Chapter 395 – Orochimaru's Intelligence (Part Two)
"So… Orochimaru-sama. I didn't expect you to still be lurking within the borders of the Land of Fire."
Several kilometers away from the cabin under Guard Division surveillance, Kei stared calmly at the man before him in the depths of the forest.
Aside from his unnaturally pale skin, the man looked like nothing more than an ordinary shinobi.
Yet his presence told a different story.
After crossing paths with Orochimaru so many times, Kei recognized him almost instantly.
"Head Kei not heading to the front lines—that truly surprised me," Orochimaru said with a hoarse chuckle, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"But on second thought… commanding Konoha's largest and most combat-capable force means you must keep the village itself stable."
"More or less," Kei replied indifferently.
"Whether I go or not doesn't really matter. Uchiha Fugaku alone is more than enough."
"After all," he added evenly, "he possesses eyes identical to mine—perhaps even more advanced."
More advanced… Mangekyō Sharingan?
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed ever so slightly.
That was… intriguing.
In his eyes, the Mangekyō Sharingan already represented an almost absurd level of power—something so extreme it bordered on obsession.
And yet, despite his fascination, he had never dared to act against the Uchiha clan.
The primary reason?
Uchiha Kei.
Leaving aside whether he could even win—which was already doubtful—Orochimaru had never been able to fully gauge Kei's true strength.
Even after witnessing the devastation Kei wrought in Kirigakure, Orochimaru remained cautious.
A shinobi who failed to leave room for the unknown was already half-dead.
And Kei… was full of unknowns.
Still, cooperating with him was mutually beneficial.
Orochimaru had no intention of disrupting this delicate equilibrium.
Yes, at times it felt like he was the one being exploited—but wasn't he exploiting Kei in return?
They were using each other.
The difference was that Kei understood people far too well.
He always knew exactly what he wanted.
In that sense, they were evenly matched.
"Enough preamble, Orochimaru-sama," Kei said coolly.
"What brings you to me this time?"
"Have you finally uncovered the traces I mentioned before—those ancient remnants left by the Hyūga ancestors centuries ago?"
"No. Not yet," Orochimaru shook his head.
"With the conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure escalating, even the Land of Fire feels… unsettled. Too many shinobi, too much movement. Even I must tread carefully."
"Careful?" Kei tilted his head slightly.
"You're disguised like this just to avoid inconvenience, aren't you?"
He clearly didn't buy Orochimaru's excuse.
Back during the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru had waltzed into Konoha disguised as an Oto jōnin with little more than a wardrobe change.
Fear had never been one of his defining traits.
This disguise was simply about avoiding trouble—especially with Jiraiya having chased him relentlessly for nearly two years.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru admitted lightly, then smiled.
"Head Kei… are you waiting here for Kumogakure's infiltration unit?"
Kei's expression shifted subtly—then a playful glint appeared in his eyes.
"Orochimaru-sama's intelligence network really is impressive," he said calmly.
"Even if part of that was deduction, you didn't come all this way on guesswork alone. So—what did you discover?"
"You're right. I wouldn't trouble myself over speculation alone."
Orochimaru slowly flicked his tongue, an eerie habit he never bothered to hide.
"While attempting to fulfill your request, I happened to notice a group of shinobi moving toward Konoha. Based on their composition—and a few familiar faces—they are undoubtedly Kumogakure."
"Familiar faces?" Kei nodded slightly.
That made sense.
Orochimaru had once been deeply involved in operations against Kumogakure. Even after command was handed to Jiraiya—leading to Minato's legendary battle against the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails—Orochimaru would naturally recognize some Cloud shinobi.
What Kei truly wanted to know was:
How many had been dispatched?
Who exactly were they?
And where were they now?
But he didn't ask.
He knew Orochimaru too well.
This man never gave away information without extracting value in return.
"Then let's be straightforward," Kei said indifferently, as if it barely mattered.
"What are your terms, Orochimaru-sama?"
"That depends," Orochimaru replied softly.
"This is a big fish, Head."
He didn't care in the slightest about Kei's detached demeanor.
"I'm willing to hand over everything I know—but under one condition."
"You know I don't like games," Kei replied, nodding slightly.
"State your condition. I'll consider it."
"Is that so?" Orochimaru glanced at him oddly.
