Chapter 458: Return to the Village
Two days later, after receiving what Orochimaru had prepared, Kei and his group finally returned to Konoha.
In the distance, the iconic Hokage Rock came into view.
Kei felt nothing in particular—calm as ever. But for Jiraiya and Obito Uchiha, the sight stirred complicated emotions.
One was reflecting on how much had changed.
The other… was simply glad to be home.
Though each carried different thoughts, none of them wasted time. The five quickly made their way to report to Minato Namikaze.
Minato already knew Obito had returned—after all, it was he who had provided Kei's location. Otherwise, finding Kei and Kakashi wouldn't have been easy.
Just as Fugaku had said, tracking those three was incredibly difficult.
Even without disguises, locating them was no simple task.
But what Minato hadn't expected was this—
Not only had the mission succeeded, but Kei had also brought Jiraiya back with him.
That alone made Minato genuinely excited.
Still, Jiraiya wasted no time clarifying his stance.
Perhaps, to him, it was better to be direct than to give false hope. Rather than let Minato expect too much, he laid everything out clearly.
Fortunately, Minato had already anticipated this.
He knew his teacher well.
As long as Jiraiya remained objective and helped ensure the reforms progressed smoothly, that was more than enough.
And in some sense… wasn't that already support?
"Not going to talk more with Minato?" Kei asked casually as they stepped out of the Hokage's office. "You've been away for so long. Leaving just like that—doesn't feel right, does it?"
"I'll go to his place tonight," Jiraiya replied lazily. "Dinner. I'll check in on Kushina and Naruto too."
Then he grinned suddenly.
"But kid, what do you think about my proposal? If we team up, we'll be unstoppable—and we'll make a fortune!"
Kei gave him a sideways glance. "Do I look like I need money? I have zero interest in writing books with you. Leave that kind of embarrassment to yourself."
"Tch, acting all proper," Jiraiya muttered.
He had already brought this up countless times over the past few days.
And every single time—
Kei had refused without hesitation.
Honestly, Kei couldn't figure out why Jiraiya was so determined to drag him into writing.
Maybe it was because of that night at the pleasure house—after Kei thoroughly disgusted him, something in Jiraiya's brain had just… snapped.
The next day, Jiraiya had looked off—either exhausted from "activities" or suffering from sleepless frustration.
Kei leaned toward the first explanation.
After all, Kei himself hadn't slept that night either—and he'd been perfectly fine.
Yet, within just a few hours, Jiraiya had bounced back and started enthusiastically inviting Kei to co-author books.
If it had been something serious—like insights on ninja combat or philosophy—Kei might've actually considered contributing.
After all, Jiraiya had written The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, a genuinely meaningful work. Even Naruto's name came from that book.
But then Jiraiya revealed his real plan.
A brand-new series.
A full set.
And its name?
"Icha Icha Paradise."
The moment Kei heard that, he knew exactly what was coming.
Absolutely not.
He valued his reputation far too much to have his name attached to something like that.
So he refused immediately.
What he hadn't expected was Jiraiya's persistence—nagging him nearly every hour for two straight days.
Even now, back in Konoha, the man still hadn't given up.
"You keep pretending," Jiraiya grumbled.
"Whether I'm pretending or not, my name is not going on that kind of book," Kei said flatly. "You go ahead. Maybe you'll actually become famous for it."
"I'm already famous!" Jiraiya rolled his eyes, then sighed. "Fine, fine. If you don't want to, I won't force you."
Seeing him finally drop it, Kei quickly changed the subject.
"So where are you heading now?"
"Home," Jiraiya stretched. "Haven't been back in ages. It's probably covered in dust and spider webs by now. If it's that bad, I'll just post a mission and get some genin to clean it up."
That was actually standard practice.
Genin were constantly taking on tasks to build experience—following orders, completing assignments, getting familiar with mission flow.
Everyone went through it.
Except those like Kei, who had been thrown straight into war.
And honestly—
having genin handle chores was efficient and cheap.
Why not?
---
After seeing Jiraiya off, Kenta and Kakashi also took their leave.
They'd been away for a while and were granted two days off by Minato.
Even though the mission had felt more like a vacation, Minato was in a good mood and rewarded them anyway.
Both planned to go home and rest.
Though…
Kenta didn't look particularly happy.
Because, in his eyes, Kei had ditched him.
One of the reasons Kenta had tagged along was to observe Kei merging Tailed Beast chakra.
But when he finally asked near Konoha—
he learned Kei had already finished it.
That alone made Kenta's expression go dark.
Even when Kei told him there'd be more chances in the future, Kenta clearly wasn't buying it.
Kei could only sigh.
This guy's… kind of tsundere, isn't he?
---
Once the others had left, Kei turned to Obito.
"What about you? How long are you planning to stay for this mission?"
Obito thought for a moment. "Not sure. I can stay a bit longer… but not too long. If they come looking for me and find out I'm here, everything's exposed."
"Then decide for yourself."
"…One week," Obito said finally. "I'll stay in Konoha for a week. After that, I go back."
"Fine. Just don't forget your tasks."
"Relax. One is that guy—Kisame. The other…"
He trailed off slightly.
