Chapter 359: Orochimaru's Visit
The possibility of the Cloud ninja making a move was not mere speculation on Uchiha Kei's part.
It was a conclusion drawn from intelligence reports and layered analysis.
Unfortunately—or perhaps inevitably—both Kei's and Nara Shikaku's earliest predictions had been proven correct.
Among all the major villages, Kumogakure had suffered the least during the Third Shinobi World War.
Although they had clashed fiercely with Konoha, their strategy had been exceptionally shrewd.
Their assault force was led by the future Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
With those two at the forefront, they managed to pin down a large number of Konoha's elite ninja—yet they themselves had committed surprisingly few troops.
As a result, even though their campaign ended in failure, their actual losses were minimal—almost negligible.
On top of that, Konoha had been forced to contend with Kirigakure at the same time, meaning the forces dispatched against the Cloud were limited.
When the fighting truly escalated, it wasn't mass skirmishes that decided the outcome—it was the confrontation between top-tier combatants.
And it was here that Minato demonstrated his extraordinary talent.
Nearly single-handedly, he had confronted both the future Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki—and driven them back.
Their forced retreat, coupled with the death of the Third Raikage, finally stabilized Konoha's front against the Cloud.
Ironically, it was precisely because of these circumstances that Kumogakure's losses were so light.
In the postwar period, the Cloud Village recovered faster than any other power on the continent.
Their already-strong relationship with the daimyō of the Land of Lightning granted them vast economic aid, further accelerating their recovery.
Their strength didn't merely return—it grew.
By contrast, Konoha, like in the original timeline, had suffered devastating losses in the war.
But this time, there was a critical difference.
Minato and Kushina had survived the Nine-Tails incident.
The Nine-Tails had been resealed with remarkable speed, and thanks to the rapid mobilization and restructuring of the Police Force, the vast majority of civilians and ninja were protected.
As a result, Konoha's standing in the shinobi world had not collapsed as it once had.
It remained the most trusted village on the continent.
And ironically—that trust made it a target.
If, in the original history, the Cloud sought to trample a weakened Konoha into the abyss—asserting their might and seizing greater trust and mission share—
Then now, their dissatisfaction stemmed from the opposite.
Konoha had been wounded, yet remained standing.
Worse still, it continued to receive a massive portion of high-value missions.
From the Cloud's perspective, this was unacceptable.
They believed they were the strongest village after the war—both in numbers and in quality.
Most importantly, they had never suffered a tailed beast rampage that devastated their village.
In their eyes, they were being underestimated.
And for the sake of their own growth, they had to act.
Whether to display their strength or to seize the title of "Number One Hidden Village"—
Turning their attention to Konoha was inevitable.
Moreover, intelligence from ANBU confirmed that Kumogakure had already begun secret large-scale training and troop redeployment.
The war had ended—but they were operating under near-military mobilization.
Every ninja was kept in a combat-ready state, executing orders with wartime discipline.
This alone was enough to raise alarms.
When such patterns emerged, it meant only one thing—
The shadow of war was approaching once again.
Fortunately, this wasn't Kei's burden to shoulder alone.
Minato had already sought his opinion—openly, during a high-level meeting.
Kei's answer had been simple.
"Peace is something we secure ourselves," he said calmly.
"It is not bought by concessions, nor by sacrificing others."
"We don't seek war," he continued evenly,
"but we fear no aggressor. And after the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha has been holding its breath—we need an outlet."
"So… prepare for war?" Minato asked, nodding seriously.
"And the second option?"
"Simple," Kei replied, his gaze sweeping across Shikaku and the others.
"Pursue normal diplomatic channels as well—resolve the issue without harming Konoha's interests. Though frankly, I doubt it will be effective."
"It seems Kei and I are of the same mind," Minato said with a faint smile.
"We don't want war—but we won't shy away from it either. Especially not one aimed at us. Let's proceed that way."
Kei understood perfectly.
Minato had wanted him to say those words.
In other words—he wanted Kei to shoulder part of the pressure.
For some within Konoha, the thought of war was still too heavy.
Coupled with the Third Hokage's conservative approach, many were uncomfortable with direct confrontation.
Minato needed someone to absorb that resistance.
And Kei was the perfect choice.
They had discussed this long beforehand.
As an Uchiha, Kei had never been fond of the Third Hokage's faction anyway.
And on a deeper level—Shisui's situation still troubled him.
Kei still didn't understand what the Third Hokage truly intended.
"But no matter how strange things get," Kei thought as he returned to his desk,
"there's no fox that doesn't eventually show its tail."
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Before he could respond, it opened.
Kei didn't even need to look.
There was only one person in the village bold enough to do that.
Ayaka entered, arms full of documents.
Seeing that stack made Kei's scalp tingle—but he already knew escape was impossible.
