand when they were ambushed by Kirigakure's Anbu.
That single event deeply altered the fates of two people. Witnessing it firsthand, Obito Uchiha awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan just a few months after first unlocking his Sharingan.
Madara's understanding of the Sharingan—and of human nature—was terrifyingly profound.
Because he recognized the light within Obito's heart, he deliberately twisted it into darkness.
The brighter a soul shines, the darker its fall into corruption.
The complexities of human nature were completely at Madara's mercy, and the devastation wrought by Obito after his fall into evil... well, history already speaks for itself.
In Kei's view, the original Minato Namikaze team was essentially a prototype for what would later become Kakashi's Team 7—only this time, the one who fell into darkness was different.
Kakashi's preference for Sasuke wasn't simply because Sasuke was an Uchiha descendant.
More likely, it was because he saw a reflection of his younger self in Sasuke.
At the moment, Uchiha Kei was feeling a little uneasy. He suspected that he might soon have to join Kakashi's squad for a mission, since their two teams had previously collaborated on assignments.
While Kei was indeed interested in participating, he was also aware that by the time he returned, the selection process for the Fourth Hokage would likely be underway.
Therefore, before leaving Konoha, he planned to deal with a few matters that were within his control—like settling things with the Uchiha brothers, Yuu and Shuu.
Even if he couldn't take down both, eliminating one of them would still be a success.
Especially now, with Orochimaru's scandal growing more serious by the day, the sudden disappearance of a Uchiha could serve to further destabilize the situation—and perhaps even be quietly accepted.
Besides, there was no telling how the political landscape would shift once he returned.
The Konoha Police Force might tighten their surveillance even further.
However, the thought of having to stimulate the Mangekyō Sharingan—and the need for life-support measures afterward—gave Kei a headache.
"I just realized... I have no money, and hardly any time left," Kei sighed heavily.
Reaching this point really was a miserable feeling.
He even considered taking on a few missions to earn some quick cash.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a bad idea—what if he missed something important because he was tied up with other tasks?
Sighing in frustration, Kei decided he'd have to take things one step at a time.
If it came to it, maybe he could try borrowing some money from Uchiha Fugaku?
Just as Kei was lost in thought, someone called out to him from behind.
"Lord Kei."
"Hmm?" Kei turned around, puzzled.
Since returning to Konoha about a month and a half ago, his reputation had risen significantly.
Gaining the right to attend clan meetings had elevated his status, and many Uchiha had started addressing him respectfully as 'Lord Kei.'
"Lord Kei, the clan head wishes to see you," the Uchiha clansman said politely. "He's waiting at the Police Force headquarters."
"I understand. I'll head over immediately," Kei nodded in acknowledgment.
He had already anticipated that Fugaku would summon him sooner or later—after all, he had publicly beaten a member of the Police Force.
It was a bit embarrassing to think about, but Kei had handled the situation properly.
He had clear justification for stopping the officer and taking down Uchiha Hiroki.
Given that, he didn't believe Fugaku would be too harsh.
After a short walk, Kei arrived at the Police Force headquarters and immediately noticed the unusually tense atmosphere among the officers.
In particular, the way they looked at him was... complicated, to say the least.
It was honestly a little amusing to Kei.
Was it really that serious?
All he did was beat up Hiroki.
Was Hiroki actually important within the Police Force?
Amused and a little curious, Kei walked inside, ignoring the stares from the other officers, and made his way straight to Fugaku's office.
"Come in," came Fugaku's voice after Kei knocked.
Pushing open the door, Kei was surprised to find Fugaku alone—Hiroki was nowhere to be seen.
This confirmed Kei's suspicions: if even the 'victim' wasn't present, it meant Fugaku hadn't taken the incident too seriously.
"Clan Head," Kei bowed respectfully, despite having already guessed the situation.
"No need for the formalities. You should be able to figure out what's going on just by looking around," Fugaku said, shaking his head. He pointed to a chair nearby. "Have a seat."
"Yes, Clan Head," Kei nodded and sat down. "May I ask why you've summoned me?"
"What do you think?" Fugaku asked with a faint, almost teasing smile. "Your analytical skills are impressive, and you're a smart one. Why don't you take a guess?"
My analytical skills are only this good because I know the future...
Kei grumbled silently to himself.
Still, he quickly began analyzing Fugaku's intentions.
Since Hiroki wasn't here, and Fugaku wasn't angry, it was safe to say he hadn't been called in for punishment.
It was probably just routine formalities.
After all, Fugaku was the clan head—even if he approved of Kei, he couldn't show too much favoritism.
Suddenly, another thought occurred to Kei.
Previously, Kei had openly criticized the Police Force's heavy-handed methods during a clan meeting, pointing out how both Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha's own stubbornness were pushing the two sides further apart.
Now, after personally disciplining a Police Force member, Kei had effectively slapped the hardliners in the face.
Could it be... Fugaku was considering a change of direction?
Was Kei about to become a symbol of that shift?
Or maybe Fugaku saw Kei's actions as aligning with Konoha's expectations—and intended to plant Kei as a spy within the ANBU?
At this thought, Kei couldn't help but overthink things a little.