Chapter 118: Do You Want to Be Hokage? (Part 3)
The fish had not only bitten the hook—it was now firmly caught, unable to break free.
Uchiha Kei was like a devil gently luring someone into temptation, step by calculated step, until Minato Namikaze was walking to his rhythm.
The most crucial part?
Minato understood Kei's intentions. He could see the trap.
But he couldn't reject it—not completely.
Minato loved this village. He couldn't bear to see it descend into chaos.
Besides, he'd been raised under Jiraiya's ideals of mutual understanding. He truly held no prejudice against the Uchiha clan.
And then, of course, there was his dream—his deepest, long-cherished hope: to become Hokage.
It was something he had shared with his wife. It was the vision he held dearest.
So now, when that dream aligned with his principles—when it could lead to the village's better future—how could he resist?
Then there were the two names Kei had revealed: Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Kei.
Minato was familiar with Fugaku. The man had been his senior back in the Academy.
And Fugaku's wife, Mikoto, had been his classmate—who also happened to be best friends with Minato's own wife, Kushina.
Their families had been in contact often. So Minato had a good sense of Fugaku's values.
Even though they hadn't met in a while, Minato trusted that certain things about people didn't change so easily.
As for Kei...
Minato found him harder to read.
But one thing was certain—this boy was sharp. A genius. And someone deeply integrated with the village.
From what he'd heard through Kakashi, the two shared a close bond.
And the progress Kakashi had made lately hadn't gone unnoticed—it was outstanding.
That transformation had a lot to do with Kei's influence.
Kakashi was even beginning to forge his own path, independent of anyone else's legacy.
To help a fellow ninja discover a path perfectly suited to them—that was no small feat. That was something a teacher would do.
And Kei had good relationships with other young ninjas too.
Not to mention during that last mission, Kei had rescued many prisoners of war.
Though in the end, only Yamanaka Masato survived, the man had nothing but glowing praise for Kei.
And it wasn't just Masato—any ninja on the frontlines who had benefited from Kei's actions looked at him with newfound respect.
"To be honest," Kei said calmly after a long breath, "the clan head and I both believe—
we cannot accept another Hokage molded by the Second Hokage's ideology."
"You are the best choice. And to make sure you have a real shot… we've taken steps. Especially now that Orochimaru has… encountered some issues."
"You should speak more respectfully, Kei-kun." Minato sighed, before asking,
"What exactly have you done? And… did Lord Orochimaru truly do something so unforgivable?"
"Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. It doesn't really matter," Kei replied coolly.
"But if you insist on an answer… I'll say this: he probably did."
"Probably?" Minato narrowed his eyes. But he was smart—and he picked up on the implication quickly.
It wasn't that he couldn't have figured this out himself.
Like Fugaku, Minato had simply assumed he stood no real chance at becoming Hokage, so he hadn't paid close attention.
But now, with Kei's framing, the inconsistencies in the situation were glaring.
Could the leading Hokage candidate really be embroiled in a scandal without the Third Hokage intervening?
Unlikely.
More likely was that Hiruzen had tried something—but it didn't work.
That meant two possibilities:
1. Orochimaru really was guilty.
2. Someone powerful had helped fan the flames behind the scenes.
And just like that, Minato saw the truth—just as Kei had intended.
In the end, it didn't matter whether Orochimaru was truly guilty.
No one would let a Hokage candidate carry such a taint. Not in a time of crisis.
What did matter was this:
It was an opportunity.
A rare, golden opportunity.
One that could put Minato on the very throne he dreamed of.
"Kei-kun…" Minato swallowed his rising excitement.
"What exactly are your plans—or rather, what have you already done?"
"It's simple," Kei said with a small smile.
"The rift between our clan and the village isn't just about the Third Hokage or those still clinging to the Second's ideology.
The Uchiha themselves are part of the problem."
"So I spoke with the clan head. We agreed—it's time to clean house.
To change how the village sees the Uchiha."
"Clean house…?" Minato's eyes widened, a flicker of tension running through him.
"You mean… Uchiha Yuu. That was your doing?"
"It was," Kei replied flatly, nodding.
"He was one of the hardliners. On the surface, he claimed to be fighting for the clan.
But in reality, he was sabotaging any hope of integration—ruining our image.
So I removed him.
At the right place, at the right time."
Upon hearing Uchiha Kei's calm voice, Minato Namikaze suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.
That so-called "right place at the right time"—
Did it mean Kei had framed Orochimaru?
The incident with Uchiha Yuu had erupted right after Orochimaru's scandal broke out, and it had taken place not far from the Police Department.
Everything about the scene had been designed to paint a specific picture—
That the attacker was someone incredibly powerful, someone who could operate right under the Uchiha's nose with impunity.
And who, recently, fit that image better than Orochimaru—whose reputation had already taken a nosedive?
Even if no one dared say it aloud, the seeds of suspicion would have already been planted in their hearts.
But more than that, Minato suddenly realized—
This incident may have just backfired on the very person Kei had hinted at earlier…
The one pulling strings from the shadows.
If the Third Hokage had started putting pieces together, he might now suspect that his hidden ally was the one playing dirty behind the scenes.
Minato looked at Kei, stunned.
This boy... he wasn't just dangerous.
He wasn't a viper lurking in the dark, waiting to strike—
He was a hunter. A master strategist.
"There's really no need to look at me like that, Captain Minato," Kei suddenly sighed, his voice tinged with something almost like regret.
"If not for survival… who would ever choose to walk this kind of path?"
Minato stood there, silent for a long time.
In the end, he could only sigh in resignation.
Everything Kei had said made sense.
Under the pressure from the village and internal strife within the Uchiha clan, something terrible had indeed seemed inevitable.
If they resisted, the village could plunge into civil unrest.
If they gave in, the Uchiha could vanish from history.
What Kei and Fugaku had orchestrated...
In the end, it was all about survival.
And as for the person they'd chosen to support—
it really could only be him.
PS: Yes, the protagonist does sometimes play tricks or resort to scheming.
But aside from the time Minato caught him off-guard, every other move he's made has been well-planned, with substantial benefits in mind.
Even that ambush by Minato? It ultimately awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Minato isn't as naïve as Naruto—but he's carried the dream of becoming Hokage since childhood.
And in a way, that dream is his one small 'weakness.'
The protagonist simply identified that weakness, amplified it, and reshaped what seemed impossible into something inevitable, all for the sake of greater gains.