Chapter 146

Minato Namikaze's words basically settled the matter.

When something this big happens, someone must bear the responsibility, and all of this occurred under Minato's governance.

Moreover, by his own account, he does not intend to evade but to take responsibility proactively, which indeed is what a qualified Hokage should do.

However, his choice only makes the Third and others feel immense heartache, and even Senju Clan Feijian feels the same.

"Being able to take responsibility proactively, not shirking, and having a good temperament, this kid is a qualified and suitable Hokage."

Senju Clan Feijian nodded inwardly, but soon his inner fury became uncontrollable.

"Danzo."

Senju Clan Feijian had always thought he would never hate someone to the extent of Madara Uchiha, but now he realizes he underestimated human nature.

Danzo, his former disciple, truly reached that level, making him so hateful that he wishes to go back in time and simply erase Danzo's existence!

Feelings can exist, but must never be compromised, otherwise they will inevitably yield unimaginable bitter results, just like now!

"Ah."

Yuzhi saw everyone's gaze, smiled and shrugged, saying.

Yuzhi was actually a bit conflicted inside; he had long guessed this situation would arise, yet when Minato Namikaze actually said those words, he still shook his head.

Nevertheless, he felt no guilt; just as Minato said, he had already made the suggestion, but Minato himself refused it.

Of course, no one would dare do that, but clarifying some matters is still necessary.

Yuzhi shamelessly said, "Anyway, pinning this on Obito would be unprovable, but this time I can legitimately bring out some items."

"However, I have some findings; please take a look."

Minato nodded upon hearing that; he knew Yuzhi didn't want that guy linked to the current Uchiha, lest someone use it to attack later.

"I think we can issue a public notice, even if an Uchiha Clan member harbored hatred toward Yuzhi, causing all these incidents."

Tsunade nodded directly, and Senju Clan Feijian now understood why he was truly summoned; he really hadn't expected the situation to become this serious!

Where on earth did this guy obtain his older brother's cells?

The Third, curious, spoke up, while Tsunade seemed to recall something and immediately rose to approach.

"A Uchiha wandering outside is bad for both Yuzhi and the Uchiha Clan, and his deeds over the years have been excessive; we need to give him a definition."

"Hate?"

That guy later attacked Hyuga Hitoshi and Hyuga Hichika; if not for me discovering Hyuga Hichika's flare, perhaps—

Because Yuzhi truly needs someone to take responsibility, especially since Danzo's recent calamity is huge, he naively thought he could strike at the Uchiha possessing three Mangekyou Sharingan.

"What is this?"

"And I happened to get a bargain, and with Tsunade senior's words, so..."

"However, I think this should allow us to study that guy more effectively, right?"

Sighing helplessly, Senju Clan Feijian opposed the young Fourth's decision emotionally, but rationally knew he had to support it.

Ziraiye, having long avoided such melancholy topics, immediately took over Yuzhi's words.

"That guy's hand—Tsunade senior told me to watch it closely; this time I remembered."

"It was clearly you who did it, alright!"

Yuzhi brushed over the somewhat heavy matter in a single remark, and when Hikari and Zhi Shui heard it, they both felt uneasy.

"The most pressing issue now is dealing with Danzo's leftover problems, as well as the details of his alliance with that mysterious Uchiha."

Yuzhi stroked his chin and gave an answer, which left Minato and the others puzzled, and Senju Clan Feijian let out a cold snort.

"Yuzhi, do you know what his purpose is?"

Hikari, however, didn't care; whether Yuzhi is an ordinary Uchiha, a Clan Leader, or even the Hokage, it makes no difference to her.

Zhi Shui lowered his head, unwilling to look further, but he thought of something: now he somewhat understood why Yuzhi said "I will become the Fifth Hokage."

"Although he ran a bit fast, before the attack on the Hyuga, Hikari had already defeated him."

That guy remains the boy who dug himself out, the pervert with odd quirks, and the blabbermouth—none of it changes.

"Did that guy attack the Hyuga?"

"So, senior has already seen through everything."

"Yuzhi, do you have any thoughts?"

Senju Clan Feijian, being the most perceptive, immediately sensed that this arm was unusual; it carried his older brother's aura!

He truly doesn't know how Danzo's personality became so twisted, but he guesses it's largely due to the deeds of his other good disciples.

"Everyone, there's something we should discuss."

