Chapter 7 — Uchiha Yujiro: Isn't My Bond with Minato Just a Naruto Substitute?
Everyone else was relaxing, ready to let the matter slide—until Uchiha Yakumi couldn't hold back and objected.
Hearing that, Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a beat. Instead of annoyance, Minato actually seemed relieved. "That's exactly how the Uchiha should sound," he said.
"Don't worry," Minato added after a quick glance at Hiruzen. His voice was warm and approachable—the Yellow Flash lived up to his nickname. Just by standing there he could boost Konoha's morale and unity. Yujiro could hear the sincerity in his tone.
Unlike the Third, who showed the first signs of senile nostalgia, Minato genuinely wanted friendship with the Uchiha. Any sane, ambitious Hokage would court the Uchiha—use their strength for the village's benefit rather than suppress or exile them. Unless the Hokage was blind to reality, or had a mentor constantly whispering "Uchiha = born wicked" into his ear.
After Minato asked, "What are your thoughts?" the others turned toward Yujiro. Yakumi the elder winked and squeezed his eyes—clearly hoping Yujiro would demand the moon and they'd get a payday out of it. Hiruzen smiled politely but watched with careful, appraising eyes.
Yujiro delivered his usual string of Will-of-Fire platitudes—earnest, heavy, full of self-sacrifice. It raised a lot of goodwill. Still, they wanted proof beyond words.
"I don't need much," Yujiro said. "This isn't the village's fault. If I must name one thing I want, it's the chance to be stationed on the frontline should conflict with the Cloud erupt. For the village—and for myself—I will personally retrieve justice."
Hiruzen's smile brightened. The answer was perfect: it showed Uchiha pride and ambition while also pledging love and loyalty to Konoha and the Will of Fire. He was the kind of young man Hiruzen could envision—someone who might one day retort to Danzo, "I am the Hokage!" (in spirit, at least).
"Ah—well, I'm not the Hokage anymore," Hiruzen mumbled, a pang of wistfulness passing over him.
"There'll be an opportunity," Minato reassured him. He slapped a hand on Yujiro's shoulder. "Konoha loves peace, but it does not fear war. If another village truly seeks to invade, let them come. I will stand and fight at your side."
"Fourth Hokage!"
The room erupted—respect and relief mingled in that shout. Yujiro felt the shift: Minato's backing, Hiruzen's smile, the elders' cautious approval. The atmosphere had turned from suspicion to a fragile, hopeful alliance.
Would this be enough to move the needle for the Uchiha? Time would tell. For now, Yujiro had won the room—partly by rhetoric, partly by persona, and partly by the simple, undeniable effect of Minato Namikaze standing beside him.
Yujiro decided the time was right to get a little sentimental.
"I've told you before, Yujiro—just call me Minato when we're in private."
"Yes, Minato!"
"Yujiro!"
"Minato! I've made up my mind. I'm starting a newspaper—I'll spread my love for the village to the entire world!"
"I'll be waiting for that paper. I'll be your very first subscriber!"
"Minato!"
"Yujiro!"
"Minato!!"
"Yujiro!!"
"Minato!!!"
"Yujiro!!!"
And so, the two young men, united by their devotion to the Will of Fire and their shared love for the village, resonated with one another. Soul to soul, they sang a duet of friendship and passion. Under Hiruzen's gratified gaze—and Yakumi's horrified grimace—a shining new chapter of youth and camaraderie was written.
Really, wasn't Yujiro and Minato just another version of Naruto and Sasuke?
…
Thus, the affair was neatly resolved. Everyone basked in the warm afterglow—everyone except Yakumi.
The system, of course, happily chimed in.
[Quest Complete: Gain the Hokage's Recognition. Reward: Chakra Increase]
Yujiro felt it immediately. Chakra roared through him—surging, flooding, expanding.
Well, maybe not that much. Truthfully, he'd always been a bit chakra-poor, so the increase felt dramatic only because his baseline was pathetic. To real monsters like Hashirama or the Uzumaki, it would've been a drop in the bucket.
"Drop in the bucket or not," Yujiro smirked, "if it's useful, I'll take it."
He was satisfied.
His chakra had always been split among Fire, Wind, and Earth, but never in abundance. In battle, he could manage a few Fireballs, a Phoenix Fire or two, maybe a Mud Wall. But one Great Fire Annihilation or a Dragon Flame Song Technique, and he'd be completely out of fuel.
Now, though? With this new chakra, it was like eating dry bread your whole life—then suddenly someone slipped a piece of meat into it. That kind of primal satisfaction almost made him feel like he'd been a Shanxi peasant in a past life.
…
Everyone left the Hokage Tower cheerful and content—except Yakumi.
Watching all this, his expression curdled.
Was it really that moving? Why don't I feel a thing? Who knew Yujiro, with those thick eyebrows, would turn out to be a Hokage loyalist? Can an Uchiha still call himself Uchiha if he's pro-Hokage?
By the time they reached the clan compound, Yakumi's patience snapped.
"What the hell was that back there?! Why didn't you demand some concessions from the Hokage? Don't tell me you've betrayed the clan!"
"I would never betray the Uchiha," Yujiro replied smoothly. "But getting along with the village benefits us far more than open conflict. Think about it: an Uchiha who fully trusts the Hokage, who openly believes in the Will of Fire—that's the strongest position we could take."
Yujiro meant it.
To him, the Uchiha—and most ninja in this world—were far too humble, too clueless about PR and branding.
If the Hokage loved hearing "Will of Fire," then the Uchiha should chant it the loudest. Shout it from the rooftops. Yell it until people believed it, even if they didn't want to.
Then, even if the Hokage disliked the Uchiha, he'd be forced to hand them benefits. Otherwise, how could he justify a Konoha where the village's strongest clan—and its loudest believers in the Will of Fire—were still oppressed and distrusted? The propaganda would collapse. The village would collapse.
A few slogans in exchange for tangible rewards? That kind of golden age didn't come around often. The next comparable wave wouldn't arrive until the Cold War era of the U.S. and Soviet Union!
How can you not understand such simple logic?!