Chapter 455: Two Plans
Some time before…
Whether the Uchiha were truly "monsters," Orochimaru couldn't say for certain. But one thing he did know—
every Uchiha he had personally encountered was a monster.
Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Kei needed no further explanation.
And now, this mysterious newcomer standing before him was clearly no ordinary figure either.
From just a brief exchange, Orochimaru had already reached a chilling conclusion—
he had no reliable way to deal with this man.
The Mangekyō Sharingan alone was already terrifying.
But this one… possessed a space-time ability.
Something even more elusive than Flying Thunder God Technique.
The Flying Thunder God was speed taken to its absolute limit. You might trace its movement, but that didn't mean you could counter it—unless your defense was equally overwhelming.
But this…
This was different.
Even if you could follow its trajectory, what did it matter?
The user simply phased into another dimension.
Your attacks couldn't touch him—
but he could strike you at will.
In a sense, it was the opposite extreme of Flying Thunder God.
Yet both were equally maddening.
Equally untouchable.
---
Orochimaru looked up.
The man approached again—this time, dark chakra chains emerging from his sleeves, radiating a chilling aura.
After a brief pause—
Orochimaru raised both hands.
"I surrender."
Decisive.
Pragmatic.
He was endlessly curious about the unknown—but even he knew there was a time and place for everything.
If he pushed too far and provoked two Mangekyō users…
that would be a fatal miscalculation.
And more importantly—
he understood something else.
This opponent hadn't been trying to kill him.
If he had been—
that explosive tag earlier would have been replaced with something far more lethal, perhaps paired with genjutsu to prevent any escape.
The Mangekyō Sharingan…
truly terrifying.
Even someone like Orochimaru, with all his survival tricks, felt outmatched.
---
"I've already forgotten most of it… Head Kei, and this Uchiha…" Orochimaru said with a hoarse chuckle, licking his lips.
"You can call him Uchiha Rin," Kei replied casually. "Or… Obito Uchiha."
In an instant, Kei's eyes shifted into their eerie Mangekyō form as he stared directly at Orochimaru.
"Forgetting isn't that simple. You know what to say—and what not to say."
Orochimaru felt a chill run down his spine.
Facing two pairs of Mangekyō—
one of them space-time based—
was like being watched by death itself.
Escape?
Impossible.
And yet—
his mind kept working.
Obito Uchiha…?
Wasn't that the supposedly dead student of Minato Namikaze?
So he was alive?
Then everything started connecting.
Fragments of overheard information.
The mysterious organization.
Two Uchiha operatives.
An attack on the Hyūga.
The Nine-Tails incident.
A realization slowly took shape.
"…Interesting…" Orochimaru muttered inwardly, already spinning his own theory.
---
"Aren't you worried I might leak this?" Orochimaru asked with a faint smile.
"Feel free to try," Kei replied calmly, arms crossed.
"In truth, I should kill you for knowing this much. But your value is too high."
He paused.
Then—
killing intent erupted.
A colossal chakra construct manifested instantly.
A towering Susanoo—hundreds of meters tall—loomed over Orochimaru, radiating suffocating pressure.
This was the same power that had crushed the Eight-Tails…
and annihilated thousands in its aftermath.
Kei looked down coldly.
"We can offer you protection beyond your imagination."
"He already holds a high position within that organization. Even if exposed, he'll survive."
"But you?"
A faint smile appeared.
"You won't."
"He's already marked you. Wherever you run… he'll find you."
---
Inside the Susanoo, Obito raised an eyebrow slightly.
When did I mark him?
But he stayed silent.
Bluff or not—
it was working.
Because Orochimaru's expression had already changed.
If that were true…
his future would be nothing but endless pursuit.
Even reincarnation wouldn't save him.
After a long silence, Orochimaru finally nodded.
"…Impressive. Carrot and stick—used masterfully. Even I have no choice but to accept."
"I want stability," Kei replied calmly. "You hold leverage over me—I hold your life in my hands."
"As long as we cooperate, everything is fine."
"But if something goes wrong…"
"I'm not a forgiving man."
---
Orochimaru exhaled slowly.
"Understood."
"I'll help you research Sage Mode. I'll locate that 'one who has merged with nature.' I'll investigate the suspected Uzumaki in the Land of Grass."
"I'll also honor my agreement with Konoha."
He paused.
Then asked the only question that mattered:
"…What do I gain?"
