Chapter 114: Insurance
"Captain Minato?"
The moment Uchiha Kei saw Namikaze Minato, his expression darkened. He knew—he probably wouldn't be able to kill Kitsuchi now.
Uchiha Kei was well aware of the consequences that would follow if he did. Killing Kitsuchi could sabotage the entire peace negotiation effort—after all, this guy was the son of the Third Tsuchikage!
And the Third Tsuchikage wasn't like Hiruzen Sarutobi. That old man was explosive and stubborn. Even Minato himself had once had the chance to kill Kitsuchi but refrained—likely for strategic reasons.
All of that made Kei incredibly frustrated.
Why couldn't you just have shown up a little later this time too?
"Looks like... I can't kill him after all, can I?"
With a cold snort, Kei kicked Kitsuchi in the head—preventing the guy from trying to slit his own throat.
Only then did he draw back his ninja blade and sneer.
"For the sake of the village's negotiations, to avoid further trouble—is that it?"
"…Yeah." Minato rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Since you already figured it out, I'm sure you understand our situation. I'm sorry, Kei-kun."
Then—to Kei's surprise—Minato bowed deeply in apology.
Looking at Minato, still bent at a full ninety-degree angle, Kei felt conflicted.
He hated Kitsuchi. That wasn't even a question. He wouldn't have staged this whole ambush otherwise. But Minato's sudden arrival... had thrown everything into disarray.
Kei glanced at the unconscious Kitsuchi lying on the ground. All that effort—just for this result? He could hardly accept it.
"Is that it?" Kei sighed. "We just… let him walk away?"
"Please, Kei-kun." Minato stayed bowed low, his posture speaking louder than his words.
Kei took a deep breath, trying to suppress his irritation—trying not to let emotion cloud his judgment.
And soon enough, he calmed down.
He began weighing Kitsuchi's value rationally.
Despite their grudge, the truth was—Kitsuchi wasn't an easy kill. Killing him, especially after just being honored as a "Hero of the Leaf," could tarnish Kei's reputation.
Just look at the Iwagakure shinobi scattered at his feet—weren't they enough blood for now?
Looking further ahead, in the canon future of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kitsuchi would actually prove to be a strong and valuable commander.
Of course, that future might no longer play out the same way now that Uchiha Kei was involved—but still, some things were worth preserving.
Even if Kei didn't know what the future held, he did know what mattered now.
The real asset here was Minato Namikaze.
If sparing Kitsuchi earned Minato's goodwill, Kei could use that. Leverage it. Shape it.
And when the time came for serious talks—ones that required pressure and persuasion—he could use that goodwill as cover for more aggressive negotiation.
This was an opportunity Kei couldn't afford to waste.
He closed his eyes, shutting off his Sharingan and calming his emotions. When he opened them again, he wore an expression of reluctant acceptance, mixed with a tinge of resignation.
With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed his ninja blade. Even as Minato stayed bowed, he noticed—and exhaled in relief.
"…Fine. I won't kill him," Kei said flatly. "But I want a few words with Kitsuchi. Alone."
"Of course." Minato stood up with a bright smile. "I'll give you some space."
"You're not afraid I'll finish him off?" Kei tilted his head, voice icy.
"I trust you, Kei-kun," Minato said without a hint of hesitation. "You're not an ordinary ninja. I believe in your judgment. Besides… you're a hero of Konoha."
Hero of Konoha, huh?
Kei chuckled inwardly. But his expression remained calm.
As Minato turned and walked away, Kei didn't bother checking if he was secretly watching or preparing to use Flying Thunder God to interfere if needed.
He walked over to Kitsuchi, who—despite the blow to his head—was still surprisingly conscious.
"Looks like luck's on your side," Kei said with a cold smirk. "You get to live."
"Hmph." Kitsuchi snorted. "You should have killed me. Sooner or later, I will kill you!"
"Worried I'll expose your little plan to purge your own men?" Kei suddenly grabbed him by the throat, Mangekyō Sharingan activating once again. "You can deny it all you want. Iwa won't believe Konoha's words anyway. But just to be safe…"
"Those eyes…" Kitsuchi's gaze froze—then began to glaze over as Kei's genjutsu took hold.
Kei stared at him, letting the illusion dig deep. As soon as Kitsuchi's mind began slipping into confusion, he deactivated the Mangekyō.
He couldn't be sure Kitsuchi had seen the full form of his Sharingan, but Kei didn't want any loose ends.
So he placed a genjutsu on him—not just to cloud his memory, but to make him completely forget anything unusual about Kei's eyes.
Overkill, maybe—but only a Mangekyō illusion gave Kei true peace of mind. Only it could erase all the messy unpredictability.
Standing up, Kei's eyes returned to their natural black.
He didn't even glance back at Kitsuchi, who was now staring blankly, head lolling as he tried to orient himself.
Kei turned and walked back toward Minato.
The blonde-haired jonin was standing quietly under the broken remains of a massive tree, waiting.
The area around them had been devastated by the battle between Kei and Kitsuchi. Such was the absurd power of shinobi—they could sometimes vanish without a trace, and other times reshape the very land they fought on.
"Finished?" Minato still wore his trademark gentle smile. "Sorry I was late. This wouldn't have happened otherwise."
"It's fine. I'm used to it," Kei replied, shaking his head. "You were late last time too. Nearly killed me, remember?"
"…Yeah. I'm sorry." Minato's smile faltered a bit as the memory returned—of Obito's death. "This time… I was stuck in a meeting."
He sighed softly, fatigue visible on his face.