After pausing for a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the distant horizon.
"On top of that, Uchiha Madara appeared, and he turned out to be Akatsuki's leader. You can't help but wonder, could the Uchiha clan have connections with Akatsuki? For example, when you went to Amegakure to carry out that mission, a member of the Uchiha appeared in Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke. Later intel showed that he was a member of Akatsuki, and he even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"So, I can even speculate that perhaps among the Uchiha there are Akatsuki members hidden, maybe even people that Fugaku himself knows. It's possible that Fugaku himself is connected to Akatsuki."
"But even if this is true, could you expose it? Would you dare expose it? And once such suspicion exists, would you dare let the Uchiha into the core circle of Konoha? If you don't let them in, then the Uchiha will feel, what, that you look down on them?"
"Ah, Uchiha, Uchiha… sometimes I really feel exhausted. Minato, I even thought, maybe it would be easier if their whole clan just disappeared completely, then I wouldn't have to suffer this torment anymore…"
Minato revealed an awkward expression, because Akatsuki really was backed by the Uchiha, and inside the clan there truly were members of Akatsuki, more than one in fact.
His own disciple Obito didn't even need to be mentioned. And Uchiha Shisui, the genius of the clan, also became involved in the incident of assassinating Danzo.
From the perspective of Hokage, the Third's words weren't wrong at all. They also made Minato suddenly understand the reasons behind some things Obito had mentioned from the future.
For example, the incident of Hyuga Hizashi's sacrifice, was it really because Konoha and the Third were too soft?
Or was there a possibility that the Third was suppressing the Hyuga clan, intentionally stirring up conflict between the branch family and the main family?
After all, the result of that matter was that the branch family no longer trusted the main family. And if they didn't trust the main family, then the only one who could protect them was the Hokage.
That way, the Hokage's authority could directly penetrate the Hyuga's internal affairs.
Another example, the Uchiha massacre. Before, he also thought maybe it was too cruel.
But if you look at it from the Hokage's perspective, the hardest thing about the Uchiha was that their very existence itself was a threat.
And this kind of threat, because of his knowledge of the future, Minato understood even more clearly than the Third.
If Obito hadn't been reborn, could he have woken up? And even if he did wake up, in the end didn't he still go to another world and start Infinite Tsukuyomi?
Of course he trusted his disciple. But if there were one or two more disciples like that, he too would have a splitting headache.
Yes, that's exactly it, a headache. The Uchiha hadn't actually done anything wrong, but because of uncontrollable variables, they had to be guarded against. Yet the more they were guarded against, the more likely it was to create confrontation. And then it would fall into a vicious cycle.
The worst thing about this vicious cycle was that it gave no clean break. That constant sense of anxiety, not knowing when a thunderous explosion might happen, that truly could drive a person insane.
Eventually, when the pressure became unbearable, it would give rise to that feeling of "I've had enough, might as well go all the way." Honestly… that was normal too.
Thinking this through, Minato raised his head and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, even feeling a bit of pity for him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed the sympathy hidden in Minato's eyes, and instead laughed loudly, "Hahahahaha."
"Minato, from now on, these problems will be yours to handle. I finally won't have to be tormented every moment thinking about this nonsense anymore. At last, I am freed."
Minato's expression didn't change. Indeed, these matters seemed extremely difficult to deal with. If he were merely Sarutobi Hiruzen, he too might be driven into a mess.
But he was Namikaze Minato.
These problems, whether Madara, Akatsuki, or the Uchiha, were in fact all under his disciple Obito's control.
In that case, everything suddenly became simple again.
If there truly were all kinds of conspiracies in this world, that would indeed give one a headache. But if the biggest mastermind was actually one of his own people? Then the headaches would all belong to others.
Minato calmly said, "I will handle these matters properly."
Seeing Minato's composed, confident expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly felt at ease. Reality proved, he hadn't chosen the wrong man. A Hokage should be like this, calm in the face of crisis.