"This is…"

While everyone stared blankly at the arm, Yuzhi continued speaking.

"Bonds are very important, something his older brother has long emphasized, but Senju Clan Feijian never sees how such feelings help govern a village."

"With such complete material, I think there should be no problem."

Yuzhi smiled, unfolded the scroll in his hand, and the next moment an arm appeared before everyone.

Among the three, one has even mastered his own Flying Thunder God Technique.

"I think we can put this matter on hold for now; after all, selecting the new Hokage takes time and requires more preparation."

"I don't know, but Hyuga Hitoshi and Hyuga Hichika are injured, and it seems a piece of flesh was taken from him; perhaps that guy wants to conduct some experiment."

If it were his own older brother, it might be fine, but even Senju Clan Feijian himself must weigh the abilities of these three.

Minato hadn't yet grasped what that meant, while Yuzhi smiled and nodded, saying.

"He has Wood Release, Danzo also does, and Danzo possesses the Sharingan, so it can be seen as Danzo secretly abducted him years ago and used him for verification experiments."

The experiment succeeded; this guy inherited the First Hokage's Wood Release power and, due to massive stimulation, awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Possessing both abilities, he decided to avenge the Leaf Village, for its roots caused him such great pain.

His cooperation with Danzo was probably because Danzo created him and gave him some promise, and he was merely going through the motions; otherwise he would have rescued Danzo.

After all, his ability—I'm sure everyone knows—that if he really wanted to take Danzo away, it would be very easy.

Yuzhi's words made everyone present look at each other in bewilderment, though such an explanation could not change the fact that Minato had to bear responsibility.

But Yuzhi's move—insisting on honestly taking the blame even if Danzo died—doesn't that seem a bit excessive?

I have to say, Yuzhi really does have the talent to become Hokage.

"So, everyone, I wonder what you think of this arrangement?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Yuzhi couldn't help but ask curiously.

The group exchanged glances, and in the end Minato, as Hokage, nodded and spoke.

"Then let's arrange it that way; I will immediately spread the news."

The Third Hokage also simply nodded in silence; after all, Danzo was meant to be the scapegoat.

He has now caused such a huge calamity; if he were to die, there are certain burdens he would still have to firmly shoulder.

"Are you okay, Obito?"

In a forest outside the Leaf Village, Heijue looked at the sullen‑faced Obito and couldn't help but speak comfortingly.

Actually, he never had high expectations for Obito's latest action; after all, that Uchiha possessed three Mangekyou Sharingan.

Even if Uchiha Haori's eyes couldn't hold, there are still Uchiha Ying and Shisui Uchiha, and both of them are the ones who beat Obito up.

And the facts proved it: Obito indeed lived up to expectations and was beaten up again, though this time the situation was relatively better.

Perhaps his three years of training bore fruit; at least he didn't lose a hand again.

"Why..."

Heijue had no hope for Obito, but Obito himself couldn't accept it.

"Why is that woman so strong, why can she be that strong, why does she always stay by Uchiha Haori's side, why?"

Recalling how that woman once beat him up, even though he had tried years ago, and even earlier he had been beaten even worse.

But now it's the same situation, especially her words keep piercing his heart, making it even harder to accept.

Could it be that I'm really that weak, that I truly can't compare to anyone?

"You shouldn't lose heart; just because he can't win now doesn't mean he can't later; their eyes can't hold up."

Heijue subconsciously comforted Obito, but when he saw Obito's sudden gaze turn toward him, he also felt a bit uneasy.

It seemed that continuing to speak the truth with their eyes was somewhat improper; over all these years, Haori and the others had never been stingy with using their eyes.

But now Heijue himself couldn't understand why the three of them could still keep their eyes holding up until now.

Normally, shouldn't their eyes have gone blind by now?

Could it be that they really used Obito's arm?

Although Heijue's mind was full of such speculation, he still needed to soothe Obito's emotions now.

"You have to trust me; just look at Uchiha Haori—you should already know what kind of person he is; he's a guy who loves to show off."

To deal with Danzo, normally he would employ his strongest power, the Fifth‑stage Susanoo, but what did he actually do?

"He only used the third‑stage Susanoo."

"That's right; he couldn't hold on any longer, which is why he did that!"

Seeing Obito still hesitating in his answer, Heijue immediately gave a definitive verdict; whether true or not, Obito now needed that 'yes'.

