Aoba and Hiruzen had talked about many things.
For Aoba, the resurrected Hiruzen didn't elicit any particularly strong feelings. Hiruzen had been a fine ninja... Perhaps even a great one. As long as he wasn't Hokage, Aoba had no issues with him.
But unfortunately, during his life, he was the Hokage.
Now that he was dead and resurrected, Aoba was content to let bygones be bygones.
At least, that was his perspective. It wasn't long before he realized that letting bygones be bygones wasn't going to be so simple.
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, appeared before them.
The moment Aoba saw Minato, he immediately understood: Minato must have spoken to Naruto.
Earlier, Minato had asked Aoba about Naruto's situation, but Aoba hadn't answered directly. Instead, he told Minato to ask Naruto himself, avoiding any perception that he might exaggerate or twist the truth.
Coming from Naruto, the story would carry more weight. After all, Naruto's past and his identity as Minato's son were so improbable they sounded like a lie.... But they were undeniably true.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, I need to talk to you."
Minato, typically warm and polite, addressed Hiruzen by name with a tone so fiery that even Aoba felt the heat.
"Uh... it's late. You two might want to take this elsewhere," Aoba said before teleporting away with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Back at home, Karin had already returned and was enthusiastically recounting stories about their new instructor, Minato, to Yumi. When Aoba arrived, Karin immediately rushed to him.
"Aoba-sensei, does Minato-sensei have some sort of connection to Naruto?"
"Huh? What makes you say that?" Aoba was startled. Could Minato's performance have been so transparent that even Karin noticed?
"Hmph, only Naruto, that clueless idiot, wouldn't see it. Sasuke and I both noticed. When Naruto was talking about his past, Minato-sensei was so emotional he snapped his chopsticks. Is he Naruto's relative?"
"...This involves classified information. You can think of it as him having received a favor from the Fourth Hokage in the past."
"Oh, I see. That explains why he paid such close attention to Naruto, asking so many detailed questions."
"Right. But don't mention this to Naruto. It's getting late; you should get some rest. These days, the ninja world isn't exactly peaceful, so stay in top condition at all times."
"Understood. Goodnight, Aoba-sensei."
As soon as Karin's door closed, Aoba felt a warm body embrace him from behind.
"Come to my room," Yumi whispered.
For privacy, both Aoba's and Yumi's rooms were equipped with advanced soundproofing seals. Once they were alone, Yumi's passion flared.
After an intense session, Yumi lay sprawled in Aoba's arms.
"That man, Minato Ueno—he's really Minato Namikaze, isn't he?"
"!!!!" Aoba was genuinely shocked. Karin had noticed due to Minato's emotional outburst, but Yumi had only interacted with him briefly over dinner.
"How did you figure that out?"
"Heh, he hid it well, but there's one thing he couldn't conceal, his eyes. I'm a mother; I know the way a parent looks at their child."
"Fine. Yes, he's the Fourth Hokage. We used a certain method to bring him back to life."
Aoba felt helpless but reassured himself that Yumi wasn't a registered ninja. Most people simply viewed her as Aoba's lover, a beautiful homemaker.
"You've done something wonderful, Aoba. Naruto is such a pitiful child. I hope his father can make it up to him."
"Minato should. He's a good person. But why are you so concerned? Given what you and Karin went through..."
Realizing he had touched a sensitive subject, Aoba immediately stopped speaking. However, Yumi didn't seem bothered.
"It's fine, Aoba. No matter what happened in the past, we have you now. You've changed everything for Karin and me. Let me thank you properly."
Yumi flipped over and took the lead again. Aoba eagerly reciprocated, and the two lost themselves in the moment.
While Aoba enjoyed his night, Hiruzen was not having a good time. Being confronted by a ninja of Minato's caliber was never pleasant, especially when guilt weighed heavily on Hiruzen's conscience.
In the original storyline, Minato barely had time to reconnect with Naruto before being pulled into non-stop battles after being resurrected with Edo Tensei.
Given the circumstances and the nature of Edo Tensei, which muted emotions due to the absence of physical stimuli, it was understandable that Minato had little reaction to Naruto's childhood struggles.
But now, Minato was fully resurrected. Sitting across from his son at the dinner table and hearing about Naruto's childhood hunger was a different matter entirely.
If he could suppress his emotions now, Aoba would have to reassess his opinion of Minato.
"You know, Hiruzen, I never expected Naruto to receive special treatment. All I wanted was for him to grow up safe and healthy. That was my wish... And Kushina's.
But what did you do? You redirected the hatred caused by the Nine-Tails onto him. You turned my son into the village's scapegoat!"
"After Kushina sacrificed herself for this village, this is how you treated my child? Hiruzen , give me a reason. Otherwise, only one of us will leave here alive tonight."
Minato felt a burning flame in his chest, one that threatened to explode. He could still vividly remember Kushina's words to their newborn son in her final moments:
"Eat well every day, take a warm bath every day, and be happy every day as you grow up..."
Whenever he thought of that scene, it felt as though his heart was being ripped apart. As Konoha's "Golden Flash," it was rare for him to harbor killing intent. But now, facing Hiruzen Sarutobi, he did.
Hiruzen opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but the words stuck in his throat. In the end, all he could muster was:
"I'm sorry."
There was no excuse that could justify everything that had happened.
"Minato, if you hate me, you can kill me. But I ask that you do so after all this is over. Konoha is facing an unprecedented crisis.
I promise you, once the crisis is over, I will give you an explanation."
At midnight, Aoba quietly got out of bed and looked at the peacefully sleeping Yumi. He then left the room and headed for the laboratory.
Shin was already there, waiting.
When Aoba arrived, he pulled a chair over and sat in front of him.
"Tell me in detail what happened during the reversal of Edo Tensei earlier today."
Check out the patreon and get 43 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 222 - The Current Konoha