Minato thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Obito, then this time, I'll leave the task of guiding Akatsuki to become Konoha's ally to you. You know Nagato so well, you should be confident in persuading them, right?"
Once again, Obito felt that his teacher Minato was not rigid. Minato-sensei was one of the few Konoha shinobi who could truly see things as they were. When it was time to discuss interests, he did so directly, without shamelessly proclaiming it as justice.
'Having Minato-sensei as the Fourth Hokage is really not bad at all.'
He nodded and said, "Don't worry. As long as Danzo doesn't stir up trouble, Minato-sensei, you can definitely convince Yahiko. After all, you two are really alike. Even your hair color is the same. I believe you'll definitely become good friends."
Minato smiled and said, "Is that so? I can give it a try."
After pausing for a moment, Minato continued asking, "Then, the later Akatsuki organization, besides Nagato, who else was involved?"
Obito couldn't help but recall, "The later Akatsuki gathered S-rank rogue nin from various villages. By the final stage, all official members possessed at least elite jōnin-level strength."
Minato was shocked, "You mean, everyone in Akatsuki had Kage-level strength?"
Obito nodded, "This was thanks to Black Zetsu's reconnaissance abilities and my secret planning, which allowed us to gather such a group. I can say for sure, if the entire Akatsuki mobilized, no single village could withstand them alone."
Minato marveled, "To think they could develop such a powerful force. Obito, you're really incredible."
Obito felt a little embarrassed and laughed, "Minato-sensei, in this lifetime, I'll still develop the Akatsuki organization, but rest assured, Akatsuki will be a true peace organization."
Minato looked at Obito, his gaze full of affirmation, "I know. In this life, you are pursuing peace. I believe you won't be easily manipulated like last time, so I think you can do it."
Obito nodded and said, "In the future, Akatsuki's members, counting the defectors, totaled ten: myself, Nagato, Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru, Hoshigaki Kisame, Sasori of the Red Sand, Kakuzu, Deidara, Konan, and Hidan."
"Orochimaru?", Minato was shocked and involuntarily asked, "Obito, did Lord Orochimaru also defect from Konoha later?"
Obito nodded, "Minato-sensei, you can probably guess the reason—it was the human experimentation with Hashirama's cells."
"After Orochimaru defected, he encountered Nagato. Because he was interested in the Rinnegan, he joined Akatsuki."
"But later, after Uchiha Itachi was guided by me to join Akatsuki following the Uchiha massacre, Orochimaru tried to seize his Mangekyō Sharingan and ended up defecting from Akatsuki as well."
Minato hadn't expected the process to be so convoluted and could only sigh, "Lord Orochimaru is really… fickle."
Obito chuckled, "Actually, Orochimaru just values rare experimental materials. That man would do anything to pursue his own truth. Perhaps the only thing he had any emotional attachment to was Konoha."
Minato was stunned, "At that time, did Lord Orochimaru still have feelings for Konoha?"
Obito thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps only for certain individuals—like his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen…"
"Around the time when Naruto had just graduated from the academy and participated in his first Chunin Exams, Orochimaru killed the Fourth Kazekage, disguised himself as him, infiltrated Konoha, and launched the Konoha Crush Plan in cooperation with Sunagakure. During that plan, he personally killed the Third Hokage."
"Ah!"
Minato was utterly shocked, "That counts as having feelings? Orochimaru even killed his own teacher?"
Minato couldn't help but think about the future that Obito described. The Third Hokage was killed by his own student, the Third's student was also killed by his own student, and then the Third's student's student was also killed by his own student.
'Did Konoha have a tradition of killing one's master?'
And every student, without exception, inflicted massive damage on Konoha.
Once or twice could be seen as coincidence, but if it happened three times, Konoha probably needed to reflect on its own issues.
Minato couldn't help but feel a cold sweat. This time, he absolutely couldn't let such things happen again.
Obito then explained, "Minato-sensei, believe it or not, this is just my personal speculation, but the Konoha Crush Plan was very different from the Nine-Tails incident or Pain's invasion."
"Although, at the time, it seemed like the Konoha Crush Plan inflicted some injuries on Konoha, the more I think about it, the more something feels off."
Minato was confused and asked, "What feels off?"
Obito said, "After the Konoha Crush Plan, the Third Hokage died, Tsunade-sama succeeded as the Fifth Hokage, and Konoha was completely revitalized. Even Danzo was suppressed within Root and could no longer move freely."
"Sunagakure had been harboring resentment against Konoha for taking so many mission commissions, but after the incident, with the Fourth Kazekage dead and heavy casualties within Suna itself, they no longer had the means to oppose Konoha. Instead, they had to form an alliance and rely on Konoha to survive."
Obito chuckled, "In short, after the Konoha Crush Plan, Konoha somehow managed to resolve both its internal and external troubles at the same time."
"Considering that during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Orochimaru sided with the Allied Shinobi Forces, it's hard not to wonder what role he really played in the Konoha Crush Plan."
Minato was taken aback for a moment, then said with relief, "If Lord Orochimaru was always on Konoha's side, I would feel much more at ease."
Obito nodded, "Actually, Minato-sensei, thinking about it carefully now, among the Three Legendary Sannin, even though Tsunade-sama eventually became the Fifth Hokage, Orochimaru contributed the most to Konoha."
"During the Third Great Ninja War, he was the chief commander who led Konoha to victory in the Battle of Kikyo Pass."
"In the Konoha Crush Plan, he eliminated Konoha's internal and external threats."
"During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he used Edo Tensei to revive the past Hokage, including you. Not only did he bring Sasuke to our side, but he also fought in the final battle, playing a crucial role in securing victory."
Minato nodded, "I understand now. Lord Orochimaru may be dangerous, but his abilities are undeniable. If possible, after I become Hokage, I will talk to him."
Obito laughed, "Then, Minato-sensei, that's all the information I can give you. The war has begun, and we'll all be busy."
"Yes," Minato sighed.
Then, with some regret, he said, "I should go find Kushina. Yesterday's wedding was only halfway done. I wonder if she's happy?"
At this moment, Obito grinned mischievously, "Minato-sensei, Big Sis Kushina doesn't care about wedding ceremonies at all. Making her happy is actually very simple."
Minato was puzzled, "What do you mean?"
Obito laughed, "Minato-sensei, just perform well tonight, and Big Sis will naturally be happy."
Minato's face instantly turned red, "Obito, you're getting more and more improper…"
"Looks like Sensei needs to properly teach you. Kids shouldn't have dirty thoughts."
"Take this—Rasengan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Minato launched a Rasengan at Obito.
Obito hurriedly activated his intangibility, and then—
Chaos ensued…
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