The Shackles of Talent

Such thoughts troubled Minato, making him appear quite dejected, yet in Sarutobi's eyes, this dejection was merely a display of dissatisfaction.

"Minato-san?" Sarutobi's tone grew increasingly warm.

Seeing Sarutobi press for an answer, Minato hurriedly replied, "I was held up by a ninja at the time and couldn't reach the scene quickly!"

This answer caught Sarutobi somewhat off guard.

"There is someone who can tangle with you in terms of speed? Could it be that the Uchiha have produced another fellow like Shisui?"

Sarutobi did not believe the Uchiha could produce another genius like Shisui, at least not right now.

As for the future, only Itachi had such a chance. Talent was truly something innate.

However, Sarutobi had long since made plans for this. Raised under Shisui's guidance and having accepted the Konoha Will of Fire, no matter how much Itachi grew in the future, he would never turn his blade against Konoha.

As for that Uchiha Kei who was always causing him trouble, he was nothing more than a waste; given his physical constitution, he had no potential for growth at all.

Sarutobi had suspected more than once that Uchiha Kei was merely a pawn pushed to the forefront by someone behind the scenes. It was just that Sarutobi did not know who was hiding in the shadows, which was why he had tolerated Kei time and again.

Before figuring out just how much power the person behind the scenes possessed, Sarutobi did not want to burn bridges; he even harbored thoughts of using them.

After all, this branch of the Uchiha lived extravagantly, seemingly possessing an endless supply of resources, with new people joining every month and a population that could be called numerous.

If he could obtain their resources, he wouldn't need to compromise with the Daimyo. It would be even better if he could use moral righteousness to coerce them into the front lines to fight bitter battles and deplete their population.

Thinking of this, Sarutobi felt quite pleased.

In Sarutobi's heart, Uchiha Kei was a piece of meat in his bowl, though he wondered if eating this meat would break his teeth.

But Sarutobi had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.

If it truly came to the worst, he could simply hand the position of Hokage to the Uchiha. As long as the Hokage was an Uchiha, could Kei really refuse to contribute to Konoha?

By then, Shisui would be the best candidate for Hokage, and the Uchiha wouldn't revolt against their own, would they?

As for what Danzo said—that an Uchiha Hokage would lead Konoha into the abyss—that was pure nonsense. Konoha would always be the Konoha of its people; it had never been the Konoha of the Hokage.

Only after becoming Hokage did Sarutobi understand the helplessness of the position, which was different from Danzo, who was obsessed with becoming Hokage and filled with a lust for power.

Sarutobi knew his authority came from his own strength, from his three disciples who possessed Kage-level power, from the loyalty of Might Dai who could open the Eight Gates, from the fact that the Sarutobi clan could mobilize three thousand ninja at a moment's notice, and from the generations of following by the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

Yet Danzo always fantasized that once he became Hokage, his word would be law—that was pure dreaming.

He hoped that after being abused this time, Danzo might wake up a little.

Without the support of strength, all power was like a dream or a bubble, unable to withstand the slightest breeze.

Thinking of these things, Sarutobi felt very pleased. I really am quite formidable.

This look of pleasure, in the eyes of others, seemed like pride that Konoha had gained another powerhouse, even if that powerhouse was an Uchiha.

Watching Sarutobi's smile, Minato sighed, "The Third Hokage is truly broad-minded!"

Unfortunately, Minato did not have the heart to join in Sarutobi's joy at this moment; for an Uchiha who slaughtered his own comrades, he really couldn't bring himself to be happy for them.

"Third Hokage, the person who blocked me wasn't particularly fast, but he was experienced and always interfered with my progress at critical moments."

Minato wanted to clarify the situation to Sarutobi, especially the man's ruthlessness and the swordsmanship he employed.

These were the reasons why Konoha could not accept such a person.

Compared to Konoha gaining a powerful ninja, Minato preferred that the people of Konoha be a group who cared for their comrades.

"At first, he only used undying methods to entangle me. No matter how many Rasengan I used, I couldn't hurt him, which made me suspect for a moment that I had fallen under a genjutsu!"

The feeling of joy put Sarutobi in the mood to say a little more.

Since Minato was dissatisfied with his own explanation of the Flying Thunder God, he would enlighten him about something else.

"Minato, you were indeed under a genjutsu, but the genjutsu wasn't aimed at you; it was aimed at the caster themselves. It is called Izanagi."

These were merely Sarutobi's guesses. Guesses he deemed reliable.

After the Uchiha civil war, this three-tomoe ninjutsu innate to the Uchiha clan had vanished from the ninja world, and Izanami, which was developed specifically to counter Izanagi, no longer existed.

"Izanagi?" Minato was very curious, hearing the name for the first time.

"Yes, the ultimate ocular jutsu of the Uchiha clan. It records the caster's own state using the Sharingan, and then, within the effective time of the jutsu, any damage the caster receives—even including the caster's death—can be physically restored to the state recorded by the Sharingan!"

When showing off his erudition, Sarutobi always maintained a flawless posture.

How is this possible? Doesn't that make them invincible? Minato found it hard to believe.

Although opening the three-tomoe Sharingan was not easy, it could still be considered common. Possessing a three-tomoe Sharingan meant having the strength of a Jonin; it wasn't that one had to have the strength of a Jonin to open the three-tomoe.

This was the main reason why the Uchiha clan could become a powerful family; they possessed the most Jonin.

And as long as they were given enough opportunities, no matter how much of a waste someone was, they had a chance to grow into a Jonin.

For other ninja clans, from the moment you were born, one look at your potential revealed your growth and your status in the family.

Those who had no chance to become Jonin would never have a chance.

In the world of ninja, talent was just that naked. And the Uchiha, who could break the shackles of such talent, indeed had enough qualifications to be proud.

But such qualifications were very easy to incite hatred.

The Uchiha were already monstrous enough as it was; if you added an unkillable ninjutsu to the mix, it would be laughable if they hadn't already unified the ninja world.

Minato naturally didn't believe it.

However, Sarutobi had no intention of explaining.

"Minato, in the world of ninjas, anything is possible!"

Yet another bland, flavorless platitude.

Before Sarutobi could finish his sentence, a sudden sound emerged from the hospital bed.

"Don't be so clever, Sarutobi. Uchiha Kei's subordinates are not as simple as you think. The use of Izanagi comes with a price, yet as Minato said, I have not seen that subordinate of Kei's pay any price at all!"

When trust is insufficient, words are many; when authority is insufficient, anger is many; when insight is insufficient, anxiety is many.

When Sarutobi began to ramble on endlessly, his credibility had likely already run thin.

Danzo no longer trusted Sarutobi so implicitly. Relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself; in the end, this hurdle was one that he, Danzo, would have to overcome on his own.

"Danzo, you're awake!"

Danzo's voice interrupted their conversation; he wanted in on it too.

"I was never unconscious to begin with!"

"Then why..." Sarutobi was somewhat puzzled.

"Hmph, I simply couldn't accept what was happening before my eyes. Sarutobi, Uchiha Kei must be eliminated!"

Danzo's tone was incredibly firm.

Clearly, the man who had sold Sarutobi out to Kei would naturally have no qualms about selling out Uchiha Kei as well.