Chapter 373 – An Important Meeting
"Kakashi?"
Kei looked in surprise at the man who had suddenly appeared at the training ground.
Why was he here?
Kei and Kenta's sparring session hadn't been deliberately concealed—if anything, they hadn't bothered hiding it at all.
But even so, no one in their right mind would casually wander over to observe.
Ninja all had their own secrets.
Training like this might appear public on the surface, but everyone understood the unspoken rules behind it.
Especially when the two people sparring were a department head and a quasi–department head.
Ordinary ninja wouldn't dare approach, let alone interrupt.
Kakashi's situation was different.
He was also a quasi–department head now, and his relationship with Kei was well known. His appearance was plausible—but still unusual.
Kakashi was far too shrewd to intrude on someone else's cultivation without a very good reason, especially when it involved live combat.
"Ah… sorry to interrupt," Kakashi said helplessly, glancing at the still-raging flames nearby.
"But did you two not receive the notice?"
"And seriously," he added, eye twitching slightly, "it's just sparring—did you really need to make this much of a mess?"
"It's fine. He'll put the fire out."
Kei casually patted Kenta on the shoulder, completely ignoring the latter's rolled eyes, then asked directly:
"What's going on? You look like you rushed over."
"The Hokage has called an emergency meeting," Kakashi explained with a shrug.
"Department heads and major clan leaders only. The notice was delivered through ANBU."
"So I came personally," he continued.
"My people told me you two were together and had been training since early morning. I figured it was better not to rely on messengers."
"A department-head meeting?" Kenta stood up, brushing ash off his clothes.
"Then I guess Kei goes alone. Kakashi, give me a hand—let's put out the fire first."
"…Sorry," Kakashi said apologetically, "but I don't think I can help with that. And you'll need to come with us as well."
"…What?" Kenta froze.
"Isn't this meeting for department heads? Or—wait—have I already been classified as a major clan head?"
"No," Kakashi replied calmly.
"The Mission Department and ANBU specifically requested us to attend as representatives. Both department heads approved it, and the Fourth Hokage personally agreed."
That piece of news stunned both Kei and Kenta.
Almost instinctively, the two exchanged a glance—then turned their eyes toward Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't dodge their gaze. He simply smiled and nodded firmly.
The meaning was obvious.
Although Kakashi and Kenta were still officially quasi department heads, being summoned to a meeting of this level was effectively an announcement.
A confirmation.
Once this step was taken, their promotion was no longer a matter of if, but when.
Even if everyone already understood it tacitly—this made it official.
Kenta's eyes lit up instantly.
He jumped to his feet, grabbed Kei with one hand and Kakashi with the other, his excitement impossible to hide.
The urgency of his movement startled both Kei and Kakashi.
Before either of them could say anything—
The world spun violently.
They were all familiar with this sensation.
This was the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"You—"
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Kenta.
"How do you know this technique? This is—"
"Come on," Kenta replied casually, utterly unconcerned.
"You already know I'm from the Senju line, right? The Flying Thunder God was created by my ancestors. Is it really that strange that my family kept copies?"
He waved it off and continued,
"This is my office. We're already close to the Hokage Tower—let's move."
"I have to ask," Kei raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he were an idiot,
"are you too excited? Did you put out the fire?"
"Why would we do that ourselves?" Kenta rolled his eyes.
"The Police Department is right next door. Just send a shadow clone to tell them to handle it.
And Kakashi's ANBU—he can casually notify someone inside the Hokage Tower."
Kenta had elevated convenience to an art form.
Annoying as it was, his reasoning was flawless.
There was absolutely no need for them to waste time on something like firefighting when there were entire departments dedicated to such things.
More importantly, Kenta was clearly exhilarated.
Even though he had long known that becoming head of the Mission Department was all but guaranteed, receiving recognition in front of all department heads and major clan leaders was another matter entirely.
No one could remain indifferent to that.
Kakashi was much the same.
Like Kenta, he carried the expectations of others—but he had also paid the price through relentless effort.
And now, it seemed, it was finally time to reap the reward.
For Kakashi, this meant stepping closer to the goal he had set for himself—
the path expected of him by Kei, Namikaze Minato, and even the late Uchiha Rin.
In the end, Kakashi chose to let ANBU handle the aftermath.
They were heading straight to the Hokage Tower anyway, and ANBU was closer.
After a brief handoff, the three of them headed directly to the Hokage's office.
---
The Hokage's office was already full.
Even the Third Hokage sat silently in his seat.
What stood out was how young the three newcomers were.
Even people like Namikaze Minato or Nara Shikaku were already over twenty-five.
Yet these three were exceptions among exceptions.
The oldest was only eighteen.
Kakashi and Kei were merely sixteen.
And yet—not a single person questioned their presence.
Especially Kei.
He had long since proven both his strength and his competence.
"Kei, where did you go?"
Fugaku leaned forward and whispered.
"I went to your house and couldn't find you."
After Kei sat down with Kenta and Kakashi in the row in front of him, Fugaku quickly spoke up.
While clan heads held significant status in Konoha, their influence still fell short of full department heads.
As a result, their seats were positioned slightly farther back.
In fact, there was an interesting pattern in Konoha.
Most major clan heads didn't hold official departmental posts.
Aside from Fugaku once serving as Head of the Police Force, and the Nara clan head having previously led the Mission and Administrative Departments, few others had such experience.
"Went to train," Kei replied casually.
"Who knew something like this would happen?"
"Besides, it's a workday. Of course I reported to the Police Department first.
Any idea what this meeting's about?"
"No clue," Fugaku shook his head.
"It was extremely sudden. Something must have happened."
Kei nodded.
It seemed no one present had advance notice.
Although everyone looked calm on the surface, they were likely just as uncertain as Fugaku.
That, at least, meant no one had an informational advantage.
Kei was wondering if this had something to do with war preparations—
When Namikaze Minato stood up.
The room fell silent instantly.
Fugaku straightened his posture, eyes fixed forward.
Kei also settled down—then noticed Kenta had somehow pulled out a notebook, clearly preparing to take notes.
Kei's mouth twitched.
Is this idiot serious?
This kind of meeting wasn't even open to ordinary jōnin, and he wanted to keep written records?
Lose that notebook and see who takes responsibility.
Just as Kei reached out and slapped the notebook shut, Minato spoke.
"Everyone, I apologize for calling you here so early."
"But there is an extremely important matter that must be discussed.
In fact, this meeting should have happened last night."
"I delayed it so everyone could be in better condition to address it today."
Minato's words caused brows across the room to furrow.
They had expected something serious—but this sounded far worse.
The minds of the assembled leaders began racing.
Almost immediately, they reached the same conclusion:
This was likely related to war.
Given the circumstances, conflict with Kumogakure might be unavoidable.
Many instinctively turned their gaze toward the Third Hokage.
At a previous meeting, Minato had publicly supported Kei's proposal:
Negotiate—but prepare for war.
Everyone knew the Third Hokage had always favored negotiation and restraint.
But his influence had waned.
Only his remaining supporters opposed that stance now.
Had the conservative Third Hokage finally been persuaded?
Just as confusion peaked, Minato continued:
"However, this matter should be explained by the Third Hokage himself."
"After all—no one is more qualified to speak on it than he is."