Heijue had nothing left to misunderstand about Obito; just go along with this guy's wishes.

"Seems that's really the case."

Obito hesitated a bit, but after pondering for a while and automatically dismissing the thought that 'there's no need to deal with Danzo', he gradually accepted Heijue's suggestion.

After all, Uchiha Haori, the thief who stole everything from me, is still a show‑off.

Look at how the entire Leaf Village is praising this guy now; that guy will never miss any chance to showcase himself.

"Exactly, that's it, so you don't need to worry too much."

Heijue saw Obito seem to settle down honestly; he silently nodded, thinking that honesty was good—it would save him a lot of trouble.

"And, if I endure a bit longer, I won't have to worry so much about that Obito fellow."

Heijue silently mused that he didn't know whether this operation held any meaning for Obito, and he wasn't sure if he had truly uncovered Haori's true nature.

But he knew one thing: his goal was essentially achieved, because he truly found a suitable candidate!

"Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi Uchiha was essentially abandoned by the Uchiha Clan, yet this youngster already possessed a Sharingan with the Three Tomoe.

Heijue even discovered that this kid's eyes seemed close to reaching their limit; one more step would inevitably unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan!

Moreover, his heart was full of hatred; if I make good use of him, could this kid possibly still be inferior to Obito?

"However, he's currently imprisoned; extracting him will require some effort, and..."

Heijue cast a sidelong glance at Obito, now truly suspecting that Haori and the others had used Senju ZhuZhang, or cells from Obito's arm, to enhance themselves.

However, all this must be examined carefully, and if it turns out to be true, it would further prove that Obito is a person who fails to accomplish anything while causing plenty of trouble!

Although he always has been, because of this matter, Heijue probably needs to make some adjustments and redeployments.

"It seems this time you really intend to take control of the entire village?"

Walking on the road back to the Uchiha, Hikari watched Haori, whose mouth was curled in a smile, and couldn't help but tilt her head and ask humorously.

The 'Dividing the Pot' summit had already ended; whatever Minato and the others still had to say was no longer relevant to Haori.

They had been busy all day, so naturally needed to return and rest, but they were fully aware of what kind of repercussions today's events would trigger.

Even Hikari, who usually had little interest in such chaotic matters, seemed to have glimpsed Haori's future.

"Who knows? Though I'd love to say that if I were to vie for Hokage now, I'd be the obvious choice, some things still need to be seen."

Yuzhi tilted his head, and afterwards he didn't even care that Shisui was still behind him; he just reached out and took Hikari's hand.

Actually, it doesn't really matter whether one is the Hokage or not, but being able to become the Hokage does indeed make it more convenient to do certain things, like fulfilling someone's earlier wishes.

I didn't force you to do it.

Hikari raised an eyebrow; although he had a smile on his lips, he nonetheless shook his head in disdain.

Is that so? I remember someone back then shouting at me loudly, almost to the point of tears.

Yuzhi blinked, smiled, and began to speak, but before he could finish, Hikari grabbed his collar with one hand.

Who are you talking about? Should you think it over before finishing what you have to say?

Two seniors, there's still someone watching from the side.

Shisui watched the two act so recklessly before him, feeling a bit embarrassed, and in the end he could only helplessly speak up to remind them.

But his heart was also boiling over; he didn't dwell on the past between Yuzhi and Hikari, his mind was now full of thoughts of becoming Hokage.

He truly didn't think anyone in the Leaf Village could challenge Yuzhi for the Hokage position, which meant the Uchiha clan was really going to produce their own Hokage!

The Uchiha clan's desire for a Hokage wasn't just a matter of a day or two; ever since the founding of the Leaf Village, this aspiration has always existed.

But due to various reasons, it has never succeeded; even Shisui's grandfather, Uchiha Kyō, failed back then.

Now that he sees an opportunity, how could he not be excited?

Although nothing is settled yet, even though Yuzhi keeps a low profile, he still can't suppress his inner excitement.

Huh?

But while Yuzhi and Hikari were horsing around and Shisui was pondering the Hokage matter, Shisui suddenly noticed Uchiha Mikoto waiting at the entrance of Yuzhi's home.

Senior...

Shisui knew why this former clan leader's wife had come, and he couldn't help but sigh; the matter of Itachi Uchiha also made him feel regret.

But the path is one's own choice; whoever it is must bear responsibility for their decisions.

Mikoto, you've come.

