Shooff!
Minato flashed into the conference room.
Danzo and the others were still engaged in a heated debate, voices overlapping as they argued over how Minato should take responsibility for the Nine-Tails incident—and how they might divide up the power he still held.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat quietly amidst the noise, his expression unreadable. With closed eyes and a long sigh, he seemed to withdraw from the politics. He had neither the strength nor the will to argue with Danzo again.
But when Minato reentered the room, the atmosphere changed instantly. Sarutobi then asked immediately.
"So, Minato, what happened?"
Minato frowned, then said emotionally, "Kushina's condition... is very bad."
"What exactly happened?"
"You all know that when a tailed beast is stripped of its Jinchūriki, they will die immediately. But Kushina is the exemption she has the powerful vitality of the Uzumaki clan, so she was able to hold on for a little longer."
"Although the Nine-Tails was sealed back later, the vitality lost by Kushina could not be replenished."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Sarutobi was horrified, fearing that the Nine-Tails would riot again.
The other three also looked anxious.
"What about the seal of the Nine-Tails?"
"I can maintain the seal, but I don't think Kushina can hold out for long..."
"Well... in this case, we should find a new Jinchūriki as soon as possible..."
"I won't look for another Jinchūriki until something happens to Kushina. If she unfortunately leaves, I will seal the Nine-Tails myself and become the new Jinchūriki!"
"What? No!" Homura Mitokado immediately rejected the idea.
"You're the Hokage! How can you propose turning yourself into a Jinchūriki?"
To the village's high-ranking officials, a Jinchūriki was nothing more than a weapon—a disgusting but powerful killing machine that had to be controlled.
It was unthinkable to turn their own Hokage into such a thing. If a Hokage with that power were to rebel as the Nine-Tails just had, who could possibly stop him?
"I've made up my mind!"
Minato said solemnly and firmly.
"I don't agree! Since the Jinchūriki is unstable now, a new Jinchūriki should be replaced as soon as possible! As the Fourth Hokage, do you want to protect your wife over the village?"
Danzo showed up and shouted loudly with confidence.
The next moment, he hadn't finished speaking.
Minato suddenly turned his head to look at him, a strong murderous intent locked onto Danzo, and intense chakra pressure rushed towards him.
"Master Danzo, do you want me to kill my wife with my own hands?"
Danzo paused, and forced himself to swallow back the words in his mouth.
He couldn't help but think of the Fourth Hokage's notorious reputation on the battlefield. If he really forced the other party to kill Kushina, that would mean a complete break between them.
Danzo didn't think that his old bones could withstand Minato's anger.
He had no choice but to shut up and stop pressing.
"Minato, if you continue to help Kushina maintain the seal, then the village's political affairs..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep puff on his pipe and exhaled slowly.
"Third-sama, I'm so sorry."
"I will stay with Kushina for the next months while I help her stabilize the Nine-Tails seal."
"During this period, I can only trouble Lord Third, the other two advisors, and Lord Danzo to temporarily take over the power of Hokage and handle the affairs of the village."
Minato backed off deliberately.
Upon hearing this, Danzo's eyes suddenly lit up and he almost stood up with excitement.
Unnoticed by Danzo, Sarutobi's brows furrowed ever so slightly.
The Third Hokage had long grown weary of Danzo's scheming, and although the two shared a past and had once stood shoulder-to-shoulder for the village, their philosophies had long since diverged. Danzo's obsession with control was a far dangerous thing, which the Third Hokage had permitted for far too long.
Now, watching Danzo nearly drool over the prospect of temporarily assuming Hokage authority, a faint, bitter regret passed through the old man.
Had he turned a blind eye to this?
"Good, good!"
Danzo chuckled softly to himself, arms folded behind his back. He exchanged glances with Utatane Koharu, who gave him a nearly imperceptible nod.
How many years had it been since he last sat on the Hokage's seat, even as a substitute? Now, finally, the chance had come. If he played this well, and if Minato became permanently 'indisposed'...
Who knew? A new Danzo era might dawn.
"How long has he even been Hokage? Two years? Three? Hah!" he thought inwardly, "The Will of Fire needs a seasoned goodman."
Utatane Koharu quickly asked, "Minato, how long will it take you?"
"The shorter one might be three months, and the longer one might be about half a year."
"It's too long... You are the Hokage, how can you be away from your position for so long..."
"I have always owed Kushina, and I want to spend this last period of time with her as much as possible..."
"This..."
Seeing this, Danzo immediately interrupted and agreed:
"I agree! Minato, just go and accompany your wife without worry. The seal of the Nine-Tails is also very important. During this time, we will help you manage the village."
