The scroll Kakashi handed over did not record much.
It only contained a few key points.
For example, Natsuhiko's uncertainty about Kakashi's situation.
And the remark that "the Hokage's actions might be misunderstood."
Minato Namikaze was not a fool.
Though he was gentle and friendly, that didn't mean he was naïve.
Gifted with high intelligence since childhood, he could understand and think through many things clearly.
Especially after being tempered by war, his judgment and analytical ability had grown tremendously.
Kakashi had just arrived in the Anbu and was immediately sent on a mission.
If it wasn't because of what Minato initially assumed—that "Kakashi is strong enough"—
But instead as Natsuhiko implied—
Then this was a show of force.
A warning directed at Kakashi.
And when combined with that line about his actions possibly being misunderstood, Minato began connecting many dots.
He had only just taken office.
Although in name he was Hokage, there were many things he simply couldn't command freely.
For example—the Anbu.
The Anbu were one of the Hokage's core powers.
In principle, since the Third had stepped down, as the Fourth Hokage he should have full control over them.
Yet all he had done was allow Kakashi to join—
He had no further intentions—
And already such issues had arisen.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking this."
Minato suddenly realized that his line of thought was becoming dangerous and immediately forced himself to stop.
He glanced at the scroll in his hand, then sensed the Anbu still hidden around him.
He let out a faint sigh.
After putting the scroll away, he decided it would be better to take it home.
Leaving it here might invite unnecessary trouble.
"Fukami Natsuhiko… or perhaps Senju Natsuhiko.
That child is rather interesting…"
...
Natsuhiko, of course, had no idea what was happening in the Hokage's office.
By now, he had already returned to his room.
He truly needed to consider his next steps—
Such as how to secure greater benefits for himself in the events to come.
In fact, long ago Natsuhiko had realized that what he could gain in Konoha would far exceed what he could gain anywhere else.
First and foremost—competition.
He remembered clearly just how unstable Konoha's future would be.
Signs of Konoha's decline had already begun to show during the era of the White Fang and the Sannin.
They either died, defected in the future, or had already left Konoha.
Even Jiraiya ultimately chose not to remain in the village.
As for Minato's generation, the number of Kage-level fighters truly wasn't large.
At most, there were only Minato himself and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—his wife, Kushina.
As for others—whether it was Hiashi Hyūga, Fugaku Uchiha, or the heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans—
They were undoubtedly strong and capable of standing on their own.
But compared to true Kage-level strength, they were probably just a step short.
Of course, if Fugaku Uchiha truly possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, that would be another matter.
By Natsuhiko's generation, things were somewhat better.
Capable ninja who could stand independently were emerging one after another.
But if one really counted—
In the future, aside from Kakashi—who could go toe-to-toe with almost anyone—
And Might Guy, who nearly kicked his way into ending the entire story with one strike—
The others fell short.
They were elite jōnin.
But Kakashi and Guy were Kage-level—
Even beyond Kage-level in certain moments.
Konoha would experience a talent gap.
That was inevitable in the future.
And for Natsuhiko—
That was an opportunity that might never come again.
He didn't believe that with more than a decade ahead of him, he wouldn't be able to reach Kage-level.
After all—
He had a cheat.
Although planting trees in the early stages had been somewhat exhausting, he had at least already reached the level of a jōnin.
Moreover, he was certain that once he entered Sage Mode, he would absolutely be at elite jōnin level.
It was worth mentioning that his Sage Mode was still only in its beginner stage. There would be intermediate and advanced stages later on—and he even suspected there might be a "complete form" or something like a "Six Paths form."
Unfortunately, he hadn't obtained the necessary seeds yet and didn't qualify to plant them.
But the future looked promising.
Even just the beginner stage of Sage Mode already possessed such power. Once his intermediate "Sage Fruit" matured, Natsuhiko believed he could be considered quasi–Kage level.
At the very least, his overall strength would reach quasi–Kage level—even if the duration might be somewhat short.
And that wasn't all.
He also had the "Bloodline Development" option.
Although he wasn't sure how exactly to expand that development path, he wasn't too worried.
Whether it was his basic attribute seeds, chakra attribute seeds, Sage seeds, or chakra capacity seeds—they were all randomly extracted from plants.
Of course, if he could find plants that more closely matched certain attributes, the probability of obtaining corresponding seeds would increase.
He even thought that in the future, he might draw seeds that could enhance the degree of bloodline development.
"If you really calculate it, my only true competitors are Kakashi and Guy.
And Guy is a training fanatic. He won't participate in power struggles.
Perhaps he doesn't even have that awareness. Otherwise, in the future, he wouldn't have foolishly tried to save Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As for Kakashi… he might be more passive than proactive. His Hokage position…"
Natsuhiko silently thought about Kakashi eventually becoming the Sixth Hokage.
In truth, that Sixth Hokage position had practically been handed to him.
Becoming Hokage wasn't simply about being outstanding.
You had to be outstanding—
And at the same time align with the interests of various power circles.
Only then could you sit in that seat.
As the Fourth Hokage's disciple, Kakashi had impeccable credentials.
Beyond that, he maintained good relationships with many of his contemporaries—many of whom had been his classmates.
His rise had the support of Konoha's core middle generation at the time.
Meanwhile, the old core power circle had conveniently been wiped out by a Tailed Beast Bomb from the Ten-Tails.
With the reshuffling of the upper power structure—
Combined with Kakashi's excellent relationships and sufficient strength—
He was naturally pushed to the forefront.
There was also another reason:
The two individuals hailed as the saviors of the ninja world were both his students.
His ascent was, in Natsuhiko's eyes, a model that could be replicated.
In fact, Natsuhiko believed he could execute it even better.
Of course, having a good plan didn't mean reality would unfold as expected.
Still, it was far better than trying to survive within the Akatsuki.
Not to mention the internal competition within that organization—just thinking about the level of infighting among its members made Natsuhiko uneasy.
If he joined now, he'd just be walking in to get slaughtered.
"For now, the priority is improving my strength, recruiting talent, and further promoting the persona I've already established."
Natsuhiko quickly made his decision.
Improving strength meant "planting trees"—that could only be done patiently over time.
Recruiting talent was troublesome.
But he had to try.
In fact, he did know of a certain "talent pool" sitting there, waiting to be tapped.
He could try digging around in it.
But once he made contact with them—
There would be plenty of trouble in the future.