Chapter 184 – Clash
Imai Kenta picked a quiet, inconspicuous spot in the forest and leaned against a tree, settling himself down.
Tonight's mission felt strange—no matter how he looked at it, everything about it reeked of unease.
Frankly, he didn't want to be here at all. This was Uchiha Kei's business, not his. He'd only been dragged into cooperating with Kei because he had no other choice. If it wasn't for the sake of survival—and the fact that Kei's plans actually seemed feasible—he wouldn't have given the lunatic the time of day.
And to top it off, he actually roped in that crazy Hyūga woman… Kenta adjusted his position, trying to get comfortable.
"Looks like she's holding onto some kind of critical intel. Otherwise, that madman Kei wouldn't have had to compromise with her. Hopefully he can keep that lunatic under control. Still… a psycho paired with a maniac, and now I'm stuck with them. Great."
Kenta sighed. He figured he was probably the only normal one in this three-man squad. That thought was both comforting and worrying at the same time. Comforting because at least he hadn't lost his sanity yet—but worrying because his two teammates clearly had. His future didn't look promising.
Just as he was starting to relax, Kenta suddenly felt a ripple of chakra pulse up from beneath the ground.
He froze. Then, something clicked in his mind.
So that's it… according to Hyūga Ayaka, Kei has been running some kind of experiment. Judging from this chakra signature, it must be underground. No wonder she sniffed it out with her Byakugan.
"Tch. What a venomous snake," Kenta muttered. After some thought, he decided not to interfere.
"This isn't my problem. Whoever ends up as the test subject has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to complete the mission."
With that, he stretched, leaned back against the tree, and resumed his break. He hadn't wanted to come tonight in the first place. His decision to join the police force had already angered his family elders, though he had managed to smooth it over by claiming it was a request from a comrade.
Kei was his comrade, after all. Beyond reminding him over and over not to trust the Uchiha, his family had been forced to leave it at that.
As if I don't already know the Uchiha can't be trusted. But what choice do I have? Nobody willingly partners up with a lunatic—especially one who's dragging a complete madwoman along for the ride…
---
Not far away, in the same stretch of forest, Uchiha Kawa sensed something.
His Sharingan snapped open, single tomoe rotating slowly in his eyes. Though he lacked Kenta's chakra perception, years of battlefield experience had honed his instincts razor-sharp.
Someone was tailing them. Worse, there were several of them. He had no idea why they'd slipped up and revealed their presence just now, but they had.
"Sharp one, aren't you, boy? No wonder Lord Kei has taken an interest in you."
The disembodied voice made both Kawa and his father, Uchiha Asahi, tense instantly.
"Who's there?" Kawa pulled a kunai and stepped protectively in front of his father. "Kei never mentioned you."
"Just because he hasn't mentioned us doesn't mean we don't exist."
A figure in black emerged briefly from the shadows. His eyes, too, glowed with the scarlet tomoe of the Sharingan—only a single tomoe, but enough to send a chill through the air.
"Stand down. There are things you're not ready to know yet. When Lord Kei decides it's time, you'll learn. Until then—forget what you saw tonight."
Kawa clenched his jaw. After a long, silent stare, he finally deactivated his Sharingan.
The black-clad shinobi vanished again, melting seamlessly back into the night.
Kawa stood rooted to the spot, unsettled. He had always believed himself to be among Kei's more trusted allies. But now it was obvious—he was far from the inner circle.
That man had only a single tomoe, just like him. Yet Kawa could feel it—if they fought, he wouldn't stand a chance. And there were more of them. Which meant Kei's hidden network was far larger than he'd imagined. The realization hit hard.
A hand suddenly pressed against his shoulder. Kawa turned to see his father smiling faintly.
"You're still young, Kawa. Work hard. Lord Kei may be young too, but he's capable. If you push yourself, one day you might become his most trusted man."
Kawa nodded firmly. "I'll do my best."
Yes, he was still young. As long as he kept pushing forward, his future was worth looking forward to.
---
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Deep underground, in Kei's secret laboratory, steel clashed against steel. Kunai and ninja blade collided in a storm of sparks as Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Shuu fought in close quarters.
Their battle was surprisingly restrained. Neither unleashed wide-area ninjutsu. Instead, they relied on taijutsu and the sharp perception of their Sharingan.
