The next night, a full, bright moon hung over a Leaf Village that was holding its breath.
Inside the Naka Shrine, the air was cold and solemn. Uchiha Fugaku sat in the head seat, flanked by the clan's elders and highest-ranking officers. They carried no weapons, as per the request in Minato's invitation, but their presence was sharper than any blade. Every one of them was an elite warrior, and their Sharingan eyes silently watched the door, waiting.
The shoji screen door slid open gently.
Namikaze Minato entered, alone. He didn't wear the Hokage's cloak, nor did he bring any guards. He simply wore a plain blue Jounin uniform, with no symbol, no rank. He came as a shinobi, just as he had promised.
He walked to the center of the room, facing dozens of glowing red eyes.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Fugaku-san," Minato said, his voice calm and echoing in the temple's silence.
"You have a lot of courage, Minato," Fugaku replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "Coming here alone, into the tiger's den. What do you want?"
"I came to prevent a mistake," Minato said directly. "I came to talk about the coup d'état."
The tension in the room instantly sharpened. Several men placed their hands where the hilts of their swords would have been.
"You know?" Fugaku narrowed his eyes.
"I know," Minato affirmed. He glanced at the others. "And I understand your reasons. You feel betrayed. Suspected. Pushed to the margins. You believe the village turned its back on you after Naoki's death, and even before that, after the Nine-Tails disaster."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"You are right," he continued, stunning everyone, including Fugaku. "The village was wrong. The leadership was wrong. Isolating you, not placing our trust in you on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack—that was a terrible mistake, born from fear and suspicion. On behalf of the Leaf Village, I apologize."
Minato bowed his head, a sincere and unhesitating bow. The Fourth Hokage's action sent shockwaves through the room.
Fugaku gave a hollow laugh. "An apology? You think an apology can erase the humiliation of an entire clan? Can it bring Naoki back?"
"No," Minato answered, looking up, his blue eyes locking onto Fugaku's. "It can't. But it can be a beginning. A beginning to right the wrongs. A coup is not the answer, Fugaku. It will only plunge this village into a civil war with no victor. It will destroy the very home your ancestors built alongside the First Hokage."
"That home no longer welcomes us!" an elder shouted.
"Then let's rebuild it together!" Minato retorted, his voice growing stronger. "Give me a chance. Give the Leaf Village a chance. I know about the one who has sown this suspicion. The one who has manipulated everything from the shadows."
He looked at Fugaku. "I know about Danzō."
Fugaku did not look surprised. "What do you know about him?"
"I know he had a hand in Naoki's death to cover his tracks. I know he broke into the Archives Library to erase records. And I have reason to believe he is directly involved in the Nine-Tails' attack."
Silence fell. This time, it was a silence of astonishment.
Fugaku stared at Minato, trying to find a lie in his eyes. "Where is your proof?"
"I'm looking for it," Minato admitted. "But so are you, aren't you, Fugaku-san? Your surveillance file on Root proves it."
That statement truly shocked Fugaku. The intruder from that night... hadn't just taken information about the coup. He had read his deepest secrets.
Minato took a step forward. "Give me time. Postpone your plan. Let us work together, not as Hokage and Police Captain, but as allies, to unmask the village's true enemy. The one sitting in the shadows and laughing at our division. Help me expose Danzō. After that, I promise you, as Hokage, the status and honor of the Uchiha clan will be restored."
It was an unimaginable offer. A gamble in which Minato had wagered the entire future of the village.
Fugaku stood up. He walked until he was face to face with Minato, the two most powerful men in the village standing just steps apart. Fugaku's Sharingan bored into Minato's blue eyes. The entire room held its breath.
"I will give you time," Fugaku finally said, his voice low. "One month. If you can bring me undeniable proof of Danzō's crimes within one month, the coup will be called off. But if you fail..."
He paused, his gaze turning ice-cold.
"Then no one, not even the Yellow Flash, will be able to stop the will of the Uchiha."
The confrontation had temporarily ended. A fragile ceasefire had been established. Minato had bought a precious bit of time.
But the clock had started ticking. And now, the entire burden of finding the truth, of deciding the fate of the Leaf Village, rested entirely on the shoulders of an unknown, unseen shadow.
Kenji. He had one month.