Half an hour later, Minato left Fugaku's room, visibly satisfied.
He instantly teleported back to his living room.
"How's it going? Is it going well?"
Kushina immediately rushed over, panic evident in her voice.
Although she supported Minato in resisting those old men, after the plan was set in motion, she couldn't help but worry.
"It should be going well. I'm not entirely sure, but Danzo-sama and the others didn't seem suspicious. On the contrary, they looked very excited."
"Hmph! That old man would naturally be happy. He's probably dreamed of seizing the Hokage's power his entire life," Kushina muttered, clearly understanding the nature of those elders.
"Did they argue?"
"It got pretty noisy."
"Minato, who do you think will take over your duties in the end?"
"There's a high chance it'll be the Third Hokage... or maybe Lord Danzo. The two advisors don't seem very likely, though..."
"What's your opinion, Wakato?" Minato turned to him, uncertain about the answer.
"It doesn't matter who acts as Hokage temporarily. What's crucial is that you step back under the pretext of taking care of Kushina. That way, whatever happens in the village next, you won't have to shoulder the blame."
"If you wish to wear the crown, you must bear its weight! The position of Hokage is no easy seat. When Yunyin Village provokes another war, whoever holds the mantle of Hokage must bear that responsibility."
This was Wakato's suggestion: let Minato step back in Kushina's name, temporarily relinquishing Hokage's power. Let the Konoha elders—"Konoha F4"—vie for power and deal with Cloud Hidden Village themselves.
Be it civilians or shinobi, only after something is lost will they truly appreciate its value.
Once they realize that without the Yellow Flash, Konoha cannot stand tall, and that those old men are incapable of leading them to victory, they will naturally come to miss Minato.
When the time comes, Minato can step back in, turn the tide, and regain control of Konoha, sweeping away the remnants of the old era—the Konoha F4.
This was a strategy of killing with a borrowed knife, using Yunyin Village to rid Konoha of the old guard.
"Sir, do you really think Yunyin Village will launch an attack?"
"Yes, it's inevitable."
Even though the timeline had shifted, and Minato had survived the Nine Tails incident, as long as he remained absent for an extended period and rumors spread, the other great ninja villages would believe the Fourth Hokage was gravely injured and unable to perform his duties.
This would undoubtedly tempt them to act.
While the other villages might hesitate, Cloud Hidden Village, with its disdain for Konoha, would likely strike first.
That's how events unfolded in the original timeline.
As soon as Cloud Hidden Village heard that the "Yellow Flash" was dead, they immediately launched an offensive against Konoha.
This led to a local war between Konoha and Cloud Hidden Village that dragged on for three years before a truce and alliance agreement were reached.
In truth, Konoha initiated the ceasefire.
Not long after this so-called alliance was formed, Cloud Hidden Village betrayed it, sending a leader to infiltrate Konoha in an attempt to abduct Hyuga Hinata, who was just three years old at the time. They blatantly disregarded the agreement, seemingly hoping to provoke Konoha into breaking it and reigniting the conflict.
This showed that in those three years of war, Konoha had been at a disadvantage.
"I see!"
"Hahaha! When those old men can't handle Yunyin Village, the villagers will finally realize how incredible you are, Minato!"
Kushina's excitement bubbled over as she eagerly anticipated that moment.
"War always claims lives... unless it is absolutely unavoidable."
"Why..." Minato sighed, shaking his head. If there were a choice, he would never wish for war to return.
"Then why not work toward unifying the entire ninja world? That way, there will be no more wars."
Minato was startled by the suggestion, then chuckled.
"Wakato, you must be joking. How could I possibly achieve such a feat? Simply protecting Konoha is already my greatest wish."
Wakato didn't press the matter.
He understood Minato's nature—like Hashirama, he couldn't be forced.
It would take time and guidance. When the moment came, Minato would know how to make the right decision.
"By the way, how do you know for sure that Konoha won't be able to defeat Cloud Hidden Village?" Kushina suddenly asked, curiosity piqued.
"Have you forgotten who killed the Second Hokage?"
"Do you really think those old men have the courage to face Cloud Hidden Village head-on?"
Against other villages, Konoha's elders might summon the will to fight.
But against Cloud Hidden Village, their resolve would falter.
The death of Senju Tobirama at the hands of Cloud Hidden Village had crushed their morale long ago.
How could they muster the courage to challenge them now?
This was precisely why, after Konoha begged for a truce, Sarutobi had gone so far as to force the Hyuga clan to sacrifice Hyuga Hizashi to appease Cloud Hidden Village, rather than continuing the war.
Would the Hyuga clan still support the Konoha F4 after that?
Absolutely not.
"But what if, just in case..." Kushina couldn't shake her worries. "What if Konoha actually manages to defeat Cloud Hidden Village under their leadership?"
Wouldn't that make Minato look like a fool? How would he reclaim his position as Hokage then?
"That won't happen. Besides Cloud Hidden Village, others like Madara and Obito will also move against Konoha."
"Ah?"
"Obito...?"
Minato grew anxious. The mention of Obito reopened a wound he wished to avoid.
"Minato, Kushina, have you ever wondered why Obito attacked the two of you?" Wakato asked calmly.
"In other words, why did he attempt to capture the Nine Tails at that time?"
The question left Minato and Kushina stunned.
Minato hesitated, then ventured a guess:
"Was he forced by Uchiha Madara?"
"The incident with Rin and Kakashi must have deeply affected him. Did Madara seize the opportunity to manipulate him into this?"
It was clear that Minato struggled to accept that his once kind and shy apprentice had become a villain, capable of attacking his master and Kushina.
He wanted to believe the root of Obito's change lay entirely with Uchiha Madara.
"Obito's transformation was indeed orchestrated by Madara," Wakato said.
"But his decision to control the Nine Tails and attack Konoha wasn't under Madara's orders."
Wakato knew the truth.
By now, Madara had already died, years before Sasuke was born.
There was no one left to command Obito. So why would he launch an attack on Konoha?
For revenge?
Then why not slaughter the Mist shinobi who had killed Rin instead of targeting Konoha?
To capture the Nine Tails?
The Gedo Statue wasn't ready, nor had the other tailed beasts been secured. Capturing the Nine Tails so prematurely would only alert the other villages to their plans.
A tailed beast was like a strategic nuclear weapon—if an extremist group gained control of one, the entire ninja world would spiral into panic.
It would be like a terrorist organization suddenly acquiring nuclear warheads in the real world, leaving the five great powers in sleepless anxiety.
Therefore, Obito's attack on Konoha wasn't as simple as revenge or venting his anger...