The Uchiha Clan's Sun

"By the time I realized this, it was too late! Orochimaru and Danzo were already too deeply entangled!"

"If Orochimaru really becomes the Fourth Hokage, Danzo will probably become even more unscrupulous and do whatever he wants in the village!"

"Fortunately, it was Minato Namikaze who stepped forward at this time."

"Minato Namikaze is different from Orochimaru!"

"If Orochimaru is the dark cloud in the night, then Minato Namikaze is the sun in the sky!"

"Minato Namikaze's personality destined him to never associate with someone like Danzo who walks in the shadows."

"Minato Namikaze will definitely restrict Danzo's actions after he takes over!"

"Truly, God has blessed Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with emotion, his tone conveying both regret for his disciple Orochimaru and disdain for his old friend Danzo Shimura.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke nodded as if he understood, then asked, "Hokage-sama, how should we handle this matter?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed, his expression hardened, and he said solemnly, "Hmph, Danzo has ulterior motives, and the Uchiha clan isn't any better!"

"Since they don't like each other, let them fight like dogs!"

"Notify Danzo to mobilize Root ninjas to surround the Uchiha clan's territory and be on standby!"

"The Anbu should also pay more attention to the Uchiha clan's situation recently."

Although Fugaku Uchiha temporarily gained Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust by surrendering, Hiruzen Sarutobi still had to take precautions against the Uchiha clan in advance!

In case Fugaku Uchiha failed to suppress Setsuna Uchiha, he would also take timely action.

"Yes!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke agreed and was about to go and carry out his mission.

"Wait a minute," Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Minato Namikaze should be inside the village by now, right?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke replied, "He is processing the paperwork for the accompanying ninja to return to the village, which should take some time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand and said, "Leave these trivial matters to others. Tell him to come see me as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

After responding, Sarutobi Shinnosuke disappeared from the Hokage's office.

Chapter 114 For a village to develop, it cannot be dominated by one entity!

"Boom, boom, boom."

"Come in!"

A steady, forceful knock sounded at the door, snapping Hiruzen Sarutobi out of his reverie and looking up at the doorway.

"Lord Hokage!"

Minato Namikaze smiled and pushed open the door, then stood opposite Hiruzen Sarutobi and respectfully bowed to him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he looked at the energetic Minato Namikaze and said, "Minato's back. Did anything go wrong on the way?"

Minato Namikaze shook his head slightly and said, "No, the Cloud Village has been quite peaceful lately, so our retreat was relatively uneventful."

"It's because you were rushing us, Hokage-sama, that we've been marching at breakneck speed and haven't had much rest. Everyone's exhausted."

After a pause, Minato Namikaze asked, "Hokage-sama, why are you in such a hurry to bring us back? Has something happened in the village?"

Minato Namikaze stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, a glint of light flashing deep in his eyes.

In fact, he already knew about the recent events in the village through his contact with Uchiha Jin. He was only asking the question knowing the answer, just to test Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude!

"Sigh," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, saying helplessly, "Minato, you have no idea, there are bad guys in the village!"

“Recently, some people from the Uchiha clan have been causing a lot of trouble, so I have to recall you and some ninjas from the front lines to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances!”

Minato Namikaze frowned slightly and said in surprise, "We're all from the same village, and the Uchiha clan has performed very bravely on the battlefield. It shouldn't have come to this, right?"

"So what happened?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was now grooming Minato Namikaze to be the Fourth Hokage, so he didn't hide anything and recounted the whole story, starting from their attempt to use the compensation money to suppress the Uchiha clan.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi concluded, "Originally, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but because some people in the Uchiha clan interfered, things started to go astray, and now it's almost completely out of control!"

Minato Namikaze shook his head inwardly, and at the same time sincerely asked, "Hokage-sama, I don't think the Uchiha clan has ever done anything outrageous before this incident. Why is the village targeting them?"

“It’s not that the village is targeting them,” Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Minato Namikaze and explained earnestly, “Minato, you’re still too young!”

"You need to understand that for a village to develop, the most important thing is balance! We can't let any one family dominate!"

"This applies to the Uchiha clan, and it applies to all other clans!"

"However, because the Uchiha clan is special, they need to be treated with even more care!"

"Special?" Minato Namikaze asked doubtfully, "Because of the Uchiha clan's formidable strength?"

“That’s just one aspect,” Hiruzen Sarutobi explained. “The Uchiha are the number one clan in Konoha, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they are the number one clan in the entire ninja world!”

"But it is precisely because of this that the Uchiha clan has always had a very strong obsession with the position of Hokage!"

"When the village was first established, everyone recommended the First Hokage to be the Hokage. The Uchiha clan had no objections either, because the First Hokage was stronger than them!"

"Ever since the First Hokage, the Uchiha clan has considered the Hokage position as their own, and they are determined to obtain it!"

"But the position of Hokage has never been determined by who has the most people or the strongest fist!"

"If whoever is the strongest becomes Hokage, then we don't need to choose anyone. We can just hold a grand tournament, and whoever stands at the end becomes Hokage!"

"But will this really work?"

"The First Hokage didn't become Hokage because of his formidable strength, but because he was the one everyone wanted him to be!"

"But the Uchiha clan doesn't understand this principle. They've been restless ever since the Second Hokage took office, and they even launched a coup during the Second Hokage's reign!"

"My rise to power wasn't smooth sailing either; the Uchiha clan was one of the most vocal in their opposition!"

"A family that possesses great strength but lacks intelligence is very dangerous; without guidance, its power is most likely to spiral out of control!"

"Like this incident, it's because Elder Uchiha Setsuna has always wanted the Hokage position but couldn't get it, and he harbored resentment. He completely disregarded the reality of the village and just messed around!"

