Chapter 244 – Deepening Cooperation
Imai Kenta's loyalty to the Senju ran deep. Raised within their teachings from childhood, he was willing to work—and sacrifice—for the clan.
He didn't bear the Senju surname, likely to avoid trouble. He took his father's name instead and was forbidden from revealing too much about himself. The result: eight years thrown onto battlefields.
He learned a great deal there, but the experience twisted him. He grew less obedient to "tradition," more willing to use any means necessary to reach an end.
He hadn't noticed the change at first—until he teamed up with Uchiha Kei and Hyūga Ayaka and saw the same shadow in them. Seeing himself reflected in the others forced him to face it head-on.
It wasn't entirely good or bad. Environments change people; they adapt or they break.
Kenta recognized the Senju and would give for them—but he had never wanted to shoulder so heavy a weight. Since it was already on his back, he would finish the job the way war had taught him: thoroughly, and as well as humanly possible.
Just as he'd been forced to cooperate with Uchiha Kei. He knew he couldn't expose his identity and couldn't expect much protection. So even while playing the fool around Kei, he executed every mission cleanly and seriously.
Lately, though, the "traditions" at home felt like shackles.
He understood why Senju Shōma agreed to this venture: first, because he and Kei discovered it together; second, because the implications were vast and far-reaching. If it worked, it would be the perfect blow against the Third's faction.
Most crucially, Kenta knew that if he didn't cooperate with Kei, this task might be assigned to him—alone—or to him with a handful of hidden clansmen. The Senju were no longer the Senju of old; today they were ordinary people with changed names, erased from sight. To act solo for the sake of "tradition" or "honor" would be courting disaster.
So Kenta laid his cards on the table with Kei first, then reported to Shōma—forcing the old man's hand.
Perhaps because of his education, Kenta felt little malice toward the Uchiha. To him, the clan targeted by the Second Hokage were pitiable in their own way.
Things unfolded as he expected: Shōma accepted Kei's terms. Yet those final words—remember your surname—wouldn't leave Kenta's mind. He hadn't chosen this burden; he used the most effective methods he knew, only to be doubted and dismissed. That, he couldn't accept.
But he also knew better than to argue. He wasn't strong enough to change anything—yet. In that moment, he even felt a twinge of envy toward Uchiha Kei.
---
"Looks like you've come to terms with your family."
Near evening, just before the shift change, Kei arrived at the Police Force with Ayaka and found Kenta still waiting there. Kei couldn't help but smile.
He truly didn't need Kenta to join—but another ally never hurt. The Senju might be faded, their surname nearly gone, yet they still held some influence. The more allied interest groups he pulled in, the better their current position would be. The village council might still echo the Third's voice, but the Hokage now was the Fourth, not the Third.
Kei suspected that alone had helped Kenta's family agree—along with the fact that Kei himself was driving this, and Kenta had already met with him. What he didn't know was how things now stood between Kenta and his own.
"Yeah. It's settled," Kenta said with a thin smile. "Otherwise, the next time you saw me would be when I handed in my resignation."
"That smile's pretty stiff, Kenta," Kei chuckled, shaking his head. "Though I'll admit, your fake smile puts mine and Ayaka's to shame. Maybe you can give us lessons."
"Don't joke." Kenta sighed. "Let's talk plans. If you're going after Orochimaru, I refuse to believe you aren't prepared."
He didn't ask about Kei's experiments, tempting as it was—especially after sensing an aura in Kei that felt eerily similar to the sample. There was no point. Not unless he proved enough sincerity first: deliver on their agreement—half of it, even—and maybe Kei would start talking.
"Fine. I'm prepared," Kei said, nodding.
During his third fusion, even while weakened, he'd laid groundwork. Orochimaru's hideouts weren't impossible to find. Yes, to counter the Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame tracking and sensory techniques, Orochimaru would surely have layered his labs with barriers and safeguards.
But there was a leak: the Police Department's patrol maps.
Those maps had been revised countless times. Certain areas were marked "off-limits to investigation," with the Third's endorsement—and Danzō's quiet handiwork—forcing patrol routes to avoid them.
Which only made those zones more suspicious.
Kei focused on those areas, dispatching Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryu to sweep the surroundings for traces of snakes. If they found something, great. If not, no loss. For their safety—and to cut through obstacles—he sent Hyūga Ayaka with them; her Byakugan would make short work of many problems.
They didn't find snake trails. Instead, they stumbled on someone else searching the same way.
Jiraiya.
The report startled Kei. He hadn't expected Jiraiya to return to Konoha—let alone to start digging into Orochimaru.
He calmed quickly. Thinking it through, he decided: this had to be Namikaze Minato's arrangement.
Minato would never overlook something like this. Even if he disliked using such matters as leverage, circumstances left him little choice.
In the original tale, Jiraiya had returned to Konoha as well. But now? Who knew how things would unfold?
After sorting through the mess of possibilities, Kei recalled Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryu. From here, Ayaka's Byakugan was more than enough to continue the watch.
What amused him was that Jiraiya, perhaps bound by ties he could never sever, had indeed uncovered traces of Orochimaru.
Though Jiraiya hadn't yet acted, Kei didn't care. Tonight, he would move. And to ensure the action succeeded—and caused a proper uproar—he had already sent Uchiha Kawa to notify Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Ryu to brief the Fourth Hokage himself.
Kei explained the outline of his plan to Imai Kenta, then smiled faintly.
"If we're going to stir things up, let's stir them properly. That's when it gets interesting, don't you think? Of course, there's a limit. Push too far, and it'll be out of our hands."
The smile chilled Kenta. For all Kei's sunny appearance, the darkness behind it was unmistakable.
Chaos had to be controlled. But forcing Hiruzen's faction to cut off its own limbs? That was perfect. Orochimaru's scandal touched too many threads. Once it was exposed, the Third's camp would take a brutal hit.
Their best move would be to offer a scapegoat—a figure heavy enough to satisfy the outrage.
Thinking it through, Kenta realized: Konoha's "Four Giants" would soon become three. In exchange, the noise would be quieted, the matter suppressed.
Orochimaru had to die. Even if he survived, he could no longer remain in Konoha. At the same time, Hiruzen's faction would be forced to cede authority and yield part of their interests. The goal, in essence, would be met.
Of course, that would leave Minato with a headache. Empty posts would need filling, and he lacked both the time and manpower to prepare replacements. But wasn't that also a chance? An opportunity for the clans to prove their loyalty?
"Captain," Kenta asked suddenly, his face serious, "how many positions have you already reserved?"
"Oh? I didn't expect you to be thinking that far ahead," Kei tilted his head. "I can't tell you yet. When you've fulfilled our agreement, I will. Or you can wait and see."
Without a word, Kenta produced a document and set it before him.
"This is my draft. It contains notes—on your eyes. I doubt it'll be much use to you, but consider it a down payment. My sincerity."
Kei's smile deepened as he glanced at the file. He knew the contents would go no further than the level of the three-tomoe Sharingan. And Kenta's wording made it plain he had uncovered some of Kei's secrets.
So what? This wasn't a decision made with his clan's blessing—this was Kenta acting on his own.
"Kenta, are you sure about this? Handing over these records doesn't exactly align with your clan's interests."
"Of course. Even my will was forced onto me. But I don't mind. Truth is, I envy the influence you wield within your clan, Kei-kun. Yes… I think we really can work together."