Uchiha Kai was genuinely a bit surprised. He hadn't expected that his Jonin instructor, with whom he had barely any connection, actually knew Uchiha Isamu?
This made Uchiha Kai quickly begin to analyze. If they were teammates, could it be that Fuku Kohei knew some information about Uchiha Isamu?
With that thought, a new idea began forming in Kai's mind. He stopped in his tracks and deliberately looked at Fuku Kohei with a puzzled expression.
"You know him, so why didn't you just say his name?" Kai asked "curiously." "That guy I just beat up has a pretty good relationship with Uchiha Isamu. And Isamu holds quite a bit of sway within the clan—especially in the Konoha Police Force."
"If that was actually useful, I'd have done it already," Fuku Kohei gave a bitter smile, looking a bit helpless.
Kai nodded to himself internally. As he suspected, their "teammate" relationship probably wasn't that deep.
Maybe they were only considered teammates because they fought together on the front lines against the Hidden Cloud forces. Or maybe they actually were on a squad together. Either way, it was clear their relationship wasn't close.
Uchiha Isamu was the kind of guy who was not only hot-headed but also had an intense sense of "Uchiha pride." He didn't even think much of his fellow clansmen, let alone outsiders.
"Is that so?" Kai nodded. "That guy Isamu really is hard to like. Same goes for within the clan."
"So you don't like him either?" Fuku Kohei scratched his head with a wry smile. "But he's really strong—really strong. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to become your Jonin instructor."
There it is!
Kai smiled inwardly. This was exactly what he was waiting for—Fuku Kohei to start talking about their past.
He'd deliberately tossed out some thoughts to spark a sense of shared feeling. A guy like Uchiha Isamu definitely wasn't ordinary. If he and Fuku Kohei had gone on missions together, he must've left a deep impression.
So all Kai had to do was trigger those memories and let the man spill some "interesting" stories.
"Oh?" Kai rubbed his chin. "Can you tell me more about him? I'm curious why he holds such a high position within the clan. There are rumors his power is terrifying."
"It really is terrifying," Kohei said without hesitation. He sighed and started sharing his memories. "Isamu had an older brother named Uchiha Shu. The two of them were renowned for their strength on the Hot Springs battlefield. I was assigned to a squad with Isamu at the time…"
For some reason, in this world, when ninjas recall past events, they always like to recount everything.
Kai had no choice but to patiently listen.
Thankfully, Kohei's storytelling was impressively detailed. He even described battle scenes with precision—though everything was from his own perspective.
Kai listened intently. By the time they arrived at the entrance of the Uchiha compound, Kohei had finished his story.
"That's about it," Kohei smiled at Kai. "Pretty laughable, huh? Back then, I couldn't resist anything. Even if Isamu looked down on me, I still owe him my life."
"No, that's just the reality of the battlefield," Kai shook his head. "Captain Fuku, I'm home now. Thank you for walking me back. I'll take my leave."
"No problem, Kai." Kohei scratched his head again. "By the way, about my brother…"
"Don't worry, Captain Fuku." Kai gave a small smile. "I'll figure something out. At the very least, I won't let him suffer."
"Thanks, Kai. Hopefully next time, I can hear about your latest mission story."
"You will."
As Kai watched Kohei walk away, the smile on his face quickly faded. Rubbing his chin, he began to summarize and analyze what he had learned.
Fuku Kohei's memories of Uchiha Isamu were mostly centered on their time fighting together on the battlefield.
The most dangerous incident, as Kohei recalled, was when they encountered a user of Storm Release.
That enemy was physically powerful, skilled in taijutsu, and wielded Storm Release with nearly flawless precision. Kohei had nearly died in that fight.
But Isamu stepped up. He faced the Hidden Cloud ninja alone and unleashed unbelievable power.
With his Sharingan's insight, his genjutsu, and his expert Fire Release, Isamu ultimately killed the terrifying opponent!
Based on Kohei's description, Kai could confirm Isamu was incredibly powerful. By standards of the novels he'd read in the past, Isamu was at least elite Jonin level.
Exceptional in genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu—this guy had no weaknesses.
Especially in Fire Release. According to Kohei, Isamu's fire techniques were powerful and covered massive areas—one jutsu alone could engulf half a forest!
Not to mention his Sharingan. He awakened it early and used it with expert skill. That alone made him a terrifying and difficult opponent.
But Kai wasn't without confidence. He knew that unless someone could completely overpower Isamu in some area, a one-on-one battle would be nearly impossible to win.
