Chapter 462: Bite Marks
"Hiss—easy, Iori!"
"S-sorry…"
Inside his house, Kei bared his teeth slightly as Iori carefully applied medicine to his arm.
Iori looked apologetic, her voice small and uneasy. She clearly felt she had been a bit too rough.
Kei shook his head. The pain itself wasn't much—what bothered him more was the numbness spreading through his arm.
But more than that… it was embarrassing.
Embarrassing enough to make him irritable.
"Is that woman part dog or something…?"
He sighed inwardly, staring at the distinct bite mark on his arm.
Last night, he really hadn't gone home.
He had spent the night alone with Ayaka.
But instead of anything dramatic happening, the "wind" they joked about hadn't carried them back to Konoha at all.
They had simply… fallen asleep by the river.
A novel experience, perhaps.
Just not one he particularly wanted.
When he woke up in the morning and saw the girl nestled against his chest, Kei's feelings had been… complicated.
He still couldn't understand how he had been talked into staying the night there.
Now his arm felt stiff—probably from being pinned under her all night, cutting off circulation.
She's heavier than she looks…
He glanced down at her, still resting quietly, and didn't move to wake her. Instead, he used his free hand to gently brush aside her bangs.
And then—
Everything went wrong.
The moment his fingers touched her forehead, her eyes snapped open.
Those pale eyes, initially dazed, sharpened in an instant.
Before he could react—
She bit down on his arm.
Hard.
Kei froze, completely caught off guard.
A second later, clarity returned to her eyes. Confusion followed. Then, as she realized exactly who she had bitten—
Her expression hardened.
And she bit down even harder.
"Hey! Are you a dog?!"
Kei finally shouted, unable to endure it any longer.
"Hmph."
Ayaka released her grip and stood up calmly.
She wiped the blood from her lips, adjusted her clothes, and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"You talked like you were experienced. I actually had expectations."
She glanced at him once, unimpressed.
"And this is it? What a disappointment."
Then she turned and left.
"…"
Kei stared at her retreating figure—her steps composed, though just slightly too quick.
Looking down at his bitten arm, he could only shake his head helplessly.
Did I just get schooled by a beginner…?
Even after returning home, that strange mix of frustration and embarrassment refused to fade.
Of all things…
On his seventeenth birthday, no less.
"Kei-sama… it's done," Iori's voice pulled him back to the present.
"Ah, thanks."
He glanced at his arm—the medicine had already been applied neatly.
He didn't want to leave such an obvious mark behind. It wouldn't affect him in battle, but it looked ridiculous.
Shaking his hand lightly, the numbness had already faded.
His body was strong enough to recover quickly—but the psychological impact lingered.
He looked up at Iori.
The once frail, timid girl had grown. Nearly eleven now, she was no longer that thin, fragile child.
Her eyes were still bright—but when she looked at him, there was always a trace of fear.
Fortunately, that fear only appeared when facing him.
With Ryoko and Keisuke, she showed warmth. Comfort. Even happiness.
"…I've told you before," Kei said, watching her tidy up the medicine. "Outside the lab, call me 'big brother.'"
He paused, choosing his words.
"Things between us didn't start well. And I didn't bring you back out of kindness."
"But now… I see you as my sister. And Mother and Father accept you too. Got it?"
Iori's hands paused briefly.
"…Yes… I understand, Kei-niisan."
"I'll make you forget those unpleasant memories," Kei continued. "I'm almost ready. Once the negotiations are over."
"I…"
She hesitated.
This wasn't the first time she had heard something like this.
Ayaka had mentioned it before. Kei himself had said it more than once.
And she wasn't foolish.
Her academic performance was excellent. With Kei's status, the clan treated her kindly. Skilled shinobi answered her questions whenever she asked.
Even though she rarely approached Kei directly, everyone assumed it was because he was too busy as head of the Police Force.
Over the years, she had improved rapidly—especially in medical ninjutsu.
So she understood.
What Kei intended to do… was likely erase her memories of the laboratory through genjutsu.
She hesitated.
Those memories—of Kei's coldness, his ruthlessness—still haunted her.
They were deeply ingrained.
Yes, she knew part of it was her own weakness. She had never been on a battlefield. She hadn't experienced enough to harden her heart.
But still…
She didn't want to remain fragile.
Taking a deep breath, her eyes gradually steadied.
She had grown.
Even if her heart was still soft—she refused to stay weak.
She lifted her head, ready to speak—
Knock knock.
