“They” refers to those neutral Ninja in Konoha who were shocked and heartbroken by the ambition and greed of the Sarutobi Clan, feeling lost regarding the fire will, as well as Ninja who feared Danzo Shimura's Root style and did not quite trust his promises.
These Ninja were originally neutral, but with some persuasion and exchange of benefits, it was entirely possible for them to side with Minato Namikaze.
Moreover, the number of such neutral individuals was quite large; even if their strength was weak, having these three clans as the backbone of Minato Namikaze's faction completely compensated for this. Furthermore, it would allow Minato Namikaze, after becoming Hokage, to ensure his own safety while also gaining greater benefits.
Thus, a third faction in Konoha would be formed.
Additionally, if they could also gain the support of the Sarutobi Clan, then Minato Namikaze ascending to the position of Hokage would be as good as a foregone conclusion, just like the future in a parallel timeline.
After all, two factions against one, with a twofold difference in strength and numerical advantage, there was no way they could lose!
However, Minato Namikaze was not swayed by this tempting prospect; he immediately pressed, “Then, what’s the price?” He knew well that there was no free lunch in the world, and such a plan must come with a corresponding cost.
Nara Shikaku and the other two exchanged glances, as if they had been prepared. Their eyes met, as if conveying a certain understanding. Then, Nara Shikaku pointedly said, “After you become Hokage, you must immediately cut ties with your previous identity. You cannot continue to act as Hiruzen Sarutobi’s grand-disciple. You must be a fair and just Hokage, a Hokage who truly embodies the fire will.”
His words, though brief, held deep meaning.
That is, after Minato Namikaze becomes Hokage, he cannot have too many ties to his previous identity; he must fulfill the duties of Hokage with a completely new attitude. This means he may need to give up some personal interests and relationships, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to serving Konoha Village and its villagers.
In an instant, Minato Namikaze understood the deep meaning behind Nara Shikaku’s words: it was nothing more than a promise to them that once he became Hokage, he would completely distance himself from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Of course, this action was not about immediately breaking with the Sarutobi Clan or forcing them into a frenzy, but rather about not making any compromises that prioritized the Sarutobi Clan's interests.
Then, Nara Shikaku elaborated on the various arrangements for Minato Namikaze after he became Hokage.
These arrangements covered all aspects of Konoha Village, from politics to military, from economy to people's livelihood, encompassing everything.
Minato Namikaze needed to demonstrate excellent leadership and decision-making wisdom in these areas to ensure the prosperity and stability of Konoha Village.
The most crucial aspect, however, was the current fragmented situation within Konoha Ninja Village, which resembled a scattered plate of sand. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, now in a fierce clash of contradictions, were each like ants on a hot pan, impatiently summoning their Ninja legions, attempting to settle the score. With himself unable to ascend to the Hokage throne, the outbreak of civil war was almost a certainty.
“Therefore, you must stabilize them!” Nara Shikaku’s eyes widened like copper bells as he specifically cautioned, “I know Danzo Shimura all too well; he always acts indecisively. As long as we apply some pressure to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, forcing him to comply and compromise by appointing someone other than Danzo as Hokage, he will certainly agree.”
“Once the Third Hokage compromises, we can then have those neutral individuals declare their stance and support you. In this way, the support from two factions, like Mount Tai crushing an egg, will completely overwhelm Danzo’s forces, and he will then make significant concessions!”
Minato Namikaze instantly understood his profound intentions: this was clearly to exploit the internal strife between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, to draw in a third party, and reap the benefits of their conflict.
First, make Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, yield under the pressure of the entire Konoha, thereby preserving his and his clan's lives, and then fully release his support for Minato to become Hokage. In this way, the Hokage position can be easily secured.
“As for what happens after becoming Hokage, that’s for later!” Nara Shikaku continued to explain, “At that time, we must not continue to target Danzo or suppress him in any way!”
The reason for this is simple: if they continued to be hostile towards Danzo Shimura, it would not only fail to solve the problem but might also force him to resort to extreme measures, leading to a lose-lose situation for both sides.
In this way, Konoha Village would fall into internal chaos, which would be extremely detrimental to the stability and development of the entire Village.
Therefore, not only must we absolutely not show hostile attitudes towards Danzo Shimura, but we also must not force him to do anything that would lead to a destructive outcome. On the contrary, we need to cleverly use him to counterbalance the Sarutobi Clan, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At the same time, in the upcoming Third Shinobi World War, we must make the Sarutobi Clan pay for their past actions, using war to deplete their strength, rendering them incapable of threatening Konoha Village, thus achieving neutralization.
