"Sir, why did Obito attack Konoha?"
"The reason is simple. Obito wanted to weaken Konoha and maintain the balance of the entire ninja world."
"Weaken Konoha?"
Minato was puzzled. After the Third Ninja War ended, there was no clear victor.
All the ninja villages had suffered devastating losses, including Konoha. So why would it need to be further weakened?
Wakato briefly explained to Minato and Kushina:
After the three wars:
Sunagakure Village: The Third Kazekage disappeared, leading to civil war and catastrophic damage to the village. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, struggled to rebuild, leaving Sunagakure unable to invade anyone.
Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village): The Third Mizukage died, the Tailed Beast went berserk, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen collapsed, and the Blood Mist policy killed countless ninjas. Even the remaining Anbu elites were eliminated by Obito. They were in no state to launch an invasion.
Iwagakure Village: During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Minato obliterated fifty of Iwagakure's elite forces. Their army of 10,000 also suffered severe losses in the battle with the Third Raikage.
Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village): The strongest Third Raikage fell in battle, leaving many casualties behind.
And then there was Konoha Village...
During the Third War, children like Akai graduated at the tender age of 7, while later on, even 12-year-olds like Nazuo had to graduate quickly due to the dire shortage of combat power. Konoha had no choice but to shorten the training period for young shinobi.
In the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, the Thousand Rock Ninja invaded, and Konoha lacked the forces to properly defend. This led to the desperate scenario where Kakashi was rapidly promoted to Jōnin, and the Minato team was split into two—three members to destroy the bridge and one to provide support.
In the Battle of Platycodon Mountain, Konoha was nearly overrun.
The dire state of Konoha after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge and Battle of Platycodon Mountain revealed its vulnerabilities, encouraging Onoki to scrape together a force of 1,000 shinobi to invade the Land of Fire, despite Iwagakure's own severe losses.
Compared to the carnage of the Third War, the Fourth War almost seemed like a farce.
By the end of the Third War, all five hidden villages had suffered heavy losses.
However...
Because of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, even though Konoha had endured significant damage, it still held a major advantage over the other four villages.
The Yellow Flash was a one-man army capable of holding off an entire village.
Meanwhile, Kushina wasn't just a housewife—she was a living "nuclear deterrent" as the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails. While not a perfect Jinchūriki, her clan's secret techniques allowed her to control the Nine Tails and unleash devastating power.
With both of them, Konoha possessed the terrifying potential to overpower the other villages after the Third War.
Thus, the Nine Tails Rebellion was Obito's way of "adjusting the scales."
If Obito's sole goal had been capturing the Nine Tails, he could have taken it right away. Instead, he unleashed it on Konoha to destroy the Uzumaki clan and strip Konoha of its "nuclear strike capability."
Without this power, Konoha wouldn't dominate the post-war world, allowing Obito's Akatsuki and the Eye of the Moon Plan to proceed without interference.
By ensuring the deaths of Minato and Kushina, the strength of all five villages would be relatively balanced again.
Of course, this left Kumogakure with the relatively strongest position.
That's why, after the Nine Tails Rebellion, Kumogakure immediately waged war against Konoha—a conflict that dragged on for three years. When this failed to achieve a decisive outcome, they attempted to kidnap Hinata, testing Konoha's defenses further.
If Konoha still retained its "nuclear strike capability," it wouldn't have been this diplomatically weak.
Eventually, after gauging Konoha's true condition, Kumogakure grew bold enough to demand the Byakugan.
Even seven years later, during the Night of the Uchiha Clan's Extermination, Obito helped Itachi annihilate the clan. This wasn't just to serve Itachi's goals but also to prevent Danzo from using the Sharingan to restore Konoha's lost "nuclear strike capability."
By doing so, Obito severed any chance of Konoha controlling tailed beasts while gaining a stockpile of Sharingan for his own plans.
...
Minato, after hearing Wakato's explanation, began to connect the dots.
Some lingering doubts finally made sense.
No wonder Obito insisted on unleashing the Nine Tails on Konoha. It wasn't just to capture it—it was to force Minato to fight and weaken Konoha's strength.
It was all to maintain the balance of the ninja world.
If the Nine Tails had been sealed into baby Naruto without incident, Obito would have had no reason to attack. No wonder Naruto was able to grow up safely afterward.
"So cruel!"
"Obito... Obito... Why did he become like this?"
"It's simple. After Rin's death, he grew to hate the world and the entire ninja system. Coupled with Madara's manipulations, it's no surprise that he embraced the idea of destroying the world to reshape it."
Minato fell silent, pained by the events of the past.
As his teacher, he deeply regretted not being able to save Rin. Rin was his student too...
But learning of Madara's involvement, Minato could only sigh in helpless frustration.
Madara's schemes, executed through Obito, left him powerless to prevent Rin's death. No matter how fast the Flying Thunder God was, Minato couldn't be everywhere at once.
Regret wouldn't change the past.
What mattered now was finding a way to prevent future disasters.
"So, as long as Kushina and I are alive, Akatsuki and Obito will continue to target us? Perhaps even ally with Kumogakure?"
"Exactly."
"One Kumogakure is enough to make Konoha miserable. If you add Obito and the Akatsuki organization with their Rinnegan, do you think Konoha has any hope of surviving?"
Minato nodded, understanding the stakes.
If neither he nor Kushina intervened, Konoha's defeat would be inevitable.
Wakato's plan was clear—Minato needed to rise again to save Konoha and unify it.
If carefully executed, this could even eliminate Obito and Nagato, drastically accelerating the unification of the ninja world.
...
"Wakato, if you face Obito again, will you kill him?"
Minato thought for a moment before replying:
"I'll fight him and give him another chance. I'll try to convince him to return. But if he's truly beyond redemption, I'll end it myself."
Minato's compassion and resolve were evident.
He wanted to save Obito, but if Obito continued to threaten his village and loved ones, Minato wouldn't hesitate to act.
"Then why not teleport to him now, strike him down, and capture him?"
"Unfortunately, the Flying Thunder God mark I left on him is beyond my chakra perception range... He might have erased it."
"Can your Flying Thunder God mark be removed?"
"Normally, it's permanent. But if the marked flesh is severed or the kunai destroyed, the mark disappears..."
Wakato nodded, dropping the subject.
Eventually, Obito would have to face Minato again. There was no need to rush.
"Minato, what about Kakashi?"
Kushina asked worriedly. During her pregnancy, Kakashi had often been her secret protector.
She feared that news of Obito's actions might upset Kakashi deeply.
"I'll tell him at the right time," Minato said cautiously. "If I tell him now, he might leave the village to chase after Obito..."
Kushina agreed, though reluctantly.
"Alright."
Just then...
"Waah! Waah! Waah~~~"
Naruto's cries echoed through the house, signaling he was hungry.
Kushina quickly went to comfort him, cradling the baby in her arms.
Minato, standing to the side, could only smile awkwardly, revealing the inexperience of a new father.
...