The door suddenly sounded.
…
At the same time, a group from Kumogakure had arrived at the Uchiha district.
Led by Osoi, with Samui, Atsui, and C in tow.
Watching the bustling Uchiha compound, they couldn't help but sigh.
Osoi, a seasoned jōnin of the Cloud, looked troubled.
Kumogakure's swift defeat had been completely unexpected.
Fugaku Uchiha's overwhelming strength had already been a major obstacle.
Even the Fourth Raikage had suffered greatly against him.
But what truly shattered their expectations… was something else entirely.
That mysterious Uchiha.
The one who attacked both Konoha and Kirigakure.
After learning that the Eight-Tails had been deployed, he struck without hesitation—raiding their camp.
That single battle had changed everything.
The Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki were severely injured.
And the aftermath of the clash—its sheer destructive force—had annihilated their entire army.
No one knew who he was.
No one knew what organization he belonged to.
But one thing was clear—
They were targeting the tailed beasts.
And in the end, Konoha reaped the benefits.
They captured the Fourth Raikage, the Eight-Tails' host, and nearly a thousand elite shinobi.
A humiliation.
But one they had no choice but to accept.
Because defeat… was defeat.
And sometimes—
Even luck was part of strength.
They had already braced themselves to be ruthlessly squeezed by Konohagakure.
But when they actually arrived, what they encountered left them stunned.
Konoha's negotiating team was far greedier than anything they had imagined.
Led by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the terms they proposed didn't just aim to weaken Kumogakure.
They aimed to strip it entirely from the ranks of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Such conditions were impossible to accept.
Even if Konoha had provided military pressure—deploying forces to the Land of Lightning's borders, deterring Iwagakure and nearby minor nations—Kumo still believed that if negotiations collapsed, that same army would invade without hesitation.
And leading that force once again would be Fugaku Uchiha.
The very man who had already pushed the Raikage to the brink.
If he entered Kumogakure… who could possibly stop him?
Osoi was part of the escort unit assigned to protect the delegation, accompanied by three younger shinobi under his command.
All of them were prodigies—future pillars of the village.
Though they couldn't contribute much to the negotiations themselves, this experience would teach them a harsh but necessary lesson:
The cost of defeat.
But as things stood, the negotiations offered no hope.
So they had no choice but to explore alternative approaches.
For instance—visiting those in Konoha who truly held power, to uncover its real bottom line.
Because this entire negotiation felt… wrong.
Neither the Fourth Hokage, Minato, nor the head of the Police department had participated.
That suggested something unusual.
Perhaps those who should have led the talks had lost influence in Konoha's internal politics.
But that didn't make sense.
Even with the controversial "Jōnin Reform Resolution," its supporters included major clans like the Uchiha, Hyūga, and the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance.
With such backing, Minato's position should have been rock solid.
There was no way he had fallen from power.
Which meant… there had to be something else at play.
Perhaps the prolonged negotiations themselves were deliberate.
A distraction.
By keeping Kumogakure tied up, Konoha could divert attention—buying time to implement its internal reforms without interference.
If that was the case, then meeting Konoha's real power holders became essential.
And naturally, the Uchiha Clan was the obvious choice.
Whether it was Fugaku or Kei, both stood at the very core of Konoha's authority.
But Fugaku wasn't currently in the village.
Which left only one option.
Uchiha Kei.
A young man, yet already terrifyingly powerful.
They had heard the reports—he had defeated the Fourth Raikage.
Even if the Raikage hadn't been at full strength, the fact that he initiated the fight meant he had recovered enough to be dangerous.
And yet—
He was still defeated.
Easily.
In less than five minutes.
And that wasn't all.
Kei was also the head of Konoha's Police Force—the most powerful internal authority in the village, commanding the largest armed organization within Konoha itself.
"We should be at the right place," Osoi muttered, looking at the modest building before him.
This was where Kei had grown up.
Even now, despite holding immense power, he had never changed his residence.
"Seems the head of the Police Force lives quite simply," Atsui remarked with a faint smile.
"Quiet," Osoi said, shaking his head. He took a deep breath.
"Whatever you're thinking—remember who you're about to meet."
"This is a man who defeated the Fourth Raikage… who took part in the Kannabi Bridge mission… who helped seal the Nine-Tails… and who has even fought a mysterious Uchiha."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly.
"And that same mysterious Uchiha—the one who annihilated our forces—once said…"
"…that only Uchiha Kei is worthy of making him want to fight."