Minato's Water Gate Compromises Again

Kakashi Hatake adjusted his mindset, forcing himself to handle the situation with as much impartiality as possible.

Only now did he realize that this incident was far beyond his ability to resolve.

Whether in terms of raw power or status, he was vastly inferior to Shinichi Hyuga.

"As you can see, I killed these men!"

Shinichi Hyuga admitted it without the slightest evasion, his tone calm and devoid of ripples.

Kakashi Hatake and the Anbu ninjas felt their hearts tighten, sweat beading on their foreheads.

The same question echoed in their minds: Why?

Shinichi Hyuga now represented a prestigious clan like the Hyuga; to slaughter fellow villagers without a shred of hesitation—

Was he planning to lead the Hyuga Clan in a defection from Konoha?

Everyone's body tensed, this terrifying thought taking root in their minds and refusing to dissipate.

Kakashi Hatake moved quickly, stepping back a few paces before drawing an Anbu signal flare from his back and pulling the fuse.

Such flares were only issued to those at the rank of Anbu Captain; he was currently serving as acting captain only thanks to the influence of Minato Namikaze.

Once launched, Konoha would immediately enter a state of emergency.

Whoosh!

A red flare shot into the sky.

At a height of two meters, it seemed to strike an invisible barrier, tumbling back down to the ground.

"Don't be so hasty, Kakashi. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have let a fool like Meihuo Uchiha walk away."

"It is they who owe an explanation."

"The Sanada Clan and the Takeda Clan were plotting to steal the Byakugan of our Hyuga Clan. This is the proof."

The pale blue light in Shinichi Hyuga's eyes faded; it was he who had used the gravitational pull of his Tenseigan to deflect the signal flare.

Now that Kakashi was the Anbu captain, it was time to stir up some trouble for the Third Hokage.

As he spoke, he flicked four photographs through the air, pinning them into the ground before Kakashi Hatake.

Listening to Shinichi Hyuga, Kakashi Hatake relaxed his combat stance. The situation was indeed as Shinichi Hyuga had described; these men were no different from the corpses lying on the ground.

Perhaps it would only take a single kick to finish them off?

His own behavior just now seemed to have been influenced by his teacher and the Third Hokage.

In their words, Shinichi Hyuga was a dangerous individual, and they had even tasked him with monitoring Shinichi Hyuga's movements.

Kakashi Hatake offered an apology first, quickly adjusting his state of mind.

Only then did he pick up the four photographs from the ground.

The photos depicted several mummified corpses with Byakugan eyes, yet they were dressed in the uniforms of the Konoha Anbu.

He recognized one of them immediately: Yukimura Sanada, a jonin of the Sanada Clan who served in the Anbu.

"Is this a side effect of the Byakugan? But why would Konoha ninjas be transplanting Byakugan?"

Kakashi Hatake finally understood why Shinichi Hyuga was so righteous. "What exactly is going on here?"

Kakashi Hatake scrutinized the photos, yet he still found it hard to believe.

The Ninja World was full of techniques capable of deception, such as Transformation Jutsu, shape-shifting, or illusions.

Kakashi Hatake looked at Shinichi Hyuga with a guilty conscience.

As an Anbu captain, he searched his memory for the files on these men and discovered many anomalies, including sudden secret missions and disappearances.

Trying to defend Minato Namikaze, he said uncertainly, "Could someone be framing them? I need to consult the Hokage."

In the end, all his words dissolved into a feeble excuse.

"Kakashi, if I recall correctly, the Sanada Clan and the Takeda Clan are vassal families to the Sarutobi Clan."

"I am not one of those fools from the Uchiha Clan who would abandon the pursuit of justice for the sake of a few empty promises."

"There are only two choices: Is the Hyuga Clan a group of rogue ninjas, or are these two clans the rogue ones?"

Shinichi Hyuga's voice grew heavy; he was forcing Minato Namikaze to make a choice.

Back then, there were three people in Konoha who had transplanted the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan.

After killing them, he had noted that they were all retainers of the Sarutobi Clan.

At the time, the Third Hokage had already begun targeting the Hyuga Clan, so keeping these corpses as a contingency had been necessary.

Now, it was time to recycle the trash.

"I will report this to the Hokage immediately!"

Only then did Kakashi realize that Shinichi Hyuga had left no room for sentiment, nor would he ever.