Ever since the Police Force had been drawn into the Kirigakure investigation, Minato had deliberately begun routing more sensitive matters through Kei.
ANBU now focused primarily on external and covert missions.
ROOT was no longer an option—and Minato had never liked it anyway.
So he sought to dismantle it by other means.
Divide its authority.
Absorb what was useful.
Erase what never should have existed.
Whether it would succeed was still uncertain.
But one thing was clear—
Kei now held immense power.
Power that reached into every corner of Konoha.
And with it came endless work.
"So many documents again?" Kei sighed.
"Didn't you hand these off to the administrative staff?"
"They've already filtered them," Ayaka replied immediately.
"These are the important ones."
Her face, however, was far paler than usual.
"Tiring," Kei muttered.
"Fine, I'll handle them as soon as possible. But how are you doing?"
Ayaka nodded.
"I'm okay. Just some lingering negative reactions—nothing else."
Kei nodded in return.
Her condition was the result of her own request—
she had undergone the same accelerated procedure as Imai Kenta.
The gains were real—but the backlash was harsher than Kenta's.
She lacked full control over the reaction, and there was no way to predict its intensity.
The result had been rough.
Still, she treated it as forced rest.
She wasn't bothered.
That single "serum surge" had pushed her genetic unlocking another step forward.
No matter how one looked at it—
That alone made it worthwhile.
And during her recovery, she planned to focus on refining her chakra foundations even further.
Ayaka never forgot what Kei had told her.
Whether it was truly correct or not, she had decided to trust him—at least this once.
"That's good, then. Take this time to properly adapt," Kei nodded. "By the way—how's your chakra progress?"
"As far as chakra goes, I'm still exploring," Ayaka replied, then narrowed her eyes slightly.
"But are you sure you didn't lie to me?"
She pulled over a chair and sat down across from him.
"And the materials you promised me—where are they?"
"How many times do I have to say it? I didn't lie," Kei said helplessly.
"Besides, what would I even gain from lying to you?"
"You've broken free from the Hyūga main house's control. No matter how you look at it, I'm the biggest beneficiary here."
"And didn't I already tell you? This was just an attempt. Whether it succeeds or fails, your most important path is still genetic unlocking, isn't it?"
Kei was genuinely exasperated.
The so-called "materials" were still being forged by Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryū—fabricating records took time.
And Ayaka clearly still half-believed, half-doubted him. She'd asked the same question countless times already.
Fortunately, he'd managed to talk her down every single time so far.
Annoying as it was, at least he could still keep her calm.
Thinking that, Kei stood up and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Come on. Let's take a walk."
"…What about these documents?" Ayaka asked, baffled.
"Don't worry. I'll leave them to a shadow clone. And I've got a few suggestions for you as well."
"If you're going to slack off, just say so," she snorted.
"Your 'suggestions' usually only make things harder for me anyway."
---
It was early spring, and the air still carried a chill.
Among the people passing by, many—civilians and ninja alike—were wearing scarves.
In this world, scarves were almost always handwoven.
They carried the emotions of the one who made them—family affection, friendship, or sometimes love.
Yet neither Kei nor Ayaka wore one.
Their necks were bare.
"Looks like we're standing out again," Kei glanced around, then shrugged.
"Wait—don't tell me you don't even own a scarf?"
"I do. I just don't wear it," Ayaka replied flatly, then glanced at him.
"And you? As the head of the Police Force, don't tell me you haven't received one either."
"I have. I just don't wear it. Besides…"
Kei rubbed his chin.
"My family keeps asking why you didn't knit one for me."
"Ridiculous. I'm not knitting you something like that."
Ayaka shot him a glare, then muttered irritably,
"Damn rumors. Even my mother told me I should learn to knit one for you. I'm going crazy."
Kei couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
It seemed they were both dealing with their own small—but persistent—troubles.
Especially after Kei's sixteenth birthday.
He hadn't invited anyone and had simply celebrated at home, which left his family thoroughly confused.
He hadn't invited guests—but he had received plenty of gifts.
Just none from Ayaka.
That alone had made his family wonder if the two of them had fallen out.
In reality, they were closer than ever.
Their relationship simply wasn't what their families—or the village—imagined.
Kei sighed.
When Ayaka had turned fifteen, he hadn't given her a gift either.
Strictly speaking, everything he could give her, he already had.
And since she hadn't invited him, he hadn't bothered.
"By the way, where are we going?" Ayaka asked, glancing around.
People were smiling at them—friendly, curious smiles.
It made her deeply uncomfortable.
"Just walking. Why care what others think?" Kei shrugged.
"How about we—"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Ayaka looked at him in confusion, then followed his gaze.
A small white snake lay hidden in a nearby bush, flicking its tongue toward them.
They both recognized it immediately.
