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Konoha, early spring of Year 47.

Inside a top-floor room in the Hokage Building, Konoha's F4 had gathered.

"You've all read Minato's report. What are your thoughts?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed the tobacco into his pipe bowl, his expression calm.

Utatane Koharu furrowed her brow and glanced at Minato, who sat in the corner.

"Hmph! Uchiha Yashiro must have gone senile! The Uchiha need to answer for this."

The room fell silent.

All four elders present had been students of the Second Hokage and had continued to uphold Tobirama's views.

Their stance was hardly surprising, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had no interest in hearing such pointless talk.

"We've received reports from the front. The Land of Wind has suddenly sent a large number of ninja to operate along the border. We should prepare as soon as possible."

Mitokado Homura picked up the thread.

His words seemed unrelated to the incident at hand, but his meaning was clear.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated behind his desk, paused what he was doing. This was the real reason he had called everyone together to discuss a response.

"I've already sent Orochimaru to the front lines in person. The second group of troops will arrive soon."

As he spoke, a trace of weariness crossed the Hokage's eyes. He continued:

"We need to prepare for the worst. If a conflict breaks out, the Rock Ninja and Cloud Ninja won't stand by idly. One wrong move, and war will be inevitable."

For some reason, the Sand Ninja had been acting like madmen lately, as if they were searching for something.

No one knew the details. The spies at the front hadn't sent back any useful information, which suggested the matter was being kept under tight wraps.

The man seated in the Hokage's chair had caught a whiff of conspiracy and was already prepared for the worst.

"My opinion is... the Uchiha caused this trouble, so let the Uchiha put it to rest. I'll speak with Fugaku later."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's position was clear. He wanted a stable home front, especially with the situation outside growing increasingly chaotic.

"Hiruzen, you're too soft!"

Danzo struck the ground hard with his cane, expressing his displeasure.

"The Uchiha Clan is full of treachery! Leave this to me. I'll give you an answer you'll be satisfied with."

His sinister voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

A frail old body was hidden beneath his bandages, but Danzo wasn't willing to leave the stage just yet. He still had too many ambitions left unrealized.

"Danzo, I told you... I'll handle this. That's the end of it. We still know nothing about the Sand Ninja's movements. You know what needs to be done."

"Hmph!"

Danzo shot to his feet.

"Hiruzen! You're far too softhearted!"

The sound of the door slamming still echoed through the room as Danzo stormed off. The Hokage, meanwhile, remained the Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then discussed preparations and supply routes with the two Hokage Advisors.

Minato Namikaze hadn't said a word the entire time. Like an invisible man, he quietly observed how a powerful organization operated.

The initial discussions were nearly finished.

A member of the Anbu came to report that Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan Head, had requested an audience.

"We should go back and prepare. Sigh, another troubled time."

The two Hokage Advisors stood and leisurely left the Hokage's office.

A few minutes later, someone knocked.

"Come in."

After entering, Fugaku Uchiha first apologized to Minato.

"Minato, I failed to keep my people in line and caused you trouble. I'm truly sorry."

The Uchiha's reputation as a prestigious clan didn't rest on their strength alone. When it came to etiquette, Fugaku was beyond reproach.

"You're being too hard on yourself, Clan Head Fugaku. I believe this wasn't your intention, so please don't take it to heart."

Minato's answer eased some of the tension in Fugaku's chest. It seemed the other man wouldn't dwell on the incident. Fugaku had received Minato's goodwill.

"Have a seat, Fugaku. I have complete faith in your loyalty to Konoha. There must be some misunderstanding here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put on a kindly expression. There was no hint of blame in his words.

That only made Fugaku more uneasy.

He wouldn't have minded being punished by the Hokage. A harsh scolding would have been easier to deal with.

But as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's kindly face, Fugaku's heart sank again.

He had to tread carefully as Clan Head. His clan was full of hotheaded people who kept asking why the Uchiha couldn't claim the Hokage Position.

Outside the clan, Danzo was keeping a close eye on the Uchiha, waiting for a suitable excuse to deal them a heavy blow.

Caught between external threats and internal turmoil, Fugaku Uchiha had become a master at patching things over, constantly trying to keep everyone on his side.

