Awakening

Kakashi as bait?

Uchiha Kei frowned. This was indeed a good plan.

Kakashi's reputation was incredibly resounding, and his strength was not weak either. Using his own Chakra to create a Shadow Clone to lure the enemy was not a difficult task for him.

Therefore, if he went to act as bait and drew the attention of the Iwa Ninja forces, they would inevitably send reinforcements.

In that case, with the help of Hyuga Aya, they could quickly choose a breakthrough point and infiltrate Kannabi Bridge before Kakashi was captured or killed, thereby completing the mission!

However, the mortality rate for doing this was truly high; it could be called a mission with ten deaths and no life!

Uchiha Kei took a serious look at Kakashi. He suddenly realized that he really could not compare himself to Kakashi, because the "capacity" Kakashi possessed was something Uchiha Kei could never have.

At first, Uchiha Kei did not understand what the "capacity" of this world really was. This term was mentioned frequently in the early stages of the Naruto world but was rarely spoken of later. Yet, by now, Uchiha Kei seemed to understand it a little.

It could be considered a kind of spirit, or perhaps a kind of mettle.

The future Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato could seal the Nine-Tails Fox into his own son. With his wisdom, could he not have foreseen the potential hardships Naruto might face in the future?

Perhaps it was a choice made with no other option—both he and his wife Kushina were going to die, and as a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, Naruto might have been the most suitable vessel.

Of course, there was another possibility: that this was a scheme he had laid out at the very end of his life!

Doing this not only left Naruto with a safeguard for survival but also planted the seeds to temper Naruto in the future.

If viewed this way, when Uzumaki Naruto was just a newborn son, the Fourth Hokage already possessed such calculation and cruelty. It was no wonder Jiraiya said he was the Hokage with the greatest capacity in history.

Of course, this was a conspiratorial guess. Uchiha Kei had already grown accustomed to such ways of thinking since coming to this world. Moreover, if one were to really talk about it, the "capacity" of Uchiha Itachi was probably the most terrifying, right?

For the sake of Konohagakure, he could cooperate with the ambitious Danzo and the Akatsuki, whose members were neither human nor ghost.

To preserve the last bloodline of his clan—his younger brother—he could resolutely abandon his family, which was destined to fail in the upcoming coup.

He could even tearfully kill all his clansmen, including his own parents, and coldly and calmly bear all the infamy.

To motivate his younger brother to become stronger, he could use the most cruel methods to constantly strike, provoke, and hurt the brother he loved most, personally turning him into someone filled with hatred—hatred for himself—and giving his brother the best reason to kill him to awaken the Mangekyo.

To let his younger brother grow rapidly, he could sit by and watch his brother defect to Orochimaru, who wanted to seize his brother's body, letting his brother race against time and death.

He could imagine his brother's regret and despair after learning the truth upon killing him, but to ensure his brother gained power, he still shouldered everything, not saying a word even until his own death.

To allow his younger brother to return to Konohagakure with glory, he had even prepared for his own death to become his brother's honor, thereby gaining the opportunity for his brother to return to Konohagakure.

He even went as far as to hide Shisui's Mangekyo inside Uzumaki Naruto's body to ensure everything went according to plan; as long as Sasuke possessed his eyes and made eye contact with Naruto, it would trigger Kotoamatsukami!

Because he knew that his brother, upon learning the truth, might be guided and used by those with ulterior motives, he even hid Amaterasu in his brother's eyes for the sake of true safety.

If it weren't for the coincidences of fate and the fact that Uchiha Obito had disrupted all of this, one could say that Itachi's arrangements were perfect.

Although Uchiha Kei was an Uchiha who truly loathed Uchiha Itachi, even going so far as to think there was something wrong with his brain, he still had to admire that the guy was truly ruthless. Uchiha Kei at least felt he was still human, whereas Uchiha Itachi could no longer be considered one.

He had no need for Uchiha Itachi's "capacity"; he wasn't a lunatic.

And now, Kakashi was displaying a terrifying "capacity" of his own. To complete this mission, he could face his own life and death with utter indifference.

Perhaps it was for the village, or perhaps for redemption, but this capacity—so different from anyone else's—truly left Uchiha Kei somewhat shaken.

Uchiha Kei fell silent, contemplating the feasibility of all this. Just then, Kakashi placed Namikaze Minato's Kunai into Uchiha Kei's hand.

"Sensei said to use this in the most critical moment, because of the front lines. So, I leave Rin to you." Kakashi's voice was calm to the point of being detached. "Do not let Rin get hurt. I'm counting on you, Kei-kun."

"Kakashi! No!" Rin, having recovered from the shock of Kakashi's proposal, cried out hysterically.

"Sorry, Rin. I have a mission I must complete as well." Kakashi looked at Rin calmly. "I may not be able to protect you anymore, but you must survive. That is my final wish."

"I understand, Kakashi-kun." Uchiha Kei stowed the Kunai away, nodded, and said to Kakashi, "I will find a way to keep her safe. At the critical moment, I will have Minato Jonin take her away."

Perhaps satisfied with Uchiha Kei's promise, Kakashi's eyes narrowed into Crescent Moons. Then, he turned and left the cave.

Hyuga Aya had not hidden anything during her reconnaissance, so Kakashi knew which direction had the fewest defensive deployments. Even if he knew it was likely a trap, he was going to head there anyway!

Uchiha Kei watched Kakashi's departing back in silence, then looked down at the Kunai in his hand. His gaze became somewhat unfocused.

Kakashi was going to his death; if he succeeded, that would naturally be a good thing.

Although Uchiha Kei liked the character of Kakashi, that didn't mean this affection outweighed his own life. While he would regret Kakashi's death, it was better than him dying himself, wasn't it?

Yet, Uchiha Kei couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. If they could think of this plan, couldn't the Iwa Ninja?

Or perhaps, the Iwa Ninja were doing this on purpose, and there was something even more terrifying waiting for them afterward?

Thinking of this, Uchiha Kei picked up the map and began to study it.

He was grateful that in his past life, he had been a liberal arts student; he had studied geography, so he could read it. Not long after, Uchiha Kei looked up.

There was no clear path forward. The map was still the same old thing—incredibly crude, with many small forks and paths lacking any clear markings.

With that thought, Uchiha Kei's expression darkened as he made a decision that even chilled his own blood: "Everyone, prepare to move out. We are following Kakashi."

"Follow Kakashi?" Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta were both stunned for a moment. "Are you crazy? He's going to act as bait; that was his own choice. Are you planning to break through from the front?"

"Are you stupid, or am I?" Uchiha Kei sneered at Hyuga Aya. "If we can think of this plan, then what about the Iwa Ninja? Don't think the Iwa Ninja's current strategic policy is stupid; that was just their miscalculation of Kumogakure's desire for revenge and Konoha's determination to resist! If they intentionally left this opening for us to pass through, they must have guessed something. Therefore, I have a plan."

"A plan? A plan to go and die?"

"Do you need me to kill you right now? You only have two choices: either listen to me, or go report to your deceased clansmen."