Yes, the Hokage!

Feng Lan's gaze swept back and forth between the three people, patiently waiting for Fugaku to calm down before asking in a low voice, "Then, if I may ask directly, are there really any Uchiha left?"

Fugaku's mouth opened and closed again, and his face looked even uglier... Clearly, it was gone!

The Uchiha clan at present has no other capable ninjas besides Shisui. They might be able to deal with ordinary ninjas, but they are powerless against strongmen like Orochimaru and Danzo who have Kage-level strength.

[Hmm... So Fugaku didn't have a kaleidoscope after all.]

Feng Lan raised an eyebrow with a hint of regret. Although he could guess from the other party's willingness to compromise that if he possessed the Kaleidoscope, Fugaku would never have been so submissive, he still couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed after confirming this.

Naruto is a huge IP, with many derivative works such as anime, manga, theatrical versions, and games over the years, each with different storylines. For example, Fugaku used the Kaleidoscope in the game Ultimate Ninja Storm, but he still doesn't have it in this world.

After all, the moment the Kaleidoscope is activated, one gains strength comparable to a Kage-level expert; it's definitely not something that can be activated casually.

"Since we don't have any trump cards, we can only endure for now and create our own," Feng Lan said calmly. "I've already obtained special privileges from the Third Hokage. Danzo will help introduce Orochimaru. We can use Obito to gamble on it. If successful, a powerful person with both Sharingan and Wood Release will be born... and Obito will become our trump card."

Before Fugaku could interject, Itachi spoke first: "What if we fail?"

"Itachi!" Fugaku couldn't help but frown, because it was clear that he had no right to interrupt, and Itachi's tone wasn't very friendly.

Feng Lan smiled dismissively: "Even if he fails, I can guarantee that his Sharingan won't fall into enemy hands."

"Obito respected you so much, trusted you so much, yet you only treated him as a pawn in your game?" Itachi finally couldn't control his emotions. "To you, was Obito just a pair of valuable eyes?!"

"What else?" Feng Lan readily admitted, "Do you think he's any different in my eyes than he is in your father's eyes?"

Feng Lan really likes the Naruto series. He likes many of the characters, but there are also some he doesn't. However, these feelings are all based on his affection for the series and have nothing to do with the real world he faces after transmigrating.

No matter how much a person is liked, in Feng Lan's eyes in this world, there are only two identities: valuable and worthless. There is no such thing as liking a person before transmigrating but not scheming against them after transmigrating.

There was only one exception: Minato Namikaze. He genuinely saved his life, and it could be said that without Minato, he wouldn't be where he is today. Therefore, the only person Feng Lan wouldn't harm was Minato.

Upon hearing Fenglan's words, Itachi's expression changed slightly, and he abruptly turned to look at Fugaku, who, although looking somewhat embarrassed, still nodded.

"Don't blame your father for being opportunistic." Before Itachi could speak, Feng Lan continued, "Even if you were a six-year-old child, you should know the current predicament of the Uchiha clan, beset by internal and external troubles. Everything your father did was to protect this clan, nothing more."

"So it's okay to treat your people as tools..." Shisui frowned; he didn't like this approach either.

"It's easy to say nice things from a moral high ground, but it's very difficult to do anything practical and effective."

Feng Lan calmly said, "Let's imagine this: if your father hadn't lowered his proud Uchiha head and cooperated with me, and hadn't sent Obito to Orochimaru, what would have happened after some time... let's say five years?"

"Orochimaru and Danzo's greed is growing ever greater. Uchiha corpses are being stolen one after another, and even children are mysteriously disappearing. In the end, those filthy hands might even reach out to you..."

He pointed at Itachi: "Even your unborn brother, who will help you then? Who will protect you? The Third Hokage or the Fourth Hokage?"

Shisui and Itachi both frowned. Although they wanted to say that the Hokage would protect them, if the Third Hokage had done so, their situation would not be like this. They had thought that things would improve after the Fourth Hokage took office... but it seems that things haven't.

