Extraordinary Harvest

"D-Did I die?"

Uchiha Kei felt as if his head were splitting open. But when he felt his sense of touch fully return, he immediately confirmed one thing: he wasn't dead!

At that thought, Uchiha Kei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If he really had died just like that, he would probably have become the most shameful transmigrator ever.

Still, Uchiha Kei felt a tightness in his eyes, and his body didn't feel quite right either.

"You're awake?" Just then, a voice reached Uchiha Kei's ears.

The voice was gentle, and from its tone, Uchiha Kei could even detect a faint note of apology.

Uchiha Kei slowly raised his head. When he saw who had spoken, he couldn't help shuddering. There was no way he could forget that this guy had just given him an experience like death itself.

But the man's expression was gentle now, and he seemed very approachable. It was easy to feel drawn to him—that was the power of his natural charisma!

He was Namikaze Minato.

"Yeah." Uchiha Kei rubbed his aching head and looked around. "Looks like we're safe."

"Yes, but I'm sorry about what happened earlier." Namikaze Minato ran a hand through his blond hair. "Things were urgent, and I didn't have time to distinguish—"

"Forget it. It's in the past. The only problem was that my timing conflicted with the tactic you were using." Uchiha Kei shook his head. He didn't want to dwell on it.

Sometimes, when a person had bad luck, even drinking water could make them choke. Uchiha Kei was clearly one of those people.

He turned to look at Kakashi, who was still unconscious. Nohara Rin, on the other hand, had woken up some time ago and was standing nearby, gazing up at the stars.

Not far away, Yamanaka Masato was directing the surviving Konoha Ninja as they stood guard and recovered. Uchiha Kei noticed that only around ten of the Konoha Ninja he had saved remained—not counting their team.

"Looks like we took some pretty heavy losses," Uchiha Kei murmured.

"Things really aren't looking good, but fortunately, all the Iwa Ninja are dead, and we haven't been exposed—" Namikaze Minato nodded, then turned to Uchiha Kei with a serious expression. "Thank you for saving them, and for saving Kakashi. If it weren't for you, they would have—"

"I was only trying to complete the mission." Uchiha Kei seemed uncomfortable with the subject. He immediately waved a hand to stop him. "Please, don't bring it up again. I did it for the mission."

"I understand." Namikaze Minato gave Uchiha Kei a thoughtful look, then smiled and nodded. "I'll report what happened. Nothing that shouldn't come up will. But I still have to thank you. Oh, and congratulations on finally awakening your Sharingan, Kei-kun."

Seeing Namikaze Minato's attitude and hearing how he addressed him, Uchiha Kei finally felt relieved.

Whatever his real motives were, it was enough if the future Fourth Hokage saw him the way he wanted to be seen. That meant Uchiha Kei had achieved his goal.

As for awakening the Sharingan—

Uchiha Kei smiled without saying anything.

Uchiha Kei felt much more at ease now. He had gained so much from this ordeal that his worries had eased considerably. It really had been an unexpected harvest.

Seeing that Kakashi was about to wake up, Uchiha Kei immediately took his leave of Namikaze Minato.

The master and student clearly still had things to talk about. Uchiha Kei didn't ask about the Sharingan in Kakashi's eye, and Namikaze Minato didn't offer an explanation.

The two of them tacitly set the matter aside for now. They would have to wait until they returned to the village to see how things would unfold.

With the Third Hokage and the others there, these weren't matters that Uchiha Kei or Namikaze Minato needed to worry about. Neither of them had much say in them.

"You're awake?" When Uchiha Kei found Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta, Hyuga Aya greeted him with little warmth. "I thought you were done for."

"Just as expected of our Captain." Imai Kenta wore what looked like a sincere smile. "You managed to kill so many Iwa Ninja and survive an encounter with the Golden Flash. That's unbelievable."

"I get the feeling the two of you would have preferred it if I'd died."

Uchiha Kei found a spot and sat down. "If I'd died, your mission would be over—no, with so many Ninja around, you wouldn't have been able to leave anyway. But sorry to disappoint you. I'm doing just fine."

"Hmph." Hyuga Aya snorted, but soon furrowed her brow. "Did you awaken your Sharingan? Otherwise, you couldn't have dodged the attack from Minato Jonin, could you?"

Hyuga Aya wasn't the only one who was confused. Imai Kenta was also staring at Uchiha Kei with a puzzled look.

By now, Uchiha Kei had no intention of hiding it from them. He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were already crimson. Three Tomoe spun faintly in his pupils.

Uchiha Kei really felt that he had pushed his luck too far. Knowing that Namikaze Minato could show up at any moment, he had still tried such a dangerous stunt. It really had been asking for death.

But in the middle of a fight, Uchiha Kei couldn't think about everything. He could only say that he'd been terribly unlucky to run into Namikaze Minato just as he returned!

Watching the Kunai draw closer and closer, Uchiha Kei gritted his teeth. At that critical moment, he first dispelled his Transformation Jutsu. At the same time, his Sharingan appeared.

At that moment of life and death, Uchiha Kei couldn't hide anything anymore. Whether it would help or not, at least it would let him see the path of Namikaze Minato's attack.

But Uchiha Kei realized, to his dismay, that although his Sharingan let him see the path of Namikaze Minato's attack, he had run into the same problem as Uchiha Sasuke in the future.

He could see it, but his body simply couldn't react in time!

Namikaze Minato was too strong, too fast. The instant he landed after using Flying Thunder God, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Uchiha Kei without pausing at all, and the Kunai in his hand was controlled with astonishing precision!

The fluidity of it was truly beyond imagination. Uchiha Kei knew that he absolutely couldn't do the same right now!

As the Kunai drew closer and closer to his throat, Uchiha Kei was filled with fear. Was this where it all ended?

Was this my fate?

No. Uchiha Kei absolutely refused to accept it. He had survived countless battles. Why did he have to die at the hands of his own people this time?

Consumed by intense fear and resentment, Uchiha Kei's desperation gave him courage: if he was going to die, then Konoha could forget about having a Fourth Hokage!

With a swift turn of the Kunai in his hand, Uchiha Kei put all his strength and speed into thrusting it toward Namikaze Minato's chest!

Suddenly, Namikaze Minato seemed to freeze in midair, completely motionless. His expression was calm and focused.

It wasn't just him. Everyone seemed to have been caught in a moment where time stood still—everyone except Uchiha Kei.

By then, the three Tomoe in Uchiha Kei's eyes had already joined together, and a diamond-shaped pattern slowly turned in his eyes.