What Minato Namikaze had done was not even as good as what Kushina Uzumaki would have done; such cruel methods were already an expression of his dissatisfaction with Minato Namikaze.

Anbu ninjas are theoretically under the direct command of the Hokage, yet they were plotting to seize the Kekkei Genkai of other clans.

Either the Hokage would have to take the blame, or the clans of the two individuals involved would have to shoulder it.

Those who understood the inside story knew that the current Anbu commander was Shinnosuke Sarutobi. Combining their identities, everyone knew who was behind this, but no one dared to speak of it.

Minato Namikaze would certainly not allow the Sarutobi Clan and the Hyuga Clan to clash head-on.

In the end, only the Sanada Clan and the Takeda Clan would be sacrificed; this was the price the Sarutobi Clan ought to pay.

Kakashi Hatake only needed a brief moment of thought to grasp the cause and effect, but he could not make decisions on behalf of Minato Namikaze.

With a burst of chakra beneath his feet, he prepared to rush to the Hokage's office. At this hour, his teacher was still there, organizing the list for tomorrow's audit.

He would likely be busy all night.

Swish.

Kakashi Hatake leaped across the buildings of Konoha, hurrying toward the Hokage's office.

The Anbu members following behind him, however, were at a loss.

Were they supposed to stay behind and monitor Shinichi Hyuga?

Sweat broke out involuntarily on everyone's bodies.

Shinichi Hyuga's terrifying aura alone had left them without any power to resist.

"Relax."

Shinichi Hyuga noticed their tension and spoke to reassure them.

Kakashi Hatake's squad was Minato Namikaze's direct subordinate unit, not the Anbu left behind by the Third Hokage. Shinichi Hyuga did not hold much hostility toward them.

These few Anbu, however, did not heed Shinichi Hyuga's words and maintained their defensive postures.

Shinichi Hyuga did not care about their attitude in the slightest, instead gazing in the direction Kakashi had departed.

He wondered whether he should give Kakashi Hatake a gift later.

A few minutes later.

Shinichi Hyuga keenly sensed the surrounding space beginning to fluctuate.

This was the effect of his Tenseigan combined with his Observation Haki.

Azure light surged in the depths of his eyes as Shinichi Hyuga finally fixed his gaze upon the Anbu ninjas.

"Genma Shiranui? Namiashi Raidō? Iwashi Tatami?"

Peering through the Anbu masks, he finally saw the true faces of these members.

Weren't these the future Flying Thunder God squad?

No wonder they could hold their ground against him; they were indeed the elites handpicked by Minato Namikaze. Perhaps it was their loyalty that Minato valued.

Swish.

Two figures appeared out of thin air behind Genma Shiranui.

Shinichi Hyuga looked over; that spot was exactly where the spatial fluctuation had occurred just moments ago.

Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake had used the Flying Thunder God technique to arrive directly at the battlefield.

Only then did the Anbu members finally relax completely.

"Shinichi, I agree to your demands.

However, I hope that in the coming days, you will not participate in the audit operations. The shock you caused this time is too great.

Konoha needs stability."

Minato Namikaze's expression was complex, his face showing a mix of helplessness, heaviness, and various other emotions. Finally, his voice carried a rare hint of warning.

He had become Hokage wanting to lead Konoha into a period of peaceful development.

Yet, the things Shinichi Hyuga had done during this time had shattered Konoha's established rules, necessitating a return to the source to set things right.

He shared similar thoughts, but they required a gradual approach, whereas Shinichi Hyuga's methods were far too radical.

"Minato, I don't care what you say; I care about what you do. Tomorrow, I want to see the arrest warrants for those two clans.

Besides, an audit like this is merely a formality. You and I both know it's impossible to uncover any major issues.

I am simply making people aware of the problem. If a monster grows by sucking the blood of Konoha, are you going to strangle it or not?"

Shinichi Hyuga shook his head; he did not like the Minato Namikaze before him.

He was too grandiose, yet full of contradictions.

In Shinichi Hyuga's eyes, if one had to choose an incompetent Hokage from among the predecessors, he would choose Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki.

Their personalities were not suited for the role of Hokage.

They imagined the world to be too beautiful and let evildoers off too easily, meaning those who lived earnestly and were swallowed by evil had died in vain!

That was the greatest injustice of all!