“No one can protect you,” Feng Lan concluded. “Only yourselves, your people… and perhaps your allies can protect you. That’s why your father has been so meticulous in doing all this.”

"Of course you can stand high on the moral high ground and criticize Fugaku, accuse me of being a cold-blooded executioner who only cares about values, but when things really happen, it is we, not you, who can save the Uchiha."

“But none of these things happened.” Itachi, after all, possessed the mindset of a Hokage and keenly sensed that Feng Lan was trying to deceive him. “You can’t use things that haven’t happened yet as an excuse!”

"Planning ahead is something every wise person... or rather, every person in a high position would consider. Why did your father only now harden his heart and fully cooperate with me? It's because Shisui has seen Danzo's ambition; he's already reaching out. The future I described will most likely come to pass."

Feng Lan said coldly, "If you don't ally with me, by then, if your father wants to resist, he will be making an enemy of the entire village! Uchiha Itachi, what can you and Shisui do? Fight for your clan? Or..."

He revealed a hint of sarcasm: "To destroy the entire Uchiha clan for the sake of the village's stability, to kill every single member except your precious little brother?"

"Please don't talk nonsense!" Itachi exclaimed in fright. "How could I do such a thing!"

“Let’s just pretend you don’t know how.” Feng Lan smiled meaningfully. “Anyway, my conditions still stand. Zhi Shui and Tie Huo Dao Huo can still stay by my side. As for you…”

He glanced at the weasel, then said in a feigned indifference, "If you don't like what I'm doing, you're welcome to leave."

"Lord Fenglan, please don't be angry."

Fugaku was startled. Right now, the Uchiha clan really only had Fenglan as their savior, because now the entire Konoha village, even the children, knew that last night Shisui had followed Fenglan's instructions and interrogated the Root members in public with his Sharingan. He was now tied to them!

If they offend Fenglan at this point, the Uchiha clan's future will only become more and more difficult.

"Itachi is still a child and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it personally."

“I’m not angry, clan leader,” Feng Lan smiled. “But although Itachi is a child, his thinking is not that of an ordinary child, which is why I gave him this choice…”

He extended his hand, gesturing for them to join: "Will you join us to protect the Uchiha, or stop here and go back to being your young master?"

“I choose…” Itachi hesitated for a moment, then looked up and said seriously, “I choose neither. I will still follow you and obey your orders, but I will observe for myself whether you are a person worthy of the Uchiha clan and the village’s trust.”

"Itachi!" Fugaku was almost frantic.

“A very mature way of thinking. Things you come up with through your own observation and thought are always better than what others instill in you. But it’s not mature enough…” Feng Lan waved her finger. “If I were you, I would directly declare my joining and obedience to lower the other person’s guard, and then observe secretly to draw my own conclusions. If you really want to see through someone, the first thing you have to do is not to reveal your true thoughts in front of them. Observe in the dark like a true ninja.”

Uchiha Itachi fell silent. He didn't know how to answer. After all, he was just a six-year-old child, and what Feng Lan said was a bit too profound.

Shisui remained silent. He clearly had his own thoughts, but unlike Itachi, he was not a child and chose to keep them to himself.

Feng Lan didn't take it seriously and turned back to Fugaku: "At most three days, Obito will be sent to Orochimaru. You, clan leader, should convey this message. Also... do you have anything else to say?"

Fugaku sighed inwardly, knowing that Fenglan wanted him to make a statement. He slowly stood up and knelt on one knee in front of Fenglan.

He knew that by kneeling, the Uchiha clan would be completely transformed from the founding clan of the village into someone else's lackeys, but there was no turning back: "Lord Fenglan, from now on, the Uchiha clan... will follow your lead."

Chapter 11 The Weight of Trust

On his way back to the Hokage's office, Feng Lan moved exceptionally slowly, as he pondered what he could tell Minato and what he couldn't.

She wouldn't harm Minato, but there were also some things she couldn't let him know, otherwise it would damage his trust in her and their relationship.

