Chapter 145– Madara's Diary?!
Kakashi had suffered a deep psychological blow, one that Uchiha Kei couldn't help him with. It was something Kakashi would have to overcome on his own.
Minato Namikaze clearly understood this as well. There are some things a person simply has to face alone.
So he didn't ask Kei to intervene. Instead, he planned to sit down with Kakashi for a proper talk when the time was right.
Kei, for his part, was happy to stay out of it. With only one day left before they returned to Konoha, he had no intention of doing anything more today.
He wanted to take it easy, maybe spend some time looking at that book he'd swiped from Uchiha Madara's base.
After the raid on Madara's hideout, Kei couldn't help but feel a little guilty—worried that the fire he'd set might've pushed Obito over the edge.
Because of that, he'd been extra cautious on the journey back, not even daring to examine the loot he'd taken from the place.
But now that he was back at camp, he could finally relax a bit. Besides, he'd already thought it through.
Even if he had burned down Madara's base, as long as the Ten-Tails' husk remained intact, it didn't really matter if a few White Zetsu were lost.
They were a regenerating resource, after all. It wasn't something Obito would come after him for.
"Still, I really did screw Obito over," Kei thought to himself as he headed for his tent. "I wonder how much gear and weaponry got left behind."
He felt a twinge of envy for Obito—not for being manipulated like a fool by Madara, but for the benefits he received from the old Uchiha.
Who was Madara, after all?
Not only the most powerful Uchiha in history.
His knowledge and mastery of the Sharingan, as well as the evolutionary path of the Uchiha, were second to none.
Though he was long dead, with Black Zetsu as his mouthpiece and tutor, Obito's growth had been obvious.
In the future, Obito would become a hidden manipulator—pulling the strings behind nearly every major event in the shinobi world.
Kei might have been jealous, but he would never consider joining Madara.
Even if he'd once entertained the idea in theory, there was no way he'd agree to having a bomb planted in his chest, for starters.
"Besides, it's not like I don't understand the evolution path of the Sharingan myself," he muttered. "With time, I'll figure it out."
Still, one thing nagged at him—Indra's chakra. That seemed to be the key to unlocking the Rinnegan.
That thought made Kei pause for a moment, before he let out a quiet laugh.
"What am I even worrying about?"
He had the Mangekyō Sharingan already—but how many times had he even used it?
He hadn't even awakened the Eternal Mangekyō yet, and here he was already thinking about the Rinnegan?
He realized he might have been getting a little ahead of himself.
Yes, he'd taken down Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi, and forced Obito to flee—but in the grand scheme of things, that wasn't much.
Kitsuchi hadn't inherited his father's Kekkei Tōta, and Obito had just awakened his Mangekyō and wasn't proficient with it yet—not to mention his weak foundation.
"Beating the two of them isn't really something to brag about…"
Taking a deep breath, Kei shook off his thoughts. He gave a polite nod to the surrounding Konoha shinobi and stepped into his tent.
On the front lines, accommodations were usually tents or mountain caves. Some ninja used Earth Release to make crude shelters, but Kei's squad hadn't had the time—or interest—for that.
Simple and efficient was best.
As Kei entered, he saw Hyūga Ayaka and Imai Kenta already sitting inside. They were part of the same squad and naturally shared a tent. It was large, divided into smaller sections—compact but fully functional.
Only during this phase of the mission could they enjoy such a setup. Kei still remembered how he'd collapsed inside a cold, dark cave after blowing up the bridge during that earlier mission.
"You two aren't resting?" he asked, glancing at them while heading toward his private section. "Oh, right… I was the only one busy yesterday. I assume you cleaned up the Mist ninja corpses?"
Although their true allegiances were no longer a complete secret, the way they interacted remained unchanged. Their relationship hadn't developed to a point where things were any different.
Unless there were outsiders around, the three of them instinctively kept up the facade of a trusting team.
But among themselves—knowing each other as they did—there was no need for extra talk.
Kei's attitude didn't seem to offend either of them. In fact, it felt like the most natural dynamic.
"We cleaned them up," Hyūga Ayaka replied, her tone as emotionless as ever. "The captain gave the order—how could we disobey?"
