Chapter 168 — One Who Knows the Sharingan
"Uchiha Kei?"
Imai Kenta frowned as he saw someone silently stepping into this secluded training ground.
"What are you doing here? Who told you about this place?"
Kenta couldn't help wondering if he had jinxed himself—he had just been thinking about this guy, and now here he was in the flesh.
And what puzzled Kenta even more was that he had never once told Kei where he lived.
As for this training ground, yes, he might have mentioned it in passing, but in such a remote location? Who could have possibly found it?
Could it be that this guy actually tracked it down through the Guard Division?
"It was Fukuhiko Kohei," Uchiha Kei said without any attempt to hide it.
"As a member of the Police Guard Division, it's natural to know the village inside and out. So finding my way here isn't exactly shocking, is it?"
"Ah, Captain Fukuhiko… I see." Kenta nodded slightly, then his signature smile returned. "So, Captain Kei—what brings you here?"
"You already know the answer."
Ignoring the smile, Kei turned his gaze toward a broken tree nearby and allowed himself a faint grin.
"Nice Water Style you've got there. To pull off that level of power without a river around? Impressive.
Looks like I underestimated you—a 'mere' civilian ninja with such ability. Seems you've been hiding quite a lot, Kenta."
Kenta said nothing, but his smile slowly faded.
He had hidden his ninjutsu for a long time, yet now Kei had seen right through him. Worse—it was this guy who had uncovered it.
Kei was not the type to overlook any opportunity, and Kenta could feel the danger in the air.
Bad luck—it was pure bad luck. He had just finished training when Kei showed up. He hadn't even had time to clean the place up.
"Training alone is boring," Kei suddenly said, turning toward him. "Let's spar."
"Spar?" Kenta's smile vanished completely, replaced by a frown. "Somehow, I doubt that's your only purpose."
"No need to assume the worst about me. I'm actually very cheerful."
Kei flashed what he considered a sunny smile. "I just want to test the skills of my future vice-captain. You'd better take it seriously, Kenta."
Before Kenta could respond, Kei's blade was already out of its sheath.
Brilliant blue chakra flared along the edge, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Kenta—his blade slicing toward Kenta's throat without the slightest hesitation.
This was no friendly spar. This was a killing strike.
Having just been irritated by Hyuga Ayaka earlier, and now finding proof that Kenta was far from ordinary, Kei's temper was ready to explode.
But Kenta seemed prepared. The moment Kei moved, his own blade sang free of its sheath.
Clang!
Steel rang out, the sound echoing through the abandoned training ground.
The clash of chakra between them cracked the earth beneath their feet—neither was holding back.
Kei's eyes flashed crimson, his Sharingan spinning. With a subtle twist of his blade, he thrust again at an unnatural angle toward Kenta's neck.
Kenta wasn't simple prey either. After deflecting the strike, he sidestepped with a sudden burst of speed that even Kei took note of.
Kei could follow his movements—but the speed Kenta showed now was far beyond what he'd seen in normal combat.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their blades collided in rapid succession.
Kenta was swift and dangerous, like a phantom. Kei moved with the elegance of a butterfly among flowers—but every touch carried lethal intent.
When taijutsu failed to break the other's guard, there was only one answer—ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Dodging a particularly dangerous slash, Kei flicked a kunai from his pouch toward Kenta, then quickly formed seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" Kenta dropped low and formed his own seals in a flash.
Earth Style?
Kei's frown deepened. So Kenta could use Water Style and Earth Style?
A true civilian ninja, without clan resources, rarely learned any elemental techniques at all—basic academy jutsu was usually their limit.
There was no way this guy was just a normal villager.
A small clan's heir?
Or the last survivor of an extinct family?
Even as his mind raced, Kei's hands moved. Lightning chakra sparked in his left hand as he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind the earthen wall.
No room to build momentum for a heavy strike? No matter.
But when Kei got there, he saw only a shadow clone crouched behind the wall. The real Kenta was nowhere in sight.
"Hiding?" Kei's crimson eyes swept the area. "Or… underground?"
His Sharingan quickly picked up a burst of chakra from below.
