"Sir… then why did Obito attack Konoha that night?" Minato asked, his voice calm despite the storm brewing within him. The question had plagued him since the Nine-Tails' rampage, and now he needed answers.
Kai answered plainly, "Because Obito wanted to weaken Konoha. To maintain the balance of power in the shinobi world".
"…Weaken Konoha?" Minato echoed, frowning. He couldn't understand it. After the Third Great Ninja War, no one could truly be called a victor; every village had suffered, including Konoha, which had paid a heavy price. So why would Obito still think Konoha needed to be weakened?
Kai's brief explanation silenced both Minato and Kushina.
After the Third Great Ninja War:
Sunagakure lost the Third Kazekage and was plunged into internal conflict. The civil unrest nearly tore the village apart, and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had barely stabilized the situation. Their strength was crippled, and an invasion was out of the question. Kirigakure lost its Mizukage. The tailed beasts within their control ran wild, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen scattered. The Bloody Mist policy caused large-scale purges, wiping out many of their elite. Even their ANBU were thinned out, with many eliminated by Obito in secret. Iwagakure had its elite crushed at Kannabi Bridge, where a thousand shinobi perished. The Third Tsuchikage had to watch as even their most experienced units were devastated. Though they fought fiercely, they lost irreplaceable strength. Kumogakure suffered the loss of the Third Raikage, the strongest man in their history, and endured heavy casualties. Even Konoha was forced into desperate measures. During the war, students like Minato's generation graduated at age 7, while Naruto's generation wouldn't graduate until 12, clearly showing Konoha had run dry of fresh combat strength. Young ninja were forced into battle too early.
"The Battle of Kannabi Bridge," Kai explained, "was proof enough. Konoha was unable to spare reinforcements, so they split your squad in half — three to destroy the bridge, one to support".
Minato nodded. "I remember… That's when Obito—" He stopped himself.
Kai continued. "The Battle of Kikyo Pass came not long after. Iwagakure even managed to push into the Land of Fire itself". He added, "They only managed that because they saw weakness". "Ōnoki, despite the loss of the Third Raikage, scraped together a force and made one more push".
Minato closed his eyes. The war had indeed been brutal, a time when Konoha was pushed to the brink. But still…
"Even after everything," Kai said, "Konoha remained the most dangerous village".
"Why?" he asked. Kai then answered, "Because of you and Kushina".
Minato stayed quiet.
"You," Kai said, looking directly at him, "were feared across all nations. The Yellow Flash, a one-man army, able to change the tide of battle alone". He continued, glancing toward the next room, "And Kushina was more than a Jinchūriki. With her Uzumaki chakra, she could suppress the Nine-Tails. Even if not perfect, she had power capable of leveling any battlefield".
"You see, with both of you still in play, no other village would dare make a move. That's the real reason Obito attacked. It wasn't just about snatching the Nine-Tails, he aimed to utterly decimated Konoha's last struggle."
Minato's jaw tightened. "If he'd only wanted to take the Nine-Tails," he said slowly, "he could've fled after extraction. But he summoned it inside the village, letting it rampage."
"Because he wanted Konoha broken. From within".
Kai nodded. "If you and Kushina died, Konoha would be stripped of its strongest forces. And the other four villages would no longer hesitate to act". He added, "In doing that, Obito made sure no one could dominate the shinobi world". "Not Konoha. Not Akatsuki's enemies. Only his plan would move forward".
"The Eye of the Moon Plan…" Minato murmured.
"Exactly."
Minato remained still for a long moment, breathing quietly.
Then Kai continued, his voice steady, laying out the full extent of Obito's cold calculation. "And because of this larger scheme, Obito had achieved his immediate goals that night. The damage to Konoha was immense, effectively sidelining it as the dominant power. More critically for his plan, the Nine-Tails was sealed away, no longer an active force he needed to pursue."
