"I see. In that case, Fugaku Uchiha is indeed a good candidate."
Jiraiya nodded in realization.
"Then why isn't it the one called Uchiha Itachi?"
Tsunade, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly spoke up; this blonde woman with twin tails always had a sharp tone.
Or rather, this was Princess Tsunade's unique personal style:
"According to what you said, Minato, isn't that Uchiha Itachi also a very gentle child?"
"Ah, that..."
Minato Namikaze scratched his head, showing an embarrassed smile:
"I didn't consider that, but Itachi-kun is indeed very likely as well."
Now, both the father and son, Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, were very likely.
For a moment, Minato Namikaze couldn't distinguish which one was more probable.
"Are Uchiha En and Uchiha Saemon both excluded?"
Homura Mitokado suddenly spoke up.
But unfortunately, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Minato Namikaze, who were just chatting warmly, none of them paid him any attention.
The old man's beard was already white; to be directly ignored while speaking in this setting, he almost had a heart attack.
Fortunately, his comrade in the same trench helped ease the embarrassment; Utatane Koharu quickly chimed in:
"Uchiha En is an elder of the Uchiha Clan's Hawk faction, and Uchiha Saemon is the Captain of The Guard Platoon."
"Both of them are die-hard hawks; if we're talking about candidates for a coup, only these two would be possible."
In Utatane Koharu's memory, Uchiha En and Uchiha Saemon were both damnably stubborn.
One stayed in the Uchiha compound all day, preaching about the glory of the Uchiha and playing the game of glorious independence.
The other led The Guard Platoon, which had almost become the tyrant of Konoha Village, causing trouble and friction every day.
To say that these two hardliners, both over fifty, would suddenly change their stance and side with Konoha...
...it would be more believable to say that Danzo Shimura had a sudden change of heart and repented.
"Hokage-sama, personally, I feel that the possibility for Patriarch Fugaku is not high."
While everyone was thinking, Shikaku Nara suddenly spoke up.
"Oh? Why?"
Shikaku Nara's words drew everyone's gaze to him, and he explained calmly:
"Hokage-sama, if we follow the timeline in the event list, after the 'Nine-Tails Attack', you sacrificed yourself."
"In that case, would Fugaku Uchiha still move closer to the Hokage Building?"
With that one sentence, everyone suddenly saw the light.
Except for Jiraiya, of course.
The Old White Hair saw everyone else looking enlightened while he completely failed to grasp the meaning, and he was instantly dumbfounded.
He wanted to jump out and ask, but feared Tsunade's iron fist and could only hold it in.
His appearance made Tsunade laugh inwardly.
Seeing her companion make a fool of himself, Princess Tsunade, whose mood had improved, mercifully began to explain to the Old White Hair:
"That kid Shikaku means that in the Hokage Building, only Minato is willing to accept the Uchiha Clan."
"If Minato died in the 'Nine-Tails Attack', what the attitude of the newly appointed Hokage would be is unknown."
As she spoke, Tsunade's eyes glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was smoking silently to the side.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt extremely awkward under her gaze.
The old Hokage was now feeling stifled; how did the situation suddenly turn sour?
He was a fine 'ninja hero', a leader who led Konoha to victory in two Ninja World Wars, a kind teacher to his disciples, and the Hokage-sama respected by the villagers.
How did it suddenly feel like he was being deserted by everyone?
But Tsunade's words left Hiruzen Sarutobi with no way to refute.
One must know that during Hiruzen Sarutobi's decades as Hokage, his consistent policy was to suppress and isolate the Uchiha Clan.
How could he, after the Fourth Hokage died and he reclaimed the Hokage seat, immediately change his attitude and accept the Uchiha Clan?
So, there was absolutely nothing wrong with pinning this blame on him.
"Shikaku, do you mean that because I died, Fugaku had no way to move closer to the Hokage Building and ultimately could only turn into a hawk?"
Minato Namikaze also cleared his thoughts.
"Whether he would become a hawk is unknown, but Patriarch Fugaku certainly wasn't the one advocating for peace."
"After all, didn't that Uchiha Shisui just say he would use Kotoamatsukami to control him at the critical moment?"
Shikaku Nara said.
Although at this time, everyone still didn't know what kind of technique Kotoamatsukami was.
But one could tell just by hearing it that it was a Genjutsu.
In a critical moment, Uchiha Shisui, whose heart was with Konoha, wanted to use Genjutsu to control Fugaku Uchiha.
Then what Fugaku Uchiha's stance was could easily be imagined.
"That's right! I should have thought of it long ago, Fugaku Uchiha is of the Coup faction!"
Jiraiya realized, clapping his hands and shouting excitedly.
"Shut up! We knew all this already!"
The little bit of good mood Tsunade had just gained was ruined again by this Old White Hair; with a resentful punch, she doubled the Old White Hair over like a shrimp.
"If that's the case, it's truly a pity."
Minato Namikaze sighed inwardly, thinking that his sacrifice caused the Uchiha Clan to lose their last chance for reconciliation with Konoha, ultimately leading them down the path of a coup.
"The Uchiha Clan, one of the two great clans that founded Konoha, eventually turned their blades against Konoha; no matter the outcome, it is a huge loss for the Village."
Minato Namikaze lamented.
Hearing Minato Namikaze's words, everyone intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two also had grievances they couldn't voice.
There was no way to argue against this.
Could it be that the outcome of the Uchiha Clan's coup had nothing to do with the three of them?
Wasn't it the three of them who came up with the idea of the Village suppressing and isolating the Uchiha Clan?
But how could the three who made the decision back then have known they would taste such bitter fruit?
"Forget it, the answer should be Itachi-kun. Shikaku, go answer the question."
"Yes!"
Shikaku Nara had also confirmed that the answer was D: Uchiha Itachi. Upon receiving the order, he turned to Ye Chen and answered:
"Sir, my answer is D: Uchiha Itachi."
"Congratulations, your answer is correct."
Ye Chen nodded with a smile.
Ye Chen laughed inwardly as he watched this drama unfold.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two, plus Danzo Shimura—this generation of Konoha parasites taught by Tobirama Senju.
After being stripped layer by layer, shedding their cloak of justice, their ugly faces were exposed.
Finally, Minato Namikaze and the others saw them clearly.
And from this moment on, the righteousness of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others ceased to exist.
From now on, every decision and every suggestion from Hiruzen Sarutobi would be carefully weighed by Minato Namikaze.
Even his two disciples, Jiraiya and Tsunade, began to feel disappointed in their teacher.
Not to mention there was still Orochimaru, who was determined to kill the Old Monkey with his own hands.
The Old Monkey's life has finally reached its gloomy end.
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