Although Kai had tried to convince Tsunade to return to the village with him, she ultimately refused.
After bidding Tsunade farewell, Kai set off on his journey back alone. Despite Tanzaku Street being located in the Land of Fire, it was still quite a distance from Konoha. Taking his time and not hurrying, it took him four or five days to finally see the gates of Konoha once again.
"Stop! Please present your identification."
Before Kai could step into Konoha, two figures blocked his path at the gate. Looking at the two, Kai suddenly smiled and said, "Long time no see, Izumo, Kotetsu." These two were his classmates back in the Academy.
"You are…?" Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane frowned, trying to recall, when suddenly Izumo exclaimed, "Kai! You're Kai! You're finally back! Did you complete the mission?"
When Kai left the village, Minato had assigned him an official mission. After all, letting a Kage-level ninja leave the village without reason would have caused considerable concern. As a result, most of Konoha's shinobi knew that Kai was out on a long-term mission.
"Izumo, you idiot. Kai is a Kage-level shinobi. How could he possibly fail a mission?" Kotetsu scolded Izumo.
Kai chuckled. "Izumo, Kotetsu, I'll go report to Minato first. Let's catch up later."
"Sure, sounds good!" "Yeah, let's do that."
Hearing Kai's words, both Izumo and Kotetsu beamed. After all, Kai was a Kage-level shinobi, while they were merely lowly Chunin.
"Alright, I think I've got the gist of this mission. Kakashi, you're dismissed for now."
Before Kai even stepped into the Hokage's office, he heard Minato's voice.
Kakashi? Kai's expression shifted slightly. Seeing the door was only slightly ajar, he pushed it open and walked in.
"Hmm?" Minato looked up, surprised to see someone walk in unannounced. But when he realized it was Kai, his face lit up with joy. "Kai! You're finally back!"
His expression quickly turned playful as he looked at Kai with a mock-pout. "You know, before you left, you promised to treat me to ramen. I've been waiting for almost two years now!" He stared at Kai, clearly expecting an explanation.
Feeling a bit awkward under Minato's gaze, Kai quickly said, "Alright, Minato. How about this—today, I'll treat you to ramen. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Minato's eyes sparkled. "Great! Let's go right now."
"Uh… Minato, don't you have work to do?" Kai asked, surprised.
"Today's work just happens to be done. Haha, lucky me!" Minato laughed, then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, want to join us? Kai's buying."
Kakashi didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at Kai.
Seeing Kakashi's reaction, Kai could sense that something must have happened. Kakashi seemed different somehow. Smiling, Kai said, "Come on, join us."
Hearing this, Kakashi nodded and stepped over to stand beside Minato.
At Ichiraku Ramen.
Minato sat down at the counter and shouted enthusiastically, "Teuchi-ossan! One bowl of tonkotsu ramen with extra pork!"
"Minato's here! And little Kakashi too. And who's this?" Teuchi, the owner, greeted them with a smile. It seemed Minato and Kakashi were regulars at Ichiraku Ramen.
"Mitarashi Kai. You can just call me Kai," Kai replied with a smile.
"Oh, so you're 'Konoha's Reaper,' Mitarashi Kai! I've heard plenty about you from Minato. You're one of Konoha's great heroes! This meal's on the house!" Teuchi said, thumping his chest in pride.
Not long after, three steaming bowls of ramen were placed in front of them. Minato let out a cheer of "Itadakimasu!" before picking up his chopsticks and digging in.
Even though Kai had been in the world of shinobi for over a decade, this was his first time tasting the famous Ichiraku Ramen. He had to admit, it lived up to its reputation. The noodles were perfectly springy, and the bowl was heaped with generous portions of meat.
After eating for a while, Minato finally asked, "Kai, I heard you caused quite a stir in Sunagakure after leaving the village?"
"Yeah, I had some business with Chiyo-baasama," Kai replied.
"Good thing Suna's forces were already weakened; otherwise, there might've been friction between them and Konoha. What about after that? Why was there no news of you in the shinobi world for nearly two years?" Minato asked.
"I spent some time training with Tsunade-nee," Kai answered simply, not elaborating.
"You're not planning to leave the village again anytime soon, are you?" Minato asked, his tone suddenly serious. He even paused eating his ramen to fix Kai with a wary look.
"Not for now," Kai replied with a smile.
"That's a relief," Minato said, visibly relaxing. Then, as if remembering something, his face lit up with excitement. "Oh, Kai, I've got some great news! Want to guess what it is?" He looked at Kai with a mischievous grin.
"You're going to be a dad," Kai said without hesitation.
Minato's eyes widened in shock. "Huh? How did you know? Only the Third Hokage and Biwako-sama know about this!"
"Just a lucky guess," Kai said with a chuckle. He couldn't exactly tell Minato that he'd seen it happen in the anime.
Minato looked a bit miffed but quickly perked up again. "Kai, how about this—why don't you help us come up with a name for the baby? Kushina and I have been discussing it for ages but haven't decided yet."
"Naruto. Name him Naruto," Kai said without a second thought.
"Naruto, huh?" Minato's eyes sparkled with delight. "Alright then, Naruto it is! Namikaze Naruto! Thanks, Kai. I need to get home and tell Kushina right away."
With that, he quickly finished the rest of his ramen in two big gulps and dashed off toward home.
"I'm done too. Thanks for the treat," Kakashi said, standing up to leave now that Minato was gone.
"Wait, Kakashi," Kai suddenly called out.
Kakashi froze mid-step and turned to look at him.
"Come with me," Kai said, setting down his chopsticks and walking off in a certain direction without waiting for a response.
After a moment of hesitation, Kakashi followed.
The two walked in silence, one behind the other, until they reached the edge of the village—a cemetery. Kai stopped in front of a gravestone bearing the name Sakumo Hatake.
Turning to face Kakashi, Kai asked, "Kakashi, what do you think of Sakumo-sensei now?"
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