Uchiha Kai walked quickly.
He knew the time left to him was short, so he had to arrange and settle every matter in the village as fast as possible.
Meanwhile—
In the Hokage's office.
Namikaze Minato stood with arms crossed.
His blond hair gleamed like sunlight, the green Jounin vest on his shoulders, his perpetual smile bright as a little sun itself.
But not now.
His brows were furrowed, his gaze serious.
Opposite him, Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a solemn expression as he instructed him nonstop.
"Minato, you must be careful.
That Uchiha Kai is no simple man.
On the battlefield, keep close watch on him.
He and the Uchiha are the village's greatest instability."
Hiruzen's words flowed endlessly, slandering Kai without restraint—stopping just short of outright calling him a traitor.
But he was careful.
He knew his beloved pupil looked mild and obedient, dutiful in carrying out tasks.
Yet Minato had his own moral compass.
So he didn't directly hurl insults at Kai.
Instead, he disguised his warnings as advice and caution.
Minato was shocked.
He had met Uchiha Kai before—briefly, yes, but enough to judge his character.
Kai was no power-hungry schemer.
If he were like Danzo or Orochimaru, how could he sit happily with civilians, how could the Ichiraku family care for him so warmly, even holding celebrations for him and introducing him to friends?
Through idle chats with Ayame, Minato had also come to know a little of Kai's past and personality.
To him, Kai was just a shut-in slob.
So… why was Hiruzen describing him like this?
"Lord Hokage," Minato finally said, "isn't this perhaps a misunderstanding?
From what I know of Kai-kun, he doesn't have the heart of an ambitious man.
With how lazy he is, unless necessary, he probably wouldn't even leave his own courtyard."
Hiruzen nearly choked on his pipe smoke.
What!?
His obedient pupil… already knew Kai?
Damn it.
This ruined everything.
His mud-slinging worked best on strangers.
If Minato already had a clear impression of Kai, then his slander's effect would be drastically reduced.
But how could this be?
Before graduation, Kai had never met Minato.
After becoming a shinobi, Kai had gone straight to the Mist battlefield, and since returning, had never left the village.
Minato, on the other hand, had always been at the front lines against Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Cloud.
How could the two possibly have met?
"Minato," Hiruzen asked gravely, "you know Uchiha Kai? Could you explain?"
This was important.
Minato wasn't just a key figure in the Hokage faction—he was also Jiraiya's disciple.
If his loyalty wavered, even Jiraiya could be affected.
More importantly, Minato was his chosen Fourth Hokage.
But if Minato were close to Kai and Fugaku both, could he still allow him to ascend?
So this matter had to be made clear.
In fact, Hiruzen's wariness toward Kai multiplied on the spot.
"Oh, Kai-kun?" Minato recalled, then explained without concealment:
"I met him at Ichiraku Ramen.
Strictly speaking, Kai-kun was practically raised by Teuchi-san.
And, well, we all eat at Ichiraku's often—me, my friends, even Jiraiya-sensei, and you, Lord Hokage.
The flavor may be simple, but Teuchi-san is kind and generous, and the portions are always fair.
Over time, of course I came to know Kai-kun too."
Hiruzen finally exhaled.
Ah, Ichiraku.
Yes, Anbu reports had mentioned that.
Back then, Kai had been nothing but useless trash.
He hadn't thought it worth his attention.
But now… perhaps that would need reconsideration.
Those Ichiraku father and daughter—
they were worth approaching.
Two mere civilians.
Winning them over—or threatening them—wouldn't be difficult.
And since they were closest to Kai, if they couldn't be recruited, they could at least be used as leverage.
The thought made Hiruzen's eyes flicker darkly.
But with Minato still present, he coughed and changed the subject.
"All right, I understand.
But remember this: people change.
Perhaps Kai was as you describe before, but circumstances are different now.
He's an Uchiha elder, in control of the Police Force…
In any case, be cautious."
Minato wasn't fully convinced.
But after a moment's thought, he chose silence.
And just then—
An Anbu stepped in and bowed.
"Lord Hokage! Uchiha Kai requests an audience."
…
Speak of the devil.
Even without knowing who "Cao Cao" was, both Hiruzen and Minato felt the urge to laugh at the timing.
After a pause, Hiruzen said:
"Let him in."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Anbu departed.
Moments later, Kai strode in, eyes half-narrowed, a false smile on his lips.
When his gaze landed on Minato, he paused briefly.
After offering Hiruzen a polite greeting, he turned to Minato with a smile.
"Oh, Minato-nii-san. Didn't expect to see you here."
Minato grinned back.
The two exchanged light greetings and a few words of small talk.
But Hiruzen quickly lost patience.
He simply couldn't stand it.
So he cut them off and spoke at once:
"Kai! A rare guest indeed. To seek me out personally—what matter brings you here?
Speak freely. If it's within my power, I'll see it done."
His tone was faint, but the words carried real weight.
For now, he still needed Kai to go to the front lines.
Until that goal was achieved, as long as Kai's requests weren't excessive, he would not refuse.
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