Chapter 331 – "If You Can Do It, Why Can't I?"
Kei truly hadn't expected this—
someone in the middle of Konoha actually dared to tail him?
He wasn't angry, though.
If the one following him happened to be someone sent by the Third Hokage…
Kei would have been thrilled.
But after thinking it through, he doubted Hiruzen Sarutobi would act so prematurely.
Trying to target Kei now would be nothing short of leaping into the flames.
Still—
if someone dared to follow him, Kei had no intention of letting them stroll away comfortably.
Acting as though he hadn't noticed anything, he continued toward the Uchiha compound.
The presence behind him remained persistent—so blatant it was almost comical.
What is this? A stalker with zero stealth training?
As Kei approached a corner bordering the clan district, he decided he'd had enough.
The moment he slipped around the bend, he created a shadow clone and sprang up the wall overlooking the corner.
This was basic ambush work—child's play for someone like him.
Breathing low, Kei hid himself.
He didn't conceal his chakra completely, but it wouldn't matter.
Most shinobi simply could not detect him at this level.
Sometimes he envied Imai Kenta and Hyūga Ayaka—their sensory abilities were absurd.
They could root out hidden enemies with ease.
But Kei… hadn't been blessed with that kind of talent.
Still—not the time to dwell on it.
The tail was approaching.
Kei's brows lifted when he saw the stalker's face.
Then he almost laughed.
Shisui?
Shisui Uchiha was following him?
Kei remembered that the kid had already been contacted by the Third Hokage.
Uchiha Jin had mentioned it.
Was this Hiruzen's idea?
Or Shisui's own?
After some thought, Kei concluded it was likely Shisui himself—
the boy had probably worked up the courage to ask for a direct meeting.
And being inexperienced, he followed Kei in the most conspicuous way imaginable.
Shisui's heart bore the imprint of the so-called "Will of Fire"—
but Hiruzen and the elders never realized something important:
Shisui's true desire was harmony between the village and the clan.
In his heart, family and village existed on the same level.
He was no Itachi.
The Third really miscalculated… this kid is nothing like Uchiha Itachi.
Shisui valued both sides.
Itachi, however, in the original timeline, spiraled into extremism.
Kei remained hidden until he confirmed no ANBU or Root ninja were nearby.
Only then did he pursue silently and dispel the clone ahead of Shisui.
The puff of chakra smoke startled him, but he quickly calmed—
after all, he was following Kei.
And then a cold, flat voice drifted from behind him:
---
"Speak, kid. Why are you following me?"
"Give me a good explanation.
Otherwise, I promise you'll regret it."
Shisui swallowed.
There was nothing loud about Kei's tone.
Nothing overtly threatening.
But Shisui felt it.
That suffocating pressure.
That cold, pitiless aura—
like being targeted by a venomous snake.
Not even meeting Elder Jin or the Third Hokage had felt like this.
There was warmth in Hiruzen's authority.
But Kei?
Kei's presence was like death quietly brushing past your throat.
Shisui froze.
If he didn't answer properly now—
he doubted he would ever get another chance.
"Kei-san… I truly wished to speak with you. But I've never had the opportunity.
And I thought… because of certain reasons, you might not want to see me, so…"
Kei raised a brow.
"We're both Uchiha. Why would you think I'd refuse to meet you?
Your story is full of holes. You're hiding something."
Kei stared.
He was evaluating, dissecting.
"So—what do you want from me?"
Shisui hesitated, then said earnestly:
"You are the pride of our clan.
I have always admired you…
and I have many doubts in my heart."
Doubts?
Kei almost sighed.
Another kid full of philosophical questions.
He had no desire to entertain this nonsense.
Itachi had asked something similar a year ago, and Kei answered only because he respected Fugaku.
But Shisui?
He was nothing to Kei.
And unlike Itachi—
Shisui had already come into contact with the Third Hokage.
Kei didn't trust kids touched by Hiruzen.
"You have three minutes," Kei said flatly, arms crossing over his chest.
"This is Uchiha territory.
No ANBU will enter here without notice.
Use your time wisely."
Shisui stiffened and nodded.
"I'll be direct then…
Kei-san, what are your thoughts on war?
And on the relationship between the clan… and the village?"
Kei blinked.
Then he laughed.
"Itachi asked me the exact same thing last year.
Aren't you two close?
Why didn't you ask him?"
Shisui bit his lip.
"I did ask. But he said… you didn't approve of him."
"That sounds like a your problem." Kei turned away.
"And approval? Why must I approve of him—or you?"
He started to leave.
But Shisui suddenly called out:
"Then why—during the crisis in Kirigakure—did no one in Konoha look for you?"
Kei stopped.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned back.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
But his eyes—
they were empty, cold, merciless.
