Uchiha Kyu dispelled Susanoo and walked up to Minato Namikaze. Seeing that Minato had suddenly resigned himself to fate, he involuntarily raised the long blade in his hand.
"Protecting the village, even at the cost of your own life—is that your ninja way?"
"You could have used the Flying Thunder God to escape instantly. You know that. I had no way of stopping you from using the Flying Thunder God."
Uchiha Kyu's mind raced as he considered the matter from the perspective of schemes and conspiracies. What exactly was Minato plotting?
Minato Namikaze struggled to open his eyes and spoke in a voice as firm as iron.
"That's right. If I can no longer protect the village, then the title of Hokage would be nothing but a disgrace to me."
"Ever since I swore as a child that I would become Hokage, and even now that my dream has come true, I have treasured the opportunity Lord Third gave me."
"I wanted to change the village's current state, yet I also feared that I would be unable to control the situation within the village."
Having said that, Minato Namikaze smiled in relief. "In the end, I lost."
"Since you won, I don't intend to keep running. If the village is handed directly to you, it will return to peace and stability."
Uchiha Kyu stared deeply at Minato Namikaze. Whether Minato was telling the truth or lying, the blade in his hand would not stop falling.
Minato Namikaze closed his eyes with regret. I'm sorry, Kushina. Believe me, after I die, Uchiha Kyu won't make things difficult for you.
Slap!
Minato Namikaze realized he was not dead and opened his eyes in confusion.
"Hm?" Uchiha Kyu glanced at Tsunade, who had grabbed the blade's tip, blood streaming from her hand.
Senju Tsunade panted heavily. The burden on her body was so great that even breathing had become difficult.
"I think I can trade all the Senju Clan's ninjutsu and stored materials for Minato's life."
"Lady Tsunade." Minato Namikaze wanted to stop her, but Tsunade cut him off.
"Shut up. You're just like your teacher, stubborn to the bone."
Tsunade released the blade's tip and gave a carefree smile.
"I just don't want Jiraiya to come back and find that his teacher is gone and his student is gone too."
"Deal." Uchiha Kyu considered it and agreed, since he had nothing to lose.
Then his tone shifted. "However, Minato Namikaze must publicly resign as Hokage tonight, and everything that happened tonight will be Minato Namikaze's responsibility."
"I understand." Having recovered his life, Minato Namikaze hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
Fame and profit did not matter to Minato Namikaze. What mattered was that Konoha could return to peace and stability.
Uchiha Kyu noticed no sign that Minato Namikaze was lying. It seemed Minato had truly meant what he said.
For the village, for peace, Minato was willing to sacrifice himself.
That indeed fit Minato Namikaze's personality in the original story.
However, their positions were different, so Uchiha Kyu had no choice but to judge everyone with a darker mindset.
Uchiha Kyu admired such self-sacrifice, but he could not do it himself.
The reason Tsunade had saved Minato Namikaze was naturally because she saw echoes of her younger brother and her lover in him.
They had all sacrificed themselves for the village, never once blaming the village for its faults, even at death's door.
"Clan Head."
"Kyu."
"Uchiha Clan Head."
Fugaku Uchiha, Orochimaru, and Hyuga Hiashi hurried over.
Upon seeing Orochimaru, Tsunade reacted intensely. Even as she coughed up blood repeatedly, she loudly questioned him.
"Orochimaru, the teacher treated you so well. Why did you betray him?"
"Do you know how heartbroken Jiraiya will be when he learns what you've done?"
Orochimaru gave a sinister laugh. "Feelings are the cheapest thing in the world. Sooner or later, Jiraiya will accept reality."
"The teacher is already old. It would be better to give him a grand and glorious funeral, so as not to disgrace the title of Hero of the Shinobi."
"Damn it!" Tsunade could not understand him and only hated Orochimaru's ruthlessness all the more.
Uchiha Kyu had Hyuga Hiashi seal the two men's chakra pathways to prevent them from going back on their word.
It was unlikely, but precautions had to be taken.
Neither of them resisted in the slightest. They resignedly allowed themselves to be bound hand and foot, unable to use ninjutsu again.
Uchiha Kyu had genuinely intended to kill Minato Namikaze, but Tsunade's sudden intervention made him calm down.
First, Naruto Uzumaki was the known reincarnation of Asura. If Minato Namikaze died, the reincarnation of Asura would become unknown.
Second, Minato Namikaze cared so deeply about the greater good and the village that Uchiha Kyu could completely use moral coercion to turn him into a mad dog that was most vicious toward outsiders.
Third, Kushina Uzumaki was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. As long as he controlled Minato Namikaze's weakness, he could indirectly control the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Fourth, after becoming Hokage, there would naturally be matters that were inconvenient for him to handle personally. He could leave them entirely to Minato Namikaze, who possessed the necessary strength.
Tonight's battle had truly decided everything. The position of Hokage had fallen into his hands, far beyond his expectations.
Uchiha Kyu felt that he truly ought to thank Minato Namikaze for suddenly appearing during his battle with Hiruzen Sarutobi and taking Hiruzen Sarutobi out with a surprise attack.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi had not been suddenly eliminated by Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Kyu would likely have needed to wait for another opportunity before taking the Hokage's seat.
A joyous occasion put Uchiha Kyu in high spirits. He immediately had Orochimaru personally watch over the two men, then took Hiashi and Fugaku to deal with the aftermath.
"Fugaku, tell me about the clan's casualties."
"The casualties were severe."
Fugaku Uchiha used only four words to describe the clan's current condition.
Then Fugaku Uchiha suddenly grew excited. "But there is good news. Clan Head, you will definitely be pleased."
"Tell me." Uchiha Kyu clasped his hands behind his back as he inspected the clan grounds. Whenever he saw clan members passing by while supporting one another, he personally stepped forward to offer condolences.
This was not mere pretense. Even though the previous owner of this body had been so useless, the clan members had never despised him or treated him poorly.
On the contrary, during his year in this world, he had experienced the sense of bloodline inheritance that he had never enjoyed in his previous life.
Seeing Uchiha Kyu's hands covered in blood, Fugaku Uchiha quickly handed him a clean towel.
"Clan Head, a little over five hundred clan members survived the battle. More than two hundred clan members were sacrificed in this fight."
"And you call that good news?" Uchiha Kyu turned and stared at him, his expression darkening.
Since when had Fugaku Uchiha dared to make sport of him?
Had he gotten bold?
Under that gaze, Fugaku Uchiha felt immense pressure. He stopped beating around the bush and hurriedly continued.
"However, every surviving clan member has awakened the Sharingan, including those who had already awakened it before."
Fugaku Uchiha was so excited that he did not know where to put his hands. "This is simply a miracle."
Compared with before, the Uchiha Clan was now many times stronger.
Fugaku Uchiha now felt that all those sacrifices had been worth it.
Hyuga Hiashi could only stand quietly to the side and envy them.
Even Uchiha Kyu was greatly surprised. He asked uncertainly, "All the clan members who had not awakened it before have now awakened the Sharingan?"
Fugaku Uchiha nodded excitedly. "That's right."
Uchiha Kyu said nothing more. Perhaps this was the result of the Uchiha Clan rebounding after hitting rock bottom.
During the sudden battle to defend the clan grounds, if they retreated, the ordinary clan members hiding behind them would lose their lives.
When the clan stood at the brink of life and death, the emotions of the Uchiha ninja became incomparably pure. Under the influence of such a brutal and bloody environment, awakening the Sharingan was only natural.
Before you continue