Chapter 176 – Experiment
After planting a rather deep "seed" in Uchiha Itachi's mind, Uchiha Kei couldn't be bothered to concern himself with the boy any further.
Just as Kei had said, war is never as simple as it appears.
The Sand Village's attack on Konoha was, at its core, nothing more than a way to shift the internal tensions within their own village. Their Third Kazekage had gone missing, leaving the entire village uneasy. And in the Land of Wind—where the terrain was nothing but sand—agriculture was impossible.
A war might allow them to seize the fertile lands of the Land of Fire, and in the process, resolve their surplus labor issue. Whether by producing war equipment to stimulate the economy, or… by simply reducing that surplus through war casualties, it was a convenient solution for them.
Other nations, to varying degrees, had similar motives.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a time when the Four Great Nations surrounded Konoha.
If not for Iwagakure and Kumogakure pursuing their own agendas and trying to expand their share of the spoils, they might have been the true winners of the conflict. And even if it seemed they lost, in reality, they weren't necessarily worse off than Konoha.
After all, Konoha had been whittled down from possessing several "top-tier combatants" to now barely having three with any real prestige. If you counted Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo, perhaps they could scrape together five.
But did the other villages lack talent? Of course not. The only real outlier was Sunagakure, whose harsh environment forced them down an "elite-only" path after the war—but that might have been a blessing in disguise.
Kei shook his head. In the end, as a mere "pawn" of the village, he had no choice in these matters. He wasn't a "general"; he could only accept things passively. The only difference was that he could see the board more clearly than most.
As he approached the Police Force headquarters, Kei noticed quite a few people whispering about Itachi's earlier visit to him.
This made Kei frown. Was Itachi truly that foolish? Or was it simply childishness? Whether due to his young age now, or the limitations he'd one day face as an adult, Itachi's naivety would only disappear after he had died once.
Perhaps because of Kei's somewhat notorious reputation in the Police Force, combined with Itachi's earlier public display, everyone fell silent the moment Kei entered. They simply watched him, frozen, as though caught in a binding jutsu, especially when they saw his displeased expression.
It was only after Kei stepped inside the main building that anyone dared to move again.
Some of them were members of his own squad, but most belonged to other teams. Regardless, all of them feared him.
"Lord Kei." Uchiha Kawa was already waiting inside. As soon as Kei entered, Kawa hurried over. "You've returned."
"Mm. I'm back." Kei nodded, glancing around. "Where's your father?"
"My father?" Kawa froze for a moment, then bowed his head. "Forgive me, Lord Kei. I didn't summon him—it was my oversight."
Kei scratched his face. Now that he thought about it, he'd never actually told Kawa to go fetch his father in the first place. Still, it was pleasant to have a subordinate willing to take responsibility without being told.
"Go get him," Kei said with a faint smile. "There's something I want to discuss with both of you."
"Yes, Lord Kei!" Kawa immediately nodded and left.
Kei was preparing to conduct an experiment—one he had long wanted to try. After nearly six months of working together, he found Kawa to be a capable subordinate.
But loyalty, in Kei's view, required investment. He didn't believe in unconditional devotion. Kawa was loyal now because Kei treated him well; to maintain that balance, Kei would need to give him something more.
It wasn't long before Kawa returned with his father, Uchiha Asahi.
Asahi currently served as something like Kei's secretary. Whenever Kei slacked off, Asahi and Imai Kenta handled Police Force affairs, making him one of Kei's closest aides.
Since Kawa was his son, giving benefits to Kawa was the same as giving them to Asahi—a perfect two-birds-one-stone scenario Kei wasn't about to pass up. Of course, there were risks, which was why Kei intended to give them a choice.
"Lord Kei," the father and son greeted, bowing respectfully.
"Since you're here, I'll be direct." Kei's voice was calm. "Kawa, I know you've long been troubled by your lack of a Sharingan. I now have a method to awaken it for you immediately."
Kawa and Asahi froze, staring at him in shock.
"A method to open the Sharingan instantly?"
Kei's serious expression told them he wasn't joking. The idea was shocking—many clan members struggled their whole lives to awaken their eyes, yet Kei claimed he could make it happen instantly.
