Chapter 452 — All Uchiha Are Monsters
Holding the thick notebook in his hands—its handwriting so messy it was nearly illegible at a glance Kei fell into brief silence.
There was no denying it—
the contents were valuable.
Incredibly valuable.
But the handwriting…
was a different story altogether.
Letting out a slow breath, Kei carefully put the notebook away.
No matter how troublesome it would be to decipher, what was written inside was worth the effort.
It might take time and patience to fully understand—
but having it was far better than not.
And more importantly, much of it suited him perfectly.
"Looks like that guy took your training seriously," Kei said, glancing at Obito. "Though I wonder how much he conveniently left out."
"Hard to say," Obito scratched his chin thoughtfully. "At least, nothing felt off to me. Maybe I'm just not sharp enough to notice… but you should stay cautious. That guy's never had good intentions."
"Of course." Kei nodded, then seemed to recall something. "By the way, when you get the chance, go to the Naka Shrine. There's a stone tablet there—"
"The tablet?" Obito suddenly clenched his fist, cutting him off. "That thing is a curse. Even Rin…"
"Let me finish," Kei said calmly. "I suspect the tablet has been altered. I don't have proof—but I have a strong feeling about it. So I'm giving you a task."
"Say the word," Obito replied without hesitation. "You're my superior—and someone I trust completely. Whatever you ask, I'll do it."
Kei paused for a moment, studying him.
That made two people now who had openly declared absolute trust in him.
Thinking about it, quite a few people trusted him deeply—
Uchiha Fugaku, Imai Kenta, Minato, Kakashi, even the members of the Police Force.
Though not blind trust, it was far stronger than what they placed in others.
But those who said it out loud?
Only Ayaka… and Obito.
The thought made Kei almost laugh.
Why was it always the unstable ones—
a lunatic and a madman—
who trusted him the most?
And the people he himself trusted…
weren't exactly the most normal either.
Birds of a feather…?
But that didn't make sense.
He was perfectly rational—
so why were the people closest to him all like this?
Was he supposed to fix them or something?
Shaking his head, Kei spoke again, his tone steady.
"The task is simple. Investigate everything about that tablet—changes in the script, hidden details… anything unusual. Especially chakra traces, if possible."
"Chakra?" Obito frowned. "That's unlikely. And if the text had been altered, wouldn't someone have noticed by now?"
"That tablet is said to have been left by the Sage of Six Paths," Kei said flatly, fabricating without the slightest change in expression. "And I've personally read parts of its later content."
"You once said your goal was the Infinite Tsukuyomi—trapping everyone in a genjutsu, right?"
"If the Sage truly intended something like that… with his power, why didn't he just do it himself?"
Obito hesitated.
"…Maybe he regretted it at the end of his life?"
At that level, dying isn't so simple, Kei thought, glancing briefly at the sky.
But he didn't bother explaining further.
In this world, souls existed.
The dead lingered in the Pure Land.
Some even met again.
At a certain level of power, even without a physical body, one could still influence the world.
Just like how the Sage of Six Paths had once granted power from beyond.
"Stop guessing," Kei said, cutting him off. "If I'm telling you to investigate, I have my reasons."
Then he shifted the topic.
"You mentioned the terrorist group in your last report. What's their situation now?"
"They're recruiting rogue ninja," Obito replied quickly. "Strong ones become core members. The weaker ones are reserves—or just outer members."
"Recently, two notable ones joined: Sasori from the Sand, and Kakuzu from Waterfall—he claims he once fought the First Hokage."
"They're currently in the Land of Hot Water… looking for someone."
"For someone?" Kei raised an eyebrow.
"A lunatic," Obito said bluntly. "A cultist. Completely insane. And apparently… he's hard to kill."
Kei blinked.
A madman… calling someone else a madman.
That irony wasn't lost on him.
"After our war with the Cloud," Obito continued, "this guy became obsessed. He thinks this is what ninja should be. So he slaughtered the peace-loving members of his village and defected."
Kei fell silent for a moment.
…So that was connected to him?
Or more precisely—
to that battle with the Eight-Tails?
Had that spectacle convinced someone that this was "true art," pushing him over the edge?
That was… awkward.
Then again—
the guy had always been unhinged.
No point overthinking it.
"Interesting," Kei said with a faint smile. "A Sand rogue, a Waterfall rogue, and now a Hot Water rogue… what, are they planning to collect one from every village? Missing Mist, Cloud, and Leaf, right?"
"No idea," Obito shrugged. "I don't interfere with their recruitment. Though if you want to plant someone inside…"
"Plant someone…" Kei murmured, then nodded slightly. "Actually, I do have another task for you. It's not difficult."
"There's a shark-faced guy in the Mist. When I was there, I heard his chakra reserves are monstrous, and his abilities are impressive. Keep an eye on him."
"No problem," Obito nodded immediately. "Shark face—you mean Kisame. Yeah, he's solid. I'll watch him."
"Oh, and… they've taken an interest in Orochimaru too. They think he'd be a valuable addition."
"Orochimaru, huh…"
Kei turned his head slightly, a faint smile forming.
