A week later.
"Hokage-sama."
Inside the Hokage's office, Fugaku was delivering a report to the Fourth Hokage. "This is the final report on the asset liquidation of the Grass Village."
He took a step forward and released the seal on the first scroll.
With a soft poof, white smoke dissipated, revealing a thick ledger.
"The Grass Village is called a shinobi village, but in reality, it functions more like a massive black market hub," Fugaku introduced the situation of the Grass Village dispassionately. "Beyond the 'detention fees' collected by Hozuki Castle from various nations, they also stockpiled vast quantities of explosive tag materials, chakra metal, and lists of orphans and bloodline limit users plundered from other lands."
"All materials have been liquidated and are ready to be transported to the village at any time."
Minato put down his pen, reached for the ledger, and flipped through a few pages.
The numbers recorded on every page were staggering.
This small nation, surviving in the cracks between powers, had managed to accumulate such staggering wealth through unscrupulous exploitation and playing both sides.
"You've done well, Fugaku."
Minato closed the ledger, his fingertips tapping lightly on the cover. "Aside from the materials, what about the personnel?"
Fugaku unsealed the second scroll.
This time, a detailed map appeared, marking the troop distribution of the Grass Village and its surrounding outposts. However, most of the red dots representing these outposts were now marked with black crosses.
"Those who resisted have been executed on the spot, as per your orders."
Fugaku's report was concise and cold. "The Grass Village leadership attempted to flee with assets after the Box of Ultimate Bliss incident, but they were intercepted at the border by Yashiro and his men. Aside from a few civilian shinobi who were disbanded, the armed forces of the Grass Village effectively no longer exist."
At this point, Fugaku paused and looked up at Minato. "Currently, the Grass Village is an empty shell. Without external intervention, within a month, it will become a playground for wandering samurai and bandits, or... it will be seized by the Hidden Stone Village of the Land of Earth."
This was a very practical issue.
Defeating a faction is easy, but handling the resulting power vacuum is the true test for a politician.
Minato leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful glint in his deep blue eyes.
"That old man Ohnoki from the Hidden Stone has a nose sharper than a hound's."
Gamakon, the purple toad perched on Minato's shoulder, spoke up nonchalantly. "The Land of Grass is a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. If the Hidden Stone takes it, the border of Konoha won't know a moment of peace."
Fugaku glanced at Gamakon and nodded slightly in agreement.
"So, Hokage-sama," Fugaku asked tentatively, "what is your plan? To dispatch troops for a garrison? But that might alert the other Great Nations, who would see it as expansionism on Konoha's part."
"A garrison is necessary, but it shouldn't be in the name of Konoha's regular army."
Minato sat up straight, interlacing his fingers beneath his chin, his gaze deepening. "Fugaku, what do you think about migrating some of Konoha's smaller shinobi clans there?"
Fugaku was stunned for a moment, his brow furrowing. "Migration?"
"Konoha has developed for decades; the population has long since reached saturation."
Minato stood up and walked to the world map on the wall, circling the Land of Grass with his finger. "Many small families subordinate to the great clans have seen their living space shrink due to resource distribution issues. It's hard for them to make a name for themselves in Konoha, but if they go to the Grass Village..."
"There's existing infrastructure, vast tracts of land, and the massive amount of resources we just seized."
Minato turned to face Fugaku. "We can support these small families in establishing a new regime in the Grass Village. Nominally, they would be an independent Grass Village, but in reality, their roots are in Konoha—they would be our vassals."
Fugaku's pupils constricted slightly.
This was a brilliant move.
It solved Konoha's internal population and resource pressures, controlled a nation without shedding blood, and avoided the diplomatic headaches of direct annexation.
"Furthermore..."
Minato's voice lowered, carrying a meaningful undertone. "Hozuki Castle is isolated across the sea with a closed environment. It's a natural 'laboratory'."
Fugaku's heart skipped a beat.
He thought of Orochimaru, who had been granted special research permissions by Minato following the Box of Ultimate Bliss incident.
"Some of Orochimaru's research is too conspicuous; certain things are indeed inconvenient to handle within the village."
Minato walked back to the desk and picked up a pre-drafted document. "In the end, some experiments just cannot be known by Tsunade."
"What do you think, Clan Head Fugaku?"
Fugaku felt a slight chill down his spine.
The Fourth Hokage before him still wore a smile as warm as sunlight, but his decisions were more decisive and ruthless than anyone else's.
Leave the light and prosperity to Konoha, and cast the darkness and experiments into the Grass Village.
That was politics.
Fugaku bowed his head, masking the trace of awe in his eyes. "The Uchiha clan will cooperate fully. The Police Force will assist the Anbu with the screening process."
"Very good."
Minato nodded with satisfaction. "I'll leave this matter to you and Shikaku. As for Senior Orochimaru, I will have Gamakon-san inform him."
With the official business concluded, the atmosphere in the office relaxed slightly.
But Fugaku was in no hurry to leave.
He remained standing there, reaching into his robes and fumbling for a moment, looking somewhat hesitant.
This was an extremely rare sight for the usually decisive Uchiha Clan Head.
Minato noticed his strange behavior, sat back down, and took a sip of tea. "Clan Head Fugaku, is there some personal matter?"
"Yes."
Fugaku took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision.
He pulled a red invitation from his robes and presented it on the desk with both hands.
The invitation was exquisitely crafted, with the Uchiha crest stamped in gold leaf on a red background and auspicious cloud patterns tracing the edges.
"This is..." Minato set down his tea and picked up the invitation curiously.
"It's my son Sasuke's first birthday banquet."
Although Fugaku tried his best to keep his voice level, a hint of paternal pride and anticipation still leaked through. "It's in seven days. If Hokage-sama isn't too busy with official business... I hope you can grace us with your presence."
Minato opened the invitation.
The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, clearly written by Fugaku himself.
Coming at a time when the Uchiha clan had just pledged their loyalty and the relationship was in its honeymoon phase, the weight of this invitation was significant.
This wasn't just a birthday party; it was a signal to the outside world—the Hokage was a guest of honor for the Uchiha.
"Sasuke is already a year old."
Minato looked at the date on the invitation, his smile becoming genuine and soft. "Time really flies. I still remember what Naruto looked like when he was born, and now he's crawling all over the place."
He looked up and tucked the invitation carefully into his robes. "Don't worry, I'll be there. Kushina has been clamoring to find a playmate for Naruto these past few days. I'll bring both of them along."
Hearing the phrase 'bring both of them along,' Fugaku's habitually stern face finally cracked into a relaxed smile.
The Hokage bringing his whole family—this was an incredible amount of respect.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Fugaku bowed again. "Then I won't disturb your work any further. I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned and headed for the door, his steps noticeably lighter than when he arrived.
As the office doors closed again, the light in the room seemed to dim slightly.
The smile on Minato's face slowly faded.
He picked up his red brush again but didn't continue correcting documents. Instead, he stared at the tip of the brush in a daze, seemingly lost in thought.
"Rather than a child's birthday party, Minato, shouldn't you consider my previous proposal?"
Gamakon set down his teacup, his golden horizontal pupils fixed on Minato as his tone turned serious.
The brush in Minato's hand paused.
He naturally knew what Gamakon was referring to.
"Cooperating with Black Zetsu..."
Minato softly repeated those words.
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