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Chapter 164: A Secret Hokage Meeting!
🕑 Added 2025-08-31 14:29:58 +0000 UTCChapter 164: A Secret Hokage Meeting!
"Captain, is there something wrong with the rice ball?" Shizune asked, noticing that Keisuke had frozen for a moment after taking a bite.
"No, the rice ball is fine. The problem is Retsu," Keisuke said, turning the triangular rice ball over in his hand and marveling at it. "Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever received food from Retsu... It's a very novel feeling."
Shizune's expression grew a bit complicated. She had assumed he had paused because the taste wasn't to his liking. Since they were on the front lines, the camp's "celebration" was really just a series of small bonfire dinners organized by each squad. The atmosphere was there, but as for the food... it was all homemade. As a logistical medic, Shizune had put a lot of effort into her culinary skills. She was typically responsible for the squad's daily meals, including the preparation of emergency soldier pills. The rice ball in Keisuke's hand, for example, was part of the "bonfire dinner" she had made.
After a moment of silence, Shizune said softly, "Retsu... she's on a diet."
"That's even more novel," Keisuke said, taking another bite and turning to look at Retsu. "Retsu, don't tell me the Hyūga main family is going bankrupt because you eat too much?"
"Captain, have some more." Retsu handed him another rice ball. Her food consumption—and reserves—were unmatched in the squad. Even after giving one to Keisuke, she still had a small mountain of them piled beside her.
"What on earth is going on?" Keisuke asked, accepting the second rice ball and looking to Shisui and Shizune for an explanation. "If Hyūga Retsu is on a diet, am I trapped in a genjutsu?"
"It's because of Orochimaru-sama," Shisui explained with a smile. "When our squads returned to camp, he told us that in three days at the latest, we can all return to the village for a rest."
"Oh, so we're getting a vacation soon..." Keisuke understood now. He took another bite of his food and glanced at Retsu. "So you're saving your stomach for the good food back home?"
"I am sick and tired of eating rice balls every day!" Retsu declared, chewing the one in her hand as if she were tearing into the flesh of an enemy. "Fried chicken! Barbecue! Ramen! Sweet chestnuts! Dango! Red bean soup with mochi..."
She rattled off a long list of dishes while continuing to eat at a furious pace. The pile of rice balls beside her shrank at a visible rate.
"This doesn't look like she's on a diet..." Keisuke's mouth twitched. He stood up with his two rice balls. "You guys eat first. I have something to discuss with Minato-san."
Across the bright yellow bonfire, Keisuke nodded to Minato, who was sitting a short distance away. Minato understood, said a few words to his own team, and stood up as well. A few moments later, the two met in a quiet, empty part of the camp.
"Minato-san, I just heard from Shisui that my squad will be heading back to the village in three days at the most."
"Same here," Minato said with a gentle smile after scanning the area. "Orochimaru-san gave my team a short break as well."
"Then what about Uchiha Kagami and that highly suspicious Uchiha Madara we encountered?" Keisuke asked, taking a small bite of his rice ball. "Is the village just going to ignore them?"
"I was just about to talk to you about that," Minato said, taking out the special kunai from earlier. "After we split up today, I've been using the chakra within this kunai to try and sense the presence of the one who might be 'Uchiha Madara.' But within my sensory range, I couldn't find any chakra that matched this signature. My guess is that he is most likely not within the Land of Grass."
'What he's not saying,' Keisuke thought, translating Minato's words in his head, 'is that he's already swept the entire country... His work ethic is insane!'
"Also, um..." Minato raised a finger and subtly gestured towards the main command tent. "I also secretly checked Orochimaru-san's chakra. It's very different from the chakra sealed in this kunai. So... while some suspicion still remains, we can basically rule him out as the mastermind of today's attack."
As for why some suspicion remained... it was simply because the secrecy surrounding the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Edo Tensei was too high. The number of people in Konoha who even knew both of those jutsu existed could be counted on one hand. Not to mention, Kagami himself was a "ghost" summoned from the Pure Land. Until they had definitively identified the real culprit, Orochimaru could never be completely cleared.
"Then what's this about giving us a vacation?" Keisuke pressed. "Are we temporarily ignoring Kagami and 'Madara'?"
"No," Minato shook his head. "The Third Hokage-sama informed me today that I am to continue carrying this kunai and proceed to the Land of Waterfalls to secretly search for 'Madara's' location. That's where Kagami-senpai was last seen. As for the specific plan of action, the village high command is still deliberating."
Keisuke understood completely. He was getting a real vacation. Minato had to keep working. "That's tough, Minato-san. Thank you for your hard work," he said sympathetically.
At that same moment, in the Hokage Tower in Konoha...