Kei's answer came without hesitation—
"A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan… and cells from Hashirama Senju."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
"…For others, that price might be impossible."
"But for you…"
A faint smile spread across his face.
"…it's entirely within reach, isn't it?"
…
Back to present-
Kenta lay on the rooftop beside Kei, staring up at the stars. After hearing everything, he shook his head with a faint sigh.
"Yeah… for you, that price really isn't much."
And it was true.
Kei had no shortage of Hashirama Senju's cells. Strictly speaking, they were now closer to White Zetsu-derived cells—but functionally, there was no real difference.
That fact had already been proven—on Kei himself, on Obito Uchiha, and even on Kenta.
As for the three-tomoe Sharingan—
those were genuinely rare.
They could be used to activate forbidden techniques like Izanagi or Izanami. Even Kei only had a single pair, obtained by chance during his encounter with Uchiha Shin. He had always kept them in reserve for emergencies.
Handing them over now did sting a little.
But compared to what he stood to gain—
it was worth it.
You had to give something to get something.
---
"It's not a difficult trade," Kei said softly. "A bit painful, sure—but acceptable."
He let out a quiet breath.
"Besides… with his research ability, I can't think of anyone who could replace him. If no one can, then so be it. I'll be relying on him a lot in the future."
Kenta nodded.
"Let's just hope he figures out Sage Mode sooner rather than later."
Then he stood up, brushing the dust off himself.
"So, we heading back?"
"More or less." Kei rose as well. "He'll deliver what I need by tomorrow. He might not even show up himself."
"A method to counter and weaken a technique—nothing too difficult for him. He might try to complicate things or raise the price out of spite, but…"
Kei smiled faintly, gazing into the distance.
"…I don't mind. Skilled people are allowed to set their price—as long as it's not excessive. And besides—"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Only when someone has desires… can they truly be controlled."
Kenta let out a helpless laugh.
"You're seriously scheming. Control what someone wants, and you control the person… So what is it you want?"
Kei glanced up at the moon, amused.
"If you want to control me, you'd better start by being a woman."
He smirked.
"And one that fits my taste."
---
The next morning, when everyone got up, they found that Jiraiya was already awake.
Not only that—he looked refreshed, almost energized.
Whatever turmoil he'd gone through yesterday, it seemed he had either resolved it… or buried it.
Which, in Kei's eyes, was a good thing.
Someone acting purely on emotion would inevitably let bias cloud their judgment.
This version of Jiraiya, at least, would think more clearly.
---
"Looks like you've recovered well, Jiraiya-sama," Kei said with a nod. "Shall we set off?"
"No rush," Jiraiya replied with his usual roguish grin. "Once we're back, you won't have this kind of freedom anymore. You might be a department head, but maybe you should listen to me for once, hmm?"
Then his expression turned more serious.
"I wouldn't say I've fully recovered. I just… figured something out."
"Oh?" Kei looked at him with mild curiosity. "Care to share?"
Jiraiya gave a small, self-deprecating smile and gestured for Kei to sit beside him.
Once he did, Jiraiya spoke slowly:
"What you said yesterday… stuck with me."
"Maybe my thinking was too naïve."
"Mutual understanding between people was never going to be easy. There are too many inequalities between individuals… too many problems to overcome."
"And when you scale that up—to villages, to nations…"
He shook his head.
"It becomes unimaginably complex."
He paused briefly.
"…Maybe Minato is right. Instead of trying to fix the entire world at once, it makes more sense to fix Konoha first."
---
Kei listened quietly, then nodded.
Jiraiya wasn't wrong.
Even in the future, Naruto Uzumaki's solution wasn't perfect.
Naruto became a bridge—uniting civilians and clans alike, forming connections across factions.
But on a global scale?
He wasn't just a symbol of unity—
he was also a deterrent.
The "savior."
The strongest in the shinobi world.
Many obeyed not out of understanding—
but out of fear.
Even figures like the Fourth Raikage had once considered eliminating Naruto outright, despite everything.
---
"So," Kei asked, turning slightly, "what's your plan now, Jiraiya-sama?"
Jiraiya grinned.
"Two plans."
"First—I observe. I'll watch you all closely."
"Even if I agree with some of your methods, I still have my own beliefs. Learning from you matters… but I still believe my dream can be realized."
"Even if not by me—someone else will achieve it."
Kei gave a small nod.
"Good luck with that. And the second plan?"
Jiraiya's smile widened slightly.
"The second plan…"
"You'll find out soon enough."