Chapter 179 – Lies That Seem True
"I've already extracted the chakra and sealed it inside this scroll."
Uchiha Kei's words carried their usual sting, but Hyūga Ayaka didn't let it bother her.
Handing him the scroll, she said calmly, "Whether it actually works or not, I can't say. But I've done everything I could."
Kei frowned as he accepted it. Chakra without a vessel was like a rootless weed—floating, unstable. Even the chakra of a tailed beast was difficult to pin down with certainty.
Still, it was worth the attempt. Who knew? Perhaps some of that power could truly be preserved.
Of course, Kei entertained the thought of using it for experiments, but exactly how, he had yet to decide. Inject it straight into his own body?
The idea alone sounded reckless—bordering on suicidal. Even with a complete tailed beast, he would need careful consideration. Kei wasn't the type to gamble with his own body, especially knowing that ripping a beast from its host spelled certain death for a jinchūriki.
"By the way," Ayaka suddenly spoke up, "I discovered something else."
Kei tilted his head. "Oh? What is it?"
"While repairing Nohara Rin's body, I found the tailed beast chakra had given her an unexpected level of vitality. More than I anticipated."
"You mean… you want to keep that chakra inside her?" Kei asked, narrowing his eyes.
"That's not what I'm saying." Ayaka's tone stayed level. "I'm just telling you the facts. That woman has nothing to do with me. I only carried out your orders."
"…Fine. Then how goes the reconstruction of her body?" Kei shifted the subject deliberately.
After all, if he'd gone through the trouble of extracting that chakra, what sense was there in simply returning it? Better to hold onto it for later use. Besides, Kei was already plotting how Rin could serve as leverage—against Obito, perhaps even against Uchiha Madara himself.
If that were the case, Rin didn't necessarily need the tailed beast chakra at all. Kei tucked the scroll away, deciding to make use of it later.
"Also," Ayaka continued, her eyes sharpening, "there's something else you should know. While restoring her body, I found something unusual about her heart. Something that… resembled a curse mark."
Kei's eyes narrowed, though he quickly masked the reaction. "A problem? Don't tell me Kakashi's strike damaged her heart beyond repair?"
"No." Ayaka shook her head, expression now far more serious. "It wasn't from Kakashi. It's something implanted. A seal—something like a curse mark. You mentioned in your report that she'd once been captured by the Mist, didn't you?"
"…I see." Kei nodded slowly.
That explained it. She hadn't been able to kill herself. That cursed seal had forced her to march back toward Konoha, leaving her no choice but to die by Kakashi's hand. And yet, she never spoke of it. Could it be the seal itself had prevented her?
Of course, Kei already knew the truth. But saying so now would only raise a storm of questions—and trouble was the last thing he intended to invite.
Especially when, in his official report, he had claimed to have destroyed Rin's body entirely. And now? If anyone discovered her corpse intact, the implications would be… unpleasant.
Ayaka gave Kei a suspicious glance, sensing he was holding something back. But after a moment's thought, she dismissed it.
So what if he was hiding something? None of this truly concerned her. Kei's schemes, no matter how tangled, were not her problem. What mattered to her was whether Kei would resolve her troubles.
She wasn't naïve enough to come here without preparation. If Kei thought to deceive her, she would ensure he paid dearly for it.
"How about the reconstruction, then?" Kei asked casually, ignoring her silent probing. "How long will it take?"
"I'll need to remove the curse seals first. That will take some time." Ayaka's tone was thoughtful, professional. "And I need to study and refine my technique further. I'm not a master in this field—I can't rush it. You'll also need to gather materials to prevent the corpse from decaying, or my work will be much harder."
"Understood." Kei nodded. "I'll take care of the materials. The rest is up to you."
"That's fine." Ayaka met his gaze steadily. "But Kei-kun… isn't there something you should be telling me as well?"
Kei paused, then gave a thin smile. So that's what she wanted—to hear about the plans concerning her own situation. He had expected this. If their positions were reversed, he would have asked too.
