Chapter 163: The Chakra Vessel
"I honestly didn't expect you to succeed."
By the pond near the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Kei sat calmly across from Uchiha Fugaku.
On the table between them sat a jar filled with a special preservation fluid—inside, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan floated eerily. Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but sigh at the sight.
Kei had actually done it—accomplished something that should have been impossible.
What's more, Kei's methods had been so ruthless that even Fugaku found them hard to stomach.
Although his methods had indeed forced Uchiha Yuu to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, the process was not one that could—or should—be replicated.
Because awakening a Mangekyō Sharingan this way was extremely risky: if the subject wasn't already physically crippled, there was a very real chance both the subject and the person conducting the experiment could die in the process.
Even so, if the subject was a cripple, the results could be terrifyingly effective.
Fugaku had already heard from Uchiha Sō about the state of the underground lab—the blood-soaked scene there was proof enough of the Mangekyō's power, and a chilling testament to the fact that Yuu had long ceased being a functional shinobi.
"I suppose you could say it worked," Kei exhaled. "Though I have to give most of the credit to the drug cocktail. It really did its job."
"But unfortunately, this method can't be applied broadly," he added. "You saw it yourself—Uchiha Yuu was on the brink of madness by the end. If he had been even slightly more stable, I probably wouldn't have dared…"
"I understand," Fugaku nodded before Kei could finish. "Still, it's a shame."
Clearly, they had reached the same conclusion—this approach wasn't sustainable.
"So, what's your plan now? How are you going to proceed with your research?"
"I want Uchiha Sō to erase the remnants of Yuu's consciousness," Kei said flatly. "Then we'll re-implant the eyes and closely monitor his physical condition."
He paused before continuing, "I also plan to find and capture Uchiha Shuu. But before that, I'll need some time off to recover."
"I figured as much," Fugaku said, nodding before Kei even finished.
"That kind of hellish torture… it must've taken its toll. Not just on him, but on you too. After all, you're still human."
Kei nodded silently.
Fugaku was right.
This operation had left a deep mark on him—it was on par with his first true brush with death on the battlefield. The experience was nauseating in a way that lingered deep in his soul.
He had killed many before, but never like this. Those deaths had been quick, clean, and often necessary.
This… this had been something else.
Picking up the jar containing the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kei rose and took his leave.
Everything that needed to be said had already been said. There was no reason for him to linger.
His overall plan was proceeding smoothly. Fugaku had already begun tightening his grip on the clan, especially around the Elders—his swift crackdown had been so aggressive it bordered on terrifying.
Still, for all his decisiveness, Fugaku was being dragged down by the sheer number of supporters the Elders still had. He'd need to tread carefully to avoid making enemies faster than he could neutralize them.
Meanwhile, within the Police Department, the situation had grown even more strained.
Kei had disbanded his former squad by force, throwing every single member in jail—and they still hadn't been released.
This had left the department severely understaffed, but even so, squad captains like Uchiha Tsubasa and Uchiha Chisai dared not make a move.
They had originally planned to use the vacancy to expand their own influence, recruiting more shinobi into their ranks.
But the memory of Kei's last move still haunted them—it had left too deep a scar.
"Uchiha Asahi and Uchiha Kawa are still moving too slowly," Kei thought to himself as he made his way to the underground lab. "That said, they're being careful with their selections. I'll give them a little more time."
"As for Fukuhiko Kouta… he's actually moving quickly. But the people he's recruiting… let's just say their quality is a bit questionable. I'll let it slide for now—slow and steady wins the race."
Kei's newly formed squad still needed time to come together. Asahi and his son were doing their best, but Kei's strict standards made the task nearly impossible.
Character was hard to assess on paper.
They could only rely on mission records and feedback from supervising jōnin to judge someone's moral integrity.
Even now, they still hadn't compiled a final list to present to Kei.
Fukuhiko Kouta, on the other hand, had taken a simpler route. With the backing of his older brother Fukuhiko Kōhei, he had thrown himself into the work.
He had even started advertising with slogans like: "Reforming the Police Department," and "Bringing Transparency to the Force."
Surprisingly, quite a few shinobi were eager to join after hearing that.
But this too gave Kei a headache.
