Chapter 437 — A Chilling Smile
"I heard… you handed Uchiha Itachi over to Kakashi?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze looked at Uchiha Kei with an amused expression.
Kei, in turn, shot a glance at Kakashi.
Kakashi immediately raised both hands, wearing a look that said I surrender—paired with an equally obvious this isn't my fault.
The office was unusually lively today.
Besides Kei and Kakashi—the heads of the Police Force and ANBU—several of Konoha's most influential figures were present.
Imai Kenta, head of the Mission Department, looked at the two like they were idiots.
Nara Shikaku, head of Administration, simply smiled without speaking.
And beyond the department heads—
Hyūga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku had also been invited.
Compared to the others, however, the two clan leaders were noticeably more reserved.
Fugaku was at ease—he had long been involved in confidential discussions with Minato.
But Hiashi…
though he hid it well—
was clearly tense.
This was his first time attending a meeting of this level.
And it wasn't even a formal one—
but rather an inner-circle discussion.
That made it even more significant.
Because being here meant one thing:
you were trusted.
"Indeed. Fugaku has already agreed," Kei said with a faint smile as he turned back to Minato.
"Kakashi handles the Sharingan well enough. Teaching Itachi won't be a problem."
"And more importantly—Kakashi can expose him to things he wouldn't normally encounter."
"He needs real experience."
"…Is that so?" Minato nodded, then glanced at Fugaku with some hesitation. "But if I remember correctly… Itachi is only six?"
"That's right," Fugaku replied calmly. "But I don't intend for him to leave the academy."
"I only want him to have some exposure."
"And being taught by Captain Kakashi… is something he'll carry for life."
Minato sighed softly.
"I still think it's a bit early… but then again—Kakashi went to war at five. Kei at seven."
"Itachi may be young, but early exposure isn't necessarily cruel."
"You can handle it as you see fit."
He paused, then added with a small smile:
"Besides… having him befriend Kimimaro isn't a bad thing either."
Kimimaro?
Hiashi froze slightly.
He had no idea who that was.
Minato hadn't mentioned a surname, and no matter how quickly Hiashi searched his memory—
he came up empty.
What puzzled him more was that no one else reacted.
So he kept his confusion to himself.
For a moment, he even thought—
if Hyūga Ayaka were here, he might at least ask her.
But she wasn't.
Despite her close relationship with Kei, she held little influence—
either within the clan or the village hierarchy.
The jōnin reforms hadn't fully taken effect yet.
Everything was still in transition.
Perhaps she would rise in the future—
but for now…
the Hyūga clan itself was in turmoil.
Because of Hiashi's decision.
The internal conflict had exploded.
The main family—elders and members alike—were fiercely opposed.
And yet—
there was no going back.
Hiashi had made his choice.
The vote had passed.
Barely.
But it passed.
During wartime, civilian shinobi had no unified representation.
They could only vote as individuals.
Clan shinobi, however—
were represented by their clan heads.
Hiashi had relinquished that privilege—
allowing the branch family, who made up the majority, to vote for themselves.
That narrow margin—
was enough.
And it enraged the main family.
Giving the branch family a taste of power—
of rights beyond their station—
would inevitably plant seeds of resistance.
Even with the Caged Bird Seal restraining them—
no one could guarantee what the future would hold.
In essence—
Minato's reform, combined with Hiashi's decision—
had shaken the very foundation of the Hyūga system.
Hiashi gained the respect of the branch family—
but paid for it with condemnation from his own.
The pressure was immense.
Exhausting.
But it also strengthened his resolve.
Even if acting on it would take time.
Because he knew—
what he was attempting…
was dangerous.
"Alright," Minato said, breaking the silence. "I didn't call everyone here just for that."
"There's something important we need to discuss."
"The Cloud delegation has arrived."
"And we've received intelligence—Stone Village, along with several smaller nations near the Land of Lightning, are making moves."
"Shikaku, please distribute the reports."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Shikaku handed out the documents one by one.
"These are classified. For your eyes only."
Everyone nodded.
"Classified" meant more than secrecy.
It meant—
how the information was obtained…
and what it contained—
could not be made public.
Kei rested his chin on his hand, skimming the report.
He already knew what it meant.
This world—
was not one of harmony.
Nations clashed.
Constantly.
And one event—
could ripple outward, triggering countless others.
Like now.
Kumogakure—
was about to pay the price for starting this war.
And Kei—
was the one who had kicked them off the cliff.
Their situation was dire.
But self-inflicted.
They had lost their leader—the Fourth Raikage.
Their strongest weapon—the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
And over eight thousand elite shinobi.
This wasn't just a defeat—
it was crippling.
Their mission quotas would plummet.
Their reputation would collapse.
But those were future consequences.
Right now—
a far more immediate threat loomed.
Iwagakure.
