Kei carefully committed the details of the Land of Iron's map to memory. He repeatedly examined the sketches of the mountainous burial grounds before finally placing the documents back into the file folder.
After organizing the files, he bid farewell to Sato, who was still patiently sorting through fragmented information and rewriting intelligence reports.
Retrieving his umbrella, Kei suppressed his slightly restless emotions. After saying goodbye to the intelligence department members, he stepped once again into the curtain of rain.
Obtaining accurate information on the hiding place so quickly was a completely unexpected surprise for him. Even so, he had no intention of seeking trouble with Madara today.
After all, this was Madara!
Whether from the memories of the original story or the records of the Yamanaka clan, everything spoke of this man's immense strength.
His iron-honed taijutsu, his terrifying fire jutsu that could incinerate everything, the invincible Susanoo, the earth-shattering Tengai Shinsei…
This was a man whose mere name was enough to make the entire shinobi world tremble. Even if Kei had a hole in his head like Danzō, he wouldn't be reckless enough to charge in right after receiving this information.
The drizzling rain continued to fall. The misty rain blurred the distant Hokage Rock, making it appear somewhat hazy.
As Kei let his thoughts wander, the urgent cries of a cat, the sound of objects being knocked over, and the rapid splashes of footsteps echoed from an alley to his left.
A sleek calico cat, its face full of panic, darted out of the narrow alleyway.
After a few quick turns, it disappeared into a three-meter-high pile of miscellaneous items stacked against a wall on the other side of the street. Not long after the cat vanished, three young genin, who didn't seem older than ten, emerged from the alley, their clothes soaked through by the rain.
"Damn it! We lost it again! That cat is way too cunning!" Obito complained bitterly, his face full of frustration.
"If a certain idiot hadn't insisted on wearing goggles in the rain and then shouted that he was caught in the Hiding in Mist Technique the moment he spotted the target, we would've finished the mission by now," Kakashi retorted sarcastically.
His emotionless dead-fish eyes swept over every corner of the street, searching for any traces of the cat's escape.
"Damn it! If I hadn't been the one to spot the cat first, you wouldn't have even seen the target yet!" Obito, feeling embarrassed, turned red with anger.
Just as he was about to roll up his sleeves and argue with Kakashi, Rin stepped forward, positioning herself between the two and gently mediating the situation.
"Alright, alright~ It's okay! Let's just keep trying our best!" Obito turned his head away with a reluctant hum of protest.
Kakashi, on the other hand, didn't even glance at Obito. His eyes continuously scanned every alleyway, every step, every possible hiding place, searching for any sign of the cat.
When Obito turned his head, he immediately noticed Kei standing nearby under an umbrella, watching the three of them.
He had visited their teacher's apartment alongside Kakashi and Rin before. While flipping through an old photo album, he had seen pictures of their teacher together with Kei.
There were pictures of them entering the Ninja Academy together, pictures from their graduation, and even photos of the two returning from the Second Great Ninja War, battered and wounded but alive…
According to Minato, this was a man he could entrust his life to—a true comrade. Thinking of this, Obito beamed brightly and jogged over to Kei.
"Kei-senpai! I'm Obito, Minato-sensei's disciple! Have you seen a cat run by here just now?"
"Junk pile," Kei replied. He looked at the bright, sunny smile of the child in front of him, a flicker of complexity flashing through his eyes. He raised his hand and pointed to the pile of miscellaneous items where the cat was hiding.
[Traits: Deeply Emotional (Blue), Kind (Green), Friend of the Elderly (White), Foolish (Gray)]
[Deeply Emotional (Blue):
A person of true emotions, unpretentious, rich in feelings. This trait enhances spiritual energy growth, slightly increases the power of fire-style jutsu, and boosts latent potential in times of crisis.]
A pure and simple heart, increases likability and improves relationships with others.]
[Friend of the Elderly (White):
Significantly increases the probability of encountering people over fifty, raises the likelihood of being late, and greatly improves favorability when helping the elderly.]
Decreases independent thinking ability, making one highly prone to foolish actions.]
There were no obviously villainous traits like those of Danzō, where one glance would tell you he was a bad guy. Nor were there any overwhelming genius-level traits.
A fool, kind-hearted, unpretentious, deeply emotional, popular with old people, capable of explosive power in times of crisis… Wasn't this exactly the personality of a classic shōnen protagonist?
If he could just grow up normally with a teacher's encouragement, the companionship of his friends, and the care of those around him, even if he couldn't become a hero who saves the world, a person with these traits should at least shine with the brilliance of human kindness, right?
Who would believe that this boy would one day turn into the embodiment of destruction?
Kei glanced at the three not far away, sighing at the cruel tricks of fate. To be honest, he had once considered whether he should just eliminate Obito outright.
But first, killing a child just because of something that would happen in the future felt like a violation of his conscience. It was like the classic dilemma of using a time travel machine to go back and kill baby Adolf Hitler. Could one justify eliminating an innocent who had not yet committed any crimes, solely based on what they might become?
Second, Madara didn't specifically need Obito.
What he required was merely someone who could be brainwashed, a pawn who would obediently follow his plan to realize the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Obito's "awakening talent" might be decent, but he was definitely not the only choice. Even if he were to die, in the future, there would be another Uchiha A, Uchiha B, Uchiha C, or even Uchiha D to take his place... But still—was it really unavoidable?
Kei glanced at the system panel, eyes pausing on [Why Are You Gae?].
In the original timeline, the fundamental reason Obito was completely brainwashed and committed to executing the Eye of the Moon Plan was that he had personally witnessed his beloved Rin being killed by Kakashi.
But… What if his beloved was Kakashi instead?
Damn my moral compass. Why do I hesitate when given such a golden opportunity?
Kei stared at his personal panel for a long time. He stood there, conflicted in silence.
Not far away, Kakashi summoned three ninja dogs with the summoning jutsu, working with Rin to block the cat's escape routes on the ground. Meanwhile, he leaped onto the rooftop, preventing the cat from fleeing from above.
Obito, bickering with Kakashi all the while, began moving the pile of junk, trying to flush the cat out. Seeing its hiding spot compromised, the calico cat jumped out of the junk pile.
Obito quickly crouched low and lunged forward, successfully grabbing the cat.
Before he could even celebrate—
He crashed headfirst into the junk pile.
The precariously stacked junk instantly collapsed, burying both him and the cat beneath it. Even the continuous rain couldn't suppress the massive cloud of dust that billowed into the air.
Kei winced, feeling secondhand pain from the scene. Closing his eyes, he used sensory perception to check the bottom of the junk pile. There, beneath the rubble, despite being crushed and clearly in pain, Obito still stubbornly curled himself around the small cat in his arms, shielding it.
Kei let out a small sigh in his heart.
Obito, may you always remain kind-hearted.