"Win over the Uchiha clan?"
Namikaze Minato was montarily stunned, looking puzzled.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded but didn't explain imdiately. Instead, he asked,
"Minato, what do you think of Uchiha Ren ?"
Minato's pupils trembled slightly.
His first instinct was to wonder whether Hiruzen knew sothing and was deliberately testing him.
Noticing Minato's subtle reaction, Hiruzen asked,
"Minato, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Minato lowered his head slightly, calming his thoughts before replying,
"It's nothing. I just feel that Uchiha Ren is… sowhat strange."
"Strange?" Hiruzen beca interested and didn't dwell on Minato's earlier reaction. "What makes you say that?"
Minato explained,
"Uchiha Ren and I were classmates at the Ninja Academy. Back then, although his personality wasn't as arrogant as most Uchiha, he was extrely withdrawn."
"He barely interacted with anyone in class and was almost like an invisible person."
"I sparred with him several tis during academy combat practice. I have to say—his talent was very strong."
"Although he wasn't quite at my level, he was definitely a genuine Uchiha prodigy."
Minato had simply intended to praise Ren 's talent, but his words unintentionally elevated himself as well—an extrely subtle form of humble bragging.
However, Minato was telling the truth.
During their ti at the Ninja Academy, Minato had been the academy's number one genius. In all their sparring matches, Uchiha Ren had never once beaten him.
After a brief pause, Minato continued.
"After graduating from the academy, Ren and I basically lost contact. Even though we lived in the sa village, we rarely saw each other."
"Until a few years ago, when Ren suddenly attended a class reunion—sothing he had never done before."
A trace of nostalgia appeared in Minato's eyes as his thoughts drifted back to that gathering.
"At that reunion, Ren seed like a completely different person."
"He was very gentle and approachable, no longer distant like before."
"Even though we hadn't seen each other for years, he chatted with all of our classmates and quickly blended into the group."
"That day, Ren even gave several books, and our interactions beca more frequent afterward."
These details were easy to verify if anyone investigated, so Minato had no reason to lie about them.
Hiruzen suddenly asked,
"Books? What kind of books did Uchiha Ren give you?"
Given the typical personality of the Uchiha clan, if they were to give soone a gift, it would usually be sothing like shuriken or kunai—items that improved combat ability.
Giving soone books seed rather out of character for an Uchiha, which made Hiruzen curious.
Minato scratched his head awkwardly.
"They weren't exactly serious books… sothing similar to the ones Jiraiya-sensei writes."
"Books written by Jiraiya?" Hiruzen's eyes lit up. "You an Make-Out Paradise?"
His interest instantly increased.
Hiruzen knew that Jiraiya had recently begun writing adult novels. He had even skimd through them a few tis.
While they weren't quite as stimulating as personally conducting "research" at the Konoha bathhouse, they still had their own charm and were decent entertainnt.
"Not those books," Minato quickly waved his hands. "They were more like Jiraiya-sensei's first novel, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi."
"Oh, that kind of novel…"
Hiruzen imdiately lost interest.
He had read part of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. The ideas were good, but they were far too naive. The writing style was diocre and the plot rather cliché.
After reading a little, he had simply stopped.
Moreover, Jiraiya's first book had been a complete flop. No bookstores were willing to print or sell it.
Jiraiya had ended up paying to print a few copies himself, mostly as souvenirs or gifts for friends.
After that failure, he had changed career tracks and beco an author of adult novels instead.
Seeing that Hiruzen had accepted the explanation, Minato quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The books Ren had given him were indeed novels.
But they had shaken him deeply, even altering so of his original beliefs. To this day, Minato still treasured them and reread them frequently.
Minato continued,
"Later, as the war intensified, I spent most of my ti fighting on the front lines."
"anwhile, Uchiha Ren served in the Konoha Military Police Force, and mbers of the Police Force aren't allowed to leave the village without cause."
"So our contact gradually decreased again."
"If I had to describe it, Ren has changed a lot—but I believe that change is a good one."
"He truly treats the people of the village as comrades."
"Although so of the things he said today were a bit extre, I can't deny that, overall, he was right."
"The legal frawork currently used by the Konoha Military Police Force is indeed outdated."
"It should be revised according to the village's present circumstances."
"That would benefit both the village and the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"I understand your reasoning. But have you considered sothing?"
"Right now, the Konoha Military Police Force is essentially the Uchiha clan's Police Force."
"If the Police Force is allowed to revise the village's laws under these circumstances, how can we guarantee the fairness of those new laws?"
Minato nodded.
"I've thought about that as well."
"That's why I previously suggested that the Uchiha clan hand over control of the Konoha Military Police Force."
"Only if the village leadership oversees the revision of the laws can their fairness be guaranteed as much as possible."
Hiruzen smiled with clear satisfaction.
"Minato, you truly haven't disappointed ."
"It's excellent that you're thinking this way."
After a brief pause, Hiruzen continued,
"But from now on, you must never say such things in public again."
"It will create an irreconcilable conflict between you and the Uchiha clan."
"And right now, the one thing you need most…"
"…is to secure the support of the Uchiha clan."
Minato froze.
"Lord Hokage… has the situation really beco this serious?"
Hiruzen sighed.
"Because your previous remarks touched on their core interests, several clans—led by the Uchiha and Hyūga—have developed strong dissatisfaction with you."
"If no one had stepped forward to compete with you, it wouldn't have mattered much."
"During the jōnin confidence vote, those clans would have at most abstained."
"But now that Shimura Danzō has entered the race, the situation is completely different."
"Over the past few days, Danzō has been actively courting the clans dissatisfied with you and has already gained considerable support."
"Even the Hyūga clan is beginning to waver."
"I said I would speak with the Hyūga on your behalf—but I can't guarantee I'll succeed in persuading them."
Hiruzen looked directly at Minato.
"So if you want absolute certainty of becoming the Fourth Hokage…"
"…you must win over the Uchiha clan."
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