With a mind full of worries, Minato Namikaze walked out of the Hokage Tower. After hesitating for a mont, he vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu).
Not long after, Minato appeared beside a vast river, standing quietly as he waited.
The river was called the Naka River, located just south of Konohagakure. During the Warring States Period, it had been the territory and ancestral holand of the Uchiha Clan.
"Caw, caw, caw…"
A mont later, a crow fluttered down onto a large tree more than ten ters away.
Minato looked toward the sound.
The crow's eye rotated slightly—
And quietly transford into a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Minato's vision blurred for a mont, yet he made no attempt to resist, allowing the crow to pull him into a genjutsu.
Inside the Genjutsu
Within a crimson-colored space, Uchiha Ren appeared opposite Minato.
"Minato, didn't we agree that you would reduce contact after returning to the village? Why are you looking for in such a hurry?"
Minato smiled bitterly.
"I didn't want to either. But the Third Hokage told so things that left uncertain. I thought I should inform you."
Ren nodded, but instead of imdiately asking what Hiruzen had said, he stared at Minato with a strange expression.
"You didn't co straight to the mont you left the Hokage Tower… did you?"
Minato froze for a mont.
Then he nodded blankly.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
Ren sighed.
First, he silently observed three seconds of sympathy for Minato in his heart.
Then he looked at him with pity.
"The mont you entered the village, Kushina probably already knew you had returned."
"If you went to the Hokage Tower first to report your mission, she could accept that."
"But if you left the Hokage Tower and still didn't go to see her imdiately…"
Ren didn't finish the sentence.
Instead, he simply gave Minato a good luck surviving this look.
Minato finally realized the problem.
His body trembled slightly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The mother of the future Child of Prophecy, the second Nine-Tails jinchuriki of Konoha, and Minato's current fiancée.
But none of those titles were the real issue.
The real problem was—
Kushina was famously hot-tempered, earning the nickna "Red-Hot Habanero."
When she wasn't angry, everything was fine.
But when she did get angry—
She didn't care who you were.
Even Minato Namikaze wouldn't receive any special treatnt.
Originally, this reunion should have been a warm and affectionate scene after a long separation.
But thanks to his single oversight…
It might very well turn into a personal hell of punishnt.
Minato was genuinely panicking now.
He even forgot about the serious matter and blurted out:
"Ren —save !"
Only when facing Kushina would Minato lose his composure like this.
Ren thought for a mont before replying:
"I'll have Yakushi Nono prepare a bouquet and a cake for you. When you head back later, pick them up from the orphanage."
"The rest will depend on you."
Ren himself was also rather… wary of Kushina.
So he had no intention of getting too deeply involved.
"That's a huge help!"
Minato's eyes lit up with relief.
If he could say he had gone to prepare a gift, that would at least be a legitimate excuse.
Ren shook his head.
"Alright, don't waste ti. Tell what happened."
Minato's expression beca serious again.
He imdiately recounted everything Hiruzen Sarutobi had said in the Hokage's Office.
After finishing, he frowned.
"I don't know why, but I feel the Third Hokage is rushing things too much."
"Like you once said—when sothing unusual happens, there's usually sothing suspicious behind it. I have a bad feeling."
Ren pondered briefly before letting out a cold laugh.
"Heh. Minato, you're overthinking it."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't want to step down—"
"He's simply forced to."
"Forced?" Minato frowned. "What do you an?"
Ren explained calmly.
"Rumors always leave traces. Even if the rumors targeting Hiruzen are suppressed, they won't truly disappear."
"They'll simply lie buried beneath the soil… waiting for the day they sprout again."
"The current situation in the village is turbulent. Too many people are targeting him."
"If he continues sitting in that position, those rumors might explode again at any mont and completely destroy his reputation."
"So if he wants to land safely, the only option is to take a step back now, avoid the center of the storm, and protect himself."
