When Hagoromo said this, his voice sounded a bit strange.
Because of what happened to Obito and Rin, he had stayed in the Village. His appearance was visibly lethargic; clearly, the blow this incident had dealt him wouldn't fade anytime soon.
Inside Kushina's house, he was currently sitting on the floor with his legs outstretched. His arms hung limply, and his body leaned forward, resting half of his face on the table as he stared blankly out the window.
This posture definitely wasn't becoming of a ninja. However, considering Kakashi's current state, Kushina felt Hagoromo was doing much better. Moreover... when it came down to it, Hagoromo's current posture was merely a subconscious imitation of what Kushina had been doing just a moment ago. Even as his sensei, she had no standing to criticize him.
After a sudden crash of breaking porcelain, Hagoromo laboriously shifted his gaze, resting the other side of his face on the table to continue his observation.
This way, he could see the movements on the other side of the room... She probably dropped another plate.
Why say another? In short, Hagoromo had long since surrendered to this kind of thing.
Anyway, Kushina's expression didn't change in the slightest; she was completely calm and accustomed to it. Her cooking skills hadn't improved either, and after trying hard for a while, she had practically given up on any cure.
Certain things truly require talent... For instance, being a ninja genuinely requires talent.
"The whole village already knew about this by this morning. If it weren't for what happened to Rin and Obito, Minato would probably be much happier."
As Kushina said this, her long red bangs happened to fall forward. Hagoromo could only see strands of hair, her chin, and the corners of her mouth, but he couldn't see the exact look in her eyes.
It was probably a look Hagoromo never wanted to see on Kushina's face ever again.
If it weren't for the current timing, Kushina would have been much happier too.
The matter of the Fourth Hokage was worth celebrating for Minato. As for the goal of becoming Hokage she had spoken of when she was a child, it was likely just something blurted out under provocation.
She didn't actually have that strong of an obsession with the "Hokage" title. And after she truly met Minato, she had probably given up on that idea long ago.
Becoming Hokage was no longer listed among the things that brought her happiness.
What this meant was blindingly obvious.
In reality, at this point, Minato Namikaze was no longer just a Hokage candidate; he had officially become the stand-in hokage. From now on, the Third Hokage would likely begin gradually transferring authority to him.
Arranging the confirmation of the Fourth Hokage candidate after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge had a very solid rationale. By this time, the Hidden Stone's defeat was virtually a foregone conclusion. More importantly, the news that Konoha and the Hidden Mist had officially signed a peace treaty had also arrived. Minato's news was good news following good news.
Due to years of accumulating influence, the name "Yellow Flash" was known to absolutely everyone in Konoha. Coupled with Minato's personal charisma and the natural sense of closeness brought by his civilian background, the Third Hokage's decision faced practically no opposition in Konoha. Furthermore, the lower the civilian or the more ordinary the ninja, the stronger their support tended to be.
Of course, that was just practically.
"Were there any hiccups during the process?" Hagoromo quickly asked, trying to prevent both of them from sinking back into their heavy grief.
Kushina paused for a moment before replying with slight hesitation, "No major problems."
"No major problems" meant there were plenty of minor problems. And judging by Kushina's hesitant expression, Hagoromo could imagine that these so-called minor problems probably weren't that minor.
There were likely some things Kushina didn't want Hagoromo to be exposed to too much right now, which could be considered a form of protecting him.
How could there be no hiccups? Allowing someone so young to become Hokage would definitely face opposition from certain old-guard higher-ups... In fact, even if Jiraiya were to become the Fourth Hokage, they would still question it; the only difference would be shifting their doubts from his age to his particular "character traits."
The struggle surrounding the village leadership was intensely fierce, especially during this period when all the major ninja villages were undergoing generational transitions. The Hidden Mist was like this, and Konoha was no different.