"..."
The others clearly saw Danzo's intention, but they all tacitly did not refute it.
Who would complain that they have more power?
Sarutobi wanted to say something, he always felt something was wrong.
But seeing how agitated Danzo was, no amount of his exhortations would be of any use.
Besides, he had no right to stop Minato from accompanying his wife on her final journey.
"But how do we explain the missing period of the Fourth Hokage?"
Minato brought out the argument he had prepared long ago: "Let's announce to the public that the Nine-Tails rioted, causing the Fourth Hokage to be seriously injured and need a long time to recover. It's better than declaring that the Jinchūriki's seal is unstable and there is a possibility of a Tailed Beast riot."
"If you want, you can also blame me for the damage caused by the Kyuubi riot."
Minato's straightforward concession made Danzo and the others secretly delighted.
What a young guy!
For the sake of his beloved wife and children, he is willing to give up even something as wonderful as power.
After waiting for half a year, does he really think he can take back the power of Hokage?
So naive!
As for taking the blame, it's just an excuse.
Now that Minato is willing to give up power, everything else is insignificant.
"Okay. We will do our best to appease public opinion and won't let you and Kushina be criticized too much." Danzo assured with great satisfaction.
"Then plss excuse me, elders."
"I will take my leave first."
Having achieved his goal, Minato immediately flew away.
Shooff!!
In the conference room, Danzo and his companions soon broke into a fierce dispute over who would temporarily take over the power of Hokage.
Sarutobi remained silent, letting the others squabble. He simply puffed on his pipe and stared out the window, watching the leaves drift across the late autumn sky of Konohagakure. A storm was brewing, and he knew it. But like all old men, he hoped he wouldn't be around when the wind blew everything down.
...
After Minato left the [Hokage Building], he did not go home immediately.
Instead, he quietly flew to the Uchiha grounds on the edge of the village and secretly found the current Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku was overjoyed when he saw Minato coming in person.
Nothing else matters: It is very important to the Uchiha clan that Minato Namikaze is alive!
As long as the Fourth Hokage is not dead, the village elders will not dare to kill him!
"Minato! What's going on? Is Lady Kushina okay?"
Fugaku immediately expressed concern.
Minato did not rush to answer. Instead, he closed Fugaku's door and deployed a barrier to prevent prying eyes.
"You..."
Fugaku was not stupid. As soon as he saw this, he knew that Minato wanted to discuss something important with him.
"it's complicated."
"Before I explain, I want to confirm one thing: Patriarch Fugaku, are you willing to support me unconditionally?"
"I..." Fugaku responded immediately, but Minato emphasized it.
"Fugaku, think carefully before you answer, preferably in your capacity as clan leader. This choice may affect the future of the entire Uchiha clan."
Fugaku was shocked.
He vaguely guessed something.
Is Minato really preparing to take action against Konoha's top leaders?
If they wanted to use force against other villages, they wouldn't be so secretive at all.
At this moment, Fugaku was not frightened, but rather more excited than ever before.
He has been waiting for this day for a long time!
Otherwise, I wouldn't have bet on Minato at all.
Originally, based on his judgment of Minato, this day might have to wait for a very long time, and it might even have to wait until a peaceful revolution.
But unexpectedly, Minato suddenly turned ahead.
Was it caused by the Nine-Tailed Fox riot last night?
Or some other reason?
That doesn't matter anymore.
The important thing is that the Uchiha clan didn't have many choices.
Especially after the devastating [Nine-tail Rebellion].
A lot of rumors have already spread in the village early this morning.
Everyone is questioning why the Uchiha clan did not participate in the fight against the Nine-Tails last night?
Why does the Nine-Tails seem to be controlled by the Sharingan?
and many more...
Although such gossip is not enough to shake the entire Uchiha, it is all true!
The villagers who suffered heavy losses don't care about the root cause.
It won't be long before these opinions turn into actual hostility against the entire Uchiha clan...
Fugaku had already anticipated how bad the situation of his own Uchiha clan would be in the future.
in short.
Since last night, their clan was ordered by the Konoha higher-ups not to fight against the Nine-Tails.
The Uchiha clan's last retreat has been blocked.
It's already like this: yellow mud falling down the crotch - it's either shit or it's shit!
Therefore, he was eager for Minato to come to him and conspire together for great things!
"Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, in the name of the Uchiha clan leader, I am willing to become your ally. I will serve you and will never betray you!"
Fugaku swore solemnly.
This is his choice and also the future of the entire Uchiha clan!