Naruto: The Teaching System - 233

Chapter 233: Emergency Jonin Meeting

The next day, Sawada had just finished his morning class when an ANBU operative appeared at his office window, delivering a summons from the Hokage. The urgency in the masked shinobi's posture told him this wasn't a routine meeting.

"What happened that's so urgent?" Sawada muttered to himself as he sealed away his teaching materials. Normally, Hiruzen would wait until after school hours to call him away from the Academy, respecting his responsibilities to the students. But today, ANBU had come directly during class time.

Something serious was unfolding.

Sawada didn't waste time speculating. He left the Academy immediately, his footsteps quick and purposeful as he made his way toward the Hokage Building through Konoha's bustling streets.

As soon as he pushed open the office door, a familiar voice greeted him with characteristic enthusiasm.

"Ya fool! That bastard Sawada hasn't shown up after all this time!"

Sawada paused mid-step. Could he still leave now?

Hiruzen had been visibly irritated moments before, but his expression brightened considerably upon seeing Sawada enter. "Ah, Sawada, perfect timing. Killer Bee has been asking for you. Would you mind taking him around Konoha for a while?"

Seeing the barely concealed plea in his master's eyes, Sawada could only sigh helplessly and walk further into the office. His gaze swept over Samui sitting primly on the sofa, her expression as cold and unreadable as ever. These two really weren't shy about making themselves comfortable in the Hokage's private office.

"Yo, Sawada! It's been days, and you haven't come to find me!" Killer Bee threw his arm around Sawada's shoulder with casual familiarity, his tone somewhere between complaint and excitement.

"I've been quite busy recently," Sawada said, his eye twitching slightly as he made the excuse. Although he found Killer Bee's constant muttering and eccentric behavior somewhat exhausting, he genuinely had been occupied with Academy matters and war preparations.

Seeing Hiruzen gesturing emphatically for him to quickly escort Killer Bee out of the office, Sawada could only surrender. "Let's go. I'll give you a proper tour of Konoha."

"Awesome! Let's move!" Killer Bee exclaimed, striking an enthusiastic pose. Samui stood gracefully, bowing respectfully to Hiruzen before following them out.

On Konoha's main streets, the afternoon sun cast warm light across the village. Killer Bee walked along eating three-color dango from a street vendor, his eyes darting around curiously, taking in every detail of the Hidden Leaf's architecture and atmosphere.

His distinctive dark skin and impressive height drew curious gazes from villagers along the way. Some who had witnessed his arrival days ago whispered to others that he was from Hidden Cloud Village. Fortunately, everyone maintained proper decorum, and rumors had already spread that Kumogakure would soon formalize an alliance with Konoha.

With Sawada—a well-known and respected figure—leading the way, there weren't any particularly hostile or suspicious looks directed at the foreign ninja. However, this constant attention made Sawada somewhat uncomfortable, as villagers would periodically approach to greet him warmly.

He couldn't very well ignore his own people.

"Yo, Sawada, I didn't expect you to be so popular in Konoha," Killer Bee observed after another group of villagers finished their enthusiastic greetings and departed.

Sawada glanced at Killer Bee, considering how to respond. If he answered honestly that much of his current fame came entirely from defeating the man beside him in combat... Never mind.

"It's alright, at least not as much recognition as you have in your village," Sawada said diplomatically, shrugging. This wasn't false modesty—in recent years, as Killer Bee gradually perfected his control over the Eight-Tails and earned victories for Kumogakure on various battlefields, his own villagers had become far less hostile toward him. Plus, as the Fourth Raikage's sworn brother, he commanded considerable respect. His frequent concerts and unique musical style, while controversial, had certainly made him memorable.

Samui followed several paces behind, her sharp eyes observing everything around them with professional interest. She couldn't help but marvel internally—this truly was the ninja village occupying the most advantageous geographical position in the elemental nations. Along their route, she'd seen various resources and goods that were nearly impossible to obtain elsewhere. This economic advantage simply couldn't be resolved by increasing or decreasing monetary investment. It was a fundamental structural disparity.

"How do you find Konoha, Samui-san?" Sawada turned to address the strategist, having noticed her analytical observations throughout their walk.

