Chapter 459: If You Don't Say Anything, I'll Take It as Agreement
Kei's decision to share this secret with Obito Uchiha wasn't impulsive—it was carefully considered.
After all, this was something even Minato didn't know.
Telling Obito meant more than just cooperation—it was a clear signal of trust.
As Obito's direct superior and the one overseeing all his missions, Kei's trust arguably carried even more weight than Minato's.
And from any outsider's perspective, everything Kei had done was for Konoha.
Even if a few people suspected he acted for his own purposes, none of them would ever dare expose it.
Years of impersonating and controlling a Kage had sharpened Obito's judgment considerably. After some thought, he began to understand Kei's reasoning.
First, if Minato learned of this, he might not openly object—but it could plant seeds of concern.
After all, his entire family were jinchūriki… hosts of the Nine-Tails.
Second, Kei couldn't recklessly target other jinchūriki anymore.
If it were to support Konoha's missions, Minato might tolerate it—but acting freely and repeatedly would inevitably lead to consequences.
Sometimes, saying too much only creates unnecessary complications.
Besides, Kei himself needed to exercise restraint—the patience of that "yin-yang creature" had limits.
So instead, it made more sense to inform Obito and let him assist from within.
After all, Obito was already embedded within that mysterious organization. Acquiring Tailed Beast chakra during their operations would be relatively easy.
With that realization, Obito fully grasped Kei's intent.
He even suspected Kei might plant more agents inside—making things even smoother.
As for how Kei and Minato planned to deal with that organization, Obito didn't know.
But one thing he was certain of—
he trusted both his teacher and his superior to handle it.
After briefly confirming which Tailed Beast chakra Kei had already absorbed, Obito finally relaxed.
The most crucial one—the Nine-Tails—was already secured.
Next came the Three-Tails and Eight-Tails.
That meant Kei only needed the remaining six.
"Finally… one less headache."
With Obito on board, Kei felt noticeably relieved. The guy could be stubborn at times, but now things were settled.
---
Arranging Obito's stay was simple.
Kei brought him directly to Fugaku, explained the situation, and a residence was quickly assigned.
It belonged to a deceased clan member who had no surviving relatives, leaving the house vacant.
Now it served perfectly as Obito's temporary base.
As long as he was careful not to be noticed coming and going, there wouldn't be any issues.
During the day, he could move freely—Uchiha territory was large enough that most people didn't know each other well anyway.
And within Konoha at large?
Even the Uchiha clan might not recognize him, let alone anyone else.
Kei didn't bother worrying further. Obito had already returned to Konoha before—he knew how to handle himself.
---
After a full day of rest, Kei headed straight to the underground lab the next morning.
Ayaka was supposed to conduct her second experiment.
Whether it had already begun—or even finished—he had no idea.
But when he arrived, he found Kimimaro sitting outside, looking bored.
"Lord Kei."
Kimimaro immediately stood and bowed respectfully.
Kei nodded. "Is her experiment still ongoing?"
"It's already finished," Kimimaro replied honestly.
The perceptive boy instantly understood Kei's intention.
"I stayed in case Sister Ayaka needed help. Since you're here, Lord Kei, I'll take my leave."
"No need. Stay if you want—I'm just here to take a look."
Kei waved him off and walked toward the inner room.
Kimimaro was nearly five now. After two years in Konoha, there was barely any resemblance to his original self.
He was no longer cold—instead, he had become surprisingly cheerful.
Even though he trained under Kakashi, his daily life was surrounded by peers and caring elders.
Under such an environment, his transformation was remarkable.
With both Konoha and Uchiha guidance—and his innate loyalty—
it was clear he was becoming an exceptional shinobi.
The only things unchanged were his appearance…
and that unwavering devotion.
Kei chuckled softly before stepping into Ayaka's lab.
He knocked lightly—though he didn't wait for a reply—and pushed the door open.
"As if you'd ever wait for permission," Ayaka said without looking up, eyes fixed on the documents in her hands. "I heard you got back yesterday?"
"Yeah," Kei replied, taking a seat. "Needed a day to recover. So? How did the experiment go? I saw Kimimaro waiting outside."
"Iori's no help, so I had to find someone else," she said flatly. "I needed that kid's blood anyway, so I kept him around."
Ayaka didn't even look up as she spoke. "As for the experiment… it wasn't ideal, but there were some gains. Still, it's clear now—this path has reached its limit. There's no point continuing."
Her tone was calm—neither disappointed nor particularly pleased. It seemed she had expected this outcome all along.
Kei nodded and extended his hand. Without hesitation, Ayaka Hyuga passed him the documents.
Lowering his gaze, he began reviewing the data.
