Chapter 443 — I Only Trust You
Handing Dodai over to the Police Force—
that wasn't something Uchiha Kei had expected.
After all, he had already thrown the man into Kakashi's custody.
Which meant—
Dodai was currently rotting in an ANBU prison.
And ANBU prisons…
were nothing like those run by the Police Force.
They were among the darkest, most inhumane places in all of Konoha.
Morino Ibiki's interrogation unit essentially existed to serve those prisons.
The only place that could rival—or even surpass—them…
was Root's interrogation chamber.
As for what truly happened there—
very few people knew.
Most likely, they relied on the Yamanaka clan—
forcefully invading a prisoner's mind.
Ignoring resistance.
Ignoring collapse.
Extracting information directly.
Brutal.
Efficient.
But flawed.
Because the more a prisoner resisted—
the more their mind destabilized—
until it broke completely.
And death followed soon after.
In simple terms—
Root never intended to keep prisoners alive.
---
ANBU prisons, at least, had layers.
They would begin with torture—
physical and psychological.
Break the will.
Crush the mind.
Force the truth out.
Or—
wear the prisoner down until they could no longer resist—
and only then bring in the Yamanaka clan.
Either way—
anyone sent there was as good as finished.
---
Konoha's regular prison was different.
The Police Force didn't have the authority to use torture.
But they had their own methods.
Genjutsu.
Back when the force was still an Uchiha-controlled department—
this had already been standard practice.
And even after Kei dismantled that monopoly—
the "tradition" remained.
Minato knew this well.
And he knew Kei's genjutsu was anything but weak.
Which was why—
he considered handing Dodai over to him.
There was also another reason.
A signal.
A prisoner in Konoha's prison—
still had a chance.
A prisoner in ANBU custody—
did not.
Some things didn't need to be said outright.
A simple action—
was enough.
---
Kei understood Minato's intent.
But extracting information from Dodai?
He wasn't interested.
He was about to leave the village.
He didn't have time for that.
And besides—
someone like Dodai would have undergone strict anti-genjutsu training.
The kind of illusion that forced truth?
That wasn't Kei's specialty.
What he excelled at—
was instantaneous disruption.
A moment of mental disorientation—
just enough to land a killing blow.
Yes, he could use other forms of genjutsu.
But against someone like Dodai—
disciplined, resilient—
it likely wouldn't work well.
---
"You're leaving the village?"
In the underground laboratory beneath the forest behind the Uchiha district—
Ayaka looked at Kei in surprise.
Beside her, Imai Kenta sat rubbing his arm.
He had just been injected with serum—
and Ayaka's distraction had made the process… less than smooth.
She hadn't known Kei planned to leave.
He hadn't mentioned it.
And with Konoha still negotiating with Kumogakure—
as a key official responsible for internal security—
this wasn't exactly the best time.
Not to mention—
the Police Force was expanding.
That expansion was practically an open secret now.
Rumors had already spread through the Administration Department.
Yet strangely—
no one opposed it.
Even those who disliked Kei or the Police Force—
remained silent.
Perhaps they were prepared.
Perhaps they understood the department's importance.
Perhaps Kei had broken the old clan monopoly—
giving others hope.
Or perhaps—
they were simply too busy with negotiations to care.
Either way—
the expansion was in full swing.
Civilian shinobi were excited.
Even clan members were interested.
At a time like this—
Kei leaving didn't seem ideal.
"Yes, I need to go out for a while," Kei replied, casually flipping through notes on Sage Mode.
"I didn't tell you? …Guess I forgot."
He glanced at Kenta.
"You didn't mention it either?"
"Why would I?" Kenta shot back irritably.
"You two are the couple—why should I be the one saying anything?"
Both Kei and Ayaka turned to look at him.
Silently.
Kenta immediately shut up.
He grumbled internally.
They had discussed this in a meeting before—
how was it his fault Kei hadn't told her?
And what about Hiashi?
Didn't he know?
Wasn't Ayaka part of the clan?
Why hadn't he said anything?
"I'm going to meet Orochimaru," Kei said at last, lowering his gaze back to his notes.
"There are things I need from him. And… something I've been considering."
"What?" Ayaka asked, tossing the syringe aside.
"I'm thinking about having him study the Caged Bird Seal."
His tone was calm.
"Though I don't expect much. Still, if anyone specializes in this kind of thing—it's him."
"That said, it's more of a precaution. What I really want is to ask him about something else."
"The Caged Bird Seal…"
Ayaka's hand paused.
Then she shook her head.
"No."
"To study it, you'd need a living Hyūga branch member. I can provide that."
She hesitated briefly—
then spoke firmly.
"But I don't trust him."
Her gaze met Kei's.
"I only trust you."
It wasn't just emotion.
It was reason.
Orochimaru—
was not someone she could ever trust.
