Chapter 199 – Refusal
"Clan Leader."
At the edge of the bamboo grove, the Uchiha patrol intercepted countless clan members rushing from all directions.
They had received the clan leader's orders: no one was allowed to enter.
Even so, the patrol members were torn. Many of them still followed the faction loyal to the Grand Elder, and they too wanted to see what was happening.
But with Fugaku's command, there was no choice—they had to obey. Fortunately, Fugaku himself had arrived.
"Hmm." Fugaku nodded to the patrol members before asking, "Has the Guard Division arrived?"
"They're on their way. Should be here soon," one of the patrol Uchiha answered.
Then, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Clan Leader, what exactly is happening inside? The Grand Elder…"
"That's none of your concern," Fugaku said coldly, his gaze unwavering.
"Focus on what you're tasked with. We'll handle the rest."
With that, Fugaku stepped into the bamboo grove, Jun quietly following behind him.
The patrol shinobi exchanged helpless glances. Anxiety churned within them—an instinctive, ominous premonition.
Sighing, they maintained order, waiting for the Guard Division to take over.
Fugaku stared at the rising plume of black smoke, shaking his head silently.
He looked up at the snowflakes drifting down, realizing that Shin had chosen a truly remarkable place.
Beautiful scenery, quiet, and a bamboo grove to keep loneliness at bay.
It must have been a comfortable place to live… and equally, a peaceful place to die.
"Clan Leader." Jun's sudden voice pulled Fugaku from his thoughts.
"What is it?" he asked, alert.
"I feel an extremely cold chakra," she said, frowning. "Terrifying… utterly unnerving."
"Cold chakra?" Fugaku frowned.
Jun's perception as a sensory-type ninja was strong, and Fugaku trusted her instincts.
Yet the aura she described—so unnerving and bone-chilling—was stronger than anything Kei had displayed. Something was different.
He quickened his pace.
Sure enough, deep within the grove, they found Kei once more.
His body radiated a dark, skeletal chakra, and an aura of cold so intense it made Jun shiver.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. There was no doubt now.
"This is… Susano'o."
"Cough, cough."
The masked shinobi was half-kneeling, his eyes vacant, trapped in endless darkness.
As a ninja willing to use any means, Kei refused to level the playing field fairly.
It was fair to him, but the masked man? There was no fairness at all. Perhaps the man had hoped for a perfect moment to strike back… but Kei wouldn't grant him the chance.
Without hesitation, Kei launched a relentless assault.
In a short time, his ninjatō pierced the man's abdomen.
The power of Arashi-kiri exploded with the strike, immediately stripping the masked ninja of his combat capability.
Maybe he still had strength, maybe he was waiting to deliver a final blow—but Kei gave no opportunity.
Approaching him, black chakra erupted around Kei, forming giant skeletal hands that gripped the half-kneeling ninja.
Under Kei's control, the masked shinobi was dragged before him. Kei then shifted his gaze to the remaining elders standing aside.
They appeared calm, but their eyes betrayed subtle truths.
Two of the four bore expressions of hopelessness, while the other two, understanding the inevitability of defeat, remained silent.
Only Uchiha Shin, the Grand Elder, still met Kei's gaze with a quiet dignity reminiscent of decades past.
Kei had no interest in that nostalgia. The skeletal hands of Susano'o gripped the masked man tightly as Kei approached the elders.
"Seems your tricks have run their course," Kei said, a mocking smile on his lips.
"But I must admit, I'm still unsatisfied. None of you have truly impressed me. A shame."
Victory gave him the right to speak so boldly. Had the losers said this, it would have sounded like mere whining.
The elders had no way of knowing Kei's true feelings, or the battle he had just fought against the masked shinobi. They could only accept his words.
Sighing, Shin looked at the young man before him and realized how old he had truly grown.
"You've won, Kei," Shin said, observing the skeletal hands gripping the struggling masked ninja.
He turned to Kei, voice heavy: "I underestimated you. All of us did. I never imagined you would wield the Mangekyō Sharingan… I never thought I'd see these eyes."
"Is this your last statement?" Kei shook his head, a trace of regret in his tone. "Then it ends here."
His ninjatō glowed a vivid blue as it was driven into the masked ninja's chest.
Only once the man's life had fully left him did Kei drop the body at Shin's feet, his demeanor icy and chilling.
Shin lowered his gaze to the fallen ninja. His chest rose slightly with shallow breaths—surprising Kei.
"Your friend?" Kei asked, curious.
"My brother," Shin replied hoarsely, tinged with sorrow.
"He was always my shadow, my protector. I never thought he'd keep his promise and leave before me."
"Your brother?" Kei nodded once.
Uchiha were famously brotherly—but enemies remained enemies. Kei felt no sympathy.
Had the outcome been reversed, Kei would have been dead on the spot, and even Shin's world would have collapsed around him.
"Regrettable," Kei muttered, shaking his head.
"I have no brother, so I cannot understand your feeling. But surely, you were prepared, weren't you? Don't make me look down on you, Grand Elder of the Uchiha."
"Shinobi don't concern themselves with honor," Shin said, staring at the body. After a long pause, he added, "We are just tools for killing. But this time… I admit it. I've lost completely. Kei, I see you won't spare us. I'm curious—why annihilate us entirely?"
"Because of your influence," Kei said, crimson eyes gleaming alongside the skeletal chakra. "Because the alliance of interests formed by you elders is dangerous.
"You can keep them quiet, they remain quiet. But if they pick up weapons? They are Uchiha...and so am I."
"Ah… Kei, you still retain some humanity," Shin said with a sudden laugh. "Yes, we are all Uchiha."
He removed his shirt, revealing a body still strong despite the years. Slowly, he walked to where the brother's sword had fallen and, glancing back, asked curiously: "One more question—are you truly Uchiha?"
Shin was one of the three elders, a leading figure of the Uchiha's pacifist faction. Kei knew of him and remembered being once invited to his home—a visit he had politely declined.
Kei shook his head decisively, making Shin somewhat reassured.
Shin picked up the fallen sword and knelt before Kei.
"With someone like me gone… how do you intend to control them?" he asked, polishing the blade without looking up.
"By borrowing their strength and using certain means. Once the clan achieves its goals, it won't perish through extremism, nor be bullied for weakness," Kei said casually. "If necessary, some of them might even come to the Pure Land for tea with you."
"I'll prepare the proper tea, then," Shin said with a faint smile.
"You truly have cunning and a ruthless heart… a pity. One last request—will you be my kaishaku?"
Kaishaku?
Kei paused, suddenly understanding why so many followed this man. His presence and dignity were extraordinary.
Yet Kei shook his head. He was a ninja, not a samurai.
"Let your clan leader help you," Kei said. "Strictly speaking, he's your true opponent anyway."
With that, Kei turned to look at Uchiha Fugaku, who was steadily approaching.
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