Chapter 438 — To Meet Someone
Ignorance, sometimes, is a kind of blessing.
Because the more you know—
the more you begin to realize just how far reality exceeds your imagination.
And those things that lie beyond imagination—
are rarely things anyone would want to see.
The closer you get to the truth, the deeper the despair.
It sounded like something out of a Lovecraftian tale—
yet reality itself was often absurd enough to suffocate.
Hiashi Hyūga recalled the suspicions he once had.
Now, connecting them to everything happening—
it all seemed to fall into place.
The masked figure from the Nine-Tails incident.
The true mastermind behind the events in Kirigakure.
The battle at Konoha's border that reshaped the terrain.
And now—
the annihilation of Kumogakure's forces…
He shook his head sharply.
He didn't dare think any further.
Because what he was uncovering—
was far too dangerous.
When Kirigakure was attacked, Konoha happened to be pushing reforms among the lower ranks of shinobi.
At the time, the biggest controversy had been the abolition of the Special Jōnin system.
But everyone's attention had been drawn to Kirigakure—
and the reform slipped through quietly.
Now—
Kumogakure had gone to war with Konoha.
The Police Force had wiped out the envoys—even if it was officially ruled a suicide.
But with such tight surveillance and such decisive action—
was there really nothing else behind it?
And now—
Konoha was pushing reforms among the jōnin ranks.
And just as that happened—
war broke out again.
The pattern was unmistakable.
The methods—
familiar.
End the war quickly to minimize losses, preserve support—
then use negotiations to divert attention.
Was this…
the handiwork of Uchiha Kei and Minato Namikaze?
What Kei never expected—
was that his casual assumption that Hiashi had figured something out—
and that brief, knowing smile—
would lead Hiashi to construct such an elaborate conclusion.
"Negotiations must continue," Kei said calmly, unaware of Hiashi's spiraling thoughts—or perhaps simply unconcerned.
"But we should increase our level of attention."
"We should," Kakashi agreed, his expression turning serious. "But ANBU's presence in Iwagakure is limited."
"We have operatives in smaller nations, but…"
"They likely don't have access to anything truly substantial."
Small nations simply lacked capability.
No influence.
No funding.
No strong shinobi to anchor their forces.
Without strength—
there was no trust.
Without trust—
no missions.
Without missions—
no income.
And without income—
no development.
A vicious cycle.
They could only exist as dependents of the great nations.
Kei, however, saw it differently.
In his mind—
these smaller nations were untapped assets.
With the right approach—
they could become allies, proxies, even economic extensions.
Support them with missions.
Provide training.
Build infrastructure.
Introduce medical systems.
Guide their development—
then profit from it.
Loans.
Resource rights.
Trade advantages.
Even influence over their shinobi.
A complete system—
profitable at every stage.
And yet—
no one in this world seemed to think that way.
Shame.
"Hokage-san," Kei said, pulling his thoughts back, "who's currently in charge of Root?"
"I remember—they specialized in this kind of work."
"Root…" Minato paused. "They still operate under their own command structure."
"But ultimately, they answer to the Third Hokage."
"With him unconscious… I may be able to intervene, but…"
"The curse seals?" Kei sighed. "They call themselves the roots of Konoha, don't they?"
"If the Third is incapacitated, it's only natural for you to assume temporary command."
"Of course…" he added lightly, "if someone were to remove his life support, certain jutsu would collapse—and certain organizations would…"
"Kei."
Minato cut him off sharply.
"Do not even think that way."
"Whatever else he may be—he is still a hero."
"And a hero deserves to be treated as one."
"Unless he commits a crime."
Kei nodded.
He had no real intention of doing something so crude anyway.
Too messy.
Too many consequences.
But the exchange had given him something valuable—
a clear understanding of Minato's boundaries.
Around the room, reactions varied.
Shikaku pretended not to hear, busying himself with documents.
Kenta closed his eyes, indifferent.
Kakashi and Fugaku looked slightly uncomfortable—but remained silent.
Only Hiashi…
felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew exactly who Kei had been referring to.
And that casual tone—
paired with Minato's firm response—
made everything feel…
dangerous.
Oppressive.
In that moment, one thought dominated his mind:
Kei is far too dangerous.
Too ruthless.
Too calculating.
"Relax, I was joking," Kei said with a faint smile, sensing the tension.
