Chapter 364 – The Clash of Eternal Eyes (Part One)
"Kei-sama, the clan head wishes to see you."
At dusk, Uchiha Kei returned to the Uchiha clan compound.
He was later than usual today. Earlier, he had spoken at length with Ayaka and Kenta, discussing many things and losing track of time.
In the end, Ayaka had not made her decision.
According to her, she needed time—time to think seriously.
Kei agreed with her completely.
And he had not forgotten his promise either: no matter what choice she ultimately made, he would support her—and make sure she had a safety net beneath her.
What he hadn't expected, however, was Kenta's reaction.
The man had worn a distinctly lewd grin.
It was honestly hard to believe that this was the same person Kei once regarded as a near replica of the Second Hokage. On the battlefield, Kenta still carried that same ruthless precision.
But who knew whether it was the influence of White Zetsu cells?
His intelligence hadn't declined at all—but his personality had definitely drifted.
Could White Zetsu cells really alter a person's temperament?
Or had Kenta simply grown to trust them completely?
Perhaps he had sensed the subtle changes between Kei and Ayaka—and changed accordingly.
Whatever the reason, this shift wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
That said, caution was still necessary.
In Kei's eyes, the real danger wasn't Kenta—but the White Zetsu cells themselves.
They don't actually turn people into idiots, do they…?
Lost in these thoughts, Kei was stopped by a clan member just as he returned.
From the look of it, Uchiha Fugaku wanted to see him.
That surprised Kei.
Fugaku was incredibly busy these days—so busy that he sometimes let Kei preside over clan meetings in his place.
Fortunately, Kei's authority within the clan was no lower than Fugaku's now.
The extremist elders were long dead—killed by his own hands.
Those who remained, even if they opposed him, wouldn't dare challenge him openly.
"The clan head?" Kei paused, then asked curiously.
"Did he say what this is about?"
"Kei-sama, how would I know…"
The messenger looked distressed.
"I'm only delivering the message. I truly don't know why the clan head wishes to see you."
"Fair enough. Sorry for putting you on the spot."
Kei nodded, then smiled lightly.
"Where is he now?"
"He said—'the place we often meet at night.'"
Kei rubbed his chin.
There was only one such place.
The forest behind the Uchiha compound.
The forest that housed their laboratories.
The forest where they met with Minato Namikaze.
Still, Kei hadn't seen Fugaku when he returned—looks like they had just missed each other.
No matter.
After dismissing the messenger and asking him to inform Kei's family, Kei headed out immediately.
For some reason, ever since witnessing Kei's meeting with Yakushi Nono, little Iori had grown even quieter.
Perhaps she hadn't expected Kei's influence to be so terrifying.
Perhaps she hadn't imagined that her former headmistress would become Kei's subordinate.
But regardless of what she thought, she couldn't change reality.
And Kei had already decided—he would use genjutsu.
After years of refinement, his illusion techniques had reached a near-complete stage. If he wished, he could already attempt them on Iori.
He simply hadn't yet.
He didn't want accidents.
After all, Iori was—strictly speaking—the little princess of his household.
Just a slightly depressed one.
After some time, Kei arrived at the forest.
But to his surprise, Fugaku wasn't alone.
Standing beside him were Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sō, and—
"…Ayaka? Kenta?"
Kei frowned as he walked closer.
"Why are you two still here?"
"Hey, don't ask me," Kenta said helplessly.
"This woman got curious and insisted on coming over. She spotted your clan head and wanted to say hello on your behalf, and then—"
"And then I asked them to stay," Fugaku said with a smile.
"I meant no offense. They're your partners—your friends. I kept them here and asked a few questions about you."
"…Combat-related questions, to be precise."
"I see."
Kei nodded.
"Looks like my friends handled themselves well."
But that phrase—combat-related—caught his attention.
His interest deepened.
It seemed Fugaku had fully adapted to those eyes.
His gaze looked normal now, but after all, he was an Uchiha. Using another's Sharingan wouldn't cripple him the way it did Kakashi.
Fugaku likely wanted to test the limits of his new power.
That was only natural.
In the past, he hadn't dared reveal his strength. The one time he did, he ran straight into Kei.
And at the time, the clan's situation was dire—he couldn't afford reckless action.
As a result, Fugaku never truly mastered his power.
Even during the Nine-Tails incident, when he shone brilliantly, only he knew how constrained he'd been.
Thankfully, Kei had kept his promise—handing over those eyes, eyes with nearly limitless ocular power.
This time, Fugaku had learned his lesson.
He wanted to understand his strength.
To know its limits.
And that required two things: environment—and opponent.
Coincidentally, the current environment was ideal.
Especially for the Uchiha.
Their relationship with the Fourth Hokage was stable.
They supported Minato wholeheartedly.
And Kei's control over the Police Force continued to expand—within reasonable bounds.
Honestly, the Uchiha's current standing in Konoha rivaled even the village's founding era.
As for the opponent—
Naturally, it was Uchiha Kei himself.
Another Mangekyō wielder.
One who had gone even further.
With that realization, Kei understood Fugaku's intentions completely.
Having Itachi and Sō present served two purposes:
one to reinforce loyalty,
the other to witness the pinnacle of Uchiha power.
As for keeping Kenta and Ayaka here—
That, too, was deliberate.
A subtle warning.
Or perhaps—
Kei smirked faintly.
A show of force?
Such a possibility wasn't impossible—but based on Kei's understanding of Uchiha Fugaku, the likelihood was extremely low.
