Nara Family.
Inoichi looked at Shikaku with a troubled expression.
"You want Kakashi to be our spy?"
"No one is more suitable than him. His current identity can help us a lot, and we know him well. He's also Minato's student."
"Did you talk to Minato about this?"
"No."
Inoichi finally couldn't hold back and said, "From the very beginning, Minato never agreed, did he?"
Shikaku's gaze deepened as he replied, "All we need to know is what's in Minato's heart. He desires the Hokage position."
Inoichi said, "But Minato doesn't want to use these methods!"
Shikaku retorted, "What methods?! What methods have we used?! Didn't Orochimaru also use methods to become Hokage?!"
Inoichi was left speechless.
When they were fighting on the front lines, the village suddenly announced that Orochimaru would succeed the Fourth Hokage.
At that time, almost everyone on the front lines thought Minato would be the future Hokage.
Was there anything more absurd than this?
Shikaku sighed deeply and said quietly, "Inoichi, after the village redrew the clan territories, didn't your people have any reactions?"
"…"
Inoichi fell silent.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, "This is... the price of failure."
Shikaku glanced sideways. "What, after failing, should you just settle for the status quo and wallow in defeat?"
Inoichi spoke, "Shikaku, you can't convince Minato. He won't do something like that."
Shikaku scoffed coldly. "It doesn't matter. Once we present everything to him, he won't refuse!"
"After he becomes Hokage, do you think he'll still hold my crimes against me?"
Inoichi furrowed his brow, sensing that the usually calm and rational Shikaku was behaving unusually.
Why had he suddenly become so fixated on this?
Was it because he felt he lost? Lost to someone he never saw as a real opponent?
After a long pause, Inoichi asked, "What exactly do you plan to do?"
"Even if Orochimaru ignores the political affairs, with someone like Hyuga Makoto under him, it won't affect his position as Hokage, it will still be rock-solid."
Shikaku said expressionlessly, "If we can't topple him, then we'll destroy him."
Inoichi sighed in resignation. "The only one who can rival Orochimaru in this village is Minato... and Jiraiya-sama. Do you think they'll do something like this?"
At this point, Inoichi had little reaction to anything Shikaku said.
They were clearly on the path of outright rebellion.
Unless they were the ones who won in the end, everything they did, no matter how light or heavy, would only lead to death.
Shikaku's eyes flickered. "No..."
"There's another person!"
.......
Every time Makoto went out, he could sense the traces of White Zetsu all over the village.
Some appeared as ordinary villagers, while others hid directly within wooden buildings, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to notice.
Not only that, but the last time Makoto visited the Nara household, he also sensed White Zetsu there.
White Zetsu could mimic anyone's chakra, and even someone like Yamanaka Inoichi, a master of sensory perception, wouldn't be able to detect any difference.
In short, every move and whisper within Konoha was under Orochimaru's control.
Except for Makoto.
Makoto could sense these White Zetsu and use Mirage to deceive their senses.
In other words, whatever White Zetsu saw or heard, it was only what Makoto wanted it to know.
No one else possessed this ability.
How many people were unaware that all their scheming had already been known to Orochimaru?
The research lab was deathly silent, and the cold temperature made Kakashi feel like he was in an ice cave.
Orochimaru didn't release any killing intent, but just by facing away from him, Kakashi was overwhelmed with fear.
The person standing before him was one of the most powerful figures in the ninja world!
To kill him would be effortless.
Kakashi had been through life-and-death situations before, and he thought he wasn't afraid of death, but standing in front of Orochimaru, the fear inside him was only magnified.
"Kakashi, are you afraid?" Orochimaru asked slowly.
"..."
Orochimaru set down the reagent in his hand and slowly turned around, his cold, expressionless face showing no emotion.
Kakashi's mind went blank.
After realizing that things had been exposed, he had no idea how to handle what was coming next.
Or perhaps, when he agreed to what Shikaku had suggested yesterday, he hadn't fully thought it through.
He had simply assumed it was natural to stand by Minato-sensei's side.
"Kakashi," Orochimaru repeated his name.
"Can you give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you?"
"..."
Kakashi stared blankly down at the floor, his gaze fixed on his toes.
The reflective surface of the tiled floor mirrored his blurry face.
He swallowed hard, "Lord Hokage..."
Orochimaru gently curled his lips into a smile. "Oh? So, in your heart, you still recognize me as Hokage? I thought you might think I'm not worthy of the title."
He walked closer to Kakashi, leaning down to whisper in his ear, "Do you want... to atone for your sins?"
.......
Uchiha Clan Territory.
"Are you saying Lord Hokage agreed?" Mikoto looked at Kushina in surprise.
"Yes!" Kushina nodded with a smile.
"This is great!" Mikoto couldn't help but laugh.
"What made Lord Hokage suddenly change his mind? Did Minato go and ask him?"
"Uh... well..." Kushina hesitated.
Her mind raced, realizing this was something that couldn't be kept a secret, especially since Ayari knew some of the details.
"I asked Makoto for help, and he assisted me," she said.
"I see, so in a critical moment, Makoto really came through," Mikoto said with a bright smile.
She said this because, during the battle, Makoto had helped Kushina suppress the Kyuubi, ensuring their victory over Kumogakure.
"..." Kushina chuckled awkwardly, not responding.
"So when are you two planning to get married?" Mikoto asked again.
"That..." Kushina blushed.
"We haven't decided yet."
She was still waiting for good news from Minato, hoping he would come and propose to her.
Now, in her mind, there was nothing standing in their way; they just had to wait for the final step—the proposal.
Mikoto immediately saw what Kushina was thinking and teasingly said, "Well, you should start preparing for the wedding. One of these days, I'll go with you to pick out wedding dress styles."
Kushina shyly responded, "Isn't that too soon?"
She had completely lost her previously carefree demeanor.
Just thinking about finally marrying Minato made her feel both shy and happy.
She only hoped Minato wouldn't make her wait any longer and would come to her soon to propose.
As for what had happened with Makoto before, it was long forgotten.
She considered it the price she paid to get to this point and was ready to move on.
Soon, she would be Minato's bride.
--------------
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