The Third Hokage was Jiraiya's teacher, and Jiraiya was Minato's teacher.
Danzō and the other two were the Third Hokage's old classmates, people who had long been in the same camp as him.
With Minato's sunny personality, he fundamentally had no desire to clash with them head-on. Discord among the leadership was a major taboo for a shinobi village—just look at the mess Kirigakure had become.
If the time came, the ninja of Konoha would begin, whether voluntarily or under pressure, to take sides because of the split among the upper ranks. They would divide into several factions, and with a little stirring by people with ulterior motives, it would easily evolve into internal turmoil within Konoha.
Once civil war broke out, the other forces of the shinobi world would absolutely not miss the chance to beat up the rich man. The flames of the Third Shinobi World War, which had only just been extinguished, might very well be reignited.
No—not "might." War would certainly break out.
In essence, the war had never truly ended. Kumogakure and Kirigakure had not yet signed peace agreements with Konoha, and even if they did, it would be useless—one sheet of paper could not restrain anyone.
With Minato's intelligence, he quickly deduced how the situation would unfold, and those developments were precisely the outcomes he least wished to see.
If the struggle for power between both sides were to plunge the entire shinobi world into chaos, then he would rather resign from the position of Hokage.
To be honest, he had held the post for less than a year. Unlike the Third Hokage, who had remained in power for decades and had already transformed from a hero among shinobi into a creature of power.
Minato did not feel much attachment to power.
Since being Hokage brought him no real satisfaction, he might as well adopt Makoto's suggestion—advance by retreating. First go home and spend time with his wife and child, living a happy little family life, and use the remaining time to train and improve his strength.
Judging from the events of tonight, quite a few mysterious figures were lurking within the shinobi world. If he did not work harder to improve his strength, what would he rely on in the future to protect his wife and child?
As for the position of Hokage, that would depend on the Third Hokage's own choice. If he wished to continue doing the job, then he could simply keep doing it.
If the other party truly was willing to clear away the obstacles for him, then he would also be willing to once again shoulder the name and responsibility of Hokage—and stake his life on it.
Whether he served as Hokage or not, he would continue to protect the village, his family, and his companions, and persist in the dream he had held since his youth.
Perhaps… this was the true Will of Fire.
Once he made his decision and let go of his obsession with the Hokage position, Minato suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of ease, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
He let out a long breath and pulled Kushina into his arms.
"Let's carry out the method Makoto suggested. It'll give me time to stay with Kushina and take good care of Naruto together."
"As for everything else, we'll leave it to the Third Hokage. I believe he'll make the right choice."
Makoto: "Hard to say. In the Third Hokage's position, there are some things he cannot simply do just because he wants to. He'll face the same problem you did."
The Third Hokage himself was not actually that dark. The problem lay in his personality—he was not ruthless or decisive enough, and he would be pushed forward by the interest groups behind him. When the time came, he would not even be able to step down even if he wanted to.
But Makoto did not care either. The shinobi world was not his previous life; in a supernatural world, strength was the foundation. No matter how well you played at power struggles, when the time came, someone would just flip the whole table over on you.
Play the game of power? What a joke.
Now, Minato had also come to see things clearly. "I'm still willing to trust the Third Hokage."
Kushina was very happy. "Right, right. Let's focus on Naruto first. Let that rotten old man worry about Hokage matters."
Minato pulled her even tighter into his arms. "Mm, I'll listen to you."
"Come to think of it, now that I'm no longer a jinchūriki, I'll never have to worry about pregnancy and childbirth again."
"Then let's have several more. It's already decided that Naruto will take your surname, Uzumaki. The next child will use my surname."
"No problem. Then I'll withdraw the barrier and let them come in."
Who could have imagined that, in such a short span of time, after the life-and-death separation brought on by having the Nine-Tails ripped out, the mood would suddenly veer into marital affection?
They had even already begun discussing the surname of their next child.
Could it be that you wanted to have a Namikaze Menma?
The cloying smell of love that these two lovebirds were spreading through the air dealt severe critical damage to a single man.
Was Makoto the sort of person, like Jiraiya, who only knew how to avoid things? No, he was not.
It seemed he had to give them a little revenge. Who told you to flaunt your love in front of him?
He stopped her. "Kushina-senpai, wait a moment."
