Just like when dealing with Shisui—same routine, same effectiveness.
Namikaze Minato fell silent, unable to respond.
His mind was a mess.
"This…"
"I can't refute you, but I still feel something's wrong."
"How could it be like that?"
He murmured, clearly shaken.
For someone who dreamed of becoming Hokage, Uchiha Kai's words struck a little too hard.
But Kai remained calm.
After a pause, he shrugged.
"Honestly, none of this really matters.
I just wanted you to know, Minato-brother—what I lead the Uchiha toward is only self-preservation.
I'm not interested in being some power-hungry schemer."
Minato nodded slightly.
Whether he fully believed it or not, at least Kai's reasoning made sense.
If it was about survival, then it was understandable.
Still, after thinking for a long while, Minato couldn't help but ask:
"Why tell me this?" he said with a wry smile, sipping his tea.
"I'm just a Jounin—I can't help the Uchiha.
You don't need to win me over."
He knew his own limits.
His relationship with Kai was nothing special.
He had sought Kai out only for one answer:
Were they to be enemies or not in the future?
But Kai had said far more than he'd expected, treating him almost like a confidant.
Minato didn't believe in unearned trust.
He was sure Kai had a reason.
And he wanted to know.
Kai stayed quiet for a long time before finally speaking.
"To be honest, it was a whim. I don't have any other agenda.
Against the Hokage faction, I'm confident enough on my own. I don't need anyone's help.
"But I also know, if I don't give some kind of explanation, you'd definitely think I had hidden motives.
So I thought about it, and here are a few reasons:
"First—your character.
It's worth my trust and respect.
To your enemies you may be the Yellow Flash, but to Konoha, you're more like a little sun.
"Second—absolute confidence.
Even if it comes to struggle, I'll walk the open path.
The strategies I use are all in broad daylight.
Schemes in the shadows? I can't be bothered.
"That's exactly why the Hokage has lost to me more than once.
Because I speak the truth, I use upright tactics—even if he knows ahead of time, he can't stop it.
"So what do I have to fear?
It's the Hokage who should be afraid.
"The Sarutobi clan has over four thousand ninjas—but how many of them have truly seen the battlefield?
'The gentleman walks in peace, while the petty man lives in fear.'
I'm walking the right path.
So why shouldn't I speak openly?"
Kai's face radiated calm conviction.
Yes—if he walked in daylight, there was nothing he couldn't say.
And Minato—suddenly realized something.
He had visited the Sarutobi compound many times.
Yes, their prosperity was impressive.
But when Kai mentioned it—he realized the truth.
Right.
If the Sarutobi had so many ninjas, why were they so rarely seen on the battlefield?
And when they did appear, it was almost always as supervisors or managers.
For the first time, Minato felt shaken.
Was what he had been clinging to… really right?
Doubt crept into his vision of the future.
Especially when it came to his teacher, Jiraiya.
Was Kai's claim true?
He knew all three of the Sannin well.
Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya—they rarely showed up when nothing urgent pressed.
Even now, in the Third War, none of them were fighting.
This…
Minato fell into thought.
He wasn't stupid—far from it.
Even with Kai's hints alone, his mind quickly leapt to names: Senju Nawaki, Dan Kato…
But—no.
He couldn't let himself think further.
With a helpless shake of his head, Minato sighed.
"Forget it.
The feud between the Uchiha and the leadership—I won't meddle.
I'll stay neutral. You play your game without me."
Yes.
He felt if he thought any further, his entire worldview would collapse.
Political plots and power struggles—he'd never had any interest in them.
So long as Kai wasn't plotting to overthrow Konoha, that was enough.
Unfortunately for him, Kai wasn't about to let go now.
Even if he couldn't recruit Minato, he had to at least secure his neutrality.
And ideally—drag Jiraiya into neutrality as well.
That alone would cripple Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After thinking for a while, Kai spoke again.
"There's one more thing.
The most important.
I'm convinced you'll be the future Fourth Hokage.
That's why I'm telling you this.
When you do rise, don't turn against the Uchiha."
That was the trump card.
Sliding in suspicion, planting seeds.
If anyone knew Sarutobi Hiruzen well, it was Kai.
And sure enough, Minato couldn't hold back.
"Kai, stop joking.
Yes, I want to be Hokage—but I don't believe I'm qualified.
The most likely candidate is still Lord Orochimaru."
He sighed.
At this stage, rumors of choosing the Fourth were already circling.
The mishandling of the Third War had weakened Hiruzen's standing.
Sannin's absence, too, seemed like a subtle push for him to step down.
But Minato never imagined he'd actually be chosen.
Kai, however, just shook his head.
"No, Minato-brother. You're wrong.
Orochimaru has no chance. He'll never be Hokage.
If you don't believe me, let's bet on it.
If I win, then in the conflict between Uchiha and Sarutobi, all you have to do… is stay neutral."
His tone was utterly confident.
Holding the script of destiny, how could he possibly lose?
And Minato—was intrigued.
He nodded without hesitation.
"Of course.
I get along well with your clan head.
As long as the Uchiha don't betray Konoha, why would I ever raise my hand against you?
But… Why are you so certain?
You seem awfully sure.
And more than that—your wager is strange.
A chance this good, and all you want from me is neutrality?"
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