Minato flew back into the Conference Room.
He found Danzo and the others still arguing, still discussing how to make Minato take the blame and how to carve away even more of his authority.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, his feelings complicated, had simply closed his eyes and was deep in thought, unwilling to argue with Danzo.
When the man at the center of it all returned, Hiruzen finally asked:
"Minato, what happened?"
Minato furrowed his brow and deliberately said, "Kushina's condition is very bad."
"How bad?"
"As you all know, a Jinchuriki dies as soon as a Tailed Beast is extracted from them. Kushina had the Uzumaki Clan's powerful vitality, so she managed to hold on a little longer."
"Although I managed to seal the Nine-Tails inside her again, her lost vitality can't be restored."
"Doesn't that mean she's in grave danger?"
Hiruzen was alarmed, afraid that the Nine-Tails might rampage again.
The other three also looked worried.
"What about the Nine-Tails' seal?"
"I can maintain the seal, but I don't think Kushina will last much longer..."
"In that case... we should find a new Jinchuriki as soon as possible..."
"I won't look for another Jinchuriki while Kushina is still alive. If she passes away, I'll seal the Nine-Tails myself and become its new Jinchuriki!"
"What? No, absolutely not! You're the Hokage. How can we let you become a Jinchuriki?"
Mitokado Homura immediately objected.
In the eyes of every Ninja Village's leadership, Jinchuriki had always been weapons—terrifying weapons they despised but nevertheless had to control.
How could they let their own Kage become a weapon?
If a Jinchuriki who was also the Kage went berserk, who could stop him?
"I've made up my mind!"
Minato declared firmly.
"I won't agree! If the current Jinchuriki is unstable, then we should replace her as soon as possible! You're the Fourth Hokage. Are you really going to protect your own wife?"
Danzo spoke up, brazenly berating him.
Before he could finish, Minato abruptly turned to look at him. A murderous intent locked onto Danzo, and a crushing wave of Chakra pressure surged toward him.
"Lord Danzo, are you asking me to kill my own wife with my hands?"
Danzo froze, swallowing the rest of his words.
He couldn't help remembering the Yellow Flash's fearsome reputation on the battlefield. If he forced Minato to let Kushina die, that would mean a complete break between them.
Danzo doubted that his old bones could withstand Minato's relentless barrage of "Rasengan."
He could only shut his mouth, chastened, and stop pressuring him.
"Minato, if you spend all your time helping Kushina maintain the seal, what will happen to the village's affairs...?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled.
"Third Hokage, I'm sorry."
"For the next while, I'll stay by Kushina's side and help her stabilize the Nine-Tails' seal."
"During that time, I'll have to trouble you, the other two advisors, and Lord Danzo to temporarily take over the Hokage's duties and handle the village's affairs."
Minato deliberately yielded.
At that, Danzo's eyes lit up. He was so excited he nearly jumped to his feet.
Wonderful!
How long had he waited for this day?
Even if he only temporarily took over the Hokage's duties, it was still his fondest dream.
Maybe if he acted as Hokage long enough, he could make the position permanent.
Utatane Koharu quickly asked, "Minato, how long will you need?"
"Maybe three months at the shortest, or around half a year at the longest."
"That's too long... You're the Hokage. How can you be away from your post for so long...?"
"I've always felt that I owed Kushina. I want to spend as much of this final stretch of her life with her as I can..."
"But..."
Seeing this, Danzo immediately cut in.
"I agree! Minato, go ahead and stay with your wife. The Nine-Tails' seal is important too. We'll take good care of the village while you're away."
"..."
The others could clearly see what Danzo was after, but none of them objected.
Who would turn down more power?
Hiruzen wanted to say something. He sensed that something was off.
But seeing how excited Danzo was, any further attempts to dissuade him would be useless.
Besides, Hiruzen had no right to stop Minato from spending his wife's final days with her.
"But how should we explain the Fourth Hokage's absence?"