"You… dislike beating around the bush?"
Still, he didn't dwell on it.
His expression grew noticeably more serious.
"I want to know this," he said slowly.
"What is the limit of the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Or rather…"
"What is your limit, Head Kei?"
Limit?
The limit of power?
Kei tilted his head slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement as it met Orochimaru's.
Since Kei had prematurely unlocked certain paths for him, Orochimaru's curiosity toward the Sharingan—no, toward the Mangekyō—had only intensified.
Unfortunately for him, possessing two Sharingan meant nothing on its own.
Even if Orochimaru exhausted every method available to him, the best he could likely achieve was the three-tomoe state.
The Mangekyō was different.
It demanded extreme emotional trauma, crystallized into Yin Release.
And that… was not something one could simply manufacture.
In plain terms, it required stimulation so extreme it could drive a person to the brink of insanity—whether through overwhelming fear or absolute despair.
Kei had personally forced two individuals to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. He himself had experienced something similar.
Those two Sharingan no longer had original hosts, which all but ruled out the possibility of further evolution.
Even transplanting them into another body would almost certainly fail—even if the recipient were an Uchiha. The odds were vanishingly small.
That said, nothing in this world was ever truly absolute.
After all, in the future there would appear an anomaly like Uchiha Shin, whose body possessed such an abnormal constitution that it rejected nothing—no matter what was transplanted into him.
As for how that lunatic awakened the Mangekyō…
Kei was actually a little curious.
But for now, that child probably hadn't even been discovered yet.
Kei didn't know how far Orochimaru's Sharingan research had progressed.
Perhaps he had already reached the three-tomoe stage and begun coveting the Mangekyō.
Or perhaps this was nothing more than pure curiosity—wondering just how far the Mangekyō could go.
Either way, the request Orochimaru made wasn't particularly difficult for Kei.
If leaving this man with a deep, unforgettable impression could remind him exactly where he stood—and discourage any dangerous ideas—then all the better.
Kei smiled faintly, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
"Are you sure," he asked softly, "that you want to see my limit?"
"Head Kei jokes," Orochimaru replied, his expression turning solemn.
Yet even beneath his disguise, madness flickered uncontrollably within his eyes.
"But there is one thing I truly mean," he continued.
"I genuinely want to know how far the Mangekyō can go—whether it is truly as terrifying as the legends claim."
"As terrifying as the legends?" Kei interrupted calmly.
His eyes closed.
When he opened them again, an eerie Mangekyō pattern bloomed—with a faint overlapping afterimage beneath it.
"If that's the case," Kei said coldly,
"then I wouldn't dare disappoint you, Orochimaru-sama."
A chill ran down Orochimaru's spine.
"Do you know," Kei continued, "about the canyon near Konoha's border—where the terrain itself was permanently altered, and where the aftermath of a single battle still hasn't fully recovered?"
"I've heard rumors," Orochimaru nodded slowly, watching as pitch-black chakra began to rise from Kei's body.
"Could it be… that place has something to do with you?"
"Yes," Kei replied quietly. "You could say that."
The black chakra thickened, shaping itself into the outline of a giant.
Kei's body slowly lifted from the ground.
Orochimaru watched in silence, cold sweat forming on his brow—yet the obsession in his eyes only burned brighter.
Moments later, a colossal black giant over a hundred meters tall loomed before him.
Its oppressive, deathly aura pressed down relentlessly.
For the first time in a very long while, Orochimaru felt as though the god of death itself was beckoning.
"To be precise," Kei said calmly,
"that was the result of a battle between Uchiha Fugaku and myself."
His voice was level—but to Orochimaru, it pierced straight into the marrow.
"This is the power I wield.
This is the power of the Mangekyō."
"Curiosity is fine. Ambition is fine," Kei continued evenly.
"But you should remember one thing, Orochimaru-sama."
"Before these eyes—you have no secrets."
---
Elsewhere
"What exactly were you doing just now?"
On a narrow path leading toward the Valley of the End, Hyūga Ayaka frowned at Kei.
Earlier, Kei had abruptly fallen silent mid-sentence, then silently sent off a shadow clone.
Ayaka had been confused—but her first instinct had been to think about how to cover for him.
Yet what Kei did afterward exceeded even her expectations.
