Chapter 445 — A Four-Man Squad
"Seriously, why are you tagging along?"
"You think I want to?" Kakashi shot back irritably. "This is an assignment from Minato-sensei. By the way, who exactly are we meeting? Why did he tell me to prepare myself mentally instead of just explaining it directly?"
In a small forest outside Konoha, Uchiha Kei, Kakashi, and Imai Kenta walked forward at an unhurried pace.
They had already put some distance between themselves and the village. Originally, this trip was meant for two people, but somehow it had turned into a three-man outing.
Even Kei himself hadn't expected it.
When he and Kenta reached the village gates, they had coincidentally run into Kakashi waiting there. After a brief exchange, it became clear that Kakashi had been assigned to join them.
Now, though, Kei understood Minato's intention.
It was simple—Kakashi's presence was meant to send a message.
On one hand, it was a signal to Orochimaru.
Kakashi was the head of the ANBU, and that fact wasn't exactly a secret. Anyone above a certain level knew that the once-renowned prodigy Hatake Kakashi had taken over the ANBU.
Someone like Orochimaru, with his information network, would undoubtedly know this.
So sending the heads of ANBU, the Police Force, and the Mission Department—all three—directly to him was as clear a message as it could be without words:
We know where you are. We won't pursue your past. We're willing to cooperate—but don't cross the line.
A warning, and an invitation.
Someone as sharp as Orochimaru would understand it immediately.
In essence, Konoha was allowing him to remain connected—letting him handle things the village couldn't do openly, while offering protection and resources in return.
Nothing explicit. No evidence left behind.
But unmistakable.
At the same time, Minato had another purpose—one aimed at Kakashi.
This message was much more straightforward:
Orochimaru is one of ours now. If Konoha detects him in the future, suppress it.
To make sure Kakashi understood properly, Minato didn't send him alone. Instead, he arranged for Kakashi to accompany Kei and Kenta, letting him witness everything firsthand.
It would also, incidentally, broaden his perspective.
"Because the person we're meeting isn't exactly ordinary," Kenta said with a harmless smile, looking as cheerful as ever. "You could say… he's someone similar to Kei."
"Similar to Kei?" Kakashi frowned. "What does that mean? Another overly kind person?"
"Not quite… not that side of him," Kenta coughed lightly, suddenly feeling a chilling gaze on his back and quickly correcting himself. "I mean the way he deals with enemies. Plenty of people call him a 'cold-blooded snake.'"
"A snake, huh…" Kakashi paused.
He was familiar with that description.
During his time in ANBU, he had captured many enemies. Whether from their notes or their own words, their evaluation of Kei was remarkably consistent.
Powerful. Intelligent. Possessing a high-level Sharingan.
And beyond that—
cold, cunning, ruthless, shameless, willing to do anything.
But the most common phrase was always the same:
a cold-blooded snake.
It was as if the Kei they described was an entirely different person from the one within the village.
Feared. Hated.
And yet undeniably effective.
So who could be like that?
Someone feared by enemies, yet reliable to allies.
Before Kakashi could think further, he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar chakra.
He instantly became alert.
Kei and Kenta stopped as well, their gazes sweeping the surroundings.
Kei wasn't a sensory ninja, but this chakra wasn't hidden at all—it was deliberately obvious. Even he could detect it clearly. As for Kenta, with his strong perception, he had noticed it long ago.
None of them moved.
They couldn't yet determine whether the newcomer was friend or foe.
But one thing was clear—
whoever it was wanted to be noticed.
That alone suggested a lack of hostility, which was why they held back.
Otherwise, if they had sensed malice, the response would have been immediate and lethal.
"…Wait, what? Why are you here? When did you come back?"
A figure soon appeared before them.
Both Kei and Kakashi froze.
Kenta, on the other hand, looked confused until Kei finally spoke.
There was no doubt about it.
The newcomer was Uchiha Obito.
And that was exactly why Kei was so surprised.
Why was he here?
"Kei-senpai, sorry I didn't inform you," Obito said, scratching his head as he approached. "Things were a bit urgent. Someone's disguise caused quite a mess, and since they claimed there wouldn't be any issues… I took the opportunity to accept a reconnaissance mission and came back."
"Drop the sarcasm," Kei replied flatly, arms crossed. "Especially when you're talking about your superior. The Hokage knows, right?"
"He does. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found you."
Kei studied him for a moment, then sighed inwardly.
So that was it.
His recent actions had stirred things up enough to attract attention—especially from Black Zetsu. And Obito, ever opportunistic, had used that chance to return.
