Seeing Minato Namikaze kneeling on one knee, Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh heartily.
He reached out and helped him up, saying softly, "Minato, from now on you will be my capable assistant. Let bygones be bygones regarding the past."
The territory he currently controlled already exceeded half of the Ninja World.
It was vast and populous.
With a shortage of manpower right now, having the assistance of Minato Namikaze was perfect.
Upon hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's words, Minato Namikaze was stunned for a moment and murmured, "You aren't going to kill me?"
Before coming here, he had already prepared himself to be killed.
After all, during the time Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others were in power, he had always opposed Uchiha Yuzuru.
Not only had he killed many Hidden Cloud Village Ninjas on the battlefield, but there was also a time he directly severely injured Uchiha Fugaku.
Most importantly, he possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique and Nine-Tailed Chakra; escaping would have been a matter of an instant.
Asking himself, even if he were facing an enemy like himself, he probably wouldn't let them off easily.
Thinking of this, Minato Namikaze voiced his inner thoughts, asking confusedly, "Aren't you afraid that I might harbor secret resentment and commit some act of rebellion?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Hahahaha... That is a concern only for the weak."
"With me here, you can't stir up any trouble."
Uchiha Yuzuru's tone revealed deep confidence, and for a moment, Minato Namikaze actually felt a sense of inferiority.
Having spent so long with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and the others, his thinking had almost been assimilated by them.
Seeing Minato Namikaze deep in thought, Uchiha Yuzuru asked slowly, "Well, are you willing to work for me?"
"Let's join forces and build the entire Ninja World into a prosperous nation like the Land of Lightning."
"Of course I am willing!"
Back then, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and the others were dirty and despicable, yet he had endured it for the sake of the Village; how much more could he endure for the current Uchiha Yuzuru.
However, he hesitated slightly: "Yuzuru, originally I opposed you, which is why the Nine-Tailed was willing to lend me its power."
"If I become your subordinate, the Nine-Tailed will likely constantly attack the Seal, and I'm afraid I might go berserk..."
Hearing Minato Namikaze's concern, Uchiha Yuzuru walked slowly in front of him.
"Don't worry, I happen to need to have a talk with the Nine-Tailed as well."
Minato Namikaze looked up, and a pair of scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan were instantly reflected in his eyes.
The next second, he and Uchiha Yuzuru appeared in the mental world.
Just like when Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki met in the mental world in the original story, this place was overflowing with colorful light and exceptionally bright.
A giant fox was looking at them, baring its fangs and roaring loudly at Uchiha Yuzuru.
"Minato Namikaze, you actually defected to Uchiha Yuzuru!"
"You bastard!!!"
They had clearly agreed to fight against Uchiha Yuzuru together, yet his comrade-in-arms had actually surrendered to the enemy...
Humans really aren't worth trusting!
"Kurama, be quiet!"
"Didn't we cooperate before?"
Upon hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's words, the Nine-Tailed was stunned for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "That mysterious masked man was indeed you!"
Several years ago, when it was being sealed from Mito Uzumaki into Minato Namikaze, it took the opportunity to control Minato Namikaze's body.
While it was fighting the Konoha Ninja, a mysterious masked man appeared and helped it out.
It was just as it had thought; that mysterious man was Uchiha Yuzuru!
After a while, the Nine-Tailed suddenly frowned and said: "You just called my name?"
"How did you know my name is Kurama?"
"Your reaction time is so long... Ah, I get it!" Looking at the Nine-Tailed's huge size, Uchiha Yuzuru suddenly said, "You must be the legendary reflex fox!"
"..."
Seeing his joke fall flat, the image of a crow flying over his head inexplicably appeared in Uchiha Yuzuru's mind.
He busied himself for a moment, keeping his composure, and then said: "Kurama, as long as you don't cause trouble, I can give you a certain amount of freedom."
"You can split off a small part of your Chakra to go play, and occasionally even let your main body come out to bask in the sun."
"As long as you don't go looking for trouble, you can enjoy a relatively free life."
"Two-Tails Matatabi and the Eight-Tails have already accepted this mode, and they are also very satisfied with their current lives."
"I'll have their Jinchuriki come over when there's time, and the three of you can interact with each other."
Hearing this, the Nine-Tailed was instantly tempted.
It was hostile toward Uchiha Yuzuru because it feared that Uchiha Yuzuru would be like Uchiha Madara back in the day, calling it a beast and using the Mangekyo Sharingan to control its mind, leaving it with less dignity than a dog.
Now that it saw Uchiha Yuzuru was completely different from what it had imagined, the dissatisfaction in its heart immediately vanished.
Thinking of this, the Nine-Tailed asked with some suspicion: "You would be that kind?"
Uchiha Yuzuru smiled: "I have no malice toward the Tailed Beast; giving you this kind of treatment is just a small effort for me."
"After all, in front of these eyes, you should know the difference between being full for one meal and being full for every meal."
After speaking, Uchiha Yuzuru continued: "I will resurrect the Ten-Tails in the future; if you cooperate voluntarily then, that will be considered repaying me."
"Of course, I will reserve a small portion of Chakra for you, so you can continue to live in the Ninja World."
After hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's answer, the Nine-Tailed finally understood.
It didn't have any thoughts of resistance; after all, given Uchiha Yuzuru's power, his willingness to treat them this way and explain it personally could already be considered showing enough goodwill.
Thinking of this, the Nine-Tailed snorted softly: "You brat are not too bad; this old man will consider it carefully."
Knowing Kurama's tsundere nature, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't say much more and left Minato Namikaze's mental world directly.
"Minato, discuss the specific details with Kurama yourself, and find some time to meet Killer Bee and Yugito."
Minato Namikaze nodded, thought for a moment, and said: "Yuzuru, Master Jiraiya said he wants to leave Konoha..."
Uchiha Yuzuru waved his hand indifferently: "Let him go if he wants to; I will only strip him of his Konoha Ninja status, not mark him as a Rogue Ninja."
Hearing this, Minato Namikaze breathed a sigh of relief and said with slight gratitude: "Then I will take my leave."
————
Konoha Village.
A light drizzle began to fall under the gloomy sky.
The original Hokage Rock had been completely destroyed; the stone carvings of the First Hokage, Second Hokage, and Sandaime no longer existed.
Below the location where the Hokage Rock originally stood, a small area had been specially designated.
A white-haired man looked up and murmured: "Mound of Eternal Sins..."