Chapter 198: Annihilation (Part 3)
"Clan Leader."
Near the edge of the bamboo forest, inside the Uchiha clan leader's estate, Uchiha Jun pushed open the door to Uchiha Fugaku's room and lowered herself to a half-kneeling position on the floor.
Kei had been invited to the home of the Great Elder Uchiha Shin. He hadn't told anyone about it, but his bold, unhesitating stride toward the elder's residence left few in doubt about what was happening.
Fugaku had been keeping an eye on the situation the entire time, though he hadn't intervened.
He knew Kei could not fail—not because of his confidence in the boy himself, but because of the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. And since Kei hadn't confided in him, Fugaku realized the boy must have his own plan.
All Fugaku needed to do now was observe the situation and step in to clean up when Kei's task was nearly finished—or intervene if things escalated too far.
"What's the situation now?" Fugaku asked from inside the room, having little knowledge of what was happening outside.
Jun lowered her head respectfully. "Lord Kei's battle with the Great Elder and others has likely reached a critical point. He's already burned down the Great Elder's residence, and many clan shinobi seem to have realized what's happening—they're heading in that direction."
"I see," Fugaku said with a heavy sigh. It seemed he would need to prepare for a secondary action.
"Understood. Notify the Guard Division. Make sure Kei's squad is sent immediately. Issue my orders—no one is allowed to interfere."
"Lord Clan Leader, please forgive me," Jun murmured, bowing even lower.
"I've already issued those orders and dispatched the clan patrols to stop anyone from approaching."
Fugaku paused, his expression complex. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or angry. After a long moment, he shook his head. Jun had overstepped her authority slightly, but what she did was correct.
She had always acted decisively when her judgment was sound, and he had never reprimanded her for it. Even now, Fugaku felt no need for harsh reaction.
Recent conflicts had made him overly sensitive about matters of authority, and he let out a resigned sigh.
"As long as your countermeasures are ready, I trust your judgment," he said, rubbing his brow. "Prepare yourself—we're going too."
"Yes, Lord Clan Leader," Jun replied, rising to her feet, though worry lingered on her face.
"Lord Clan Leader… about Lord Kei. Do you have a new plan? Someone like him should be more thoroughly drawn into our side, or else…"
Jun trailed off, but her meaning was clear.
Today, Kei cooperated with the clan leader to eliminate the Great Elder. Tomorrow, might he act for his own interests against Fugaku?
Fugaku paused, then let out a faint laugh. Who could truly know the nature of his relationship with Kei? Whether Kei might turn against him was uncertain—but as long as their cooperation remained stable, he saw no reason to fear it.
Still curious, he asked, "Jun, what are your thoughts?"
"Lord Clan Leader, send me to his squad," Jun said confidently, as if the decision had been made long ago. "With my abilities, I can earn Lord Kei's trust. I can monitor, guide, and manage the situation—I'm confident I can do it."
"Send you over?" Fugaku's expression was a mix of surprise and uncertainty. He didn't believe Kei was the type to be influenced by others.
He sighed. "We'll discuss that later. For now, the priority is handling the situation at hand."
"I understand, Lord Clan Leader," Jun nodded. "But I hope you will seriously consider my suggestion. Lord Kei is too dangerous."
"Clang!"
The clash of steel rang sharply as Kei and the masked black-clad shinobi stepped back from one another.
Kei's gaze darkened slightly as he observed his opponent.
Having unleashed all he had learned in swordsmanship, combined with the insight granted by his Mangekyō Sharingan, Kei's skill had reached a terrifying level.
Yet, he was surprised to find that both he and the masked shinobi were in extreme peril—any small misstep could result in instant death. The fight was dangerously even.
The key point: despite remaining unscathed, Kei had poured every ounce of effort into the duel.
The masked shinobi's own perception was formidable, seemingly pushing the limits of a three-tomoe Sharingan. Without it, he couldn't have matched Kei's swordplay to this degree.
In terms of sword skill alone, Kei might have been inferior—but the Mangekyō's feedback and his own insight allowed him to draw even, proving his strength.
Still, the battle had to end.
Kei wasn't worried about other clan members intervening, nor did he intend to slaughter them all. From the start, his target was the "hardline" leaders only.
One leader's threat outweighed thousands of ordinary clan members. These leaders could order peaceful resistance without weapons; conversely, they could incite armed rebellion.
And with their unified objectives and demands, Kei knew precisely what they valued, what they could relinquish, and what they would never yield.
Such cohesion, ideology, and influence were intolerable to Kei.
Deciding he would no longer play games, he allowed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan to fully awaken, ready to end the confrontation.
Already at a disadvantage, Kei knew better than to match this opponent in pure sword skill—he was a shinobi, not a samurai.
With the masked shinobi locking onto his blade, Kei began quickly forming hand signs.
The man's eyes flickered with cold anticipation, his stance steady as a gust of wind propelled him forward.
Though the blade was held behind him, Kei remained vigilant, wary of any lapse.
By this opponent's skill, whether the blade came before or after didn't matter anymore.
Wherever he wanted his sword to be, it would be there.
His movements were fast, but not faster than Kei's hands.
Kei's speed in forming hand signs was no joke. In an instant, he had completed the sequence.
Facing the masked black-clad shinobi rushing toward him, Kei unleashed his ninjutsu—Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb.
Three blazing dragons erupted from his mouth, streaking toward the opponent from left, center, and right.
At the same time, Kei's eyes closed briefly as chakra swirled within them.
He didn't expect such a spell to harm this opponent.
Sure enough, the man lightly spun aside, avoiding one dragon, and then swung his blade, cutting another dragon in half.
A brief burst of acceleration let him dodge the final dragon entirely, bringing him right before Kei.
It was at that precise moment that Kei opened his eyes. Strange, undulating chakra radiated from his Mangekyō Sharingan.
The masked shinobi had sharp focus, and his Sharingan gave him strong resistance against genjutsu.
Yet, this was no ordinary illusion; it had been carefully prepared over time, and it was far beyond what he could casually counter.
Even more, this genjutsu was not the simple, disorienting kind—it wasn't something that could merely distract him.
Deep, infinite darkness, like black holes absorbing all light, spread outward.
As the Mangekyō Sharingan in Kei's eyes rotated subtly, the darkness extended in all directions, gradually forming a semi-circle around the black-clad shinobi.
It obscured the ground, the sky, the moonlight, the stars—everything was swallowed in absolute, impenetrable darkness.
The sudden phenomenon startled the shinobi. His Sharingan could not pierce it.
Still, he was a man who had matched Kei using only a three-tomoe Sharingan and exceptional swordsmanship.
He felt no fear at the sudden black curtain or the temporary loss of vision. Not even a flicker of instinctual hesitation.
In the moment his sight vanished, he relied on the last location he had seen Kei occupy.
Combining this with instinct and the kind of spatial awareness trained through sound, he continued his attack, pressing toward Kei.
His blade rained strikes like a violent storm, but he was still a shinobi—not a pure samurai.
Kei watched calmly and coldly as the attack unfolded.
In a rapid exchange, the two clashed three times with lightning-quick strikes.
Yet Kei had already read the opponent's attack trajectory, while the man could see nothing.