The resurrection of the four Hokage was to be kept strictly confidential. In all of Konoha, only Aoba and Tsunade were aware of it.
Aoba had no intention of announcing this to the public; the four Hokage were meant to serve as Konoha's hidden trump card. Revealing their existence would undermine that advantage.
Moreover, they had just been resurrected and needed time to fully adapt to their new bodies.
This method of resurrection was different from Edo Tensei.
While Edo Tensei granted infinite chakra and immortality, it had its drawbacks. Many secret techniques couldn't be used, and for truly top-tier ninjas like Hashirama or Madara, the Edo Tensei body even restricted their abilities.
For instance, Edo Tensei Madara couldn't use his Rinnegan's Limbo: Border Jail or reach the Six Paths level.
Aoba spent half a day explaining the current situation in the ninja world.
"So, Konoha is now facing hostility from three ninja villages, as well as a hidden enemy? And the current holder of the Rinnegan is also hostile to Konoha?"
Tobirama Senju summarized succinctly.
"That's correct," Aoba confirmed.
"...Hiruzen, are these problems all leftovers from your time in office?"
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no response. When he died, the ninja world wasn't nearly this chaotic. But his teacher wasn't wrong, many of these lingering grievances indeed stemmed from his tenure.
According to Aoba, the Rinnegan's owner was from Amegakure, a village that he and Danzō had once devastated. It was only natural for them to harbor animosity toward Konoha.
"Alright, Second Grandpa. We didn't resurrect you to assign blame. The truth is, Konoha is being targeted because we've become stronger than ever. If you want to understand the current situation better, you should see it for yourselves."
Disguising four Hokage to blend into Konoha was easy.
This was a plan Tsunade and Aoba agreed upon after realizing that explaining everything in detail would be too time-consuming. It was simpler to let the Hokage observe for themselves.
The physical appearances of their new bodies had been adjusted to resemble their original faces but not exactly match them.
Their identities had also been fully registered, so they wouldn't arouse suspicion from the Anbu or the police force.
As the four Hokage stepped out into Konoha, they were immediately stunned by what they saw—especially Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had paid particular attention to the time, noting that only two or three years had passed since his death.
Yet stepping out of the laboratory, he barely recognized the Konoha before him.
After earning a fortune from maritime and mining businesses, Tsunade and Aoba had initiated massive reconstruction projects in Konoha.
The research institute, advanced ninja academy, and various public facilities had all undergone a comprehensive upgrade.
If the old Konoha could be considered a second-rate town, the new Konoha had the feel of a modern city.
"Oh, little Tsunade! Looks like you've been doing a great job as Hokage. You even managed to get so much funding from the daimyo," Hashirama Senju remarked.
"Heh, the daimyo didn't fund any of this. Second Grandpa, Great Grandpa, I'll explain everything in detail tonight. For now, take a look around for yourselves."
Burdened with heavy duties, Tsunade didn't stay to accompany them. With a Body Flicker Technique, she vanished, leaving Hashirama scratching his head.
"Something feels different about little Tsunade now."
"Different? She's nothing like before. She's no longer the Tsunade we knew. Just look around—she's a Hokage now, and a better one than any of us were."
"Of course! She's my granddaughter, after all! Hahaha!" Hashirama let out a hearty laugh, prompting Tobirama to discreetly step away, pretending not to know him.
Hashirama, oblivious to his brother's disdain, eagerly dragged Tobirama off to explore the streets.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't join the two elder Hokage. He was more interested in the advanced ninja academy and went there alone.
This left Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, standing in the middle of the street, looking somewhat conflicted. The transformed streets of Konoha made it hard for him to get his bearings.
At that moment, Aoba's voice came from behind.
"Come with me."
"Uh, but..."
"Just follow me. I know where he is."
The only thing that could make Minato Namikaze so conflicted was, of course, Naruto. But Naruto no longer lived in his old apartment.
In Konoha, Aoba held a position of unquestionable authority, second only to Tsunade—and in many cases, even above her.
As Aoba's disciple, Naruto naturally enjoyed excellent treatment.
The street where Naruto once lived had long been demolished and was now under reconstruction. Naruto now resided in a newly allocated apartment, with conditions far superior to his previous living situation.
"This is Naruto's home. Come inside and take a look. I'm his teacher, so I have the key."
The two opened the door and entered Naruto's apartment. A clean and tidy one-bedroom unit greeted Minato's eyes.
"Ah, this rascal is surprisingly neat," Minato remarked, looking around his son's apartment with satisfaction.
Aoba, on the other hand, tilted his head in confusion.
Neat? Not possible. Naruto's apartment being this clean? Did I come to the wrong place?
"He's off today. Since he's not home, he's probably at the training grounds. Let's head there."
Aoba could have used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Minato directly to Naruto, but he chose not to. Instead, he led Minato on foot through Konoha to reach the training grounds.
"Typically, Team 7 trains at this training ground. It's just ahead."
Aoba guided Minato to Training Ground 6.
Minato glanced at Aoba, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Aoba-san, how is Naruto getting along with his teammates?"
"Haha, why don't you see for yourself when you meet him?"
Seeing Aoba's faint smile, Minato felt reassured. It seemed there were no major issues.
The training ground still bore signs of ninjutsu having been used, but it was now empty. It appeared that Naruto and his teammates had only just left.
"That's unusual. Those kids don't usually leave this early. Oh, I know... Follow me."
Minato gave the training ground one last look. The traces of devastatingly powerful ninjutsu had left him somewhat eager to see just how strong Naruto had become.
Aoba didn't actually know exactly where Naruto was, but judging by the time, he had a good idea.
It was the weekend. More than likely, those kids were at his place, eating his food.
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Currently on Chapter 218 - Battles on All Fronts