"A hero deserves a hero's treatment. I wouldn't stoop to harming one."
"Otherwise… how would I be any different from Danzō?"
Then his expression shifted—
growing serious.
"In truth, Ōnoki's move may be unexpected—but it's not unreasonable."
"And countering it… is actually quite simple."
"Oh?" Shikaku looked up, intrigued. "You have something in mind?"
"I do."
Kei nodded.
"Kumogakure is suffering heavy losses after their defeat."
"So…"
"why don't we offer them military aid?"
The room fell silent.
The term sounded simple—
yet unfamiliar.
Military aid?
Did that mean sending troops to support Kumo?
Wouldn't that amount to declaring war on Iwa?
And risk dragging Konoha into another battlefield?
"Kei," Minato frowned slightly, "are you suggesting we engage Iwagakure directly?"
"That could entangle us in another conflict."
"No," Kei said calmly, shaking his head.
"Why would we fight?"
"This is aid—not mercenary work."
"Our forces may have been disbanded, but they can be reassembled."
"We advance them to the borders—or even into nearby small nations."
"But we do not engage."
"Meanwhile, a second force moves into the Land of Hot Water—stationed near Kumogakure's borders."
"But they do not enter the Land of Lightning."
He leaned forward slightly, fingers interlaced before his face, his voice soft—
almost gentle.
"Maintain that posture."
"And unless those smaller nations have lost their minds…"
"They won't dare make a move against us."
The forces stationed along the Land of Lightning's border would serve more than just a symbolic purpose.
They would also handle the transport of resources obtained through negotiations.
When that time came—
whether Ōnoki truly intended to strike, or was merely posturing—
he would be forced to think twice.
"If he can threaten us," Kei said calmly, "then why can't we threaten him?"
The plan was simple:
military deterrence.
Only—
he phrased it far more elegantly.
After all, stating it outright and expressing it through "measured action" were two very different things.
You want a share of the spoils?
Fine.
Go fight Kumogakure yourself.
You want to play the fisherman and reap the benefits?
Konoha has been preparing for half a year.
Morale is at its peak.
And we've just come out of a war.
If it really comes to blows—
the outcome is obvious.
"…A solid plan." Shikaku's eyes lit up.
"Even in the worst case, if they act recklessly, we can withdraw our forces immediately."
"Then release the recovered Fourth Raikage."
"Sell supplies to Kumogakure."
"Or even allow them to hire us—taking on missions as contracted support."
He smiled faintly.
"War missions."
"With the new reforms making jōnin promotion more difficult…"
"I imagine plenty of civilian—and even clan—shinobi would be eager to participate."
At that point, there was little left to discuss.
Minato watched as Kei and Shikaku effortlessly worked through the entire strategy between them.
He couldn't help but smile wryly.
He had gathered everyone here—
those he trusted, and those he intended to trust—
so they could all participate.
And yet…
it had once again turned into a discussion led almost entirely by those two.
The rest simply followed along.
"Looks like we have our answer," Minato said, rubbing his temple lightly.
"Then it's settled."
"But we'll first observe Iwagakure's movements."
"And this will need to be discussed with Kumogakure's delegation."
"Finally—we need to decide who will lead the operation."
"In that case, I'll go," Fugaku spoke up. "I've led a force before, and the troops are familiar with me."
"That works," Minato nodded. "But as I said—we wait and observe first."
Fugaku's performance in the previous campaign had been impressive.
Even if some of that success owed to Nara Kyōhei's support—
his leadership had still proven more than capable.
At this point, the meeting was essentially over.
What remained were minor details.
Just as Minato was about to wrap things up, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Kei.
"Oh, right."
"Kei—the expansion of the Police Force can begin."
"The four divisions will be reorganized into four major battalions."
"I trust you'll manage them just as well as you have so far."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Shikaku will have the formal documents issued soon. You can start preparing."
"…In that case." Kei frowned slightly, then nodded. "Understood. I'll handle it."
"But after that…"
"I'll need to leave the village for a while."
"Leave?" Minato looked at him in surprise. Kakashi and Kenta also turned toward him.
After a brief pause, Minato asked:
"That's fine. Do you need a team?"
Kei shook his head lightly, a faint smile on his lips.
"We'll discuss that later."
"This time…"
"I'm going to meet someone."
"…Someone?" Minato narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Don't tell me—it's him?"
"…Yeah."
"It's him."