When his palm touched the doorknob, he felt a little uneasy, something rare for someone who could calmly deal with the Third Hokage or Danzo.

But Feng Lan quickly regained her composure, pushed open the door, and said familiarly, "I'm back."

"Hmm." Shuimen, sitting behind his desk, looked somewhat indifferent, and unusually, he looked at Fenglan with a scrutinizing gaze.

But Feng Lan had already figured out a way to deal with it, so she wasn't afraid of this. She simply dragged a chair over and sat down opposite him, revealing a smiling expression.

After a standoff of about half a minute, Minato sighed and broke the silence: "Stop pretending."

He knew that Feng Lan's smiling expression was the most troublesome; no one could read his thoughts from those squinting eyes unless they used the mind-reading secret technique of the mountain clan.

"Well then," seeing that Minato was no longer cold and aloof, Fenglan also put away her smile and said easily, "What would you like to talk about?"

"What exactly have you been doing behind my back?" Minato asked, frowning.

“There are too many things I’ve been hiding from you,” Feng Lan shrugged. “Could you be more specific?”

Minato couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had asked Feng Lan the same question during the Third Shinobi World War, and Feng Lan's answer was always the same. In the end, he didn't get any answer, but everything that happened afterward proved Feng Lan's foresight. Whether it was saving his comrades, effectively striking the enemy's vitals, or cutting off key supply lines, Feng Lan would do things like that.

"Danzo, Uchiha." He could only pick a specific topic first, "What exactly did you do between them? If the Third Hokage and I weren't here today, Shisui would probably have already made his move!"

“Just as you saw it.” Feng Lan shrugged. “Danzo installed a Sharingan on himself, and Shisui saw it. You can’t blame me for that.”

Before the other party could speak, he continued, "Of course, I already knew Danzo's little secret, and I used that to negotiate with the Uchiha and gained their support. Minato... we need some backing. You are nominally the Fourth Hokage, but how many Anbu can you command? Do the heads of those major clans listen to you or the Third Hokage? The Third Hokage could make Danzo apologize to me with a single glance, and could reduce his power with a single word... Do you think if I had brought this matter to you yesterday, Danzo would have given you the face to bow down to me?"

Minato frowned: "But you could have told me all this beforehand, instead of facing it alone!"

“It’s more efficient to act alone, and if something happens, I’ll take the blame while you remain clean, a radiant Hokage,” Feng Lan said calmly. “Just like the Third Hokage’s Konoha and Danzo’s Root, there always have to be someone who does these dark things.”

Of course, he didn't say what came next, which was that both he and Danzo, who were taking the blame, had considerable selfish motives.

"Take the present situation for example. The Uchiha support me, not you. If anything goes wrong, they can simply push me out. Meanwhile, you, the Hokage, enjoy the Uchiha's private army without taking any risks... Or do you think I would harm you?"

"Of course I don't think you would harm me." Minato has the ability to judge people. If Feng Lan had approached him with malicious intent, he wouldn't trust him so much. "But you should know that I'm not that kind of person. No matter what happens, I will never abandon my comrades! I won't let you bear the darkness alone. I will protect you!"

“Of course you’re not that kind of person, but sometimes you have to make choices. That’s what ninjas do.” Feng Lan smiled faintly. “In short, Danzo was a cancer during the Third Hokage’s time. I’m determined to eliminate him and Orochimaru. You just need to answer whether you agree with my approach. If you say no, I’ll stop immediately.”

“After seeing Shisui’s reaction, how could I possibly disagree with your approach?” Minato sighed. “But Fenglan… the village has only just begun to settle down…”

"Don't worry, there won't be a civil war," Feng Lan said with a smile. "The most terrifying thing about Zhengzhi is that it kills without shedding blood."

He found it hard to stop laughing because he had successfully shifted the topic from what he was hiding to what he was carrying.

Minato frowned: "So you went to great lengths to win over the Uchiha clan just to build your own private army?"

