The mories that had just been sealed surged back in an instant.
Everything returned.
Cause and effect. Details that had felt unclear while his mory was sealed suddenly made perfect sense.
What Minato could not understand was why his mories had resurfaced at all.
He tried to seal that portion of his mind again.
Failure.
Every attempt failed.
It was as if so unseen force was interfering. In all his years of mastering sealing techniques, he had never encountered anything like this.
In the end, he could only set the matter aside for now.
"Kaede Kitahara's diary… Namikaze Minato copy?"
He looked at the title written on the notebook and recalled who this Kaede Kitahara was.
The Konoha ninja from another tiline.
Minato leaned against the window and began reading.
When he reached the part describing how Uzumaki Naruto had been ostracized by the villagers, even labeled the Nine-Tails Demon Fox, his fists clenched unconsciously.
He had already heard so of it from the future Naruto.
But that version had been filtered. Either softened intentionally or unconsciously.
Reading it now from a third-party perspective, the anger rose in his chest.
Still…
When he thought of the Naruto he had just t, his mood eased.
Yes, his son had suffered.
But he had grown up strong.
There was stubbornness there, and warmth.
He had Kushina's heart.
Carefree on the surface, but kind at his core.
"Hatake 50/50…"
Minato let out a soft laugh when he saw the nickna Kaede had given Hatake Kakashi.
He did not fully understand the aning, but he could sense the faint malicious humor behind it.
Then his expression darkened.
Orochimaru attacking the village in the future.
That was no trivial matter.
Right now, Minato's reputation was rising rapidly, rivaling the Legendary Sannin. Of course, much of it was his own effort, but Jiraiya's support behind the scenes had also played a part.
With the Fourth Hokage selection approaching, the true candidates were limited.
Him.
And the Sannin.
Jiraiya had no interest.
Tsunade had no interest.
That left two.
Himself, representing Jiraiya's faction.
And Orochimaru.
Objectively speaking, Minato was not at an advantage.
In terms of strength, Orochimaru was no weaker. Both stood at Kage Level.
In terms of prestige, Orochimaru had led multiple large-scale operations and possessed imnse rit. Minato's achievents, while impressive, were still slightly lacking.
And then there was age.
Shimura Danzo was too old.
Minato, on the other hand, was too young.
Especially with a mature and battle-hardened competitor like Orochimaru in his pri.
Minato already knew the outco.
He would sohow beco the Fourth Hokage.
Orochimaru would lose and eventually defect.
Years later, he would carry out the Konoha Crush plan and assassinate the Third Hokage.
Minato imdiately took out paper and began calculating tilines.
From his conversations earlier, Naruto ca from twenty years in the future. Kaede Kitahara ca from seventeen years ahead.
That ant the Konoha Crush incident would occur roughly seventeen years later.
Naruto would be around twelve then.
Probably his first or second ti participating in the Chunin Exams.
He continued reading.
Hatake Kakashi confronting the future Orochimaru.
Then Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisa's return to the village.
Itachi incapacitating Kakashi with a single move.
Genjutsu masters clashed quickly and decisively.
But sothing bothered Minato.
Why did Hatake Kakashi have a Sharingan?
Unlike Kaede's case, which he claid was from awakening dormant Uchiha blood, Kakashi was clearly not from the Uchiha Clan.
He had no Uchiha lineage.
And no one awakened only a single Sharingan naturally.
Combined with what Naruto had told him earlier, Minato began writing notes in the diary.
Uchiha Itachi.
Heir of the Uchiha Clan.
Eldest son of Uchiha Fugaku.
Future clan exterminator.
Possesses the potential to awaken Mangekyo Sharingan.
Tsukuyomi, likely a Mangekyo Sharingan ability.
As he wrote, Minato's expression grew heavy.
He had a good relationship with Uchiha Fugaku.
After he beca Jiraiya's disciple and began rising as the strongest of the younger generation, many in the village had already seen the writing on the wall.
Even if he failed to beco Fourth Hokage, he would certainly be a strong contender for Fifth Hokage.
