"Alright, alright, that's enough of the lovebird show."
Kai raised his voice just enough to cut through the warmth that had settled in the Namikaze household like steam over a hot bowl of miso.
Minato looked up, confused. "What do you mean by that, sir?"
"Never mind. It's not important," Kai replied with a dismissive wave.
Kushina was still fuming—clearly not over the discussion from earlier. "There's really no way to stop this blame game? Minato has to just take it all?"
Her frustration simmered behind her words, her fists clenched tightly in her lap. "It's not fair."
Minato simply shook his head.
Fairness had nothing to do with it.
As Hokage—and as a shinobi—he'd long since accepted that fairness was a luxury. Leadership wasn't about what was fair. It was about what was necessary. What minimized the most damage.
This was the hard truth he had come to understand, the deeper he'd walked into the world of politics and power.
But then Kai spoke again—this time with more weight in his tone.
"There is a way."
Kushina and Minato immediately turned to him, alert.
"You mean it?" Minato asked. "You have an actual solution?"
"If it means protecting the village and my family," he added quickly, "I'm willing to try anything."
Kai's answer came fast, calm, and sharp:
"Expose the real culprit."
Minato's brow furrowed.
"You mean… Obito."
Kai nodded once.
But Minato didn't share his confidence.
"It's not that simple," he said, leaning forward. "Even if we could prove the masked man was Obito, it wouldn't change much. He's a ghost now—vanished into the shadows. Most of the village has never even heard of him."
Kushina was listening carefully, her anger momentarily suppressed by confusion.
Minato continued. "Danzo and the others wouldn't accept it. Worse, they'd spin it as me framing my own apprentice to dodge responsibility. They'd accuse me of sacrificing the name of a dead hero."
"And they've had control of Konoha's intelligence networks for years," he added bitterly. "They could rewrite the narrative before I could speak twice."
Kai gave him a look, as if to say, That's exactly the problem.
Kushina's fire reignited.
"Then kill them."
Minato choked slightly on his tea. "K-Kushina!?"
Kai actually raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Kushina crossed her arms. "I'm serious! If they're that rotten, just get rid of them. Danzo, Homura, Koharu—and if Hiruzen wants to protect them, throw him in too!"
"You can't just—!" Minato stammered.
"I can't, but maybe sir can!"
Both men turned to Kai, who looked wholly unfazed.
Minato leaned forward, panicked. "Sir, I know you're powerful… but I'm asking you not to do anything rash. No matter what they've done, they don't deserve to die."
Kai waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. I wasn't going to smite them from the sky or anything."
Minato exhaled in relief.
"But you do need to get them out of power," Kai added sharply. "One way or another."
Minato winced.
Kushina looked at him, surprised. "You've thought about it, haven't you?"
Minato didn't deny it.
"Yes. I have. But every time I calculate the fallout…" He shook his head. "The price is too high."
"Higher than letting them sabotage you? Undermine your leadership from within?" Kai asked.
"There's always a price for letting rot remain in the walls."
Kai's words echoed in the quiet room.
Minato looked at him, guilt creeping across his face.
"I know they're obstacles. I know they're slowing the village down. But if I remove them now—violently or otherwise—it could spark another civil conflict. The clans would get involved. The Daimyō might pull funding. And we just survived the Nine-Tails attack. The people won't stomach another upheaval."
Kushina muttered, "So we do nothing?"
Kai narrowed his eyes. "No. You do something smarter."
He leaned forward, locking eyes with the Fourth Hokage.
"You don't just fire them. You replace them."
Minato blinked. "Replace them?"
"You remove them from leadership and immediately install a newer generation. Loyal, moderate, competent. People you trust."
Kushina caught on. "Like Kakashi. Shikaku Nara. Maybe even Mikoto Uchiha—"
Kai nodded. "Exactly. You don't need to drain the swamp all at once. You just need to shift the balance of power quietly."
Minato sighed. "You make it sound easy."
"It's not," Kai said bluntly. "But the alternative is giving them more years to rot this village from the inside. Is that the legacy you want?"
Minato didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Kai stood and walked slowly toward the window. The morning sun had climbed higher now, casting long golden shadows across the recovering village.
"I understand your hesitation, Minato," he said quietly. "You weren't born into one of the great clans. You fought your way here. You carry the Will of Fire in your bones, and it shows."
Minato looked up.
"But," Kai continued, "you can't let your ideals become your prison."
Minato's fists clenched slightly on the table.
"I know I can't govern alone," he said. "Even if I wanted to wipe the board clean, someone would have to run the village. Handle the budget. Manage the clans. Negotiate with the Daimyō. I can't do it all."
Kai turned around.
"Then build your own council. Piece by piece."
Minato looked at him carefully. "That's what I've been doing."
Kushina looked surprised. "You have?"
Minato finally stood.
He walked over to a nearby cabinet, opened it, and pulled out a scroll. Unfurling it, he revealed a list of names and positions—ninja from civilian backgrounds, smaller clans, even promising students from the Academy.
"I've been placing people quietly," he explained. "In the education department. In the barrier corps. I've started funneling more funding to the research labs."
He pointed to a section. "I've pushed for more ninjutsu tournaments, so the younger generation can innovate freely. No clan restrictions."
Kushina's eyes widened.
Kai smiled faintly.
"You've been playing the long game."
Minato nodded. "I knew I couldn't tear the old system down by force. But I could outgrow it. Outlast it."
He tapped the scroll.
"This is the real replacement plan."
Kushina stepped forward, her expression softening as she looked at her husband.
"You never told me."
"I didn't want to worry you," he said. "Especially not while you were carrying Naruto."
Kai watched the exchange in silence, pleased.
"You're more capable than they realize," he said finally.
Minato chuckled. "That's the point."
Kai folded his arms. "Still, you'll need to accelerate. Danzo won't wait much longer before making his next move."
"I know," Minato said. "He's already testing the waters."
"Then it's time for you to move first," Kai said, turning toward the door. "I'll give you the space to do it. But the next time I return… I expect progress."
Minato gave him a short nod. "You'll have it."
Kushina added, "And if those old bastards try anything…"
"I'll handle them," Minato said calmly. "Without blood. But not without consequences."
Kai smiled slightly, then vanished in a shimmer of space-time light.
Far above Konohagakure, where no eyes could see, the threads of fate continued to twist and pull.
The Fourth Hokage had made his decision.
And now, for the first time in years, Konoha would begin to change from within.
Quietly.
But with purpose.