บท 116: Chapter 115: Unbreakable Allies

A week later, during a break, Minato sought out Kakashi.

At that moment, Kakashi was lying on a tatami mat, staring blankly at the ceiling fan spinning above him. His hands were wet, dripping water onto the floor, and his eyes were filled with negativity and despair.

Ever since Obito and Rin had died, Kakashi had often woken up in the middle of the night, haunted by the memory of the moment when he pierced Rin's chest with his own hand.

He couldn't forgive himself for his incompetence, nor could he forgive himself for killing Rin. His hands, stained with the blood of his comrades, felt as if they were coated in paint—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wash them clean.

Ironically, his father had chosen to commit suicide amidst a storm of criticism after abandoning a mission to save his comrades.

Yet, when Kakashi had upheld the principle that the mission was more important than his comrades, he was met with disdain from his fellow ninjas.

It was only after Obito's persuasion that he began to believe in the power of teamwork, accomplishing what seemed to be an impossible mission. But then, his comrades died right before his eyes.

It was as if fate had played a cruel joke on him.

As Minato silently entered the living room of the Hatake residence, he sat down beside Kakashi with an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry I haven't visited you until now, Kakashi."

Kakashi glanced at Minato and replied, "It's my fault. I haven't even congratulated you on becoming the Fourth Hokage yet, but I've already prepared a gift for you. It's in the room."

Looking at his disciple, who seemed to have lost all will to live, Minato didn't know how to begin the conversation.

Kakashi's tone carried a hint of blame, but it was blame directed at himself. If this continued, Kakashi might follow in his father's footsteps and commit suicide.

"Thank you..." Minato paused for a moment before continuing, "But today, I need to ask you for another favor. I need a squad leader in my Anbu unit. Would you be willing to help me out?"

"Of course..." Kakashi, who had nothing else to do, found direction in Minato's request.

Hearing this, Minato smiled. "That's good. I was worried about not having anyone to protect Kushina. Once you join the Anbu, you can move into my house. Kushina and I have already prepared a room for you."

Kakashi nodded but then grew curious. Did Kushina-sensei really need protection?

They had seen Kushina's anger before, and her sheer amount of chakra was enough to leave them breathless. Kushina-sensei was undoubtedly an elite jōnin of the village.

Minato leaned in close to Kakashi's ear and quietly revealed that Kushina was pregnant.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi's expression turned to one of surprise.

At this moment, Minato made a gesture of silence and said, "This is the village's top secret. Only by entrusting this mission to you can I be completely at ease."

Kakashi nodded slightly. Though his face still carried a trace of gloom, much of it had been dispelled.

At least this proved that he wasn't useless, that he still had value. There were comrades in the village who cared about him—he wasn't alone.

Minato-sensei trusted him, not because only he could protect Kushina-sensei. The real reason was to help him out of his depressed state. Otherwise, it would have been more logical to entrust the task to Lord Jiraiya, given their closer relationship.

---

After leaving the Hatake residence, Minato returned to his own home.

The previous night, after a long discussion with Kushina, he decided to unite the powers of the Hyūga and Uchiha clans to break free from the influence of the Third Hokage and to suppress the factions led by Danzo and Orochimaru.

It wasn't just because Orochimaru had been his rival in the past—Minato had long been displeased with both Danzo and Orochimaru. Orochimaru was one thing; apart from his cold, unfeeling methods, there wasn't much else to fault him for. But Danzo and his subordinate Anbu training program (Root) was simply going too far.

During the Third Hokage's tenure, Danzo, as a close friend of the Third, could use the pretext of a training program to build his private army. But now that Minato was Hokage, why should Danzo still be allowed to have his own private force?

Through casual conversations with his friend Shikaku, Minato had learned many things even before he became Hokage.

Aside from special departments like Anbu and Root, each major clan trained its own private forces, with the Uchiha having the largest and most elite force. However, these were funded by the clans themselves.

Danzo's Root, on the other hand, was different. He used the Hokage's office budget to train a private army loyal to him alone, even influencing the Hokage's decisions.

From a purely self-interest perspective, Minato and Danzo's factions were destined to be at odds.

Earlier that morning, Minato had tried to get Danzo to hand over the personnel list of Root, but Danzo refused. The Third Hokage tried to mediate, which left Minato feeling very frustrated.

If it was this hard to regain control over what was originally the Hokage's own force, reforming the village in the manner of the Hidden Rain Village would be even more difficult. Therefore, Minato needed the support of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans to become a Hokage in both name and fact.

When he returned home, Minato saw Kushina and Mikoto in the garden.

The two expectant mothers, who were of similar age, were chatting about preparations for motherhood and sharing some personal anecdotes.

Naturally, Minato didn't join their conversation. His gaze fell on Fugaku, who was standing nearby.

After exchanging glances, Minato greeted first, "Clan Leader Fugaku, shall we go inside and have a chat?"

Fugaku nodded. This was the reason he had come.

Ever since the Uchiha clan missed out on the Hokage nomination, not even having the chance to run, the discontent at clan meetings had been growing.

Some clan members resented the village's treatment of the Uchiha, while others voiced more discordant opinions.

Fugaku knew that these clan members were just venting their frustrations, but when emotions reach a certain level, they are bound to erupt eventually. In the face of the current Senju faction, the Uchiha stood little chance of winning.

Upon hearing that Kushina had invited Mikoto over, Fugaku did not hesitate to come to the Hokage residence.

From the moment he saw Minato Namikaze, he understood that the young Hokage was in as much trouble as he was.

Sitting on the sofa, Minato and Fugaku talked extensively, covering topics from diplomatic environments to internal village matters. The conversation lasted for over an hour, after which both men wore satisfied smiles, clearly having reached some form of agreement.

For the Fourth Hokage, he needed the Uchiha to counter the Third Hokage and Danzo, to free himself from the constraints imposed by the old guard.

For the Uchiha, they needed the Hokage to escape their isolation and support.

Both parties were gaining something valuable, making them unbreakable allies. If this alliance could be maintained, the long-standing conflict between the Senju and Uchiha might finally come to an end.

However, as was often the case, an unexpected event would likely to occur.