Minato Namikaze arrived in his mental world and slowly walked to the iron gate that sealed the Nine-Tailed.
The Nine-Tailed's massive body was completely hidden in shadow, with only its huge head visible.
"Nine-Tailed."
Hearing the movement, the Nine-Tailed opened its eyes, glanced, and then closed them again, feigning sleep.
Minato Namikaze was used to the Nine-Tailed's attitude and asked, as if to himself, "Nine-Tailed, why did you save me that time?"
Upon hearing this, the Nine-Tailed said indifferently, "Because, compared to you, this old man dislikes those eyes even more."
Minato Namikaze nodded and then suddenly said, "Then, can you lend me your power?"
The Nine-Tailed opened its eyes, looked at Minato Namikaze, and snorted lightly, "Why should I?"
Minato Namikaze said seriously, "Because with my power alone, I am no match for Uchiha Yuzuru."
"The next time we fight, I might die at Uchiha Yuzuru's hands."
"Although you Tailed Beasts can be reborn, you wouldn't want to be controlled by those Mangekyo Sharingan, would you?"
In the years he had been the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he had learned a lot about the Nine-Tailed's story.
Therefore, he also knew the powerful suppressive effect of the Mangekyo Sharingan on Tailed Beasts.
In front of those eyes, even the Nine-Tailed was nothing more than a slightly larger toy.
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tailed snorted coldly and ignored Minato Namikaze.
Seeing this, Minato Namikaze secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it didn't directly refuse, it meant his idea was not impossible to achieve.
If he possessed the Nine-Tailed's power, he would have the confidence to fight Uchiha Yuzuru again.
Sensing activity from the outside, Minato Namikaze left his mental world.
Opening his eyes, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi walk in.
"Minato, are you feeling any better recently?"
Meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi's concerned gaze, Minato Namikaze smiled and nodded, "Hokage-sama, I've basically recovered, and the doctor said I can be discharged tomorrow."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and slowly said, "You still shouldn't go to the battlefield recently; the Village cannot lose you, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
This incident with Minato had truly scared him.
If Minato Namikaze had been killed by Uchiha Yuzuru, then Konoha would truly be finished.
With Minato, a Jinchuriki who mastered the Flying Thunder God, as a trump card, at least those hostile Ninja Villages wouldn't easily engage in a fight to the death with Konoha.
Otherwise, a living Minato would definitely become a nightmare for all Ninja Villages.
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision, Minato Namikaze asked, puzzled, "What about the front-line battlefield then?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "I will have Jiraiya and Konoha's Ninja Clans hold off the enemy's attacks as much as possible. If it's truly impossible, we will abandon some land on the front line, trading space for time."
"I've already had Orochimaru hasten the improvement of the Edo Tensei Jutsu. At that time, it can serve as Konoha's final trump card, along with you."
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan, Minato Namikaze still felt it was somewhat inappropriate.
To stay in the Village and watch his comrades fight on the battlefield made him feel a bit uneasy.
"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's face showed a serious expression, "Minato, I am old now; you must prepare to take over my work."
"Huh?!"
The sudden news left Minato Namikaze stunned for a moment, then he became so excited that his body trembled slightly.
"Hokage-sama, you want to choose me to be the Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "That's right. Your prestige among the people is already very high. As the Village's successor, during this time, you should focus on learning how to handle the Village's affairs with me."
Minato Namikaze immediately sat up straight and said loudly, "I will work hard!"
Becoming Hokage had been his childhood dream.
Now... was it finally going to come true?
Looking at the young Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
Since the start of the Third Ninja World War, Orochimaru had defied his orders multiple times.
This made him realize that his Disciple had long since become fully fledged.
If Orochimaru were to become Hokage, he would probably truly retire at home.
Compared to Orochimaru, the young Minato Namikaze, who had no Foundation, was clearly easier to control.
This way, even if he was forced to retreat behind the scenes due to war losses, he would still be able to firmly control the Village's power.
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Hidden Cloud Village.
Uchiha Yuzuru took Dofu and Kyoko to the Raikage Building first.
Upon hearing that the two were Uzumaki Clan members who had been displaced, the Third Raikage immediately happily had Dodai register them.
From today onwards, Dofu and Kyoko were Ninja of Hidden Cloud Village.
And upon hearing Uchiha Yuzuru say that the Land of Grass had already submitted, he laughed even louder, his hearty laughter almost bursting out of the Raikage Building.
"Yuzuru, before you returned, I was guessing that your trip this time might bring good news again, and it seems I was right."
"To make a country submit in such a short time, by yourself, that's truly impressive."
The Third Raikage looked at Uchiha Yuzuru with a hint of admiration.
He knew that he had not made any progress on this matter on his side.
Uchiha Yuzuru said indifferently, "One of the reasons for overthrowing the Daimyo and making Ninja the rulers of the country was for this very moment."
"Under the rule of Ninja, people's perceptions have gradually changed."
"In the past, people valued noble titles and Bloodline; now, they value military strength more."
"Whether one's power is strong or not has become an important reason for inheriting power. In this situation, as long as the Ninja Village is conquered, it basically means a country has been conquered."
Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage's admiration grew even more apparent.
This was Yuzuru.
The only man in the current Ninja World who could truly win his respect!
Recalling the night he first met Uchiha Yuzuru, the Third Raikage couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
In one's life, sometimes being smart once is enough.
"Alright, it's getting late today. I'll take Dofu and Kyoko back first."
"Mm."
Leaving the Raikage Building, Uchiha Yuzuru led Dofu and Kyoko to a residence next to the Uchiha Clan Estate.
The Ninja who had come to Hidden Cloud Village because of him were all arranged nearby.
The residences of the Chinoike Clan, Sakumo Hatake, Might Dai, and others were all here.
Looking at the brand new residence, Dofu and Kyoko immediately knelt before Uchiha Yuzuru.
Along the way, they had already witnessed the prosperity of the Land of Lightning.
To be able to settle in Hidden Cloud Village as Kumogakure Ninja, and even own a detached house in the central area... This was something they would never have dared to imagine before.
"You two go back and tidy up first. Tomorrow, I'll bring Kushina to see you."
"Oh, and from now on, you don't need to deliberately hide your surname anymore. Uzumaki Dofu, Uzumaki Kyoko."
Upon hearing this, both of them immediately had red eyes and prostrated themselves on the ground, "Yuzuru-sama, we will forever remember your kindness."