Kei refused to damage the instruments around them. They weren't his to pay for, but wasting time rebuilding wasn't worth it. Shuu, meanwhile, was holding back for another reason—his younger brother. No matter how far gone his brother's condition had fallen, he didn't want to risk making it worse.
Their figures blurred through the chamber, blades flashing faster and faster. Kei realized with some satisfaction that his speed had grown tremendously. At this rate, the legendary "Shunshin Shisui" might have to make room for a new title—"Shunshin Kei."
Another furious exchange ended with Kei seizing his chance. As Shuu thrust his kunai forward, Kei's left hand shot out, twisted sharply, and disarmed him. His right hand, holding a chakra-charged blade, stabbed straight toward Shuu.
Only Shuu's lightning reflexes saved him—he yanked out another kunai just in time to block the strike. The impact rang out, nearly knocking him off balance.
"Mind if I borrow your hands for a moment?"
Kei's voice was calm, almost playful. His left hand clamped down on Shuu's wrist, forcing his fingers into rapid seals.
Shuu realized what was happening, but too late. Kei's speed outstripped his own.
Kei released his blade with his right hand, shifted his body to evade Shuu's counterstrike, and completed the first hand seal.
Then, as Shuu stumbled slightly from his failed attack, Kei's fist slammed into his face.
"Urgh—!"
Pain exploded across Shuu's jaw. He tasted blood, felt his teeth loosen. Worse—his own right hand had been forced through two more seals.
Kei didn't let up. A kick snapped into Shuu's left hand, knocking his kunai flying. Seizing his wrist again, Kei completed the final seal.
Now Shuu's instincts screamed danger. This cramped laboratory was the worst possible battlefield for him.
And what unsettled him even more—why hadn't his reinforcements arrived yet?
No time to dwell on it. He had to stop Kei now.
Shuu's scarlet Sharingan spun violently, tomoe whirling. His chakra surged, flooding his eyes as he lifted his head and locked gazes with Kei.
In that instant, his genjutsu flared—Sharingan against Sharingan.
Uchiha Shuu knew very well that Uchiha Kei's resistance to genjutsu was formidable. But at this moment, he had no better options.
Even so, Shuu believed that no matter how strong Kei's defenses were, it would be impossible for him to completely shrug off an illusion fueled by such an enormous amount of chakra and executed with meticulous precision—all while engaged in high-speed combat.
And indeed, Kei faltered for the briefest of moments, his expression freezing as the genjutsu brushed against his mind. It was less than the blink of an eye, but for ninja—especially Uchiha—that was more than enough.
Seizing the opportunity, Shuu drove his fist fiercely toward Kei. His right hand was still bound and being forced through hand signs by Kei, but he wasn't out of options just yet.
Kei frowned slightly. Confronted with Shuu's attack, his response was unnervingly calm. With a quick glance at the fist's trajectory, he raised his arm to parry lightly, then sprang upward in a clean leap.
The kunai that had been knocked loose earlier was now plummeting. As Kei rose into the air, his Sharingan tracked its descent with razor-sharp clarity.
Midair, his body twisted, and with a powerful kick, he launched the falling blade back toward Shuu like a lightning bolt.
But Shuu was no amateur. Though his hand had been freed only a moment ago, his speed was still sharp. With a swift dip of his head, he narrowly avoided the kunai, the blade whistling past his ear.
Planting his feet firmly, he pushed off the ground with explosive force, hurling himself sideways. Even as he flew, his hands blurred through a string of seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
In almost the same heartbeat, two massive fireballs erupted—one from each Uchiha—crashing into each other midair. The impact detonated into a rolling sea of flames, heat waves surging outward and filling the underground chamber.
Shuu's eyes darted across the laboratory, quickly checking on his younger brother. Seeing him unharmed allowed Shuu to exhale in relief, though his mind was already racing.
"I need to get out of here. If this drags on, things will only spiral out of control…" he thought grimly, forcing himself back onto his feet.
But before he could make his move, a blade slammed into the ground before him, cutting off his path.
Behind him, through the inferno of swirling fire, a colossal chakra construct emerged—its silhouette flickering in tandem with the flames, vast and terrifying.