Konoha, on the bustling commercial street.
After bidding farewell to Namikaze Minato's team, Uchiha Kai walked home with Itachi.
The night wind blew cool, and Kai frowned slightly, lost in thought.
Minato's squad… their character wasn't bad.
Not as saintly as in the original story, but overall, still decent.
Compared to the rotten-to-the-core Konoha elders, Minato's team seemed much simpler.
Especially Namikaze Minato.
Though a man couldn't rise from commoner to this point without a certain shrewdness, Minato truly was as bright and cheerful as a little sun.
No wonder in the original timeline the Uchiha had supported him unconditionally as Fourth Hokage.
Even Kai, meeting him for the first time, found it hard to dislike him.
"Should I support Minato?"
"If he takes the Hokage seat, then as long as I help him through the Nine-Tails incident, I could lie flat and be a salted fish afterward…"
"No… that won't work."
"Minato's fine in every other way, but his foundation is far too thin."
"Even if he survives the Nine-Tails attack, he'll never truly control Konoha."
"…."
Kai shook his head with a bitter smile.
As someone who only wanted to slack off, he really didn't want to make life harder for himself.
Nara Kazama's plan was far too much trouble!
If he could slack off, he would.
Wouldn't it be nicer just to bide his time, quietly grow strong, and eventually crush the entire shinobi world at his leisure?
But alas—
Minato was only a chess piece. Even if he became Hokage, he'd never escape Hiruzen Sarutobi's strings.
A puppet, nothing more.
As a commoner, he lacked the clan backing to resist.
No matter how gifted he was, or how loyal a handful of followers he had—
It wasn't enough.
Not even close.
Without a clan behind him, what could he do against Hiruzen?
It was laughable.
How had Hiruzen secured his position as Hokage?
First, he had the Sarutobi clan's unconditional support.
Then, the Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans all sided with him for their share of power.
Add to that Akimichi Torifu and Uchiha Kagami—
While not as influential as fellow disciples of Tobirama, their support still carried weight.
And Torifu even brought the Ino-Shika-Cho trio along with him.
Even with all that, Hiruzen still struggled to secure his seat.
Only after leading Konoha to victory in the Second Great War—and incidentally erasing the Senju clan—did he finally solidify his power.
And Minato?
A commoner, with no clan support.
His teacher Jiraiya was a wanderer. Respected, yes, but with no real subordinates in the village.
That was no help.
Sure, Minato was close with Nara Shikaku and the others, but those were personal ties.
On the surface, the Ino-Shika-Cho would honor the Hokage.
But if Minato ever clashed with Hiruzen, they would side with Hiruzen without hesitation.
Right or wrong didn't matter.
For the sake of their clans, they'd have no choice.
Minato's roots were too shallow.
Hiruzen's power was too entrenched.
So in the end, the only force Minato truly commanded—
Was his personal Hokage Guard.
A mere four men.
He couldn't even bring the Anbu, supposedly under the Hokage, under his real control.
"…Forget it. Why am I even thinking about this?"
"With Kazama and Shisui, the original plan is already solid."
"Better just go home and sleep."
Kai sighed, unwilling to dwell further.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a trace of regret.
Minato's squad were good people. But since Madara had set his sights on Obito—
Nohara Rin was as good as dead.
Obito would awaken his Mangekyo.
Kakashi would likely repeat the same old path.
And Minato himself… probably still doomed.
But oh well.
Not really his problem.
After all, Hiruzen had already confined him to the village. He couldn't even leave through the gates.
Thinking too much was pointless. Better to just lie down and rot.
"…Teacher, do you hate the Uchiha?" Itachi suddenly asked.
Kai blinked. "Why do you ask that?"
Itachi didn't hide it—he repeated Ayame's earlier words back to him.
Kai's lips twitched.
So that was it…
Ayame had sold him out.
Shaking his head helplessly, he replied casually:
"Without love, what hatred could there be?"
"To me, the Uchiha clan are just strangers."
"…Honestly, I don't even want to deal with them. But through all kinds of twists of fate, I still ended up entangled with them."
"Mainly because… your father gave me too much."
"You could say I was bought with money."
Yes—
Fugaku's endless throwing of cash was something even Kai couldn't resist.
Money really could make the ghost dance.
"…Eh? That's it?" Itachi's face turned awkward.
Clearly, he had never imagined that the truth would be so… vulgar.
Money? Really?
As the clan leader's son, he had never cared much for wealth.
Kai just waved his hand.
"Don't overthink it. I'll train you well. Just remember to come to my place tomorrow."
Since they had reached the Uchiha compound, there was no need to worry about the clan leader's son wandering home. Kai waved him off and turned to leave.
Escort him home? Not necessary.
This was the shinobi world. Kids here weren't like those in his past life.
Some were killed by age four.
"…Teacher, besides ninjutsu," Itachi asked hesitantly, "can I ask you about other things too?"
Kai's face stayed calm.
He could already guess what Itachi wanted to ask.
The boy's troubled heart had been plain even in the original story.
And since Kai's future comfort depended on keeping him from going astray, he didn't mind reshaping his thoughts a bit.
Otherwise, left unchecked, who knew what chaos Itachi might cause?
After a moment's thought, Kai nodded.
"Alright. Come to my place."
"Judging by how serious you look, it's not something solved in a few words."
"Of course, we could wait until tomorrow too."
But Itachi shook his head firmly.
"No—I'd rather go now."
He was restless.
Ever since returning from the Mist battlefield, countless questions had been gnawing at him.
Without answers, he couldn't sleep.
Soon, the two were seated in Kai's home, across a low tea table.
Kai poured them each a cup before speaking in a quiet voice.
"Alright, go on.
As your teacher, it's my duty to answer your doubts.
If I know the answer, I won't hold back."
To read 200+ Advance chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554