Chapter 282 – The Alarm Bell
Kei's latest meeting with Minato had been short and quiet.
There was little left to discuss.
Aside from the fact that a few of Minato's recent maneuvers had drawn unwanted attention,
everything else was proceeding smoothly.
Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had gone still.
After his last subtle probe, he'd withdrawn his hand —
perhaps realizing that he had already found the limits of Minato's patience.
Now, the old man was retreating into the shadows, consolidating what remained of his influence,
and quietly preparing for whatever came next.
For the moment, Minato faced no interference.
His policies flowed forward without resistance,
and Konoha's administrative machinery was finally moving as it should.
Having confirmed all this, Kei saw no reason to linger.
Even though the ANBU now answered to him completely —
their masked figures had wordlessly left the room the moment he entered —
the Hokage's Office still made him uneasy.
Too many portraits hung on those walls.
Too many eyes of the dead.
It wasn't a place for open words.
He accepted the four newly approved jōnin certificates, then turned to leave.
---
"Ah, Kei-kun," Minato called after him, smiling. "One more thing — the new Police Division headquarters is about to break ground."
Kei paused mid-step.
"The construction team came by looking for you," Minato continued. "You weren't at the department, and they were in a rush, so they left a message with me.
They'd like you to visit when you have time — the new building's design was drawn up with your input in mind."
"I see." Kei touched his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. "Understood, Hokage-sama. I'll visit them soon."
Ninja-built structures were no ordinary projects.
If it were woodwork, they'd struggle — no one in Konoha had Mokuton, after all.
But for large-scale buildings, chakra made the impossible routine.
Steel frames, reinforced stone, elemental sealing layers —
they could raise a fortress faster than ordinary craftsmen could finish the foundation.
Kei stepped out of the Hokage's Office into the brisk afternoon air,
but he didn't go to the construction site.
They're just preparing, he thought. No need to rush.
Besides, Konoha's construction squads were hardly "professionals."
Rebuilding the village after the Nine-Tails' attack had been…
an education for everyone involved.
The villagers now understood what they never had during the Great Ninja War:
that peace did not mean safety.
The flames of battle had never reached Konoha before —
until the Nine-Tails burned its warning into the heart of the village.
That was why Minato's reconstruction plan focused first on defensive architecture —
bunkers, barriers, chakra conduits, evacuation tunnels.
A village built not just to live in, but to survive.
---
When Kei returned to the underground lab,
he found Kenta Imai sitting cross-legged in the corner,
his body pulsing faintly with chakra as he meditated.
Even without activating his Sharingan, Kei could sense it —
Kenta's chakra had grown considerably.
But it was unstable, surging and uneven.
He hadn't yet adapted to his new power.
Kei frowned slightly, then turned toward another room.
There, Ayaka Hyūga sat at a cluttered desk,
carefully comparing two scrolls —
one bearing the sharp, meticulous script of the Second Hokage,
and the other filled with Orochimaru's unnervingly elegant handwriting.
Tobirama Senju — the second Hokage — had been a scientist in the truest sense,
a man who turned chakra theory into an art form.
Even his notes carried the aura of genius and paranoia.
"Any breakthroughs?" Kei asked, sitting down beside her. "How different are the two?"
"Oh, you're back?" Ayaka glanced up briefly, then lowered her gaze again.
"Quite different — but both useful.
Tobirama's work focuses on cellular fusion mechanics,
while Orochimaru's explores the biological potential of Mokuton energy.
Together, they're surprisingly complementary."
Kei nodded approvingly, then pulled a folder from his cloak and set it before her.
"Three months late, but… a birthday gift nonetheless."
Ayaka blinked, then smiled faintly.
"So it's been approved?"
"Yes," Kei said.
"Thank you," she murmured. "For the gift — and for remembering. Even if it's late."
Her tone softened, then turned teasing.
"Though you didn't ask if I wanted it."
"A gift's a gift," Kei replied dryly. "You'll live."
She smirked but said nothing more, quickly opening the folder.
Inside lay her jōnin certification papers — freshly sealed with the Hokage's crest.
Despite her casual words, her hands trembled ever so slightly as she closed it.
She understood what this meant.
If Kei was right, jōnin rank would soon become far more than just a title.
It would be currency in the new order to come.
---
"By the way," Kei said, changing the subject, "I saw Kenta training when I came in. How's he holding up?"
"Better," Ayaka replied. "Though he's nowhere near your level.