Feng Lan shrugged and said nonchalantly, "You have to look at it dialectically. Subjectively, this private army doesn't exist yet, but objectively, it may be born soon."

"So... what can I do?" A few seconds later, Minato gave in. He didn't press further, because some answers didn't need to be spoken.

“Continue to be a shining Hokage, a spiritual leader for the people.” Feng Lan patted his shoulder. “Also… Kushina is pregnant, right? Take good care of her.”

“Yes, the child is about to be born.” Minato sighed. “Fenglan, I really want this child to live in a better Konoha, a Konoha where the children don’t have to go to the battlefield… Obito and Kakashi… If you hadn’t arrived in time, I really don’t know what would have happened.”

He was clearly still shaken, because even though he was the fastest ninja in the world, he arrived way too late. If it weren't for Feng Lan, the fate of those three children would have been unimaginable.

"The first generation leader had this dream when he founded the village, but unfortunately it has developed to this point..." Feng Lan smiled sarcastically, then revealed an unprecedentedly serious expression, "Don't worry, Minato, I will work hard to move towards that goal... at least to prevent your children from going to the battlefield."

The day Naruto was born would be the day Minato and his wife died, and Fenglan absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.

Although he had rescued Obito first, he was not completely safe. The other four great ninja villages outside the village were eyeing him covetously, Black Zetsu and Madara were still looking for a suitable successor, and the people inside the village also had their own ulterior motives.

Feng Lan doesn't care what others do, and frankly, he doesn't care what happens to Konoha either, but he must protect Minato, his biggest backer and only friend.

The atmosphere fell silent again. After a moment, Feng Lan said, "It's time to get off work. I have to go find Dai. Although there are many things to do today, I can't neglect my cultivation."

“Fenglan.” Just then, Minato suddenly grabbed his wrist. “I trust you completely, but please don’t hurt innocent people, and… if one day you really cross the line, I will stop you.”

The sun was already setting, and Feng Lan's expression was hidden in the darkness. Minato couldn't see his face clearly, but he could see the corners of his mouth slowly changing, his expression looking very subtle, and finally turning into a smile.

Feng Lan took a ball out of his pocket, placed it in his palm, and infused it with chakra.

The ball began to spin slowly, faster and faster, and the two watched it in silence until…

"Snapped!"

The ball shattered completely, and scattered fragments fell like snowflakes. At the same time, a single word from Feng Lan rang out:

"it is good."

Chapter 12 I am the Hokage

Compared to the tacit understanding between Fenglan and Minato, the atmosphere between Danzo and the Third Hokage was not so good.

To avoid gossip, the two separated after leaving the office. After all, Feng Lan's loud shouting in the street had stirred up trouble among many ordinary people, and the Third Hokage definitely needed to avoid suspicion at this time.

"You bastard..."

Danzo was furious when he returned to Root's base. To be honest, he didn't actually intend to assassinate Feng Lan, otherwise he wouldn't have only sent one subordinate. His plan was to monitor the other party and gather intelligence first, and then decide on the next steps based on the specific situation. He didn't expect to be captured so soon after he started the operation.

So what if they arrest me? It wasn't a big deal, since my subordinates all had curse marks on their tongues and couldn't possibly find me. But who would have thought that kid would just glance at the curse mark and immediately be certain it was my Root organization, and then expose it on the street, making it impossible to suppress!

Danzo was already quite displeased at being forced to apologize to the junior, Fenglan, but the fact that the Uchiha had discovered his Sharingan made him both shocked and furious. His bandages were originally meant to have a sealing effect, making them difficult to detect. However, he was a little uneasy about being summoned to Minato's office. He was afraid that Fenglan would expose him, that Minato was setting a trap, and even more afraid that the Third Hokage would discard him after using him, using him as a scapegoat once the Fourth Hokage took over.

Ultimately, people like Danzo only believe in themselves deep down. Their minds are completely dominated by conspiracy and ambition, and there is not a single shred of bondage or trust between them.