"That's… quite interesting, isn't it?"
"Orochimaru-sama?"
"Head Kei," a hoarse voice echoed softly, "I had no intention of eavesdropping."
As the words fell, a figure slowly rose from the ground.
Pale skin.
Golden, snake-like eyes.
Purple markings around his face.
It was Orochimaru.
This time, he made no effort to disguise himself.
Perhaps, in his view—
there was no longer any need.
Even in Konoha's territory, it made little difference.
As long as Jiraiya wasn't chasing him, he could move as he pleased.
"But you still heard quite a bit, didn't you?" Kei said coolly, fixing him with a sharp gaze. "So—how much did you catch?"
Truthfully, Kei had no idea how long Orochimaru had been following them.
If not for that brief fluctuation in his chakra when his name was mentioned—
he might have remained hidden indefinitely.
Even if Kei trusted his judgment—
confirmation was necessary.
Orochimaru merely smiled faintly.
"What you discussed with this mysterious Uchiha… I didn't hear clearly."
"Or perhaps—"
"I simply wasn't interested."
Orochimaru slowly ran his tongue across his lips, a faint gleam of curiosity in his golden eyes.
"Still… there are things that interest me," he said softly. "For example—the stone tablet you mentioned… that technique which traps everyone in an illusion… and, of course, whoever it is that wants me to join some organization."
"You're surprisingly honest," Uchiha Kei nodded. Then his gaze shifted toward Obito. "Test him. See how much he actually remembers."
Obito gave a slight nod.
In the next instant, he closed one eye—while the other snapped open, transforming into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Whether Orochimaru would truly join the organization didn't matter to him right now.
What mattered was control.
Orochimaru was already cooperating with Kei—but someone as unpredictable as him needed to be reminded of the risks.
A warning.
A demonstration.
If he could be made to feel threatened, then even if he joined in the future, he wouldn't dare speak carelessly.
Perhaps—
he could even become a useful piece on the board.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly.
Another Mangekyō?
No… only one?
Wait—that wasn't right.
He distinctly remembered that this man had both eyes intact earlier.
Which meant—
each eye likely held a different ability.
His mind flashed back to a detail—
Kei, once, had only bled from one eye.
That confirmed it.
And now—
this man intended to face him using just one eye's ability?
"…How arrogant."
Orochimaru's tongue flicked out again.
He had no desire to fight Kei—
but that didn't mean he feared battle.
Watching the Uchiha step toward him, Orochimaru remained still.
And then—
without warning—
a black snake burst from the ground beneath Obito, lunging upward with deadly precision.
But what happened next—
shocked him.
The snake passed straight through Obito's body.
No resistance.
No impact.
As if it had bitten into empty air.
"…What is this? A genjutsu?"
Orochimaru's thoughts raced, but his hand had already produced a sword.
In the instant Obito glanced down at the snake—
a flash of cold steel cut toward his neck.
Fast as lightning.
Orochimaru had already slipped past him.
His combat instincts were flawless—decades of battle honed into pure reflex.
Any opening—
no matter how small—
was enough.
But—
the blade passed through.
No contact.
No resistance.
"…Not genjutsu. Then… an afterimage? No—that's not right either."
For the first time, Orochimaru felt something was off.
This opponent—
was even more bizarre than Kei.
Obito turned, his gaze now cold.
"Orochimaru-sama… your attitude is rather unfriendly. I only intended to give you a small warning."
His voice dropped.
"But now…"
"I've decided to make it a lesson you won't forget."
Before his sentence even finished—
his body twisted.
Warped.
And when his voice fell again—
it came from beside Orochimaru.
A kunai appeared in his hand, stabbing straight for Orochimaru's throat.
So fast—no… this isn't speed. It's space itself.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted.
His sword snapped up instantly, deflecting the kunai with a precise flick.
The blade shifted, thrusting forward in the same motion—
but once again—
it passed through Obito's body.
His expression tightened.
He moved to withdraw—
but in that instant, Obito's left hand pressed a paper tag onto his wrist.
An explosive tag.
And then—
his body twisted again, vanishing from sight.
"…So he is tangible."
Orochimaru abandoned the illusion hypothesis immediately.
That tag proved everything.
His reaction was instantaneous.
His pale fingers flicked forward, releasing a thin stream of chakra that struck the tag like a senbon.
At the same time—
his body blurred, retreating with the Body Flicker Technique.
The explosive tag was left behind.
"Boom!"
The explosion roared—
but Orochimaru was already gone.
Untouched.
His movements were seamless, efficient—perfectly executed with no wasted motion.
Against an opponent like this, he wouldn't dare rely on something like the Great Snake Replacement Technique.
That jutsu consumed too much chakra—
and in this situation, that cost was unacceptable.
Staring at the mysterious Uchiha before him, Orochimaru let out a quiet sigh.
"…A tangible body, yet immune to physical attacks. A space-time ocular ability, most likely. He's transferring his body—or parts of it—into another dimension, phasing in and out at will to attack…"
He paused, then shook his head faintly.
In that moment—
he reached the exact same conclusion as the Fourth Raikage once had.
These Uchiha…
are all monsters.