After all, Uchiha Itachi had only succeeded in wiping out the entire clan because he had help from Konoha and Tobi working in the shadows. Plus, the clan never guarded against him, which made things much easier.
And Itachi had the Mangekyo Sharingan.
That's the kind of overwhelming power needed—only a Sharingan can suppress another Sharingan. That's not a joke.
Itachi's Sharingan suppressed others, allowing him to take them by surprise and still effortlessly defeat the Uchiha elites afterward.
Kai was now about the same age as Itachi—thirteen or fourteen—and he also had the Mangekyo.
Unless certain conditions were met, it was likely Isamu wouldn't see Kai as a threat.
Kai wouldn't go as far as Itachi in terms of sacrificing his eyesight, but with the Mangekyo's overwhelming advantage, his chances of winning were still high!
"Still, I should be cautious," Kai suddenly stopped as he neared his house. "If I run into real trouble… I'll use my eye technique right away. No hesitation!"
Despite the advantage of his eyes, Kai knew he was at a disadvantage in all other areas.
And he really didn't want to waste his current, non-renewable Mangekyo chakra—unless he had no other choice.
Here's the English translation of Chapter 86: Something's Not Right:
After obtaining some intel on Uchiha Yuu's strength, Uchiha Kei began planning how to get his hands on Yuu's patrol routes.
Since he had already decided to make a move, Kei wasn't going to be soft-hearted, nor was he going to drag things out for too long.
He and his team had been back in Konoha for a while now. Though the frontlines had mostly quieted down, the war wasn't officially over until negotiations were finalized, so technically, they were still at war.
It wasn't out of the question for his team to be redeployed to the Land of Grass—or maybe sent on another mission altogether.
Not just them—any capable combatants couldn't be left idle.
Kei remembered that after this period, Kakashi's squad got sent to the Land of Grass again, where they fell into a trap orchestrated by Uchiha Madara, who had already obtained intelligence ahead of time.
During that mission, Rin Nohara had the Three-Tails sealed into her body. To protect Konoha, she chose to die by Kakashi's hand while under siege from Hidden Mist ANBU.
This event directly affected two people's fates. Obito, who witnessed everything, awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan mere months after unlocking the basic Sharingan.
Uchiha Madara understood the Sharingan too well—he also understood human nature just as deeply.
It was because he saw the kindness within Obito that he deliberately twisted that light into darkness. The brighter someone's nature, the darker their fall once they stray.
In the hands of a man who was already half in the grave, human psychology was played like a finely tuned instrument. The devastation caused by Obito, who fell into darkness, needed no exaggeration—the future had already proven how terrifying it was.
To Kei, Minato's original team was essentially a prototype of what would later become Kakashi's Team 7—only the one who fell into darkness had changed.
Kakashi's favoritism toward Sasuke wasn't just because Sasuke was an Uchiha. It was probably also because Kakashi saw a shadow of his old self in him.
Kei was now slightly worried that he might be assigned to assist on that same mission. After all, his team had previously cooperated with Kakashi's team.
While he was interested in participating, he also knew that once they returned from that mission, the selection of the Fourth Hokage would be imminent.
So before leaving Konoha again, Kei wanted to handle a few things—like dealing with the Uchiha Yuu brothers.
Even if he couldn't take out both, eliminating one would be a victory.
Especially with the growing controversy around Orochimaru—having an Uchiha suddenly go missing might actually help stir things up.
Who knew what things would look like when he returned? The Police Force might start watching even more closely.
On top of that, attempting to stimulate his Mangekyō Sharingan and setting up a life-support device would take time—Kei was getting a bit of a headache just thinking about it.
"I'm starting to realize I've got neither money nor time," Kei sighed. It really was a mess.
He even considered taking on some missions just to earn a bit of money.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn't a good idea—if a mission caused him to miss something crucial, that would be even more frustrating.
With another helpless sigh, Kei concluded he'd just have to play it by ear for now. If things got desperate, maybe he could try borrowing some money from Uchiha Fugaku?
"Lord Kei."
As Kei was lost in thought, someone suddenly called from behind.
"Hm?" Kei turned his head curiously.
It had been about a month and a half since his return to Konoha. With his reputation slowly rising and having earned the right to attend clan meetings, more and more Uchiha ninja had started addressing him as "Lord Kei."
"The Clan Head wants to see you," the clan member said respectfully. "He's at the Police Department."
"I understand. I'll head there right away." Kei nodded, showing he got the message.
Kei had already mentally prepared for this summons. After all, he had publicly beaten up a member of the Police Force.