"Good. I figured nothing went wrong," Kei said as he stopped at the entrance of his private room. "Otherwise, if those two had come back looking for you, things wouldn't have ended well."
And he wasn't wrong. Ao's strength, for one, was no joke.
Kakashi was suffering from deep psychological trauma—something Uchiha Kei couldn't help with. It was a wound Kakashi needed to heal on his own.
Minato Namikaze clearly understood that too. Some burdens can only be overcome through personal strength.
That's why he didn't ask Kei to do anything further. Instead, he planned to find time to talk to Kakashi himself.
Kei, on the other hand, was more than happy to take it easy. After all, they'd be returning to Konoha in just one more day. He had no intention of doing anything today—just rest, and maybe take a good look at the book he'd snatched from Uchiha Madara's old base.
Ever since attacking Madara's hideout, Kei had been feeling a bit uneasy, as if he'd stirred a hornet's nest. He genuinely worried that the fire he'd started might have set Obito off completely.
So on the journey back, he had been careful not to touch anything he took from that place.
But now that they were safely back at camp, Kei finally allowed himself to relax a little. Besides, he had reasoned it out already: as long as the Ten-Tails' husk remained intact, it didn't matter if he'd burned part of the White Zetsu reserves.
That biomass could regenerate—it was a renewable resource. Obito wouldn't come after him over something that minor.
"Still, I did screw him over pretty badly. I wonder how much gear and equipment survived that blaze…"
As Kei strolled toward his tent, he thought silently to himself.
"Honestly, I envy that guy a bit. Sure, Obito was played like a puppet by Madara, but he still gained a lot from it."
After all, who was Madara Uchiha?
He was the strongest member of the Uchiha Clan in its history—a master of the Sharingan and a pioneer in the path of its evolution. Even though he was technically dead, with Black Zetsu guiding Obito, the results spoke for themselves.
In the future, Obito would operate entirely from the shadows, pulling the strings behind the entire shinobi world.
Kei's envy, however, didn't mean he'd ever consider siding with Madara. Even putting aside his earlier thoughts and hypothetical scenarios—just the fact that Madara installed a bomb in Obito's heart was a dealbreaker.
"Besides, it's not like I don't know how the Sharingan evolves. There's always a path forward if I take my time."
Kei shook his head.
"The only real issue is Indra's chakra… It seems to be the key to unlocking the Rinnegan?"
At that thought, Kei suddenly froze, then let out a helpless chuckle.
"What the hell am I even worrying about?"
Sure, he had the Mangekyō now, but he'd barely used it more than a few times. And here he was, already thinking about the Rinnegan when he hadn't even awakened the Eternal Mangekyō yet.
"Getting ahead of myself…"
Even if he had taken down Kitsuchi and forced Obito to retreat, Kei knew very well—he still wasn't strong enough to face the true challenges that lay ahead.
Kitsuchi hadn't inherited his father's Kekkei Tōta, and Obito had only just awakened his Mangekyō. His control was shaky, and his fundamentals were lacking.
Defeating them wasn't exactly a monumental accomplishment.
Taking a deep breath, Kei pushed away all those chaotic thoughts. He politely nodded to the surrounding Konoha ninja and slipped into his tent.
On the frontlines, ninja mostly lived in tents or caves. Some would use Earth Release to build makeshift shelters, but Kei's team didn't have that kind of leisure. Simplicity was key.
Inside, Kei found Hyūga Ayaka and Imai Kenta sitting there. Since they were part of the same team, they shared a large tent that had smaller partitioned sections.
It wasn't luxurious, but it had everything they needed. That said, this setup was only available because the situation had temporarily stabilized. Kei still remembered how he had to sleep in a cave after blowing up the bridge last time.
"You guys aren't resting?" Kei asked as he passed them, heading toward his section. "Ah, right, I was the only one busy last night. You two cleaned up all the Mist ninja corpses, right?"
Despite recent events, their interactions hadn't changed much. Their relationship wasn't exactly friendly enough for casual bonding. Unless outsiders were around, the three of them wouldn't go out of their way to pretend to be close teammates.
