"...?"
Samui froze.
A trace of confusion flickered in her eyes.
What was Yagetsu Keiji talking about?
That he had fallen out with Kumogakure because of her?
Had she really done something like that?
"This isn't the place to talk,"
Keiji said.
With questions bubbling in her heart, Samui led Keiji upstairs to a private room in the sushi shop.
Only the two of them were in the room.
"Keiji, what do you mean by that?"
Samui asked, her voice guarded.
She had heard plenty of stories about the Uchiha clan—extremists with twisted minds, prone to irrational behavior.
Had Keiji become like them after returning to the Uchiha?
"I heard everything you said on the third floor that day."
Keiji casually dropped the bomb, his tone as light as if he were commenting on the weather.
Samui's pupils contracted.
"…What?"
She had seen with her own eyes that Keiji had walked far away, and only then had she spoken to Samodo in private.
Could his Sharingan really be that powerful with just one eye awakened?
Samui looked closely at the boy in front of her.
He was just a lucky kid who had enrolled in the Ninja Academy and awakened the Uchiha clan's bloodline.
Keiji didn't answer. Instead, he raised an eyebrow slightly and mouthed a few silent words
The very words she had said that day:
"Yagetsu Keiji probably doesn't want to return to the Cloud Village."
"So what if I said that? I was just speaking casually."
"Your casual comment really broke my heart," Keiji said calmly. "I was thinking about returning to the Cloud. But then I found out someone was doubting my loyalty behind my back. Doesn't that mean you're questioning whether the Uchiha or Kumogakure matters more to me?"
"!"
Samui's face turned visibly pale.
His logic was shaky.
Shaky enough to be called overreacting.
But no matter how exaggerated it seemed...
She had, in fact, said those words.
Even if she was sure Keiji didn't care much for Kumogakure, she still shouldn't have said them.
Some things weigh nothing when not measured—but on the scale, even a whisper can crush you.
If the higher-ups found out that she was the reason—however slim the chance—that Keiji chose not to return, she wouldn't escape unscathed.
She could take the blame if it was just her.
But she had a younger brother—Atsui—who would inevitably be affected.
He was her only family left.
"No matter what, I was born in the Land of Lightning," Keiji continued. "You were sent by Kumogakure to win me over, weren't you? Yet you didn't trust me at all. If I do return to the Cloud, people will say I'm a spy from Konoha. How could I possibly go back under those conditions?"
"I hope Samodo won't take this too personally," he added. "After all, he seemed pretty confident I'd come back."
His tone was slow and deliberate, dripping with implication.
He was playing on Samui's weakness—her family.
Whether in the manga or anime, Samui was shown to have a younger brother, Atsui.
Keiji knew how valuable his Kekkei Genkai was to Kumogakure—but not so valuable that it could override everything.
For example, the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails held by Kumogakure far outweighed even ten Keijis in sheer worth.
But compared to Samui and her brother?
Keiji was clearly the greater asset.
Silence fell between them like a curtain.
"…What do you want?"
After a few seconds passed, Samui finally spoke, biting her lower lip.
Keiji smiled for the first time.
Ah... the Cloud Village's little spy.
Easy to read, just like he thought.
"My request isn't much,"
Keiji said, his voice low and private—just for the two of them.
"Just give me another ninjutsu scroll. I want a physical-style ninjutsu, something that can train the body. D-rank is fine."
He stated his request clearly, eyes fixed on Samui.
Samui stood a head taller than him, forcing Keiji to look up.
Under the light, two shadows fell across Keiji's face.
"…D-rank?"
A hint of relief flashed in Samui's blue eyes. She crossed her arms, subtly lifting her already impressive curves.
Just a D-rank technique?
She knew that if Keiji had insisted a bit more last time, Samodo might've offered him a few extra D-rank techniques.
These techniques were for Genin-level training. They didn't cause much of a stir.
Most ninja from prominent clans received extra education and techniques from home.
Only civilian ninja relied solely on the Academy's E-rank basics.
"…Fine."
Samui agreed.
She tugged down her long gloves to reveal a white bandage around her wrist.
Beneath the bandage were several tiny sealed scrolls.
Poof.
She opened one, pulled out a pale yellow scroll, and tossed it to Keiji.
"This is a Lightning Style body-enhancement technique. It activates muscle cells. It's called 'Lightning Style: Iron Body.'"
Keiji didn't open it immediately. He tucked it away and turned his gaze back to Samui.
Her face had an exotic beauty—high nose bridge, well-defined features.
And that curvy figure… those full thighs. Just standing near her, she gave off a subtle, enchanting scent.
That body… truly something else.
Keiji's brain quietly began releasing a special kind of chakra.
For the Uchiha, awakening the Sharingan wasn't limited to pain.
More often, it came from intense mental stimulation—an emotional shock so overwhelming it made the brain tremble, releasing special chakra.
Even awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan didn't require the death of a loved one.
Take Sasuke for example. After killing Itachi, his eyes didn't immediately evolve.
It wasn't until Obito told him the truth—Itachi's true role, his burden, his sacrifice.
That truth shattered everything Sasuke believed in.
That was the trigger for his awakening.
Or Sarada: she awakened her Mangekyo when even her own father no longer believed in her.
So Keiji didn't need trauma, guilt, or grief.
He just needed emotional intensity.
And beauty—like Samui—also stirred that intensity.
Perhaps it was the way he stared at her, unabashed and lingering, that made Samui furrow her brow.
"Doesn't this show how sincere Kumogakure is about you?" she asked. "If you come back, even A-rank or S-rank techniques might be on the table."
"Thank you, Miss Samui,"
Keiji said plainly, pulling his gaze away. "Seems like the Cloud really is trying."
But he left the second half of the sentence unsaid
"Trying… just enough for today."
A D-rank scroll couldn't possibly satisfy him forever.
He had only chosen a taijutsu technique for one reason: to strengthen his body faster.
And because, for now, D-rank was the highest level he could realistically master. Anything higher would cost too much in time and effort to be worthwhile.