His age was a disadvantage for the Fourth position.
But perfect for the Fifth.
Fugaku had recognized this.
As a young clan head of a powerful family, he had made deliberate efforts to build ties with Minato.
Minato, being the "Little Sun" he was, accepted the goodwill warmly.
Jiraiya had even reminded him that if he truly intended to compete for the Hokage seat, the Uchiha Clan would be a powerful ally.
Minato had even considered taking an Uchiha disciple in the future as a gesture of goodwill.
After all, the Second Hokage had once taken Uchiha Kagami as a student.
There was precedent.
Even the advisory council could not object openly to that.
At the sa ti, tensions between the village and the Uchiha Clan were escalating.
Minato had seen it.
He had wanted to diate.
Taking an Uchiha student would have been one way to ease the divide.
What he never imagined…
Was that things would deteriorate to the point where Uchiha Itachi would slaughter the entire clan alone.
Unlike Naruto, Minato would not accept such a naïve explanation.
Anyone with even basic political awareness and knowledge of the Uchiha Clan understood that it was impossible.
The Uchiha Clan's strength was feared even by the village's leadership.
One person exterminates them all?
If Itachi alone could do that, what did that say about the village?
After the massacre, Itachi defected. The village issued an S-rank bounty. Only his younger brother survived.
To Minato, the pattern was obvious.
A political exchange.
A preemptive strike.
Cutting off a diseased limb before a coup could erupt.
And it was connected to his death.
If he had still been alive, things would never have reached that point.
But he had died.
The Nine-Tails had Sharingan in its eyes.
From that mont, the path toward tragedy had been set.
Only by preventing that initial chain of events could the Uchiha Clan's fate change.
But the masked man, possibly Uchiha Madara, was too mysterious.
"Even Kushina's due date was leaked…"
Minato frowned.
No matter how elusive that man was, he could not have known everything.
Sowhere, soone had leaked the due date.
That was what triggered the Nine-Tails incident.
Then Minato's eyes shifted to another matter.
"Kakashi is far too weak."
His brow furrowed.
He had placed great hopes on Hatake Kakashi.
Not only because of the Hatake Clan's heritage, but because Kakashi's talent was unparalleled among his generation.
Not one of the best.
The best.
A clear gap.
Graduated at six.
Promoted to Chunin at seven.
A record breaker.
Then ca Hatake Sakumo's suicide.
Kakashi fell into despair.
He struggled to even form proper teams.
That was why Minato had specifically requested to take him along on this Roran mission.
He had believed Kakashi's future potential was enormous.
Reaching Kage Level was not out of the question.
And yet…
Against Orochimaru, he was helpless.
Against Uchiha Itachi, he was instantly defeated.
It was disappointing.
A waste of talent.
If it were anyone else, being considered among the top non-Kage-level fighters would already be impressive.
But this was Kakashi.
He should have been stronger.
Like his father, the White Fang of Konoha.
Instead, he had ended up like this.
"That lightning-covered technique… Chidori?"
Minato recalled the scene of Kakashi using Raikiri against Orochimaru.
He did not recognize Raikiri by na.
But he knew Chidori.
Kaede had used it earlier against Mukade.
Minato assud they were the sa technique.
The difference between Chidori and Raikiri was largely one of refinent and power.
Chidori was A-rank.
Raikiri, S-rank.
Stronger. More lethal.
As for who created it, Minato naturally assud it was the older Kakashi.
Kaede must have learned it from him.
"And he doesn't even carry a sword anymore."
Minato's eyes narrowed.
From Kakashi's attire alone, he deduced sothing critical.
If Kakashi still practiced the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship, he would carry a blade.
Hatake Sakumo had never gone without his sword.
Present-day Kakashi carried his blade slung over his shoulder, ready to draw at any mont.
But future Kakashi carried none.
Instead, he relied heavily on the Sharingan borrowed from the Uchiha Clan.
Minato leaned back slowly.
Too many things had changed.
And the root of it all…
Was his death.
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