Konoha: Preparing to Defect, the System Arrives

"Minato! Minato!"

Hearing Kushina's voice from the living room, Minato peeked out from the kitchen. He was holding a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other.

"I'm here."

"Minato, several Uchiha Clan ninjas sent us wedding blessings today!"

Kushina flipped through the footage on the camera she was holding. Her smile was so bright that it couldn't be hidden.

But something felt off about the Uchiha ninjas' smiles. They seemed forced, like someone was standing nearby threatening them during the recording.

Sniff... Sniff...

Suddenly, the smell of cooking oil filled the air. Kushina looked up and saw Minato standing beside her, staring at the footage in the camera.

Seeing the spatula in his hand still dripping oil, Kushina patted the sofa and said with concern:

"Be careful. The sofa is new."

"Ah? Sorry."

Minato quickly ran back to the kitchen, put down the spatula and apron, and returned to sit beside Kushina. Together, they watched the recordings.

The footage didn't just show blessings from Konoha ninjas but also greetings from ninjas of other villages—even from Kumogakure, which was still engaged in minor conflicts with Konoha and hadn't yet signed a peace treaty.

"Minato."

Kushina leaned on his shoulder, one hand resting on her growing belly.

"A few days ago, Mikoto told me that her clan's internal conflicts are getting worse. The Uchiha are becoming harder to manage.

At their last clan meeting, someone even suggested that the clan leader divorce her and pursue the head of the Senju Clan instead."

"What?"

Minato blinked in confusion, thinking about how affectionate Fugaku and Mikoto always seemed. He quickly asked:

"Why?"

"Ugh."

Kushina set the camera down and sighed.

"It's all because of the Hokage position.

Ever since Mikoto married Fugaku, the clan has been pressuring them nonstop. They keep dragging up old memories, saying things like:

'When the village was founded, the First Hokage promised Madara Uchiha the position of Second Hokage.'

Then they talk about how the Second Hokage told Kagami Uchiha that he was different and had the best chance of becoming the Third Hokage.

And later, the Third Hokage told Fugaku that if he could hold off enemy attacks, he might be considered as a candidate for Hokage.

Minato, as the Fourth Hokage, keeping the village stable is your responsibility. The Uchiha Clan is Konoha's largest clan..."

Seeing Kushina hesitate, Minato immediately thought about what she had mentioned earlier—the Senju Clan leader.

Was she asking him to act as a matchmaker?

Tsunade would kill me.

The image of his master, Jiraiya, getting punched into the hospital by Tsunade—only to be healed and punched back in—flashed through Minato's mind. He shook his head hard and muttered:

"No way. Tsunade-sama would kill Jiraiya-sensei."

"Huh?"

Kushina looked at Minato, completely confused. She was talking about the Uchiha's internal problems and their potential impact on the village. How did his mind end up there?

"Idiot!"

Kushina climbed onto Minato's lap, grabbed his collar, and shook him.

"Why don't you just transfer that ninja who suggested the divorce out of the Uchiha Clan?

If he can't attend meetings, he can't make suggestions!"

"Transfer where?"

Seeing Kushina's hair start to spike, Minato quickly raised his hands in surrender and smiled awkwardly.

"Okay, okay. Since a group in the ANBU recently requested to return to regular ninja duties, there are openings. The ANBU will soon send out invitations to strong ninjas in the village."

"What about right now? What about in the meantime?"

"Uh... right now..."

Feeling trapped, Minato nervously patted Kushina's back to calm her down while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Some ninja school students applied for early graduation. If that Uchiha's mindset is stable, he could temporarily work as a teacher.

Kushina, what's the name of that Uchiha ninja? I'll check his records."

"Now we're talking."

Kushina grabbed the camera, flipped through the footage, and pointed at one of the videos.

"There! That's him—Uchiha Asuka. He's a jonin, a very skilled and versatile ninja. Rumor has it that even when he was a chunin, he had jonin-level strength. Now that he's officially a jonin, his full abilities are unknown."

"Oh, it's him?"

Following Kushina's finger, Minato saw the familiar face in the video. Memories from the Third Shinobi War flashed through his mind, and his expression turned serious.

Kushina noticed his sudden silence and shook his shoulder.

"Is there a problem?"

"No," Minato shook his head, recalling Asuka's war record. He spoke slowly:

"He's similar to Tsunade-sama, but instead of focusing purely on medical ninjutsu, he's a rare combat-type ninja who mastered medical skills.

But according to his records, he lost all his teammates in the war. Despite his training, he couldn't save them. That experience made him reject his medical abilities. He hasn't used them since."

"I see..."

Kushina was silent. She hadn't experienced the Third Shinobi War, but she remembered how the village had been filled with white mourning flags.

"Alright!"

Minato placed his hand gently on her belly, smiling to lighten the mood.

"Tomorrow, I'll assign him to a team."

Meanwhile, Asuka sat in his empty room, looking around and feeling a twinge of regret.

Granny Cat was ruthless.

When I bought supplies, she gave me a 10% discount. But when I sold them back, she only offered 30% less.

I did nothing, and my assets shrank by nearly a third.

"Sigh..."

Asuka let out a deep sigh, spat the chicken bone in his mouth onto the floor, and turned his gaze to the fat orange cat sleeping on the table. Seeing how round it had gotten, he reached out and gave it a few pokes.

"Wake up. Go deliver this letter for me."

Feeling someone nudging its backside, the orange cat slowly opened its eyes and stretched lazily. Then, noticing a letter tied around its waist, it froze.

After staring at the recipient's name for a long time, the cat looked up at Asuka with a very human-like helpless expression and mumbled in a girlish voice:

"I don't want to deliver a letter to a widow. It's bad luck.

Besides, the Senju Clan and your clan are old enemies."

"Tch!"

Asuka spat on the ground and looked toward the Senju compound.

"Their clan is basically extinct now, and there's only one woman left. What's the point of talking about old grudges?

When the Senju Clan was still around, we used to argue with them. But now that they're gone, it'd be too much to keep kicking them while they're down."

The cat glanced at Asuka, then opened the letter and read aloud:

"To Senju Tsunade, Leader of the Forest Senju Clan:

As the Third Shinobi War comes to an end, the ninja world is finally seeing some temporary peace. While this peace may not last, I, as the head of the Uchiha Clan, would like to discuss the future of our two clans, the village, and the ninja world.

—Uchiha Fugaku."

Plop!

A slip of paper suddenly fell out of the envelope.

The cat picked it up and gasped after looking at it.

"Asuka, did you win the lottery? Why did you put 100,000 ryo in the envelope?"

"If I didn't add the money, do you really think Tsunade would even bother to reply?"

"Why are you working so hard on this?"

Smack!

Asuka gave the cat a light smack on the head and said irritably:

"I just want to live a safe and peaceful life. Fighting means danger. If I can solve problems peacefully, why wouldn't I?"