In Konoha, within the Uchiha clan's compound, Fuma smiled as he looked at the letter in his hand.
It was sent by Orochimaru, detailing his recent experiences in the Land of Water and his thoughts on future plans.
Beside him, Minato looked at Fuma with a strange expression, secretly thinking to himself:
"If I'm not mistaken, Fuma's gaze seems a bit... affectionate. Thank goodness Orochimaru isn't a woman, or Tsunade-sensei would definitely feel betrayed."
Just last night, Minato had helped Kushina train in Yang Release(seggs), and now, he was imagining strange scenarios involving Orochimaru and Fuma.
Shaking his head quickly to dispel the terrifying thought, Minato shuddered, pushing the disturbing image out of his mind.
He poked Fuma and asked with feigned curiosity, "Fuma, what did Orochimaru say in the letter? Is his progress in Kirigakure going well?"
Fuma lowered the letter, noticing Minato's peculiar expression.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. This blond guy's face was both flushed and pale, as if he were thinking about something inappropriate.
Seeing Minato trying to maintain a straight face, Fuma rolled his eyes, too lazy to figure out his thoughts. Young men of this age—maybe he was just thinking about his girlfriend.
Handing the letter to Minato, Fuma signaled for him to read it himself. He was also intentionally helping to cultivate Minato's political insight and awareness.
In the original timeline, Minato's political acumen was not particularly impressive. As Fuma's top disciple, that wouldn't do.
After Minato finished reading, Fuma spoke slowly:
"Orochimaru has successfully established himself in Kirigakure. He's already taken in a group from the Yuki clan, who were persecuted by the Third Mizukage. They're ice users, which gives them significant strategic value."
"His next plan is to approach the Kaguya clan. They're a bunch of battle-hungry maniacs, much like the Uchiha used to be. Orochimaru wants my opinion on how to proceed."
Minato nodded in agreement. "If the Kaguya clan are all battle maniacs, then asking for your opinion is the right move. After all, you're the one who single-handedly subdued the Uchiha."
Then, after thinking for a moment, he asked with some confusion, "But won't the Third Mizukage stop persecuting these bloodline clans because of Orochimaru's presence?"
"These bloodline users are still important assets for Kirigakure. If they lose too many, it could draw attention."
Fuma waved dismissively. Minato, after all, was only sixteen years old. There were many things he hadn't fully grasped yet. But that was the whole point of having a teacher like Fuma.
"Those bloodline users fled to Orochimaru because they had no other options in Kirigakure. Even someone like Orochimaru, who's from Konoha, became a refuge for them."
"If you can't quite picture it, think of those bloodline users as Konoha's Uchiha."
Seeing the look of realization in Minato's eyes, Fuma nodded in satisfaction and continued his explanation:
"The Third Mizukage doesn't understand the thoughts of these clans, just like how the Third Hokage doesn't understand the Uchiha's intentions."
"It's the same in Kirigakure. A chain of suspicion has formed between the persecuted clans and the Mizukage, and any slight provocation will escalate the conflict."
"As these clans leave, the Mizukage won't investigate the underlying reasons. He'll simply attribute their behavior to preparations for rebellion, making him even more wary of them."
Minato pondered, a spark of understanding flickering in his eyes.
The situation in Kirigakure was indeed similar to Konoha's. The conflict between the village leader and the powerful clans was a common problem in all the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
If a Kage wasn't strong enough to overpower all the ninja in the village, and the clans under them were too powerful, it would lead to an imbalance of power.
In such cases, the Kage would either have to endure it, becoming a puppet of the clans, or they would use tactics to divide and suppress the clans, even if it weakened the village's overall strength, to secure their rule.
Unfortunately, in a world where five-year-olds could go to war and kill, people's tempers were still quite fiery.
In the original timeline, figures like Sasori in Sunagakure, the Gold and Silver Brothers in Kumogakure, Roshi in Iwagakure, the Uchiha and Orochimaru in Konoha, and the bloodline clans in Kirigakure were all products of this conflict.
Minato looked at Fuma, his heart filled with admiration. His older brother was truly a master of both strategy and strength.
Konoha's current state of internal tension—where the Uchiha and the Hokage's faction hadn't completely fallen out, and both sides were becoming more restrained under an unspoken rule—was all thanks to Fuma.
Fuma's immense strength and influence had unified the Uchiha, rendering the previous oppressive policies ineffective.
He had also been patient, slowly reclaiming the Uchiha's rights without rushing, which forced the Third Hokage to compromise gradually rather than provoke conflict.
Now, the Uchiha had offloaded much of the police force's duties onto the ANBU, and more of their clan members were resuming their roles as ninja, gaining valuable experience through missions.
But in Kirigakure, without someone like Fuma to unite the scattered clans, the Third Mizukage could easily defeat them one by one.
This was the logic of the shinobi world. Sometimes, the value of one Tailed Beast or Kage-level fighter outweighed that of a hundred Jonin.
Fuma picked up a pen and began drafting a reply to Orochimaru.
His message was simple: Orochimaru should bide his time. Once things in Konoha settled down, Fuma could send members of the Uchiha clan to support him.
With their newfound right to leave the village for missions, Uchiha warriors who craved battle could be sent to Kirigakure under the pretext of completing missions, doubling as a way to train them.
Fuma stroked the large black snake beside him, one of Orochimaru's summoned beasts used for delivering messages.
The snake opened its mouth wide, indicating for Fuma to place the letter inside.
Fuma frowned, his face darkening. Even though Orochimaru hadn't fully succumbed to darkness, his jutsu was still as disgusting as ever.
Looking at the contemplative Minato, Fuma comforted him with a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry too much about these village faction struggles. After all, you're one lucky guy with a chance to become both Mizukage and Hokage."
Minato grinned at that. If Fuma's plans succeeded, both Kirigakure and Konoha would fall under Uchiha control one day.
And as Fuma's top disciple, he would be the first in line for succession.
With a serious expression, Minato said, "Fuma, during my last battle with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, I realized that I'm still not strong enough."
"Even with my Flying Thunder God technique, which allows me to avoid most enemies, my offensive power is still lacking. I struggle to deal significant damage, especially to non-human enemies."
Minato spread his fingers, and a swirling mass of blue chakra formed in his hand. It spun chaotically before compressing into a dense ball—a pure chakra sphere.
"I've been working on this technique based on the Tailed Beast Bomb. It primarily utilizes shape transformation of chakra."
"I've named it the [Whirling Storm of Ultra-Destruction Eightfold Style]."
Fuma, with a blank expression, interrupted Minato coldly: "Rasengan."
"No, no, Fuma! It's called..."
"Rasengan!" Fuma repeated firmly.
Though Minato's name might have fit better for padding out a page, Fuma was a man of principle, and he would never allow such an affront!
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