"But until the Fourth Hokage officially takes office…"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is still the most powerful person in the village."
"I have to admit—it's a clever move."
"With the re title of 'forr Hokage,' he avoids many risks."
Minato nodded in realization.
Then he gave a helpless smile.
"It seems my thinking still hasn't fully adapted. I'm a bit slow when it cos to these political matters."
Ever since he began learning about political maneuvering, Minato sotis felt his mind struggling to keep up.
He even wondered whether he was truly suited to beco Hokage.
In many areas he was a once-in-a-generation genius.
But in matters like these—
He was sowhat like the First Hokage, a bit straightforward and naïve.
Seeing this, Ren spoke reassuringly.
"Minato, you shouldn't underestimate yourself."
"Hiruzen relies on such sches only because his strength and prestige are insufficient. He needs political tricks to maintain control."
"But you're different."
"You have talent comparable to the First Hokage."
"As long as your strength continues to grow, there will be nothing to fear."
"In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and sches are nothing but paper tigers."
This world, after all, was a high-power shinobi world, very different from ordinary ones.
In a normal world, personal strength was rely supplentary—character and strategy mattered more.
But in a world like this—
If an individual's power surpassed a certain threshold, they could dominate everything.
Just like Orochimaru in Otogakure or Pain in Agakure.
Because their strength exceeded the limits of their villages, they were treated like gods.
Whatever they said beca absolute.
The sa applied to Konoha.
If Minato—or Ren —surpassed the limits of the village in strength, then people like Hiruzen Sarutobi would be nothing more than clowns jumping on a stage.
Minato nodded firmly.
"Don't worry. I won't slack off in my training."
"Good."
Ren smiled.
"But Hiruzen confirming his retirent is still good news."
"I've already prepared a surprise for you."
"I'm just waiting for the day you beco the Fourth Hokage."
"A surprise?"
Minato looked puzzled.
Ren gave a aningful smile.
"I guarantee it."
"This surprise will definitely make you feel very… surprised."
With a mind full of worries, Minato Namikaze walked out of the Hokage Tower. After hesitating for a mont, he vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu).
Not long after, Minato appeared beside a vast river, standing quietly as he waited.
The river was called the Naka River, located just south of Konohagakure. During the Warring States Period, it had been the territory and ancestral holand of the Uchiha Clan.
"Caw, caw, caw…"
A mont later, a crow fluttered down onto a large tree more than ten ters away.
Minato looked toward the sound.
The crow's eye rotated slightly—
And quietly transford into a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Minato's vision blurred for a mont, yet he made no attempt to resist, allowing the crow to pull him into a genjutsu.
Inside the Genjutsu
Within a crimson-colored space, Uchiha Ren appeared opposite Minato.
"Minato, didn't we agree that you would reduce contact after returning to the village? Why are you looking for in such a hurry?"
Minato smiled bitterly.
"I didn't want to either. But the Third Hokage told so things that left uncertain. I thought I should inform you."
Ren nodded, but instead of imdiately asking what Hiruzen had said, he stared at Minato with a strange expression.
"You didn't co straight to the mont you left the Hokage Tower… did you?"
Minato froze for a mont.
Then he nodded blankly.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
Ren sighed.
First, he silently observed three seconds of sympathy for Minato in his heart.
Then he looked at him with pity.
"The mont you entered the village, Kushina probably already knew you had returned."
"If you went to the Hokage Tower first to report your mission, she could accept that."
"But if you left the Hokage Tower and still didn't go to see her imdiately…"
Ren didn't finish the sentence.
Instead, he simply gave Minato a good luck surviving this look.
Minato finally realized the problem.
His body trembled slightly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The mother of the future Child of Prophecy, the second Nine-Tails jinchuriki of Konoha, and Minato's current fiancée.
But none of those titles were the real issue.
The real problem was—
Kushina was famously hot-tempered, earning the nickna "Red-Hot Habanero."
