Koharu is not someone without a temper. Seeing Hiruzen's attitude, she turned to leave the Hokage's office.
She wasn't just being whimsical. Even though she didn't understand why, she was obsessed with Danzo while she took care of him. Her thoughts were all about him, leading her to care excessively for him.
Even Danzo himself did not notice this! If Danzo hadn't noticed, his memories wouldn't have had many traces. Aoba wouldn't have bothered to sift through every detail of Danzo's memories to overanalyze others' concern for Danzo, thus missing this.
As Koharu reached the door, she paused momentarily, hoping Hiruzen might ask her to stay. But after waiting a few seconds without hearing any sound, she realized she was hoping for too much and decisively stepped out of the office.
"Hmph!" Koharu snorted coldly and left directly.
Up to this moment, Hiruzen did not realize what he had missed.
If only Hiruzen could have been a little more patient, he could have learned from Koharu that Danzo was indeed problematic, which could have prepared him for what would come.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen was focusing all his attention on maintaining his position as Hokage.
This becomes just a minor incident.
Even Aoba did not know that Koharu had sharply detected an issue with Danzo.
...
Outside Konoha, Land of Fire.
Ninjas were rapidly moving toward the village.
Shadows flitted quickly between the branches, like fleas, their speed fast but comparatively slow to usual.
These were the ninjas who had participated in the Third Great Ninja War!
First, they experienced the war with Iwagakure, followed by a surprise attack from Sunagakure, and finally, they encountered ninjas from Kumogakure. Although they resolved these issues without much danger, nearly everyone's physical stamina was depleted, including their leader, Minato.
They were still moving quickly, choosing not to camp on the spot mainly to avoid unnecessary complications.
Until they return to Konoha, anything could still happen on this path.
They all knew this very well.
However, Minato and Kushina still harbored a slight illusion regarding the internal conflicts within Konoha Village, believing that the villagers would not take action to intercept them.
On the other hand, Sakumo...
Having experienced some unfair treatment previously, he understood there was no such thing as fairness in the village.
The position of Hokage is a massive center of power!
This is not just a dream forged by village youths, dreaming that when they grow up, they can become Hokage, becoming the village's great hero, adored by countless people, fulfilling their inner vanity and sense of achievement.
But...
When they grew up, they found that their childhood dreams were just dreams, losing their original flavor.
All the innocence and charm turned into greed and self-interest, with motives no longer for the village but rather to satisfy personal desires.
Of course.
Externally, they still had to claim, "Everything is for the village!"
"Stop a moment!"
Just then, a deep voice rang out among the crowd. Although the voice was not loud and seemed weak, it reached everyone's ears in the quiet environment.
The owner of the voice was Minato!
At this moment.
Minato gestured for everyone to stop.
Immediately, Kushina, who was carrying Minato, also stopped, landing on the ground and setting down Minato. Her worried eyes flickered as she gazed at him.
Throughout the journey, Kushina took care of Minato, trusting no one else. Everyone here could be a spy from some higher-up in the village or serving those above, as there could always be extremists. After all, the first rule of a ninja is to obey orders.
Kushina had not lost any combat capability. She had only shown her Sage Mode in front of the Kumo's ninjas, and although it consumed some chakra, she had already recovered in their return journey. After all, the Uzumaki clan has a robust constitution, and now she feels even more exceptional regarding physical strength.
Such recovery was too easy for her!
Because her condition was perfectly fine, taking care of Minato was no burden. She would certainly not entrust Minato to anyone else, especially Sakumo, whom she always felt could compete with Minato for the position of Hokage.
After carrying Minato for a while, Kushina felt that Minato had somewhat recovered from his unconscious state.
Then came the scene that just occurred.
Minato immediately called a halt to the Konoha ninjas who were rushing forward.
Shush! Shush! Shush! Shush! Shush!
One by one, the ninjas leaped down from the branches, landing on the ground, their gazes complex, filled with awe and admiration, and after what had just occurred, they were all convinced by Minato's charisma.
In fact.
When these people set out to participate in the Third Great Ninja War, they all prepared themselves with the mindset that they might not return.
The ninja way.
Being afraid of death is unacceptable!
To complete their missions at any cost, even sacrificing themselves if necessary, was a realization in each of their minds!
But having such a realization is one thing, and truly facing a test of life and death is another.
Very few can face death with tranquility and without any lingering attachments.
These ninjas had parents, spouses, children, friends, and unfulfilled dreams, and though they were prepared to sacrifice, they still hoped to survive if possible!
They were not afraid of death!
But nobody wanted to die!
Minato's presence gave them hope for survival, allowing them to see victory in the battle and return to Konoha—meaning Minato saved their lives!
So, as they gathered around Minato, they truly admired and followed him wholeheartedly. They had grown closer to each other during this journey and understood a very important issue through discussions.
It seemed...
The position of Hokage might be about to change!
At such a moment.