Ayaka had never been the type to trust easily.
The fact that she had come this far with Kei—
was already the result of countless coincidences.
Because Kei had given her something.
Something rare.
Something powerful.
Hope.
From the brink of despair—
to evolving her eyes through understanding and experimentation—
Kei had shown her possibilities she had never imagined.
As someone who also wielded dōjutsu—
that transformation was deeply inspiring.
And under his guidance—
her strength, her condition, her eyes—
were all advancing at an incredible pace.
That hope.
That future.
That belief—
all came from him.
So she trusted him.
Or rather—
he was the only one she trusted.
---
But even so—
she remained herself.
Cautious.
Skeptical.
Independent.
So when it came to involving Orochimaru—
she refused.
If it were merely about tracing the Hyūga clan's ancient origins—
she wouldn't object.
They lacked time, manpower, and resources.
But this—
concerned her directly.
And her condition—
was far beyond that of ordinary branch members.
She didn't believe Orochimaru could achieve anything meaningful.
And with that lack of trust—
there was no way she would agree.
Kei didn't push.
Seeing her refusal—
he dropped the subject.
In truth, he had considered this long ago.
Back when he didn't even know Orochimaru.
Now—
things were different.
And they had other options.
Beyond unlocking her genetics—allowing Ayaka's bloodline to gradually revert toward an Ōtsutsuki state—
there was a second option.
Using the Main House's Byakugan as a fallback.
Although that plan was still in development, it was already a safety net.
There was no real need to drag Orochimaru into it.
After all, no matter how brilliant he was—
he was still just one person.
His time and energy were limited.
And he already had countless experiments of his own.
Even if this task were handed to him—
who knew when he would actually finish it?
More importantly—
involving him meant exposing Kei's intentions.
It was essentially handing over evidence.
Orochimaru already knew far too much.
Giving him something concrete—
would only create unnecessary trouble.
"Alright, I understand," Kei nodded. "Then we'll drop that option."
"Besides that, I want Orochimaru to take a look at Sage Arts."
"Sage Arts?" Both Kenta and Ayaka looked surprised. "You want Orochimaru to study it? Don't tell me you're planning to hand over your notes?"
"Do I look that stupid?" Kei shot back calmly.
"Orochimaru's summon is Manda, from Ryūchi Cave. And that place specializes in something."
"You mean… Sage Mode?" Kenta's eyes lit up in realization.
"Right," he continued. "The Three Sannin each have summoning contracts that balance and counter each other."
"Tsunade's slugs from Shikkotsu Forest use Sage Arts. Jiraiya's toads from Mount Myōboku use it too."
"So it makes sense that Orochimaru's snakes would have access to it as well."
As someone from the Senju lineage, Kenta was well aware of Shikkotsu Forest.
And Jiraiya practically advertised his Sage Mode to the world.
So it wasn't surprising that those places possessed such techniques.
Which meant—
a place like Ryūchi Cave, standing alongside them, would almost certainly have Sage Arts as well.
Otherwise, it wouldn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath.
"So you want Orochimaru to reference Sage Arts…" Kenta muttered, glancing at Kei with a hint of disdain.
This guy really squeezed value out of everything.
Nothing went to waste.
Still—
it wasn't a bad idea.
Even if Orochimaru himself hadn't mastered Sage Mode—
being acknowledged by a place like Ryūchi Cave, and forming a summoning contract with it—
spoke volumes.
Unlike Kei…
who, despite having a contract, could only summon small snakes.
Useful for communication—
but little else.
"Using Orochimaru as a reference for Sage Arts… that could work," Ayaka said after a moment's thought.
"But I don't think that's your only goal."
She looked at him sharply.
"You're planning to use this opportunity to integrate the Eight-Tails' chakra too, aren't you?"
Kei smiled faintly.
"As expected of you."
"You know me well."
"Yes—besides handling some necessary matters and a few optional ones, this trip is also about integrating the Eight-Tails' chakra."
"As for Sage Arts…"
He paused slightly.
Both Ayaka and Kenta had misunderstood.
His real objective was far simpler—
and far more aggressive.
He wanted information.
Specifically—
about someone named Jūgo.
Orochimaru himself had never mastered Sage Mode.
But Yakushi Kabuto had.
And Jūgo—
was a natural Sage.
If Orochimaru knew anything—
it would likely lead back to them.
And compared to abstract theory—
that was a far more direct path.
"Sage Arts are just a side matter," Kei said lightly. "So—who's coming with me?"
"I can't."
To his surprise—
Ayaka answered first.
"The Hyūga clan is unstable right now. Hiashi wants my help."
"I'm not particularly interested… but it's a good opportunity."
"And I've noticed—his attitude toward the elders is starting to change."
She paused briefly.
Then added quietly—
"I also need to complete my final experiment."