"Your idea is good, and it's very practical."
"Given Konoha's rigid clan system, there's no better way than yours to change things without bloodshed or civil war."
Hearing Natsu Yuu's praise, Minato was thrilled.
Nothing was more encouraging than having someone agree with your ideals and plans.
But Natsu Yuu soon poured cold water on him.
"But you've overlooked two problems."
"Please enlighten me, sir."
"First: you're short-lived. You would've died last night. Then all the reforms and ideals you championed would have collapsed with you. Ten years from now, Konoha's Ninja Academy still wouldn't teach any advanced techniques. Every secret art and high-level technique would still be tightly controlled by the clans, passed down only to their own members."
"Th-this..."
Minato was taken aback again. That was painfully blunt!
But he knew Natsu Yuu was right.
Without Natsu Yuu and Hashirama, he and Kushina would have died together last night.
And the reforms he'd championed would naturally have died with him.
But Minato quickly cheered up again. He was alive now, so everything could still change! There was still a future!
"Thank you again for saving my life, sir!"
"But since I'm alive now, then this path..."
Natsu Yuu continued:
"Second, even if you survive, you won't have the time or ability to wait for the day peace is achieved and Konoha flourishes."
"Why not?"
"Because Madara Uchiha is still alive!"
Minato: !!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ
Kushina: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
"H-how can that be? Sir, didn't you say that the Masked Man was Obito?"
"What does the Masked Man being Obito have to do with Madara Uchiha still being alive?"
"But... didn't he die decades ago?"
"Couldn't he have used Faked Death Escape?"
"Uh..."
Minato shook his head, still unable to believe it.
"Why do you think Obito's strength increased so much? Why did his personality change so drastically? How did he learn that a Jinchuriki would be vulnerable while giving birth? And how did he learn to undo the Eight Trigrams Seal?"
"Could he have done all that by himself?"
"Unless..."
"Unless someone was guiding him, manipulating him, and using him!"
Minato understood at once. Now everything made sense.
No wonder Obito had changed so much. If the legendary Madara Uchiha was controlling him from behind the scenes, then it was entirely possible!
That was also why Minato had initially mistaken Obito for Madara Uchiha.
"But even if Madara Uchiha is still alive, why would he interfere with my reform plans?"
"Because he's been trying to collect all the Tailed Beasts and destroy the entire Ninja World!"
"He was also behind Rin attacking Konoha with a Tailed Beast, which ultimately forced her to take her own life at Kakashi's hands."
Minato was shocked again, almost numb by now.
"He was the one who caused Rin's death too?"
"And one more thing: he's already obtained the Rinnegan, giving him power that partly rivals the gods. With him pushing ahead with his plans, how much longer do you think peace will last in the Ninja World and Konoha?"
"How much time do you have to slowly reform and build things up?"
Natsu Yuu dropped another bombshell, giving Minato a brutal shock.
Of course, Natsu Yuu didn't tell Minato that Madara in this world was already dead.
How else could he make Minato feel the pressure and push him to work harder?
But even if Madara was dead,
Obito, Nagato, Black Zetsu, and Akatsuki were still threats.
In truth, Konoha wouldn't enjoy peace for long afterward anyway...
Besides, Black Zetsu was too far removed from Minato's concerns. Revealing that threat wouldn't make it feel real or immediate to him.
But if he made the villain Madara Uchiha, the danger and pressure suddenly felt much more real.
Minato couldn't afford to let his guard down.
Just as Natsu Yuu had expected, after being hit with one revelation after another,
Minato felt a pressure and sense of crisis unlike anything he'd ever known.
He had witnessed the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, in action last night. Hashirama had handled the Nine-Tails as easily as a chicken.
And Madara Uchiha, who was said to be his equal, had to be just as terrifying!
With the Rinnegan, he might even be stronger!
With a terrifying threat like that constantly plotting to destroy the world,
what chance did Konoha have to rise peacefully?
Under this threat, Minato's original plans and ideals would be worthless!
"Is everything you've told me true, sir?"
"Why would I lie to you? Whether it's true or not, you can investigate for yourself."
Hearing this,
Minato already believed most of it.
All at once, the pressure felt immense, and his expression grew more serious than ever!
Even more so than when he'd faced the Nine-Tails last night.
"Minato, don't worry. No matter what happens, Naruto and I will always be with you!"
Kushina saw Minato's anxiety and concern. She cupped his face and gently reassured him.
"I'm the same. I'll never leave you two!"
Minato murmured with his eyes closed, making a certain decision in his heart.
No matter what, he wouldn't let the enemy hurt his wife and child, or the village!
If everything Immortal Natsu Yuu had said was true, and Madara Uchiha was watching them from the shadows, nearly impossible to defeat,
then he would have to throw out all his previous plans and devise a new strategy.
It was his responsibility to his family, and his responsibility to the village as Hokage!
"Sir, can I defeat Madara Uchiha?"
With the best source of answers right in front of him, Minato naturally had to make use of it.
As for repaying Natsu Yuu, he could do that later.
He couldn't begin to repay him for saving his life anyway...
"Fourth Generation, do you think you can defeat Hashirama Senju?"
Minato fell silent.
He didn't dwell on that question.
If he couldn't win, then he couldn't win! There was no shame in that.
He could keep getting stronger, study new techniques, and improve his abilities.
The future belonged to those who were good at creating new things.
"So what should I do next?"
"I only offer advice. I'm not responsible for guiding you. What you choose to do, and how you do it, is up to you."
"Thank you, sir."
"I suggest you remove Danzo and those other rotten old men as soon as possible, then unite the strength of the entire village."
"At the very least, the next time an enemy village or a Tailed Beast attacks, there won't be another tragedy like last night."
Minato nodded. If he could make that happen, it would certainly be best.
Why was Kumogakure the strongest village overall?
The biggest reason was that its people were united. The Raikage could make every decision himself and enforce his will and policies with ease.
If Konoha could do the same, the other great hidden villages wouldn't stand a chance.
"Sir, do you have a way to achieve this peacefully?"
"If possible, I really don't want to take action against those men..."
Minato frowned, racking his brains but unable to think of a peaceful way to seize power.
Given Danzo and the others' personalities, taking their power away would be harder than taking their lives!
There was no way to avoid bloodshed.
Minato could only turn to Natsu Yuu for help, hoping he might have a better plan.
"Toppling the Konoha F4 isn't difficult. All it takes is a little strategy and a special maneuver."
"Of course, avoiding all casualties is impossible."
"But we can keep them to a minimum."
"It can be done in three main steps."
"First: win some over and strike at the rest!"
Keep in mind, not every ninja clan had enjoyed a good life in Konoha over the past few decades.
Did the Uchiha Clan want to rise to power?
Did the Hyuga Clan want to rise to power?
They dreamed of it. They even thought about it while taking a dump!
The Uchiha were especially desperate. If they didn't rise to power soon, their entire clan might not survive!
Those two great clans alone, together with Minato's own faction, were more than enough to overpower Hiruzen and the other three's factions.
And there were plenty of other forces they could win over, too.
Of course, the point of winning over these great clans wasn't to start a civil war.
It was to ensure that after toppling the Konoha F4, power could be handed over as peacefully as possible, minimizing the damage and disruption to Konoha.
Before you continue