Considering all this, he knew he had to pay a price. He needed to act decisively.

Fugaku stepped forward and placed two documents on the Hokage's desk.

"Lord Hokage, these are the deeds to two mines. Please accept them as a small token of the Uchiha's apology."

After speaking, Fugaku took another document from inside his robes and placed it beside the deeds.

"I failed to keep my people in line as Clan Head, and that's how a rebellious fool like this ended up in the clan. From this moment on... Uchiha Sen is expelled from the clan and will never be accepted back."

"Fugaku."

"Yes, Lord Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was pleased with Fugaku's attitude. He had made his point while also securing benefits for Minato.

At this point, he intended to let the matter drop.

As he'd said, the Uchiha's affairs should be handled within the Uchiha Clan. What he wanted was stability and balance in Konoha.

"I know you have your difficulties, but I want to make this clear... Konoha doesn't belong to one person or one clan. It belongs to everyone, including the Uchiha. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Rest assured, Lord Hokage. I guarantee this will never happen again."

Fugaku left. On the desk lay the deeds to a coal mine and an iron mine, along with the document expelling Sen from the clan.

Only two people remained in the room. Hiruzen Sarutobi slid the deeds over to Minato.

"Take them. Fugaku should pay this compensation."

"Is that all right? Could Clan Head Fugaku hold a grudge? I'm worried..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi struck a match and held the flame to his tobacco.

"Puff, puff."

He took two deep drags and exhaled a comfortable cloud of smoke.

"You're worried he'll turn against us? He won't. Fugaku is good at scheming but indecisive, which makes him the perfect Clan Head for the Uchiha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Minato with approval.

"Minato, you've learned to think like a Hokage, but you still have a ways to go. No one can achieve great things alone. You need plenty of people to help you. Ideals aren't the only way to win people over—interests can do that too, regardless of whether you like them."

He pushed the deeds toward Minato again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been so blunt because he was making it clear that Minato was his successor for the Hokage Position.

Minato accepted the deeds, which represented the interests of the Hokage's faction.

"I understand. Lord Hokage, please take care of your health. I'll be going now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved him off. When the door closed, the face hidden behind the swirling smoke grew harder to make out.

Uchiha Sen waited for several hours.

He wasn't taken to Konoha Prison, nor was he important enough to be locked away in the mysterious Root prison.

A member of the Anbu wearing a cat mask had tossed him into an empty room in the Hokage Building and left him there.

With nothing else to do, he decided to review the fight he'd just had.

The details he'd overlooked at the time came back to him one by one. He replayed the fight in his mind over and over.

It was a habit he'd kept from his previous life. To put it in the most boastful way possible, what talent? I'd simply...

After his 33rd failure, Sen understood himself a little better.

First, his "Essence" and "Life" attributes represented more than their surface-level numbers.

How to put it? Judging by physical stats alone, 20 points in "Life" gave him a body comparable to a Chunin's.

But the technique he'd used in the fight—extending his arm by a full inch—was beyond a Chunin. Even a High Ninja couldn't do it.

It seemed he'd developed less than one percent of his "Essence" and "Life" attributes. He could keep training along these lines.

One day, he'd become a well-rounded warrior. That was the right way to make use of his attributes.

On the other hand,

Water Element Mastery (Beginner) had brought him obvious benefits: precise Chakra control, the ability to activate jutsu from multiple parts of his body at any time, and greatly simplified hand seals.

The more he thought about it, the more advantages he found. And this was only the beginner level. What would the intermediate and advanced levels be like?

Sen thought of many possibilities and gradually began to build a combat style suited to himself.

There were other benefits too. He could sense something new in his Chakra, a substance he couldn't explain.

He couldn't grasp it, yet it was undeniably there.

Because of it, Sen's Chakra seemed more fluid, almost as if it had a will of its own.

That was only his personal impression. He'd have to observe it more closely to find out whether it was true.

So trading the Sharingan for Water Element Mastery hadn't been a bad deal.

If anything, this path suited him better. And Sen believed that by using Balance of Fate to make trades, he could consolidate resources within himself.

A ninja's potential had a limit.

But his didn't. One day, he would place the entire Ninja World on the scales.

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