It was detailed—tracking both her physical changes and the evolution of her Byakugan. The only issue was that the improvements this time were minimal.
It seemed the bloodline of the Kaguya Clan had truly reached its ceiling.
After a long moment, Kei set the file down.
"Honestly, the results aren't bad."
The data was objective—but compared to before, the growth was almost negligible.
Her Byakugan showed virtually no improvement.
Her body, however, was a different story.
Now, Ayaka's physical condition could only be described as terrifying.
She had inherited the Kaguya clan's monstrous regenerative ability. On top of that, her body's toughness had reached a level where injuring her wouldn't be easy.
After all, members of the Kaguya clan with awakened bloodlines could literally pull bones from their own bodies as weapons—and regenerate them instantly.
Without extreme recovery ability, such actions alone would be fatal from blood loss.
Beyond that, the most crucial aspect was genetic unlocking.
Ayaka had summarized this briefly in her report.
From what Kei understood, her genes still hadn't fully opened.
Aside from one phrase—"partially loosened"—there was little to note.
She was still missing the activation of the first three gene sets.
However, based on her observations, those previously sealed genes had begun to show signs of activity.
"It looks promising, but the actual improvement isn't that significant," Ayaka sighed softly. "Especially the Caged Bird Seal. It's loosening… but it hasn't broken."
"No need to rush," Kei said, setting the file aside. "You mentioned before that it had started loosening. How far has it progressed now?"
"It's loosened quite a bit—but it's still firmly in place," she replied. "I think it's because my eyes haven't evolved enough to surpass the seal. Still… your approach is working."
"I see." Kei nodded.
The resilience of the Caged Bird Seal was infamous.
As far as he knew, no one had ever truly broken free from it.
Well—except in a different sense.
Hiashi Hyuga had eventually abandoned the rigid division between main and branch families, ending the system altogether.
But that took time—and courage.
Whether the future would follow that path again… Kei had no way of knowing.
He shook his head slightly, then paused.
A thought crossed his mind.
He had never actually used his eyes to examine the seal directly.
The Sharingan wasn't meant to see through the human body—but…
why not try?
Even if it failed, he could at least show Ayaka how his own eyes had changed.
"Can I take a look at your seal?" Kei asked. "Maybe my eyes won't see much—but it's worth trying."
"You want to examine it?" Ayaka frowned slightly, then sighed. "Fine. Go ahead."
She removed the forehead protector covering her seal.
She understood what he intended—to analyze it using the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But like him, she doubted it would work.
The seal was only inscribed on the forehead—but its true effect targeted the brain.
The Sharingan had incredible perception and combat ability…
but it wasn't X-ray vision.
Kei slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again—
a strange, intricate pattern filled his pupils.
Ayaka froze.
There was no visible surge of power…
yet simply meeting his gaze made her heart tighten.
And more importantly—
his eyes had changed.
She had watched that evolution step by step.
From a single triangular pattern…
to the emergence of overlapping shadows…
to those shadows becoming clearer over time.
But now—
they had fully fused.
The overlapping patterns had merged into a single, unified design.
"Your eyes…" Ayaka murmured. "Was it the Eight-Tails' chakra?"
"Yes," Kei nodded lightly. "Even I didn't expect it to go this far with just that."
As he spoke, his gaze focused on the seal on her forehead.
"I'm pleased, of course—but this deviates from my original plan. Not entirely good… not entirely bad."
He observed carefully.
What he could see were the chakra pathways—the external flow and structure of the seal.
But that was all.
He couldn't fully perceive its internal workings.
Still—
one thing was clear.
There was instability inside the seal.
That instability meant cracks had already formed.
If those cracks could be widened—
if the internal structure collapsed—
the seal would lose its function entirely.
But to achieve that…
her eyes would need to evolve further.
Only by surpassing the seal's limits could it be destroyed completely.
"It seems you'll need more time to develop your eyes," Kei said, closing his own. "But the path is correct. You've already damaged the seal. I believe you can finish the job."
"I will," Ayaka said firmly. "I've staked everything on this. If you can break your fate… so can I."
"You will," Kei replied with a faint smile.
He stepped closer, lifting her forehead protector and tying it back in place.
"I'm still waiting for your Sage Mode. And your senjutsu chakra."
"You…" Ayaka hesitated slightly but didn't move away. "Isn't Kenta training for that too? Why not use him?"
Kei shook his head. "I already told you—I don't want another man's chakra inside me."
"And what about cells?" she tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"…Don't talk."
"Oh."
Kei finished tying the protector, then spoke casually—
"My birthday's in a few days. Come over."
"…"
"You're not saying anything, so I'll take that as a yes."
"???"