Although Minato didn't intend to punish them severely, he had to make this brat realize the seriousness of the problem and teach him a lesson!
Otherwise, he might cause a lot of trouble in the future.
This time, he had carved his own portrait on the Hokage Rock. If he let it go so easily, wouldn't he burn his office next time?
Therefore, Minato's expression suddenly became serious when he thought of this. He was about to start acting!
"Before you came over, I asked the other people for their opinions. They all thought that the impact of this incident was extremely bad and must be severely punished! Whether you want to imprison him or directly exile him, you can choose."
'Imprisoned?'
'Exile?'
Mikawa's expression immediately changed. He did not expect the punishment to be so heavy, but it was reasonable.
He subconsciously wanted to speak up for Aoba, even if he had to bear a certain crime.
However, Minato's calm expression made him stammer a few times, but in the end, he could not say anything.
If he did something wrong, he had to take responsibility and accept the punishment. There was nothing to say.
Therefore, Mikawa finally sighed. He stood aside and closed his eyes. No matter the result, he was not qualified to persuade the Hokage-Sama to change his mind.
However, in his heart, he hoped that Aoba would choose the path of exile. Although leaving Konoha would greatly impact his future life, with him here, he could help him find a place to settle down. He really did his best, alas!
However, things went contrary to his wishes. After thinking about it calmly, Aoba asked in a low voice, "How long will I be imprisoned? And where will I be exiled to?"
"It's not very long. You will be able to come out in about three to five years. As for the exile location, considering that you have made a certain contribution to the village, it's up to you… As long as you stay away from Konoha."
Aoba, who was frowning, did not see the slight smile on Minato's lips at this time. "So what choice will you make next? I am very curious."
However, what Minato did not know that for Aoba, the choice did not exist for Aoba from the beginning.
First, it was the basic thing to keep his life. Secondly, because of the undercover mission, once he chose to be exiled, it was likely that his mission would fail.
Then there was only one way left, and he was locked up in jail!
However, three to five years was too long, and Minato's attitude was inconsistent with what he had imagined before. Could it be that the value of the formula last time was not high enough?
He began to feel a little upset that he had not prepared enough in advance. If he added a few more layers of insurance, he might be locked up for a month and come out without injury.
Now it was difficult.
"Lock me up."
Minato was surprised. The hint in his words just now should be very obvious. Exile was to let him live in a different place. This was already considered lenient. Smart people should know what to choose, but this little rascal chose the most difficult path.
Konoha's prison was not a good place to go. There were only a few people who could come out completely. The other years of youth had been wasted just like that...
"Why? You should know that five years of prison life may completely ruin your life. Is it not good to start a new life in a different place?" Minato asked even more curiously.
"No reason. A real man will not be a deserter. That is what cowards do! Since I have made a mistake, this responsibility should not be avoided. No matter how serious the punishment is! Isn't it just three to five years? It will be over in a flash. When I come out, I will be the new 5th Hokage!"
Aoba shouted with extreme enthusiasm.
Since he had already fallen this time, he had to stop the damage from spreading further in time!
Not only could he not leave an impression that he was afraid of death, but he also said in a low voice, "I have to try my best to match the so-called 'will of fire' and find a way to fill my impression!"
In this way, a brainless and reckless young man who always shouted that he wanted to be a Hokage would basically be able to stand firm. In the future, no matter what he did, others would be accustomed to it and would not feel strange. It could also be considered as adding a layer of protection to his undercover identity.
Maybe after locking him up for some time, Minato suddenly thought of him one day and released him. This was not impossible.
The shouts of Aoba were echoing in his ears. This time, Minato did not feel offended. Instead, he felt that this little rascal was getting more and more interesting.
"Even if I have been locked up in prison for three to five years, my dream of becoming the Hokage will not waver. I won't shrink back..."
Minato suddenly became a little absent-minded. Aoba's sudden burst of acting had successfully deceived him.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and the member of Anbu who went to investigate the whole thing came back.
"Hokage-sama, the whole thing has been investigated. The criminal Shinomiya Aoba does not have an accomplice. The tools that he used to commit the crime were all found in his home. In addition, Yamashita wants to see the Hokage-sama, saying that he is here to beg for forgiveness."
Minato came back to his senses and nodded: "Let the chief engineer Yamashita come over. Also, bring the two of them to the lounge next door first. Don't run around."
Minato said the last sentence as he stared at Aoba.
This also made Aoba particularly embarrassed. It was said that people would always live the most annoying appearance he had ever had.
Sure enough, he, who used to hate brats the most, had no choice but to disguise himself as a bear child. He was really depressed!
.....
When Mikawa and Aoba were brought to the next door by Anbu, Grandpa Yamashita also appeared in the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama, as the leader of the entire artisan team, I have an inescapable responsibility for what happened this time. If only I could find something strange during the cleanup work, I would not have caused today's accident. The responsibility is all on me. Please punish me, Hokage Sama."
If Aoba were here at this time, he would definitely find that the old man, Yamashita, usually spoke vulgar words like 'I', 'Father', and so on. But now, in front of the Hokage, he used this old man's self-proclaimed manner. Obviously, he was playing a sentimental card, reminding the other person that he was a terrible old man.
Although Minato did not know this, he did not intend to pursue the responsibility of the old man, Yamashita, and the other craftsmen. The crime was not on them. They were craftsmen, not reconnaissance. In addition, the plan of that little brat Aoba was very novel, so it was understandable that he could not find it.