Fast—too fast. Kei stabbed his lightning-clad hand down into the ground—
Only for his expression to change instantly.
The chakra presence erupted from the opposite side.
The Sharingan could see chakra flow, but it wasn't the Byakugan—it couldn't see through solid earth.
"Crafty bastard!" Kei growled.
His blade flared with blue chakra, slicing clean through an oncoming Water Dragon. The beast split in two, but Kei was already pulling his left hand free to counterattack—
Only for water to suddenly surge up around his legs, wrapping his body in a sphere.
"Water Style: Water Prison."
Kenta approached with one hand forming the seal. "Captain, you got careless. Or maybe… you just underestimated me."
Halfway through his sentence, his expression changed—because the Kei inside the water prison dissolved into smoke.
A clone!
He quickly formed seals again, and the remnants of the earlier water technique swirled, reforming into another Water Dragon that roared toward Kei's real position.
Kei, unhurried, watched it come. Dark, ominous chakra enveloped his body, forming a skeletal frame and a massive arm.
With one punch, the Susanoo's arm shattered the Water Dragon into mist.
Kenta froze for a moment at the sight of the black skeletal structure, confusion flickering in his eyes—
But in the end, he buried the thought deep down, as if nothing had happened.
Uchiha Kei stood quietly in place, his eyes fixed on Imai Kenta not far away.
He had to admit—this kid seemed to understand the Sharingan far better than he'd expected, and more importantly, he had effective countermeasures.
First, using Earth Style to block Kei's line of sight while slipping underground.
Then, sending a shadow clone to feint while the real body lay in wait.
At the precise moment Kei struck the wrong target, Kenta launched his attack.
Finally, he took advantage of the water left behind by his Water Dragons to form a Water Prison and trap Kei.
Every step was calculated. Every move exploited one of the Sharingan's lesser-known weaknesses.
If Kei didn't have extensive combat experience—and the habit of always keeping a trump card in reserve—he might have been caught for real.
Even so, the display was enough to make him pause.
Just who was this boy?
Why did he know so much about the Sharingan?
Did his family have access to complete records about it?
Whatever the reason, Kei felt his killing intent sharpening.
Kenta's secrets were… troublesome. Dangerously so.
"Kenta," Kei's voice was cool, almost cold. "What exactly are you?
Your knowledge of the Sharingan exceeds my expectations, and you're skilled with both Water and Earth Style—used with a precision far beyond a novice. I expect a satisfying explanation."
Kenta sighed. "Truly worthy of you, Kei—your insight and command of jutsu are nothing short of awe-inspiring.
It's true, I know a fair bit about the Sharingan. That's thanks to records passed down from my ancestors.
As for who I am… I'm afraid I can't say. Kei, doesn't everyone have a few secrets these days?"
Kei stared at him in silence, but inwardly he agreed with that last statement.
Every shinobi carried secrets.
And based on what he had seen, Kei was starting to suspect Kenta's origins.
Mastery of both Water and Earth Style. Exceptional speed. Deep familiarity with the Sharingan.
This was practically a template for the Second Hokage—only with a little extra Earth Style mixed in.
And if memory served, the Second Hokage had possessed Earth Style.
So… could Imai Kenta be a Second Hokage lookalike?
Or perhaps a member of the Senju clan?
"You're right," Kei finally said. "As shinobi, who doesn't have a few secrets? I shouldn't have pressed you so hard. My apologies."
"…It's fine, Captain," Kenta replied, though his tone carried a trace of disbelief.
This bastard had nearly stripped him bare, and now he wanted to act all courteous? Really?
And what was with Kei's attitude? Was he planning to keep fighting?
Or—
"So, Kenta… have you made up your mind?" Kei asked suddenly.
"You still want to recruit me? You…" Kenta started, then trailed off, clearly exasperated.
---
[My thoughts after reading:
I keep wondering—given how useful the Byakugan would be for medical support, why weren't there more Hyuga medical-nin in the original story?
And about the Senju clan—were they truly wiped out, or simply absorbed into the civilian population by policy? (I'm leaning toward the latter.)
Lastly, having members of the three great ancient clans in the same place… well, the potential is intriguing, even if it's just my wild imagination.]