The door to the office slowly opened.
Thick smoke immediately rushed in, causing Minato to cough violently. Hiruzen lightly coughed and opened the window.
"Come in." He said slowly, after dispersing the air a bit.
Minato entered, holding a letter from the Fourth Mizukage Yagura.
"Have you read the contents?" Hiruzen glanced at the letter in Minato's hand and asked in a low voice.
"No." Minato replied promptly. This was a letter sent directly from the Mizukage to the Hokage. Naturally, outsiders had no right to view it privately.
"Open and read it to me." Hiruzen said heavily after a moment's thought.
Considering Minato's battlefield performance and the influence he has gathered, he is undoubtedly the rightful choice for the next Hokage.
Hiruzen, being no fool, naturally needs to start looking for potential successors around him. The Yellow Flash is an excellent choice, both in character and strength!
Moreover, Minato can use the Flying Thunder God Technique, which only the Second Hokage knew.
As Minato heard this, his expression turned serious. The implications in the Hokage's words were profound! Didn't this mean Hiruzen had already tacitly approved of him? His heart swelled with joy!
To claim he doesn't want to become the Hokage would be a lie. After all, every ninja in the village works tirelessly towards this goal.
Suppressing his elation, Minato carefully opened the envelope from Mizukage Yagura. With steady hands, he began to read.
"To the esteemed Third Hokage of Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi. In light of the current diplomatic climate between our respective villages, I propose we consider a more collaborative approach to prevent potential exploitation by other ninja villages."
Upon hearing this, a slight smile appeared on Hiruzen's face.
"As expected... the Mizukage is still wary of Konoha's strength."
But then, Minato's pupils suddenly contracted. His whole body started trembling uncontrollably.
"What happened? Why are you so agitated?" Hiruzen frowned while also thinking, 'It's just a confidential letter. At most, it contains some negotiation terms between the two parties. Haven't I exchanged similar information with other Kage over the years?'
"Minato, you need to cultivate this kind of composure. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to achieve great things in the future." Hiruzen sighed. He thought Minato's reaction was probably because the letter from the Mizukage was asking for a lot of supplies from Konoha.
Such things, he as the Hokage had already experienced.
"No! No!" Minato's breathing quickened, his blue eyes flashing with anger. His face flushed red as he exclaimed, "This Yusuke Kamizuki! How dare he say such a thing!"
His complexion paled, his voice trembling with fury. In that moment, he wished he could eliminate this bastard on the spot.
"What on earth happened?" Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeply as he snatched the letter from Minato's shaking hands.
The letter read as follows:
"In light of the current situation, our ANBU Captain, Yusuke Kamizuki, has proposed a diplomatic alliance through marriage with Kushina Uzumaki of Konoha. We kindly request that Kushina Uzumaki be escorted to the Land of Water within seven days. Failure to comply may result in severe consequences, including potential harm to Konoha's war prisoners."
"For your information, we currently have sixty-five Konoha ninjas in our custody, including members of the Hyuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Shimura, and Sarutobi clans. We believe a peaceful resolution would be in everyone's best interest."
"Please be advised that this matter has already begun to circulate within Konoha. Other clans are likely to be informed shortly."
"———— On behalf of Yusuke Kamizuki, Mist Village · Fourth Mizukage · Yagura Karatachi."
Observing the change in the Hokage's expression, Minato spoke vehemently.
"Third Hokage! Look! This Yusuke is delusional! How can we possibly agree to this? It's absolutely impossible!" At this moment, Minato was trembling with rage from head to toe.
"Minato..." Hiruzen looked at him intently and then spoke in a low voice, "Earlier, when you returned to the village, you told me that the thousand Konoha ninjas had been completely annihilated. Why are there survivors?"
Minato was taken aback, then quickly replied, "At that time, the remaining ninjas were indeed all frozen by Yusuke Kamizuki."
"So, you only saw them being frozen, but they weren't dead, correct?" Hiruzen pressed further.
"Yes..." Minato was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Rest assured, I will never agree to this." Hiruzen said, his brow furrowed.
At the same time, a deep fear of Yusuke began to take root in his heart.
On the surface, the opponent's actions appeared to be about seizing Minato Namikaze's lover. In reality, they were striking at the heart of Konoha! Hiruzen Sarutobi doubted the other party knew about Kushina Uzumaki being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"Minato, how many people have you told about Kushina's identity?" Hiruzen asked cautiously.
"Only Kakashi in the ANBU knows." Minato replied promptly, having naturally kept it a secret.
"Hmm." Hiruzen nodded, "Let's set this matter aside for now. The situation in Sunagakure has also become restless recently. I need you to pay close attention to it."
Minato nodded solemnly, "Yes, Third Hokage!"
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