I kept his serum dosage low — his body doesn't suppress the cells the way yours does.
But strangely enough, his absorption rate is higher than yours."
She frowned slightly.
"Control, though… that's another story."
Kei nodded. He didn't need her to elaborate.
Anyone could see the swirling chakra radiating off Kenta's body.
It was like watching an unstable reactor.
"He'll have to fix that himself," Kei said. "No one can help him with control.
Still… I'm jealous. How much did his chakra grow?"
"About one-third increase," Ayaka said, glancing at her notes.
Kei let out a low whistle.
That was impressive — even if Ayaka didn't seem pleased.
"His growth rate's high, but it's not stable," she added. "You're still the safer bet.
By the way, Kei-kun… have you ever considered that the Hyūga might have their own internal counter-balance mechanism?"
Kei looked up.
"You mean… a genetic limiter?"
"Something like that," Ayaka said thoughtfully. "The way you and the Senju balance each other — maybe there's a clan whose bloodline naturally restrains ours."
Kei fell silent, rubbing his chin.
He didn't know enough to say.
But if there was a counterpart to the Byakugan — a bloodline with similar origins —
there was only one possibility.
The Kaguya clan.
Descendants of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, just like the Hyūga.
Their bones were weapons; their bodies absurdly strong.
They might, in theory, carry the same foundation — only untempered.
"Interesting," Kei murmured. "You might be right."
He recalled how the Kaguya would soon destroy themselves —
driven mad by the Mist Village's Blood Mist Policy,
a curse born of Obito's vengeance.
Only one survivor would remain: Kimimaro,
a child called both "monster" and "prodigy."
Kei's mind turned sharply.
If he could reach Kimimaro before Orochimaru did…
Intercepting the Snake isn't impossible, he thought coldly.
"Good idea," Kei said aloud. "I'll investigate.
And you should look into your clan's records — see what ties the Hyūga once had with others."
Ayaka smiled knowingly.
"Fortunately, I have access to the clan archives now.
Maybe I'll find something useful. Either way… we have a new lead."
"Exactly," Kei said, nodding. Then his voice hardened slightly.
"And in the meantime, don't experiment again."
She blinked.
"You noticed?"
"Of course I did," he said quietly. "You tried using the First Hokage's cells."
Her lips tightened.
"Because of the Sage Mode tests, then?"
"Yes. But I'm not angry," Kei said. "I understand why you did it — watching me grow stronger day after day must've been… frustrating.
But next time, your curiosity might kill you."
"So that warning… is that from you?"
"No," Kei said. "It's from the universe. I'd never kill you — unless you betrayed me."
Ayaka fell silent.
The warning was enough.
Every scientist needed limits.
Every ambition, a line that must not be crossed.
---
Kei understood her urgency.
She had watched him evolve through her work —
each experiment, each serum, each new layer of power.
Her envy and restlessness were only human.
But she was lucky to have survived that experiment at all.
The Hashirama cells hadn't consumed her — instead, they had gifted her.
Ayaka Hyūga could now access Sage Chakra.
A miracle. A curse. Both.
Even so, it unsettled Kei.
Had he not thought of the Kaguya clan, he might've let her continue —
but now that he had a safer path,
he couldn't let her risk herself again.
There are enough ghosts in this lab already, he thought.
---
Days turned to weeks.
The year came to an end — Konoha Year 48.
It had been a year of upheaval and quiet transformation.
The Fourth Hokage and his wife still lived,
the Third had retreated into the shadows,
and Danzō Shimura was long dead —
slain by Kei's own hand.
Konoha had changed beyond recognition.
With peace finally settling over the village,
the air seemed lighter — and the people, restless.
Peace always brought something else with it.
A baby boom.
It was the second in Konoha's history —
the first had produced Kei's own generation: Kakashi, Guy, and the others.
Now, another wave of children was being born —
children who would one day surpass even their predecessors.
Among them would rise two whose names would echo across the entire shinobi world.
---
Snow drifted softly over the training ground.
Kei stood in silence, his blade drawn,
watching the flakes melt against the steel.
Across from him, Kenta Imai stood ready,
his chakra flaring blue around his sword.
After months of recovery, his fusion was stable,
his body stronger than ever.
"Ready?" Kei asked, calm as ever. "You know, I'm not really a good choice for this."
"You're the only one I can fight," Kenta said with a wry smile. "And she needs data. So please… don't hold back, Captain."