But in his mind—
images surged.
Kei.
And that towering, godlike Susanoo.
Those overwhelming figures kept replaying in his thoughts.
For the first time—
he had witnessed power that truly shook him to his core.
He had always known Kei was strong.
After all, he had already lost to him three times.
The first time, when he had just awakened the Mangekyō—Kei had beaten sense back into him.
The second time, after inheriting Madara Uchiha's will—Kei had appeared again and crushed him.
And the night he attacked Konoha—
even after losing to Minato, he had returned to ensure the Nine-Tails' rampage…
But now—
he finally understood.
Just how terrifying Kei truly was.
This return… marked Obito's third defeat.
And this time, Obito was completely crushed by Kei. He had exhausted every trick at his disposal, yet couldn't do a thing to him.
Worse still—
the man he once despised, the one he saw as a cold and scheming snake… had been the one to drag him out of the abyss.
Out of darkness.
Out of blind hatred.
Out of ignorance.
Kei was never a good person—that much Obito understood clearly.
His methods were ruthless, his hands stained with blood, his treatment of enemies utterly without mercy. Even Obito himself found it shocking at times.
The fates of Uchiha Yuu and Uchiha Shuu, the inferno in the Uchiha clan's bamboo forest, and the countless dead from Kirigakure and Kumogakure—all of it stood as proof of Kei's brutality.
And yet…
Was he truly not a good person?
Obito couldn't answer that.
If Kei wasn't good, then how could everything he had done for Konoha be explained?
If he wasn't good, then why had his words—
"A true ninja is one who carries the will of fallen comrades and keeps moving forward"—spread so widely?
If he wasn't good, then how had Kakashi Hatake climbed out of his own despair?
If he wasn't good…
then why had Obito himself been given a chance at redemption?
Kei was a contradiction.
A man whose actions made it impossible to define him—whether as a blood-soaked monster devoid of humanity, or as someone who bore the will of the fallen, walking through darkness toward the light.
Setting that aside, however—
there was something else Obito couldn't ignore.
Kei had fused Tailed Beast chakra into his Susanoo.
And more importantly… it worked.
It didn't just enhance his Susanoo—it seemed to push it forward, evolving it further.
In other words…
it was accelerating the evolution of his Mangekyō Sharingan itself.
Was this method unique to Kei?
Or could any Mangekyō user who had awakened Susanoo achieve the same effect?
Obito didn't know.
But one thing he was certain of—
Kei would need more of that power.
And sooner or later… he would have to gather it for him.
"…Looks like my plans are going to change."
Standing atop his Susanoo, Kei felt power surge through him—far beyond anything he had experienced before.
Even he was astonished.
He had underestimated the Tailed Beasts.
Or perhaps—
he had underestimated his own limits.
A synchronization rate of ninety percent was already extremely high, approaching full integration.
But the closer one got to completion, the harder further progress became.
Even the chakra of Kurama had stopped yielding dramatic gains.
And yet this time—
something unexpected happened.
When the Eight-Tails' chakra flowed into his Susanoo, it resonated instantly with the chakra already within—Kurama's and that of Isobu.
That resonance amplified everything.
Through the Susanoo, it stimulated his cells, accelerating their activity to an extreme degree.
That was why he felt it—
that overwhelming, almost explosive sensation of blood rushing through his veins.
"This works too… Even if I didn't manage to integrate senjutsu chakra yet, the result isn't bad."
Kei slowly steadied his breathing, feeling the immense power coursing through him.
At that moment, he felt as though he could destroy anything.
"Besides, Ayaka's Sage Mode isn't stable yet… and I'm not even sure I can control that kind of power the way Madara Uchiha did."
His gaze shifted toward his Susanoo.
Nearly 150 meters tall, clad in jet-black armor, with a tengu-like mask obscuring its face. Above its long nose glowed a pair of crimson eyes filled with destructive intent.
A single blade hung at its waist—unchanged.
That detail likely reflected Kei himself.
Even so—
his Susanoo was still incomplete.
Perhaps it was because he had only just reached this level and hadn't refined it yet.
Or perhaps…
because his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, though achieved, wasn't obtained through the "orthodox" method, making it slightly inferior.
Either way—
compared to Sasuke Uchiha, Madara, or even Kakashi's fully manifested Susanoo, his fell short.
And most importantly—
it had no wings.
Which meant…
it still had tremendous room to grow.
"Compared to Madara and Sasuke's 200-meter constructs—and even Kakashi's—I'm still lacking."
As the chakra receded, Kei slowly descended back to the ground.
"As for the Sage of Six Paths or Indra Otsutsuki… that's a different realm entirely."
---
The moment Kei landed, Obito rushed over.
"Your eyes… does Tailed Beast chakra enhance both Susanoo and the Sharingan?"
"I don't know," Kei replied calmly. "I discovered this by accident. I can't say how universal it is."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But I do need your help with something."
"I figured." Obito nodded. "But why tell me something this important? Does Minato-sensei know?"
"No."
Kei shook his head.
"I didn't tell him. This is my secret."
He glanced at Obito, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"As for why I told you…"
"You can figure that out yourself."