After securing the mysterious white substance that had emerged from Nagato's body during their previous battle, Minato and Kushina returned to coordinate the massive relief effort now underway throughout the devastated village.
Nagato's colossal Shinra Tensei had inflicted catastrophic damage on the civilian population, and despite Konoha's substantial ninja forces, completing the emergency response before nightfall represented an almost impossible challenge.
Despite her severe chakra depletion from maintaining the protective barrier, Kushina began deploying multiple shadow clones to accelerate the rescue and medical operations.
Minato followed her example, and though most of his strength had been consumed during the ocean battle with the masked man, he still possessed sufficient reserves to create hundreds of shadow clones for coordinated relief work.
While the village worked frantically to save lives and establish temporary shelters, Minato's true form sought out the Third Hokage for a crucial conversation.
Hiruzen had nearly exhausted his own chakra reserves constructing the massive earthen walls that had provided additional protection for the village's civilians during the assault.
"Lord Third," Minato approached with an expression that immediately conveyed the gravity of his intentions.
Observing the Fourth Hokage's demeanor, Hiruzen drew a deep breath and met his successor's gaze directly. "Speak freely about whatever concerns you. You are Konoha's Hokage now."
He paused before continuing with weighted words. "There are certain truths you have earned the right to know."
The Third Hokage's wisdom and experience had already allowed him to deduce why Minato had sought out the Second Hokage immediately after the battle's conclusion.
Minato abandoned any pretense of diplomatic circumlocution. "I learned from Nawaki-senpai that the Senju clan's departure from the village stemmed from their dissatisfaction with decisions made by the leadership after the First and Second Hokage's deaths."
His voice carried the authority of his office as he pressed forward. "But what actually happened during that period?"
While Minato had initially been skeptical of this explanation, his original motivation for investigating had been to determine the masked man's true identity.
Now, however, his priorities had shifted dramatically. Understanding the ultimate objectives driving both the masked figure and Nagato had become paramount.
Through his conversation with the Second Hokage, he had realized that everything was intimately connected to the Senju clan's mass exodus from Konoha.
Despite being mentally prepared for this interrogation, the Third Hokage's eyes still showed traces of reluctance and old pain.
"This matter..." Hiruzen murmured, his voice heavy with decades of accumulated guilt. "I remain deeply ashamed of my failures regarding the First and Second Hokage's legacy."
Minato's features tightened with growing apprehension.
"The Second Hokage sacrificed his life alongside the Gold and Silver Brothers of the Cloud Village in order to protect our retreat," the Third Hokage began, his words carrying the weight of personal witness.
"Afterward, I succeeded to the position of Hokage. By the war's end, Konoha, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure had all suffered devastating losses."
The casualties Hiruzen referenced were not merely numerical—each of the major villages had lost their respective Kage during that brutal conflict, creating a leadership vacuum across the entire ninja world.
"Given these circumstances, all nations agreed to sign a comprehensive ceasefire treaty, seeking reconciliation and an end to the violence."
His expression grew more troubled as he continued. "However, not every member of the Senju clan supported the decision I made in consultation with the village's senior leadership. A significant faction remained loyal to the Second Hokage's memory and philosophy."
"They believed the war should continue until we had extracted appropriate vengeance for the Second Hokage's death and made the Cloud ninja pay a corresponding price for their treachery."
The Third Hokage's brow furrowed as he recalled the political complexities of that era. While the Cloud Village had also lost their Raikage during the conflict, the individuals who had initiated the attack on the peace ceremony were undeniably Cloud ninja.
Yet continuing the war at that critical juncture might have led to Konoha's victory, but at a cost so terrible that it could have destroyed the village's future entirely.
Minato understood immediately that the Third Hokage's decision had been both correct and necessary. Faced with identical circumstances, he would have been forced to make the same choice.
"That faction of the clan, feeling betrayed by the leadership's decision and unable to secure village support for their position, gathered together and launched an unauthorized attack against Cloud ninja forces."
Hearing this revelation, Minato felt his pulse quicken with alarm.
