Seeing Minato Namikaze kneeling on one knee, Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but let out a few hearty laughs.
He reached out, helped him up, and said softly, "Minato, from now on you'll be my right-hand man. Let bygones be bygones."
The territory under his control now already covered more than half of the shinobi world.
Vast lands, immense population.
What he lacked most at the moment was manpower, and gaining Minato's support could not have been more timely.
Hearing Yuzuru's words, Minato froze for a moment, then muttered in disbelief, "You're… not killing me?"
Before coming here, he had already prepared himself for death.
After all, during the years Sarutobi Hiruzen and others were in power, he had constantly stood against Uchiha Yuzuru.
Not only had he killed many Cloud Village shinobi on the battlefield, he had even once gravely injured Fugaku.
Most importantly, he possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Nine-Tails' chakra. If he truly wanted to escape, it would take only an instant.
Putting himself in Yuzuru's position, he knew that facing an enemy like that, he would never let them go so easily.
Thinking of this, Minato voiced his doubts, confused. "Aren't you afraid I'll harbor resentment and do something treacherous?"
Hearing this, Yuzuru burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha… only the weak worry about things like that."
"With me here, you won't be able to stir up any trouble."
The sheer confidence in Yuzuru's tone made Minato feel an unexpected sense of inferiority.
After spending so long around Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura, even his way of thinking had nearly been assimilated by theirs.
Seeing Minato lost in thought, Yuzuru asked calmly, "So? Are you willing to work for me?"
"Together, we'll turn the entire shinobi world into a nation as prosperous as the Land of Lightning."
"Of course I am willing!"
Back then, even when Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura were dirty and despicable, he had endured it for the sake of the village. Compared to that, serving Yuzuru now was hardly an issue.
Still, he hesitated and said, "Yuzuru, back when I opposed you, that was why the Nine-Tails was willing to lend me its power."
"If I become your subordinate, the Nine-Tails might keep attacking the seal. I'm afraid I could lose control…"
Hearing Minato's concern, Yuzuru slowly walked up to him.
"No need to worry. I was planning to have a talk with the Nine-Tails anyway."
Minato looked up, and a pair of crimson Mangekyō Sharingan was instantly reflected in his eyes.
The next second, he and Yuzuru appeared in the mental world.
Just like when Minato and Naruto met in the mental world in the original story, this place was filled with brilliant colors, bright and radiant.
A gigantic fox bared its fangs at them, roaring furiously at Yuzuru.
"Minato Namikaze, you actually pledged yourself to Uchiha Yuzuru?!"
"You bastard!!!"
They had clearly agreed to resist Yuzuru together, yet the comrade who fought at its side had submitted to the enemy…
'As expected, not a single human could be trusted!'
"Kurama, calm down."
"Didn't we work together before?"
Hearing Yuzuru's words, the Nine-Tails froze, then said in a deep voice, "So that mysterious masked man really was you!"
Years ago, when it was sealed from Uzumaki Mito into Minato's body, it had seized the chance to control Minato.
While it was fighting Konoha's shinobi, a mysterious masked man had appeared and helped it.
Just as it suspected, that mysterious man had indeed been Uchiha Yuzuru!
After a brief silence, the Nine-Tails suddenly frowned. "You just called my name?"
"How do you know I'm called Kurama?"
"Such a slow reaction… ah, I get it now!" Looking at the Nine-Tails' massive body, Yuzuru suddenly said, "You must be the legendary Reflex Fox!"
"..."
Seeing his joke fall completely flat, an image of crows flying overhead inexplicably surfaced in Yuzuru's mind.
He busied himself for a moment without showing any emotion, then said, "Kurama, as long as you don't cause trouble, I can give you a certain degree of freedom."
"Normally, you can separate a small portion of your chakra to go out and play. From time to time, you can even let your main body out to bask in the sun."
"As long as you don't go looking for trouble, you'll be able to enjoy a relatively free life."
"The Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails have already accepted this arrangement, and they're quite satisfied with their lives."
"When I have time, I'll have their jinchuriki come over so the three of you can exchange notes."
Hearing this, the Nine-Tails' heart immediately stirred.
It had always been hostile toward Yuzuru because it feared he would be like Uchiha Madara back then—cursing it as a beast while using the Mangekyō Sharingan to control its mind, stripping it of all dignity.
Now, seeing that Yuzuru was completely different from what it had imagined, all the resentment in its heart instantly vanished.
After thinking it over, the Nine-Tails asked suspiciously, "You're really being this kind?"
Yuzuru smiled. "I bear no ill will toward the tailed beasts. Giving you this treatment is nothing more than a small effort on my part."
"After all, in front of these eyes, you should understand the difference between a single full meal and being full all the time."
After saying that, Yuzuru continued, "In the future, I'll revive the Ten-Tails. When that time comes, just cooperate willingly, and we'll call it repayment."
"Of course, I'll leave you a small portion of chakra so you can continue living in the shinobi world."
After hearing Yuzuru's explanation, the Nine-Tails understood his intentions.
It didn't really feel any resistance. Given Yuzuru's power, the fact that he was willing to treat them this way and even explain it personally already showed ample goodwill.
With that thought, the Nine-Tails snorted lightly. "You little brat aren't so bad. This old beast will think it over carefully."
Knowing Kurama's tsundere nature, Yuzuru didn't say much more and directly left Minato's mental world.
"Minato, you can discuss the details with Kurama yourself. When you have time, go meet Killer B and Yugito Nii."
Minato nodded, then after a moment's thought, said, "Yuzuru, Master Jiraiya said he plans to leave Konoha…"
Yuzuru waved his hand indifferently. "If he wants to go, let him go. I'll only strip him of his status as a Konoha shinobi. I won't brand him a rogue ninja."
Hearing this, Minato let out a sigh of relief and said with a hint of gratitude, "Then I'll take my leave."
————
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Konoha.
Under the gloomy sky, a light drizzle fell.
The Hokage Rock had already been completely destroyed. The stone faces of the First, Second, and Third Hokage no longer existed.
Below where the Hokage Rock once stood, a small area had been specially set aside.
A white-haired man looked up, murmuring softly, "The Tomb of Eternal Sins…"