"Heh… what a joke," Madara Uchiha sneered coldly from the side. "They gave everything for the village, and this is what they get in the end? Konoha's rotten to the core!"
Hashirama Senju, sitting beside Madara, furrowed his brow but said nothing.
Tobirama Senju wanted to argue back, but he couldn't find the words to counter Madara's point.
Because the truth was, Konoha's problems were glaringly obvious!
Was this still the same Konoha they knew?
Was this still the thriving, vibrant tree they'd built?
No, the branches of that tree had probably rotted away long ago.
Tobirama knew Hirofumi Ito's ambitions. The kid hadn't hidden anything, laying out his plans and ideas for everyone to hear. Even before Hirofumi spilled his goals, Tobirama had been wary of him. After hearing them? Doubly so.
In Tobirama's eyes, Hirofumi was a textbook schemer—an ambitious little punk with big dreams.
But even if the kid was ambitious, it didn't matter too much. After all, Tobirama, his brother Hashirama, and even that "evil" Madara Uchiha were now Hirofumi's summoned spirits. The kid couldn't exactly order them around.
At best, they'd make sure he didn't die.
So whatever plans Hirofumi had, he'd have to pull them off on his own.
But as more of Konoha's dirty laundry came to light, Tobirama couldn't help but wonder if the village really did need a shake-up.
For a moment, his mind felt tangled with conflicting thoughts.
Mito Uzumaki stayed quiet, not offering her own opinions. Her husband might be a bit of a goof, but he had his own judgment. As his wife, she'd support him silently from behind.
Still, Mito had a feeling that this time, Hashirama might actually do something different.
Just as everyone was lost in thought, a puff of smoke filled the summoning realm with a loud bang. Minato Namikaze reappeared.
Moments earlier, in the outside world, Hirofumi and Minato had slipped away to a quiet corner. Hirofumi had released his summoning jutsu, sending Minato back to the summoning realm.
"Fourth Hokage…" Tobirama started, wanting to say something to Minato but finding himself at a loss.
He wanted to tell Minato to let it go, to not take it so hard. But who was he to say that?
You don't tell someone to "get over" their pain when you haven't lived it.
Naruto Uzumaki was Minato's son!
Tobirama had been furious when his granddaughter Tsunade left the village. What right did he have to tell Minato to move on now?
Seeing the worried looks from everyone, Minato gave a bitter smile. "I'm fine, guys. I'm not that fragile. Plus, I've got some new ideas. Hirofumi's talk about his plans… it's kind of interesting, don't you think?
Maybe Konoha does need some changes."
With that, Minato turned his gaze to Fugaku Uchiha. "Hey, Fugaku. Let's talk."
"Let's head to my place," Fugaku replied.
And just like that, Minato and Fugaku headed to Fugaku's villa in the summoning realm.
Tobirama watched the scene and let out a long sigh.
Hashirama sat there quietly, still lost in thought. Madara, sensing his friend's mood, stayed by his side in silence, offering quiet companionship.
---
Meanwhile, at Fugaku Uchiha's villa…
"Minato, what's on your mind? Got some big ideas? Don't tell me you're thinking of coming out of retirement and taking back control of Konoha!" Fugaku said, eyeing his friend.
He could tell Minato had changed. The old Minato was always bright and optimistic, but now there was a shadow over him.
Not that it was surprising. After everything Minato had learned, it was a miracle he hadn't lost it completely. His mental strength was impressive.
Minato shook his head at Fugaku's question. "Nah, Fugaku. I don't care about being Hokage again. The Fourth Hokage is dead. I'm just Minato Namikaze now.
I gave everything to Konoha once—my life included.
But this second chance at life? I'm living it for myself. For my family."
Minato paused for a moment before continuing. "Fugaku, you're my friend. Back when I became Hokage, you supported me without hesitation. Now I've got an idea…"
"Spill it," Fugaku said.
"You remember what Hirofumi said about needing money to summon the dead, right? He's broke, and he can't just leave Konoha whenever he wants. But I've got a plan—I'll help him get the cash. I want to see Kushina again… I miss her."
"So you're saying…" Fugaku leaned in.
"Exactly. Fugaku, I'm wondering if you're up for it too. If you are, maybe we could leave the village together. It's been years since we went on a mission as a team, hasn't it?"
Fugaku's face broke into a grin. "Yeah, it's been forever. Ever since you became Hokage and I took over as Uchiha clan leader, we haven't had a chance to do normal ninja stuff.
Heading out sounds kinda fun. And honestly, I miss Mikoto too.
But we might need to rake in a lot of cash. Hirofumi said summoning the dead isn't a sure thing—we might not get who we want on the first try.
And knowing that kid's personality, you think he's not gonna charge us a 'handling fee' or something? Haha!"
Minato chuckled at that. "Doesn't matter. We'll just make a ton of money then! There aren't that many Hokage-level shinobi out there. A few billion ryo should be enough to get Kushina out.
You, though, Fugaku—I remember Mikoto was only a jonin, right? Summoning her might take some extra effort…"
Fugaku gave a mysterious smile. "Haha, Minato, you don't know everything about the Uchiha's Sharingan. Let's just say Mikoto awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan before she died. That puts her at Hokage-level strength too!"
---