"Obito was stronger than I expected. His use of Kamui and his battle IQ had both gone up a notch. Still, his threat level... moderately high, I suppose. As long as he doesn't kill me with a surprise ability or drag me into the Kamui Dimension to fight on his home turf, surrounding and killing him shouldn't be too difficult with my current arsenal."
"The real issue is... Minato Namikaze." Uchiha Makoto's gaze turned deadly serious.
"That man is terrifying. Young, at the peak of his strength, absurdly intelligent in battle, with a nearly unbeatable Flying Thunder God and a heart willing to sacrifice everything to protect others... As long as he lives, Konoha has an unshakable pillar. Outside forces won't dare make any rash moves, and internal conflicts will be firmly suppressed."
"More importantly, he'll be the plot's greatest stabilizing force. With him around, a lot of opportunities will never arise."
He quickly worked through a cold calculation in his head:
Minato survives:
Konoha remains stable, with a powerful deterrent.
Naruto might grow into a cheerful boy.
Tensions between the Uchiha and the village might ease.
Stirring up trouble becomes far more difficult, and the system becomes less efficient at exploiting Naruto.
In the long run, a strong, stable Konoha makes it harder for me to fish in troubled waters and gather rare materials.
Minato dies:
Konoha suffers a devastating blow, loses its strongest deterrent, and faces a surge in external pressure.
Naruto becomes an orphan, a Jinchūriki, ostracized by the villagers-a prime crop to harvest.
The Uchiha face suspicion and isolation. Tensions escalate, and internal fractures may emerge.
Konoha High Command undergoes a power reshuffle, creating a vacuum and chaos.
*In the long run, a weakened Konoha plagued by troubles at home and abroad better serves my need