Minato offered the explanation he had prepared in advance. "We'll tell the public that the Nine-Tails rampaged and left the Fourth Hokage seriously injured, and that he'll need a long time to recover. That's better than announcing that the Jinchuriki's seal is unstable and another Tailed Beast Rampage might occur."
"If necessary, you can also blame me for all the damage caused by the Nine-Tails' Rampage."
Minato's straightforward concession delighted Danzo and the others.
What a naive young man!
For the sake of his beloved wife and child, he was even willing to abandon something as wonderful as power.
Did he really think he could reclaim the Hokage's authority after six months?
Incredibly naive!
As for taking the blame and accepting responsibility, that was just an excuse.
Now that Minato was willing to relinquish power of his own accord, nothing else mattered.
"Fine. We'll do our best to calm public opinion and keep you and Kushina from attracting too much criticism," Danzo promised, quite pleased.
"I'll leave it to you, gentlemen."
"Please excuse me."
With his goal accomplished, Minato flew off at once.
Inside the Conference Room, Danzo and the others soon fell into a heated argument over who would temporarily take over the Hokage's duties.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Minato didn't head straight home.
Instead, he secretly flew to the Uchiha compound on the edge of the village and sought out the current Uchiha Clan head, Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku was overjoyed to see Minato come to his door in person.
Nothing else mattered: Minato Namikaze being alive was crucial to the Uchiha Clan!
As long as the Fourth Hokage lived, the village leadership wouldn't dare truly move against them.
"Minato! How are things? Is Madam Kushina all right?"
Fugaku asked with concern.
Minato didn't answer right away. Instead, he first closed Fugaku's door and set up a barrier to prevent anyone from spying on them.
"You..."
Fugaku wasn't stupid. At a glance, he could tell that Minato had something important to discuss.
"The situation is complicated."
"Before I explain, I want to confirm something: Clan Head Fugaku, are you willing to support me unconditionally?"
"I..." Fugaku began to answer, but Minato stressed the point.
"Fugaku, think carefully before you answer. It would be best to answer as the Clan Head. Your choice could affect the future of the entire Uchiha Clan."
Fugaku was startled.
He had a vague idea of what Minato meant.
Was Minato really preparing to take action against Konoha's leadership?
If he had wanted to attack another village, there would've been no reason to be so secretive.
At that moment, Fugaku wasn't frightened. He was more excited than ever.
He had waited a long time for this day!
Otherwise, he never would have placed his bet on Minato.
Based on his assessment of Minato, he had expected to wait a very long time for this day. It might even have come about through a peaceful transition.
He just hadn't expected Minato to change course so suddenly and move ahead of schedule.
Was it because of last night's Nine-Tails' Rampage?
Or was there some other reason?
It didn't matter.
What mattered was that the Uchiha Clan didn't have many options to begin with.
Especially after suffering such heavy losses in the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
By early that morning, all kinds of rumors had already started spreading through the village.
People were questioning why the Uchiha Clan hadn't helped fight the Nine-Tails the previous night.
They were asking why the Nine-Tails seemed to have been controlled by the Sharingan.
And so on...
Though those whispers weren't enough to shake the entire Uchiha Clan, they were based on the truth!
The villagers who had suffered such heavy losses wouldn't care about the real reasons.
Before long, those rumors would turn into open hostility, directed at the entire Uchiha Clan...
Fugaku had already foreseen how bad things would get for his clan.
In short,
ever since Konoha's leadership had ordered them not to fight the Nine-Tails the previous night,
the Uchiha Clan's last escape route had been blocked.
They were already in the position of "having mud on their pants—whether it was shit or not, it looked like shit!"
That was why Fugaku had been eager for Minato to come to him and plan something together!
"I, Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage, am willing to become your ally in the name of the Uchiha Clan. I'll serve you and never betray you!"
Fugaku swore solemnly.
This was his choice—and the future of the entire Uchiha Clan!
Before you continue