However, since they were only traversing ordinary commercial streets, he wasn't particularly worried this perceptive woman would notice anything strategically significant.

"It's acceptable," Samui answered flatly, her expression revealing nothing. Each village had its own advantages and disadvantages.

"By the way, since we're already out exploring, how about I take you somewhere for a proper meal?" Sawada suggested, changing the subject smoothly.

"Yo, is it delicious?" Killer Bee asked immediately, his interest piqued.

"It's considered one of the better establishments in Konoha. I was originally planning to take you to Ichiraku Ramen," Sawada explained, but reconsidered mid-thought. Ichiraku Ramen was always crowded with customers coming and going, making privacy difficult. A place with private rooms would be safer for hosting foreign ninja. "Actually, on second thought, this time I'll take you to a yakiniku restaurant instead. They serve premium pork supplied exclusively by the Akimichi Clan."

Sawada adjusted their course and headed toward the restaurant district.

"Wow! This rivals our village's alpine beef!" Inside the yakiniku restaurant's private room, Killer Bee exclaimed enthusiastically, savoring another piece of perfectly grilled meat.

As the Fourth Raikage's sworn brother, he naturally had unlimited access to Kumogakure's ultra-premium beef. But pork that could match that quality was something he was experiencing for the first time.

Even Samui, typically reserved in her opinions, didn't refute his assessment. The meat was genuinely exceptional.

"Not bad, right? This is specialty pork raised by the Akimichi Clan using their traditional methods. The taste is quite distinctive," Sawada said with quiet satisfaction. This was also his disciples' favorite restaurant, though their visits often left his wallet significantly lighter. That damned cat too—they all conspired to drain Sawada's finances.

"Mm mm, this makes me want to rap," Killer Bee said, already drawing breath and preparing to launch into one of his impromptu rap performances.

"Wait!" Sawada interrupted sharply, his attention drawn to movement outside the window.

A ninja hawk streaked past at tremendous speed, its cry piercing the afternoon air—the distinctive call used for emergency summons.

Jonin Meeting. Judging from the urgency and frequency, this was no routine gathering.

"Alright, Killer Bee, we'll have to stop here for today. I need to get to the Hokage Building immediately," Sawada said, his tone shifting to something more serious.

A figure materialized outside the window—Uchiha Itachi, his expression grave.

"Sawada-sama, I'll escort them back to their lodgings," Itachi said formally.

Seeing Uchiha Itachi appear didn't surprise Killer Bee or Samui. After all, the young Uchiha had been assigned to shadow them these past few days, a barely concealed security measure.

"Good, then I'll leave them in your capable hands," Sawada said, nodding his approval before vanishing from the room in a blur of speed.

"You two, please come with me," Uchiha Itachi said, his Sharingan briefly visible before fading.

"Killer Bee-sama, we should return to our quarters immediately," Samui said quietly to Killer Bee, who was still methodically working through the remaining meat. After all, Konoha was convening an emergency meeting. As representatives from another ninja village, they should exercise appropriate caution and discretion.

"Ah, yeah, let's go," Killer Bee agreed, standing reluctantly and following Itachi out of the private room.

Uchiha Itachi unsettled him in ways few opponents ever had. Even the Eight-Tails had warned him not to provoke this particular shinobi unnecessarily. Konoha truly had an abundance of talented individuals—a fact that both impressed and concerned him.

Arriving at the meeting hall, Sawada found Hiruzen already seated at the head of the long table, with Jiraiya standing nearby, his typically jovial expression replaced by something far more serious.

After nodding respectfully to acknowledge the Hokage, Sawada walked over and took a seat beside Kakashi, who looked like he'd just returned from a prolonged mission.

"What's going on?" Sawada asked quietly.

"Don't know yet. I just got back from executing a mission and came directly here without even stopping home," Kakashi answered wearily, his visible eye heavy with exhaustion.

Sawada nodded in understanding. Kakashi had always been Konoha's most reliable operative, though his chronic tardiness was legendary—except for official meetings. Ironically, he was often one of the last to arrive even when punctual, simply because he cut timing so precisely.

The tension in the room was palpable as more jonin filed in, taking their seats in grim silence. Whatever news had prompted this emergency gathering, it wasn't good.