Chapter 85: Even the Heavens Want You Dead
"Have you figured it out?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at the young boy lost in thought before him, unable to suppress the deep emotions stirring in his heart.
He never expected that the only other person who noticed the immense danger hidden within the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha would be just a child.
Even more surprising was the fact that this person — who saw so clearly through it all — was once considered a mere "fringe member" of the Uchiha clan!
Yes, Fugaku had heard the name Uchiha Kei before, but only because it had appeared on the clan's deployment lists.
These deployment lists were typically compiled when the village requested manpower from the clans, and the clans would assign those they deemed expendable — people with little future or expectations in the family's eyes.
Yet, out of all those names, two anomalies had appeared.
One was Uchiha Obito, who astonishingly awakened the Sharingan with two tomoe right from the start.
Sadly, Obito later died on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, his body unrecovered.
The other anomaly was even more shocking — Uchiha Kei, who opened his eyes directly with a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan!
Though Fugaku had sensed something unusual about this boy — for soon after awakening his Sharingan, Kei had single-handedly slain the Rock Village demolition corps Gari — he still found it hard to believe.
And that wasn't all. Later, Kei also eliminated Ishimizu Hiiragi Squad from Iwagakure, all on his own.
The sheer talent needed for such feats was terrifying.
If not for the lack of hard evidence, Fugaku would have doubted that Kei had only just awakened his Sharingan.
When he eventually met Kei face-to-face, Fugaku quickly realized — this boy was interesting.
Sharp-minded, with exactly the kind of temperament one needed to thrive in their world.
These discoveries piqued Fugaku's curiosity even more.
Kei's performance during the Konoha funeral also aligned perfectly with Fugaku's own thoughts, further raising his interest.
And the clan meeting afterward — that was the moment when Fugaku's interest reached its peak.
He hadn't expected the boy's perspective to be so unique, so deeply logical — and, even more astonishing, so closely aligned with his own.
With his curiosity now fully ignited, Fugaku began keeping a closer watch on this boy.
He wanted to see — in the tangled, complicated web that was the Uchiha clan — what choices Kei would make.
Yet, to his surprise, Kei made no moves at all.
He didn't even bother to formally greet the clan head.
Still, Fugaku didn't take offense.
He knew this boy spent his days either reading or training — someone with such strict self-discipline didn't need micromanaging.
What he hadn't foreseen, however, was that their next meeting would come under such strange circumstances:
His own son had jumped off a cliff — and Kei had saved him.
While deeply confused by his son's actions, Fugaku also felt immense gratitude toward this young boy.
Thus, Uchiha Fugaku decided to stop the boy for a chat, putting off the matter with his son for later.
Uchiha Itachi was a mature and deeply thoughtful child. As his father, Fugaku suspected that Itachi's fall had not been a suicide — and it was certainly not something he could allow Itachi's mother to learn about.
But what Fugaku never anticipated was how a casual conversation would leave him utterly shocked — and it was during this talk that he realized he could no longer treat Uchiha Kei as just a child.
Too sharp. Too precise.
Despite his young age and incomplete information, Kei had deduced the complex and dangerous dynamics between the Uchiha clan and the village — all from his own insights and experiences.
This was something even many adult clan members, armed with documents and history, couldn't fully grasp.
At that moment, Fugaku realized he had been underestimating this boy all along.
Even though he had raised his evaluation of Kei several times, he still felt he hadn't appreciated Kei's true potential.
In terms of strength, Kei had already proven himself — and he was still just thirteen or fourteen, with endless room to grow.
In terms of intelligence, Kei had also proven himself — surviving and excelling on battlefields riddled with danger, and now accurately reading the tangled relationship between the village and the clan.
Right then and there, Fugaku decided: he could no longer allow this boy to remain isolated from the family.
Kei's relationship with Kakashi might very well hint at some... other intentions.
Intentions that Fugaku dared not even fully contemplate.
"Clan Head, are you planning to reform the Konoha Military Police Force?"
Just as Fugaku was silently contemplating all this, Uchiha Kei suddenly spoke up.
Kei had already worked it out: Itachi joining the Anbu and becoming a double agent stemmed, at its core, from the Nine-Tails incident.
The same was true for Uchiha Shisui.
Although Shisui had long been inclined toward loyalty to Konoha, it wasn't until after the Nine-Tails attack — when relations between Uchiha and the village deteriorated — that he officially joined the Anbu.
Those sly old foxes running Konoha might have seemed like they were appeasing the Uchiha clan, but they clearly knew exactly what they were doing — grooming those with sympathetic ideologies, subtly brainwashing them into betraying their own people.
Without the Nine-Tails attack, there would have been little reason for the Uchiha to infiltrate the Anbu.
Which meant the most likely explanation now was that Fugaku truly wanted to reform the Military Police Force — and Kei's earlier observations might have strongly provoked the clan head into action.
Especially considering Kei had almost been speaking from a moderate or dove standpoint.
Taking early measures to prevent disaster was absolutely the right move — even if the path was fraught with challenges.
For Kei, this was undeniably great news — it was clear that his plans were moving forward smoothly!
"Yes," Fugaku admitted without hesitation. "There are too many within the village who despise the Uchiha. Our clan and Konoha are drifting farther and farther apart. This is not something I wish to see."
"This will be a difficult undertaking, Clan Head," Kei said after some thought, deciding to hold back a little.
"Many within the clan will likely oppose you."
"I know," Fugaku sighed.
"But there are things that must be done, even if it requires a firmer hand.
Take your time to think it over, Kei-kun. I would appreciate your advice."
Before Fugaku could finish his words, a knock came at the door.
"Lord Yuu is here."
Uchiha Yuu?
Kei simply nodded calmly — of course he would come. Kei hadn't exactly been hiding his movements.
It would have been strange if Yuu hadn't noticed.
Fugaku also responded calmly and stood up, moving toward the door.
"Think carefully, Kei-kun," he said in an even tone.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll go have a word with Yuu-kun."
"Understood, Clan Head."
Kei stood and gave Fugaku a respectful bow.
Though Kei didn't really care about Uchiha Yuu, he had no reason to cause unnecessary trouble — if someone else was willing to smooth things over, all the better.
No doubt, Fugaku had also brought Yuu here partly for that reason: complete reconciliation might be impossible, but a reduction in tensions was still valuable.
Smiling slightly as Fugaku closed the office door behind him, Kei began casually inspecting the office.
But when his gaze landed on Fugaku's desk, he froze.
Lying atop it...
was the newly drafted patrol route chart for the Military Police Force.
Kei stared at it, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
It seemed that this time — even the heavens themselves wanted Uchiha Yuu dead.