Clearly, the Sacred Tree's gaze was fixed on that dog.
Hatake Keiji's eyes were nearly lined with wrinkles from squinting. What a superficial man he was—he truly envied his future children. At least they'd never go hungry.
Reluctantly, he withdrew his gaze, bid farewell to Tsunade, and left.
Thinking back on the banquet, Tsunade's figure really was stunning!
He slowly made his way home, guessing that his brother had likely gone to the weapons workshop. Heading back now would only earn him a scolding.
Keiji gave himself a thumbs up. How clever of him.
Due to the tense atmosphere, with war on the brink of erupting, the village streets were nearly deserted, populated only by hurried shinobi with grim expressions.
Keiji passed by a secluded alleyway so narrow that sunlight couldn't even reach into it.
Suddenly, he became alert—someone was following him.
Ever since crossing over into this world, Keiji had spent his time training and running a business. He hadn't made any enemies, so why was someone tailing him?
"Who is it? Come out."
Keiji stopped in his tracks, his voice cold. He glared into the shadows, a sharp glint of aggression in his eyes.
"Haha, no wonder you're the genius of the Hatake clan."
A young ninja stepped out from the darkness.
He had long hair, no forehead protector, and wore a Konoha jonin uniform. On his shoulder was a clan insignia shaped like a ping-pong paddle.
An Uchiha.
"Uchiha? What's your deal?"
"What did I do wrong?"
Keiji furrowed his brow slightly. Was simply supporting Tsunade enough to offend the Uchiha clan?
No wonder they were wiped out over something so petty.
"You and your Hatake clan plan to side with the Senju?"
The young man's tone was arrogant and grim—classic Uchiha.
"Do I need to report to the Uchiha about who I make friends with?"
Keiji nearly laughed aloud. The Uchiha were unbelievably nosy. Clan grudges weren't just words. Even after the Senju integrated into the village, the Uchiha still kept their guard up.
"If you had made friends with anyone else, it would've been fine."
"But aligning with the Senju raises suspicion."
The young man stepped forward menacingly, as if he were ready to fight over any disagreement.
"I, Hatake Keiji, won't accept threats from anyone."
"If the Uchiha clan had even a shred of respect for me, you wouldn't be blocking my path."
"You won't give me face? Fine. Bury me if you can. Let's see what you're made of."
This guy clearly knew things wouldn't end well, so he didn't come for a friendly chat. Besides, in Konoha, Keiji wasn't afraid of anyone anymore.
He raised his hand, and an eight-sided broadsword instantly appeared in his grip.
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. His Sharingan flared to three tomoe, but he hadn't even seen how the sword appeared.
"Three tomoe, huh? You must think highly of me."
Keiji wore a look of disdain, sword in hand, fearless.
"You've got a big mouth."
"Today I'll teach you a lesson—you can't be friends with everyone."
Keiji now felt like he'd swallowed a fly. You don't dare provoke Jiraiya or Orochimaru, so you pick on me like I'm some pushover?
The young Uchiha's face darkened. No one had ever dared speak so arrogantly in front of a member of the Uchiha.
He pulled a kunai from his pouch and threw it at Keiji.
He quickly formed a hand seal.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Keiji didn't want to take on a jonin-level Fire Style jutsu.
He swung his sword, knocking the kunai away, then dodged.
Unexpectedly, the kunai looped back toward him.
The Uchiha's kunai technique was indeed tricky.
"Lightning Style: Palm Thunder!"
Keiji raised one hand, palm upward, and a bolt of lightning shot out, shattering the kunai instantly.
"What an unusual technique—you don't even need hand seals?"
The Uchiha stared at Keiji charging toward him, sighing.
"In front of these eyes, everything you do is useless."
His confidence was absolute.
But before he finished speaking, the figure in his eyes vanished. A second later, he was sent flying backward.
With a loud thud, he hit the ground.
"How… how is this possible?! So fast!"
Blood trickled from the corner of the Uchiha's mouth, his face full of shock.
He half-kneeled, clutching his abdomen. Clearly injured.
Keiji had held back. Had he unleashed the full power of that strike, this guy wouldn't have lived to see another sunrise.
"You'd follow someone this far?"
"When your eyes evolve further, come find me again."
His words dripped with mockery. Keiji had no mercy for bullies.
It seemed the Uchiha were still just ordinary people. Without the Mangekyō, they'd never amount to anything.
At some point, Keiji sheathed his sword. Someone like this didn't even deserve it.
With that, he turned away, not sparing the Uchiha a second glance. If it weren't for the trouble it would cause in the village, he'd have killed him already—no need for this back-and-forth.
Wounding him was enough. Let the Uchiha clan know—Hatake Keiji wasn't some pushover they could trample over.
With those final words, Keiji walked out of the alley, vanishing from the Uchiha's sight.
Watching Keiji disappear, fear still lingered in the Uchiha's eyes. Someone had moved so fast, even his Sharingan couldn't follow.
Cough, cough…
He spat out blood, staining the ground red.
"Hatake Keiji… I, Uchiha Fugaku, will remember you."
This person—he was to be the next head of the Uchiha clan. If Keiji had known, he might've killed him on the spot.
Never had Keiji met a clan leader who'd let others butcher his own people. What's the point in keeping someone like that alive?
Not long after Keiji left, the ANBU arrived, finding the injured Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku claimed he'd been hurt while sparring with a friend and requested the ANBU take him home.
They saw through the lie instantly but, wary of the Uchiha's power, reluctantly escorted him back before quickly leaving—not wanting to linger a second longer.
Supported by fellow clansmen, Fugaku received basic treatment for his internal injuries, then headed to the clan council hall.
In the center sat a middle-aged man who resembled Fugaku, his expression dark and brooding.
This was the current Uchiha clan leader—Fugaku's uncle.
"You couldn't even handle something this small?"
"He's just a jonin from a minor clan, and you asked the ANBU to bring you back?"
Clearly, the uncle was deeply disappointed. If Fugaku couldn't handle this, earning his trust and becoming the next clan head would be difficult.
"Clan leader, Hatake Keiji is incredibly fast. My eyes couldn't keep up—I didn't land a single hit."
Fugaku admitted honestly—Keiji was strong. He lost, and he accepted that.
"What?!"
"Did he use some kind of forbidden jutsu?"
The clan leader's face changed drastically. He had expected a draw at worst—not this crushing defeat.
They suspected Keiji had used some powerful forbidden technique.
"I don't know. After defeating me, he told me to come back when I could see farther."
Fugaku repeated Keiji's parting words.
"Hatake Keiji… what a joke."
"As if he understands the power of the Mangekyō. He's nothing but a frog in a well."
"No need to worry about him for now. War is imminent. It's time the shinobi world remembers the weight behind the name 'Uchiha.'"
The clan leader was fired up, but fate wouldn't be so kind—this war wouldn't be the Uchiha clan's stage.
"Then I'll go heal now."
Fugaku bowed and left carefully, returning to his room to have his wounds properly treated. Chakra still churned violently inside him—Hatake Keiji was truly strange.
He was insanely fast, used Lightning Style without hand seals, and could even mask his chakra flow with his movement.
I must awaken the Mangekyō to stand a chance against him.
Meanwhile, Keiji returned home leisurely, entirely unaware that he had just become the reason Uchiha Fugaku would seek to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.