Chapter 191 – Hope Is Not a Bad Thing
In the forest behind the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Fugaku stood facing one another in silence, statues locked in a quiet standoff.
"Don't push too far, Kei," Fugaku said at last, his tone heavy but sincere. "I've treated you with nothing but honesty and placed you on equal footing with me.
There are two options before us. The first—each of us takes one Mangekyō. The second—exactly as I proposed: you hold the Eternal Eyes for one year, no longer."
Fugaku's gaze lingered on Kei. He had already yielded as much as his pride allowed. Kei's insistence still left him unsatisfied, but Fugaku could understand the logic.
Yes, under the second arrangement he would gain the greater advantage. Yet he had offered Kei a safer path—the first option, where neither of them risked handing so much power to the other.
But because Kei was clearly pursuing some deeper research, Fugaku had reluctantly made the second concession: letting Kei probe the Eternal Mangekyō's mysteries, stripping the eyes of every secret short of their sheer overwhelming power.
"I need to protect my family. You need to protect yourself," Fugaku continued, voice unwavering. "And you can always choose the first option, Kei. Besides… I suspect you've already discovered something. By the time you finish, perhaps you won't need these eyes at all."
Kei frowned. He had, in truth, already decided to accept—but he was still weighing how much more he could extract from this bargain.
Right now, he lacked many things. What he needed most, however, was medical ninjutsu—particularly advanced knowledge of cellular techniques. That knowledge would be invaluable.
And since the eyes would be in his possession for at least a year, there was ample room for maneuver.
"Who can say?" Kei finally sighed. "Fine, I'll agree. But I'll need certain things—very specific things."
"Name them," Fugaku replied without hesitation.
"I want medical ninjutsu. All of it. Everything you can gather related to cells, regeneration, transplantation—I want it." Kei's tone left no room for argument. "And the one-year countdown begins only once the Eternal Eyes are successfully fused and born."
"…Agreed." Fugaku nodded, relief washing over him at last.
The negotiations had been exhausting, but they had reached an accord. The weight lifted from his shoulders felt as sweet as when Minato secured the Fourth Hokage's seat.
A clansman of immense strength and vision—someone capable of guiding the Uchiha into the future—was worth more than any title.
He didn't fully understand Kei's obsession with medical ninjutsu, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that, for now, the sharpest edge of their conflict had been blunted.
The future remained uncertain. But today, at least, they had reached an understanding. Two Mangekyō working together—that was the Uchiha clan's best path forward.
As Kei turned to leave, Fugaku hesitated, then called out softly.
"Kei."
"Hm?" Kei glanced back, puzzled. "What is it, Clan Head? Something else?"
"From now on, just call me Fugaku." He stepped forward, extending his right hand. "Let's start over. May our cooperation be fruitful."
Kei blinked, surprised. Then a faint smile tugged at his lips. He understood what this meant.
This was trust. A partnership renewed. A wager on Kei's character, costly and dangerous. Fugaku was gambling everything on him.
And that… was something Kei could respect. Fugaku's magnanimity was far beyond his own. Even if the man was stubborn to the point of madness, his capacity for trust was remarkable.
Taking a deep breath, Kei extended his hand as well. Their palms met in a firm clasp.
---
Meanwhile, within the Hyūga compound, Ayaka sat in her room, immersed in a pile of medical scrolls. All of them dealt with advanced healing and the mysteries of the human body.
Her cooperation with Kei was built on this foundation—medical ninjutsu. And, of course, a fabricated crime that bound her fate to his.
So long as no unexpected accidents occurred, that crime would never surface. And truth be told, Kei's own deeds were hardly any cleaner.
She read diligently, though every so often she sighed, her mind clouded by the memory of those scarlet, twisted eyes.
No wonder Kei had spoken so confidently: "The Uchiha's eyes hold a future. Do you think the Hyūga, our rivals for centuries, would be denied one?"
That infuriating man… he had already found his future.
