"The Third Hokage had been preparing his successors from very early on. He handed the task of suppressing the clans to Danzo."
"He, meanwhile, promoted ninjas without clan backgrounds. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and later Minato were all examples of this."
Fugaku could not help asking, "What about Tsunade?"
Shamu said, "Taking Tsunade as a disciple was unavoidable. Since the Third Hokage was taking disciples himself, he could hardly refuse his teacher's granddaughter."
Fugaku nodded in agreement.
"By the middle of the Third Hokage's administration, all his objectives had been achieved."
"Although Orochimaru and Jiraiya were both unsuitable to become Hokage, under the transmission of his Will of Fire, Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze, became the inheritor of the Will of Fire."
"When Minato took office, everything was still under the Third Hokage's control. After all, Minato had no clan background and had a Jinchuriki wife."
"With both Orochimaru and Jiraiya unsuitable to be Hokage, Minato Namikaze was undoubtedly the best candidate."
"After Minato had just taken office, the Third Hokage allowed him to establish an Anbu directly under the Fourth Hokage, but he did not disband his own Anbu. He kept them firmly in his hands, which meant he had not fully relinquished power."
"However, Obito launched the Nine-Tails Incident, completely disrupting the Third Hokage's plans."
"This was also a crucial turning point in Konoha's decline from prosperity, as well as the point where life became increasingly difficult for us Uchiha."
"Mm."
Fugaku let out a low sound. The Nine-Tails Incident had undoubtedly been the most important event in pushing the Uchiha Clan into the abyss.
"The political maneuvering Tobirama used back then was exceedingly clever. He established the Security Team and entrusted it entirely to our clan."
"This was a supreme honor unmatched by any other clan, but its true purpose