Chapter-32 The Plan Begins

"Sir, do you mean the Uchiha clan and the Hyuga clan?"

Minato reacted quickly and immediately thought of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.

The former needs no further explanation.

As for the latter, they are nominally the largest clan in Konoha. If they support Minato, at least the civil war will be avoidable.

"Don't you have a good relationship with Fugaku?"

"With your intervention, he will definitely join. Besides, after this Nine Tails Rebellion, the Uchiha clan won't have many options."

After this battle, the Uchiha clan's situation will only worsen.

Most villagers are bound to grow hostile toward them, which is also why hawkish rebels have started to rise within Uchiha.

In fact, as the current clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku himself is inclined to support Minato.

Fugaku could be considered the strongest 'angel investor.'

He has long been attracted to Minato, and they are good friends. His wife, Mikoto, and Kushina are also close friends.

Given his relationship with Minato, as long as Minato is alive, Fugaku would have no problem protecting the Uchiha clan for decades.

With Minato in power, the Night of the Genocide would never happen!

Unfortunately, no matter how much Fugaku had invested, it couldn't withstand the unexpected change.

The Nine Tails Rebellion took Minato and his wife away, destroying all his investments and pushing the Uchiha clan into a corner.

In other words, Fugaku had already committed heavily to Minato.

Had it not been for the Nine Tails killing Minato and Kushina, Fugaku would have been the first to oppose anyone trying to harm the Fourth Hokage!

In a sense, the Uchiha clan under Fugaku had already picked a side.

And Minato himself understood this:

"Sir, you're right. Fugaku is definitely someone we can count on. If I go to him, there's a high chance he'll support me."

"It's just that the Hyuga clan is not so easy to win over!"

The political leanings of the Hyuga clan are far more complicated than those of the Uchiha.

Most of the time, the Uchiha simply want to survive and seek equal treatment in the village.

But the Hyuga clan's goal has always been to become the largest ninja clan in Konoha.

In reality, the Hyuga clan has already achieved this status.

On one hand, both the Senju and Uchiha clans suffered heavy losses in the Second and Third World Wars, with the Senju almost wiped out, leaving the Hyuga clan to take their place.

On the other hand, the Byakugan has a natural counter against the Sharingan, capable of breaking its genjutsu and even the Distinguished Heavenly Gods.

Although the Hyuga clan doesn't produce multiple brilliant geniuses like the Uchiha, the Byakugan makes it much easier for their ninjas to excel.

As long as they master the Byakugan and the clan's techniques, it is not hard to rise to the rank of Jōnin.

Thus, the Hyuga clan consistently has more Jōnin than other major clans.

Additionally, the Caged Bird Curse Seal ensures absolute control over the branch family members, uniting the clan's forces.

This has led the Hyuga clan to have significant influence in Konoha's Jōnin Council.

The Jōnin Council, akin to a legislative body, operates independently from the Hokage's core leadership.

Before any major decision that affects the entire village can be enacted, it must pass through a vote in the Jōnin Council.

Given the Hyuga clan's large number of Jōnin and their unity, they effectively control the Jōnin Council, making them the most powerful faction in Konoha's political landscape.

This is the true reason the Hyuga clan has remained so entrenched in Konoha, making it extremely difficult to sway them.

Even if they stay neutral, their position allows them to live comfortably and maintain their dominance.

Why should they fully support a 'puppet Hokage' against the entrenched leadership of Konoha?

...

"The Hyuga clan is indeed difficult to sway."

"Their neutral stance and stable position allow them to enjoy a peaceful existence."

"But that's not a big problem. As long as the second and third steps of the plan are implemented, they will come to you, even if you don't go to them."

Wakato continued.

Kushina's eyes lit up at these words.

"Sir, please tell me more!"

Her greatest wish right now is for Minato to regain real power and stop being a puppet to the old leaders, taking the blame for them.

"The second step: Use retreat to advance and sow discord!"

"Step three: Kill with a borrowed knife, and let the oriole catch the bird!"

"Specifically, here's how it works... first... then... and finally..."

"How does it sound?"

Wakato was making a playful suggestion, confident that Minato, already under the pressure of the looming threat, would take the bait.

"There seems to be something wrong with this. A lot of ninjas will be sacrificed!"

Minato hesitated. He truly didn't want to see any more casualties...

"Some sacrifices are inevitable, Minato. You should know that very well."

"I'm just offering suggestions. It's up to you to decide whether to follow them."

"Don't forget, Konoha doesn't have much time left."

"By the way, here's another piece of information: It won't be long before Uchiha Madara and Obito take control of Mist Hidden Village and the Fourth Mizukage..."

Minato was shocked once again!

Though he couldn't confirm whether Wakato's information was true, if it were, then Konoha was indeed running out of time!

Without wasting any more moments, Minato made a hard decision and agreed to Wakato's plan.

He had never been indecisive—whether it was fighting Obito or sealing the Nine Tails, once Minato made up his mind, he acted without hesitation.

"Kushina, I'll need you to be strong for a while."

"It's nothing. I just can't go out. This way, our family of three can spend a little more time together."

Kushina was happy, wanting Minato to spend more time with her and Naruto.

She wholeheartedly supported this plan.

"Good!"

"Sir, Kushina, please wait here for a moment."

"I'm going to explain this to the Third Hokage."

With that, Minato disappeared in an instant.