"Yo, Second Pillar!"
Wen Lan stepped into the inner room and saw Mikoto and Itachi sitting on the tatami.
Little Sasuke was in Itachi's arms, babbling happily.
"Wen Lan, you're here," Mikoto greeted with a warm smile, handing him a cup of tea.
"Thank you, Aunt Mikoto."
He accepted the cup, feeling the warmth spread through his fingers.
Looking at Sasuke, Wen Lan couldn't resist—
he reached out and pinched the baby's chubby cheek.
Sasuke froze for a moment.
Then, realization hit—
His face scrunched up, and he was about to cry.
Wen Lan burst out laughing.
Mikoto shot him a mildly reproachful look.
"He's still a baby. How can he handle your teasing like that?"
Wen Lan grinned.
"You have to tease them while they're young.
If you wait until they grow up and become arrogant show-offs, it'll be too late."
He tried to pinch Sasuke again—
But Itachi quickly scooped him up and ran into the inner room, not giving Wen Lan another chance.
"Hey! That kid…" Wen Lan shook his head, amused.
Mikoto chuckled softly.
"Why don't you go tease Naruto instead? That child likes you."
That was true.
No matter how much Wen Lan teased Naruto, the boy never cried—
he would just laugh happily, carefree and thick-skinned, exactly like in the original story.
Because of that, Minato and Kushina had once jokingly worried they'd given birth to a fool.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was no longer as adorable as when he was first born.
Aside from Mikoto, Itachi, and Fugaku—
Anyone else touching him would trigger instant crying.
Over time, whenever Wen Lan saw "Second Pillar,"
he felt an irresistible urge to pinch him.
Visiting Kushina's Home
After chatting briefly, Wen Lan got up and headed to Kushina's house.
He knocked.
The door opened to reveal Uzumaki Sī, holding the hand of a little girl around three or four years old.
That girl would one day grow into the fiery-tempered Karin.
Interestingly, Wen Lan himself had given her that name.
Sī had been so grateful for his rescue that she asked him to choose one.
He decided to keep the original name.
Uzumaki Karin.
"Uncle Wen Lan!" the girl called politely.
"I've told you so many times—call me brother," Wen Lan laughed, crouching down to ruffle her red hair.
"I'm only five years older than you. 'Uncle' makes me sound old."
"Okay, Brother Wen Lan!"
"Good girl." 🍬
He pulled a handful of candy from his pocket, unwrapped one, and popped it into her mouth.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"So sweet!"
Karin didn't lack food, but her mother was strict about health, so sweets were rare.
"Brother gave these to you. Go enjoy them."
He placed the candy into her hands.
She instinctively looked at her mother.
Sī smiled gently.
"Since your uncle gave them, you can keep them."
"Brother!" Karin corrected immediately.
Then she unwrapped another candy and stuffed it into her mother's hand before running inside excitedly.
"Aunt Kushina! Brother gave me candy—it's really sweet! Try some!"
Sī shook her head helplessly, smiling.
Then she turned to Wen Lan.
"You haven't visited in a long time."
"I was bored," he replied casually. "So I came to check in."
The Real Topic
They entered the living room.
Kushina sat on the sofa holding Naruto, who was sleeping soundly in her arms.
"I knew you'd come," she said calmly.
"Minato told me about the Hyuga matter. He has his reasons—but he's not home right now."
"I know," Wen Lan replied.
He gently took Naruto from her arms, sat across from her, and lightly pinched the baby's cheek.
Then he spoke:
"Minato's intentions are obvious.
There are already inappropriate rumors spreading in the village."
And that was true.
After years of peace, some minor clans—families so insignificant they didn't even have names in the original story—had begun to complain.
Why?
Because Wen Lan, despite his young age, held immense power.
And many of his policies had been ruthless but effective.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan had steadily gained influence in the village leadership because of him.
And power, like cake, is finite.
If one group gets a bigger slice— someone else gets less.
Major clans weren't concerned.
They understood their importance and weren't being deprived.
But small clans were different.
The Uchiha's rise came directly from territory and resources that those smaller clans used to control.
Even though Wen Lan still left them a share—
Compared to before, it was nearly half of what they once had.
The Root of the Problem
This mess traced back to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had tried to distribute benefits evenly among all clans.
But fairness without merit creates imbalance.
For example:
A major clan sends 20 jonin to war
A small clan sends 5 jonin
Yet both receive equal rewards
Hiruzen wouldn't dare cut benefits from major clans.
So the extra benefits given to small clans were taken from the Uchiha instead.
Now, Wen Lan was simply restoring what had originally belonged to them.
But human nature is greedy.
There's an old saying:
"It's easy to go from frugality to luxury—but hard to return from luxury to frugality."
So the smaller clans began stirring trouble.
Some even spread rumors claiming:
Minato was just a puppet Hokage
Wen Lan was the real power behind Konoha
A classic divide-and-conquer tactic.
But Minato never fell for it.
He trusted what he saw with his own eyes.
Week after week, he had watched Wen Lan work tirelessly for the village.
Even his visits to Might Guy's family had decreased—from weekly to monthly—because of the workload.
Why the Marriage Matters
This was exactly why the Hyuga alliance mattered.
If Wen Lan married into the Hyuga clan:
He wouldn't just have the Uchiha behind him—
He would have the Hyuga as well.
Two of the strongest clans in Konoha standing together.
That alone would silence most opposition.
And more importantly:
It avoided violence.
If Wen Lan crushed dissent by force, it would reinforce the image that he was ruthless—even toward his own villagers.
That would damage his reputation long-term.
So when Hiashi proposed the alliance, Minato didn't immediately accept.
He first discussed it with Kushina.
And despite her impulsive personality, she understood the stakes.
Together, they concluded:
The marriage should happen.
Not only because of politics—
But because of loyalty.
They had been friends with Wen Lan's parents.
They would never allow him to be pushed out of Konoha by rumors and resentment.
If he ever stepped down from power, it must be by his own choice—
Not because the village broke his heart.
How the Situation Escalated
So Minato brought Hiashi to the Inuzuka clan first.
Then the three of them went to Fugaku's house to discuss the matter with Wen Lan.
But he wasn't there.
So they explained the proposal to Fugaku instead.
Fugaku understood the political situation and chose not to decide immediately.
He wanted Wen Lan's opinion.
However—
When Tsume returned home, she told Hana about the marriage proposal.
And suggested she step aside.
Unable to bear it, Hana went straight to Wen Lan in tears.
And that was how the conflict began.
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