Everyone who had experienced this personally had their realizations. In terms of achievements, Minato had already surpassed Hiruzen when he took over as the Third Hokage.
They had communicated this to each other.
If Minato wanted to become the Fourth Hokage.
They would all stand by Minato!
They would fully support him!
Of course.
This did not mean they intended to betray the Third Hokage.
In their hearts, they never thought that the person who could prevent Minato from becoming Hokage was the Third Hokage. They deeply respected both the Third Hokage and Minato. The Third Hokage had been in power long enough, and now, a very suitable successor had appeared, making it the perfect time to pass on the position of Hokage.
This wasn't just their perception; even the children in the village felt it!
They just thought that the obstacles Minato might face were from others competing for the position of Hokage, like Sakumo, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, etc.
In fact, they previously thought Jiraiya was also very suitable for the role of temporary Hokage. Still, Jiraiya preferred freedom and liked to travel, never settling down in the village, and his achievements from the Second Great Ninja War drifted away with the wind.
As for Orochimaru...
To be honest, the present ninjas were unfamiliar with Orochimaru. They could only recognize him and address him respectfully as "Orochimaru-sama" when they saw him.
But their impression of Orochimaru was more of coldness and terror. In their memories, Orochimaru had not appeared often. As one of the top ninjas among the Legendary Sannin, he always shrouded himself in mystery.
This gave them a sinister feeling.
They couldn't clearly recognize...
Whether Orochimaru was suitable to be Hokage!
If they had to choose between Jiraiya and Orochimaru, they would almost unhesitatingly choose Jiraiya.
Because Orochimaru indeed made them feel a chill!
After all.
These were ninjas.
If they had to choose a leader they could sincerely admire, they preferred someone who seemed positive, could get along well with them, and didn't put on airs.
Jiraiya fit this description, and so did Minato!
As for another member of the Legendary Sannin... Tsunade.
These ninjas hardly considered her for a straightforward reason: they felt that she might not be suitable to lead a village as a female ninja. This mindset was ingrained in a male-dominated society, at least initially during the formation of the ninja villages.
When will female ninjas stand up?
When they are strong enough, they naturally rise!
Momentarily.
The ninjas gathered around Minato, their gazes all on him, and by now, they all understood that Minato was indeed the undeniable choice for the Fourth Hokage.
There was almost no one who could compete with Minato for the position of the Fourth Hokage, including Sakumo.
It wasn't that Sakumo's strength or leadership was lacking, but in the direct comparison that had just occurred during the Third Great Ninja War!
Minato completely overshadowed Sakumo!
Adding to the fact that Minato was exceedingly young, he represented a future superstar with tremendous potential, and almost everyone on the scene believed that under Minato's leadership, Konoha would experience an even brighter future.
"We'll rest for a while!"
Minato's slightly deep voice slowly rose. His blue eyes swept over the people present, clearly revealing the fatigue on their faces and the weariness in their bodies.
"Now is not the time to hurry on the road!"
Minato felt that after saying this, many people looked puzzled, so he explained.
His reasoning was simple and easy to understand.
They had just gone through several battles.
Earlier, they bluff their way through those Kumo ninjas.
But...
This bluff wouldn't last long!
If they didn't seize the opportunity to withdraw properly, they might provoke a counterattack from Kumo ninjas, creating an unfavorable situation.
Now that they had left the range of those Kumo ninjas.
Konoha was a short distance away, at most a two—or three-hour journey. Opting to rest now and then continue to the village seemed a better choice.
Two or three hours of travel doesn't mean the distance isn't significant. It's just that they were running on foot. Normally, even a car ride would be exhausting, and although ninjas have stronger constitutions than ordinary people and can rely on chakra for endurance...
This is based on the ninjas being in good condition.
If they had just started a mission, then not to mention running for two or three hours, even two or three days wouldn't be much of an issue as long as they rested intermittently and ate a military ration pill.
But now they were returning from a war.
The physical exhaustion and mental fatigue put every ninja in a state of extreme stress.
Minato had noticed this condition. Returning to Konoha was not painful, nor did he think there was any danger waiting ahead. Since that was the case, why not let everyone rest before returning? Continuing to rush could keep everyone in a low state of spirit, which wasn't what he wanted to see.
Now, they were returning victoriously!
Minato wasn't entirely naive; when chatting with Aoba at the Hokage Rock, he had already decided to become the Hokage and surpass all previous Hokages in strength.
His goal had been set early on.
Now, the goal was right in front of him.
He had no reason to give up or back down, and he would not choose not to act just because his dream was within reach.
Even the Minato of the original historical timeline would have done the same.
No one who could stand at the pinnacle of power was without ambition and merely elevated there by others—that's simply impossible!
At this point.
Minato was well aware that the ultimate victory in the Third Great Ninja War would lay a solid foundation on his path to becoming Hokage, and he needed these battle-hardened ninjas to return in a spirited state, ready to celebrate their victory, not worn out.
He also understood that it was not good to keep rushing.