Shisui felt the blood drain from his face.
This wasn't a snake anymore.
It was death itself, wrapping icy fingers around his spine.
Kei approached, each step deliberate.
"Kid… do you understand what you just implied?"
"I—I only had a personal doubt…"
Shisui trembled. Sweat soaked his back.
Kirigakure's catastrophe…
was Kei responsible?
Kei chuckled softly and placed a hand on Shisui's shoulder.
"You have too much imagination.
And you're dangerously close to accusing the Head of the Konoha Police of treason."
He leaned closer.
"I think I should bring you in for questioning.
To see who's been whispering in your ear."
Shisui clenched his teeth.
"Kei-san, I only… I only—"
Shisui didn't even finish his sentence before he felt Kei's hand clamp down on his shoulder.
A sharp, indescribable pain shot through his entire body.
His muscles twitched, his breath hitched—
but he still didn't dare move.
Not that Kei intended to give him the chance.
Kei's physique had long since undergone a terrifying evolution.
Raw strength was never his specialty—
but now?
Even without specializing in power, he possessed strength far beyond what most shinobi could endure.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to casually twist Ao's arm clean off back then.
"Pain comes in two forms," Kei said quietly, almost gently.
"One makes you stronger.
The other is meaningless—just pointless suffering."
His voice remained calm, but his eyes shifted—
blood-red Sharingan blooming to life, the three tomoe spinning slowly.
"I have very little patience for things without value.
Shall I force you to speak?
Or do you say it yourself?"
"I… I can't say." Shisui's face twisted in agony, but he held on.
"But I came to you of my own will. I spoke with Captain Fukuh—"
"Fukuhiko?" Kei's grip paused for a brief moment.
"You know him? How?"
"Captain Fukuhiko… he's my squad's jōnin instructor."
Shisui took a painful breath. "We talked. And… he's curious about you, so… I came."
Fukuhiko… his instructor?
Kei blinked.
Then things began to click.
Even though the Third Hokage's influence had weakened severely, reshuffling a genin team behind the scenes was hardly difficult for him.
But something didn't add up.
In Kei's recollection, Fukuhiko was loyal—quietly aligned with the Third's faction.
A good man, but a man molded by the Will of Fire.
Someone like that shouldn't be acting irrationally.
So what exactly did he say to make Shisui this curious?
Kei narrowed his eyes.
When he activated his Sharingan earlier, he had noticed a strange layer of chakra on Shisui's tongue.
A silencing seal.
The kid literally could not say anything involving the Third Hokage.
Was Shisui trying to deceive him?
Kei's eyes flashed—his Sharingan releasing a chilling surge of chakra.
Shisui's instincts flared, and his own eyes turned scarlet in response.
He already had double tomoe…
Whether from emotional trauma or pure talent, his progress was undeniable.
He had the physical aptitude, talent, and mental fortitude needed for the Sharingan to manifest.
But even so—
his eyes were nothing before Kei's.
In a single instant, Shisui's gaze turned vacant.
Kei loosened his grip.
He had already seen everything he needed.
He never expected Fukuhiko to harbor such a strong impression of him—
and even more surprising, the man had clearly misunderstood a lot.
But Kei had also confirmed something…
and that something raised even more questions.
Fukuhiko might not be what he seemed.
Or perhaps Kei had misjudged him from the beginning.
Kei shook his head.
That wasn't something he could uncover in a day.
This matter was strange—worth investigating, but slowly, carefully.
As for Shisui?
Kei had already formed a plan.
When he peered into Shisui's emotions, he clearly sensed the conflict tearing through him.
He had been influenced by the Third, yes—
but he genuinely felt the positive changes in both the clan and the village.
He loved the village.
He loved the clan.
And now he was stuck between the two, suffocating under the weight of his ideals.
"A complete lunatic," Kei muttered coldly.
"Really think you can change anything?
Play savior to both the clan and the village?"
Shisui and Itachi—
In nicer words, they were "benevolent."
In truth?
They were mentally unstable idealists.
But unstable idealists were also very easy to use.
And Shisui might turn out to be quite useful.
A faint smile curved Kei's lips.
Shisui had been drawn in by the Third—
and by Danzō's rhetoric of "sacrifice for the village."
But that was long before Minato stabilized his position as Hokage.
Still—
"Flies don't hover unless there's a crack in the egg."
If Shisui carried such misguided thoughts,
of course he would attract the wrong influences.
And if the Third could use him—
why couldn't Kei?
With that thought, Kei grabbed the dazed Shisui by the arm.
A simple transformation jutsu washed over him, masking the boy's appearance.
Then Kei dragged Shisui away from the corner without the slightest hesitation.