On the Uchiha side, laughter and cheer never ceased.
But inside the Hokage Tower, it was the complete opposite.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face looked grim.
After hearing Minato Namikaze's report, he was utterly stunned.
What? Impossible!
He knew Uchiha Kai was powerful, but he had never taken it too seriously.
After all, in his eyes—
Even if Kai had awakened the Mangekyō, he himself still had the ability to suppress it.
That was the reason he'd remained calm until now.
The reasoning was simple.
He wasn't unfamiliar with the Mangekyō. Back then, his teammate Uchiha Kagami had awakened it as well. He'd actually crossed blades with Kagami—while troublesome, the Mangekyō wasn't something he couldn't deal with.
So long as it wasn't the Eternal Mangekyō, there was no need to be afraid.
And as Hokage, he knew all too well:
To obtain the Eternal Mangekyō, one needed to take the eyes of a blood relative and merge them.
But Kai?
He had no siblings at all. That was why Hiruzen could sit comfortably on his throne without worry.
Yet now—
Uchiha Kai had gone toe-to-toe with the Third Raikage purely with taijutsu?
This…
Unbelievable!
Hiruzen knew better than anyone just how monstrously strong the Third Raikage had been.
Which meant—
If Kai had such terrifying physical prowess, and then stacked the Uchiha's Mangekyō on top of it, could Hiruzen really resist him by his own strength?
His face turned pale, his body began to tremble ever so slightly. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Minato…"
"I know you can contact Jiraiya. Send a word to him."
"He must return!"
"And Tsunade too."
"Jiraiya knows where she is—tell him to find her as soon as possible. Best if the two of them return together."
"As for the mission, I understand. You can rest now."
Hiruzen muttered, waving his hand weakly to dismiss Minato.
Minato nodded.
He cast a complicated look at the Hokage before bowing slightly and departing from the office.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
How could he not understand Hiruzen's intentions?
Recalling his master and Tsunade-senpai back—
clearly, it was to prepare against Uchiha Kai.
Truthfully…
he'd also considered whether to reveal the full truth of what happened.
But in the end, he chose silence.
Firstly, it was impossible to conceal.
With so many Hidden Stone Village and Konoha shinobi present—even twenty kilometers away—the death of the Third Raikage was far too great a matter to keep under wraps.
And more importantly—
As a shinobi of Konoha, while he found many of Hiruzen's actions distasteful, he had no choice.
Hiruzen was the Hokage. And Minato, as a ninja, had his duty.
Separating public and private—that was his bottom line.
Of course—
if Hiruzen went too far, he would absolutely stand with Uchiha Kai.
Sigh!
Exiting the Hokage's office, Minato couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh.
After some thought, he performed a summoning and called forth a toad from Mount Myōboku, handing over a letter for his teacher.
After that, he stepped outside the Hokage Tower, looking up at the boundless blue sky, his heart weighed down heavily.
"What a turbulent season…"
"If Master and Tsunade-senpai return, who knows what direction the village will take."
"But… forget it."
"There will always be a solution. One step at a time."
With a faint, resolute smile, Minato turned and headed home.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Hokage's office.
After Minato's departure, Hiruzen immediately summoned Nara Shikaku.
He had no choice.
In the past, he could still consult with Koharu, Homura, and Danzō—his three "good friends."
But ever since his own son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had died, the four-man alliance had completely collapsed.
Now, the only one left to turn to was Shikaku, though he didn't like the man.
Yes.
He wasn't stupid.
He was well aware of the little schemes of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
But what could he do?
With his old comrades alienated, Orochimaru harboring his own ambitions, Jiraiya being too pure-hearted to accept his methods, and Tsunade… Well, after how he had treated the Senju clan, how could she ever side with him?
Tsunade had only tolerated him because she loved the village her grandfather had founded.
And so, here he was—forced to use someone he'd otherwise see as a double-dealer.
Shikaku entered, eyes widening as he listened.
"What? Hokage-sama, you must be joking!"
"Uchiha Kai may be strong, but how could he possibly be that strong?"
Like Hiruzen, he too found the news nearly incomprehensible.
But Hiruzen only rubbed his temples, took a long drag from his pipe, and spoke calmly:
"This has already been confirmed. Think carefully—should we make use of the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud in this matter?"
After all, Kai's actions inevitably involved the affairs of other villages.
Yet before he could finish, Shikaku was already shaking his head firmly.
"No, Hokage-sama. Absolutely not!"
"First, it won't work. Kai—and Hatake Sakumo, too—they're not the type to care about reputation."
"Second, the Uchiha now hold enormous power. They can easily suppress rumors if needed."
"Even if we escalate and hold a Jounin Council, the only result will be strengthening Kai's reputation as a man of his word."
"More importantly, his actions can easily be spun as being for Konoha's benefit. After all, he stopped Hidden Stone Village's expansion and indirectly strengthened Hidden Cloud Village. That's a form of protecting the balance of power."
"And don't forget—many of the Nara clan are now aligned with the Uchiha."
"My cousin Nara Hiroshi, for one, will definitely see it that way."
"And another thing!"
"With the death of the Third Raikage, Hidden Cloud Village must swiftly select a Fourth. That guarantees internal strife and delays their external campaigns. Their withdrawal and pursuit of peace are inevitable."
"At this juncture, the Five Kage Summit is crucial."
"Hokage-sama, I strongly advise against stirring trouble."
"Focus on the Summit. Securing a peace treaty is paramount."
"Everything else can be resolved later—but this cannot be delayed."
"Because if we stall—changes will come, and not in our favor."
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