Forget sensory specialists—even ordinary shinobi could clearly feel that bone-chilling surge of chakra.
Some dismissed it as imagination—it came and went too quickly.
Others, however, felt deeply unsettled.
That aura had been far too dense… far too terrifying.
At least Kei had the sense to move far away.
The distance was well beyond Byakugan range, and no sensor-type shinobi had accompanied him.
Ayaka wasn't worried about exposure.
She was simply curious.
Kei had returned and immediately ordered the team to move—clearly after meeting someone, perhaps even approaching the brink of combat.
Yet there had been no fight.
Which meant he'd likely obtained critical intelligence.
"I met Orochimaru," Kei said quietly after glancing at the surrounding squad.
"He wanted to see my limits—and in exchange, he gave me information."
"Your limits?" Ayaka frowned.
"You already gave him Sharingan. Are you saying—"
"Relax," Kei waved it off.
"He can't do it. At least, not yet."
"If it were that easy," he continued,
"why do you think so few Uchiha—throughout all generations—ever awakened the Mangekyō? Even fewer reached the Eternal state."
"The difficulty is beyond imagination."
"I see…" Ayaka thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Still, be careful. Orochimaru is never someone you can trust."
Kei nodded, then paused—slightly surprised.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Was that concern?
It wasn't the first time.
He chose not to comment.
Some things were better left unspoken.
Once said aloud, they changed.
And Kei wasn't ready for that.
For now, silence felt right.
Time would answer everything.
Besides, there were more pressing matters—namely, eliminating the group planning to wreak havoc inside Konoha.
Though deep down, one regret lingered:
Why couldn't Ayaka maintain Sage Mode for longer?
---
Meanwhile…
"Captain, we're approaching the Valley of the End."
A Kumogakure shinobi pointed toward the waterfall ahead.
Bathed in the sunset, the towering statues stood solemn and magnificent—Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the men said to have ended the Warring States era.
Their relationship had always been contradictory—friends, enemies, brothers in arms, rivals.
Though their statues formed the Seal of Reconciliation, had they ever truly reconciled?
Dodai shook his head, uninterested in dead legends.
Great or not, they were long gone.
What followed them, however, was an era even bloodier—larger wars, greater casualties.
In the past, battles were fought by clans.
Now, wars were waged by nations.
Disciplined, powerful shinobi had become machines of destruction.
"Move out," Dodai ordered calmly.
"We've reached our objective. Once we cross the canyon, we rest for the night. Tomorrow, we enter Konoha."
"Yes, Captain!"
The squad tightened formation around him.
At first, they hadn't liked Dodai.
He had scrapped their original route and forced a detour.
But along the way, his value became clear.
They bypassed checkpoints, avoided detection, and navigated flawlessly.
The area ahead lacked proper wartime defenses—clearly abnormal.
Which meant Konoha's attention was focused elsewhere.
Trust grew.
Hope grew.
Then—
As they descended from the statues and moved forward, they saw someone standing ahead.
A lone man, back turned to them.
Short black hair.
Black combat uniform dusted with snow.
And on his back—
A red-and-white Uchiha fan.
Every Kumogakure shinobi froze.
Dodai remained calm, signaling them to prepare for battle as he stepped forward, wearing a friendly smile.
"Sir," he said politely,
"I am Sanzō Taiyuan, from the Land of Hot Water, traveling to Konoha."
The man slowly turned.
Dodai's heart clenched.
Young. Sixteen or seventeen at most. Pale. Handsome.
And utterly unmistakable.
Uchiha Kei—Head of Konoha's Police Force.
"Is that so?" Kei said gently, like greeting an old friend.
"From the Land of Hot Water… Sanzō Taiyuan?"
"Then tell me—why do I feel like 'Dodai' suits you better?"
Damn it…
Dodai's heart pounded—but his face showed only confusion.
"Dodai? The Kumogakure official?" he asked carefully.
"Sir, I think there's been a misunderstanding—"
"A misunderstanding?" Kei laughed softly, cutting him off.
"Perhaps."
"But you've been fascinating to watch."
"Not trusting a sleeper agent embedded for twenty years. Detouring instead of making contact."
"Careful. Very careful."
He stepped forward slightly.
"But didn't you underestimate something?"
"Our intelligence network."
"And Konoha's reach."
---
(End of Chapter 398)