Kushina halted her attempt to withdraw the Adamantine Sealing Chains. "Eh? Makoto, is there something else you want to say?"
"Yes. Minato-senpai, did you previously say that that mysterious masked man claimed to be Uchiha Madara?"
"Yes, but I do not think he is that legendary shinobi."
"Mm… I do not think so either. Minato-senpai should know that my sensory ability is very strong. At the instant Wood Release ran wild on his body, I seemed to sense a somewhat familiar chakra fluctuation. This person is someone we both know."
"Who is it?" x2
"Your disciple, Uchiha Obito."
Kushina was stunned. She simply could not believe it was Obito. After all, she liked that child very much and treated him like a younger brother. How could he possibly have come to sabotage her seal while she was giving birth?
That would have been the same as killing her with his own hands.
"No way. How could it be Obito?"
"…" After his shock, Minato quickly regained his composure. After carefully analyzing it in his mind, he said, "Perhaps your sensing really is correct. You have to remember that after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, we never found Obito's body."
"Kakashi and Rin also did not personally see him die. They only saw him buried under earth and stone. At that time, he must have been saved by the second mysterious person who appeared tonight. That person has that ability, and earlier he saved him from my hands once already."
"As for how Obito survived back then, I think it has a great deal to do with the First Hokage's Wood Release cells. That also explains why Obito can use Wood Release. Yes, that must be it."
With his clever little head, Minato quickly connected the whole chain of events.
As for the First Hokage's Wood Release cells, as Hokage he naturally had the authority to consult some of Konoha's most highly classified archives. At the time, after learning only a little about it, it had nearly shattered the worldview of someone as sunny as him.
He had never expected that the Third Hokage—whom he had always regarded as the perfect Hokage—had actually agreed behind the scenes to such cruel human experimentation, all in order to recreate the so-called secret art of Wood Release. From that moment on, the beautiful filter he had once placed over the title of Hokage was completely gone.
Makoto asked in confusion, "The First Hokage's Wood Release cells? That should be something belonging to Konoha, right? Why would they be in the hands of a mysterious person?"
"Since Obito claims to be Madara, then he must have some connection with Uchiha Madara. Considering the relationship between Madara and the First Hokage, it would be normal for him to possess some of his cells."
"If Obito's Wood Release comes from Madara, then does that mean Madara is truly still alive? And that the second mysterious person, like Obito, is also one of Madara's subordinates?"
"If not, then it means that either Obito or the person behind the one who saved him still has connections with Konoha. Someone inside our village colluded with an external enemy and handed the Wood Release cells over to them."
As Minato analyzed things up to this point, the image of that fellow Danzō naturally popped into his mind. It could not be helped—his preconceived impression was simply too strong.
He had also suspected the Uchiha clan, but he quickly dismissed that idea in his own mind. People like the Third Hokage and the others kept such strict watch over the Uchiha that they would never allow them to come into contact with the First Hokage's cells.
At the same time, the more he analyzed, the more he felt that the waters of both the shinobi world and Konoha were truly muddy.
This only strengthened his resolve to step back for the time being. Sometimes it was easier to see things clearly from outside the game. Sitting in the Hokage's seat, entangled by endless affairs, some things might simply be blocked from his sight by people with ulterior motives.
Kushina still refused to believe it. "No way. Obito is so kind—he wouldn't harm me."
"People can change, Kushina," Minato sighed. "The most important person in Obito's heart was never us. It was Rin. And Rin… is already dead. As his sensei, I failed to protect her. Perhaps it's because of that that Obito now hates us so deeply."
"Minato-senpai, should we tell Kakashi about this? You know what state he's in right now. If we tell him, it might bring about some change in him."
After thinking it over for a moment, Minato said firmly, "For now, no. Including the Third Hokage, Obito's identity—like Naruto's status as a jinchūriki—should be known only to the three of us. Understood?
"As for Kakashi, leave that to Kushina and me. That is our responsibility as his elders."
"Alright."
"Kushina, remove the barrier. It's time for us to lie down."
They truly did need to lie down. Kushina was genuinely exhausted, while Makoto and Minato were simply worn out.
But after the barrier disappeared, Minato went so far as to place a seal on himself. In an instant, he looked as if he had fallen gravely ill, as though his very foundation had been damaged and he would need several years of recovery before he could regain his strength.
This so-called Little Sun of Konoha actually had quite a sly side to him.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---