Chapter 102: A New Mission

Chapter 102: A New Mission

The next day, Uchiha Fugaku's new appointment arrived. Uchiha Kei had been wondering what kind of position he would be given, but the reality shocked him.

His new appointment was to replace Uchiha Yuu in his position and be promoted to the Deputy Director of the Konoha Police Force!

This was the very position that the hardliners had been eagerly awaiting, but Fugaku showed no intention of relinquishing control.

Now, with Yuu missing, Fugaku didn't even bother consulting with the hardliners. He acted unilaterally, assigning someone to take over the position—and it was someone who had been in direct opposition to them!

This decision sent a powerful signal—a terrifying one—that Fugaku might have developed his own political leanings.

However, these matters were of no concern to Kei. He had already anticipated that taking on this role would bring numerous challenges, especially when trying to carry out the necessary work.

But Kei didn't care. His focus had never been on this task. The position itself was just a means for Fugaku to fulfill his promise to him.

The promotion gave Kei the perfect opportunity to establish his own team—he could now legitimately form and organize his squad. As for those still part of Yuu's old team, Kei could easily get rid of them!

Don't think for a second that Kei would hesitate. If it were someone else, they might carefully consider the consequences or ponder the stability of the Guard Division. But Kei? He would remove the uncooperative elements and avoid any duties that involved guarding.

After all, Fugaku had already agreed to his proposal. Soon enough, there would be even more changes within the Guard Division. Kei would take this time to coast along for now.

Uchiha Ryoko and Uchiha Keisuke were both thrilled about Kei's rise in status. After all, the Uchiha Guard was one of the most powerful institutions within the Uchiha clan.

But Kei remained remarkably calm, which left them uncertain whether to celebrate or not.

Once the messenger left, Kei paused to consider for a moment and decided he would pay Fugaku a visit.

Fugaku had made it clear yesterday that he wanted to participate in Kei's experiment. Kei wondered if he had figured something out.

Although Kei was reluctant to agree, considering their current cooperative relationship and the fact that Fugaku would be contributing both resources and manpower, Kei had no choice but to begrudgingly accept—for the time being.

"But I must be prepared with some countermeasures," Kei thought as he walked.

"Once I've discovered something important and his desires start to clash with mine, I'll have to find a way to deal with him."

Kei remained wary of Fugaku. Similarly, Fugaku would not be without his own precautions against Kei.

The appearance of the Mangekyō and Kei's actions had already caused a rift between them. Whether this rift could be healed would depend on whether their paths remained aligned in the future.

Although Uchiha Kei continued his research, he decided not to share his findings or conclusions with Uchiha Fugaku. Unless he could fully trust him, that is.

"So, where do I find someone I can trust?"

This question really troubled Uchiha Kei. After thinking it over, he decided not to worry too much about it.

After all, time was on his side. Kei still had plenty of time to search for someone he could rely on, especially now that he held the position of "Deputy Director of the Konoha Guard Division." This would allow him to gather people who were loyal to him.

Even though the entire Uchiha clan sided with Fugaku, did that mean Kei couldn't recruit people from outside the clan?

Fugaku himself probably knew that the Konoha Guard Division needed a massive reform. And after removing certain people, new ones would have to be brought in.

To strengthen ties with the village and win over the common folk and smaller clans, it was only natural that some outsiders would be brought into the Guard Division. This could be a small opportunity for Kei.

With this thought in mind, Kei stopped overthinking it and made his way to Fugaku's residence.

What amused Kei was that there were quite a few clan members sitting in front of Fugaku's door, including Uchiha Hiroki, who was among them.

What was even more interesting was that, upon seeing Kei, they immediately exuded a faint but palpable sense of hostility.

"This really is lively, isn't it, Clan Leader?" After entering the room where Fugaku was, Kei sat down and chuckled. "Seems like your policies aren't making everyone happy."

"Naturally, not everyone will be satisfied with these policies," Fugaku replied calmly, gazing at Kei. "But such growing pains are inevitable. I need time to deal with them."

"Of course, Clan Leader," Kei nodded. "There's no rush. After all, the experiment site isn't fully ready yet."

"We must be more cautious for the time being," Fugaku said, taking a sip of tea. "The situation with Orochimaru is escalating. It seems Konoha's Anbu has already begun an investigation. Their focus includes the spreading rumors and Orochimaru himself."

So soon? And so ruthless?

Kei furrowed his brow. It seemed that the Third Hokage had truly made up his mind. Fugaku's caution was indeed warranted.

However, Kei couldn't help but feel frustrated. His own people were caught, and he was about to begin the experiment. Yet, now someone had interfered, putting the experiment on hold. How could Kei, who might soon be sent on a mission, be content with that?

He wanted to see if his assumptions were correct, but now things were looking more complicated.

"By the way, Kei-kun," just as Kei was full of complaints, Fugaku spoke again. "It seems someone might take the fall for your capture of Uchiha Yuu."

"Orochimaru?" Kei wasn't at all surprised. "The timing of my actions was exactly when his situation started to boil over. My original plan wasn't just to deal with Orochimaru, but also with those behind him. At least these two might end up taking the fall. Of course, it's also a small contribution to someone I'm keeping an eye on."

This was exactly Kei's plan, so he wasn't surprised by the outcome. How could he pass up such an opportunity to kill multiple birds with one stone?

Not only could he eliminate someone who was causing him frustration, but he could also use it for his experiments. He could also take down Orochimaru and Danzo, and finally, help boost the reputation of Minato Namikaze. What's not to love about that?

"I see now, Kei-kun," Fugaku said, giving Kei a deep look before nodding. "By the way, Kei-kun, the Third Hokage is planning to gather ninjas to return to the Land of Grass. Negotiations are almost complete, but it seems they've discovered mist ninjas in the area, so an investigation is required. What are your plans?"

"Mist ninjas?" Kei furrowed his brow, then nodded in response.

It seemed that the time had finally come. He sighed helplessly. He had originally planned to drive Uchiha Yuu mad first.

But now, it seemed there would be no chance for that. Fortunately, the deal with Fugaku had been struck that very night. Otherwise, by the time Kei returned, Uchiha Yuu would probably be a corpse.