This attitude didn't bother either Ayaka or Kenta—in fact, it felt like the most natural thing.
"We cleaned them up," Ayaka replied calmly, her expression as unreadable as ever. "The captain gave the order. Like we had a choice."
"Good," Kei nodded. "I figured nothing went wrong. If those two had come back looking for you, things would've gone badly."
He wasn't wrong. Ao was no joke.
Especially with his Byakugan, which was a hard counter to someone like Imai Kenta. And as for Terumi Mei—she possessed two Kekkei Genkai. Those two together were a formidable force.
The former had seen through Danzo's schemes, and the latter would one day beat Mangekyō-wielding Uchiha Sasuke into the ground.
With nothing else to worry about, Kei turned to head back into his room.
"Captain, how did the negotiations go?" Kenta suddenly asked. "Minato-senpai said you provided intel that forced the Iwa-nin negotiators to give in. That wasn't some classified mission, was it?"
"Not at all," Kei paused, casting a slightly amused glance at Kenta. "Curious, are you?"
Kei had always suspected that Imai Kenta was hiding something interesting.
Unfortunately, aside from knowing that Kenta was highly intelligent and capable, there wasn't much else to go on.
Still, the way Kenta was so eager to know more piqued Kei's interest. For a commoner ninja, he cared far too much about things he supposedly didn't need to know. That raised questions.
Maybe he was just curious. Or maybe… there were "other people" behind him.
But Kei was certain about one thing: Kenta wasn't part of the Elders' faction or someone from Root.
Now that the Uchiha Clan had gained some political clout—and especially since Kei had already decided how to deal with Hyūga Ayaka—he had quietly used some of his influence to investigate his teammates.
Though he hadn't uncovered much, he knew one thing for sure: Kenta was not one of Danzō's people.
After all, they wouldn't have stuck someone of his caliber on a disposable team like this.
"Just curiosity," Kenta said with a sheepish grin, scratching his head. "We're all Konoha ninja. A ceasefire benefits everyone, right?"
"Is that so?" Kei tilted his head. "Ayaka-san, do you agree?"
"Boring." Ayaka stood and walked toward her own room. But instead of entering, she turned and watched Kei closely.
It was clear—she was curious too.
What kind of intel had Kei uncovered? And when had he even found the time to gather it?
Ayaka had become increasingly curious about him. He was cold, ruthless, and cunning—but in her most desperate moment, he had spared her life.
He was powerful, intelligent… and increasingly inscrutable.
If not for an unexpected twist—and Kei's urgency to chase after Kakashi—she likely would've been killed by Ao or Kei himself.
"It's actually pretty simple," Kei said, noting her gaze but unfazed. "When we were fleeing from Kitsuchi, I got singled out."
"Seems like you were lucky, Captain," Ayaka looked him over. "Doesn't seem like his pursuit troubled you much."
"It didn't," Kei admitted freely. "In fact, during our encounter… he just stood there, watching me kill every single one of his subordinates."
"He… watched you kill them all?"
Ayaka and Kenta were stunned.
Ayaka quickly pieced it together.
"He wanted Konoha to help eliminate those who opposed the peace talks… Kitsuchi led the unit himself. As the Tsuchikage's son, he must've had inside information—Iwa was planning to negotiate!"
"Damn… how didn't I realize it? And how did you survive Kitsuchi's assault?"
Smart woman.
Kei had always sensed that Ayaka was sharp. So it wasn't surprising that, with just a hint, she figured out the whole situation.
What was unfortunate, though, was her status as a "caged bird" of the Hyūga clan. That fate wasn't so easily overturned.
Even Neji couldn't escape it in the original timeline.
As for how Kei survived Kitsuchi's wrath?
He didn't answer. Instead, he gave Ayaka and Kenta a mysterious smile, then stepped into his room and pulled the curtain closed.
Though the night had been long and full of fighting, Kei wasn't tired. What he wanted now—was to finally read the book left behind by Uchiha Madara.
But the moment he opened the timeworn pages and read the first line, his expression turned grim.
"What the hell is this? Madara's… diary?!"