He suddenly smiled. His whole aura relaxed. No longer aggressive, he now seemed like a kindly old man.
"Place Danzo's body at the memorial stone. Pick a good day. Before I step down, I want to hold a grand funeral for him."
"Other than that, Root also needs a new leader. Root holds extremely special power. The choice of this leader is of utmost importance."
Minato was stunned, "Lord Third, do you have a suitable candidate?"
The Third's brows once again revealed worry, "If judged by qualifications and compatibility, Orochimaru would be suitable, but he…"
The Third couldn't go on. Regarding Orochimaru, he couldn't feel assured.
The current Orochimaru was also competing for Hokage. Someone who wanted to be the glory of Konoha, how could he willingly become its shadow?
Moreover, Hiruzen had already sensed the darkness in Orochimaru's heart. If it deepened further, what consequences might it lead to? Even he didn't dare be certain.
In the end, he could only sigh and toss the thought from his mind.
"Orochimaru won't do. Rather than him, it'd be better if…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly paused, then spoke with some pain, "Minato, do you think Obito and Rin still have any chance of being alive?"
"Ah, I regret it. I shouldn't have sent you all on such a dangerous mission back then. A corpse of Danzo's wasn't worth the lives of Konoha's geniuses."
Minato gave a bitter smile. Right now, Obito and Rin were in another world fighting the Fourth War. Who knew whether it was going well or not?
After all, the few of them were facing the entire world.
So, according to the original plan, after bringing Danzo's corpse back to Konoha, what he reported was that Team 7 was exposed during retreat, and was surrounded by Akatsuki. Madara also joined in.
Because Madara had methods to interfere with space-time ninjutsu, they couldn't simply retreat with Flying Thunder God. So Obito stayed behind to cover the retreat.
And Rin, tied to Obito in heart, also stayed behind.
This report didn't raise any suspicion from Sarutobi Hiruzen. After all, Madara's power was already deeply etched into people's hearts.
Thinking this, Minato hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lord Hokage, Obito and Rin, after all, both of them are strong. Perhaps there's still a slim chance."
Sarutobi Hiruzen grew more sorrowful, "Yes, they are strong, very strong indeed."
"But according to the intel passed from Orochimaru, Madara alone can crush the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Obito and Rin, even if they've already grown into first-class powerhouses, still…"
He didn't continue. Losing them, pillars strong enough to support the next generation of Konoha, was truly hard to accept.
But Minato remained calm, "Lord Hokage, for shinobi, encountering accidents during missions is common. Please don't hold onto this in your heart."
Minato knew. Perhaps in Sarutobi Hiruzen's view, it was his willfulness that had cost Konoha two geniuses.
But actually, joining the Fourth War had been Obito and Rin's own choice. It had nothing to do with anyone else.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, after all, was accustomed to life and death. Since Minato had spoken like this, he regained himself.
He said lightly, "Enough. Let's talk about something else. Before you take office as the Fourth Hokage, I'll give you one last mission."
"As I said earlier, even though the war is nearly unsustainable, how to end it is a lesson too. Tell me, what do you think is the best way to stop the war with Iwagakure?"
Minato's heart stirred.
Combining it with intel Obito had given him, he knew very well.
"Lord Third, you mean… to cut off Iwagakure's most important supply route, at Kanabi Bridge, located in Kusagakure?"
[A/N: Also, all of Obito's abilities come from Naruto canon, not something I made up. Some use Boruto settings. For example, "Fantasy Force" is just like Eida's Shinjutsu Omnipotence in Boruto. Reflecting Uchiha Sasuke's attacks back is like Daemon's Shinjutsu Reflection. As for the ability similar to Gojo Satoru's Infinity, that's an upgraded use of Kamui's space-time manipulation. Kamui Field is equivalent to one of Sarada's Mangekyo abilities, that is, Kamui's left eye can not only target enemies, but also target oneself.]
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