"Stop, stop, stop. Stop showing off your love for each other!"
Kai interrupted hurriedly.
"Sir, what is showing off your love?" Minato looked puzzled.
"that's not important."
After the romantic atmosphere between the two was interrupted, Kushina was still very angry and couldn't help complaining:
"Is there no way to avoid this? It's too unfair for you to bear the blame for saving the village, isn't it?"
Minato shook his head, indicating that there was no solution.
As a Hokage and a ninja, what is fair or unfair?
There are only pros and cons, trade-offs and choices.
This is also one of the truths that Minato realized as he grew up.
"There is a way!"
As soon as Kai opened his mouth, he attracted the attention of Minato and the other man again.
"Sir, do you really have a solution?"
If it weren't for his wife and children, Minato certainly didn't want to take the blame. When he heard there was a solution, he naturally became excited.
"It's very simple. Just expose the real murderer."
"You mean Obito?"
Minato frowned, not agreeing with this approach.
"Sir, let's not talk about whether or not we can prove that the masked man is Obito."
"Even if we prove it and expose him, the chances of success are not..."
Hearing this, Kushina's heart, which had just been filled with hope, immediately fell silent again.
"That would be easier then."
Kai smiled lightly.
"Since you're worried about those old foxes obstructing us from behind, just kill them all!"
Minato and Kushina: "!!!"
Is this the so-called [Six Paths Sage]? Are they all so ruthless, so straightforward?
"No, no, sir, please wait!"
Minato quickly stopped him, fearing that Kai would use some forbidden ninjutsu to eliminate the Konoha F4 on the spot.
"Although their behavior is inappropriate, it does not warrant the death penalty!"
No matter how bad the Third Hokage was, Minato never thought of killing him. He was his teacher's teacher after all!
As for Danzo and the other two advisors, their crimes certainly didn't deserve death.
Moreover, if they were all killed, it would inevitably provoke fierce resistance from powerful clans such as the Sarutobi and Shimura, and Konoha would probably fall into civil war.
This simply cannot be done.
"Tsk! You are still too kindhearted, Fourth Hokage."
Kai sighed lightly. He knew that Minato would not agree, so it was just a casual remark.
It's clear that humans and animals are different!
"Since you don't want to kill them, then find another way to get rid of them. We can find a way to pull them down from the core leadership and deprive them of their positions and powers."
For Kai, whether it was for the ultimate goal of unifying the ninja world or for the immediate objective of preventing further internal division, these Konoha F4 were all hindrances that needed to be removed.
As long as these guys remain in the core leadership, they will definitely cause endless trouble for Konoha and Minato in the future.
It's better for Minato to deal with them quickly and decisively, so as to avoid future troubles.
"This... I'm afraid it won't be easy!"
Minato also immediately said what he thought. He had thought about this idea a long time ago, but in the end he gave up because he knew how difficult it was to implement.
"If they stay in that position, they will only become an obstacle to Konoha's progress. You should be aware of this, right, Fourth Hokage?"
"I know."
Minato admitted.
"But if you want to deprive them of their power, the cost may be far greater than the benefits, and there's no way to control the risks!"
He knows better than anyone how deeply entrenched those old fogeys are, and how power-hungry they are.
Minato's ability to handle government affairs is not comparable to the future Naruto; he is not always away from home, or looking exhausted.
"How can you be sure that the costs will be greater than the benefits?"
"How do you determine how much impact the stupid things they are doing now will have?"
Minato's face dimmed a little, but he was still a little stubborn.
"I'm sorry. You are right, sir. But the village truly cannot withstand another major setback!"
As Hokage, Minato always has broader considerations. The Third Ninja World War has made Konoha suffer heavy losses, and now the village has just survived the Nine-Tails Rebellion. Konoha really cannot withstand another internal strife.
There is another reason why Minato didn't say it.
That is, rule is never a one-man show.
No matter how strong you are, even if you can fight your way through the entire ninja world, you can't rule the village alone.
You can't do statistical tasks, calculate income and expenditure, and maintain public security yourself.
A ninja's energy is limited, and even shadow clones accumulate fatigue.
Even if he can remove Danzo and the others, Minato still needs to rely on other Konoha ninjas to manage the village and maintain the delicate balance between the various ninja clans.
He cannot guarantee that newly appointed leaders will be any better than the current ones, unless he has ample time to discover or cultivate a new generation of talent.
And even then, grooming those future leaders would require patience, subtlety, and long-term access to institutions of power—the kind of thing Danzo, Koharu, and Homura had mastered through decades of control.
"Minato, you're playing a game of chess."
Kai looked at Minato, eyes calm yet piercing.
"You have your own plan, a gentler and more stable one, right?"
Kai's words landed like a needle into Minato's heart. Not because they were sharp, but because they were true.
Minato was startled, then nodded through gritted teeth.
Ever since he became the Fourth Hokage, he has felt constrained.
Born as a commoner ninja, he lacked the backing of the major ninja clans, and the Third Hokage never truly relinquished power to him.
He wanted to change and develop the village, but it was incredibly, profoundly difficult.
After careful consideration, Minato finally chose not to seize power by force, knowing that it would inflict too much harm on Konoha.
Instead, he chose to "willingly" act as a temporary puppet, quietly developing and accumulating influence.
He had reached an understanding with the core senior leaders and the ninja group led by the Hyuga clan, taking over the Ministry of Education.
He gradually introduced more civilian ninjas into the academy, meticulously training them.
His vision was for Konoha to slowly move beyond the era of single dominant clans, branching out after careful consideration.
New ninjutsu were developed, new escape techniques were promoted, and new ninja concepts began to collide.
He held the first school ninjutsu tournament;
The first school ninjutsu exhibition was held;
New things and people are constantly emerging...
The fact that the three people, Bingzu Leitong, were able to access and learn the S-level forbidden technique [Flying Thunder Array Technique] under his instruction was incredible in itself.
His 'weakness' is just another way of 'hiding the tree in the forest'.
The [Ninja Love Theory] he proposed pushed Konoha to reflect on and correct the [Chakra Theory].
Under this 'weakness'.
Even though he killed his way through the entire ninja world in the name of "Yellow Flash", no one in Konoha or among the top leaders thought Minato was a big threat, and no one thought Minato had any ambitions.
He just needs to hide his edge for a while longer and develop for a while longer.
And so on to train more civilian ninjas and ordinary ninjas.
Thus breaking the deeply rooted [Ninja Clan System] and [Secret Technique System] within Konoha...
By then.
Everything will come naturally, and the big tree of Konoha will naturally be able to break free from decay and regain vitality!
This is the path that Minato chose as Hokage.
He had never told this to anyone else, as he didn't want to worry Kushina, but he didn't expect that Kai would see through it anyway.
I can only say, isn't he worthy of being a [Sage of Six Paths]?