Most of the applicants were just low-ranked genin—some of them hadn't even stepped onto a battlefield.
Still, Uchiha Kei couldn't be bothered to care too much.
So they haven't been to the battlefield? Fine—let the veterans train them.
What Kei needed from these people was their "civilian ninja" status.
Everything else? He didn't care.
However, one particular individual did irritate Kei somewhat—Imai Kenta.
That kid still hadn't given him a straight answer.
Kei had seen through his evasiveness from the start, but since he hadn't been in a rush back then, he let it slide.
Now, though, Kei was beginning to grow suspicious.
"I'll have to 'pay him a visit' when I get the chance."
Kei hadn't forgotten about him—a civilian-registered ninja with considerable strength.
Whether Imai Kenta's status was genuine or not didn't matter.
On paper—and in Konoha's official records—he was a model civilian ninja.
A man with brains and brawn like him was exactly the type Uchiha Kei wanted to avoid...
But unfortunately, they were on the same team.
Worse yet, Kenta also knew a few of Kei's "little secrets."
"That only leaves two options: fully rope him in—or make sure his corpse gets found floating in a gutter someday."
After exchanging greetings with the guards stationed nearby, Kei walked slowly into the underground chamber.
The place had been fully restored by Uchiha Sō and the others.
It was hard to believe that just yesterday, this very chamber had nearly collapsed under the force of Uchiha Yuu's Stage One Susanoo.
Now it looked brand new, and even had new equipment installed—life-support systems.
Kei glanced at Yuu, suspended in one of those devices.
His vacant expression made it clear—whatever consciousness he once had was gone.
Pulling out Yuu's pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, Kei opened the chamber and carefully reimplanted the eyes.
He couldn't tell if this was the doing of the clan's ancestors or just a practical solution, but the Uchiha had indeed developed a unique jutsu for this:
"Uchiha Eye Transplantation Technique."
"Maybe they invented it because a blind person can't perform surgery on themselves," Kei mused.
With the procedure done, Kei found a place to sit down.
This used to be his own private sanctuary.
Now, it had become a secret base shared with Uchiha Fugaku.
That was… a little frustrating.
He couldn't even leave his private journal here anymore—it had to be carried with him at all times.
Even so, since Fugaku rarely visited, it still remained Kei's best location for training.
"Besides, we've got guards watching the place now."
Kei didn't think the Third Hokage would waste his time spying on him, especially after his recent scene at the Police Department.
But Danzo? That guy would do anything.
Having someone watching the door was definitely better than being blind to a potential threat.
Kei looked once more at Uchiha Yuu, floating in the life-support pod, then at the lasting scars around the chamber.
He knew the time had come to truly explore the nature of Susanoo.
This all-encompassing offensive and defensive technique had left a deep impression on him.
Especially after finding Uchiha Madara's lost journal, Kei had confirmed:
Susanoo could, in fact, be activated without relying on the eyes themselves.
He drew in a long, steady breath and closed his eyes.
The Yin Release generated by the Sharingan was essentially a product of extreme emotion—either positive or negative.
What he had experienced the previous night? That was the very definition of extreme negative emotion.
Kei didn't feel any evolution in his eyes afterward, but he did become aware of a strange new chakra—a different, special frequency.
Yesterday, using the Mangekyō Sharingan, he had thoroughly observed Uchiha Yuu's Susanoo.
He was almost certain he had figured out its underlying state.
Opening his eyes again, Kei's irises had turned blood-red, with three tomoe slowly spinning.
His chakra began to surge.
The deeply dark, Yin-type chakra in his eyes began to merge with his internal chakra—but something was off.
His brow furrowed.
Although the fusion had begun, the process wasn't complete. The chakra hadn't fully materialized.
There was a mismatch in the frequency between his chakra and the Yin energy in his eyes—it wasn't syncing properly.
He thought for a moment.
Then, the tomoe in his eyes began to spin faster, eventually linking together into a connected shape.
At that moment, Kei felt it—his eyes now held a much stronger Yin-type energy, and he could sense its rhythm syncing with his chakra more clearly.
As the frequency aligned and the fusion accelerated, Kei reached the critical threshold.
"Now!"
In the next instant, his chakra erupted—
A black, tangible shell of chakra formed around him, dense and pulsing with power.
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