Once again, Uchiha Kei was enjoying the treatment of a returning king. Every single Uchiha clan member had been summoned, and all work and games were put on hold to welcome him. They made sure that the rarely-visiting "Lord Kei" could feel the warmth and enthusiasm of his clan, so he would no longer resent them for their past indifference.
Yes, many members of the Uchiha clan still believed that Kei's refusal to live on clan grounds stemmed from how the clan had once treated him unfairly.
This belief was widely accepted within the clan. Because of that, and because the Uchiha were notorious for producing eccentric personalities, the clan as a whole was now filled with guilt and remorse toward Uchiha Kei—just as the higher-ups had once been.
In fact, that remorse had trickled down from the elders to the lower ranks, resulting in a deep collective desire to make amends.
The better the clan's prospects became, the stronger their desire to atone grew.
Being a clan driven by love, they never treated great kindness as if it were great enmity. They simply felt they hadn't done enough—that they hadn't gone far enough. That must be why "Lord Kei" still chose to live apart from them. So they had to try harder, and harder still.
The elite guard unit led by Uchiha Naori was a direct result of this guilt. Under normal circumstances, the clan might assign guards to protect Kei, but they wouldn't have deployed so many.
After all, among the Uchiha, members with three-tomoe Sharingan were quite rare. Even Uchiha Masanobu, the clan leader, only took two or three with him on important missions outside the village. Who else would have five three-tomoe Sharingan users shadowing them just to walk around the village?
The last person who received such an entourage was Uchiha Madara—and only when representing the clan externally.
So yes, Uchiha Kei was now a very special case within the clan. And given the clan's overly dramatic tendencies, this situation wasn't going to change anytime soon.
Still, this whole returning-king scenario was starting to make Kei feel incredibly awkward. It was one thing to experience it once—but every time? You either got used to it, or it became unbearably cringey. Clearly, Kei was veering toward the latter.
That was one reason he preferred not to live in the clan compound. Being treated like royalty might sound great, but playing the role of a returning dragon lord every single day was exhausting—especially when everyone bowed to greet you so formally that it made you instinctively treat every word and gesture with rigid seriousness.
Living like that all the time would wear anyone out—especially someone like Uchiha Kei, who preferred a laid-back, easygoing lifestyle.
Now, faced with the Uchiha's over-the-top welcome, Kei wore a solemn expression and walked carefully, mindful of his posture and demeanor, as he made his way toward the clan elders' main hall.
Upon entering, the Uchiha elders greeted him with the traditional etiquette handed down since the Warring States era. Kei had to respond in kind. The entire ritual was an exercise in pomp and protocol. Fine once in a while—unbearable if it became a daily affair.
Luckily, once he finished what he came to do, he could head right back. No need to worry about daily ceremonies.
At that moment, Kei instructed his aides to shut the door and erected a barrier that blocked all external sounds—giving the impression that he was about to discuss something important.
The Uchiha elders took this very seriously and followed Kei's instructions to the letter.
Underground, Black Zetsu hesitated. Should he sneak closer and eavesdrop? Though the barrier couldn't stop him outright, getting too close risked detection.
Uchiha barriers weren't particularly strong—nothing compared to the Uzumaki's—but they incorporated the Sharingan's power. If he forced his way through, there was a good chance he'd be discovered.
This was one reason Black Zetsu loathed the Uchiha and planned to manipulate Madara's successor into wiping out the entire clan. As a creation of Yin-Yang Release, Black Zetsu feared few things—but the Sharingan, descended from Indra, son of the Sage of Six Paths, was one of them.
Another was the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts. That's why they had to be eliminated.
During the Second Great Ninja War, when the Hidden Leaf's main forces were tied up in Ame fighting the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone, Black Zetsu used years of preparation to provoke the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud into a joint surprise attack on Uzushiogakure, a Leaf ally.
Before the Hidden Leaf could even react, the Uzumaki clan and their nation were wiped out.
Black Zetsu took great pride in this. The Land of Whirlpools could have held out until reinforcements arrived, but he sabotaged their protective barriers using his abilities. Without those seals, the Uzumaki warriors stood no chance against the ferocious assault from the sea.
In the blink of an eye, the nation fell—faster than a German-Soviet blitzkrieg, leaving no time for "Polish" hesitation.
The Leaf had barely begun organizing their forces when word came that the Uzumaki and their homeland were gone. What was supposed to be a relief mission turned into a refugee rescue operation.
That was how Kushina Uzumaki and a few surviving refugees ended up in the Hidden Leaf.
To Black Zetsu, eradicating the Uzumaki clan was one of his crowning achievements. He had wiped out a clan that posed a genuine threat to him.
He still found twisted joy remembering how confident the Uzumaki had been in their barrier techniques, proudly informing the Leaf they could hold out for two months—and then watching them fall within a day.
The panic, the helplessness—it was a glorious reversal that brought him no end of satisfaction.
After all, the Uzumaki were also descendants of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, that unfilial son of Kaguya.
Of course, no matter how triumphant that victory had been, it was now in the past. What mattered now was whether to risk breaking through the Uchiha's barrier to gather intel.
He also needed to start keeping a close eye on Uchiha Kei—a rising star whose strength was already drawing attention.
"Hm? That chakra signature... Has he already surpassed Chūnin and reached Jōnin level? Hmph, so what? Just became a Jōnin—hardly worth worrying about."
Black Zetsu sensed Kei's chakra and scoffed. In his eyes, Kei was nothing special—just another disposable fighter.
After some thought, Black Zetsu decided to play it safe. No eavesdropping this time. Whatever Kei said wouldn't matter if Kei himself was eliminated.
That was the plan. As long as Uchiha Kei was dealt with, anything he did would be meaningless.
What Black Zetsu didn't realize was that Kei already knew he was lurking underground—thanks to his constant mental link with the Nine-Tails.
"That Black Zetsu sure is a coward," Kei muttered inwardly. "Doesn't take any risks. Then again, he's a thousand-year-old schemer—of course he's cautious."
Kei scanned the room. Once he confirmed there were no White Zetsus or other strange presences inside the barrier, and with all the Uchiha elders watching him intently, he began to speak.
"Everyone, I've come today because I need to discuss something crucial to the future of the Uchiha clan. This is a serious matter. A single misstep could lead to our destruction."
"So I ask that you listen calmly, and whatever happens—don't look down... Hey, hey, I just said not to look, and you already looked?!"
His solemn tone suddenly turned into an exasperated outburst. One of the elders had instinctively glanced down at the ground.
Instantly, everyone glared at the man, whose sheepish, apologetic smile did nothing to ease the tension. His face flushed bright red—he looked downright silly.
Fortunately, Black Zetsu couldn't see or hear through the barrier, so the Nine-Tails confirmed that he hadn't reacted. The conversation could safely continue.
Kei repeated his warning not to look down—making it clear that something dangerous lurked below.
The elders' expressions turned grim. This was the Uchiha's innermost sanctum—yet someone had breached it and remained undetected beneath them. That was a massive security failure.
To let a spy hide underground and observe them? It meant their most guarded secrets could've been exposed.
Anyone with an ounce of pride as an Uchiha found this intolerable.
And the people in this room had that pride in spades.
If they could, they'd rip open the floor and drag that sewer rat out by the hair—to show him what it meant to disrespect the Uchiha clan.