Plans Begin

"Sir, do you mean the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan?"

Minato came to his senses and immediately thought of the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

The former went without saying.

The latter was, at least in name, Konoha's largest clan. If they both supported Minato, he would at least be guaranteed not to lose a civil war.

"Aren't you and Fugaku on pretty good terms?"

"If you approached him, he'd definitely join us. Besides, after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, he and the Uchiha Clan won't have many choices."

After this incident, the Uchiha's situation would only become more perilous.

Most of the villagers would inevitably grow hostile toward the Uchiha Clan. This was also the main reason the rebellious Hawkish faction within the Uchiha had gradually begun to gain influence.

In fact, Fugaku Uchiha, the current Clan Head, already leaned toward Minato.

Fugaku could be considered the most successful "angel investor" of all.

He'd spotted Minato early on. The two were friends, and his wife, Mizuki, was best friends with Kushina.

By all rights, given his relationship with Minato, as long as Minato was alive, he could have ensured the Uchiha's safety for decades.

With Minato around, the Uchiha Clan Downfall could never have happened!

Unfortunately.

No matter how wisely Fugaku had invested, he couldn't account for unexpected changes.

The Nine-Tails' Rampage took Minato and his wife, wiping out all his investments in the process and driving the Uchiha Clan to the brink of ruin.

From another perspective, Fugaku had already gone all in on Minato.

If the Nine-Tails hadn't killed Minato and his wife, Fugaku wouldn't have agreed to anyone trying to murder the Fourth Hokage Minato!

In a sense, the Uchiha Clan under Fugaku's leadership had already chosen a side.

Minato knew that too:

"Sir, you're right. We can indeed win Fugaku over. If I go to see him, there's a good chance he'll support me."

"But the Hyuga Clan won't be so easy to win over!"

The Hyuga Clan's political leanings were far more complicated than the Uchiha's.

Most of the time, the Uchiha only wanted to survive and to be treated equally in the village.

But the Hyuga Clan had always aimed to be Konoha's foremost ninja clan.

In fact,

the Hyuga Clan had indeed become the leading clan in Konoha at this point.

On one hand, the Senju and Uchiha had suffered enormous losses in the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. The Senju had been nearly wiped out, which allowed the Hyuga to rise to prominence.

On the other hand, the Byakugan naturally countered the Sharingan to some extent. It could easily dispel the Sharingan's Genjutsu, even Kotoamatsukami.

The Hyuga Clan might not produce several astonishingly gifted geniuses at a time like the Uchiha, but the Byakugan meant that even an average Hyuga ninja had a very high floor.

Among the various ninja clans, Hyuga ninjas had the easiest time distinguishing themselves.

As long as they mastered the Byakugan and learned most of the Hyuga secret techniques, nothing would stand in their way of becoming jonin.

Therefore, the Hyuga Clan had always had far more jonin than other major clans.

In addition, the Caged Bird Seal gave them absolute control over the Branch Family, so all Hyuga ninjas appeared united on the surface.

This gave the Hyuga Clan considerable influence in the Jonin Council!

Konoha's Jonin Council was equivalent to the House of Representatives in the real world, operating independently of the Hokage's core power structure.

Before the village could carry out any major decision affecting everyone, it had to pass a vote in the Jonin Council.

As a result, the Hyuga Clan—with its large number of jonin and its apparent unity—was like the largest party in the House of Representatives.

It held a decisive vote on most of the village's major decisions.

Being able to dominate the Jonin Council—

that was the real reason the Hyuga Clan had put down roots in Konoha and stood firm there!

In short, the Hyuga Clan was very influential now, and its position in the village was secure. Winning its support would be extremely difficult!

Even if they remained neutral, they could still live comfortably and remain Konoha's largest clan.

So why would they fully support a "puppet Hokage" like you in a struggle against Konoha's core leadership, which had been in power for decades?

"The Hyuga Clan really won't be easy to win over."

"Their neutral stance and secure position have made them too comfortable with this peaceful life."

"But it's not a problem. Once we carry out the second and third steps of the plan,"

"even if you don't approach them, Minato, they'll come over to your side on their own."

Natsu Yuu continued.

Kushina's eyes lit up as she listened.

"Tell us quickly, sir!"

Her greatest wish was for Minato to reclaim his authority, stop being a puppet for those old men, and stop taking the blame for them.

"Step two: retreat in order to advance, and drive a wedge between them!"

"Step three: use others to kill your enemy, then swoop in at the end!"

"The specifics are: first, we do this... then this... and finally that..."

"What do you think?"

Natsu Yuu talked up a storm. With the threat of Madara Uchiha already brought up in advance, he wasn't worried Minato wouldn't take the bait.

"This... doesn't seem quite right. A lot of ninjas will have to be sacrificed."

Minato hesitated. He truly didn't want to see anyone else die...

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

"I'm only making a suggestion. Whether to accept it is entirely up to you."

"Don't forget, Konoha doesn't have much time left."

"Let me give you one more piece of information for free. Before long, Madara Uchiha and Obito will take control of Kirigakure and the Fourth Mizukage again..."

Minato was startled once more!

Although he couldn't yet tell whether the information Natsu Yuu had given him was true,

if it was, then Konoha really might not have much time left!

Before long,

Minato steeled himself and accepted the plan Natsu Yuu had proposed.

He had never been indecisive. Whether he was fighting Obito or sealing the Nine-Tails, once he'd made a decision, he carried it out without hesitation.

"Kushina, I'll need you to bear with this for a while."

"It's nothing. I just won't be able to go out. That'll give the three of us more time together."

Kushina was delighted. She couldn't have been happier if Minato spent more time with her and Naruto.

So she fully supported the plan.

"Good!"

"Then, sir, Kushina, please wait here for a moment."

"I'll go explain things to the Third Hokage and the others."

With that, Minato vanished in an instant.