Uchiha Kai narrowed his eyes.
He was, indeed, shaken.
Yes.
He knew in his heart that Sarutobi Hiruzen would never let Nohara Rin go!
After all, the matter with Hidden Mist Village couldn't be avoided.
If Minato could be elevated to Hokage in advance, then Hiruzen could simply wash his hands of it.
Because at that point, even if the village went to war again, it wouldn't be tied to him, the Third Hokage.
But the problem was—
Impossible!
For Minato to take office, the war would at least need to end.
And before it ended, Konoha would inevitably have to meet with Hidden Mist Village .
This matter couldn't be delayed!
So before the Five Kage Summit, Rin had to be dealt with.
Only—
Kai had considered countless possibilities, but never imagined Hiruzen would change the track entirely.
If grooming Minato was troublesome, then fine—skip that altogether and go straight for Rin!
To force her into suicide?
Damn it all!
Uchiha Kai had to admit—Nara Shikaku was frighteningly perceptive.
With Rin's personality, she truly would choose death.
In the original timeline, wasn't that exactly what happened?
But how could this be solved?
There was no solution.
None at all!
If someone wanted to kill Rin, then at least there were ways to intervene beforehand.
But if she herself chose suicide—how could anyone stop that?
The thought made his head throb.
Although, yes, his interest in Rin was largely based on usefulness…
At the same time, she was a gentle girl he'd personally met.
To let her walk knowingly into death? Kai wasn't that cold-blooded.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"Hiroshi. Do you have any way to resolve this?"
But Hiroshi only shrugged.
"Either stop Shikaku from contacting Rin, or give Rin a reason to live—an unshakable conviction to survive, no matter the cost."
"Otherwise, there's nothing you can do."
Kai nodded.
Yes.
Just as he often employed open tactics himself, this time Shikaku and Hiruzen had done the same.
Even knowing there was a pit ahead, you had no choice but to step into it.
It was truly unsolvable.
His mind churned, scrambling for possibilities.
But his head just hurt more.
When someone used an open scheme—a plan so straightforward it left no shadow—what counter could there be?
As he wrestled with it, Hiroshi spoke again.
"Kai."
"I really can't think of a method. But you need to remember—if there is any solution, you must act fast."
"From what I know of Shikaku, he'll probably make his move today."
"The reason is simple."
"A few days ago, he was too busy with the Ino–Shika–Cho split to handle this."
"But now—"
"After that split, he's even more desperate to gain Sarutobi Hiruzen's approval."
"For Shikaku, Rin is the perfect offering!"
Hiroshi's face was grave.
If he was going to stand up for his nephew, then he needed to go all the way and show sincerity in return.
"..."
Kai's mouth twitched.
This matter was already difficult enough—and now it was urgent as well?
Damn it.
He had a thousand curses burning in his chest but didn't know if he should say them out loud.
With a helpless sigh, he finally spoke.
"Alright, I understand."
"Thank you, Hiroshi. Since time is short, I can't waste any more."
"I have to go."
He couldn't sit still anymore and rose immediately.
There was no choice.
If he didn't know about it, he could have ignored it.
But now that he did, he had to intervene.
Yes, he used people.
But he wasn't heartless.
To watch a kind and innocent girl die in such a vile scheme?
His conscience wouldn't allow it!
So—
He couldn't waste time talking. He had to go find Minato.
"Kai." Hiroshi called after him again. "Have you thought of a way?"
Kai winced, his head aching, and rolled his eyes.
"No!"
"But—I'll figure it out as I go."
"With Sarutobi and his ilk, I can plot ruthlessly. But against an innocent—especially one I've met before—"
"To stand by while she's manipulated into death?"
"Sorry. I can't."
His voice was calm, but firm.
And without another word to Hiroshi, Kai left the Uchiha compound and headed straight for Minato's home.
In Kai's courtyard, Nara Hiroshi sat in the pavilion, looking utterly lazy.
He poured himself another cup of tea, drained it in one gulp, and chuckled.
"Mm. Good tea."
"This Uchiha Kai is really interesting."
"Cunning, ruthless, powerful… and yet still loyal and righteous at heart."
"Not bad at all."
"In that case, letting the Ino–Shika–Cho follow him might actually be a good thing."
"This result isn't bad. I can rest easy."
He stood, stretched, and yawned.
Then he turned to leave.
Before going, he even closed Kai's gate behind him.
Clearly—
What he'd just done wasn't only repaying a favor on Kazama's behalf, but also a deliberate test.
And that was only natural.
Since they were going to follow Kai from now on, they had to know what kind of man he really was.
Only with that clear could Hiroshi decide how to treat him going forward.
Like with Sarutobi Hiruzen—give effort but never his heart?
Or here—give himself wholeheartedly?
Now, Hiroshi had his answer.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kai hurried on his way, not realizing that he had once again been tested by Hiroshi.
If he'd known, he would have cursed him as an old fox.
The Nara clan really were bastards.
About twenty minutes later—
He knocked on Minato's door and entered without hesitation.
"Kai?!"
"Did something happen?"
Minato looked puzzled, but his expression quickly grew serious.
He wasn't stupid.
They'd just met not long ago—if Kai came running to him now, it could only mean something big.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
He didn't waste time.
Glancing around the courtyard, he suddenly asked:
"There is something. But the rest can wait."
"First—I need to confirm."
"Is Nohara Rin at home right now?"
Minato frowned, then smiled lightly.
"Rin isn't here at the moment. But don't worry, Kai."
"Kushina is out shopping with your clan leader's wife. Rin's been cooped up too long, so I let her go along for fresh air."
"So rest assured."
"With Kushina at her side—and my Flying Thunder God kunai on Rin—nothing can happen!"
To read the full FanFic, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554