The Fourth Raikage, the Fourth Mizukage, the Fourth Hokage—all faced the issue of ascending to power. Fortunately, Konoha had the Third Hokage suppressing the situation, preventing any large-scale bloodshed.
In reality, after hearing of Minato's appointment, Hagoromo received a new mission. For a very long time to come, he would act as Minato's bodyguard. Basically, wherever Minato went, he went. Unless there were special circumstances, he wouldn't take on any other missions.
Moreover, in response to this sensitive period of Hokage transition, the handful of familiar bodyguards, including Hagoromo, were granted a special privilege: it wasn't just enemies they could strike down freely; even if a ninja from their own village displayed intent to attack Minato, the protocol was... shoot to kill without hesitation.
Even accidentally killing a ninja or two didn't matter. The scope of their protection didn't just cover enemy attacks, but internal attacks from within Konoha as well.
This mission directive was hand-written by the Third Hokage himself. Such instructions laid bare the dark underbelly of the village, showing that the Third Hokage also had a ruthless side.
Hagoromo's first reaction to this mission was to refuse. Not because he thought a ninja like Minato didn't need a bodyguard, but because...
The unknown breeds apprehension; half-knowledge breeds terror. What he actually wanted to do was resign from all duties and stay in Konoha permanently, ensuring he could be by Kushina's side whenever any sudden changes occurred.
Although he was very tempted, he ultimately abandoned the idea. First, he knew it was still too early. Even if Obito had truly survived this time, judging by the severity of the injuries Hagoromo had witnessed on the battlefield, recovering wouldn't be easy for him.
So even if the few things Hagoromo knew were going to happen did happen as scheduled, it wouldn't be right now. If he wanted to respond to changes with stillness, he needed to continue waiting.
He warned himself not to panic.
New jutsu formulas were also in development; everything required time.
Watching Kushina, who was bustling around aimlessly doing who-knows-what, Hagoromo knew it wasn't the right time for him to stay in Konoha indefinitely.
The village wouldn't allow a combat asset like him to sit idle without reason, especially now, during the most critical closing stages of the war.
Furthermore, staying by Minato's side would allow Hagoromo to gradually exert influence on him and raise his vigilance against future events step by step.
"Hagoromo? Why are you staring at me all spaced out?"
Having received no response for a while, and sensing his unfocused gaze, Kushina asked.
"Uh, nothing."
It truly was nothing. Kushina just needed to stay exactly as she was.
Hagoromo then continued, "Speaking of which, how is Kakashi doing?"
Although he had somewhat deliberately avoided the topic, they had still circled back to it.
"Kakashi... doesn't look too good. He suffered a massive blow. After all, the incidents with Obito and Rin happened right before his eyes."
"Now that Minato's squad no longer exists, based on Minato's own intentions, it seems he wants Kakashi to join the Anbu..."
Have Kakashi join the Anbu at a time like this? Minato might have his own considerations, but was this really a good idea? Did he think the boy's mind wasn't dark enough already?
Could it be fighting poison with poison?
"Is that a good idea? Maybe it would be better to have him stick around with Guy."
Because of inherent personality traits and differing experiences between Kakashi and Might Guy, there might not be a question of whose mind was stronger. Besides, Dai's situation was different from Rin's. Might Dai's death could be considered a fulfillment of his purpose, whereas Rin's death brought only heartbreak and regret.
Kushina shook her head and said, "Perhaps Minato has deeper considerations."
In reality, Hagoromo was just blindly tossing out ideas. He was attempting to let the more positive Guy influence Kakashi, but no one can influence someone who has closed themselves off.
Right now, Kakashi seemed intent on perishing in silence. Although the reasons were understandable, someone in that state... to be honest, Hagoromo didn't really want to deal with him.
Things that have happened are called reality. Whether confronted, ignored, or dismissed, they are established facts that cannot be changed. Everyone's attitude toward these events differs. As for Hagoromo, he would not stop in his tracks.
He would very soon step onto the battlefield once more.
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