Chapter 152: The Road Ahead
Uchiha Kei's meeting with Uchiha Fugaku ended when Uchiha Mikoto returned home.
Still, both men walked away having gained something from the conversation. Aside from a few of Kei's more extreme suggestions being rejected, the meeting could be considered productive overall.
Kei was never someone driven by kindness. After updating Fugaku about Kakashi's current situation within the Anbu, he shifted the conversation toward Uchiha Yuu.
This time, however, Kei's proposal completely crossed a line.
He bluntly suggested using Yuu's family—even including his girlfriend—as leverage in their psychological manipulation.
That immediately enraged Fugaku, who flatly and forcefully refused.
"Kei-kun, I will not allow such disregard for the lives of our clansmen—especially not right in front of me!" Fugaku said sternly. "Do not speak of such things again. The lives of innocent people are not bargaining chips. Not under my watch."
Faced with Fugaku's unyielding stance, Kei paused for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
Internally, though, he scoffed at Fugaku's so-called righteousness.
In the future, it would be Fugaku's own son—Uchiha Itachi—who would betray and slaughter their clan, showing the greatest disregard for Uchiha lives. The bitter irony wasn't lost on Kei: a man desperate to protect the clan would raise the one who destroyed it.
And back then, Fugaku certainly wasn't so decisive.
Aside from that rejected proposal, Kei had also hoped for harsher measures to be taken against the clan elders. But Fugaku refused that as well, preferring to use his own, more restrained methods.
Kei wasn't happy about that—it would only slow things down. But neither of them wanted to sour the mood over such "minor" disagreements.
To compensate, Fugaku gave Kei some useful resources.
One was a special drug that heightened emotional sensitivity. The other was permission to covertly access condemned prisoners inside Konoha's maximum-security prison.
The emotional stimulant was a rare find. According to Fugaku, it was something left behind by the clan's forebears—its purpose fairly obvious. Unfortunately, production had been halted long ago after an "unsavory" experiment was shut down. Supplies were dangerously low, and the formula had likely died with its original creator.
Kei found that regrettable, but wasn't particularly bothered. After all, he already had the eyes he wanted. What happened to others was of little concern.
Sure, he wanted his subordinates to grow stronger—but he also had to watch for signs of rebellion. Better to limit their power.
"Three tomoe is more than enough," Kei muttered to himself.
The access to condemned prisoners was perhaps the biggest concession Fugaku made. These days, the political atmosphere was incredibly tense. Konoha Prison—known to some as a "gold mine" for experimental subjects—was under heavy scrutiny. Any suspicious activity could set off alarm bells among both leadership and public opinion.
While no one cared about the fate of death row inmates, experimenting on them was still a sensitive issue.
It showed Kei just how much Fugaku was willing to risk, and Kei respected that. So, he didn't press further or mock Fugaku's "double standards."
As a ninja, there were countless ways to alter one's appearance—Transformation Jutsu, surgical alteration, or even enforced disguise. With access to these inmates, Kei had everything he needed to move forward.
It was a hassle, yes—but far better than having nothing. To properly use these "props," he would need to keep Yuu in a delirious or unstable mental state.
"All in all, I've gotten quite a bit out of this," Kei thought. "At least for now, this is enough."
He was greedy, but he wasn't foolish.
Fugaku, in turn, extracted a promise from Kei—that he wouldn't lay a hand on the clan elders without approval.
Truthfully, Kei never intended to personally deal with the elders anyway. He just didn't want Fugaku clinging to fantasies that would waste their time.
Kei had much more important things to do. His schedule was already ridiculous.
First, there was the overhaul of the Uchiha Police Force, specifically his own unit. He needed to root out anyone he didn't trust, and bring in people he did.
That alone was a nightmare. Even now, he hadn't convinced someone like Imai Kenta to join him—let alone the others.
---
But Kei did have some potential candidates in mind.
They weren't perfect, but they might get the job done: Fukuhiko Kouta and Uchiha Kawa.
"Fukuhiko Kouta is Fukuhiko Kōhei's younger brother. His abilities are still unknown, but as a civilian-born ninja, he understands law enforcement better. Could be useful for public relations too."
As he walked toward the Police HQ, Kei continued mulling it over.
"The other is Uchiha Asahi's son, Uchiha Kawa. He's a Chūnin—hasn't awakened the Sharingan—but he's seen real battle. His fundamentals shouldn't be bad."
Ranks like Genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin were just titles.
They didn't always reflect true ability.
Kei had killed Jōnin while still technically a Chūnin—and he'd been ambushed by Genin more than once.
In the end, what mattered was real ability and obedience.
Veterans who'd seen war were reliable—and more importantly, they followed orders.
People like Kei, Imai Kenta, and Hyūga Ayaka were rare exceptions.
If most ninjas were like them, the last war would've ended with Konoha's surrender.
The truth? The Uchiha clan had a lot of nobodies—fringe members with little political sway.
The elites were always just a handful.
Kei was already considering roping in these overlooked veterans.
As long as they hadn't awakened their Sharingan or aligned politically, they could join his team.
No Sharingan? No problem. Kei had other methods.
He was even thinking of experimenting on them to boost their loyalty.
"If it works, their loyalty will skyrocket. If it doesn't—well, I'll just blame it on 'lack of talent.'"
He quickly justified it to himself.
Still, Kei remained wary of turncoats.
Itachi's betrayal had left a deep impression.
The Uchiha loved fiercely—and hated just as much.
When they snapped, it was catastrophic.
They might regret it afterward, but regret didn't undo bloodshed.
To Kei, regret was worthless.
"Better to erase the threat before they make a mistake."
---
Aside from reorganizing the Police Force, Kei had two other big objectives:
1. Drive Uchiha Yuu insane.
2. Capture Uchiha Shuu.
These didn't have to happen at the same time—but they were deeply connected.
Would Kei's plan to push Yuu over the edge even work?
If not, he'd have to shift tactics and move on Shuu.
The bond between the two brothers was... complicated.
The younger fiercely protected the elder—but the feeling didn't seem mutual.
"Looks like I'll need a deep dive into Uchiha Shuu's background," Kei muttered.
"I don't want to awaken someone's Mangekyō Sharingan, only to have the other ruin everything. That'd be a total waste."
Shuu was a schemer—unlike his brother, he rarely showed emotion.
To manipulate him, Kei needed to know:
Who he loved most.
Who he hated.
Who he was indifferent toward.
If Shuu knew about the Mangekyō, he might've already deliberately cultivated bonds as decoys...
Or maybe he was hiding his true attachments, knowing enemies would target them.
Either way, Kei would need to be extremely cautious with him.
This wasn't going to be easy.
"Worst case, maybe Shuu's just like me—only loyal to himself."
---
On top of all that, Kei had personal matters to handle.
Two major ones:
White Zetsu cell transplant
Mastering Susanoo
He already had a rough plan for the transplant, but he needed to wait at least a year—
until either Orochimaru defected from the village,
or Kei successfully trained a medic-nin to help him assess the risks.
None of this could be rushed. Time was essential.
"Looks like I'll need to accelerate my research on Yin Release and Susanoo..." Kei sighed.
"I'll also need to either find or train skilled medical support. Well, at least I've got a bit of breathing room."
He shook his head. The workload was overwhelming.
But did he regret it? Not at all.
He'd chosen this path.
He would walk it to the very end.
He understood the Sharingan's evolution—
and he believed, step by step, it would lead him to greatness.