The Plan Begins

"Mister, are you talking about the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan?"

Minato reacted immediately, his thoughts turning to the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

The former went without saying.

The latter, however, was the nominal number one clan in Konoha. If both were to support Minato, he would at least be guaranteed an invincible position in the event of a civil war.

"You and Fugaku have a pretty good relationship, don't you?"

"With you stepping in, he will definitely join. Besides, after this Nine-Tails' Rampage, he and the Uchiha Clan don't have many choices left."

After this battle, the Uchiha's situation would only become more precarious.

Most villagers would inevitably be hostile toward the Uchiha Clan, which was the main reason why the hawks within the Uchiha were gradually gaining influence.

In reality, Fugaku Uchiha, as the current Clan Head, was himself inclined toward Minato.

Fugaku could be considered the strongest 'angel investor.'

He had set his sights on Minato long ago; he was a close friend of Minato's, and his wife, Mizuki, was best friends with Kushina.

Logically speaking, given his relationship with Minato, as long as Minato was alive, ensuring the safety of the Uchiha for several more decades would be absolutely no problem.

With Minato around, the Uchiha Clan Downfall would never happen!

Unfortunately.

No matter how well Fugaku invested, he could not withstand unexpected changes.

The Nine-Tails' Rampage took the lives of Minato and his wife, ruined all of his investments in the process, and pushed the Uchiha Clan into a dead end.

From another perspective, Fugaku had long since gone all-in on Minato.

If it hadn't been for the Nine-Tails killing Minato and his wife, if it were anyone else—anyone who dared to plot against the Fourth Hokage Minato—Fugaku would be the first to object!

In a sense, the Uchiha Clan, led by Fugaku, had already chosen their side.

And Minato himself was well aware of this:

"Mister is right, Fugaku's side can indeed be won over. If I go to him, there is a high probability he will support me."

"It's just that the Hyuga Clan... I'm afraid they won't be so easy to win over!"

The political leanings of the Hyuga Clan were far more complex than those of the Uchiha.

Most of the time, the Uchiha only wanted to survive and sought equal treatment within the village.

But the goal of the Hyuga Clan had always been to remain the number one ninja clan in Konoha.

In reality, the Hyuga Clan had indeed become the premier clan in Konohagakure at this stage.

On one hand, because both the Senju and Uchiha clans had suffered massive losses during the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars—with the Senju clan members nearly wiped out—the Hyuga Clan was able to rise to the top.

On the other hand, the Byakugan itself possessed a certain degree of restraint against the Sharingan, capable of easily dispelling Sharingan Genjutsu, and even Kotoamatsukami.

Although it was difficult for the Hyuga Clan to produce several world-class geniuses from time to time like the Uchiha, the existence of the Byakugan ensured that the lower limit for Hyuga ninjas was very high.

Among all the ninja clans, Hyuga ninjas were the easiest to get ahead.

As long as one became proficient with the Byakugan and mastered the majority of the Hyuga secret techniques, there were no obstacles to growing into a Jonin.

Therefore, the number of Jonin in the Hyuga Clan had always far exceeded that of other major clans.

Coupled with the absolute control the Caged Bird Seal held over the Branch Family ninjas, all Hyuga ninjas appeared to be working in perfect unison on the surface.

So much so that the Hyuga Clan held significant sway within the Konoha Council of Elders!

And the Konoha Council of Elders was equivalent to the House of Representatives in reality, operating independently from the core power structure of the Hokage.

Before the village could push through any major resolution affecting the entire village, it had to pass a vote in the Konoha Council of Elders to be fully implemented.

Therefore, the Hyuga Clan, possessing a large number of Jonin and being "united as one," was like the majority party in the House of Representatives.

They held a decisive vote on most of the village's major resolutions.

Being able to dominate the Konoha Council of Elders was the true reason why the Hyuga Clan had always remained rooted in Konoha and stood tall!

In short, the Hyuga Clan was very formidable right now, and their status within the village was rock-solid. Seeking the support of the Hyuga Clan was extremely, extremely difficult!

Even if they simply maintained neutrality, they could live very comfortably and remain the number one clan in Konoha.

So why would they go all out to support a "puppet Hokage" in a struggle against the core high-level leadership that had been governing Konoha for decades?

"The Hyuga Clan is indeed not easy to win over."

"Their neutral stance and stable status make them enjoy these peaceful times far too much."

"But it's not a big problem. As long as the second and third steps of the plan are executed..."

"Even if you don't go to them, Minato, they will take the initiative to lean toward you."

Natsu Yuu continued.

Kushina listened, her eyes shining.

"Mister, tell me quickly!"

Her greatest wish right now was for Minato to regain real power, to stop being a puppet for those old fossils, and to stop taking the fall for them.

"The second step: retreat to advance, divide and conquer!"

"The third step: borrow a knife to kill, wait for the mantis to stalk the cicada!"

"Specifically, it's first do this... then do that... and finally do that..."

"How do you feel about it?"

Natsu Yuu laid out a whole string of smooth talk. With the massive threat of Madara Uchiha already dangled in front of him, he wasn't worried about Minato not taking the bait.

"This... it seems a bit inappropriate. It will sacrifice quite a few ninja!"

Minato hesitated. He truly did not want to see any more casualties.

"Some sacrifices are unavoidable, Minato. You should know that very well."

"I am only offering suggestions; whether you adopt them is entirely up to you."

"Don't forget, there isn't much time left for Konoha."

"I'll throw in another piece of information for free. It probably won't be long before Madara Uchiha and Obito take control of Kirigakure and the Fourth Mizukage once again..."

Minato was shocked once more!

Although he couldn't verify the truth of the intelligence Natsu Yuu had revealed for the time being.

But if it were true, then for Konoha, time was indeed running out!

Before long.

Minato hardened his heart and made his decision, agreeing to the plan proposed by Natsu Yuu.

He had never been an indecisive person. Whether it was fighting Obito or sealing the Nine-Tails, once a decision was made, Minato would execute it without the slightest hesitation.

"Kushina, I'll need you to go through some trouble for the next little while."

"It's nothing, just not being able to go out. It's actually a perfect chance for the three of us to spend more time together."

Kushina was very happy; she was more than eager for Minato to spend more time with her and Naruto.

Therefore, she was fully in favor of this plan.

"Good!"

"Then, Mister, Kushina, please wait a moment."

"I'm going to go brief the Third Hokage and the others."

With that, Minato vanished in a flash.