Minato leaned forward slightly, fingers laced as his mind churned. "When you said to pull one faction and strike another…" He paused, then looked up. "You meant the Uchiha and Hyūga clans, didn't you?"
Kai offered a small, knowing nod — one that spoke more than a thousand declarations."Exactly."
Minato exhaled, slow and measured, though his eyes betrayed the storm behind them.
He didn't need Kai to explain it in detail. The implications were already crystal clear.
The Uchiha were proud, powerful, and politically volatile — a clan teetering on the edge of loyalty and alienation. But they weren't his enemies. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.
"They've already taken a side," Kai said. "Fugaku believed in you. He invested in you. That bond still has weight — for now."
Minato's jaw tensed slightly. "Yes… Fugaku and I—" he hesitated, then continued. "We were close. Still are, I think."
It wasn't a political convenience, not entirely.
Years ago, when Minato's name had been floated for Hokage, it was Fugaku who lent the Uchiha a quiet but meaningful support. The alliance had stabilized the clans, calmed public resistance, and helped the village accept a Hokage from humble roots.
It wasn't just politics. Their wives were friends. Their sons were born weeks apart. In a different world, they might've become family.
But that trust… was now threadbare.
"When you died — or almost did — the Uchiha lost their only shield in the village," Kai said flatly. "It won't be long before the whispers turn into accusations."
Minato looked away, fists curling. "They're already blaming them, aren't they?"
Kai's silence was answer enough.
"The rumors will spread. The Nine-Tails was controlled by Sharingan — they'll say it openly soon. And eventually… someone will try to act on it."
Minato's lips pressed into a thin line.
"You can stop that from happening," Kai added. "Reach out to Fugaku. Publicly. Show the village that the Uchiha still stand with you — and you with them."
Minato gave a single, resolved nod. "I'll speak to him personally."
That piece slid into place.
"…The Hyūga," Minato said quietly. "They're another matter entirely."
Kai didn't argue with that.
Where the Uchiha were feared, the Hyūga were respected, entrenched, controlled, and strategically silent.
They were the largest clan in Konoha, and unlike the Uchiha, they weren't teetering on the edge. They were already seated comfortably in the halls of power.
"They don't need me," Minato muttered. "They have influence. Prestige, numbers, and unlike the Uchiha, they're unified."
"Too unified," Kai said. "Caged Bird Seal ensures obedience from branch to the main branch— no ideological dissent, no internal cracks. And with more seats on the Jonin Council than any other clan, they control half the village's legislative power."
Minato nodded slowly. "That council is the real power base. Any major reform has to pass through them".
"And because they're not openly hostile, no one sees them as a threat," Kai added. "Which makes them the most dangerous faction of all."
Minato leaned back in his chair, exhaling hard. "They have no reason to gamble. Especially not for someone being blamed for the Nine-Tails."
"They don't need to choose sides," Kai agreed. "Because the system already works for them."
Kushina, seated at the far end of the room, clenched her fists. "Then we give them a reason."
She stood abruptly, her eyes fierce.
"You said you had three steps," she said to Kai. "We've only heard one."
Kai smiled faintly. "Right."
He lifted one finger. "Step two: retreat to advance."
Then a second. "Step three: kill with a borrowed blade."
Minato frowned. "That sounds... theatrical."
"It's politics," Kai said. "If it doesn't sound dangerous, you're doing it wrong."
Kushina crossed her arms, half-smirking. "Go on, sensei. Teach us how to start a reform."
Kai's eyes narrowed, his tone sharpening into strategy.
"The goal isn't to pressure the Hyūga directly," he said. "It's to change the battlefield around them — to the point that neutrality becomes dangerous."
Minato nodded slowly. "You want to isolate them?"
"Not quite. I want to isolate the Council — make it clear to the village that the Jonin Council no longer represents the will of the people. Or the safety of the Hokage."
Minato tilted his head. "And how do we do that?"
"Start with Fugaku," Kai said. "Publicly. Have him make a carefully worded statement about the Uchiha's unwavering support for the Hokage institution — especially during times of crisis."
Minato's brows drew together. "That'll stir things inside his own clan."
"And that's the point," Kai said. "It also stirs the elders. When they see the Uchiha standing united behind you, they'll panic. Danzo's faction will escalate and try to isolate you."
Kushina's eyes lit up with understanding. "And when they do overstepped their boundaries, it will force the Hyūga to make a choice."
Kai nodded. "Exactly. When the elders start pushing harder — maybe even removing you quietly, for 'the good of the village' — the Hyūga will no longer be able to stay neutral."
Minato's mouth tightened into a line. "That would create… instability."
"It's not instability," Kai corrected. "It's momentum. You want to force a break in the status quo. Let Danzo make the first move — let him be the villain. You just react."
Minato closed his eyes for a moment.
This wasn't the kind of strategy they taught at the Academy.
This was war by other means.
"You're betting that the Hyūga will choose the stronger side," he said quietly.
Kai's voice was steady. "I'm betting that the Hyūga will choose survival. And if you've already pulled the Uchiha in… if the Council fractures publicly… then siding with you becomes the safer bet."
"And when they do…" Minato said slowly.
"You'll have the political leverage to reshape the Council," Kai said. "Either disband it or dilute it. Bring in new blood. Elevate people like Shikaku, Kakashi, even Mikoto."
Kushina let out a slow whistle. "That's a coup in three acts."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Only if it works."
Minato sat quietly for a long moment.
Then he spoke, voice low.
"This will cost lives."
Kai didn't flinch. "Yes."
"Some of them won't deserve it."
"They rarely do."
Kushina reached across the table and placed her hand over her husband's. "Minato," she said softly, "this isn't your fault. But it will be — if you don't act."
Minato stared at her hands… and then at the Hokage crest on the wall behind them.
He nodded. "I'll move first."
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly. "Good. Time is short."
Then, as if casually, he added: "Oh — and expect Kirigakure to fall soon."
Minato blinked. "What?"
"Obito and Madara are targeting the Fourth Mizukage. Before the year ends, the Mist will become a puppet state. Bloodline purges and silent assassinations will become the norm."
Minato shot to his feet.
"I have to warn the Third—"
But Kushina grabbed his sleeve before he could vanish in a flash of chakra.
"Be careful," she said. "They're looking for an excuse to pin this on you."
Minato gave her a tired but warm smile. "Then let them. I'll give them something real to worry about."
And in a burst of yellow light — the Yellow Flash disappeared.
Wind rippled through the room in his wake