Cautious Eyes: An Uchiha's Path

With this meeting with Minato Namikaze, too many things had been confirmed, and the benefits Kai Uchiha had reaped were immeasurable.

Kai was now certain: the future of Konoha would no longer follow the path laid out in the original timeline. But so what?

The most significant change was simple—Minato Namikaze was alive.

The reform plan had come from Minato himself. No one knew how he conceived it, but its implementation had begun. The Uchiha clan, led by Uchiha Fugaku, showed the most cooperation. Publicly, Kai's name never appeared. There was no trace of Uchiha Kai in the plan's documentation—yet in every corner, his influence was present.

He was invisible in appearance but instrumental in action—someone who subtly shifted the beliefs and actions of key players.

When it came to politics, Kai knew he wasn't as adept as the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. That man, a master strategist, had long learned to safeguard the village's core while quietly consolidating power. Without any formal directive, Hiruzen had devised a system that divided the village along clan and civilian lines, protecting his influence and leveraging institutional inertia for his benefit.

Perhaps Hiruzen and his circle never realized how powerful their passive strategies had been. But at the same time, those very strategies had become fragile over time.

Because they never saw the nature of their true political enemy.

With Minato Namikaze—a man of ideals and dreams—now sitting at the table, everything had the potential to change.

Kai had skillfully leveraged Minato's pure-hearted nature, his desire to improve the village, and guided him toward reforms that would help dismantle the very system Hiruzen had once cemented.

There were many paths to power. It simply depended on how far one was willing to go.

Under the old identity-based structure, clan status and hierarchy had dictated everything—who could rise, who had to obey. Most thoughts and actions were constrained by one's bloodline and role.

But in the new system taking shape, those identities were beginning to dissolve. The village, once rigid and defined, was becoming fluid again—a place where opportunity flowed to those who moved smartly within the chaos.

"It's ironic," Kai muttered one night. "The structure the Third built was actually better for making money... but the cost was branding an entire clan as dangerous and treasonous. Changing that image isn't so simple."

After this round of negotiations, both Kai and Fugaku noticed a subtle but undeniable shift in Minato's stance. His attitude toward the Uchiha clan had softened—and, more importantly, hardened in conviction.

Within just a week, Minato made his first move. He personally requested that Fugaku assign several Uchiha to Anbu. A small gesture on the surface, but unmistakably bold.

This wasn't favoritism—it was strategy. And it wasn't Kai's direct doing, though Fugaku embraced the opportunity eagerly. Even if they were viewed as "mercenaries," it was still a foot in the door.

But what truly caught Kai's attention was something else.

Minato had revealed that Kushina Uzumaki was pregnant.

That was a critical piece of intelligence. At this point in canon, only a few trusted individuals should have known this—including Hiruzen, Biwako, and a few senior Anbu. Kushina's pregnancy and the impending birth of the Nine-Tails jinchūriki were strictly classified due to the risk of attack during her weakened state.

Eventually, even Kushina confided in Mikoto Uchiha, and the secret spread to the clan's inner circle. But Minato revealing this so early—to Kai—spoke volumes.

In response, Kai had offered to increase Uchiha patrols around Minato and Kushina. Minato, ever the optimist, had simply smiled and declined. Kai didn't push it. Instead, he focused on what mattered most.

Time.

It was already April. In six months, Kai needed to acquire the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Without it, prolonged use of his Mangekyō would render him blind.

Though his chakra control and restraint kept his usage low, he could barely use the full power of his eye without hurting himself. That was no longer acceptable.

"Susanoo development is progressing well," he thought, "but I still haven't unlocked the full potential of my ocular powers. Especially the so-called 'complete form'... can I reach it?"

His heart was filled with doubts, but that never stopped him from moving forward.

He'd taken enormous risks to capture Uchiha Osamu and Uchiha Yuu—necessary sacrifices for the transplant experiment. Even Fugaku and Hyūga Aya had grown suspicious.

Everything seemed stable for now, but the future was full of uncertainty. Their interests aligned at present, but divergence was inevitable.

"When that day comes... I'll have to handle it myself. That's why I must become stronger—no one else will do it for me."

Determined to push forward, Kai turned his attention to Aya Hyūga's progress.

Aya had been confined for the entire month of April. The reason? She had savagely beaten Hyūga Sora—the grandson of an elder—during training. While injury was common among ninja, attacking someone of such status was political suicide.

As a member of the branch family, Aya's brutality toward a main house descendant drew punishment. Yet the consequences were curiously mild—grounded, yes, but otherwise unscathed.

Clearly, someone was protecting her. That someone was likely her clan head—perhaps because she had once been on Minato's squad, a connection that held weight.

Aya was in the lab when Kai arrived, comparing test tubes meticulously. A month apart hadn't changed her cold demeanor.

But Kai didn't mind. She had always been like that.

The first time they met, she looked at him with disdain—eyes full of cold skepticism.

"You were grounded for a whole month. Seems your clan didn't go easy on you," Kai said casually, taking a seat.

Aya didn't glance up. "You're joking. The clan head simply sees my value. I did serve on the Fourth's team, after all."

"As for the punishment... I expected it. I'm just a branch member. Hurting a main house heir and getting off with house arrest? That's already a kindness."

Kai tilted his head, eyeing the test tubes. Seven of them lined the table, each marked with a Hyūga name abbreviation and genetic sequence identifiers.

"You still made progress, I see."

Aya shrugged. "I've been busy. Quiet time is good for research."

Kai picked one up and studied the data. "Thirty-three genetic sequences in the Byakugan? The higher the number, the harder to activate, right?"

Aya smirked. "You've been reading. Good. I'd be worried if you weren't paranoid."

Kai didn't deny it. "We're both guarding against each other. No point pretending otherwise."

Aya glanced at him coolly. "When you stop guarding me, I'll know I'm worthless. And people like me... you don't keep liabilities around, do you?"

Kai said nothing. She wasn't wrong.

As ninja—especially ones who walked in shadow—their lives were built on contingency and survival. Trust was a luxury.

Aya had once approached Kai out of desperation. Now she relied on him as a means to freedom—but she also understood the danger. The strange pattern in Kai's eyes warned her: one wrong move, and everything would collapse.

Fortunately, she still had her Byakugan. A curse in many ways, but also her shield.

"Only sequences seventeen to thirty-three show strong activation rates," she noted, gesturing to the samples.

"And the lower ones?" Kai asked.

"Too weak. I fall in the fourteen-to-thirty-three range. That boy—Sora—was unlucky to match against me."

Kai's brow lifted slightly. "What's his name?"

"You know him. He's your old classmate. Hyūga Kyou."

Kai's hand froze.