Chapter 334 — The Mysterious Uchiha
"So… who exactly is this guy?"
In the forest behind the Uchiha compound, Ayaka crossed her arms and looked at Kei, her voice low and sharp.
Last night, after finishing her experiments and returning to the Hyūga compound, she found something unexpected waiting for her at the gates—
Kei's shadow clone, standing there silently.
And judging by the reactions of the passing Hyūga clansmen—
none of them had failed to recognize who it was.
Ayaka had found it strange, of course.
But she didn't bother overthinking it.
If Kei showed up at this hour—clone or not—something important must have happened.
And indeed, his request had startled her.
He had come specifically to have her prepare Nohara Rin's preserved body,
and the curse mark fragments extracted from it.
Ever since Kei instructed her, Ayaka had been keeping Rin's body submerged in a special medicinal solution—
maintaining biological activity and preventing any decay.
The curse fragments were still stored as well, untouched as per Kei's orders.
But Ayaka could not understand why.
What was Kei planning?
Trying to resurrect that woman?
Whatever it was, it didn't sound like a good idea.
Still, Ayaka had no interest in prying.
Kei's goals were his own, and her job was simply to support him—and occasionally warn him when necessary.
But judging by his attitude, Kei wasn't aiming to bring Rin back.
Instead, Rin's body and the curse fragments…
were somehow connected to the person now standing before them.
Yet—who was he?
Why would Kei personally come to the Hyūga compound so late at night, just to prepare these things?
Ayaka understood Kei's habits perfectly.
He never moved around this late unless absolutely necessary—
not even his clones did.
Which meant this person's identity was worth scrutinizing.
Just what kind of man could push Uchiha Kei to act like this?
---
"This kid…" Kei tilted his head, thinking for a moment before speaking.
"He's a member of the Police Force. Name's Uchiha Rin."
"Police Force…? Uchiha… Rin?"
Ayaka gave Kei a strange look, then turned that same gaze—now tinged with amusement—toward Obito.
It took her several long seconds before she smiled faintly.
"I see. Then he must be Uchiha Rin."
Kei nearly groaned.
This woman…
He shot Obito a murderous glare.
Of all names Obito could've chosen for his alias,
he picked one that sounded almost exactly like "Rin."
With Kei's recent strange requests and movements…
Of course anyone perceptive would connect the dots.
Narrow the scope:
Someone connected to Rin.
Someone from the Uchiha clan.
Put those together, and the identity became suspiciously easy to guess.
Fortunately, Obito's "death" had become established fact long ago.
Even if Ayaka had her suspicions, overturning the official story was impossible.
The only weakness… was the lack of a recovered body—
something that gave Ayaka just enough room for speculation.
Thank the gods she didn't know Obito personally.
With his personality and antics, he'd be exposed in minutes if she did.
Kei exhaled as Obito rose to inspect the curse fragments with visible concentration.
Everything was finally falling into place.
Obito had met the person he most wanted to see.
His disguise had been repaired—not in appearance, which remained similar,
but in temperament.
Kei had even slapped a spiky wig onto him.
At a glance, most people wouldn't notice anything.
But the real difference lay in Obito's aura.
He had watched the girl he loved die by his best friend's hand.
He had fallen into darkness.
He had unleashed the Nine-Tails.
He had been dragged back by Kei and forced to confront the truth.
Even if traces of his old self remained…
his eyes, posture, and air had changed drastically.
"Thanks… Captain."
Obito's voice was calm, steady—
a tone Kei had rarely heard from him.
Just as Uchiha Kei was lost in thought, Obito finally finished examining the curse fragments and walked toward him.
"Thanks. I guess… I fulfilled one of my wishes today.
And—thank you as well, Ayaka-senpai."
"No need to thank me. I didn't do much."
Ayaka looked at him calmly, though there was a faintly mischievous curve to her lips.
"But I am curious. You're a member of the Police Force?
Which squad were you in? Who was your captain?
Why do I feel like I've never seen you before?"
Kei immediately stepped in before she could press further.
"Alright, Ayaka. This kid's situation is… special."
If she kept asking, who knew what kind of disasters might follow.
"We're leaving. And as for earlier—"
"Earlier? What happened earlier?"
Ayaka blinked, her expression genuinely puzzled.
Kei took one look at her and nodded with quiet satisfaction.
Of course she would answer like this.
Even if she had guessed something, or suspected something, she was not the kind of woman to run her mouth.
And if—just if—she linked this boy to the hidden hand behind the Nine-Tails disaster…
She would make sure to forget everything even harder.
That was Ayaka Hyūga:
Smart enough to see the truth, and smart enough to pretend she didn't.
---
"Anyway, everything we needed to do is done," Kei said, glancing toward Ayaka handling Rin's preserved body.
"Next is taking you to Rin's grave."
"Yeah… I know."
Obito lowered his voice so only Kei could hear.
"Even if it's strange—her body being here but her grave somewhere else… I still want to go.
Maybe… maybe I can actually tell her everything.
And pray she forgives me."
"Maybe she won't accept it now," Kei said softly. "But in the future… who knows?"
Obito nodded.
"Shouldn't we wait for Ayaka-senpai?" Obito asked, grinning foolishly. "You're being a little cold, aren't you?"
Kei rubbed his forehead.
This idiot really thought everyone operated on the same emotional wavelengths he did.
He walked over to Ayaka, exchanged a few words, and she split off a shadow clone to continue her work before joining them.
Obito had already wandered through the Uchiha district the night before.
He had overheard rumors.
Seen familiar faces from afar.
And even secretly left money for the grandmother who raised him.
He had wanted—desperately—to reveal his identity.
But he wasn't stupid.
He understood the consequences.
Still… seeing that his grandmother was living comfortably now—
With the Uchiha district open,
with Obito acknowledged as a war hero and the Fourth Hokage's student,
children from other clans had come to learn about him—
and ended up helping the lonely old woman out of respect.
Uchiha children, not wanting outsiders to outdo them, joined in too.
She was no longer lonely.
A quiet, unexpected blessing.
"Gotta say… the Uchiha clan is really thriving now," Obito murmured as they passed through the district.
"Nothing like the cold, distant place we grew up in."
"Are you stupid?"
Kei sent him a sideways glare, then looked to Ayaka.
"Don't mind him.
And… well, he hasn't lived in Konoha for a long time."
"I can tell," Ayaka replied lightly, her tone unreadable.
"But where are we heading next?"
"Walk around the village for a bit. Then report to the Fourth Hokage."
Kei thought for a moment before adding:
"There are things he needs to know. If we don't explain properly now… it'll just cause trouble later."
Ayaka nodded.
That explanation satisfied her.
She had already connected many dots—
and now that she was included in this secret, she understood the unspoken message:
This is a warning.
And a sign of trust.
Break neither.
She would stay silent.
Absolutely silent.
The three of them continued toward the village center.
Then, suddenly—
a person dashed past them. Upside down. Running on their hands.
Before they could even react,
the upside-down figure doubled back, still running backwards.
He landed on his feet, straightened his posture…
…and stared directly at Obito with wide, shocked eyes.