It was a bit embarrassing, sure—but he had solid reasons and had handled the situation appropriately.
Aside from stopping the officers and punching Uchiha Kōju, there really wasn't much else. Kei didn't think Fugaku would go too hard on him.
Kei arrived at the Police Department after a short walk, but he quickly noticed something strange—everyone there seemed overly serious.
And when they saw him, the looks they gave him were… complicated.
Kei found it all rather amusing.
What's the big deal? I just punched Uchiha Kōju.
Could that guy really be that respected within the department?
Shrugging off those stares, Kei walked straight to Fugaku's office.
"Come in," came Fugaku's voice after Kei knocked.
Kei pushed open the door and was surprised to see that Fugaku was alone. Kōju wasn't even there.
That told Kei something—Fugaku probably didn't care much about the incident at all.
"Clan Head," Kei greeted respectfully with a bow, even though he'd already guessed as much.
"No need to act like that. You've seen the situation—can't you guess why I called you?" Fugaku shook his head, then pointed to a nearby chair. "Sit."
"Yes, sir." Kei nodded and sat down. "May I ask if there's another reason you asked to see me?"
"What do you think?" Fugaku asked with a slight smirk. "From what I've seen, you've got good analytical skills—and you're smart. Take a guess: why did I call you here?"
My analytical skills are good because I know the future! Kei cursed internally, but he quickly began thinking it through.
Since Kōju wasn't present and Fugaku didn't seem angry, it was unlikely he was here to punish him.
Most likely, this was just a formal meeting. Fugaku was the clan head, after all. Even if he supported Kei, he couldn't show too much favoritism.
Then something else occurred to Kei.
Last time, he had talked about the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha clan. He had even publicly criticized the Police Force's overbearing conduct at a clan meeting.
The combined effect of Konoha's marginalization and the Uchiha's own behavior had only pushed the two sides further apart.
So this time, by beating up a Police Force member as a fellow Uchiha, Kei had slapped the hardliners in the face.
Could it be that Fugaku was planning to change things?
And Kei was to be the "catalyst"?
Or maybe Fugaku thought Kei's actions aligned with Konoha's expectations—and wanted to send him into the ANBU as a double agent?
Kei couldn't help but overthink things for a moment.
Sure! Here's the English translation of your input:
Chapter 87: Even Heaven Wants You Dead (New Book, Please Bookmark and Recommend!)
"Have you figured it out?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at the young boy in front of him, who had fallen into deep thought, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart.
He truly hadn't expected that someone who, like him, noticed the immense crisis hidden in the relationship between the clan and Konoha would turn out to be just a kid.
What surprised him even more was that the person who saw through all of this was once a "marginal figure" of the clan!
Yes, Uchiha Kei was a name Uchiha Fugaku might have heard before, but only as someone listed on the deployment roster.
This kind of roster was usually where the village requested the clan to send ninjas, and then the clan would select and list the names.
One could say that those on this list were generally people the clan didn't see much potential in, people they held little hope for.
Yet there were two exceptions on this list—one was Uchiha Obito, who awakened with two tomoe.
Unfortunately, that child eventually died on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, and they couldn't even retrieve his body.
The other was even more outrageous—Uchiha Kei, who awakened with three tomoe right from the start!
Although Uchiha Fugaku felt something was off about this kid, because not long after awakening his Sharingan, he killed Iwa-nin's explosive unit leader, Kari, in a fierce battle.
And that wasn't all—he later wiped out Ishimizu Hiiragi's squad from Iwa-nin, all by himself!
You can imagine how terrifyingly talented he was. If Fugaku hadn't been unable to find proof to contradict it, he wouldn't believe Kei had only just awakened his Sharingan.
When Fugaku finally met this kid, he found him quite interesting.
He was intelligent, and he also possessed a certain character he believed a shinobi should have. These traits piqued Fugaku's interest.
Then came Kei's behavior at the Konoha funeral, which aligned perfectly with his own views.
All of this made Fugaku increasingly interested in him. But what truly blew him away was a certain clan meeting.
He never expected the kid's perspective to be so unique yet incredibly rational—so much so that their views aligned perfectly!
Because of this, Fugaku began paying more attention to the boy. He was curious to see what kind of decisions Kei would make in such a complex clan environment.
But unexpectedly, the kid didn't make any moves—not even to greet the clan leader.
Still, Fugaku didn't push it, because he knew the kid spent all his time either reading or training. He had high standards for himself, so Fugaku let him be.