It seemed Black Zetsu was watching him more closely than expected.
And Obito…
was just as good at exploiting openings.
With Obito's arrival, their three-man group had quietly turned into a full four-man squad.
And not just any squad—
a terrifying one.
Kei alone was already a force of nature. Even without reaching its perfect form, his fourth-stage Susanoo was enough to be considered a weapon of war.
Kenta excelled in sudden assaults and large-scale combat alike, his chakra reserves and techniques making him devastating in any battlefield.
As for Kakashi and Obito…
one was the famed prodigy who could hold his own against almost anyone;
the other, a future powerhouse capable of reaching absurd heights.
A team like this?
They could probably wipe out a small nation without much difficulty.
Given the right circumstances, they might even infiltrate a major village and tear it apart from within.
Kei shook his head, dismissing the thought.
There was no point dwelling on it.
Glancing at Obito and Kakashi walking side by side, he couldn't help but wonder if the two of them were simply destined to end up together like this.
Even though the two of them were only chatting casually, their ease with each other was obvious. The natural harmony between them was something Kei and Kenta simply didn't share.
Maybe those two really did have an unmatched kind of tacit understanding.
"So… who exactly is that kid?" Kenta suddenly asked in a low voice. "The one planted inside that mysterious organization?"
"Yeah, that's him," Kei replied without hesitation. "Surprised? He's pretty young, isn't he?"
"A little, but not too much," Kenta nodded, though his expression soon grew more serious. "Still… he's clearly trusted. I can sense traces of that white substance in him."
White substance?
Kei glanced back at Obito. His arm—something that should have revealed its unnatural white tone—was tightly wrapped in bandages, not unlike the future Seventh Hokage.
It was a smart precaution.
Even if Obito could disguise the color, experienced shinobi might still notice something off. Wrapping it up entirely was safer.
As for Kenta noticing it, that wasn't surprising at all.
The guy had injected himself with so many similar serums that his body was already filled with those kinds of cells. Now he was simply waiting for them to fully assimilate.
Once that happened, his strength would reach a terrifying level.
Even if he couldn't match the First Hokage—whose power came from both overwhelming techniques and vast combat experience—he wouldn't fall far behind in practical terms.
"To that organization, he's an important piece on the board," Kei said quietly.
"Then tell me more about them," Kenta tilted his head. "Honestly, my understanding of that group is still vague. Who they are, what they want—I've got nothing."
"They're after the Tailed Beasts," Kei said after a brief pause. "Not immediately, though. They're still waiting for a more important piece to complete its transformation."
"And that's not all. Their goals go far beyond that. It's… extreme. Dangerous. Honestly, you can just think of them as a group of lunatics."
"Wow, that's vague," Kenta scoffed, glancing at Obito before breaking into a grin. "A bunch of lunatics, huh? Lunatics working with madmen… sounds like everyone involved has something wrong with their head. Are you sure that's going to work out?"
Kei narrowed his eyes at him.
This guy's mouth was getting more and more reckless.
Still, Kei couldn't really argue.
From his perspective, the Akatsuki, Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Obito really were just a collection of lunatics and a pair of outright madmen.
The Uchiha clan being full of unstable individuals?
That, he absolutely agreed with.
More than once, he had thought that aside from himself, the entire clan might genuinely be unhinged.
Kenta wasn't wrong—so what was there to argue about?
Under his influence, things had improved somewhat within the clan, but the memories of their past behavior—borderline insane at times—were still hard to ignore.
Even now, hadn't someone like Shisui appeared?
Thankfully, that one wasn't too far gone. Otherwise, his fate would've been sealed long ago.
"Let me make one thing clear," Kei said softly, his tone turning almost gentle. "I agree that most of the Uchiha are insane. But leave me out of it. If you keep talking nonsense, even with how close we are, there will be consequences."
"Alright, alright," Kenta raised his hands with a grin. "Everyone in the Uchiha clan is crazy—except you. Happy?"
Then he shifted topics. "So, do you even know where Orochimaru is?"
"Of course," Kei shot him a dismissive glance. "I contacted him through a summoning snake before we left. We've already agreed to meet at a small town between Konoha and the Land of Fire's capital."
There were countless towns and villages scattered across the Land of Fire, and Orochimaru was notoriously elusive.
Without arranging a meeting point in advance, finding him would've been a waste of time.
Kei had no intention of doing something so inefficient.
Preparation, contingency planning, and staying ready for unexpected developments—
that had always been his way.