After Hiashi left with his daughter, the Namikaze estate did not fall quiet.
On the contrary—the storm sweeping Konoha's upper ranks had only just begun.
Word that Minato had forced the Cloud to deliver a colossal indemnity within a single day spread through every corner of the village as if on wings.
The shock was greater even than the instant execution of Danzo and the ouster of the two elder advisors.
The former was housecleaning: proof of strength and resolve.
The latter was deterrence beyond the walls: proof that a single household now wielded a fearsome influence powerful enough to sway a great nation's decisions—beyond dispute.
Every ninja clan in Konoha began reading the signals in its own way.
By afternoon, the first visitors arrived—and they were the heaviest hitters.
Shikaku, head of the Nara.
Choza, head of the Akimichi.
Inoichi, head of the Yamanaka.
The famed "Ino–Shika–Cho" triumvirate stepped into the Namikaze reception hall together.
Minato received them himself.
There was little small talk. Ever the village's chief strategist, Shikaku got straight to the point.
"Minato, we're here to pick a side." His voice kept its usual lazy lilt, but his eyes were brighter—and more serious—than ever.
Minato smiled, poured tea, and gestured for him to continue.
"Danzo is dead; the two elders have stepped down. The sky over Konoha has changed." Shikaku lifted his cup but didn't drink, watching the leaves rise and fall. "The old Konoha looked stable but churned beneath the surface. Decisions at the top were riddled with compromise and calculation. At home, the Uchiha were suppressed. Facing the Cloud's provocations, we might even 'appease' them by sacrificing a branch family prodigy for so-called peace."
He meant Hizashi. The incident hadn't happened thanks to the Namikaze, but every senior knew what had been planned.
"That wasn't the Konoha we wanted," Choza rumbled. He wasn't much for words, but his stance was iron.
Inoichi picked up smoothly: "We want a stronger, united Konoha—one that bares its blade to any enemy."
Shikaku summarized.
"And now you—your household—give us that hope." He met Minato's eyes. "You act decisively, your power is overwhelming, and most importantly, you protect your own."
"Following you—following the Namikaze—we won't worry that our people will die to cover for the leadership's cowardly deals. Our merits will be recognized. Our families will be protected."
"So," Shikaku set down his cup and, on behalf of the trio, declared their position, "from today, the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka will look to the Namikaze. Your will is the direction we advance."
The words rang like iron on stone.
Konoha's oldest political alliance, passed down for centuries, had just offered its loyalty to the Namikaze.
A genuine smile touched Minato's face.
"Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi—we're comrades. We're family. The Namikaze will always be your strongest backing."
No flowery speeches. One word—"family"—was worth a thousand.
Ino–Shika–Cho's stance hit the water like a boulder, throwing up a thousand waves.
Their choice pointed the way for every clan still watching from the shore.
No sooner had the trio left than the next door opened.
Tsume of the Inuzuka strode in laughing with Kuromaru at her heel. Unlike Shikaku, she didn't do loops—just thumped her chest and swore the Inuzuka fangs were ready to tear apart the Namikaze's enemies at a word.
Next, Shibi of the Aburame arrived without a ripple. He presented a clan-secret antidote formula effective against a range of toxins—a practical pledge of alliance.
The Sarutobi, remnants of the Shimura…
One by one, every name that mattered in Konoha all but wore a path to the Namikaze threshold. Their gifts were many and varied—secret technique scrolls, rare medicinal herbs, heirloom ninja tools.
Their meaning, however, was exactly the same.
Ally. Attach. Choose a side.
In a single afternoon, Konoha's balance of power underwent an unprecedented reshaping.
Every tributary flowed into the same sea: the Namikaze.
Meanwhile the Hokage Building felt deserted.
Hiruzen sat in his familiar chair, listening to ANBU report on each clan's movements. The pipe in his hand had long gone cold.
He knew his age had ended.
Konoha no longer needed a "Hokage" who weighed pros and cons. It needed a "king" whose word was law.
And that king was not him.
Of all the callers, the one that surprised Minato most was the hand extended by the Uchiha.
At dusk, a Uchiha Police shinobi delivered a gift.
It was simple: a finely forged short blade, the hilt engraved with the clan's three-tomoe crest.
With it came a letter in Fugaku's own hand.
Minato unfolded it.
The wording kept the Uchiha pride intact—yet offered a warmth never seen before.
Fugaku first thanked Minato for cutting down Danzo and exposing his theft of Sharingan.
Then the tone turned. He addressed the old rifts and hoped to work with the Namikaze to see them fade into smoke.
The final line moved even Minato.
"Konoha is also the Uchiha's Konoha."
A clan long pushed from the center and locked in growing tension with the village had sent an olive branch.
Minato folded the letter, heavy with feeling.
He knew it was a chain reaction from slaying Danzo—but he also knew Shinju's shadow was behind it.
All of it seemed to fit the child's plan.
Night fell. After seeing off the last guests, Minato returned to the inner court to find Shinju with Naruto and Kushina, setting dinner.
"All handled?" Shinju asked, as calmly as if asking about the weather.
Minato nodded and sat. "Everyone came—even the Uchiha."
"As expected." Shinju passed him a bowl of rice.
Minato studied his eldest and couldn't help asking, "Shinju… did you foresee all of this?"
Shinju took a bite, then said slowly,
"Father, power exists to break old rules. You showed strength enough to cow a great nation—those rules couldn't hold."
"And hearts exist to build new rules. You're protective, fair, and strong. So people's hearts naturally turn toward you—because following you, they feel hope. They feel safe."
"The old Konoha belonged to the Third. To the Council. To the few."
"Now," Shinju smiled, "Konoha is truly our home."
In that moment, Minato understood completely.
His son, Shinju, wasn't just wielding unfathomable power.
He had the measure of a king—the kind that remakes the world.
And in his hands, the Namikaze were no longer merely a ninja house.
They were Konoha's uncrowned monarch.
(End of Chapter)
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