When she wasn't angry, everything was fine.
But when she did get angry—
She didn't care who you were.
Even Minato Namikaze wouldn't receive any special treatnt.
Originally, this reunion should have been a warm and affectionate scene after a long separation.
But thanks to his single oversight…
It might very well turn into a personal hell of punishnt.
Minato was genuinely panicking now.
He even forgot about the serious matter and blurted out:
"Ren —save !"
Only when facing Kushina would Minato lose his composure like this.
Ren thought for a mont before replying:
"I'll have Yakushi Nono prepare a bouquet and a cake for you. When you head back later, pick them up from the orphanage."
"The rest will depend on you."
Ren himself was also rather… wary of Kushina.
So he had no intention of getting too deeply involved.
"That's a huge help!"
Minato's eyes lit up with relief.
If he could say he had gone to prepare a gift, that would at least be a legitimate excuse.
Ren shook his head.
"Alright, don't waste ti. Tell what happened."
Minato's expression beca serious again.
He imdiately recounted everything Hiruzen Sarutobi had said in the Hokage's Office.
After finishing, he frowned.
"I don't know why, but I feel the Third Hokage is rushing things too much."
"Like you once said—when sothing unusual happens, there's usually sothing suspicious behind it. I have a bad feeling."
Ren pondered briefly before letting out a cold laugh.
"Heh. Minato, you're overthinking it."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't want to step down—"
"He's simply forced to."
"Forced?" Minato frowned. "What do you an?"
Ren explained calmly.
"Rumors always leave traces. Even if the rumors targeting Hiruzen are suppressed, they won't truly disappear."
"They'll simply lie buried beneath the soil… waiting for the day they sprout again."
"The current situation in the village is turbulent. Too many people are targeting him."
"If he continues sitting in that position, those rumors might explode again at any mont and completely destroy his reputation."
"So if he wants to land safely, the only option is to take a step back now, avoid the center of the storm, and protect himself."
"But until the Fourth Hokage officially takes office…"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is still the most powerful person in the village."
"I have to admit—it's a clever move."
"With the re title of 'forr Hokage,' he avoids many risks."
Minato nodded in realization.
Then he gave a helpless smile.
"It seems my thinking still hasn't fully adapted. I'm a bit slow when it cos to these political matters."
Ever since he began learning about political maneuvering, Minato sotis felt his mind struggling to keep up.
He even wondered whether he was truly suited to beco Hokage.
In many areas he was a once-in-a-generation genius.
But in matters like these—
He was sowhat like the First Hokage, a bit straightforward and naïve.
Seeing this, Ren spoke reassuringly.
"Minato, you shouldn't underestimate yourself."
"Hiruzen relies on such sches only because his strength and prestige are insufficient. He needs political tricks to maintain control."
"But you're different."
"You have talent comparable to the First Hokage."
"As long as your strength continues to grow, there will be nothing to fear."
"In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and sches are nothing but paper tigers."
This world, after all, was a high-power shinobi world, very different from ordinary ones.
In a normal world, personal strength was rely supplentary—character and strategy mattered more.
But in a world like this—
If an individual's power surpassed a certain threshold, they could dominate everything.
Just like Orochimaru in Otogakure or Pain in Agakure.
Because their strength exceeded the limits of their villages, they were treated like gods.
Whatever they said beca absolute.
The sa applied to Konoha.
If Minato—or Ren —surpassed the limits of the village in strength, then people like Hiruzen Sarutobi would be nothing more than clowns jumping on a stage.
Minato nodded firmly.
"Don't worry. I won't slack off in my training."
"Good."
Ren smiled.
"But Hiruzen confirming his retirent is still good news."
"I've already prepared a surprise for you."
"I'm just waiting for the day you beco the Fourth Hokage."
"A surprise?"
Minato looked puzzled.
Ren gave a aningful smile.
"I guarantee it."
"This surprise will definitely make you feel very… surprised."
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