But what he didn't expect was that their next meeting would be under such circumstances—his own son had jumped off a cliff and was saved by Kei.
While puzzled by his son's behavior, Fugaku was extremely grateful for what Kei did.
So he called Kei over for a chat, deciding to deal with his son later.
Uchiha Itachi was mature and deeply thoughtful. As his father, Fugaku suspected his son hadn't tried to take his own life. He also didn't want his wife to know about it.
But what truly shocked him was how a casual chat left such a deep impression—after that, he could no longer see Kei as just a child!
Too sharp, too precise. At such a young age, and with incomplete information, he had deduced the tension between the village and the clan just based on his training insights!
Even if he gave full documentation to many adult clansmen, they might not be able to grasp the core issues.
Fugaku felt he had underestimated this kid—no matter how many times he raised his evaluation, it still felt like he was underrating him.
In terms of strength, Kei had already proven himself—and he was only thirteen or fourteen, with so much room to grow!
In terms of intelligence, he had proven himself on the complex battlefield, and in the tangled web of clan and village politics.
At this moment, Fugaku decided he could no longer let Kei continue as an outsider to the clan. And his relationship with Kakashi... perhaps Kei had other motives?
Some thoughts... Fugaku didn't even dare to entertain.
"Clan leader, are you planning to reform the Konoha Police Force?" Just as Fugaku was looking at Kei with a complex expression, Kei suddenly asked.
He had already figured it out—Itachi joining the Anbu and becoming a double agent had its roots in the Nine-Tails incident.
The same was true for Shisui. Although Shisui had always leaned toward Konoha, he joined the Anbu after the Nine-Tails incident, when the relationship between the Uchiha and the village was on the verge of collapse.
Those old foxes in Konoha pretended to be conciliatory, but how could they not have their own plans? And because of shared ideals, these two Uchihas were brainwashed and turned against their clan.
Right now, without the Nine-Tails incident, the village probably wouldn't allow the Uchiha to interfere with the Anbu.
So the most likely explanation was that Fugaku truly wanted to reform the Police Force, and Kei's ideas had deeply impacted the clan leader.
Especially since Kei's perspective was essentially from the "dove faction."
Making some changes ahead of time to prevent future disaster was definitely a wise move, even if it was difficult.
And for Kei, this was great news—it meant his plan was going well!
"Yes," Fugaku didn't hide it. "Too many people hate the Uchiha. The rift between us and the village keeps growing, and that's not what I want to see."
"This is a very difficult task, clan leader." Kei thought for a moment, then decided to be cautious. "I'm afraid many within the clan won't allow you to do this."
"I know. But some things must be approached with a firm stance." Fugaku sighed. "Think it over carefully and give me some suggestions, how—"
"Clan leader." Before Fugaku could finish, there was a knock on the office door. "Yuu-sama is here."
Uchiha Yuu is here?
Kei calmly nodded. Of course—he hadn't hidden his whereabouts. How could Yuu not know?
Fugaku also responded calmly, though he stood up and walked toward the door.
"Think about it, Kei-kun." Fugaku said evenly. "Wait here—I'll go speak with Yuu-kun."
"Yes, clan leader." Kei also stood up and bowed to him.
He didn't care about Uchiha Yuu, but if someone else could take care of the trouble, all the better.
Fugaku probably brought him here with that in mind—to ease tensions if not eliminate them.
As he watched Fugaku close the office door, Kei looked around the room—until his gaze landed on Fugaku's desk. He froze.
On it sat the freshly drafted patrol map for the Police Force!
"Looks like even heaven wants you dead this time, Uchiha Yuu..."
Chapter 88: Investing in the Future
Back when Uchiha Kei used to play video games, he had heard a saying: "Skill doesn't matter as much as matchmaking."
At first, Uchiha Kei thought this saying was kind of exaggerated—after all, what's the use of good matchmaking if you don't have the skills?
But later on, he realized that the saying was absolutely true. Whether you're a master or just a bronze-level player, luck played a huge part. In short: "It's a game of luck."
Now that he's in this world, luck is even more important—because now, it's his own life on the line!
Take the battlefield, for example: an enemy ninja might throw a kunai at you, and you might not be able to dodge. But at that exact moment, either an enemy ninja or your own teammate might suddenly appear in front of you and take the hit instead.
No matter what world you're in, skill alone isn't enough—you need luck too. Otherwise, why would there be so many "talented but unrecognized" people?
Thankfully, Uchiha Kei's luck wasn't bad. Sure, he'd had some insanely unlucky things happen to him, but at least this time, he was genuinely lucky!