They didn't question him, though. With Kei being a Three-Tomoe Sharingan wielder, any method he proposed was worth listening to—dangerous or not.
"Yes, instantly," Kei confirmed. "It's a technique I developed based on my own awakening experience. It's… interesting. But it isn't perfect, and it carries significant risk.
"You can refuse. Even without this method, I'll help you awaken your eyes eventually. After all, you're one of the subordinates I trust the most."
Kawa dropped to one knee.
"There are two options," Kei continued. "The first works quickly, but is dangerous. The second is far safer, but slower. The choice is yours."
"I choose the first, Lord Kei," Kawa said without hesitation, his gaze firm.
Asahi wanted to speak up, but he knew his son well. Kawa's loyalty to Kei might already outweigh his loyalty to the clan. Kei's offer had reignited Kawa's suppressed desire for the Sharingan—and there was no turning back now.
Uchiha Asahi sighed. All he could do was hope that Uchiha Kei wasn't joking—and pray that the danger wasn't too great.
"Want to reconsider?" Uchiha Kei smiled faintly. "The risk here… could cost your life."
"Kawa—" Uchiha Asahi started, but his words were cut off.
"No need to hesitate, Father." Uchiha Kawa said, taking a deep breath. "I'm willing to take this risk. I'm willing to fight. I'm willing… to bet my life!"
"I understand, Kawa," Uchiha Kei nodded.
The Uchiha clan's thirst for the Sharingan was insatiable.
Just as Kei himself had once craved the Mangekyō Sharingan, his desire had reached a peak that few could comprehend.
Within this rigidly hierarchical clan, lacking the Sharingan meant being regarded as inferior—regardless of how many members had yet to awaken their eyes.
To climb higher, one had to possess the Sharingan. Not everyone was like Kei, who could foresee the future; most preferred to lie low rather than expose themselves prematurely.
Taking a deep breath, Kei's eyes transformed in an instant—one crimson, the three tomoe slowly spinning within his gaze.
Kei fixed his eyes on Kawa and delivered one final warning: "Kawa, this is about to begin. Let me make this clear: you are the first to attempt this method of forcibly awakening the Sharingan. I can't guarantee your success. You might die in the process. Do you still want to go through with it?"
"Yes, Lord Kei. I stand by my choice. No matter the outcome, I will not regret it," Kawa said calmly. His resolve was evident.
"Very well," Kei nodded. "Genjutsu—Sharingan!"
Kei unleashed a genjutsu using his Sharingan—another achievement from the past few months. It was similar to the technique he had used to push himself toward awakening his own Sharingan.
But this genjutsu was far more dangerous.
Kei had no knowledge of another's inner weaknesses, nor could he truly know their thoughts.
Thus, the technique he developed had only one purpose: to target the mental endurance of the subject.
It analyzed the heart of the victim—whether it held something they could not abandon, something they could not let go of—and then sought to destroy it completely.
Yet, not everyone could be affected by this genjutsu, and it required preparation time, limiting its practical combat use.
Kei had once subjected himself to a similar illusion, but by that time he already possessed the Mangekyō, making him highly resistant. The genjutsu could only push him to his limits—just to touch that metaphorical "wall."
Kawa, however, had no Sharingan—and this genjutsu was utterly uncontrollable. Kei could only proceed step by step. He never used a technique on others in the same way he used it on himself.
Kawa had already fallen into a deep, trance-like state, making Asahi visibly uneasy.
"Kawa..."
"Wait," Kei instructed calmly, placing his hands on the table and watching Kawa closely.
Kawa sat motionless, like a corpse. Were it not for the faint heartbeat, one could easily assume he was dead.
Asahi's worry for his son was intense, but there was nothing he could do.
Even Kei felt anxious. This experiment was untested, and if Kawa couldn't endure it… the consequences would be disastrous.
After more than two hours, Kawa's eyes suddenly snapped open. Crimson light flooded both eyes, single tomoe in each slowly spinning.
"Kawa! Thank goodness, you're alright!"
Asahi shouted in relief—but in the next instant, Kawa pulled a kunai and lunged straight at him.