Yuzhi took Hikari's hand and walked over; seeing Mikoto before him, he showed a faint smile.

How come you came alone? What about Sasuke?

Sasuke is at home; I asked Izumi to come look after him—having Izumi, Kimmamaro, and Bai, there won't be any problems.

Mikoto bowed slightly; she now looks truly exhausted, after all, the uproar caused by Itachi Uchiha has made it hard for her to accept.

Although Itachi Uchiha's changes began early, she truly had no energy to attend to them, for at that time she was pregnant with Sasuke.

After Sasuke was born, Mikoto also devoted most of her energy to this newborn child.

After all, Itachi Uchiha was already in school, whereas Sasuke truly had no self-care ability whatsoever.

At that time Mikoto had already noticed that Itachi Uchiha was acting strangely; she had always wanted to have a good talk with her eldest son, but unfortunately Itachi Uchiha never paid her any heed.

Either he'd say he needed training, or that he had more important matters; his attitude was exactly the same as Fugaku Uchiha's, leaving no possibility of communication.

She never imagined that Itachi Uchiha would come to such a point!

Yuzhi, the matter of Itachi.

Mikoto, I know what you're thinking, but some things really aren't that simple.

Hearing Mikoto's words, Yuzhi could only shake his head helplessly, though deep down he wished Itachi Uchiha would just die already.

This guy is nothing but a disaster; originally he thought this brat was following Danzo, and maybe someday he could take out Danzo, saving him some trouble.

As a result, the 'Night of Root Eradication' he had hoped for didn't happen, and he almost ended up staging a 'Night of Clan Annihilation' himself?

Just how much does this brat hate the clan?

Even if Yuzhi knows this guy has long been lost in his own world, trusting only his own judgment and ignoring others' opinions, going to this extreme is truly hopeless.

Mikoto, you're actually a rational person; you should understand my predicament.

Looking at Mikoto with her head lowered, silent, Yuzhi let out a faint sigh before continuing to speak.

You should have more important things to do, namely taking good care of Sasuke; I regret the matter of Itachi Uchiha, but you also saw what he ended up doing.

If I hadn't beforehand discovered and relocated everyone around, would you have considered what he might do? And have you considered what would happen if I hadn't blocked their attack?

Then what would become of you, all the clan members, and the changes brought about by all our efforts?

Admittedly, Danzo bears a large share of the blame here, but has Itachi Uchiha never had his own judgment? Why would he rather trust outsiders than communicate with his own clan?

Moreover, why does he refuse to lift his head to see how the lives of those around him have changed, forever keeping his head down and lost in his own world—does he truly regard the Uchiha as his home?

Yuzhi's words left Mikoto speechless; she indeed knows that Itachi Uchiha has gone too far this time, and even knows she herself really shouldn't have come to see Yuzhi.

But after all, she is a mother; regardless of whether she already knew the answer in advance, she still needs to come and give it a try.

Alright, don't dwell on him anymore; everyone has their own choices, and by his age we were already on the battlefield—he knows what he's doing.

Yuzhi looked at Mikoto like that and involuntarily shook his head slightly; after thinking, he then continued speaking.

I'm not sure how to handle this, but I'll have Shisui interrogate him with an illusion technique; at least that way he won't be wronged.

Then please take care of it.

Mikoto nodded, troubled and helpless, then lifted her head and looked at Yuzhi as she spoke.

What you said is correct; I now indeed have more important things to do.

Perhaps I should apologize, after all Itachi's reaching this point is largely related to my upbringing, so I ought to take responsibility for this.

But as a mother, I

I certainly understand; I never intended to blame you—this is only natural.

Yuzhi shook his head, thought it over, and then spoke with a smile.

Besides, don't apologize to me anymore; today there are already far too many people apologizing to me, so you don't need to say such things.

You are also a member of the family; you haven't lost everything, you still care about this clan, and you still have Sasuke.

Likewise, you still have us; we're all one family, aren't we?

Yuzhi's words made Meiqin pause, and then she felt a heavy weight in her heart.

Of course she knew the changes in the clan; she had been watching them unfold, and looking at the Yuzhi before her, she felt an indescribable emotion.

Perhaps Yuzhi's demeanor toward enemies was truly terrifying, even back then toward herself she seemed either cruel or overbearing.

But when Yuzhi truly treated you as one of her own, as family, what she felt was completely different.

It was warmth, it was harmony.

