Chapter 167 – A Man Growing Ever More Mysterious
"Pfft!"
Walking out of the dango shop, Uchiha Kei ducked into a corner and immediately spat out the tea he had just drunk.
It wasn't that he suddenly wanted to go back on their deal—rather, it hit him that the tea had been poured before he and Hyūga Ayaka had finalized their cooperation.
Which meant… he had no idea whether she'd slipped something into it.
After getting every drop out of his system, Kei headed straight for a convenience store to buy water and rinse his mouth.
"I must be out of my mind… Drinking tea poured by that woman?"
Kei tilted a bottle of mineral water and rinsed his mouth thoroughly before finally feeling relieved.
Still, this turn of events was… unexpected. Even if they were technically teammates, his original target had been Imai Kenta—not Hyūga Ayaka.
Things had taken a turn in an entirely different direction.
But he had to admit, the offer Ayaka made was tempting.
Given Kei's current condition, he needed someone who could constantly monitor the changes in his body. In extreme cases, even the Sharingan wasn't as practical as the Byakugan.
Ayaka might be from the Hyuga branch family, but her Byakugan was more than enough for his needs.
"Well… if she really can bring Hyūga Hikaru over, and also master medical ninjutsu…"
Finishing his rinse, Kei turned and made his way toward Fukuhiko Kohei's home.
"Her value would skyrocket. As for that Caged Bird Seal…"
All Kei could do about it was try his best. He had no clue how to remove the seal on Ayaka.
If he could remove it, it would be to his advantage. Without the Hyuga clan's leash, given her personality, she wouldn't pose much of a threat to him.
The problem was, he had no idea how to do it—there wasn't a single useful detail in the original records.
"Don't tell me… I'd have to go to the moon to find those people?" Kei muttered with a frown as he walked.
And even then—based on the timeline—he wasn't sure if Ōtsutsuki Toneri had even been born yet. Before his birth, who knew how many people were living up there?
Toneri might have been a fool in terms of battle sense, but his raw power was terrifying.
The Tenseigan's potential rivaled that of the Rinnegan.
Kei didn't believe anyone on the moon currently had the Tenseigan, but the sight of that massive Byakugan alone was enough to make his skin crawl.
Shaking his head, he pushed away such impossible thoughts. Even if he wanted to try, he simply didn't have the strength to act on them now.
Stability and steady progress—that was the tone he needed to maintain.
Putting those thoughts aside, Kei soon arrived at Kohei's home.
A woman in her forties answered the door—most likely Kohei's mother. Kei greeted her politely, and she led him to Kohei's room. Kohei looked momentarily stunned at the sight of him.
"Kei? What brings you here?" Kohei said with a smile. "Come in, have a seat. I didn't expect you to visit with how busy you are."
"I heard our captain was discharged from the hospital," Kei replied with a polite smile. "It's only right to check in."
In truth, Kei had no idea Kohei had only been released yesterday. Judging by the bandages still wrapped around his chest, the injuries had been severe.
After all, facing someone like Kitsuchi was no small matter. Kei still remembered how, back when he had been in poor condition—even with his Mangekyō—he had nearly been defeated.
That frightening strength and near-impenetrable defense had left him helpless—back then, he had neither Chidori nor Raikiri.
He had gotten his revenge later, though political interests had forced him to compromise. Even so, he had taken one of the man's arms.
"Kei-kun, thank you for giving Kouta a chance to prove himself," Kohei said with a slightly strange smile.
"But please forgive Kouta. He told me about your work in the department. While it's certainly satisfying and helps you solidify your position in the short term, in the long run…"
"Don't worry, Captain," Kei smiled, unfazed. "I've already made my preparations. If I intend to reform the Police Department and draw in civilian shinobi, then I have to act decisively and take the initiative.
As for Kouta telling you, it's fine. I imagine plenty of people in the village already know."
"…I see." Kohei seemed like he wanted to say more but ended up smiling. "Kei has always been reliable. I trust you'll get good results. Please look after Kouta."
"I'm sure Kouta will do well," Kei replied—carefully sidestepping a direct promise. A favor quietly given was far better than one loudly declared.
And truthfully, Kei would take care of the boy regardless—he was an important piece on the board. His brother had once been Kei's captain and was a Konoha jōnin, with a social circle that encompassed most of the village's civilian shinobi.
Handled well, this was the perfect tool to soften the Uchiha clan's bad reputation in Konoha.
After some small talk, Kei finally got to the point. "Captain, do you know where Kenta's home is?"
"Kenta?" Kohei blinked, then seemed to understand. "You're thinking of recruiting him? Good idea—but I don't know his home address. I only know where he usually trains."
"You don't know either?" Kei rubbed his chin. Imai Kenta's level of secrecy was… beyond what he expected.
Even his own squad leader didn't know where the guy lived. That only made Kei more interested.
While such secrecy might make recruitment tricky, it only fueled his curiosity to learn the truth about him.
Thanks to Kohei's directions, Kei now knew where to find Kenta.
It was as good a time as any to check it out. If things went poorly, he could even deal with some other matters while there.
The location was absurdly remote—almost suspiciously so.
Heading for the spot Kohei described, Kei didn't waste time. He ran quickly toward the forest.
He recognized the area—there was an abandoned training ground there. Back when he had plotted against Uchiha Yuu, he had studied Konoha's maps in detail.
He knew every notable location in the village… and even which ones were strictly off-limits to patrols.
Some of those forbidden areas were almost certainly secret facilities—either belonging to Konoha itself or to Orochimaru.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Deep within a remote forest on Konoha's outskirts, in an abandoned training ground, Imai Kenta was honing his Water Style techniques.
To summon a powerful water dragon where no water source was present was proof enough of his formidable skill.
Yet Kenta only sighed. It still wasn't enough. Not by a long shot.
Though he had long surpassed most of those who had fought beside him on the battlefield, he knew all too well that his current strength was far from sufficient.
"This level of power… still needs more work," Kenta murmured, glancing at the tree his water dragon had snapped clean in two. He wasn't particularly satisfied with the results.
No matter how good he already was, it still wasn't enough for him. The real reason for his relentless training was simple—survival.
Nearly nine years of frontline combat had burned one truth into his mind: without strength and cunning, you'd have been a corpse years ago.
His own motives for growing stronger were straightforward. Unfortunately, not all his family saw it that way.
They had burdened him with expectations—duties and obligations he neither wanted nor could refuse.
Konoha's political situation was already firmly set. Though Kenta, after years of exposure, shared some concerns about the current state of affairs, he didn't feel the same burning resentment his elders did. But whether he agreed or not, he had no right to decline their demands.
He sighed again. On the battlefield, his only goal had been to stay alive.
But thanks to Uchiha Kei's little "performances" and Namikaze Minato's overwhelming power, he had somehow ended up being hailed as one of Konoha's heroes.
The title made him want to laugh and cry at once. Along with the honor came higher expectations—and greater access to resources.
Those resources would help him grow stronger, but in exchange, the tasks awaiting him in the future would be far from easy.
"Well… at least, compared to that Uchiha guy, I'm in a slightly safer position."
Without thinking, Kenta's mind naturally drifted to that so-called "teammate" of his.
As for Hyūga Ayaka—there was no real comparison to be made. Being a branch family member placed severe limits on her.
He had even saved her once. Well, mostly he'd been saving himself at the time—but technically, it still counted.
"Still… Kei actually invited me to join the Police Force. And he's been making some big moves lately." Kenta rubbed his nose in thought.
"How should I respond to this? What's that guy really after? Did he… figure something out?"
His musings were cut short when his brow furrowed. Slowly, his gaze shifted toward a deeper part of the forest.