Chapter 78: Minato's Choice

“Lord Minato, the Uchiha only seek justice.”
Faced with Minato's earnest plea, Uchiha Li silently offered an apology in his heart before responding resolutely.
This opportunity had not come easily. No matter what, he had to bring down the Third and elevate Minato, who was sympathetic to the Uchiha.
Only in this way could he continue his research in genetics within the village without anxiety.
Minato fell silent upon hearing this. After a moment, he sighed. “I understand your intentions.”
His hesitation stemmed from the fact that the Third was, after all, his elder.
There were things he was not ignorant of; he simply chose to feign ignorance rather than face them directly.
But now, the Uchiha were being treated unfairly—a mistake born from the village’s upper echelons.
Minato, too, felt anger and disappointment, for in his eyes, the Uchiha were no different from any other clan.
Everyone was part of the village, and the Uchiha had been striving to integrate themselves more fully.
Moreover, the Uchiha had never shown him, the Hokage, any disrespect, always standing firmly at his side.
Given all this, both publicly and privately, he had no grounds to refuse.
“Lord Minato, you are a true Hokage.”
Seeing that Minato, after a brief hesitation, agreed without deflecting responsibility, Uchiha Li smiled.
His initial judgment had proven correct.
The entire incident with the Nine-Tails was a turning point for the Uchiha’s fate.
At that time, in Konoha, only Minato, because of Kushina, understood the true circumstances of the Uchiha.
Uchiha Fugaku now added, “Minato, on behalf of the entire Uchiha clan, I thank you.”
Minato’s decision to uphold their rightful demands was a tremendous relief to him.
Minato shook his head with a wry smile. “This is my duty. I only hope that the Uchiha will not let me down and truly become a part of the village.”
When he had just assumed the mantle of Hokage, he, too, had dreamed of making sweeping reforms.
But soon, reality taught him otherwise. As the Fourth, he was not the true Hokage in power.
He originally thought perhaps the Third just lacked trust, and that time would change things.
One day, he would truly hold authority and build Konoha according to his ideals.
But unexpected events changed the situation, and he was forced into silence.
Now, though, for the sake of the village, he seemed compelled to assert his position as Hokage.
“Of course. As long as the village remains just, the Uchiha will surely integrate into it,”
Uchiha Li answered.
As one of Konoha’s founders, the Uchiha had no desire to leave unless there was truly no other option.
If they had wished to, back when Madara left, others would have followed.
Besides, as founders, why should they leave in disgrace?
If anyone were to leave, it ought to be those who constantly targeted the Uchiha.
After all, they were the latecomers!
This sentiment was shared by almost all the Uchiha, including Li himself.
“In that case, I believe you.” Minato said, “Come, as the Fourth, I could use some fresh air.”
Uchiha Li and Fugaku nodded and followed Minato out of the compound and onto the street.
At once, the crowd erupted upon seeing Minato.
A hero of the Third War, coupled with his likable nature and reputation, Minato was held in high esteem.
As they walked, villagers continually greeted him.
“Lord Minato, how is your health? Have you recovered?”
“Hokage-sama, it’s been so long since we’ve seen you!”
And so on.
The ordinary villagers might not know the truth, but they were simply happy to see Minato.
To them, the Hokage’s presence signaled the village’s renewed strength and, with it, greater security.
“The winds of change are coming to the village!”
The more informed ninja on the street—especially those from the clans—changed their expressions and hurried home to report.
The Fourth Hokage had ended his convalescence, accompanied by members of the Uchiha, and was heading to the Hokage’s office…
In an instant, the news swept through Konoha like wildfire.
Before the group had even reached the Hokage’s office, tension had gripped the village.
…
Inside the Hokage’s office,
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage’s chair, no longer able to focus on the mound of paperwork before him.
The moment Uchiha Li left the clan compound with Fugaku, he received word of their formal visit to Minato.
But knowing this changed nothing—there was nothing he could do to stop it.
If it were anyone else, or even just Fugaku, he would not have cared.
But after all that had happened, Hiruzen understood: anything involving Uchiha Li was never simple.
And for Li to act so decisively the day after his return—trouble was clearly brewing.
Just then, Shisui entered the office, addressing him, “Lord Third, you wanted to see me?”
Seeing Shisui, Hiruzen set aside his thoughts and smiled. “Do you know why Uchiha Li is seeking out Minato?”
Shisui tilted his head, puzzled. “Lord Third, you don’t know?”
Hiruzen’s eyes flashed, then he quickly shook his head. “What’s happened?”
He had been preoccupied with the aftermath of the Cloud delegation’s incident, worried about the possibility of war.
Thus, he had paid little attention to village affairs of late.
Shisui looked at the Third’s puzzled expression, unsure whether he was truly ignorant or merely pretending.
After a moment’s thought, Shisui answered, “Li was attacked on returning to the village. I saw it with my own eyes—the attackers were from Root.”
He paused, then asked, feigning curiosity, “Lord Third, as far as I know, Root should have been disbanded. Why would they try to kill Li?”
“What?!”
At these words, Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed, disbelief flashing across his face.
Now he understood all too well what had transpired.
No one but Danzo could have orchestrated this.
He distinctly remembered warning Danzo not to act against the Uchiha during this period.
But it seemed Danzo had taken advantage of his inattention and acted anyway.
Hiruzen’s expression darkened. Ignoring Shisui’s question, he immediately ordered the Anbu outside, “Bring Danzo to me!”
Shisui watched the Third’s every move with a calm gaze, offering no opinion.
After the assassination attempt, he had completely lost all trust in the Third and his circle.
Whether the Third had tacitly approved Danzo’s actions or was truly ignorant no longer mattered.
He was there now only to observe.
If the stalemate persisted, he would not hesitate to follow Uchiha Li’s lead and deliver to the man he had once idolized…