Perhaps he was truly cruel, but it was cruelty he had to bear for the sake of the clan, for all of the Uchiha.

She indeed still had many things; this family also had their children.

A Yuzhi like this is the most trustworthy!

"Yes, I understand."

Meiqin took a deep breath, then nodded seriously; as a member of the Uchiha Clan, they truly were family.

However, Meiqin didn't notice that Hikari's gaze, which Yuzhi had held, changed slightly.

She seemed to have heard these words before—

"I never expected that after waking up I could encounter something like this; Leaf Village really is a headache."

The moonlight was hazy; in Tsunade's house, Senju Clan Feijian crossed his arms and spoke with a hint of irritation.

Beside him, Tsunade seemed not to have heard at all, continuing to lower her head and stare at the piece of arm Yuzhi had given her.

As the current head of the Medical Division, this matter naturally fell to Tsunade for research, but she couldn't help complaining in her mind, "Why did my second grandpa come along?"

Her house, after all, hadn't been cleaned at all.

After returning to Leaf Village, Tsunade naturally went back to the old Senju residence, and her two disciples Jingyin and Lin each had their own homes, so they went their separate ways.

But the present Senju was no longer the same as before; there were no longer as many clan members and servants.

And Tsunade was also heavily in debt, so she couldn't hire anyone, and her daily duties were already many, leaving no time to tidy up.

As a result, her house was now a mess, and she felt it was a misstep; she wished she had known to have Lin and Jingyin come over to help clean.

Fortunately, Senju Clan Feijian only glanced around, didn't directly question Tsunade, but looked at her oddly.

"By the way, Little Gang, you're not that young anymore, why haven't you seen even a single man around here?"

You might as well ask why the house is such a mess!

Tsunade's fists hardened; she turned and glared at her own second grandpa, then, still irritated, said.

"I just haven't met anyone suitable; aren't you in the same boat? Why are you blaming me."

"You—"

Senju Clan Feijian almost froze at those words; he glared at Tsunade and spoke.

"I've devoted my whole heart and body to Leaf Village; besides, doesn't my older brother have descendants? I'm fine with that, but you—why aren't you married yet?"

"The person I liked died, what's there to discuss?"

Tsunade was silent for a moment, then helplessly shook her head.

"Because of the war, he died; I just haven't found a suitable person yet."

Hearing that, Senju Clan Feijian fell silent; after a while he let out a sigh.

He had never supported his older brother's decision to stop after founding Leaf Village; at that time, Leaf Village had his older brother and Madara Uchiha, and they could have swept the entire ninja world.

And the adverse effects of establishing a village alone, he had seen them early on; he absolutely supported Madara Uchiha's ideas back then!

Unfortunately, the only time he supported Madara Uchiha, his older brother opposed it, and the facts proved his brother was wildly mistaken.

War never ceases because a village is founded; on the contrary, the founding of a village gives people more reasons to fight for it, and war only escalates.

Madara Uchiha foresaw such a future, and he saw it too; unfortunately, his older brother naïvely believed that relying on the tailed beasts for deterrence would keep peace forever.

As a result, countless people lost their lives because of it.

"I'm sorry; if I had been more resolute back then, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."

Senju Clan Feijian remained silent for a while, then helplessly shook his head.

"Fine, it's not grandpa's fault; some things aren't for grandpa to decide."

Tsunade glanced at her own second grandpa, and finally just shook her head without saying more.

"Besides, now's not the time to ponder these issues; grandpa, look at this arm—I always feel something's wrong inside."

"It's my older brother's cells, but they've undergone some changes."

Senju Clan Feijian didn't lean in to look; he just glanced and gave his assessment, after all, if he were to be honest, he considered himself the foremost researcher of Wood Release.

Unfortunately, he didn't know Madara Uchiha.

"However, this change is quite interesting; the one who acted seems to have weakened the power of the older brother's cells, allowing many people to attempt integration."

"I know exactly how they achieved it, but it's definitely a genius design and method; you could even try and use it yourself."

At that point, Senju Clan Feijian paused, then spoke softly.

"You need to consider yourself; you carry your older brother's bloodline, and the Uchiha now possess three Mangekyou Sharingan; the Senju must make some response."

"Although Leaf Village has been established now and everyone coexists peacefully, and the Uchiha have those three, I heard they've fully integrated into Leaf Village."