Getting info on Uchiha Yuu and even tracking down his patrol route hadn't taken much time or energy at all. It was honestly a breeze.
Besides marveling at his good luck, Kei didn't know what else to say.
Out of revenge, Uchiha Kei had targeted Uchiha Hiroki—but who would've guessed that his mentor jonin had once been teammates with Uchiha Yuu?
With the intention of seeing how Uchiha Hiroki would react, Kei visited the Konoha Police Force HQ—only to find nothing happened. In fact, Uchiha Fugaku even wanted to help him smooth things over.
Kei knew this was basically a peace offering—probably meant to avoid stirring up trouble within the clan.
But by sheer coincidence, Fugaku left Kei alone in the office… and Kei stumbled across the patrol route map of the Police Force!
After seeing that, Kei couldn't help but feel that even the heavens wanted Uchiha Yuu dead. What else could he say?
Fugaku returned after about ten minutes, and in that time, Kei had already memorized the entire route map.
By the time Fugaku re-entered, Kei had already returned to his original spot.
Uchiha Yuu came in with him too—and it was obvious the guy was not happy.
But he was clearly holding back his anger and stood silently to the side. It seemed Fugaku had given him a serious "talk," enough to keep him in check.
"Kei-kun," Fugaku said as he sat back down. "Find time to visit Hiroki and clear the air, understood?"
"I'll go apologize properly," Kei responded, giving a slight bow. But he didn't even glance at Uchiha Yuu. "I was out of line. I'll take time to reflect on my actions."
"Good. Go ahead," Fugaku waved him off. "Also, while you've got some free time, help guide Itachi a bit. He always visits you, but you're never around."
"I'll do that," Kei nodded, then turned and left.
Teach Uchiha Itachi?
If there's time, Kei thought to himself. Realistically, he doubted he'd have time—no matter what he said about reflecting on his actions.
According to the route and patrol map, Uchiha Yuu's next patrol was in three days. Kei needed to spend those days getting ready.
As a ninja, when you know your enemy's intel, there's a lot to prepare. The basics include scouting the terrain and picking a good ambush spot.
He also had to restock tools—like kunai and shuriken. A ninja is a warrior. How can a warrior fight without weapons?
With that in mind, Kei decided to go out tomorrow and buy the necessary ninja tools. He'd also follow the patrol route himself to find the most suitable ambush location.
In Kei's mind, the perfect ambush spot didn't need to be super hidden—being too hidden might raise suspicion. He just needed a place that didn't get much foot traffic.
"Kei-sama," a voice interrupted Kei's thoughts.
He turned around—it was Uchiha Asahi.
"Asahi-kun, no need to be so formal. What's up?"
"Kei-sama, one of your classmates is waiting for you outside," Asahi said respectfully, ignoring Kei's casual tone.
"A classmate?" Kei raised an eyebrow and rubbed his chin. "Alright, got it. Thanks for letting me know."
Asahi bowed again, then silently turned and left.
Watching his overly respectful behavior, Kei found it a bit puzzling. Sure, he'd saved the guy's kid—but this level of reverence seemed over the top.
Could it be that Asahi was trying to make a "future investment"—hoping to get his kid assigned under Kei's tutelage someday?
Kei rubbed his chin again, then simply walked outside.
Before long, he spotted Kakashi, Guy, and others waiting for him.
"You guys…?"
Kei was a bit confused. Kakashi made sense—but why were Might Guy, Rin, Kurenai, and even Genma Shiranui and Iruka there too?
This was way different from what Kei expected.
At first, he thought Kakashi was inviting him to train—which Kei had no problem with.
He had already gotten the intel he wanted, so he didn't mind going for a training session.
Besides, during training he could stealthily send out a shadow clone. That clone could either buy ninja tools or scout the terrain. Either way, it was a great chance to prep.
But now…
This might be even better than solo training with Kakashi!
With so many people around, Kei figured he'd be even safer. The only question was what they were all doing here—if it was group training, that'd be kind of annoying.
"Kei, here's the thing," Guy walked up to him. "We're not on any missions right now, and since most of us are back in the village, Rin suggested we all hang out for a bit. So…"
"A get-together?" Kei rubbed his chin, then nodded. "Sure. Let's do it."
He hadn't expected that—but he wasn't opposed at all. In fact, he was all for it.
These people were the future pillars of Konoha. Building good relationships with them had always been part of Kei's long-term plan—whether his own plans ultimately succeeded or failed.
This was his investment in the future.