"I think I understand what you mean, Clan Head," Uchiha Kei nodded, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. "But are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course," Fugaku laughed softly. "You may have always been a frontline ninja, Kei, but don't underestimate me. And I've said this many times—just call me Fugaku."
"Very well," Kei replied, nodding again. "If Fugaku-san insists… then let's give it a try. However, this clearly isn't the right place. A fight between us would cause too much disturbance."
Fugaku paused for a moment, then immediately understood.
Kei meant one thing: no holding back.
At their level, even collateral shockwaves would be disastrous. They needed open terrain, far from the village—otherwise the consequences would be impossible to contain.
Still, both men knew this was a sparring match, not a fight to the death.
Once victory or defeat was clear, neither would push further.
Anything beyond that would be catastrophic—especially given their identities and the influence they carried within both the Uchiha clan and Konoha itself.
"Stopping at the decisive point," would be the rule.
"A secluded place, then," Fugaku said calmly. "Do you have somewhere in mind?"
"Yes," Kei replied with a smile. "I've conducted experiments there before. It's probably the most remote area around Konoha. And honestly, I should thank you for keeping Ayaka and Kenta here."
"I see," Fugaku nodded, understanding immediately.
With Ayaka's Byakugan, no one could approach unnoticed.
And Kenta, a Senju-descended sensory ninja, further sealed the perimeter.
Together, they formed an almost perfect detection net.
Fugaku glanced at the two of them and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Kei's luck is enviable.
With teammates like these—politically and militarily—everything aligned in his favor.
For the first time, Fugaku found himself hoping that his own son might one day have companions like that.
---
At the most desolate corner of Konoha—
In the valley where Kei had once split a colossal Buddha statue in two with a single strike—
Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Fugaku stood facing each other atop a flowing river.
Above the valley stood Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sō.
Itachi was still too young; Fugaku didn't want him exposed to the battle's aftershocks.
Ayaka and Kenta stood nearby as well—not for protection, but for surveillance.
A gentle breeze passed.
Neither man moved.
Yet their killing intent had already peaked.
A leaf drifted lazily from a tree, floating toward the river's surface.
The moment it touched the water—
A flash of cold light sliced across Kei's neck.
Fast as lightning.
But Kei had already slipped past him.
At the same instant, Kiryoku, glowing deep blue, slashed toward Fugaku's back!
A true shinobi battle was terrifying.
A battle between top-tier shinobi was absolute terror.
They seized opportunity flawlessly—one flicker of distraction meant death.
From stillness to motion took less than a heartbeat.
Their bodies crossed.
Both Sharingan had already opened—three tomoe spinning violently, perception pushed to its absolute limit.
Fugaku might not be a frontline specialist, but that didn't mean he was weak.
His lack of battlefield experience was fully compensated by his higher-tier dōjutsu.
He evaded Kei's blade and countered instantly, stabbing for Kei's throat—
Then abruptly twisted.
His kunai stabbed into empty air.
Kei appeared behind him.
A hand clamped onto Fugaku's arm—
And Kiridama plunged into his abdomen.
Itachi's heart nearly stopped—
But in the next instant, Fugaku dissolved into smoke.
A shadow clone.
Only then did Itachi breathe again.
This was the first time he had ever witnessed his father fight.
Though he himself was hailed as the greatest prodigy in the academy's history, Itachi knew better.
Genius only represents potential.
To true monsters—
He was nothing.
Kei's crimson eyes spun.
His body vanished.
Shunshin—so fast it rivaled Minato Namikaze himself.
"So fast!"
Fugaku reappeared beside the riverbank, calm but focused.
Kei's blade struck—deflecting Fugaku's kunai with a flick.
The sword flashed again—
But Fugaku had already completed seals with one hand.
The river roared.
A massive wall of water surged up before him.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
Fugaku hurled his kunai through the water wall and leapt backward.
The next instant—
The wall was sliced apart like paper.
The kunai flew straight at Kei—
"Explosive tag?"
Kei's eyebrow twitched.
But his reaction was instant.
A finger flick.
A thin chakra wind altered the tag's trajectory—
Shunshin activated.
"BOOM!"
The explosion erupted behind him—harmless.
Too slow.
Kiridama flared blue once more as Kei charged.
But Fugaku no longer intended to contest taijutsu.
The gap was obvious.
Even with enhanced physical perception, he couldn't match Kei's body.
I'm nearly thirty… at my physical peak…
And I'm still inferior to a sixteen-year-old.
The shame vanished instantly.
Because taijutsu had never been his true strength.
Fugaku was a ninjutsu specialist.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Technique!"
A colossal fire dragon erupted forward, vaporizing river water into steam as it roared toward Kei.
Kei's eyes narrowed.
He pinpointed the weak spot instantly—
Kiridama pierced the dragon's head, splitting it in two.
But Kei's expression grew serious.
That chakra buildup…
He's serious.
So be it.
Kei sheathed his blade.
Hand seals blurred.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure water blade shot forth—
And Fugaku answered instantly.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Identical jutsu.
Identical execution.
The two water blades collided—
And Kei's technique collapsed.
Chakra quality…
Kei's eyes sharpened.
So this is the gap.
Even with near-Eternal Mangekyō potential and White Zetsu cells—
His ninjutsu refinement lagged.
A dangerous flaw.
But also a revelation.
Now I know what to fix.
Three fireballs roared toward him—
Kei didn't even look.
Black chakra surged from his body.
And the valley fell silent.