They'd seen these snakes countless times—both in Konoha and in the Land of Water.
And their owner could only be one person.
"Orochimaru?" Ayaka frowned.
"Why is he back in Konoha—and why is he looking for you?"
She didn't believe in coincidence.
They hadn't announced this walk.
Which meant Orochimaru must have scattered snakes throughout the village, waiting for Kei to leave the Police headquarters.
The moment he did, the snakes would guide him.
"Seems that way," Kei nodded.
"Only someone like him could sneak in and out of Konoha so freely as a missing-nin."
Then he smiled faintly.
"Want to go see him? I'm curious what Orochimaru's planning."
"If you want to go, Kei, then let's go," Ayaka replied after a brief thought.
She wasn't worried.
Kei was beside her.
She knew his strength well.
No matter how dangerous Orochimaru was, he probably wasn't Kei's match anymore.
Half a year ago, Kei could already manifest that Ashura-like giant—and even shield her inside it.
With that kind of protection, what was there to fear?
Besides, they were both senior members of the Police Force.
Orochimaru showing himself like this was, in itself, a provocation.
Whether that provocation became a "problem" or a "transaction" depended entirely on how they defined it.
If it was a clean deal, beneficial and without traces—
Then it could be labeled "legitimate" and "positive."
If not?
Then Orochimaru would be the one in danger.
---
They followed the white snake into a forest within Konoha—the so-called Forest of Death, the future site of the Chūnin Exams.
It was sparsely populated, teeming with wildlife.
At least, that was the surface impression.
In truth, many ninja were stationed nearby.
And forests like this were perfect for hidden laboratories.
Whether one existed here was another question.
"Kei-kun… Ayaka-chan. Long time no see."
A voice echoed through the trees.
Kei looked up.
On a towering tree stood a pale man in beige robes, a purple rope belt at his waist, long black hair falling freely.
Orochimaru.
Beside him stood two children.
Both had black hair.
And both bore twin purple markings at their foreheads.
Kaguya clan… Kei thought.
So that was his objective.
"Long time no see, Lord Orochimaru," Kei said calmly.
"Are you coming down, or should we come up? I don't like talking with my head tilted."
"Of course we will come down."
In the next instant, Orochimaru descended, landing lightly with the two Kaguya children.
A faint smile curved across his pale face.
"We wouldn't dream of troubling you, Kei-kun. And you've become… far more terrifying."
Kei didn't respond, merely watching him.
Ayaka glanced at the two children.
They looked almost identical to Kimimaro—cold, lifeless.
Kimimaro, at least, had regained a trace of humanity.
These two looked like ice.
"Feelings are unreliable measures," Kei said flatly.
"Everyone grows stronger with time. Including you, Lord Orochimaru. Frankly, you might even be beyond my reach now."
"What a joke," Orochimaru chuckled, then turned serious.
"A Mangekyō Sharingan wielder like you? I'd never assume I could win."
He paused.
"I came at great risk because I have something important to discuss."
"Go on," Kei replied expressionlessly.
Orochimaru was self-aware.
He had fought Kei once in Konoha.
Seen him annihilate Mist forces alone.
Witnessed Susanoo—and his control over the Three-Tails.
That kind of power shook even someone like Orochimaru.
"I brought these two because you already know why," Orochimaru said.
"I want your help. I've heard about the Kaguya child you possess—"
"Who told you?" Kei cut him off, eyes narrowing.
"Someone in ANBU? I didn't expect you to still have such reach. Impressive."
"I lived in Konoha too long not to leave contingencies," Orochimaru licked his lips.
"But that's irrelevant. You can rest assured—no one else knows."
"That Kaguya child exposed himself a year ago, leaving behind a chakra-filled bone in ANBU territory. Nothing since."
Kei frowned, then relaxed.
That must have been shortly after Kimimaro arrived.
Even restricted, the boy might have tested his bloodline.
But if Orochimaru knew—
Did the Third Hokage's faction know as well?
Kei didn't trust Orochimaru's certainty.
"And how do you guarantee that?" Kei asked coldly.
"If you're trying to threaten me with this, aren't you being naive?"
"If I brought him back, I wasn't afraid of them to begin with."
"Of course you're not," Orochimaru grinned.
"And I can guarantee it—because the only person who knew died on a mission."
He smiled thinly.
"Not my doing. Just bad luck. But I'm here because I've run into… difficulties."
"These two can't awaken their bloodline?" Kei tilted his head.
"Not exactly. I simply don't want to go through all that trouble anymore."
Orochimaru rested his hands on the children's shoulders.
"Since you already succeeded… why shouldn't I borrow your result?"
"Oh?" Kei's lips curved slightly.
"Taking something from me isn't easy."
"Of course," Orochimaru said smoothly.
"A deal only works when both sides are satisfied."
---