Uchiha Kai wore a relaxed smile.
He wasn't some war fanatic. Especially with a system backing him, he much preferred to lie low and coast.
The longer he stalled, the stronger he would become.
The Third War was far from over, but in his view, it had little to do with him. All he had to do was wait.
And once the war ended, there would be a relatively long period of peace until the Nine-Tails' attack. That span of time would be enough for him to "grind his way" to Kage-level strength.
As for Hiruzen's suppression? He didn't care at all.
This was a world where might ruled. If he could reach super-Kage level—even without touching Madara's Six Paths tier—merely attaining the level of Nagato's Six Paths of Pain would be more than enough.
Didn't like someone? One punch would settle it.
"With Shisui around, it shouldn't be a big problem," Nara Kazama said calmly. "But you, Kai—you need to be careful. Even if you don't fight in the village, being stuck between the Uchiha and the village leadership will give you plenty of headaches."
"As for Aya's situation… Are you sure you can handle it?"
Yes—Kazama wasn't a fool.
Back when Kai was keeping a low profile, neither the village nor the Uchiha paid much attention to him, so teaming together had been easy.
Now, things were different.
With Hiruzen's nature, he would never allow the Uchiha to form bonds with other clans.
Like Kai himself had said: their small squad would never be sent on outright suicide missions. For ordinary missions, Shisui's presence alone was enough.
What worried Kazama most now was Kai.
At that, Hyuga Aya hurriedly spoke up.
"There's no need to rush with my matter. At least not until the war is over—before then, the clan won't take action."
"And besides, the Hyuga compound's defenses are no joke. The patrol squads might not be strong, but their Byakugan is always active, twenty-four hours a day."
"They might not be able to stop an intruder, but detecting your presence? That they can do."
"Even if you use genjutsu, there will be traces left behind. Sooner or later, they'd track it back to you."
She looked flustered.
Though they had spoken of this before, deep down she had never truly taken it seriously. No one knew better than her just how tight the Hyuga's defenses were. A perfect infiltration? A laughable fantasy.
The Hyuga, second only to the Uchiha among Konoha's great clans, had hidden depths few could imagine.
But Kai had brought it up again—seriously, this time. Her heart leapt with both joy and fear.
She had dreamed countless times of escaping the family cage, but it had always seemed impossible.
Now it was different.
She had seen Kai's overwhelming power with her own eyes just days ago. That image was still seared into her mind. And now, he had awakened the Uchiha's ultimate trump card—the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Enough. No need for all that," Kai said proudly. "We're friends—there's no need to say more."
"Just tell me everything you know about the Hyuga defenses—the patrol routes, hidden sentries, all of it."
"As for the rest, I'll take care of it."
Yes—
If it were before, he wouldn't have had much interest in such thankless work.
But things had changed. Aya knew too many of his secrets. If word ever slipped, even if it didn't kill him, it would cause endless trouble.
He couldn't just kill her, could he?
So better to resolve her problem, to make her truly one of his own.
When feelings weren't enough, shared interests made a far sturdier bond.
As for recruiting her clan? He had never considered it.
The caged bird seal was too great an obstacle. Without breaking it, there was no point.
As long as Aya didn't cause problems, that was good enough.
"Thank you, Kai-kun." Aya took a deep breath, her eyes full of gratitude. "Whether it succeeds or not, I'll be grateful to you for life."
She was never one for many words. Even when thankful, she kept it brief.
But then she poured out everything she knew of the Hyuga defenses in one go.
Kai listened carefully, even activating his Sharingan to record it all perfectly.
"Kai, can you really handle this alone?" Shisui asked hesitantly. "Maybe we should wait until the war ends. I can come back and help you then."
He felt awkward. After all, he had first raised the idea—yet now Kai was taking the burden upon himself. For someone as earnest as Shisui, that sat uncomfortably.
But Kai shook his head firmly.
"No. It can't be delayed!"
"The sooner it's done, the better. The longer it drags on, the more unknown complications could arise."
"Killing a Hyuga main family member is easy. The real challenge is making sure no one connects his death to Aya."
"If they suspect the rest of us are outsiders, that's one thing. The Hyuga wouldn't dare confront the Uchiha or Nara directly."
"But Aya's different."
"She's just a branch member. They don't even need an excuse to crush her."
The others fell silent.
Kai was absolutely right. That was the reality.
The Uchiha? Enough said. If the Hyuga dared to provoke them, the Uchiha wouldn't bother with truth or lies. They'd only see it as an insult to their pride—and charge straight into war.
All for Uchiha honor!
Nara? Even if Kazama wasn't close to the clan leadership, for the sake of reputation, Shikaku would have no choice but to shield him.
And where would Hiruzen stand? That needed no thought.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trinity was tied to the Hokage's faction. The Hyuga, on the other hand, defied the Hokage's authority. Only an idiot wouldn't know which side to take.
But Aya?
If the Hyuga couldn't touch others, they could always take it out on her. A mere branch member—no justification required.
Therefore—
For Aya's safety, the matter had to be resolved before the war ended, before she returned to the village.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Kai-kun," Shisui said gravely.
Kai waved him off.
After that, the group chatted idly for a while—until Uchiha Fugaku himself came to visit.
Seeing the clan head, Shisui and the others immediately took their leave.
"My respects, Clan Head."
Kai, too, showed proper courtesy.
He rose to his feet and bowed.
After all, his "injury" had only been chakra depletion. Now that he was awake again, his chakra had already fully recovered.
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