Chapter 256 – Good News and Bad News
After finishing his duties at the Division, Imai Kenta dragged his exhausted body back home.
Ever since he'd left the battlefield, it had been a long time since he had felt this kind of bone-deep fatigue.
But he knew the weariness didn't come from his body—it was mental.
Anyone would feel drained after spending an entire night cleaning up mangled corpses.
Though Kenta had long since grown used to such grisly work, even he wasn't immune. For the other guards, most were already beyond collapse.
"Thank goodness I'm a squad leader now," he muttered to himself, "otherwise I'd still be on duty instead of resting. That would've been the real curse."
Back at home, Kenta took a long shower. He scrubbed away the stench of blood and filth, until only clean skin remained. Then he collapsed onto his bed.
But sleep wouldn't come.
The images from last night replayed endlessly in his head—the underground lab filled with comatose test subjects radiating life yet stripped of will…the endless files and forbidden documents…and above it all, Uchiha Kei's chakra avatar, towering and godlike.
"…Godlike?" Kenta gave a humorless laugh. "No. More like a demon."
The word god felt far too exalted for someone like Kei. Those eyes, black as pitch with burning crimson tomoe, were nothing divine. They were the eyes of a devil.
With a sigh, Kenta forced his eyes shut, willing away the thoughts. Only by clearing his mind could he find rest.
But fate was cruel. No sooner had he closed his eyes than a knock came at the door.
Suppressing his irritation, Kenta rose to see who would disturb him so early. To his dismay, it was a familiar elder—someone close to him, a mentor who had taught him much in his youth.
"Uncle Masaya. Good morning." Though tired, Kenta bowed respectfully.
Masaya nodded. "Kenta, Shōma-sama is asking for you."
"Grandfather Shōma?" Kenta blinked, then realized. "…This is about last night, isn't it?"
"Mm. The Fourth Hokage convened a meeting this morning. Takuma attended. Afterward, he reported to Shōma-sama and asked me to bring you."
Kenta sighed. So much for rest. He had hoped to write a report and be done with it, but it seemed face-to-face was unavoidable.
After changing, he made his way toward Senju Shōma's residence.
Though exhausted from battle and a sleepless night, Kenta kept calm. Compared to the battlefield, this was nothing. In fact, this meeting gave him a chance to discuss another matter—the composition of the Guard's planned fourth division.
When he arrived at the old wooden house, Kenta hesitated. Once, this place had felt warm and dignified. Now, it seemed…decayed. Shaking the thought away, he stepped inside.
"Grandfather Shōma." Kenta bowed deeply.
"Sit." The old Senju elder nodded. "Masaya explained, didn't he?"
"He only said that Uncle Takuma attended the Hokage's meeting."
"That's enough." Shōma's sharp gaze settled on him. "Now, tell me about the mission. And…Shimura Danzō."
So Kenta recounted everything—from their infiltration, to the evidence they discovered, to Jiraiya's decision to bury the truth, and finally, to Danzō's death at their hands.
He omitted only the most dangerous truths—Orochimaru's secret dealings with Kei, and Kei's own experiments. Those, he knew, must never be spoken aloud.
Shōma listened in silence, his face shifting between grief and relief. At Jiraiya's cover-up, there was regret—but also approval. At Danzō's death, his expression brightened.
Few in Konoha despised Danzō more than Senju Shōma. For him, the man's death was both justice and long-overdue retribution.
"Well done," Shōma finally said, satisfaction in his tone. "Those who desecrate the graves of our ancestors deserve no less. Even if it was Uchiha Kei who led the blade, your role was not small. Pity…that Sarutobi Hiruzen still lives as Hokage."
Kenta kept his head bowed. Best not to respond.
After a pause, Shōma sighed. "You've done well. Now—what of the body?"
"Kei took it. By now, it should already be in the Fourth Hokage's hands."
"Pity we couldn't bring it here. Still, Minato is no fool—he won't grant that traitor an honorable burial."
Kenta nodded. Then, after a breath, he raised the matter of the Guard's fourth division. Carefully, he avoided naming Kei.
But to his shock, Shōma dismissed it outright.
"That matter no longer concerns us. There will be no list. No names. Forget it."
Kenta froze. "Grandfather…what?"
The old man waved it away as though it were nothing. "It is settled. You will soon leave the Guard Division as well."
"Leave…?"
"Minato has gained what he sought. And with power returned to him, gaps will appear elsewhere. You, Kenta, will take one of those seats. You must cut ties with the Uchiha. End the whispers that our Senju rely upon them."
Shōma's voice trembled with sudden fervor. "This is an opportunity! A chance for the Senju to rise again!"
Kenta lowered his gaze, concealing his turmoil. The old man's hatred of the Uchiha blinded him. He had no idea what Kei had become—a serpent coiled in the shadows, cunning, merciless, and wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Defy him, and it wouldn't just be politics at stake. It would be survival.