"But the Senju cannot lose to anyone, especially not to the Uchiha!"

"Moreover, Leaf Village now needs to consider the Fifth Hokage; shouldn't you strive for it?"

Although Senju Clan Feijian hadn't been awakened for long, he still carefully examined the current situation.

These matters were either spoken by the Third etc., or witnessed by him personally, making them relatively credible.

To be honest, he was also pleased that the Uchiha could truly integrate into Leaf Village, especially since Yuzhi and his two companions were so powerful; that's definitely a boon for Leaf Village.

But when the Fourth Hokage was undermined by Danzo and a huge vacancy appeared in the Hokage position, he couldn't help but start pondering.

"Little Gang, could you be an excellent choice?"

"Although in terms of strength she might not match those few, if she could use this arm—modified with the older brother's cells—to awaken Wood Release, then..."

"I have no interest."

However, what left Senju Clan Feijian speechless was that Tsunade simply shook her head.

"Whoever wants to be Hokage can be Hokage; anyway I have no such interest, at least not now."

Moreover, Danzo has caused so many problems; if at this moment we really angered Yuzhi and his group because of some personal greed, what would Leaf Village become?

You should have also heard that idiot Ziraiye say what Yuzhi's performance was on the Cloud Village battlefield, right?"

That bastard, relying on my Flying Thunder God, slaughtered everywhere.

Senju Clan Feijian, recalling the Third Hokage and others' accounts, found it somewhat hard to comprehend; he truly couldn't understand why a Uchiha would learn the Flying Thunder God.

But he also misinterpreted Tsunade's meaning; he thought she meant to hand over that arm to Tsunade for use, disregarding the Uchiha.

"We naturally won't anger them; the research we should conduct for them won't be lacking at all, and what we should give them won't be lacking either.

But you also need to consider, don't you? The Hokage still needs someone, aren't you

"No interest; you'd be better off asking that idiot Ziraiye, maybe he'll do it."

Tsunade really didn't want to discuss the Hokage matter; even now she still doesn't dare to mention that her brother Senju Clan Shengshu also died in the war.

Moreover, she has never been interested in the Hokage; in the original story she could agree, partly because she was moved by Naruto's persistence, and also because of her deep affection for Leaf Village.

Although the situation is different now, the notion of the Hokage feels like a curse that still echoes in her mind.

Both of her Hokage grandfathers are dead; her teacher, along with Minato Namikaze as Hokage, also walked on thin ice, and in the end wasn't he also removed?

A Hokage like that, she truly has no intention at all; she'd rather just muddle through as she does now.

"You"

Senju Clan Feijian also got a bit irritated, but seeing Tsunade's demeanor, he thought he should keep quiet.

He knows Tsunade's temper; saying anything now is useless, and since the Hokage election is still some time away, he can try slowly.

But on second thought, he suddenly thought of that Ziraiye that Tsunade mentioned.

"Ziraiye is that white‑haired guy from today, right? Is he your classmate?"

"Yes, and his personality is very similar to the teacher's."

Facing the question about her grandfather, Tsunade simply nodded; both of them are lecherous idiots!

"Is he married?"

"No. Wait, what do you want to do?"

"I think I should get to know this guy."

Senju Clan Feijian gave no answer, instead pinching his own chin, while Tsunade's eyes beside him turned dangerous.

"You want to get to know that guy properly, huh? Then go to the hospital and learn about him!"

——

The morning light faintly illuminated the land, and Leaf Village seemed to have returned to peace once more.

Yet everything that happened yesterday is still etched in everyone's hearts; its impact is far greater than anyone imagined.

Because this was Leaf Village's first encounter with a true rebellion; although Yuzhi and his group shattered it all with their relentless Iron Fist, the rumors kept fermenting unseen.

Discussions about Minato Namikaze and Danzo grew increasingly numerous; even if no one dared to speak openly, privately there was no shortage.

Such discussions are not good for the current Hokage, nor for the Third Hokage and his peers, but everyone's curiosity has been stirred by Danzo.

"Damn, I'm late!"

"Slow down."

At the Minato Namikaze household, Naruto bit into a piece of bread and rushed out in a hurry early morning, but he didn't forget to turn and speak to his parents.

"Today is Sasuke's birthday, I'm going early, and you, Mom and Dad, remember to go too!"

"You brat."

After watching Naruto dash away from the dining table, Minato Namikaze smiled as Kushina brought his breakfast up.