In an instant, Kenta vanished.
No sound. No warning.
His sword flashed toward Kei's neck —
a blur of blue light.
Kei didn't even draw his weapon.
His eyes shifted, scarlet blooming within.
Three tomoe spun lazily, then locked on target.
A ripple of black chakra unfolded across his body —
Susanoo, in its earliest form,
manifested like a ghostly armor.
Kenta's blade struck — and stopped cold.
Then Kei moved.
His own sword — Kiryoku, the "Jadecutter" —
slid free in a burst of azure light.
No flourish. No wasted motion.
Just one clean, lethal swing.
The air itself trembled.
Kenta felt death brush past him like a whisper.
He twisted his sword, barely deflecting the strike,
then spun and kicked —
a desperate counterattack.
Kei raised one hand, catching the blow with ease.
His Sharingan spun again — and for a moment, Kenta's world blurred.
He blinked — and realized he'd been fighting a water clone.
"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A roaring dragon of water surged toward Kei from behind.
The water dragon surged forward, coiling through the air with lifelike grace — its scales shimmering, its roar echoing through the clearing.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Utterly harmless.
Kei didn't even flinch.
With a flick of his wrist, his blade traced a smooth arc through the air.
The roaring dragon of water broke apart before reaching him, scattering into harmless mist.
A breath later, he vanished.
When he reappeared, it was behind Kenta Imai's hiding spot.
But the instant Kei's blade cut through the air, he felt something wrong.
Too quiet.
His Sharingan caught it immediately — the faint shimmer of chakra residue.
The "Kenta" he struck down split apart with a dull crack.
Only mud spilled to the ground.
"A damn earth clone," Kei muttered, frowning.
Still, the timing was sloppy — a desperate feint.
He can't have gone far.
Kei's blade snapped upward again. The clone crumbled into dust—
and right at that instant, the real Kenta appeared behind him.
Steel met air with a sharp hiss.
Blue lightning rippled along Kenta's sword, the air trembling with its heat.
"Suiton: Water Blade Slash!"
The strike came fast — faster than before.
The chakra condensed along the edge of the blade was sharp enough to carve through steel.
Even Kei had to raise an eyebrow.
Not bad.
His own sword, Kiryoku, flashed up to meet the attack.
The two blades collided with a sound like tearing thunder.
Sparks of blue and silver scattered between them — the shockwave rippling through the snow.
Kei pushed lightly, just enough to test the pressure.
The impact vibrated up his arm.
"Your chakra control's improved," he said calmly. "And the density… higher than before."
For a brief moment, Kenta actually smiled.
Then Kei smiled too — a small, knowing curve of his lips that made the air grow cold.
The azure glow of his blade dimmed.
In the next heartbeat, it turned black.
Ink-dark chakra, thick and heavy, bled from the steel —
the air itself seemed to bend under the weight of it.
Kenta's eyes widened.
That presence — that suffocating, overwhelming pressure —
felt less like chakra and more like something alive.
This… this is impossible.
From the shadows of Kei's body, a blackened arm of chakra unfurled —
Susanoo's spectral limb, wreathed in darkness.
It lunged forward, fingers like claws,
grabbing at Kenta with the force of a storm.
"I knew this guy was trouble," Kenta growled through gritted teeth.
"But this is ridiculous!"
He slammed a seal against the ground —
his body dissolved into splinters of wood just as the massive hand crushed the spot he'd been standing.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared several meters away, landing lightly on one knee, gasping for breath.
Behind him, the splintered remains of his wooden double smoldered under the pressure of dark chakra.
Kenta exhaled slowly.
Even now, after all the enhancements, all the training,
the gap between them felt like an ocean.
Unless he could truly awaken Mokuton…
or somehow move through time and space like the Fourth Hokage,
he had no chance of defeating Uchiha Kei.
"This isn't even a warm-up for him," he muttered under his breath, half-laughing, half-defeated.
"For either of us, really. But still… he's absurd."
He straightened, brushing the dirt from his hands, and looked at Kei again —
the man who stood calmly in the snow, his blade resting easily at his side,
Sharingan still glowing faintly with bored amusement.
Kenta sighed, then smiled faintly.
"Forget it. It's not like I ever thought I could beat him.
He's always been the most dangerous one among us.
Let's just call this… practice."
He tightened his grip on his sword, blue chakra flickering to life once more.
"After all," he said quietly,
"it'd be a waste not to test myself against such a perfect training partner."