"Oh?" Uzumaki Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Then what do you think the other clans are planning, Father?"
Inside the seal, Namikaze Minato grew serious.
"They've already begun preparing," Minato said.
"When I first became Hokage, I realized something very clearly—the major ninja clans had already divided up nearly all of Konoha's resources."
"The hereditary system among the clans forces civilians to raise their children as shinobi just to secure a place in the village."
"And once civilians become ninja, if they lack backing from a well-connected jōnin, they're essentially destined to become expendable cannon fodder."
Naruto listened quietly.
"Now," Minato continued,
"whether the Uchiha coup succeeds or fails, it will inevitably trigger a redistribution of Konoha's resources."
"No clan will miss the opportunity to expand its influence."
"But Uchiha Shisui already revealed the entire plan to the Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"And while the Uchiha believe themselves well-prepared, their rebellion is doomed to fail."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why are you so certain the Uchiha can't succeed, Father?"
Minato shook his head.
"You've seen Shisui's memories."
"The Uchiha clan has become blindly optimistic. Deep down, they lack real confidence."
"It's tragic—they've pinned all their hopes on nothing more than the name 'Uchiha.'"
"From Shisui's memories, most of them show no strategic awareness. They obey their leadership blindly, ignore the civilian population entirely, and completely disregard the other clans."
"If their coup succeeded, the interests of every other clan would be threatened."
"That alone has already forced the rest of Konoha into alignment with the village leadership."
"In short," Minato concluded,
"the Uchiha are attempting to pit one clan against the entire village."
"Even with strong combat power, that outcome is unrealistic."
He paused, then added quietly,
"And they've already been betrayed from within."
"Naruto… aren't you also unconvinced by the Uchiha?"
Naruto's expression tightened.
"You noticed that too?"
"Not just me," Minato replied, pointing toward the seal's depths.
"He noticed as well."
Kurama, who had been dozing, opened one eye lazily.
"Hmph. Fourth Hokage, you really never kick that habit of talking too much."
Minato coughed awkwardly.
"Kurama… how did you figure it out?"
Now Naruto was genuinely curious.
"I didn't 'figure it out,'" Kurama grumbled.
"I sensed it."
"The clearest moment was when you went to the Hokage's office."
"Back then, Shisui was still alive. When I released my chakra to corrode the seal, I could clearly feel it—you already knew he was doomed."
"That's why you planted those explosive tags near the Naka River in advance."
"And during that speech the Third Hokage gave," Kurama continued,
"when you looked at those Uchiha police officers…"
"…your gaze was the same as if you were looking at corpses."
Naruto nodded calmly.
"That's fair."
"I already discussed this with Father back when we talked about the fall of the Senju clan."
"The Uchiha were always heading toward destruction."
With that, Naruto withdrew his consciousness from the seal.
It was time to go home for lunch. Classes would resume in the afternoon.
Inside the seal, Minato remained standing silently.
His feelings toward Konoha were becoming… complicated.
That Afternoon — Ninja Academy
Instead of heading straight to class, Naruto walked into one of the dojo rooms inside the Academy.
"Today, we'll be doing group sparring drills!"
Standing at the center of the dojo, Umino Iruka called out,
"Haruno Sakura! Yamanaka Ino! Step forward!"
Nearby—
"Hey, Chōji… can I have a chip?"
"Sorry. That was the last one."
Nara Shikamaru yawned as Akimichi Chōji finished off the empty bag.
"Naruto," Shikamaru asked lazily,
"wanna guess who your opponent will be?"
Naruto leaned against the wall, rolling his eyes.
"Do I need to guess?" he replied flatly.
"Knowing our teacher, he's obviously going to let his favorite genius try to 'teach me a lesson.'"
Shikamaru raised both hands.
"Yeah… figured you already knew."
"Then you probably know how I'm going to respond too," Naruto said.
"…More or less," Shikamaru admitted.
"Honestly, I'd probably do the same thing."
"Uchiha Sasuke! Uzumaki Naruto! Step forward!"
The dojo erupted instantly.
"Sasuke-kun! You can do it!"
"Beat him up!"
"Sasuke's a genius—he'll win for sure!"
Naruto walked forward calmly.
He noticed that Uchiha Sasuke, usually proud and aloof, was frowning slightly—distracted.
"Before the match begins," Iruka announced,
"form the seal of confrontation with your dominant hands!"
As Iruka stepped back—
Naruto raised his hand.
"No need," he said calmly.
"I forfeit."
"What?!" Iruka's expression twitched violently.
"I said I forfeit."
Iruka's eyes flashed with anger.
"Fine! Then step aside!"
The Third Hokage said this kid already has solid taijutsu…
Iruka clenched his teeth.
Naruto had surrendered voluntarily. There was nothing Iruka could scold him for.
"Haha! That loser chickened out!"
"Of course he didn't stand a chance against Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto returned to his original spot without another word.
Sasuke watched him, confusion deepening.
My brother said he was strong… so what is this?
"Knew you'd do that," Shikamaru muttered.
"Too bad. I almost wanted to go first."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Our teacher has it out for me more than you," he replied.
"And since you'd have forfeited anyway, does it really matter who went first?"
Shikamaru sighed.
"Still troublesome…"
Naruto's expression suddenly sharpened.
Gen'yō?
Why is he at the Academy?
Using his sensory perception, Naruto locked onto the old man immediately.
What he saw next chilled him.
He's moving along the explosive tag routes I planted…
He's disabling the fuse lines—one by one!
Naruto's eyes turned icy.
Is Gen'yō trying to sabotage my preparations?
Yet he made no move to stop him.
Whether it was a sudden attack of conscience or a lapse in judgment didn't matter.
There were far too many explosive tags hidden throughout Konoha.
And with the Uchiha situation escalating, the village leadership had already deployed elite shinobi to monitor every critical sector.
Gen'yō would never reach truly vital locations like the Hokage Monument or the administrative buildings.
Not a chance.
(End of Chapter)
PS :
Gen'yō's Interference : A new variable attempting to dismantle Naruto's explosive-tag network.
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