A village long at odds with Kumogakure—
had seized the opportunity.
Whether for profit or revenge—
they were preparing to strike.
And if they did—
Kumo's situation would worsen dramatically.
At worst—
they could be pushed out of the Five Great Nations entirely.
If the Third Tsuchikage was ruthless enough—
Kumogakure might cease to exist altogether.
But that was nothing unusual.
A Kage—
had to be ruthless.
So did any shinobi worth their name.
Kei wasn't surprised in the slightest.
This was simply—
the most logical move.
A weakened, defeated Kumo—
was a feast.
And everyone wanted a piece.
"Looks like others want to cash in as well," Kei said, tossing the report onto the table with a shake of his head.
"Ōnoki's playing it smart—he's even pulled in smaller nations."
"They've suffered under Kumo too."
"With a chance for revenge—and profit…"
"who would refuse?"
"And that," Kenta added carefully as he set his report down, "is exactly the problem."
"We only look like we took advantage of the situation…"
"But they?"
"They intend to take everything."
If they succeed, the entire balance of the shinobi world could shift.
But if Konoha ignores them, things on their end will become incredibly troublesome as well. Those people really…
Kenta's assessment was spot on.
No one knew that Kumogakure's main force had essentially been wiped out by Kei.
Even less did they realize that what they were doing now was, in effect, going directly against him.
Their actions had the potential to reshape the entire shinobi world.
If they succeeded, Iwagakure would undoubtedly emerge as the biggest winner.
And that—
was something no one wanted to see.
Because once that happened, another great war would be almost inevitable.
Kei, however, didn't particularly care how chaotic the world became.
At his level, ordinary wars barely concerned him anymore.
In fact—
if a war really did break out, he might even welcome it.
It would give him opportunities to come into contact with other Jinchūriki—
and achieve his own goals.
Still, war came with both advantages and risks.
What Kei needed most right now—
was time.
Time to grow stronger.
Not to get dragged into yet another meaningless conflict of the era.
It wasn't that no one could threaten him—
but fundamentally, the nature of shinobi hadn't changed.
They were all like riders on motorcycles—
flesh wrapped around steel.
No matter how powerful you were, one mistake—
and you'd crash.
And when you crashed—
you shattered.
He had no intention of following in Uchiha Madara's footsteps.
Nor did he possess the monstrous physical durability of the Fourth Raikage.
If he slipped up—
even a single kunai could kill him.
And beyond that—
Minato would never allow such a situation to unfold.
Peace—
was a shared aspiration across the shinobi world.
Even figures like Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara had longed for it.
Madara may have slaughtered countless people—
even initiated the Infinite Tsukuyomi to restore Kaguya's chakra—
but at his core, he had always sought peace.
He simply chose the wrong path.
Deceived.
Yet unwavering in purpose.
The same could be said for Hashirama—
both of them made decisions that left behind endless consequences.
But those were matters of the past—
or perhaps, the future.
For now—
Minato would never allow another war to erupt so easily.
And yet—
Konoha was already being pulled into a vortex.
What exactly was Iwagakure's goal?
No one could say for sure.
Were they trying to prevent Konoha from capitalizing on its victory—
from further exploiting Kumogakure and rapidly rising to dominance?
Or—
were they simply trying to seize the opportunity for themselves—
and become the dominant power?
Kei rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Knowing Ōnoki—
it was probably both.
First, create pressure.
Test Konoha's response.
If Konoha stayed passive—
then proceed with the second plan.
But now—
their movements had already been detected.
Which meant—
Konoha still had room to respond.
"Let's hear your thoughts," Minato said calmly, not spelling things out. He trusted everyone present could read between the lines.
Then, turning slightly toward Hiashi, he added:
"Clan Head Hiashi, you may not yet be fully aware of what we're trying to accomplish."
"Reform takes time. And it also requires… distractions."
"So," Kei continued smoothly, picking up where Minato left off, "negotiations must be prolonged."
He let out a soft sigh.
"But that old man Ōnoki—whether he's trying to contain Konoha or acting on his own ambitions—has definitely made things unpleasant for us."
"It's troublesome," Shikaku added with a shake of his head. "If this information gets out…"
"…the village will be thrown into another uproar."
Hiashi listened quietly, saying nothing.
He knew better than to speak without fully understanding the situation.
But slowly—
he began to piece things together.
This war…
the more he thought about it—
the more it felt like Konoha had allowed it to happen.
His thoughts raced.
Clues. Fragments. Implications.
Then suddenly—
something clicked.
His gaze shifted—
and landed on Uchiha Kei.
At that very moment—
Kei seemed to sense it.
He turned his head slightly—
and met Hiashi's eyes.
Then—
he smiled.
A faint, unreadable smile.
And in that instant—
everything fell into place.
Hiashi understood.
And as he did—
cold sweat began to form down his back.