"Thanks for the trouble, Kushina."

"You, what time is it now? Why do you still look so relaxed?"

Seeing Minato this way, Kushina couldn't help but frown.

She knew about yesterday's events; Danzo caused so many problems and the rumors kept spreading wildly, which made her quite upset.

Her husband Minato Namikaze's contributions to Leaf Village are not small; how dare that damned Danzo do this?

And she also didn't quite understand why Minato kept holding back; although that guy is now dead, the damage he caused is still huge!

Now these events have erupted, the impact on Minato is unimaginable, yet he looks so relaxed—what's going on?

"Relaxed?"

Minato was momentarily stunned, then smiled and shook his head.

"Perhaps some things have been thought through, so people become relaxed."

"Thought through?"

Kushina frowned, suddenly getting a bad premonition.

"Minato, are you planning—"

"Yes, I'm planning to resign as Fourth Hokage; I already discussed this idea with the Third Hokage last night."

Minato was actually conflicted about this, but once he made up his mind he wouldn't change.

He worked late last night and returned home, so he hadn't had a chance to tell Kushina, but now that she asks, he won't hide it.

Seeing Kushina's shocked and anxious expression, Minato smiled and said,

"Don't be anxious yet; I'll tell you my thoughts and some of the issues about this matter, perhaps then you'll understand my reasoning."

At this point, Minato began to detail the impact of Danzo's actions and all the decisions he had made.

Although he seemed somewhat helpless and unwilling while recounting these, his mindset gradually calmed, and he returned to a relaxed state.

Is that so?

After he told Kushina all his thoughts, Kushina let out a somewhat silent sigh.

"Damn Danzo, why did you turn out like this, and the one who should bear the most responsibility for this is the Third Hokage—you really..."

"And Minato, you really aren't going to try again, are you? Have you really decided?"

"Yeah, I've already decided."

Minato shook his head, stood up, walked to the window, looking at Naruto's back, he said with a smile.

"Actually I decided long ago, you know, Yuzhi already told me I should kill Danzo, but I refused to do so."

"Perhaps my choice wasn't wrong, because I want the Leaf Village to be more stable, and I also want to fulfill the Third Hokage's cherished wish."

"But this matter tells me that as Hokage, sometimes I really need to be more decisive; I ask myself what I would do if I had another chance."

"Unfortunately, after thinking it over, I feel I still wouldn't take action; perhaps I'm really not cut out to be Hokage."

"But, this really isn't your fault."

Kushina shook her head helplessly, but Minato didn't think much of it; he pulled her into his arms.

"Alright, Kushina, this isn't bad either; at least I've come to see myself clearly, haven't I?"

"Moreover, since becoming Hokage, I've found that the time I spend caring for and accompanying you and Naruto has been dwindling."

"Everything at home has fallen on your shoulders; even Naruto's education relies solely on you, which isn't fair to you."

"Although I'm unwilling, once I let go, I suddenly realized what my heart truly desires."

"Perhaps I truly wanted to lead the Leaf Village to become better; I tried, I worked hard, I did it, and this has also been a wonderful experience for me."

"Although I can no longer lead the Leaf Village, I am still a Leaf ninja; I will protect the Leaf in my own way."

"But likewise, I also need to focus my energy elsewhere, because"

Saying this, Minato paused slightly, looking at Kushina before him, then glancing at Naruto's ever-retreating back, he suddenly laughed.

"I've said before, you are a gift from heaven bestowed upon me, Naruto, our crystallization."

"You and Naruto are now what I cherish most!"

Kushina quietly listened to Minato's words; after a while she also laughed, then leaned her whole body into his embrace.

"Alright, don't be so mushy; hurry up and eat breakfast—there's still no Fifth Hokage, so you remain Hokage."

"Hurry up and finish, then take care of the following matters, and then choose a good Fifth Hokage for the Leaf Village!"

"Yes, yes, I know."

Minato nodded with a smile, then ran back to the table and began to eat heartily; meanwhile, Kushina, looking at his appearance, couldn't help but think to herself.

"Seems, this isn't bad either; indeed, for our family, it might even be better."

Meanwhile, as Minato and Kushina chatted idly, in the Leaf Prison, inside Itachi Uchiha's cell, a black silhouette slowly emerged.

At Yuzhi's doorstep, a figure clad in Black Ops attire gently knocked on his door.