Kai then explicitly connected the dots for Minato. "It was sealed within your son, Naruto. And that's precisely why, from that point onward, Naruto wouldn't be targeted by Akatsuki or any other major power for the Nine-Tails. Obito's objective for that specific phase was complete: the beast was contained, and Konoha was weakened to his specifications. He had no further need to attack the boy, as his primary goal of reshaping the shinobi world had moved to its next stage."
Minato slowly turned his head, his gaze falling upon the next room where Naruto's soft gurgles could be heard. A grim realization, tinged with a strange relief, dawned in his eyes. "So… that's why Naruto grew up without being targeted."
Kushina's eyes darkened. "So it was all calculated… just to keep the world in balance?"
"Balance through destruction," Kai said. "That's the kind of man Obito became."
Minato looked pained. "Obito… how could he fall so far?"
"Because Rin died," Kai said plainly. "And with her, his view of the world was shattered. That's when Madara found him and shaped him."
"But the idea of destroying the world… that came from Obito himself not by Madara."
Minato didn't speak. He couldn't. He had been Obito's teacher. He had seen the boy's dreams, heard his laughter. Now, he could hardly reconcile those memories with the man who tore his village apart.
"But this wasn't the end," Kai said. "The moment Konoha's balance tipped, Kumogakure moved". "They launched another war".
Minato nodded. "Three years of skirmishes and border raids".
"And what did they do after agreeing to peace?" Kai asked.
"They sent a diplomatic envoy… and tried to kidnap a child".
"The Hyuga Princess," Kushina said, her voice tight.
"Because they knew Konoha was weak," Kai continued. "If you had still been active, that wouldn't have happened". "Kumogakure was emboldened".
Minato clenched his fists. "They walked all over us".
Which is why, Kai said slowly, "Obito's plan worked. And when Danzo tried to recover the village's deterrent—by using the Uchiha—Obito stopped him too. He joined Itachi, helped carry out the massacre, and sealed Konoha's fate."
Minato sat down slowly. The full picture had finally formed. Konoha hadn't just been attacked once — it had been dismantled, piece by piece. From within and without. Not by a war… but by a planned scheme. And now…
"As long as Kushina and I live, we're still targets," Minato said.
"Correct," Kai replied. "Obito, Akatsuki, and anyone who sees Konoha's strength as a threat — they will all move again". "Even together with Kumogakure, if it suits their goal".
Minato nodded grimly. "If neither of us acts… Konoha will fall".
"That's why I need you," Kai said. "To rise when they least expect it — and turn the tide". "If we do this right… we can stop Obito. Maybe even Nagato. And push forward the path to uniting the shinobi world".
Minato looked up. His eyes had changed, sharper and more focused. "…And if I face Obito again?"
"Will you kill him?" Kai asked.
Minato paused. "I want to save him," he said quietly. "Beat him — and give him a chance to come back". "But," he added firmly, "if he chooses to remain my enemy… I'll finish him myself". He would not let the past blind him to the danger in the present.
Kai nodded. "Then why not teleport to him now?"
Minato gave a faint smile. "I would… if I could still sense him".
"The Flying Thunder God mark?"
"Gone. Either out of range — or removed".
"It can be erased?"
"If the marked kunai is destroyed, or the skin it's marked on is removed… yes".
"Shame". Kai leaned back. "No matter. You'll see him again soon enough".
Kushina stepped forward then, her voice low. "What about Kakashi?"
Minato looked up. "Kakashi's not ready to hear this. If I tell him now… he'll leave the village". "He still believes Obito died saving him. That memory is what keeps him going".
Kushina nodded, understanding. "Tell him when the time is right".
"I will," Minato promised.
Just then— "Waaah! Waaahhh!" Naruto's cries echoed from the next room.
Kushina hurried over, lifting him into her arms. Minato followed, scratching his head awkwardly. The man who had once commanded battlefields… now found himself completely outmatched by a tiny infant. And somehow, that frightened him more than a war would.