[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 41.
...
...
"What can I do for you?" asked the Uzumaki elder.
Minato had been brought to the elder by his companions, who claimed that the boy wanted to say something, and the man had accepted his visit with curiosity.
"Thank you for receiving me. I wanted to talk about my concern regarding Uzugakure," Minato said.
"Yes, what is it about?" the elder asked, raising an eyebrow.
"About the security of your country," he said.
"What do you mean by that?" the elder insisted, narrowing his eyes now.
"I believe that the Uzumaki clan will suffer an attack to be destroyed in the future..." Minato said with a serious tone.
"Where is this coming from...?!" The elder's voice was harsh as his red hair seemed to darken along with his face upon hearing those words, and a certain anger was directed at Minato.
It was strange to see a boy speak so directly about a threat to the Uzumaki clan. To the elder, it seemed at the very least disrespectful. After all, everything was fine. The war had been won, and a non-aggression pact was being established. Soon, the war would officially end.
"I won't give you many details... But my theory is that the four great nations, except for Konoha, might unite in a coalition to attack you together and destroy you," Minato said, without beating around the bush.
"That's absurd! Konoha would never let that happen. We have the Leaf on our side. As we saw in the last war, we emerged victorious, fighting against all the great villages," the elder stated in a neutral tone, though clearly dissatisfied with Minato's words.
"Maybe you're right... Maybe I'm wrong... But there's still that possibility," Minato remained neutral.
"I know what I'm saying is harsh, and perhaps you want to curse me for it. But I'm not here to accuse anyone. I'm here to talk about possibilities," Minato concluded, with a firm and serious tone.
The elder, who seemed ready to rebuke him, fell silent. Minato's words surprised him and made him reflect. Then, he continued.
"This path could also be taken by Konoha, even though you are allies..." he spoke calmly, but at the same time seriously, without being intimidated by the man's gaze.
"I'm just trying to look toward the future of the ninja world, and I believe this is possible. After all, the war had a ceasefire, and now the leaders of the Five Great Nations will be negotiating the peace terms and the end of the war..." Minato spoke again, pausing.
"And if I'm right, this pressure could lead to a reduction in Konoha's power... Currently, Konoha is very powerful, capable of even facing all five great nations at the same time. Surely, the other villages feel threatened and will continue the war unless there is a reduction in this power," he continued.
The elder listened in silence as Minato laid out his vision.
"Whether by destroying our own forces, like handing over a war hero such as myself, Sakumo, or the Hokage's students, or by weakening our allies—like a force directly targeting Uzugakure, which, not being part of the Land of Fire, is seen as an easy target. Destroying you would be the perfect excuse to weaken a great ally of the Leaf, and thus balance the power among the nations. You would be a target, and Konoha would not be able to do anything to help you under the condition of maintaining peace with the other nations after that..." Minato explained, knowing that it would not take long for a third war to break out.
Minato had always thought that this philosophy of balance among the villages was foolish if not carefully considered. After all, this idea dated back to the First Hokage when he distributed the tailed beasts to all the villages. At the time, he thought he was right, but it was that very action that would cause even greater wars in the future.
Far beyond the destruction caused by the Warring States period, the villages continued with their individual plans and were never truly united, and thinking he had achieved that was an illusion—one that Madara Uchiha himself had concluded, while Hashirama deluded himself with the idea of peace.
Minato then looked directly at the elder.
"That is why the possibility of Uzugakure being destroyed is still very high."
He now had the chance to talk about it for the first time.
"And why are you telling me all this? Are you trying to make me doubt Konoha?" the Uzumaki elder asked, with a serious and suspicious tone.
"Several Uzumaki ninjas died in this war. We fought side by side, and we have had the village as our ally since the beginning. After all, our relationship dates back to the First Hokage, who founded the village. And you, who are engaged to the girl who is the vessel of the Kyuubi and an Uzumaki, like the First Hokage... That is a little strange, don't you think?" he continued, staring intently at Minato.
"You're right. But I am not here because I am your enemy or because I want to destroy your relationship with the village. In the end, I don't know what can truly happen. No one can predict the future. I just want you to be prepared," Minato said as he took something from his pouch and placed a kunai on the table.
"If this happens, I want you to infuse chakra into this kunai. I will be able to use it to teleport to your village. If I have enough chakra, I can move to the other side of the country and still be fine. Now, if you need Konoha's help and they refuse... I want you to place chakra in it anyway. Even if Konoha refuses to send reinforcements and all the ninjas are unable to help you, I will be here to assist you," he stated.
The elder was surprised. He looked at the kunai for a moment before facing the boy again.
"Let's say Konoha actually does that, and we are in danger... Do you intend to help us even if that brands you as a traitor? A ninja cannot disobey his superiors. He must place his mission above all else. You are an influential figure. If you appear to help us in this supposed war in Uzugakure, surely all eyes will fall on Konoha, and you might drag the entire village into a war. They will not hesitate to label you a traitor who acted alone to protect us and caused another war," he questioned, now more skeptical of the boy's determination after everything he had said.
"Yes. I said that. Even if I become a traitor... Even if I am hunted by my own village and by my own comrades... I still intend to help you," Minato affirmed, with determination.
He knew that this could be the greatest challenge he had ever faced in his life. But he also knew that he would not cower if the critical moment arrived. He would act before the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, if necessary.
