Minato stepped into his own mental world and slowly walked toward the massive iron gate that sealed the Nine-Tails.
The beast's gigantic body was hidden in the shadows, with only its enormous head emerging into view.
"Nine-Tails."
Hearing movement, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes for a glance before closing them again as if pretending to sleep.
Minato was already used to its attitude. He asked calmly, "Nine-Tails, why did you save me back then?"
At that, the Nine-Tails replied lightly, "Because compared to you, this old beast hates those eyes even more."
Minato gave a small nod, then asked, "Then can you lend me your power?"
The Nine-Tails opened its eyes again, gave Minato a look, and snorted. "Why should I?"
Minato answered seriously, "Because with my own strength alone, I'm not a match for Yuzuru Uchiha."
"If we fight again, I might die to him."
"Even though you tailed beasts can revive, you don't want to be controlled by those Mangekyō Sharingan eyes, right?"
As the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki for years, he had learned a lot about the beast's history.
He also knew how terrifyingly well the Mangekyō Sharingan restrained tailed beasts.
Before those eyes, even the Nine-Tails was nothing more than a larger toy.
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tails snorted coldly and ignored Minato.
Seeing this, Minato quietly let out a sigh of relief.
As long as it wasn't a direct refusal, that meant his idea wasn't impossible.
If he obtained the Nine-Tails' power, he truly had confidence to fight Yuzuru again.
Sensing movement outside, Minato exited his mental world.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi walking in.
"Minato, have you been feeling better lately?"
Meeting Hiruzen's concerned gaze, Minato smiled and nodded. "Lord Hokage, I'm almost fully recovered. The doctors say I can be discharged tomorrow."
Hiruzen took a drag of his pipe. "Don't head to the battlefield for now. The village can't afford to lose its Nine-Tails jinchuriki."
This incident had frightened him badly.
If Yuzuru had killed Minato, Konoha would have been finished.
With Minato—who wielded the Flying Thunder God Technique—as their secret trump card, hostile villages wouldn't dare push Konoha into a corner easily.
Otherwise, a living Minato would become their worst nightmare.
Hearing this decision, Minato frowned. "But what about the front lines?"
Hiruzen replied gravely, "I'll have Jiraiya and the clans of Konoha hold back the enemy as much as possible. If it comes to it, we'll abandon some land to stall for time."
"I've already instructed Orochimaru to improve the Impure World Reincarnation. When the time comes, you and I will be the final trump cards protecting Konoha."
Listening to Hiruzen's plan, Minato still felt uneasy.
Staying in the village while his comrades fought and bled… it didn't sit well with him.
"Enough." Hiruzen's expression hardened. "Minato, I'm getting old. You must prepare to take over my duties."
"Huh?!"
The sudden revelation stunned Minato, and his body trembled with excitement a moment later.
"Lord Hokage, are you choosing me as your successor?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "Yes. Your prestige is already high among the people. As the village's successor, spend this time learning how to manage Konoha alongside me."
Minato immediately straightened his posture. "I'll do my best!"
Becoming Hokage had been his dream since childhood.
And now… it was finally about to come true.
Watching the young Minato, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
Ever since the Third Great Ninja War began, Orochimaru had repeatedly disobeyed his orders.
This made him realize that his student's wings had grown far too strong.
If Orochimaru became Hokage, Hiruzen might truly be forced into retirement with no influence left.
But compared to Orochimaru, Minato—young and without deep roots—was far easier to control.
This way, even if he stepped back because of the war's losses, he could still maintain his hold on the village's power.
————
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Kumogakure.
Yuzuru brought Michio and Kyoko to the Raikage Building first.
When the Third Raikage heard that the two were Uzumaki survivors, he immediately had Tōdai register them.
From today onward, Michio and Kyoko were officially shinobi of Kumogakure.
And when he heard that Yuzuru had forced the Land of Grass into submission, he burst into hearty laughter—loud enough to shake the building.
"Yuzuru, before you returned, I had a feeling you'd bring good news again. And I was right."
"Making a whole country submit in such a short time… only you could do that."
The Third Raikage looked at Yuzuru with genuine admiration.
He himself hadn't made any progress in that matter at all.
Yuzuru said calmly, "One of the reasons I overthrew the daimyō system and made shinobi the rulers was precisely for this."
"Under shinobi rule, people's mindsets are slowly changing."
"In the past, people valued noble titles and bloodlines. Now, they value strength."
"Strength has become the prime qualification for inheriting authority. In such circumstances, conquering a hidden village essentially means conquering the entire country."
Hearing this, approval lit up in the Third Raikage's eyes.
This was Yuzuru.
The only man in the ninja world who could earn his full respect.
He couldn't help thinking back to the night they first met.
In life, sometimes one moment of brilliance was enough.
"Well, it's getting late. I'll take Michio and Kyoko back for now."
"Mm."
Leaving the Raikage Building, Yuzuru led Michio and Kyoko to a residence beside the Uchiha district.
Shinobi who had come to Kumogakure because of him were all settled nearby.
The estates of the Chinoike clan, Hatake Sakumo, Might Duy, and others were in this area as well.
Seeing the pristine new home, Michio and Kyoko immediately knelt before Yuzuru.
Along the journey, they had witnessed the prosperity of the Land of Lightning.
To live in Kumogakure as cloud shinobi… and to have their own standalone home in the village center…
In the past, this was something they wouldn't even dare to dream of.
"Go inside and settle in. Tomorrow I'll bring Kushina to see you."
"Oh, and you don't need to hide your surname anymore—Uzumaki Michio, Uzumaki Kyoko."
Hearing this, the two's eyes reddened as they bowed deeply.
"Lord Yuzuru, we will never forget your kindness."