Seeing Sasuke's expression, Minato understood immediately.
"You've talked with Obito?"
"Yes. He said the Uchiha Clan doesn't get along well with the other families in the village or the villagers themselves." These were things Sasuke had never known before.
"There are probably two reasons for that. On one hand, power often creates a sense of distance and division between people. Only through extra effort can someone with great power integrate into a weaker group. And this effort isn't about getting stronger, it's about putting in the work to understand others."
Minato explained.
"Obito is a bit of a free spirit. Before his big breakthrough, his achievements weren't particularly remarkable. But he was always willing to help the villagers, especially the elderly and children in need. He couldn't stand turning a blind eye to those who needed help, even if it meant going beyond his own abilities to assist them. So, when Obito faced hardship, those he had helped were eager to return the favor."
Sasuke was somewhat surprised. What could ordinary villagers possibly do for a ninja?
Minato smiled. "Obito earned the nickname 'D-rank Mission Killer.' Tasks that would usually require multiple teams to complete? With Obito in our squad, we'd finish them all by ourselves—and still end up with plenty of gifts from the villagers. That's all thanks to the people he helped."
"Sounds kind of funny."
"It is, but that's exactly why people in the village often forget he's an elite from the Uchiha Clan. They just see him as Obito. Kushina adores him, too. She always tells me that she hopes our future child will be as kind-hearted as Obito."
"Kushina is..." Sasuke remembered the Fourth Hokage had mentioned she was his girlfriend.
Watching Naruto and Obito in the distance, Sasuke felt like he was on the edge of understanding something, but it remained just out of reach, like a fleeting thought he couldn't quite grasp.
Minato: "My girlfriend. Want to see? She's gorgeous!"
"So what's the second reason the Uchiha Clan's relationship with the village was bad? You said there were two reasons earlier."
Sasuke silently cut off the topic.
The weight of his hatred made him uninterested in anything like beauty. He'd rather focus on training with Naruto and the others!
Although Minato didn't know exactly why Itachi had wiped out the Uchiha Clan, he felt that Sasuke, as both a descendant and an avenger, couldn't remain completely unaware of certain internal issues within the clan.
He asked, "Sasuke, do you like Konoha?"
Sasuke didn't expect the Fourth Hokage to ask such a question.
After a moment of thought, he answered carefully, "Ever since the Uchiha... everyone's kept their distance from me. The looks I get are nothing but pity. But this place holds all my cherished memories of home and family..."
"So you do like it, right?" Minato pressed. "If anyone tried to harm Konoha, you'd rush to protect the village and its people without hesitation."
"Of course!" Sasuke wondered why the Fourth Hokage would ask such an obvious question.
Minato ruffled Sasuke's hair. "You really are Fugaku's son—your thoughts mirror his. But... not every Uchiha shares this mindset."
"What?!"
"Have you heard of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?"
"Of course! Fourth Hokage, you sacrificed yourself to fight that demon fox..." Mid-sentence, Sasuke suddenly realized the man before him was only a Jōnin of Konoha, with no direct experience battling the Nine-Tails.
Sasuke: "Anyway, the people of Konoha fear the Nine-Tails and hate it. The Fourth Hokage-sama, who stopped the Nine-Tails from attacking Konoha, is a hero to everyone in the village."
Minato had already learned the cause of his death from Kakashi. But more than that, he wanted to tell Sasuke: "Do you know who brought the Nine-Tails to Konoha, who attacked Konoha, and who caused the village to hate and fear the Nine-Tails so much?"
"Brought? Isn't the Nine-Tails a natural disaster?" Sasuke asked, his face filled with shock.
Minato replied, "It was one of Konoha's founders, a close friend of the First Hokage-sama, and the former leader of the Uchiha Clan—Madara Uchiha."
Sasuke: "!!!"
"You might wonder why none of you know this history," Minato explained. "It's because after the First Hokage killed his dear friend, he was devastated. To help the village forget the pain Madara Uchiha caused, he deliberately concealed this history."
Ninja education was simple and focused on practical skills—more about ninjutsu and how to complete missions than useless historical knowledge.
"But that history is less than a century old. Many of the children from that time are now the elders of Konoha. Through their stories and teachings, fear of the Nine-Tails became intertwined with fear of the Uchiha clan. Even the Second Hokage worried that the Uchiha might produce another figure like Madara Uchiha."
"Why?! Why did Madara Uchiha do this?!" Sasuke demanded.
"It's said that Konoha's development went against his vision, so he planned to destroy the village."
The idea that someone would choose destruction over accepting a reality they didn't like left Sasuke shocked.
Sasuke exclaimed, "Konoha isn't just his village!!" Didn't Madara realize how selfish that was?!
"After Madara's death, the right-wing faction that followed his ideology still exists," Minato continued. "Fugaku-senpai became the Uchiha clan leader at a young age. He's a man of great responsibility, wanting to lead the Uchiha to greater heights while also protecting Konoha. These two goals, which shouldn't be in conflict, caused him immense distress due to the clash between the right-wing faction and the village."
Minato added, "Let me tell you this in confidence—I did plan to help resolve this dilemma for him and Mikoto-san if I became Hokage. But I'm sorry to say, this version of me seems to have died without keeping that promise."
The weight of this information left Sasuke speechless for a long time. He didn't know what to say.
He finally asked, "What exactly are you trying to tell me?"
"A ninja's every action is never impulsive," Minato explained. "It's always based on a complex judgment made from a web of intelligence and real-world factors. You say Itachi told you the clan's destruction was just to test his own capacity, but I believe he might be hiding something."
"Are you trying to stop me from seeking revenge?!!" Sasuke roared, attracting the attention of the others.
"Of course I won't stop you from avenging yourself," Minato replied. "But if Itachi truly killed his own family just for a test of strength..."
Minato's killing intent suddenly erupted! It was the same terrifying aura that had once made the shinobi of Kumogakure issue the order during the Third Shinobi World War: 'Upon sighting the Yellow Flash of Konoha, abandon the mission and flee immediately!'
Sasuke, who had once been paralyzed by Zabuza's killing intent, now understood that facing the Fourth Hokage was like a child standing before a giant.
He swallowed hard as Minato Namikaze spoke again:
"If that's the case, not only will I not stop you, but I'll help you deal with Itachi!"