Kurogane Ren watched as Minato Namikaze continued thinking about a suitable candidate. While he couldn't recommend anyone directly—since Minato's side wasn't completely unified and word might spread, causing unnecessary offense—he could still say something neutral.
"I don't think Hokage-sama needs to rush this. In a few years, once your student Kakashi Hatake matures, he should be able to become your right-hand man."
"Kakashi… he still needs a few more years of experience," Minato said with a smile, clearly satisfied with his disciple.
Kurogane Ren nodded. As long as Minato didn't die, Kakashi wouldn't completely sink into darkness within the ANBU, only to be pulled out later by Might Guy.
With both Minato and Kushina around, Kakashi would gradually recover.
From later accounts, it was clear that Minato and Kushina treated their three students very well, which only made Obito Uchiha's later actions seem even more despicable.
In truth, aside from Kakashi, Minato had no shortage of capable people.
Although the Third Hokage had stepped down, his experience in managing village affairs—especially as a mediator—could still assist Minato. Of course, political matters were another story.
Then there were the two elder advisors. Compared to Danzo Shimura, they were relatively neutral. While stubborn, they were still suitable for handling logistics.
During the war, although they didn't fight on the frontlines, it was evident they managed rear operations effectively without dragging things down.
Moreover, despite appearing to support Danzo, after the Third Hokage's death, they recommended Jiraiya as Hokage instead of backing Danzo—a detail worth considering.
More importantly, they were fundamentally different from Danzo. During the Nine-Tails incident, the two advisors had personally stood on the frontlines alongside the Third Hokage.
If Minato hadn't arrived in time to teleport the Nine-Tails away, they might have died there as well.
And where had Danzo been during all this? Nowhere to be seen. Neither he nor his Root operatives had appeared, not even to assist with evacuating civilians.
This alone spoke volumes.
Although the two advisors were old-fashioned, they were still loyal to Konoha. Their experience could be useful—take the good and discard the bad.
Even without them, the generation of Nara Shikaku had already fully matured.
In truth, Minato had plenty of people he could rely on. Compared to him, the Third Hokage's later situation would be far more difficult.
After the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha had suffered heavy losses. Minato had died, Orochimaru had defected, and the Nine-Tails had been sealed into an infant, effectively removing a major deterrent.
At that time, the Third Hokage bore immense pressure. Externally, Kumogakure and Iwagakure launched attacks due to Konoha's weakened state.
Tsunade had developed hemophobia, limiting her combat ability.
Internally, the Hyuga clan grew increasingly powerful and less respectful of the Hokage, even going so far as to skip critical peace negotiations for personal matters.
Under such circumstances, Jiraiya was perhaps the only truly reliable figure.
And yet, Konoha still managed to endure. A testament to its underlying strength.
...
Later, when Minato gathered all the advisors in the meeting room, Kurogane Ren, as the proposer, stood before them with a lifeless expression and repeated his concerns about the village's grand barrier.
After he finished, the advisors exchanged glances but raised no objections.
The matter didn't affect their interests and was indeed beneficial to Konoha, so there was no reason to oppose it.
"Very well. This matter will be fully handled by the Sealing Team," Minato declared, then looked at Kurogane Ren. "Kurogane Ren, ensure this is completed promptly."
"Yes."
Kurogane Ren nodded. At least in this formal setting, Minato had stopped calling him "senpai."
A faint glint appeared in his eyes. Finally, he could make adjustments to the grand barrier openly.
Then he slumped slightly in his seat, utterly drained. Having attended the meeting, he couldn't even leave early.
At last, the long meeting came to an end.
Kurogane Ren walked out with dull eyes. Back in his previous life, he had already been plagued by endless meetings.
As an "introverted" person, he truly disliked dealing with such situations.
At this point, even if someone offered him the position of Hokage, he wouldn't take it. Too troublesome, too time-consuming—what was the point?
After returning to the Sealing Team, he briefly explained the assigned task and distributed the work.
As a leader, he couldn't handle everything personally. It was enough to review the final results—and, at that time, secretly leave himself a hidden passage in the barrier for untraceable use of the Summoning Technique.
Once the arrangements were made, Kurogane Ren immersed himself once again in sealing research, continuing his experiments.
However, something unexpected happened that afternoon.
A ninja wearing a gray, striped mask walked into his office.
"And you are?" Kurogane Ren frowned slightly. He had already recognized the identity—Root.
ANBU masks were usually white and animal-shaped, making them easy to distinguish from Root's.
"Our lord requests your presence," the Root ninja said emotionlessly.
"And who would that be?" Kurogane Ren narrowed his eyes.
"Our lord is the leader of Root—Danzo Shimura-sama," the ninja replied, a hint of reverence in his voice.
"Hmm? Why would someone like him be looking for me?" Kurogane Ren asked, slightly puzzled.
"You'll know when you arrive."
"Fine. Give me a moment," Kurogane Ren said, not refusing. He tidied up the scrolls in his lab before following the Root ninja through layers of hidden passages to a secluded place devoid of sunlight.
There stood an old man, leaning on a cane, his head and right eye wrapped in bandages, dressed in a dark gray kimono, with one arm completely concealed.
It was Danzo Shimura.
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