“All of this is for the stability of Konoha!” Nara Shikaku nodded heavily, saying with a firm tone, “In short, we only need one promise from you now!”
Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze suddenly looked up sharply, his gaze like a torch as he looked at the three people in front of him, seemingly asking with some disbelief, “You trust me that much?”
“Konoha has no choice left. Facing the impending Ninja World War, the internal situation is still so fragmented! At that time, no one on the battlefield will fight and sacrifice for the fire will anymore. Konoha must quickly end this fragmented situation! And the Root cause of this fragmentation lies in the Sarutobi Clan led by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura's Root,” Nara Shikaku said with a bitter smile, then sighed softly.
They had always supported Hiruzen Sarutobi without reservation, even to an almost limitless extent. However, now they had to bear the backlash of that support. Under their indulgence, the Sarutobi Clan's power had expanded rapidly, even cultivating thousands of Elite Chunin. Their power was unimaginably vast.
If the Sarutobi Clan were allowed to continue developing like this, the entire Konoha Village would probably be completely controlled by them, and at that time, Konoha Village would probably have to be directly renamed Sarutobi Ninja Village. And those who allied with the Sarutobi Clan would probably only be reduced to complete lackeys, and even if they were absolutely loyal dogs to the Sarutobi Clan, they would ultimately not escape the fate of being devoured.
The greed and shamelessness of the Sarutobi Clan were clearly seen by everyone at this moment.
“Alright, I agree!” Hearing Nara Shikaku’s explanation, Minato Namikaze no longer hesitated and immediately agreed.
After all, only by becoming Hokage would there be no more difficulties between him and Kushina!
At that time, he would also have more means to rescue Uzumaki Naruto, the child from the parallel timeline!
Here, after a period of whispered plotting, Minato Namikaze slowly opened the door and saw Nara Shikaku and the other two out.
However, at that very moment, a sharp cry suddenly echoed from the sky.
The sound was like a demon from hell, sending chills down one's spine.
Under its shrill cry, everyone was startled by the sudden sound and looked up at the sky.
They saw a giant Ninja eagle circling high in the sky. Its wingspan was several meters long, and it moved swiftly.
The Ninja eagle’s feathers were as black as ink, emitting a chilling aura. Its eyes were like burning flames, fixated on Konoha Village below, as it continuously circled and cried out.
Only after nine cries did it fly towards the Konoha Intelligence Department.
“This is…” someone exclaimed in astonishment.
“Only a war Ninja eagle!” another person said with a trembling voice.
“A black eagle, and this is the highest level of nine cries. This... this is the rhythm of a Ninja World War, is it going to start?!” someone cried out in terror.
In an instant, the ordinary Ninja of Konoha Village fell into panic. They looked at each other, their faces pale, unsure how to deal with this sudden situation.
In contrast, the civilians were completely at a loss. They knew very little about the Ninja World and had no idea what the appearance of this Ninja eagle meant.
They could only watch in fear as the Ninja panicked after the Ninja eagle cried out in the sky, and their hearts were also filled with fear and unease, going with the flow.
However, those from Ninja families understood something in their hearts.
They knew that the appearance of this Ninja eagle was by no means accidental; something significant must have happened.
For a moment, a hint of gloom flashed through the hearts of the high-ranking Ninja of the Ninja Village. They thought of the current situation in Konoha Village, and their hearts couldn't help but worry.
If a Ninja World War really broke out.
From the current fragmented internal state of Konoha, it would be a catastrophic situation for them.
Although their expressions grew increasingly grim, their bodies showed no hesitation. They moved swiftly, rushing towards the Hokage Building without a moment's delay.
Because they knew that at such a time, only by gathering all Konoha high-ranking officials and uniting all internal forces within the Hokage Building could they be guided and led to confront this potential war.
But would the outcome be so?
...
On the other side.
Danzo Shimura also looked up at the Ninja eagle circling in the sky and said, “Let’s go, this farce should come to an end!” He believed that with the start of the Ninja World War, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had completely lost the trust of the Konoha people, would surely be removed from the position of Hokage, and he himself would become Hokage and lead Konoha to victory in this war.
Regarding this, he looked at Uzumaki Naruto, who was accompanying him, his eyes filled with confidence for victory in this war.
Even the Root members accompanying him, and some friendly clan heads, were full of confidence.
Everyone knew that the source of all this confidence was the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, which brought them these results.