Chapter 349 – Your Futility Is Disappointing
Kei stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
His battle had ended long ago. He now had more than enough time to calmly observe Hyūga Ayaka and Kakashi as they finished theirs.
Ayaka's growth was unmistakable.
The techniques used by that monk—Chiriku—were actually quite interesting. Kei couldn't recall the exact name, but they seemed loosely connected to senjutsu… or perhaps something involving the Senju. The resemblance might have been little more than a similarity in name; Kei wasn't certain.
Either way, it was nothing remarkable.
The moment Chiriku attempted to switch techniques, Ayaka forcibly interrupted his chakra flow, cutting it off at the source and rendering him completely combat-ineffective.
She had clearly held back.
Kei could tell—if Ayaka had truly intended to kill, Chiriku would already be dead.
As for Kakashi's side of the battlefield—
It was nothing short of overwhelming domination.
He subdued Minami first, then crushed Kitaki during the chase. Higashi and Nishito had attempted to fight to the death—
—but once Kakashi pushed the Sharingan's perception to its limit and unleashed his offensive precision in full, neither could hold out.
They fell one after another.
Five minutes.
Not even five minutes.
Three Konoha ninja had utterly crushed the so-called Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Five of them were killed outright—slaughtered in full view of the Daimyō and the survivors.
A total collapse.
A gap so vast it defied belief.
Those words surfaced unbidden in the minds of the survivors—and in the Daimyō's.
The Daimyō had never imagined that Konoha's ninja could be this powerful… this terrifying.
As for the remaining guardian ninja—
Though they seethed at the battlefield, at the methods used, at what they saw as despicable tactics—
They also understood one truth.
Even in open terrain, without the Daimyō restricting them—
Their chances of victory would still be pitifully slim.
At best, they could delay defeat.
At best, they might escape afterward.
But the outcome itself would not change.
"P–P–Police Chief Kei…"
The Daimyō sat frozen on his seat, his entire body trembling. His voice was hoarse, barely steady.
"P–Please… don't act rashly…"
"In fact, I've been calm the entire time," Kei replied flatly.
"If anyone's been impulsive, it's you, Daimyō."
His crimson Sharingan swept across the hall before settling squarely on the Daimyō.
"What happened last night—I could have ignored it.
What you said just now—I could have ignored that too."
"But you shouldn't have forgotten what I told you yesterday."
The Daimyō swallowed hard.
Cold sweat drenched his back.
Is he really going to kill me… and install one of my sons in my place?
Given Kei's decisiveness—and the brutality of his actions—
it was impossible to say what he might do once he committed.
The Daimyō's mind raced.
The situation was undeniably catastrophic.
So how could he reverse it?
Or at least minimize the damage?
His gaze shifted—and suddenly he noticed something.
Kei had kept Kazuma alive.
That man was clearly being taken back to Konoha, regardless of whether he had collected Nine-Tails chakra or not.
This bastard must have gone too far, the Daimyō thought bitterly.
That's what drew Konoha's attention.
As for the guardians who leaned toward Konoha—
Aside from those already killed (or "missing," as Kazuma would later describe), the rest were still alive.
Is Konoha planning to absorb them?
"Chief Kei," the Daimyō said suddenly, inhaling deeply as he forced himself to regain composure,
"This is all a misunderstanding."
"To make amends for the losses caused, I'm willing to disband the Guardian Ninja entirely.
In addition, I'll provide Konoha with a substantial financial contribution."
"What do you think?"
"A decent proposal," Kei nodded lightly, a faint smile forming.
"But why do you assume that we came all this way… and did all this… over a misunderstanding?"
As he spoke, Kei took a single step forward—
—and seized Kazuma by the throat.
Kazuma was sent flying by Kei's kick, and for some reason, he still hadn't fully recovered even now.
Perhaps he had recovered—but was enduring it in silence, biding his time, waiting for a chance to strike Kei with a fatal blow.
But Kei never gave his enemies chances.
The moment his hand closed around Kazuma's throat, violent arcs of lightning erupted from Kei's left hand and stabbed straight into Kazuma's shoulder.
"AAAH!"
Kazuma didn't even have time to react before a scream tore from his throat. In the next instant, his entire body locked up, completely paralyzed.
