Chapter 42: The Final Battle (Part 1)
"Kei-kun, you..."
"Don't worry. It's just a genjutsu—I only made him faint. I understand what you're thinking, and I get what the village wants. But we need to move fast—he has a tailed beast inside him."
Uchiha Kei spoke calmly to Namikaze Minato. Of course, he could easily guess Minato's thoughts—or more accurately, the thoughts of the village.
If they wanted to end the war and prevent the Land of Earth from making another move, then certain people couldn't be killed. People like Kitsuchi. People like the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Kitsuchi probably thought he'd narrowly escaped a fatal blow from Namikaze Minato. In reality, Minato had simply chosen not to kill him.
Though the Land of Earth was preoccupied, the death of key figures could easily turn the remaining Iwagakure shinobi into ticking time bombs.
After all, every great nation possessed the potential to wage war. Konoha had already shown what it meant to fight five countries alone—if the Land of Earth fought to the bitter end, Konoha might win, but it would be left bleeding. And you could bet Kumogakure would gladly take advantage of that.
So Minato's decision made perfect sense to Uchiha Kei. As much as Kei preferred his enemies dead, following Minato's orders meant playing things smart.
Unfortunately, his genjutsu wouldn't hold for long. If the target were a normal shinobi, Kei's illusion could've left them disoriented for ages—perhaps even leading to their own demise. But this was a Jinchūriki, with two types of chakra inside him. He could shake off even Sharingan illusions quickly.
Sharingan genjutsu could indeed control tailed beasts—but only with the Mangekyō Sharingan as the base.
Kei had just recently awakened that eye. He hadn't dared reveal it yet, and he hadn't had time to fully explore or master its abilities. He'd tested its default dojutsu once—but the cost had been enormous. Not just chakra, but spiritual energy and ocular power. It was a triple burden.
Developing and mastering a new ability was no easy task. Kei still had a long way to go.
Minato let out a small sigh of relief at Kei's explanation. This boy—about the same age as Kakashi—was remarkable. He could actually think from the village's perspective.
But why had Minato never heard of such talent before?
He glanced at Kei's blood-red Sharingan and sighed again. Now he understood.
When it came to the Uchiha clan's internal matters, Minato preferred to stay out of it. Still, it was a shame—how many intelligent shinobi had that family buried under its traditions?
And that clan...
Minato shook his head. As Jiraiya's student and the leader of an elite squad, he knew far more than most. And what he knew made him uneasy. Prolonged tension between Konoha and the Uchiha could only lead to one conclusion.
If only I could become Hokage... Minato thought to himself. But that was just a dream. Even if he had a shot, Konoha's political system would likely never choose him.
"Captain Minato," Kei called, interrupting his thoughts. "Should we bring this guy back after the mission?"
"Bring him back?" Minato blinked, glancing at the still-dazed Han, then nodded. "Good idea. He could be valuable as a bargaining chip."
"Exactly," Kei said, then looked around. "By the way, where's Kenta? Has he already gone ahead?"
Kei scanned their surroundings. The mission came first. And once it was over, they could finally return home.
The world of Naruto was constantly in turmoil, and even Konoha's internal strife hadn't settled down. But even brief peace would give Kei time to rest—and explore his powers. That was far better than endlessly dancing on the battlefield between life and death.
"He's already gone," Minato replied. "No signs of a fight yet. But I think—"
Minato suddenly cut himself off. His expression turned grave, and Kei's eyes narrowed at the same time.
They turned in unison.
Though Han was still dazed, a suffocating wave of chakra erupted from him.
It was the power of the tailed beast. And it was rising fast.
In an instant, Han's body was cloaked in red chakra. The energy surged outward, slowly forming the shape of a tailed beast.
Kei frowned. This was not part of the plan.
This is why, in battle, it's often better to eliminate the enemy outright. But sometimes, political concerns outweigh battlefield logic. And the living are often more useful than the dead.
Kei sighed. His ninja blade had already broken—he drew a kunai instead. He also made a mental note to get himself a new sword soon.
"This is going to be trouble," Minato said with a sigh. "Get back—wait, no. Other Iwagakure shinobi are approaching. Looks like we're not done fighting yet."
"Yeah... this might really be a problem," Kei muttered. "I just hope Kenta can handle things down there. Wonder how it's going for him?"
"He's probably in trouble too," Minato said grimly. "He must be fighting some enemies."
"So the bridge has enemies, too," Kei nodded. "If it comes to it, we go down there together. Finish the mission by force and get out."
That was their last resort—but also the riskiest. Turning their backs meant inviting a barrage of jutsu and deadly kunai.
Their best shot was to keep the enemies above engaged and give Kenta time to act. If he failed, Kei and Minato would have no choice but to rush down and blow up the bridge themselves.
But if he succeeded, all he needed to do was return and regroup with them before escaping.
"Yeah," Minato said. "Let's hope he pulls it off."
"Same plan as before?"
"Yeah. Same as before."