Chapter 88: The Difference Between Senju and Uchiha
"Lord Yuu has always been an incredibly hardworking person. He often trains even after finishing patrol missions."
"Is that so? No wonder he has such a great reputation—it's clearly well-earned."
"Lord Kei, please be careful with your words."
Uchiha Asahi glanced around nervously, afraid that someone might overhear Uchiha Kei's comments.
Fortunately, there was no one nearby, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Early this morning, Uchiha Kei had sought him out, asking for information regarding Uchiha Yuu.
Knowing that the relationship between Kei and Yuu was quite strained, and concerned for the future of this young and promising clansman, Asahi answered honestly, sharing everything he knew and had heard.
He sincerely hoped Kei wouldn't act impulsively and land himself in trouble—but judging by the situation, it seemed that hope was slim.
Was this the pride of a genius?
Asahi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It was natural for young prodigies to be proud, but when pride crossed into arrogance, it was bound to bring trouble.
Many people within the Uchiha clan were aware of the tensions between Kei and Yuu, but thanks to the clan leader's intervention, there hadn't been any direct conflict.
Now, with Kei asking questions about Yuu, Asahi suspected he was simply gathering information for precaution.
"Relax. You don't have to be so nervous," Kei chuckled, noticing Asahi's unease. "It's not like I'm going to attack him. Considering our relationship, it's only natural I gather some intel in advance."
"I understand, Lord Kei," Asahi bowed slightly. He couldn't tell whether Kei was speaking the truth, but he had no choice but to appear trusting. "Still, in the future, such talk—"
"I know what you mean. Don't worry," Kei waved it off casually. "Even if I said it right to his face, it wouldn't be a big deal."
"Anyway, thank you for the information. You've given me a clear view of just how strong he is—and a direction for my own improvement."
"I see." Asahi offered a sincere smile. "Then I look forward to the day Lord Kei surpasses Lord Yuu and becomes the clan's strongest."
The clan's strongest?
Kei smiled faintly but didn't reply.
In the grand scheme of things, being the strongest in the Uchiha clan within Konoha wasn't really anything to be proud of.
In the future, even a single rogue Uchiha could easily wipe out the entire clan.
Of course, if the goal was to become the strongest Uchiha overall, Kei was even more reluctant to take up that title—
Because in a little over a decade, the true "strongest" Uchiha would rise again, showing the world the terrifying power of their bloodline.
Waving his hand casually, Kei turned and left—he had gotten everything he needed.
Through Asahi's information, Kei confirmed that everything his shadow clone had discovered yesterday matched his suspicions perfectly.
This gave Kei the perfect opportunity.
From yesterday's observations, Kei found that Yuu's training routines were extensive, including clear traces of Fire Release ninjutsu.
"With that kind of training, it's natural to cause a lot of noise," Kei thought to himself.
"Meaning, if we do fight, the commotion might not immediately draw attention."
Indeed, for someone accustomed to intense ninjutsu training, even causing a big disturbance wouldn't seem unusual.
But Kei also understood the crucial distinction between training and actual combat: continuity and intensity.
In real combat, one couldn't continuously spam ninjutsu, nor could they just repeatedly use the same technique.
Combat was fundamentally different from practice.
Thus, once Kei and Yuu truly fought, it would only be a matter of time before someone noticed.
Kei estimated that if their battle was evenly matched, they would likely be discovered within ten minutes.
Unless—
Kei directly used his Mangekyō Sharingan and instantly suppressed Yuu with its ocular power, achieving a swift and decisive victory.
However, Yuu's strength made Kei wary.
After his recent research and experimentation, Kei had come to understand his Mangekyō techniques more deeply.
First, the power of his Mangekyō wasn't just tied to his chakra and ocular strength (dōjutsu power), but also to the chakra and resilience of his opponent.
Essentially, using ocular powers was a battle of chakra suppression:
Kei's chakra merged with his Mangekyō abilities to trap his opponent within the genjutsu effects.
This principle was consistent across most ocular techniques.
Unless one possessed Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, most users could only use a few ocular powers before suffering serious backlash.
Look at Uchiha Itachi when he returned to the village after the Third Hokage's death—a classic example.
After using Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi just once each, Itachi's chakra and ocular strength were nearly depleted, forcing him to retreat.
Sasuke was no different.
His intense battles caused him to burn through his Mangekyō faster than anyone.
How long had Sasuke even possessed his Mangekyō?
Hardly a month, if memory served.
Yet within that time, his overuse of it had almost blinded him.
Sasuke's battles were brutally high-stakes—
First, being beaten by the Five Kage one after another (and if not for Obito's timely intervention, he would've been killed by the Third Tsuchikage).
After recovering his chakra and injuries thanks to Karin, Sasuke barely managed to pursue and defeat Danzō.
But the battle against Danzō drained him completely, and afterward, he still had to fend off Kakashi's team—
leading to total depletion of chakra and ocular power, and eventually, blindness.
Kei absolutely did not want that happening to himself.
Especially since his Mangekyō abilities leaned toward speed-based techniques, making rapid usage even more taxing.
If he ran out of chakra while forcing himself to use ocular powers, he'd be finished.
And if his opponent's chakra exceeded his, Kei's consumption rate would spike dangerously.
"Wait, if that's how it works, how are Tailed Beasts controlled?"
Kei suddenly realized a flaw:
If his ocular abilities depended so much on chakra, how did anyone ever dominate the massive chakra reserves of Tailed Beasts?
But then Kei quickly shook his head, realizing he was being foolish.
He wasn't from the Senju clan—the ones who suppressed Tailed Beasts through sheer overwhelming chakra.
He was a Uchiha.
And Uchiha suppressed Tailed Beasts with genjutsu.
Maybe the Mangekyō Sharingan inherently countered Tailed Beasts—
its illusions so potent that even Tailed Beasts couldn't resist.
As long as Kei honed his skills properly, he believed he could also control a Tailed Beast someday!
"Speaking of which, Tailed Beasts are really pitiful," Kei sighed.
"The Uchiha torment them mentally, the Senju crush them physically... they really are the ultimate victims."