Kakashi and Ayaka had already walked over to Kei's side. Neither of them interfered.
Ayaka knew the full truth of the situation, while Kakashi understood at least part of it. Both were more interested in seeing how Kei intended to proceed—and just how far he planned to push this matter.
"Whether this is a misunderstanding or not," Kei said calmly,
"is actually very easy to verify."
He slowly withdrew his left hand, then cast a mocking glance toward Chiriku and the others scattered nearby, their faces twisted with resentment.
"You're missing one person, aren't you? Didn't this man tell you that your comrade was killed by us?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kei shook his head.
"How laughable. You think far too highly of yourselves."
"To deal with you, I wouldn't even need an excuse. A single, convincing reason—one that everyone can accept—would be more than enough."
"So tell me," he continued softly,
"why would I single out just one person? Was he too strong? Or did he discover one of my secrets?"
Kei deliberately paused.
He knew exactly how vicious and cruel his words sounded.
But that was precisely the point.
He wanted to carve this moment deeply into the Daimyō's memory.
As for what these guardian ninja thought—it hardly mattered for now. Until this matter was completely resolved, any consideration was meaningless.
At this point, the impression Kei had left on them was likely nothing but brutality, arrogance, and cold-blooded cruelty.
"Chief Kei…" the Daimyō opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Still, as the Daimyō, his thinking was sharp. He quickly steadied himself and spoke again.
"Chief Kei, we may share some blame in this matter. However, I believe my proposal is sincere. The Fourth Hokage surely wouldn't wish to escalate this too far—stability within the Land of Fire is still essential."
"So you're saying we're at fault too?" Kei smiled faintly.
"Ah, perhaps. But before you make that judgment, Daimyō, I suggest you take a look at this."
As he spoke, Kei produced a scroll and placed it directly in front of Kazuma.
The instant Kazuma saw the scroll, his pupils dilated violently.
How could he not recognize it?
But why was it here?
A bluff?
Or had this man truly found it?
Either way, an indescribable terror surged through Kazuma's heart.
At that moment, Kei released him, letting Kazuma collapse onto the floor.
Kei casually unfurled the scroll.
In an instant, orange chakra flooded the chamber.
Cold, oppressive, saturated with despair, rage, and countless negative emotions, it wrapped itself around everyone present.
Such a terrifying presence—one that gnawed directly at the soul—could only belong to a tailed beast.
"Th–this feeling…" Chiriku and the others murmured unconsciously.
That chakra… and Kazuma's reaction earlier…
Everything pointed to a single conclusion.
This scroll belonged to Kazuma.
And the chakra within it—had he truly collected it himself?
The thought surfaced unbidden in their minds.
Yet they hesitated.
After all, the Nine-Tails belonged to Konoha. If Konoha wished to use such a method to force the Daimyō into concessions, it wasn't impossible.
Uchiha Kei's conduct had already made it painfully clear—he truly did not hold the Daimyō in much regard.
"This feeling isn't unfamiliar to you, is it?" Kei said indifferently, staring down at the paralyzed Kazuma.
"Must've been hard work, collecting something so dangerous. You really went through a lot."
"Nonsense!" Kazuma gritted out.
His body was completely numb, yet under Kei's deliberate control, the paralysis had spared his head.
"Is it?" Kei shrugged casually, then suddenly asked with faint curiosity,
"Your efforts were futile—disappointingly so. Tell me, when do you think I found this scroll? And where?"
"I—" Kazuma tried to retort stubbornly, but his words died halfway.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Kei and the others had only arrived yesterday.
And yesterday was also when massive rumors erupted throughout the capital of the Land of Fire.
Those rumors had driven Kubo Kengo to investigate the stash.
And that investigation had led to his death—by Kazuma's own hand.
A horrifying realization struck him.
Had all of this been orchestrated?
Had Kei's group already uncovered his secrets, analyzed each Guardian Ninja's personality, predicted their reactions—and deliberately waited for the fish to bite?
If that were true…
Kazuma's paralyzed body began to tremble uncontrollably.
If that were true, then the enemy he had faced was unimaginably terrifying.
And his dream—
It ended here.
Because his fate had already been sealed.