Later that day, back in the Guard offices—
Kei's eyes narrowed as he listened. "So…you've pulled out."
Cold silence filled the room. Betrayal—by an ally, no less.
Though Kenta himself was a victim of his clan elder's decision, Kei cared little for excuses. His plans had been undermined, his effort wasted.
"It wasn't my choice," Kenta said darkly. "It was my clan's elder who overturned it. Left to me, I'd never make such a suicidal decision."
Kei leaned forward, fingers steepled beneath his chin. His crimson eyes glimmered. "…And who is your clan's mouthpiece?"
Before Kenta could answer, a knock interrupted. Kei frowned—he'd ordered no interruptions.
But when the door opened, Hyūga Ayaka stepped inside.
Just like that, the "irregular squad" was whole again.
"Speak," Kei said, massaging his temples. "What message have you brought me this time? Hopefully not bad news."
Ayaka's lips curved faintly. "You seem troubled, Kei. Did Kenta bring you ill tidings? Don't worry—I bring the opposite."
"Your clan head?" Kei guessed.
She nodded. Calmly, she recounted her report to Hiashi, how she'd carefully revealed select details, leaving much unsaid, and how she had raised Kei's stature in Hiashi's eyes. Then she delivered the message:
"Hiashi-sama wishes more Hyūga to join the Division. If possible, to hold positions of importance. In return, he promises greater support to the Uchiha—so long as our interests do not clash."
Kei's smile was faint but real. "Now that is good news. Far better than what I've just heard."
Kenta stiffened, but Ayaka ignored him.
"Give me more time," Kenta said suddenly, voice low and resolute. "I'll find a way to resolve this. I'll bring you an answer you'll approve of."
Kei studied him for a long moment, then finally inclined his head. "Very well. More time. But Kenta…don't mistake leniency for weakness. Don't gamble with me."
The matter closed, Kei turned away, his thoughts shifting to the future.
Perhaps the Senju were split—young and old at odds. Perhaps allies would fail. But in the end, if they resisted, he would show them the consequences.
Later, in the underground lab, as Ayaka prepared another injection, she asked curiously:
"Do you think Kenta can succeed?"
Kei didn't look up. "I don't know. But whatever happens, we'll adapt."
Then his gaze flicked to her. "You, on the other hand, should focus on Orochimaru's notes. That knowledge will matter more than politics."
"I know," Ayaka replied softly. She steadied the syringe, searching for a vein. "…One more thing. About my eyes—how much do you really know?"
Kei tilted his head. "The Byakugan? I've had people investigate. We've found…something. But it's so outlandish I hesitate to believe it."
Ayaka's brows furrowed. "Outlandish?"
"Too fantastical," Kei murmured. His tone was flat, unreadable, as though he were speaking truth. In a sense, he was—for there were truths best left veiled, until the time was right.
This time, since Hyūga Ayaka had asked directly, Kei saw no reason to hold back.
So long as his words were vague enough—half-truths, half-lies, wrapped in mystique—it didn't matter if she couldn't tell fact from fiction. For his purposes, planting doubt was enough.
Ayaka frowned at his evasive tone, but her hand remained steady as she pressed the syringe home. By now, she was practiced, and Kei himself had grown accustomed. The serum no longer seared through his veins as before; each injection felt less alien, almost natural.
"How fantastical?" she asked quietly, breaking the silence as she set the empty syringe aside.
Kei rubbed his arm, his dark eyes fixed on hers. "Originally, I wanted more time before speaking of it. But since you insist… very well. Some of my more discreet operatives uncovered curious fragments during their search."
Ayaka's brow knit tighter. She disliked his habit of baiting words. "Fragments of what?"
Kei's tone turned grave. "Evidence suggesting the Hyūga clan were not native to the shinobi world at all…but outsiders."
Her breath caught. "Outsiders?"
"My men discovered items—relics—hinting at an origin beyond our lands. They're damaged, being restored even now. But others who reviewed older texts noted something strange. Records suggest the Hyūga clan didn't exist in the shinobi world until several centuries ago. You simply…appeared. And then, curiously, you began repeating phrases that bordered on absurd."
Of course, Kei was bluffing. The Uchiha archives held records, yes, but much had vanished with Madara. Kei had nothing concrete. But he didn't need proof—just a seed of suspicion. If Ayaka chased that seed within her own clan and found something, then it would be far more valuable than any lie.
"Appeared out of nowhere?" she echoed. "Absurd phrases? What kind of phrases?"
Kei allowed a thin smile to curl across his lips. "According to one record, a pale-eyed figure once claimed to be named Ōtsutsuki…and that they hailed from the moon."
Ayaka froze.
Her mind locked onto two names, circling endlessly—
Ōtsutsuki.
From the moon.