"Why? Why would you simply abandon your life in the village when you are a hero to everyone here?" the elder asked, intrigued.
"Because letting more people die and weakening powerful ninjas in this era... Is a mistake," Minato said firmly.
"You speak as if we are about to face a giant catastrophe," the elder commented, now with a tone of interest, replacing his initial anger.
"There is something acting from the shadows in this world... And I saw some of them during this war," Minato said, revealing something for the first time to someone.
"What do you mean?" the elder narrowed his eyes, attentive.
"I can't talk about it now. But... Someone who should have been dead a long time ago is still alive. He is acting from the shadows. I don't know if he is behind this possible attack, but I know that he is eliminating the strongest people and the most powerful clans in this world. That way, it will be easier to dominate the ninja world in the future," Minato revealed, with seriousness.
He took a deep breath before concluding.
"I would like you not to tell anyone... Yet," Minato requested.
The elder nodded his head, certainly surprised by everything he had heard.
In the end, Minato left the house where the Uzumaki were staying to return to his companions.
"Is something wrong, Mu-sama?" a young Uzumaki asked the elder, Mu Uzumaki, who had come along with them to the village as one of the diplomats there to receive commendations for their actions in the war.
The elder, head of the diplomatic mission, was thoughtful in his room after Minato had left him.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Berten. I am just thinking," he said as he continued looking at the kunai on the table, trying to decipher Minato's words.
Minato and the girls ended up staying until nightfall at the Senju clan. There, they met Nawaki, who had arrived completely worn out after his intense training on the first day alongside Duy. He had asked to start the exercises, but Nawaki was not at all used to that kind of training and had struggled quite a bit.
"I see you're taking this seriously, Uncle Nawaki," Minato commented, laughing as he watched Nawaki groaning in pain from the impacts of Minato's playful slaps on his back.
"I'm not okay..." Nawaki grumbled, feeling the pain in his back, while Minato kept laughing and hitting him continuously.
"Stop that!" he pleaded, but Minato was getting back at him for their younger days. Nawaki used to act like that when Minato was with Tsuna, constantly teasing them during their time at the academy...
After that, Minato returned with Mikoto to his apartment.
The next day, Minato heard a knock on his door. An Anbu messenger handed him a scroll, which stated that he would have another week off. After that, he would need to present his decision on how he intended to proceed with his ninja career from that point onward.
Soon after, Kushina and Tsunade arrived together at his house, bringing a dinner they had prepared earlier that morning.
While they were eating, there was another knock at the door. Minato already sensed who it was before even opening it. When he did, he saw Hanabi, who appeared a bit embarrassed to see all the other girls there, as she had distanced herself from them in recent days.
"Come on, join us," Minato said.
Hanabi was easily welcomed by everyone, who teased her a little but held no grudge for her having drifted away.
"So, what are we doing today?" Tsuna asked, excited. They didn't really have any plans.
Minato seemed thoughtful, looking outside, between the trees, and even through the walls, paying attention to the Anbu who remained nearby for the exclusive protection of Kushina Uzumaki.
"Maybe we can start researching that," Minato said.
Everyone nodded, except for Hanabi, who looked confused. His gaze fell upon Kushina.
"Did you bring what I asked for?" he asked.
"Of course I did, dattebane," the redhead replied, confident.
"Great. I know this could cause some problems if we decide to put it into practice here, but... We can't let the Anbu see our research. That's why I intend to go somewhere isolated," Minato explained.
"You mean the south of the country again?" Tsunade asked.
Minato nodded. "Yes, I think that would be the ideal place," he confirmed.
Everyone agreed with the plan. After they finished breakfast, Minato asked everyone to gather and touch him. Then, he teleported with the four girls.
The scenery changed, and they were on the beach where Minato often went.
"How much time do we have?" Mikoto asked immediately. After all, Minato had said they would have some time before the village noticed they were gone.
"I'd say until noon. The ninjas guarding Kushina will start looking for her, and if we don't show up in a few hours, they will surely alert the Hokage. When they realize her chakra is no longer in the village, they will move quickly," Minato replied, while everyone nodded.
"Now, I want us to start researching. We have three fuuinjutsu masters here. I'm sure we can figure something out with some effort, even if it's a seal that's been used for centuries and is considered unbreakable," he said firmly.
Kushina and Tsunade nodded. Kushina took out the scroll Minato had asked her to bring, while Minato placed another scroll in front of them. Hanabi was still confused by everything, but her eyes widened in shock when Minato opened the scroll, revealing a seal identical to the one on her forehead.
"But... How... This..." she stammered, incredulous.
"You saw it right. We're going to try to break your seal. So, just relax and enjoy the day. We'll help you," he said, with a slight smile.
Minato, Tsunade, and Kushina began working together. He knew he would leave most of this work to them later, but he wanted to help at the start. Hanabi remained there, stunned, wondering how Minato had obtained that scroll and what exactly he intended to do.
It was, undoubtedly, madness. The Hyuuga clan would see him as their worst enemy in all of history if they found out. But Minato didn't care.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 222 - Land of Iron.
Chapter 227 - ANBU Leader.
Chapter 237 - To become the greatest swordsman in the world?
Chapter 246 - The Dragon.
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