Fortunately, he had already prepared for this moment.
"I know what you're getting at," he said lightly. "And as it happens, I was planning to show you something rather interesting. Come with me."
With that, Kei turned and led Hyūga Ayaka toward another room.
After years of refinement and reconstruction, Uchiha Kei's once small underground chamber had grown into a much larger complex.
The location was carefully chosen—tucked near Uchiha territory and surrounded by a vast forest, making it far more secure than most places.
Yet despite its size, the chamber felt eerily empty. Few people worked here, and the hollow silence only amplified its unsettling atmosphere.
Soon, Uchiha Kei led Hyūga Ayaka into an adjacent room. Inside stood a series of strange instruments, all arranged around a massive life-support pod.
Within the nutrient fluid, Uchiha Yuu floated motionless, his appearance disturbingly corpse-like.
Ayaka wasn't particularly shocked. She had seen firsthand Kei's ruthless methods against this man. Though she'd later refused to watch, his image was burned into her memory.
"Why bring me here?" Ayaka frowned. "Don't tell me this is where you reveal the true purpose of your experiments?"
"Something like that," Kei replied with a faint smile, stopping beside the pod and weaving a hand seal. "Tell me, Ayaka—have you ever wondered? Uchiha eyes, Hyūga eyes… do you really think what we have now is the limit?"
"The limit?" Ayaka blinked, then let out a helpless sigh.
"When did you start chasing after fantasies, Kei? Only what's tangible can be trusted. I didn't think you were someone so… naive."
"Of course not." Kei's expression didn't change. "But before I show you something real, let me ask you this: If the Uchiha and Hyūga had only the power you see now, would we truly hold such renown? Was it all just reconnaissance?
"In the Warring States era, reconnaissance alone wasn't enough to survive."
Ayaka stayed silent, watching him intently. His words stirred something within her.
She knew little of that chaotic period. As a branch family member, she'd never had access to ancient records. But Kei was different. Once so similar to her, he had now soared like an eagle into the skies, reaching things forever beyond her grasp.
Taking a slow breath, she dropped her polite smile. Her tone became calm, cold.
"Since you claim to know, then tell me, Kei. Speak."
"Very well." Kei smiled thinly before continuing.
"I've read fragments of old records. There was a time when the Uchiha and Hyūga did not coexist peacefully. Back then, the Hyūga's Byakugan combined with their taijutsu to terrifying effect. Their strongest technique of that era was known as—Yasogami Kūgeki, the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack."
Kei was, in truth, weaving lies—but not entirely. Hyūga Ayaka was branch family, with no access to deeper knowledge. And besides, there was truth hidden in his fabrication: Yasogami Kūgeki did exist, though it belonged to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Hyūga's true progenitor.
The Uchiha and Senju had both diverged from Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths. In many ways, they were no longer true Ōtsutsuki. Mutations, or perhaps evolutions—the gap between them and the original lineage had only grown wider.
Ayaka listened in silence, astonishment flickering in her eyes. She found his claims difficult to believe, yet she could not refute them.
"Yasogami Kūgeki…" The name itself aligned perfectly with the Hyūga tradition of poetic nomenclature for Gentle Fist techniques. But she had never heard of it before. Without evidence, she could neither deny nor accept it.
"Now, I think you understand my point," Kei said with a sly smile. "Our clans' eyes have never been pushed to their true limits. Unlocking that potential requires… exploration."
"And how do you propose to explore that?" Ayaka raised her gaze to him. "You've found something, haven't you?"
Kei nodded. His fingers tightened into a seal, and a sinister chakra rippled outward.
Inside the pod, Uchiha Yuu's body twitched. Slowly—unnaturally—his eyes opened.
What looked back at Ayaka froze her in place: a pair of crimson Sharingan, twisted into a shape she had never seen before.
Three tomoe, fused into a single, uncanny triangular, flower-like symbol.
The sight alone sent a chill through her chest, an instinctive dread coiling in her heart.
Those eyes… were far too dangerous.