A small, high-level meeting was being held in the Hokage's office. As the saying goes: minor matters are for large meetings, and major matters are for small ones. The only ones qualified to attend this meeting were the Hokage and his two high council elders. Even the Anbu guards usually hidden in the shadows had been dismissed to prevent any leaks.
"It's been a busy day. This is the first free moment I've had," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, taking a drag from his pipe, the smoke curling through the office. "Homura, Koharu, I assume you've both received the intelligence from the front?"
"Yes. A great victory against Iwagakure, and it seems our village has produced another genius," Mitokado Homura said, pushing up his glasses, a gratified smile on his old face. "To single-handedly suppress Ōnoki of Both Scales and nearly annihilate the entire Iwa front line... 'The Shadow of Darkness'! What a magnificent title!"
The suffix "Kage," or "Shadow," was not a title just anyone could bear. It signified a leader who protected their land from the shadows, just as the Hokage protected the Land of Fire. The same was true for the other great villages. For Nara Keisuke to be given the title "Shadow of Darkness" was, on one hand, a reference to his shadow techniques, and on the other, an implicit recognition of his power by Iwagakure itself.
"I never thought the Nara clan could produce a ninja of such exceptional talent," Utatane Koharu added with a smile. "I thought the Battle of Kikyo Castle was the limit for that genius, but it seems he is far stronger than we imagined. And his opponent was Ōnoki of Both Scales!"
"Nara Keisuke is indeed a fine young man who cares for the village and his comrades, though his personality is a bit lazy..." Hiruzen took another puff from his pipe, some of the pressure on his heart easing. "But I doubt I'll ever see a Nara who isn't lazy in my lifetime."
Homura and Koharu chuckled. Who in Konoha didn't know the traditional disposition of the Nara clan? Getting a Nara to be proactive and diligent was even harder than getting an Akimichi to go on a diet.
"According to the reports, not only did we crush nearly all of Iwagakure's forces in the Land of Grass, we also captured one of their Jinchuriki," Hiruzen said, his expression turning serious. "The Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, is also a Kekkei Genkai user himself. I've already instructed Orochimaru to have Nara Keisuke's squad escort him back to the village as soon as possible."
Homura and Koharu knew what the power of a Tailed Beast symbolized, and they couldn't hide their excitement. The defeat in the Land of Grass had already severely weakened Iwagakure. Now, with the loss of the Five-Tails, their overall strength would be reduced even further. In contrast, Konoha's forces had been well-preserved, and with the impending acquisition of the Five-Tails, their own power would grow substantially. If they could quickly unseal the beast and deploy it as a weapon...
After fighting the Third Great Ninja War for so long, Homura and Koharu could finally see the light of victory.
"You both understand what an additional Tailed Beast means for us," Hiruzen said, extinguishing his pipe. "But I didn't call this meeting to discuss the Five-Tails or our victory. I called it because of news about an old friend. Homura, Koharu... Kagami has been resurrected."
"Kagami?" Homura pushed up his glasses again, looking at Hiruzen with uncertainty. "Hiruzen, are you talking about... Uchiha Kagami?"
"Yes," Hiruzen nodded. "It was him... According to the intelligence sent by Minato, Kagami was summoned back to this world from the Pure Land using the Edo Tensei."
As former members of the Second Hokage's personal guard, both elders knew of the Edo Tensei.
"That's impossible!" Koharu denied it instantly. "The Edo Tensei... that evil jutsu was sealed away by us long ago! No one should be able to use it!"
"But Kagami did appear in the Land of Grass as a reanimated body, and the jutsu was later released by someone from afar, allowing his soul to return to the Pure Land," Hiruzen said gravely. "And according to Kagami himself, the person pulling the strings is Uchiha Madara!"
"That's even more impossible!" Homura refuted. "Everyone knows that man died at the hands of the First Hokage!"
"That is precisely what I find so puzzling," Hiruzen said. "Uchiha Madara's death is known throughout the world. But Kagami, as a dead man, had no reason to lie. I strongly suspect that the one who resurrected him really is Madara. And as one of the founders of Konoha, he would have had the clearance to view the Scroll of Seals with the First Hokage's permission. You both know how Lord First treated Madara..."
"That's a different matter," Homura said, shaking his head. "Hiruzen, you and I are old men. Even if Madara survived the Valley of the End, by his age, he should have died of old age by now."
"Regardless, we cannot afford to be the slightest bit careless when it comes to Uchiha Madara," Hiruzen said sternly. "And if we can confirm he didn't die at the Valley of the End, it might provide answers to many past mysteries, such as the destruction of the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools... In any case, once Minato confirms the target's location, I intend to dispatch him, along with Nara Keisuke, to investigate and see if the mastermind is truly Uchiha Madara!"
