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"..." This was not a statement Minato could respond to, because he knew all too well the attitude the Third Hokage and his faction held toward the Uchiha.
"After Jiraiya returned, Naruto finally had family to accompany him as he grew up. That's the gist of it. Currently, Naruto isn't much different from a child of any ordinary family. In fact, to be more precise, he's even a little reckless and unrestrained. Because once this kid learned that his father was the Fourth Hokage, he caused no small amount of mischief in the village, stirring up quite a few incidents."
"Ahaha... well, that's..." The heart Minato had been holding suspended finally settled. He felt a bit embarrassed by the recounting. After all, his son running amok under his father's name was somewhat deserving of a good scolding.
"So are Naruto and Lady Hokage in the village? I'd like to meet with them," Minato said. He was no fool. From the setup at the scene, he could tell that Kazuki had specifically pulled him out and resurrected him using the Impure World Reincarnation for a purpose that was anything but small. Even if Kazuki claimed he wanted to reclaim what rightfully belonged to the village, Minato wouldn't refuse outright. But he wanted to speak with Tsunade first before making any decisions. If he could also see Naruto, that would be even better.
Minato was different from the village's F4. He wouldn't deliberately target the Uchiha, but neither would he easily trust an Uchiha – even if Kazuki currently held the position of Hokage's Advisor. Having witnessed the example of Danzo, Minato wouldn't readily agree to any of Kazuki's demands. He wanted to discuss things with Tsunade personally.
"That's somewhat unfortunate. Neither Tsunade nor Naruto are in the village at the moment."
"???" What did that mean? Neither of them are here? Were they truly absent, or was Kazuki simply unwilling to let him meet with Tsunade? Minato was half-doubtful, half-suspicious. Instinctively, he looked toward Kakashi, hoping to verify from him whether Kazuki was telling the truth. Faced with Minato's questioning and search for confirmation, the corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched. Somewhat awkwardly, he replied, "Teacher, Lady Hokage is indeed not in the village. She has been gone for quite a long time."
"Out on a mission?" Minato blinked in confusion. The Hokage, Tsunade, was out on a mission and had been gone for a long time, leaving all village affairs entirely in the hands of her Advisor, Kazuki? This made Tsunade sound like a rather unreliable Hokage.
"Uh..." If only it were just a mission. Kakashi's expression turned thoroughly awkward. Fortunately, his face was covered by his mask, but as his teacher, Minato knew Kakashi's nature well. Seeing his furrowed, conflicted brow, Minato could tell that Tsunade hadn't simply left on a mission.
Don't tell me... the Hokage actually ran away. But in the very next second, Kakashi despondently answered: "Teacher, Lady Hokage... left the village and ran away before the new year. There's still no word of her return."
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!!!" Minato nearly choked to death on his own saliva. His eyes bulged wide in sheer disbelief, and he cried out, "Are you certain you're not mistaken?! Lady Tsunade... abandoned the village and ran away?!"
"Yes," Kakashi said with a helpless expression. He wouldn't deceive Minato about something like this. "After Lady Hokage left the village, all village matters have been managed by the Advisor. The village intended to nominate the Advisor to become the new Hokage, but the Advisor refused. His relationship with Lady Hokage, well..." Kakashi began to struggle with his words again. Fortunately, he managed to convey a very strong signal to Minato: what Kazuki was doing today wasn't out of personal selfishness; everything was proceeding from the interests of the village. Kazuki was qualified to become Hokage; he had simply not agreed to it, so the matter had been delayed.
"So that's how it is." Finally, Minato set his heart at ease. His wariness toward Kazuki also relaxed considerably. What he had feared most was Kazuki, sitting in the position of Hokage's Advisor, acting out of personal ambition.
"Allow me to explain," Kazuki spoke up. "Due to certain events in her past, Tsunade developed hemophobia. I trust the Fourth Hokage is aware of this intelligence."
"Mm." Minato nodded. He did indeed know about Tsunade's condition. Hemophobia was no trivial matter. It would be one thing if it afflicted an ordinary person, but Tsunade had developed a psychological illness that a ninja should never have.
"The reason Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage was entirely because the Third Hokage and the elder council behind him – Shimura Danzo and the others – had committed far too many acts detrimental to the village's interests. They even attempted to force the Uchiha into a coup d'état. Left with no other choice, Tsunade had to step forward and assume the position of Hokage. However, her hemophobia was never cured. She merely suppressed it through sheer personal willpower. Over the span of several years, as the village's situation steadily improved, her own condition began spiraling out of control. So she quietly left the village to find a way to treat herself."
"Did the village's situation really deteriorate to such a severe extent?" Minato hadn't imagined that so much would happen after his death. Kazuki signaled to Kakashi, prompting him to explain further to Minato. This was to prevent Minato from becoming paranoid and suspicious again due to Kazuki's clan affiliation.
"It may have been even more severe than you can imagine, Teacher," Kakashi said, his own tone turning grave. He began laying out, in full detail, the "good deeds" perpetrated by the Third Hokage and his faction. When Kakashi recounted how the Third Hokage, under the banner of supporting civilian ninja, had instead bolstered his own clan, and how Danzo had schemed to assassinate the Daimyo – Minato was utterly stupefied.
Good heavens, was Danzo truly that audacious?! And what was wrong with the Third Hokage? No wonder he was so unwilling to directly hand over administrative authority to me. Minato wasn't stupid. He had harbored suspicions all along; he simply hadn't torn away the facade with the Third Hokage. Could someone who sat on the Hokage's throne be a fool? Absolutely not. Now the truth was laid bare. Too many pits had been dug that couldn't be filled, and there was also the fear that Minato would discover them. Only Tsunade had the audacity – even before formally assuming office, she seized control of power and handled things as she saw fit. The Third Hokage was helpless against her.
"Sigh..." Regarding these matters, Minato found it difficult to pass judgment. He was already a dead man; he didn't want to become overly entangled in these affairs. But seeing the village thriving and flourishing, Minato could set his mind at ease. It proved that Tsunade and Kazuki were people of great capability. To further dispel Minato's lingering concerns, Kakashi also specifically brought up the matter of the Uchiha. Although Kazuki was an Uchiha, he hadn't given his clan any special preferential treatment or specifically propped them up.
After learning of Kazuki's numerous accomplishments and meritorious deeds, Minato's gaze toward Kazuki was filled with genuine admiration. At the very least, these were monumental undertakings he himself could never have accomplished.
"What a pity. I had truly hoped to see Naruto one last time." With Naruto not in the village, Minato could do nothing about it. Although somewhat disappointed, he was relieved that Naruto had grown up healthy and happy. As Naruto's father, he could finally set his heart at ease. He could go to the Pure Land in peace to reunite with Kushina.
"In that case..." Minato drew a deep breath and said to Kazuki, "You wish to obtain the other half of the Nine-Tails to strengthen the village's power. I support your decision. After all, you are acting on behalf of the village. But can you truly stabilize the situation? I do not wish to see a second night of the Nine-Tails attack unfold."