Minato frowned deeply.
The more he listened to Uchiha Kai, the less he wanted to believe him.
Only after Kai had finished did Minato finally push back:
"I don't agree with what you're saying!
Yes, there are some misunderstandings between the Uchiha and the villagers.
But it's undeniable that certain Uchiha have been too harsh when enforcing the law.
And this talk about extermination—that's too exaggerated!"
He shook his head repeatedly. Clearly, he didn't believe a word of Kai's claims. Deep down, he even suspected Kai was paranoid.
But Kai's expression remained calm.
How could someone like Minato be swayed with a few words?
So instead, Kai smiled and said lightly:
"If you're interested, Minato-nii, why don't we go through it one thing at a time?"
"…Alright, let's hear it." Minato straightened his posture.
He might not agree, but he wasn't the sort to shut others down without listening.
Justice could withstand scrutiny—wrong could never be made right, and what was truly right would never be proven wrong.
"Good. First matter." Kai began, voice steady. "You said the Uchiha are strict and inhuman when enforcing the law.
You grew up here as a civilian. Tell me then—give me a concrete example.
Did the Police Force extort bribes? Did they take payoffs? Did they slack off when solving crimes?"
Minato froze.
He thought carefully through his memories. Everyone always says bad things about the Police Force…
But when it came to specifics, he couldn't recall a single case.
The only thing he could think of was that Uchiha officers often had an unpleasant attitude.
But temperament? That wasn't corruption.
Pride was in their nature—but you couldn't police someone's personality.
As long as they did their jobs, didn't take bribes, didn't pervert justice—wasn't that enough?
After a long pause, Minato sighed.
"Fine… on that point, you're right. But then what?
To blow things up with the village leadership over something so small—that's unreasonable, isn't it?
You claim it's all for self-preservation, that the village wants to wipe out the Uchiha…
I don't see that."
Kai's face remained calm, his tone patient, almost like a teacher guiding his clan's youth.
"Oh? You don't? Then tell me—what about the Senju? What about the Uzumaki?
Don't feed me the nonsense that the Senju 'willingly merged into Konoha.' That kind of line only fools the common rabble.
Second Hokage Tobirama never said such a thing while alive.
Put yourself in their shoes.
Minato-nii, imagine one day you have children. Would you really be willing to let your child climb from nothing as a civilian?
Remember, the Academy only teaches chakra molding and the three basic techniques.
Could you truly restrain yourself from teaching your child anything else—and just send them off to a deadly battlefield armed with that alone?"
Minato froze again.
He didn't even need to think. He knew he couldn't.
Who would send their own child to war with only the Clone, Transformation, and Substitution Jutsu?
Impossible.
And if he couldn't do it, why should anyone believe the Senju did?
Could they really have been so magnanimous, to throw their clan to the slaughter?
Silence was his only answer.
But Kai didn't stop there.
"Fine, set the Senju aside. Let's talk about your wife's clan—the Uzumaki.
The Uzumaki homeland was right beside the Land of Fire. When the other great nations moved against them, did you mean to tell me Konoha's border forces were deaf and blind?
Not a single warning? Do you believe that?
Even if Konoha had other concerns, sending a few elite shinobi could have saved some lives.
But they didn't.
And even stranger—when the Uzumaki survivors fled, not one of them ran toward the Land of Fire. They all deliberately went around it.
Weren't Konoha and the Uzumaki supposed to be ironclad allies?
Then why did those refugees make that choice?
Minato-nii, go ahead—explain that."
Minato broke into a sweat, his mind racing.
He tried to find a rebuttal—but there was none.
Nothing he could say.
Silence was his only defense.
After a long pause, Kai's voice drifted in again, low and heavy:
"In the end, out of the entire Uzumaki, only Kushina survived.
And the reason Konoha saved her—you understand better than anyone, don't you?
Because she was useful.
Everyone in the shinobi world knows—only an Uzumaki's body can contain the most powerful of the tailed beasts: the Nine-Tails.
At that time, Mito-sama was still alive.
She was the wife of the First Hokage, the very first Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
And yet she couldn't protect her Senju husband's clan, nor her Uzumaki kin.
If the mighty Senju and Uzumaki weren't spared, why would the Uchiha—bereft of protectors—end any better?
Do you think I'm some fool like Sakumo Hatake?"
Minato pressed a hand to his temple.
He hated to admit it—but he couldn't refute Kai's logic.
And yet—his lifelong values screamed at him not to accept it either.
Frustrated, he snapped:
"What does this have to do with Sakumo-senpai?"
Kai's reply was sharp, his eyes glinting coldly.
"Think! Sakumo carried out an S-rank mission. So how was it that the whole village knew of it overnight?
What happened to operational secrecy? Was it eaten by dogs?"
Minato's breath caught.
Come to think of it… that was true.
He'd never questioned it before. But now that Kai mentioned it, Konoha had strict secrecy rules.
Even B-rank missions required confidentiality—so how did an S-rank failure become common gossip?
And why, after Sakumo's death, was no one ever held accountable for the leak?
His mind reeled. The village he thought he knew suddenly felt unfamiliar, filled with holes.
Kai saw he had made his point. His voice softened into a quiet murmur:
"Minato-nii, think it over carefully.
Why do you think your master Jiraiya, and Tsunade, and all the Third's students—why did they all leave the village?
Why did none of them want to stay?
Especially Jiraiya. Always going on about finding some 'child of prophecy.'
In truth, it's just an escape.
Because he can't fix Konoha's rot. To fix it, he'd have to break with Hiruzen.
And Jiraiya can't do that. He can't turn against his teacher.
So instead, he pins all his hopes for change on some so-called savior.
Minato-nii…
Talk to your master when you have the chance.
Then you'll know whether I'm just talking nonsense."
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