Arashi walked unusually slowly on his way back to the Hokage’s office.
He was thinking carefully about what he could tell Minato—and what he could not.
Arashi would never betray Minato, but there were still things his friend could not know.
Revealing them would damage Minato’s trust and strain the bond between them.
When Arashi placed his hand on the door handle, he felt a rare flicker of anxiety.
He had remained perfectly composed before Hiruzen and Danzo, yet now his heart felt uneasy.
Still, he quickly regained control and pushed open the door.
“I’m back.”
“Mm.”
Minato sat behind his desk with an unusually cold expression.
For once, he was studying Arashi with open suspicion.
Arashi had already prepared his response, so the pressure did not bother him.
He dragged over a chair, sat across from Minato, and displayed his familiar narrow-eyed smile.
They faced each other in silence for nearly half a minute.
Minato finally released a long sigh.
“Stop pretending.”
He knew Arashi was at his most troublesome when he wore that smile.
No one could read what lay behind those narrowed eyes without using the Yamanaka clan’s mind-reading techniques.
“Then…”
Once Minato stopped acting distant, Arashi let his smile fade and relaxed.
“What would you like to discuss?”
“What exactly have you been hiding from me?”
Minato frowned.
“I’ve hidden far too many things from you.”
Arashi shrugged.
“Could you be more specific?”
Minato rolled his eyes.
He had once asked Arashi the exact same question during the Third Shinobi World War and received the exact same answer.
In the end, Arashi had revealed nothing.
Yet everything that followed proved his foresight.
He either saved their companions, struck at an enemy’s weakness, or severed an essential supply route.
“Danzo and the Uchiha.”
Minato chose one subject first.
“What exactly have you done between them?”
“If Hiruzen-sama and I hadn’t been there today, Shisui might have attacked Danzo!”
“It was exactly what you saw.”
Arashi spread his hands.
“Danzo implanted a Sharingan in himself, and Shisui discovered it.
You can hardly blame me for that.”
Before Minato could respond, Arashi continued.
“Of course, I already knew Danzo’s secret.”
“I used it to negotiate with the Uchiha and obtain their support.”
“Minato, we need people of our own.”
“You may officially be the Fourth Hokage, but how many ANBU truly obey you?”
“Do the heads of the great clans answer to you, or do they still answer to the Third?”
“One look from Hiruzen-sama was enough to make Danzo apologize to me.”
“One sentence from him was enough to reduce Danzo’s authority.”
“If I had brought yesterday’s incident directly to you, do you think Danzo would have shown you the same respect and bowed his head?”
Minato frowned.
“But you could have told me beforehand instead of facing everything alone!”
“Working alone is cleaner and faster.”
Arashi answered calmly.
“And should anything go wrong, I can accept the blame while you remain untouched—the brilliant Hokage admired by everyone.”
“It is no different from Hiruzen-sama’s Konoha and Danzo’s Root.”
“Someone must handle the darkness.”
Arashi naturally left the rest unsaid.
Both Danzo and Arashi, the men supposedly carrying that darkness, were also driven by considerable selfishness.
“Take the current situation.”
“The Uchiha support me, not you.”
“If anything goes wrong, you only need to cast me aside.”
“You can enjoy the strength of the Uchiha’s private forces without accepting any of the risks.”
“Or do you believe I would harm you?”
“Of course I don’t believe that.”
Minato possessed enough judgment to know Arashi had no malicious intentions toward him.
Had Arashi approached him with hidden hostility, Minato would never have trusted him so deeply.
“But you should know I’m not that kind of person!”
“No matter what happens, I will never abandon a companion.”
“I won’t let you bear all that darkness alone.
I will protect you!”
“Of course you aren’t that kind of person.”
Arashi smiled faintly.
“But sometimes, a choice must still be made.
That is what it means to be a shinobi.”
“Danzo is a cancer left behind from the Third Hokage’s administration.”
“I will remove both him and Orochimaru.”
“All you need to do is tell me whether you approve.”
“If you say no, I’ll stop immediately.”
“After seeing Shisui’s reaction, how could I possibly oppose you?”
Minato sighed.
“But Arashi…
the village has only just regained peace.”
“Don’t worry.
There won’t be a civil war.”
Arashi smiled.
“The most terrifying thing about politics is that it can kill without spilling a single drop of blood.”
He could barely stop himself from laughing.
He had successfully shifted the conversation away from what he had concealed and toward what burdens he was supposedly carrying.
Minato frowned.
“So you went to such lengths to win over the Uchiha because you wanted to create a private army of your own?”
“You need to look at it objectively.”
Arashi shrugged without concern.
“Subjectively, that private army doesn’t exist.”
“Objectively, it may come into existence very soon.”
“Then…
what can I do?”
After several seconds, Minato compromised.
He stopped questioning Arashi because some answers did not need to be spoken aloud.
“Continue being the brilliant Hokage and the people’s spiritual leader.”
Arashi patted him on the shoulder.
“And Kushina is already pregnant, isn’t she?
Take good care of her.”
“Yes.
The child will be born soon.”
Minato sighed.
“Arashi, I truly want that child to grow up in a better Konoha.”
“A Konoha where children no longer have to enter the battlefield.”
“Obito, Kakashi, and Rin…
If you hadn’t arrived in time, I don’t know what would have happened.”
He was clearly still afraid.
Despite being the fastest shinobi in the world, Minato had arrived far too late.
Without Arashi, the fate of those three children was easy to imagine.
“The First Hokage founded the village with the same dream.”
Arashi smiled mockingly.
“Unfortunately, after all these years…”
Then his expression became more serious than ever before.
“Don’t worry, Minato.”
“I’ll work toward that dream.”
“At the very least, I won’t allow your child to be sent onto a battlefield.”
The day Naruto was born was also the day Minato and Kushina died.
Arashi would never permit that tragedy to occur.
Saving Obito in advance did not guarantee their safety.
The other four great villages still watched Konoha hungrily.
Black Zetsu and the aging Madara continued searching for a suitable successor, while everyone inside Konoha pursued their own interests.
Arashi did not care what happened to the others.
To be honest, he did not even care what happened to Konoha.
But he had to protect Minato.
Minato was his greatest support and his only true friend.
Silence settled between them once again.
After a moment, Arashi spoke.
“It’s already time to leave work.”
“I need to find Duy-san.
Today may have been busy, but I can’t neglect my training.”
“Arashi.”
Minato suddenly caught his wrist.
“I trust you more than anyone.”
“But please don’t hurt innocent people.”
“And…
if you ever truly cross the line, I will stop you.”
The sun had already sunk behind the horizon.
Arashi’s face was hidden in the darkness, preventing Minato from seeing his expression clearly.
He could only watch as the corner of Arashi’s mouth shifted subtly before eventually forming a smile.
Arashi reached into his pocket, removed a rubber ball, and placed it in his palm.
He poured chakra into it.
The ball slowly began to rotate.
Its speed increased as both men silently watched.
Until—
Pop!
The rubber ball burst apart completely.
Fragments scattered through the air like falling snow as Arashi gave his answer.
“All right.”
…