Minato was roped in

Hatake Ziyan nodded and said, "Good. Then you should be able to carry out my arrangements, though the process might be dangerous. Are you willing to follow my approach and take that risk to become Hokage?"

Minato did not agree right away. Instead, he pondered for a while before telling Hatake Ziyan, "I'm willing to use your method to become Hokage! Lord Third Hokage has lost the decisiveness he had in his youth. I've seen what they've done over the years, too. Konoha has begun to rot. It needs a new leader now, someone who can guide it toward a better future. We can't let Konoha keep rotting!"

Hatake Ziyan nodded. "Very good! With that kind of resolve, I can rest easy letting you become Hokage!"

Having made up his mind, Minato looked at Hatake Ziyan with determination. "Please teach me, Lord Ziyan!"

Looking at Minato as he bowed, Hatake Ziyan reached out with one hand and helped him straighten up. "Since you're currently assigned to the Land of Earth front, let's start with the Land of Earth!"

Once Hatake Ziyan had helped him straighten up, Minato Namikaze immediately asked, "What should we do to defeat the Land of Earth? The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure has such troublesome Dust Release. Defeating him head-on would be far too difficult. I'm not confident I could do it!"

Hatake Ziyan gave Minato an exasperated swat. "You fight wars with your head, not by charging in blindly. You don't necessarily have to defeat the strongest person to win. Since the Third Tsuchikage is hard to beat, find another angle!"

Minato had a headache, too. Although he was talented at training, this really was one of his weaknesses. All he could do was look at Hatake Ziyan and listen to what he had to say.

Seeing Minato staring at him, Hatake Ziyan decided there was no need to explain and simply said, "Don't worry about how to defeat the Land of Earth for now. You'll understand when the time comes.

"Here are three brocade pouches. Once you receive an S-rank mission involving the Land of Earth, open the first pouch! When you receive word to return to the village, open the second pouch! When you receive word to return to the village again, open the third pouch.

"Remember, once you open a pouch, you must follow the instructions inside. Understood?" (Hahaha! Behold Zhuge Liang's ingenious brocade-pouch stratagems. (σﾟ∀ﾟ)σ)

Looking at the three little cloth pouches in front of him, Minato hesitated. It seemed rather unreliable. Could three pouches really earn me enough wartime merit to become Hokage? Still, after seeing Hatake Ziyan's expression, he accepted them and nodded. "I'll remember!"

Seeing the doubtful look on Minato Namikaze's face, Hatake Ziyan said, "Don't worry. I have no reason to lie. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered telling you any of this!"

Minato Namikaze nodded at that, but immediately realized that nodding was not quite the right response. "I'm not doubting your plan. I just feel... feel..."

Hatake Ziyan looked at Minato Namikaze. "You feel that just giving you three pouches was a little careless, right?"

Minato Namikaze felt embarrassed at Hatake Ziyan's words. He did not answer, but it was clear that he wholeheartedly agreed with what Hatake Ziyan had just said.

Hatake Ziyan patted Minato Namikaze on the shoulder. "Do you know why, out of all the people in Konoha, I chose you to help carry out my plan and ultimately become Hokage?"

Minato Namikaze thought for a moment before saying, "Please enlighten me, Lord Ziyan!"

"There are two main reasons I chose you to help carry out my plan. The first is your character. You put the interests of the village and its people first, and you're willing to give your life for the village. Not just anyone can do that. Among the village's shinobi, the strong ones can't do it, and those who can aren't as strong as you.

"The second is your strength. You've learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, and no one in Konoha can match your speed. That lets you reinforce other battlefields faster. And when you face enemies alone on the battlefield, your Flying Thunder God Technique is incredibly difficult for them to guard against. Anyone below Kage Level is nothing but cannon fodder before you! That's why you're the best person to carry out my plan!" Hatake Ziyan explained.

Watching Minato Namikaze nod in agreement from time to time as he explained, Hatake Ziyan knew he had thoroughly bamboozled the boy. Still, for Minato to truly believe him, he would have to wait until the boy opened the pouches later.

"I understand!" Minato Namikaze said.

"All right. Since you understand, head back and get ready! I doubt it'll be long before that little monkey sends you back to the battlefield!" Hatake Ziyan said.

"Yes, Lord Ziyan!" Minato Namikaze replied.

After briefly saying goodbye to Kushina, Minato Namikaze left the training ground.

Once Minato Namikaze had left, Kushina and the other two hurried back to Hatake Ziyan's side.

"Grandpa Ziyan, are you planning to make Minato the next Hokage?" Kushina asked.

"Yes. Minato's strength and character make him very well suited to being Hokage," Hatake Ziyan said.

"Grandpa Ziyan, you're playing favorites! Why can Minato become Hokage, but I can't? I'm pretty strong now, too! I want to be Hokage as well!" Nawaki said, sounding dissatisfied.

Hatake Ziyan looked at Nawaki and said in exasperation, "Nawaki, don't reach beyond your grasp. You'll never reach your grandfather's heights that way!"

"And don't say I'm looking down on you. If you can beat Minato, I'll replace him with you for this mission right now!" Hatake Ziyan added when he saw that Nawaki was still unconvinced.

At Hatake Ziyan's words, Nawaki shrank back as though he had remembered something, then immediately said, "I can't beat Minato!"

"All right, enough joking. I still have things to take care of, and you'll be heading to the battlefield soon, too. Go back and get ready!" Hatake Ziyan said.

"Yes, Grandpa Ziyan!" Kakashi and Nawaki replied.

Kushina nodded listlessly. Naturally, Hatake Ziyan knew what she was thinking.

Hatake Ziyan looked at Kushina and said, "Kushina, the Nine-Tails inside you is the village's strategic weapon. Unless a war threatens Konoha's safety, you won't be sent to the battlefield. So you should be glad you don't have to go. It means Konoha is still safe!"

Kushina's expression visibly brightened at Hatake Ziyan's words, and she said, "I understand, Grandpa!"

"Good! All right, children, remember to come back alive! Understood? Only if you stay alive will you have a future!" With that, Hatake Ziyan was the first to leave.