"Minato, Aizen, there's something I need to tell you in private," Uchiha Kai said to the two.
Aizen and Minato exchanged glances and nodded.
The three moved to a secluded corner outside the training ground.
"Aizen, Minato, the reason I attacked you today is because." Kai proceeded to recount his encounter with Tanaka in detail.
There was no surprise in the eyes of Aizen and Minato.
"It seems you both already knew," Kai said, surprised by their reaction.
"Of course. If I hadn't known that Zashi was behind this, how would I have known my information had been leaked?" Aizen asked rhetorically with a smile.
"Ah..." Kai felt a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it. The grudges of the previous generation belong to them. Neither Aizen nor I agree with this treatment of the Uchiha clan. I know you harbor resentment and your actions are a bit extreme, but deep down, you still long for acceptance from the village. It's difficult, we're still too weak to change anything. But as long as we persevere, when we're strong enough, this situation will surely change!" Minato said sincerely.
"Minato!" Kai looked at Minato blankly, his eyes filled with emotion.
Even Aizen looked at Minato in surprise, feeling as if his own naive student had finally matured.
"That's right, there's no need to be so radical. It only creates a greater rift with the village. Your priority now is to grow stronger. When Minato become Hokage in the future, we'll definitely change everything," Aizen added, without a hint of insincerity.
Kai's eyes reddened, deeply moved by their words.
"Thank you. I will definitely work hard to make this dream a reality as soon as possible," Kai said solemnly.
"Good," Aizen and Minato nodded in approval.
After chatting for a while longer, the three parted ways with their respective teams.
As everyone left the training ground, the ground in a hidden corner suddenly shifted, revealing a familiar figure.
"Ah... Actually, that was my shadow clone just now," the figure said with a cold chuckle, glancing first in the direction Minato and Aizen had left, then towards Kai and his group.
Meanwhile, Kai and the Uchiha youths were walking through a small forest outside the training ground.
"Kai, that Aizen is such a good person!" one of the youths exclaimed.
"Yes, especially him and Minato. If they maintain this attitude towards us, the Uchiha clan wouldn't be targeted like this," Kai said wistfully.
"Indeed, how wonderful it would be if that day came."
"If we weren't seeking fair treatment, we wouldn't cause so much trouble."
"Who doesn't want a stable life, to live in harmony with others? But what can we do?"
The radical youths sighed in resignation.
"Alright, Aizen's attitude towards us is crucial, but we also need to do our part. Starting today, no more troublemaking. Let's focus on training and strive to take over the Uchiha's leadership as soon as possible. We shouldn't wait until Aizen and Minato become Hokage, only to have to fight against our own stubborn elders for their help!" Kai declared loudly.
"Okay, Kai, we'll listen to you!"
"Alright, Kai, don't worry!"
"We'll train hard!"
The Uchiha youths responded enthusiastically. Although they were impulsive and emotional, their actions were driven purely by their desire to protect the clan. This was why they had so quickly embraced Aizen's kindness. They were, simply put, too naive.
In contrast, the moderates, who appeared more reasonable to the outside world, were actually deeply entrenched in their own interests and schemes.
In both Aizen's past and present life, most organizations and groups were dominated by conservatives. Radical factions only gained power when there were serious internal problems within the organization.
But that was a digression.
As the Uchiha youths reveled in their newfound hope for the future, they failed to notice the surrounding darkness growing thicker.
Suddenly, the darkness engulfed them completely. The Uchiha youths' expressions changed as they activated their Sharingan.
Initially, they thought it was an illusion due to the mental fluctuations they sensed in the darkness. However, even with the Sharingan activated, although the mental interference was reduced, the darkness persisted.
It wasn't an illusion. The darkness was real.
Kai, with his extensive knowledge, realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Be careful! This is a darkness technique developed by the Second Hokage to counter our Uchiha clan's visual prowess!"
But his warning came too late.
A dozen cold gleams flashed in the darkness.
Screams filled the air as the Uchiha youths clutched their throats, their eyes filled with despair and pain. They fell to the ground like harvested wheat.
Even Kai, the strongest among them, wasn't spared.
As the dust settled and the darkness dissipated, a figure holding a long knife stood amidst the corpses, a cruel expression on their face. Blood dripped from the blade, creating a soft tapping sound.
"Now, I just need to disguise their bodies, and I can blame their deaths on that fool, Zashi," the figure thought.
However, as heprepared to continue, he looked up in surprise. Kai's body had vanished from among the Uchiha corpses.