Minato Namikaze narrowed his eyes.
He had rushed here in a hurry just now, his mind set on only one thing—rescuing Nohara Rin.
As for anything else, he hadn't even spared a thought.
But now, looking at the situation...
Obito must have just used his Mangekyo ability, and it had even been witnessed by those lurking Anbu agents.
If so, then it's easy to imagine—
Danzo, fighting on the frontlines, must have seen it as well.
At that thought, Minato's heart sank.
He had always hoped to keep Obito from being drawn into the terrifying whirlpool that was the village's political struggles.
But in the end... nothing had changed.
Yes.
Minato knew very well just how important the Mangekyo Sharingan was, both to the Uchiha and to the entire village.
In Kai-kun's previous life, the Mangekyo Sharingan was basically the equivalent of a nuclear weapon.
Illusions capable of controlling tailed beasts, the terrifying Susanoo, and those bizarre and unfathomable personal abilities...
They were nothing like the Byakugan of the Hyuga.
The Byakugan was important too, but more akin to an all-range radar.
On the battlefield, radar was certainly useful, but compared to a nuclear weapon, it was still a tier below.
The Uchiha clan's Mangekyo wasn't just comparable to tailed beasts in war; even in times of peace, its deterrent power far surpassed the Byakugan.
For other hidden villages, the Byakugan might warrant caution.
But the Mangekyo?
It inspired fear.
And Obito, now holding such a strategic deterrent... whether he wanted to or not, there was no escaping the scheming and backstabbing within the village.
Minato sighed in his heart.
But so be it.
Obito was his student—he would protect him no matter what.
"So that's how it is," Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes glimmered. "You're right, Minato. Obito is a good boy."
"Back in school, he often helped old people on the streets."
"Though the Uchiha don't have the best reputation, Obito's name is actually quite good."
"He and Shisui are the same—both are Uchiha who carry the Will of Fire."
"For Uchiha like that, kind and loyal, our village ought to nurture them carefully."
"I'm thinking of transferring both Obito and Kakashi into the Anbu for special training."
"After all, jade must be carved to become a gem. What do you think, Minato?"
Yes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was genuinely interested now.
And who could blame him?
This was the Mangekyo—the Uchiha's ultimate power.
As someone who valued power above all, there was no way he'd let such a chance slip by.
He was confident that once Obito entered the Anbu, it wouldn't take long to mold him into a loyal tool.
In fact, he even felt a pang of regret.
Back when he assigned Obito to Minato's team, it had been purely to appease the Uchiha while choosing a naïve, kind boy who would be easy to control.
If he'd known Obito had the potential to awaken the Mangekyo, how could he have handed him to Minato?
After all, Minato Namikaze—
To Hiruzen, he was nothing more than a puppet-in-training.
Yes, he supported Minato's path to becoming Hokage, but he never intended to give him too much real power.
Thus, an asset like Obito was far too precious to leave in Minato's hands.
And now that the opportunity had presented itself, Hiruzen naturally wanted to "poach" him for himself.
As for Kakashi?
That was just an added bonus.
On one hand, it would reinforce Obito's bonds; on the other, it could help Hiruzen pull in the supporters of Sakumo Hatake's old faction.
See?
He could say, "Look, I've even brought Kakashi into the Anbu!"
And what was the Anbu?
The Hokage's true inner circle, the branch of Konoha with the greatest authority.
The benefits were obvious—and Hiruzen, of course, was tempted.
Especially since...
There was already friction between him and Minato.
So naturally, he wanted to strip away everyone of potential around Minato.
Minato could just sit there as a puppet Hokage.
Power was not his to touch.
Unfortunately for Hiruzen, the Minato of today was not the Minato of before.
In the past, he might have agreed without a second thought—after all, joining the Anbu did provide good career prospects for his students.
Anbu-trained shinobi rarely remained nobodies; most rose to mid-level leadership at the very least.
And Minato, being soft-hearted, wouldn't have stood in their way.
But not anymore.
Now that he'd fully realized the darkness within the village, there was no way he'd hand his disciples over to the Anbu—
Not while it was still under Hiruzen's control.
With the village in such a state, who knew what grim fate might await his students?
Joining the Anbu? Fine.
But only after he himself became Hokage.
There would be plenty of opportunities then.
So, without hesitation, Minato shook his head and rejected the offer outright.
"Hokage-sama, I'm very sorry."
"Though what you say is reasonable, and of course I want my students to grow into the village's pillars..."
"Now is not the time."
"They're still too young. Let them grow a few more years first."
"After all, the missions the Anbu handle are far too dangerous for them at their age."
"As their Sensei, I'll admit I have selfish motives too—I don't want to see them die young."
"So... I must beg your pardon, Hokage-sama."
Minato's tone was humble.
For though he held Hiruzen in contempt, the man was still the Hokage.
Minato might be Jiraiya's disciple and heir to that lineage, but he was still only a Jounin.
There was no helping it.
Until he truly took power, he had no choice but to bide his time.
To change the village, he would need the authority of Hokage itself.
For now, he had to wait.
Stay calm.
Endure.
Gather more allies, win more supporters, cultivate loyal subordinates—that was enough.
As for the Hokage's seat?
Hiruzen, for the sake of his own power, would send him there himself.
"Oh? Is that so..." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "You have a point. Then let's talk about it later."
"It's late tonight, Minato. You should go home and rest."
"I'm tired myself."
"The negotiations with Hidden Stone VIllage drained me. Then the Uchiha made a fuss..."
"Just as I resolved that, Danzo started stirring up trouble again."
"Really, sigh..."
"I am getting old."
"The future of the village belongs to you young ones."
"As for old bones like mine... I can hardly bear the weight anymore."
"Minato, do your best."
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