Their partnership had never been equal—she realized that now. Kei had hidden his cards too well.
But what choice did she have? It was she who had sought him out. Even if she was trapped on the weaker side, she could only press forward.
It's still better than being treated as a slave or a bargaining chip within the Hyūga—better than being discarded or bound as someone's subordinate.
Her engagement to Hyūga Hikaru had sealed her resolve. She'd had no choice—forced into becoming the possession of a man she despised.
The reason was laughable: Hikaru enjoyed the idea of claiming someone who had once defeated him, bending her into his private property.
Ayaka felt no remorse for killing him. Even without Kei's involvement, she would have eventually found a way.
From the moment of their engagement, Hikaru's fate had been sealed. Kei had only hastened the inevitable.
"Still studying, Ayaka?" A middle-aged woman entered the room, her gentle voice pulling Ayaka from her thoughts.
It was her mother—a member of the branch family. Like most of the Hyūga, she lived beneath the iron rule of the main house.
The few controlled the many. That was the way of things.
"Yes, Mother," Ayaka said with a smile, setting her scroll aside.
She hated the Hyūga's cage—the system of main and branch families. But within her own home, at least, she could still feel warmth.
In many ways, Hyūga Ayaka resembled Uchiha Kei. Yet unlike him, she wasn't plagued by constant inner conflict—after all, she was not an outsider like Kei.
"Aya," her mother said softly as she sat beside her, running a hand gently through her daughter's hair. "These days must have been hard on you. That boy, Hikaru, he—"
"Please, Mother," Ayaka interrupted, her voice firm. "Don't speak of him.
I never liked him. If it hadn't been forced on me—if I hadn't promised you and Father I would at least try—I would never have endured his company. His death may have put me under confinement and left me the target of gossip, but that's already more than enough repayment."
Since Hikaru's death, Ayaka's days had indeed been difficult. Yet she didn't dwell on it. His death was tied to her own hand—punishment and whispers were only natural, perhaps even too light.
Besides, she had thrown herself wholly into her studies of medical ninjutsu. House arrest could not hinder that. As for idle rumors, she had no reason to care.
Unpleasant as it seemed, the past weeks had not been entirely unkind to her.
"Aya, pack your things. The clan head is calling for you." Her mother sighed at last, revealing the reason for her visit.
"The Clan Head…?" Ayaka's eyes narrowed. She nodded, though a faint unease stirred in her chest.
Why would Hyūga Hiashi summon her? She had no answer. Part of her feared that her 'deeds' had been discovered. But refusal was impossible.
She straightened her robes, gathered herself, and set out for Hiashi's residence—hoping it was nothing ill.
---
"Kenta, Senior Shōma wants to see you."
In the mixed residential district of Konoha, Imai Kenta trudged wearily home from a long shift with the Police Force, only to be stopped before he reached his door.
Looking up with weary eyes, he recognized the speaker—an older clansman who lived several blocks away. They rarely interacted in public, but behind the scenes, their contact was far more frequent. He was one of those who had opposed Kenta's decision to join the Police Force.
And as for the "Senior Shōma" he mentioned… Kenta could only sigh in resignation.
That man was someone his parents revered deeply, an elder held in the highest regard. More than that—much of Kenta's knowledge, his ninjutsu training, his study materials—all had come from Shōma's hand.
When the old man learned that Kenta's new squadmate would be an Uchiha, he had even pressed secret documents on the Sharingan into Kenta's hands. That was why Kenta had known how to counter Uchiha Kei.
But now… why summon him?
"What does Senior Shōma want with me?" Kenta asked, puzzled. Shōma had been furious when Kenta entered the Police Force, and they had not spoken in a long time. Why call for him now?
The messenger offered no explanation—only a silent look before turning away.
Kenta let out a helpless breath, spreading his hands in resignation. He looked up at the sky, at the snow drifting steadily down, and could only hope… that this, too, was not the prelude to trouble.