Chapter 316 – Reassurance
"A branch family member?"
Kei narrowed his eyes the moment Ayaka said it, letting his gaze drift over her from head to toe as if weighing her suitability.
The captain of the Fourth Division wasn't a title to be handed out lightly.
It required prestige, strength, and—most importantly—the authority to keep certain people in line… especially those proud Hyūga from the main family.
Although the Fourth Division hadn't been established for long and hadn't fully shifted into official operations yet, its composition was anything but simple.
The unit was split into two major groups:
– civilian shinobi
– clan shinobi
And among the clan shinobi, aside from a small number of Uchiha placed there for balance, the overwhelming majority were Hyūga, both branch family and main family.
Trying to make that stubborn, hierarchical cluster listen to orders?
The captain's seat mattered more than anything.
Letting a branch member command a group that included members of the main family…
That would be difficult—if not impossible—for most.
But in Kei's mind, there was one exception.
Ayaka Hyūga.
Strength?
Ayaka had it.
Back when she tested Kei's genetic theory, she practically beat half her clan—main and branch—to the point of spitting blood in the training grounds.
Experience?
She had that too.
She was the first Hyūga to join the Police Force under Kei, placing her a full step ahead of every other Hyūga candidate.
And most importantly—
Ayaka and Kei were undeniably close.
In a political environment, that alone outweighed most qualifications.
What could possibly matter more than the Police Chief's personal endorsement?
---
"It's not me," Ayaka said immediately, catching Kei's expression and sighing helplessly.
"Hiashi did ask for my opinion. But I told him you preferred I continue working at headquarters, handling administrative matters. He agreed."
Kei snorted.
"Of course he agreed. A division captain and an administrative official? That's practically embedding two Hyūga stakes in the Police Force."
"But whether those stakes are useful or not," Ayaka said casually, raising a brow, "depends entirely on you, doesn't it? The Police Force is, ultimately, your territory. Your approval is what matters."
Kei smiled faintly but said nothing.
It was true—he had been working to shift the Police Force away from being "the Uchiha's police force" to "Konoha's police force."
But whether he liked it or not, the entire system—its rules, structures, workflows—was built by him.
Every key position was held by someone loyal to him.
Every reform carried his fingerprints.
The Uchiha label was fading…
But in its place, another had emerged:
Kei's Police Force.
He hadn't planned it that way, but it was the natural result of centralizing reform under a single leader.
Useful for now—but dangerous long term.
---
"Well," Kei sighed, "even if that's the truth, you didn't need to say it out loud."
He leaned back slightly.
"So… a branch family candidate. That means whoever they're proposing must have enough status to pressure the main family members. Any idea who?"
"That's hard to say," Ayaka replied, thinking.
"There aren't many branch members with that level of authority, or rather…"
She paused.
"…there's only one."
Kei's lips lifted slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "That's what I thought too."
If it really was that person…
Things would become far more interesting.
Of course, all of this was still speculation.
Even if their guess was almost certainly correct, Kei wasn't the type to jump to conclusions before seeing results.
Still—he couldn't deny he was looking forward to it.
If that individual truly ended up in the position…
Many future developments—currently uncertain—might unfold in a very advantageous way.
And when they did, Kei would have a legitimate excuse to step in and shape events to fit his long-term plans.
But that was all for later.
There was no point wasting energy thinking so far ahead.
Even if the Hyūga selected that person, it would still be at least two and a half to three years before Kei's plan could actually be set into motion.
Rather than bother with long-term hypotheticals, it made more sense to focus on what mattered now—
Ayaka's experimental progress,
and the degree of fusion Kei's own body had achieved.
---
Kei sat down casually.
"So? How's my fusion rate now? Last time you said I hit around fifty percent. After the Kirigakure mission, I can feel my chakra has grown… and my eyes feel like they're on the verge of something."
"Oh?"
Ayaka turned toward him, activated her Byakugan, and examined him carefully.
The entire time he was away in the Land of Water, Kei never stopped taking the serum.
They had evacuated the entire lab before departure, so naturally the blood serums were brought along.
At his current level of adaptation, the injections almost had no side effects on him, so he hadn't had to hesitate using them even in the middle of Kirigakure.
Only Imai Kenta had trouble—he persisted with his injections, but the backlash severely affected combat performance, forcing him to stop.
After a long examination, Ayaka finally deactivated her Byakugan.
"It seems your rampage in Kirigakure paid off. Your fusion rate has reached sixty percent. That's a ten percent increase in just a few months. And your chakra quantity… almost doubled compared to before you left."
"Is that so?"
Kei lowered his gaze, staring at his hands.
"What about the quality? Chakra volume alone doesn't matter much to me unless I'm using Susanoo or large-scale techniques."
"The density has increased significantly," Ayaka replied.
"I can't give exact numbers, but the quality jump is noticeable. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous. Your combat style is like an art form—effortless, decisive, one-strike kills—and yet you still possess this kind of chakra foundation…"
Kei chuckled.
"If things go well, you might reach that level too."
He wasn't joking.
If Ayaka ever awakened something akin to the Tenseigan, her chakra quality and quantity would surpass almost the entire shinobi world.
Unlikely? Yes.
Impossible? Not entirely—depending on fate, opportunity, or someone with absurd protagonist luck.
But even without reaching that mythical level, her chakra could still rise dramatically.
With Kekkei Genkai cells in her body, the unlocking of genetic sequences would naturally strengthen her physical parameters.
"Let's hope you're right," she sighed—though her expression quickly sharpened.
"In any case, your serum dosage can be increased again. Your tolerance is excellent, and the fusion is accelerating."
"Increased again, huh?"
Kei tapped his chin.
"How much serum do we have left? Can we finish the remaining doses?"
"At the new dosage level, following the current schedule, everything should be used up within a month," Ayaka estimated.
"A month?"
Kei frowned.
"That includes the material extracted from Uchiha Shuu's eyes?"
Shuu's cells had seemed plentiful at first, but compared to White Zetsu cells, they were much more resource-intensive per dose.
He hadn't expected they would be nearly depleted already.
If the serum ran out before his final evolution…
That would be a disaster.
"Don't worry," Ayaka said, immediately reading his concern.
"We still have plenty in storage. Your sister extracted a massive amount—probably venting her temper while she worked. I still have enough prepared stock, and if needed, I can make more."
"I see…"
Kei let out a long breath, finally relieved.
Nothing was worse than reaching ninety-nine percent only to stop dead.
He still remembered the agony of downloading certain files only for them to freeze right before completion.
Ayaka was thorough—thankfully.
He didn't need to worry.
"Then I'll rely on you," Kei said with a small smile.
"I have to say… having you around really puts me at ease."
"…???"
Ayaka blinked at him, stunned.
What was wrong with this guy lately?
Why was he saying such strange things?
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