Chapter 31 — A Classic Move: "You Regret, I'm the Hokage," But Minato...
"Phew. That's settled, more or less… though that brat Minato left a Flying Thunder God mark here, didn't he? Guess this house is no longer safe to live in."
After confirming the Hokage couple had departed, Uchiha Yujiro stretched lazily and grumbled.
He wasn't about to bring a girl home for some 'poker' only to turn his head mid-game and see a certain blond idiot sitting in the corner.
He snorted — then broke into a grin.
Now that they were business partners, ties between the Uchiha clan and the village would only tighten. And the tighter those ties, the more the old guard — Hiruzen and the other fossils — would start to resent Minato for being "too close" to the Uchiha.
Those old men were arrogant to the bone. The moment resentment took root, asking them to adjust policy or swallow their pride was harder than asking them to die. They'd fall back on the same tired playbook as always:
Sarutobi pulls Danzō's strings, the two advisors chirp from the sidelines.
Yujiro knew it, Minato knew it — they were all in the same rotten clique.
But the more the elders turned on Minato, the more Minato would lean on the Uchiha.
Who said the Uchiha had to be Hokage to wield Hokage power?
The thought of Minato eventually breaking with Hiruzen and drawing the Uchiha closer as his inner circle made Yujiro want to laugh aloud — an Uchiha-style, unrestrained cackle.
"Hahahahaha!"
---
The very next day, the Fourth Hokage convened Konoha's leadership and repeated everything Yujiro had told him the night before.
Though cautious by nature, the elders weren't fools. The moment they heard Minato's plan, their minds spun through countless implications.
New trade routes? Perfect for merchants — and for troop movements.
New warehouses? Great for civilian goods — and stockpiling military supplies.
Convoys? They could haul cargo — and double as spies and agents.
From both economic and military angles, the plan was solid. Hiruzen even felt a flicker of pride, believing he had chosen an excellent successor.
"I'll handle coordination with the Fire Daimyō's court."
"I'll take charge of forming the convoy units."
"Root will contribute personnel as well."
Just like that, the elders carved up the project among themselves, already calculating how many of their own men to slip into Konoha's transport corps.
It was how they always operated. But this time, their overreach sharpened Minato's dissatisfaction to the breaking point.
"Gentlemen."
His calm voice cut through their chatter, drawing all eyes back to him.
"I have one more proposal. This new transport corps must also account for the interests of the Uchiha clan."
"...?"
"Why?"
"That's against protocol."
"The Uchiha have never been permitted to meddle in administration."
The elders rejected Minato's proposal almost immediately. Danzō, in particular, glared at him with mounting hostility, which only deepened Minato's own dissatisfaction.
At last, Hiruzen spoke up, his tone cautious:
"I understand, Minato. You want to draw the Uchiha closer. But involving them directly in this transport corps… isn't that going a bit too far?"
"No," Minato replied firmly. "What would truly be a problem is excluding them. Because this entire plan came from Uchiha Yujiro."
"I see…" Hiruzen frowned. He had always held a certain fondness for Yujiro. The boy had a habit of pulling stunts like, 'Third Grandpa kissed my grandpa,' ridiculous antics that nonetheless flattered the old man.
But personal goodwill toward Yujiro was one thing. Granting the Uchiha clan an official stake in village administration was quite another. Still, Minato had a point. If the Hokage accepted Yujiro's proposal only to shut the clan out and run it alone, it would reek of bad faith.
Such a move would shatter the fragile détente between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction. Yujiro himself would grow disillusioned with the village. And not just him—others who hoped for reconciliation, like Shisui, would sour as well.
Hiruzen could see the consequences clearly.
That was when Danzō stepped in as the blunt voice of opposition.
"The Uchiha are born traitors. What harm is there in cutting them out and running this ourselves?"
Minato's expression hardened. "Advisor Danzō, whatever the Uchiha have done in the past, if we betray them now, the fault lies with us. I will never allow myself to abandon comrades in that way."
"They will betray you, Minato! Every advantage you hand them will only become fuel for their eventual rebellion!"
"No. If we treat them fairly, consider their interests, and embrace them as partners, they will become a pillar of the village. They are, after all, the clan of love!"
"I will not allow it!" Danzō thundered. "Let them rot in the Police Force, where they belong. That is Konoha's established policy—Tobirama-sama's design!"
"Advisor Danzō," Minato snapped, his voice ringing like steel, "the era of the Second Hokage has passed. I am Hokage now."
"You'll regret this, Minato!" Danzō spat, slamming the door so hard the echo rattled down the corridor.
The other three elders exchanged uneasy glances. Homura and Koharu both looked to Hiruzen. The Third pinched the bridge of his nose, his heart twisting. It felt as if something precious had been torn from his hands.
Meanwhile, Minato sat calm and radiant. Having bested Danzō in open debate, he looked around the room with a clear smile.
"Then it's settled. I'll invite Clan Head Fugaku to negotiate the details. Any objections?"
Silence.
"Good. That concludes this meeting. Dismissed."
"..."
Hiruzen studied the young Hokage as the others rose. Minato still smiled like the sun—but to Hiruzen's eyes, it no longer resembled the warmth of spring. It was the fierce, scorching blaze of midsummer: dazzling, relentless, even a little dangerous.
"This is what a Hokage should look like," Hiruzen thought. "And yet… isn't it too soon, Minato? What changed you so quickly? Or rather—who changed you?"
---
Meanwhile, outside the Hokage's office, Danzō's resolve had already hardened into steel.
"Uchiha Yujiro," he muttered, clenching his fist as he repeated the name like a curse.
"That accursed Uchiha brat… I cannot allow you to keep poisoning the Fourth Hokage. You must be eliminated."