Chapter 174 – The Direction of Effort
The commotion in the tavern was getting worse and worse. As the Deputy Head of the Konoha Police Force, even if Uchiha Kei had no desire to get involved, in the end he had no choice but to step forward and put an end to it.
Kei's name was still fairly well known in the village. To many, he was considered a walking disaster—something both Imai Kenta and Hyuga Ayaka privately agreed on. But right now, he held an official title, and very few people dared to ignore an order from him, especially these drunken ninja, most of whom came from civilian backgrounds.
Once Kei appeared, the intoxicated troublemakers quickly sensed that things had taken a bad turn. They knew that if the Police Force arrived, they'd likely end up spending the night in jail to sober up, and pay a fine the next day before being let go.
Running away—especially right in front of Uchiha Kei—was unthinkable.
With that settled, the matter no longer concerned him much.
After wrapping things up, Kei and his companions lingered a little longer for small talk before going their separate ways. This casual "gathering" was in fact the trio's second openly acknowledged meeting.
This time, Kei picked up some interesting tidbits—such as information from the Land of Rain via Hyuga Ayaka.
According to intel from the Hyuga clan, there had been an ambush in the Rain Country: the newly formed northern faction under Yahiko had clashed with Hanzo's long-standing forces. Ayaka had brought it up because she'd heard whispers that Konoha ninja had been involved.
These shinobi were even more secretive than the ANBU, yet wielded greater authority than ordinary jonin.
From the details, Kei could almost immediately deduce the truth—this was likely the very event where Yahiko took his own life and Nagato went on a rampage, killing the so-called "demigod" Hanzo.
Curiously, the mysterious leader of the Konoha contingent returned alone—none of his men survived. And for the Hyuga to have noticed this meant the man's movements were significant.
Kei knew exactly who it was: Shimura Danzo.
Nagato's rampage had annihilated Danzo's squad completely, and it would take him a long time to recover from such a loss.
Interesting, Kei thought. The Fourth Hokage selection is right around the corner, and this happens? No wonder Danzo later threw his full support behind Orochimaru—could this loss of manpower have forced him into compromise?
Whether or not that guess was correct didn't matter much—any weakening of a rival's power worked to Kei's advantage, both now and in the future.
It also reminded him that it was time to deal with Uchiha Shuu. Recently, Shuu had been growing active again, especially with the elder council boosting his image. He'd even started hinting that he wanted to "fulfill his late brother's dream" by reclaiming a certain position.
But without Fugaku's approval, it would go nowhere.
Months of recovery had brought Kei back to his peak since the incident with Uchiha Yuu—a torment that had been as much a mental strain on Kei as it was on his victim. That ordeal had also triggered a surge of negative emotions in him, greatly strengthening the Yin Release aspect of his Sharingan, and allowing him to master the ability to summon Susanoo without relying on his ocular powers.
It was a shortcut he wouldn't be able to replicate—nothing could recreate that exact intensity of stimulus. Still, the experience had hardened him, and he could now face such matters with detachment.
He didn't want to go through it again… but if necessity arose, he wouldn't hesitate.
Yuu, after awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan, had lost all conscious thought, but his physical data confirmed Kei's theories—his chakra reserves and quality had skyrocketed, albeit in a way different from Kei's own.
The next step was to obtain Shuu's eyes and observe the fusion process when two Mangekyo were combined. Kei had no intention of using Yuu's eyes for himself—legends claimed that close blood relation was necessary for the Eternal Mangekyo to work.
"Best not to waste effort on something that might backfire. If it goes wrong, I'd be the one paying the price," Kei thought.
Still, removing certain elements from the clan was inevitable—and if it could serve a purpose, so much the better.
---
The next morning, after a day of rest, Kei rose early for training before heading to the Police Force HQ.
With the Hokage election heating up, troublesome incidents were becoming more frequent. Squad leaders Uchiha Tsubasa and Uchiha Chisai were fully occupied investigating Orochimaru, leaving Kei's unit to handle more responsibilities.
When he reached his office, the young ninja who'd been drunk the previous night stood before him, looking apologetic.
"Sorry, Lord Kei. I drank too much yesterday and caused trouble."
"It's fine—just be more careful next time." Kei sighed, handing him a citation form. "Sign this and pay the fine. You can leave after that."
"Yes, Lord Kei."
The young man obediently signed. Compared to some other police captains, Kei's approach was surprisingly lenient—locking him in the drunk tank overnight had been punishment enough. Paying the fine was nothing compared to the harsh penalties he might have faced otherwise.
Once that was dealt with, Kei stood up. All the tavern troublemakers had been processed. It wasn't tiring, but it had been a waste of time—time he'd rather spend improving his strength.
In recent weeks of quiet training, his abilities had grown again, though he lacked a worthy sparring partner.
Imai Kenta had avoided fighting him since their last match, claiming to be too busy with work. Kakashi, meanwhile, had entered the ANBU earlier than in the original timeline and was in his probation period, leaving him little free time.
So Kei focused on refining his techniques—adapting Chidori to work without a charging distance, and training himself to use the initial form of Susanoo while in a standard three-tomoe state.
He also scoured the Uchiha clan archives for new jutsu to learn, and began developing more elemental chakra affinities.
After all, in the Warring States era, true powerhouses all commanded multiple chakra natures and could wield overwhelming force at will.
Uchiha Kei recalled that the so-called Kekkei Mōra—a power said to surpass both Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta—was defined as a technique born from the fusion of all seven chakra nature transformations.
The sheer difficulty of merging seven nature transformations was something Kei could hardly even imagine.
As of now, he had only mastered Fire Release and Lightning Release.
Still, for the sake of the future, Kei knew he had to at least try.
"Even if I can't reach the fusion needed for a Kekkei Mōra, I should at least aim for Truth-Seeking Orbs, right?" Kei thought to himself.
Truth-Seeking Orbs held the combined power of Yin–Yang Release and the Five Elements, capable of wielding strength beyond both Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta.
However, Truth-Seeking Orbs were a jutsu, not a bloodline limit. This meant that if he could somehow master all seven chakra natures, he might be able to give it a try.
Of course, it was only a possibility. Without the chakra of Asura and Indra, Kei wasn't even sure if he could awaken the Rinnegan at all.
But to not even attempt it? That would leave him deeply unsatisfied. Humans were creatures of endless desire—when Kei first arrived in this world, his only goal was to obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Now that he had achieved it, his ambitions had already shifted toward the even greater power of the Eternal Mangekyō.
"Yin Release isn't a concern—my Kekkei Genkai already covers that. I've mastered Fire and Lightning… which leaves…" Kei stepped out into the corridor.
"Yang Release, Earth Release, Water Release, and Wind Release. Those will be the real challenge.
Still, thanks to the half-body of White Zetsu—the product of Hashirama Senju's cells—I probably already have a head start on Yang, Earth, and Water.
That leaves only Wind Release… and I'll have to push hard for that one."
Kei had already begun dabbling in Wind Release, but unfortunately, the Uchiha Clan had few, if any, true masters of the style.
If necessary, he thought, he might have to pay Namikaze Minato a visit—after all, Kei hadn't forgotten that Minato's son would one day be a formidable Wind Release user.
Just as Kei was about to leave the Department, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Lord Kei," Uchiha Kawa appeared suddenly at his side.
"Hm?" Kei turned his head. "Kawa… what is it?"
"Lord Kei, young master Itachi is outside. He wishes to speak with you."
"Uchiha Itachi?"
"Yes, my lord. And… he called you 'sensei.'"
"..."