Regardless of whether such an attack succeeded or failed, it would make any future peace negotiations between Konoha and the Cloud Village virtually impossible.
"The assault ended in complete failure," Hiruzen continued grimly. "That group of Senju clan members walked directly into a Cloud ninja ambush and were systematically annihilated."
The Third Hokage drew a shuddering breath, his eyes hardening with remembered anger and pain. "The Cloud ninja immediately exploited this incident, claiming it represented a unilateral violation of our reconciliation treaty."
"In order to preserve the broader peace agreement and protect the village's future, the remaining Senju clan members chose to relocate away from Konoha entirely. They publicly declared that the attacking faction had ceased to be part of Konoha before launching their unauthorized mission."
"This..." Minato was genuinely shocked. He had never imagined that the Senju clan's mass departure had been motivated by a desire to protect the village rather than dissatisfaction with its leadership.
"The Cloud ninja didn't publicize this explanation?" he asked with surprise.
"The Senju clan had already left Konoha, which achieved the Cloud ninja's goal of weakening our strength," the Third Hokage replied, his eyes blazing with controlled fury. "But I absolutely refused to allow them to tarnish the Senju clan's honor and reputation!"
"Now I understand," Minato said, sudden comprehension flooding his features.
At the same time, he felt his respect for the man before him deepen considerably.
The circumstances surrounding Hiruzen's succession to the Hokage position had probably represented the weakest and most politically unstable moment in Konoha's entire history.
With the Senju clan's departure, only the Uchiha remained as a major founding bloodline within the village, creating a dangerous imbalance of power and influence.
Yet the Third Hokage had not only successfully stabilized this precarious situation but had guided the village into a new period of prosperity over the following decade.
Even Minato doubted whether his own political skills could match such an achievement.
"Do Lady Tsunade and Nawaki know about these events?" Minato inquired.
The Third Hokage shook his head decisively. "Lady Mito specifically instructed that these old wounds should not burden future generations with unnecessary guilt or anger."
"Now then," Hiruzen said, changing the subject with obvious intent, "can you tell me what you discussed with the Second Hokage?"
Minato nodded without hesitation. He had never intended to conceal this information from the Third Hokage.
After relaying everything the Second Hokage had revealed about the Gold and Silver Brothers' attack, the chakra-sealing barriers, and the Uchiha clan's likely involvement, Hiruzen's eyes began trembling with violent emotion.
Murderous intent flashed across his normally composed features as the implications became clear.
"You personally killed the masked man, yet you don't believe Nagato was lying about his identity," the Third Hokage said with growing alarm.
"Resurrection from death... is such a thing actually possible in this world?" His voice carried a note of horrified fascination.
Minato slowly exhaled a long breath of troubled air. "Perhaps it is."
Evening
Through the coordinated efforts of every available Konoha ninja, all surviving civilians had been successfully relocated to temporary shelters before darkness fell.
Minato sought out Uchiha Yoruki, and when he noticed something unusual in his subordinate's expression, the ANBU commander asked, "What's troubling you?"
"Do you remember what you told me when you first learned about the contents of the Six Paths Stele?" Minato asked with deliberate significance.
Upon hearing this reference, Yoruki's eyes began to flicker with complex emotions. "You're bringing up that matter now... what do you mean?"
Minato drew a deep breath, his expression growing resolute. "Although I believe that plan is somewhat cruel, given our current circumstances, this is no time for sentimentality or moral hesitation."
"Yes," Uchiha Yoruki replied with grim understanding.
Both men surveyed the devastated landscape around them with solemn expressions, taking in the scope of destruction that had been visited upon their home.
"Itachi has successfully awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan," Yoruki observed with clinical detachment. "He now possesses all the prerequisites necessary to implement our contingency plan."
Minato nodded slowly, then sighed with the weight of terrible responsibility.
"I can't afford to hesitate any longer. When the time comes, if that boy needs to hate me for what must be done..."
He paused, his voice growing harder with absolute conviction.
"Then so be it."