When Shinju stepped back into the house, Minato and Kushina were in the living room reading with Naruto.
The instant Minato saw him, something subtle clicked. "You stepped out?"
"Mm. Just a walk," Shinju said, voice even.
He poured a glass of water, then added, unhurried, "I met Itachi."
The room changed in a breath.
Kushina paused mid-story, worry sliding to Shinju. Minato set his book down; his eyes sharpened. Both knew the Uchiha were Konoha's most sensitive fault line. Shinju "happening" to meet Itachi wasn't a casual stroll.
"At the Third Training Ground. He was training alone," Shinju continued, like he was noting the weather. "We talked."
"How did he respond—toward us, toward the village?" Minato asked. That was the axis. As the brightest of his generation, Itachi's stance shadowed the Uchiha's reformist wing.
"He's strong—and in pain," Shinju said, giving the deeper answer. "He loves the village enough to burn himself for it. He's someone we can win over."
Minato exhaled. As long as someone like Itachi still faced Konoha, there was ground to save.
He smiled, pride warming his gaze on his eldest. "You did well, Shinju. Reaching key people like Itachi from within is far better than wrestling the ossified elders. That's the highest play."
With that signal, Minato's mind moved to next steps. "If Itachi's receptive, we should strike while the iron's hot." His fingers tapped the table—his thinking tell. "I'll arrange a formal meeting with Fugaku. I'll speak for the Namikaze—and for Konoha's present will—offering our fullest goodwill."
"I'll promise this: so long as the Uchiha remain within the law, the Police Force keeps its remit; talented Uchiha earn promotions equal to any other shinobi—including assignments to ANBU."
"If Clan Head Fugaku feels our sincerity, he'll rein in his people. Steady the clan head, and the crisis is half solved."
It was a clean, seasoned plan: reason and leverage, respect and lines. Kushina nodded along.
Shinju, however, gently shook his head. "Father," he said, and Minato's fingers stilled, "it's a good approach."
"But you're underestimating the Uchiha's pride."
"And overestimating Fugaku's grip."
Minato's brows drew together. He waited.
Shinju stood and went to the window, eyes drifting toward the Uchiha district. "The Uchiha problem's root isn't the village's cold shoulder, nor Danzo's persecution. Those are externalities."
"The root is rotten."
His tone was cool and clinical.
"They worship 'power' and hunger for 'status.' They see themselves as Konoha's first clan with the strongest bloodline limit—so they believe they deserve the highest seat. That idea has soaked into too many bones."
"You killed Danzo. To them, it wasn't a gift—it was proof of a rule: 'power is everything.' They'll think the Namikaze act freely because you're strong."
"They won't feel gratitude. They'll crave parity—and then more."
"As for Fugaku," Shinju turned back, meeting Minato's gaze, "he's a good father and a clan head who wants peace. But he's indecisive, without the iron hand to clamp the clan. His voice is already drowned by the hawks in council—far from the weight Madara once wielded."
"Your goodwill will read as 'alms' or 'buy-off' to those hawks. Even if Fugaku accepts, his standing drops; they'll call him a tail-wagging soft-bone to the Namikaze."
Minato's confidence ebbed. He fell quiet—because it was true. His plan had been too tidy.
"So… meeting Fugaku is meaningless?" he asked.
"It has meaning," Shinju said. "Not to cure the disease, but to delay the fever. It buys time and shows the Fire Daimyo—and the world—that we sought peace first."
"But to end the Uchiha tragedy, talk won't suffice."
"We need a strong dose."
"A dose that overturns their entire understanding."
"One that makes them see: the Sharingan they boast of, the power they covet—are small and laughable beside true 'miracles.'"
Minato studied his son—and felt awe rise again. Shinju already had a new design. If unleashed, it would shake Konoha a second time.
Shinju said no more. It was enough. He left Minato the space to think and returned to his room.
There, he opened the [Valhalla System] once more.
A third slot hung in the air, pulsing with eerie red. After years, it was time.
[NO.3 Shunshin Shisui · Shisui]
(Shunshin = Body Flicker)
Shinju's fingertip traced the name.
The Uchiha hawks were gathering in secret more often. Fugaku's pressure mounted. Itachi's heart was grinding itself thin.
Everything was sliding faster toward a point of no return. Was history truly fixed?
At the last moment, Shinju would descend his "divine punishment"—or call it… "salvation."
"The time is near," he murmured.
"Itachi, the 'new ending' I promised you—soon, you'll see it with your own eyes."
"I only hope you—and the entire Uchiha—can bear the surprise."
(End of Chapter)
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