Uchiha Fugaku might have worn a relaxed expression, but deep down, his heart was heavy with bitterness. The fact that Mikoto had awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan before her death meant she had suffered unimaginable pain. She had witnessed her own son butcher their clan, slaughtering even her own parents. That despair—how agonizing it must have been for her.
Namikaze Minato paused, processing Fugaku's revelation.
"I didn't expect Mikoto had already awakened the Mangekyō," he murmured, his eyes darkening slightly. "That makes things easier. We just need to get a few hundred million more, and then… Kushina and Mikoto should be fine."
Meanwhile, back in his home, Shouta Kazuki had just returned. He had been paying close attention to what was happening within the summoning space, eager to see how Minato would react after being sent back. To his surprise, Minato and Fugaku were already making plans—without any persuasion from him. He had assumed they would need a little nudging, maybe some manipulation. Instead, they had come to the conclusion on their own that Konoha was rotten, and they needed to act.
This development worked in his favor. His biggest concern had always been money. With Minato and Fugaku willing to take matters into their own hands, things had become significantly easier. He was still a student at the Ninja Academy, bound by Konoha's rules, which meant he couldn't leave the village freely. That limitation made it impossible for him to earn or steal large sums of money. But these two? They had no such restrictions. With their skills, getting money from outside would be trivial.
As he was still deep in thought, Minato's voice echoed from within the summoning space.
"Shouta! Are you there? Fugaku and I have something to discuss with you!"
Chakra swirled around Shouta as he connected to the summoning realm, his consciousness materializing within the transparent space.
"Uncle Minato, Uncle Fugaku," he greeted, his tone casual. "I already know what you two were discussing earlier. No problem. In fact, this is a great thing for me."
Both men nodded, but Minato's gaze was serious.
"There's something you need to understand, though," Minato said. "Summoning the dead isn't an exact science, right? There's a chance we won't get Kushina and Mikoto on the first attempt. That's why we'll need a lot more money than we originally planned."
Shouta smirked. "Of course. I was going to tell you that anyway."
"Good," Minato said firmly. "Then we'll start immediately. Summon us back to the real world, and we'll take care of the rest."
Shouta blinked in surprise. "That soon?"
Minato nodded without hesitation. "Time is money, literally in this case. Even if we take the easy route and just steal, it will take time to gather the amount we need. And besides…" His voice softened. "I want to see Kushina as soon as possible. I miss her."
Hearing those words, Fugaku placed a hand on Minato's shoulder in silent understanding. Then, Minato turned back to Shouta, his expression hopeful.
"By the way, Shouta… Once we summon Kushina, can we see Naruto?"
Fugaku stiffened slightly at the question, as though he had been about to ask something similar about Sasuke. Shouta noticed both their expressions and simply chuckled.
"Of course. If you want to see Naruto and Sasuke, I can take you right now."
The two men, however, shook their heads at the same time.
"No," Minato said firmly. "Not yet. I want to bring Kushina with me when I meet Naruto. I want to surprise him."
Fugaku nodded in agreement. "It's the same for me. Seeing Sasuke alone doesn't feel… fulfilling."
The three continued discussing plans for a while before gathering the others—Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Madara, and Uzumaki Mito—to inform them of Minato and Fugaku's decision. Most of them accepted their choice without argument, though each had their own thoughts.
Tobirama, in particular, was troubled. Yes, the Senju clan had been wiped out… but if Shouta had the ability to summon the dead, then theoretically, he could bring back the entire clan. That possibility made Tobirama's heart race with excitement. But at the same time, working under someone like Shouta, an ambitious young man whose true intentions were still unclear, made him uneasy.
Perhaps, he thought to himself, it was best to wait and see.
Even Madara, though he remained silent, had his own thoughts. He didn't care much about resurrecting the Uchiha clan. Most of them had been traitors, spineless fools who had given up their power and independence to grovel at Konoha's feet. The only person he would even consider bringing back was his younger brother, Izuna. The rest? They could stay dead.
As for Mito, she had a thought that she hadn't shared with anyone yet. While the Uzumaki weren't a Konoha clan, the potential for resurrection extended beyond the village. If Shouta truly gained control over the ninja world, there was a chance that all souls—no matter where they had died—could be called back. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Uzumaki clan could return as well.
Amid all these swirling thoughts and unspoken ambitions, Hashirama remained eerily silent, his usual bright and warm presence absent. He sat there, deep in thought, watching as history unfolded before him once more.
After the discussion ended, Shouta withdrew from the summoning space and stood up in his room. He took a deep breath before forming the necessary hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke erupted in the room, and when it cleared, Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Fugaku stood there in the flesh.
Minato quickly surveyed their surroundings. "Alright, Shouta. We'll be heading out now. This might take a while… after all, gathering hundreds of millions isn't exactly a one-day job."
Fugaku crossed his arms and frowned. "Minato, don't forget, Konoha is surrounded by a barrier. How are we supposed to leave?"
Minato chuckled. "Relax. I left plenty of Flying Thunder God marks around before I died. We can teleport out easily."
He placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder and smirked. "Shouta, we'll be back soon. Try not to get into trouble while we're gone."
With that, the two men vanished in a flash.