Chapter 134: "The Smart Ones"
Sometimes, coincidences are just maddening.
Uchiha Kei had moved in for the kill—only for the other side to coincidentally make the same move.
As a result, his actions ended up looking like he was… saving someone.
What a joke.
Faced with such a ridiculous outcome, all Kei could do was silently sigh and think:
"I guess Hyūga Ayaka's not meant to die just yet."
Glancing at her—still tense and clearly confused—Kei found his urge to act had completely faded.
"Why did you save me?" Ayaka's voice was as cold as ever. "Wouldn't it be more convenient for you if I just died?"
"If you want to die so badly," Kei said flatly, "why don't you slit your own throat with a kunai or jump off a cliff?"
He didn't even bother hiding his irritation.
It wasn't that he wanted to save her, but he also didn't know how to explain the bizarre chain of events.
The mist was finally beginning to clear, and with Ao and Terumi Mei gone from sight, Kei let out a breath of relief.
He turned to Ayaka, feeling a flicker of anger, but decided not to waste his words.
After a moment's pause, he simply asked, "Is Kakashi to the north?"
"Activating now."
Ayaka didn't say anything else. She immediately activated her Byakugan and turned her gaze in the direction Kei had indicated.
A few seconds later, she spoke up. "Yes. He seems to be tracking something. But he's pretty far… I can't see that far with my current range."
The Byakugan's range, much like the Sharingan's insight, increased with training and chakra control. The difference was that the Sharingan grew stronger with emotional stimuli and chakra surges, while the Byakugan relied more on mastery and chakra synergy.
Kei nodded.
He sheathed his sword and began walking toward the direction Kakashi had gone.
Ayaka was momentarily stunned—she hadn't expected Kei to simply let her go without using this moment to strike.
That both relieved her and confused her even more.
"Honestly, if I really wanted to kill you, it wouldn't take much effort," Kei said without turning back. "In fact, I've had plenty of chances and methods. Why would I go through the trouble of letting someone else do it?
It might be 'clean,' but it's boring.
So don't bore me either. If you're really so eager to die, go do it yourself. Who knows, I might even lay a flower for you at the Hero Memorial Stone."
"You're joking, Kei-kun," Ayaka replied, her words formal, but her tone still ice-cold.
"Besides, someone like me—a caged bird without freedom—could never attract your attention. I was being foolish to even imagine it."
"No, you weren't."
Kei suddenly stopped and turned around. His crimson Sharingan locked eyes with hers.
"I do want to kill you.
Because you are a caged bird—one who knows too much, who has ambition, and who is clever enough to use it.
You're dangerous."
"To me, you're a ticking time bomb.
If someone offered you the right deal, you'd blow me to pieces without hesitation."
Since everything was already out in the open, Kei didn't bother sugarcoating anything.
He was pretty sure Ayaka had already figured it out herself anyway.
So why pretend?
There was no guilt in his voice—only a cold acknowledgment of reality.
And in his mind, everyone was living out their own little tragedies. Ayaka was no exception.
Some people are just bigger disasters than others.
"I knew it," Ayaka murmured with a bitter smile. "So my instincts were right. Kei-kun did have ill will toward me."
"But for someone like me to be remembered by an eagle soaring so high in the sky... that's still an honor, isn't it?"
"Honor?" Kei narrowed his eyes. "You mean, you'd rather kill me yourself?"
Uchiha Kei laughed without the slightest restraint.
"Don't forget—we're the same kind of people. I can guess what you're thinking just as easily as you can guess mine.
Take care of yourself, Ayaka. I hope I never get the chance to come after you. But for your own good… you'd better stay cautious.
After all, you're basically a walking explosive tag."
"Thank you for the lesson, Kei-kun."
Hyūga Ayaka gave him a slight bow.
But as she straightened up, her tone shifted completely.
"Captain, what are my current orders?"
"Find Imai Kenta," Kei replied with a satisfied nod. Then, casting a casual glance to the side, he added,
"You all clean up the corpses here. After that, regroup and back me up."
With that, he vanished in a flicker, leaving only the faint ripple of chakra behind.
Ayaka stood silently, watching the direction he disappeared into for a long moment before finally letting out a soft sigh.
How enviable... a bird that can fly free.
Especially for someone like her—trapped in a gilded cage, burdened with secrets, and stripped of freedom.
Her dream had always been to be a bird that could soar through the skies.
Shaking her head, she turned toward the scattered corpses of the enemy ninja. But when she came to one particular Mist-nin body, she abruptly stopped.
"How much longer are you planning to hide, Kenta-kun?" Ayaka's voice was as icy as ever.
"You've been eavesdropping on far too much you had no right to hear. Don't you think that's overstepping?"
From the shadow nearby, Imai Kenta stepped out, dragging a corpse in his hand.
He dropped it unceremoniously to the ground and gave her a harmless, almost goofy smile.
"Didn't you also stay back out of fear that Kei-kun might make a move?"
His tone was light, but his words carried meaning.
"Not like I wanted to hear any of that… but for the sake of team unity, you know?"
"Oh please." Ayaka scoffed. "You say that with a straight face? Don't you feel even a little ashamed?"
"I saw you," she added coldly. "The moment Kei moved, you were ready to act.
If he had attacked me, you would've been next."
"Was I?" Kenta replied, still wearing that same harmless smile.
"You must've imagined it, Ayaka-kun. Our captain is not someone who acts unreasonably.
And as for what you two talked about… I didn't hear a thing."
Ayaka stared at him in silence.
Then, just as quickly, she lost interest.
Kenta was smart. He clearly understood everything that had happened.
And that's exactly what made him so dangerous.
He had the cunning to see through everything… and the wisdom to never say it out loud.
He always stayed hidden, in the shadows, in the safest, most forgettable corner of any battlefield.
He was the kind of person who understood just how deadly visibility could be.
And deep down, Kenta knew one thing very clearly—if Kei had attacked Ayaka, he would've been the very next target.
Birds cherish their feathers.
And the higher one soars, the more they protect them.
Kei might not hold an official high rank, but with his growing reputation as a "war hero", along with the complicated ties between his clan and the village, he could no longer afford even the smallest misstep.
Kenta, of all people, understood this best.
With that thought lingering in his mind, he lowered his head and quietly began inspecting the fallen Mist-nin bodies.
No one knew what had been running through his mind just moments
before.
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