"Uchiha Setsuna even said that if the village wouldn't let the Uchiha become Hokage, they would create a new Konoha!"

"Under these circumstances, who else can the village suppress if not the Uchiha?"

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze wore an expression of apparent understanding, but in his heart, he disagreed with Hiruzen Sarutobi's viewpoint.

After all, Minato Namikaze knew that this matter was not caused by the Uchiha Grand Elder, Setsuna Uchiha, but by King Uchiha.

If it weren't for Uchiha Jin's intervention, the Uchiha clan certainly wouldn't have gone to such extremes in this matter. They might have just silently suffered in silence, just like when they faced suppression from the village before!

Seeing that Minato Namikaze seemed to have learned a lot from what he said, Hiruzen Sarutobi also nodded in satisfaction.

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then said, "Minato, actually, besides guarding against the Uchiha clan, there's another reason why I called you back this time!"

"Just yesterday, Elder Utatane reached a ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure, and this war is now completely over!"

"It's about time I stepped down and made way for someone more capable!"

"I will announce this news to the village this afternoon, and at the same time prepare for the election of the Fourth Hokage. Be ready!"

Minato Namikaze was taken aback by his words and asked in surprise, "So eager?"

This was indeed something Minato Namikaze hadn't expected.

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a smoke ring and said, "We have to hurry. The village is in dire need of rebuilding and needs a great event to boost morale."

"In addition, the village's finances are also somewhat strained, and we need a reason to ask the lord for funds!"

"You don't need to worry too much about other things. Although I'm no longer the Hokage, I can still be an elder of Konoha and an advisor to the Hokage. I will take care of everything for you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi also had unspeakable suffering in his heart.

Yesterday, Konoha conceded many more benefits during negotiations with Iwagakure, and the compensation from Kumogakure will take some time to arrive, so the village's finances are indeed in a bit of a tight spot!

As ninjas from the front lines were withdrawn in batches, the issue of compensation and rewards needed to be addressed.

In the past, it wouldn't have mattered if things had dragged on a bit, but now the village is full of rumors about him. If this drags on any longer, who knows what the village will say about him!

Now, his only option is to step down as Hokage and demand a sum of money from the Daimyo in the name of electing the Fourth Hokage, which will also help quell some rumors circulating in the village!

Of course, the election of the Fourth Hokage can only be held after all the ninjas on the front lines have returned. In the meantime, only the retired Third Hokage can take charge of the overall situation!

Everything has changed, yet it seems like nothing has changed!

This is called retreating to advance!

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "This matter is settled! Minato, go back and rest for a while, and comfort Kushina. Remember to come to the Jonin meeting this afternoon!"

"Yes!"

Minato Namikaze was in a state of confusion, so he didn't say anything more and turned to leave the Hokage's office.

Chapter 115 Absolute Strength!

Minato Namikaze walked out of the Hokage Building with a heavy heart. After hesitating for a moment, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

Before long, Minato Namikaze appeared beside a magnificent river, waiting quietly.

This river is called the Naka River. It is located not far south of Konoha Village. During the Warring States period, it was the habitat of the Uchiha clan and the ancestral home of the Uchiha clan.

"Caw, caw, caw..."

A moment later, a crow flapped its wings and landed on a large tree a dozen meters away.

Minato Namikaze looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the crow's eyes had turned into a three-tomoe Sharingan!

Minato Namikaze's vision blurred for a moment, but he did not resist, letting the crow pull him into the illusion.

"Minato, didn't we agree to reduce contact after you returned to the village? Why are you in such a hurry to see me?"

In a blood-red space, Uchiha Jin's figure appeared opposite Namikaze Minato.

Minato Namikaze smiled wryly and said, "I didn't want to either, but the Third Hokage told me some things that made me undecided, and I felt I should tell you."

Uchiha Jin nodded upon hearing this, but instead of immediately asking what Hiruzen Sarutobi had said, he looked at Minato Namikaze with a strange expression and said, "You didn't come looking for me as soon as you left the Hokage Building, did you?"

Minato Namikaze paused, then nodded blankly, asking in confusion, "Yes, is there a problem?"

Uchiha Jin sighed, silently mourning for Minato Namikaze for three seconds before looking at him with pity and saying, "Kushina probably knew you were back the moment you entered the village. If you had gone to the Hokage Building to report first, that would have been acceptable to Kushina. But you didn't go to see her immediately after leaving the Hokage Building..."

Uchiha Jin didn't finish his sentence, only giving Namikaze Minato a look that said, "Good luck to you."

At this moment, Minato Namikaze, reminded by King Uchiha, also came to his senses. His body trembled, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Kushina, full name Uzumaki Kushina, is the mother of the chosen one of this world, the second Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha, and Minato Namikaze's current fiancée...

Of course, these are not the point!

The key point is that Kushina Uzumaki is known for her bad temper and is nicknamed "Red Hot Chili Pepper"!

When Kushina Uzumaki isn't angry, she's fine, but when she really gets angry, she doesn't care who you are!

Even if it's Minato Namikaze, if you really anger her, she won't tolerate it!

Originally, Minato Namikaze's return home should have been a harmonious scene of reunion after a long separation, but now, due to his carelessness, it may directly turn into a hellish torture!

Minato Namikaze panicked now, forgetting all about the important matter, and nervously cried out, "Jin, save me!"

It was only when facing Kushina Uzumaki that Minato Namikaze lost his composure.

After pondering for a moment, Uchiha Jin said, "I'll have Nono prepare a bouquet of flowers and a cake for you. You can pick them up from the orphanage when you go back later. The rest is up to you."

Uchiha Jin was also very 'afraid' of Uzumaki Kushina, so he didn't want to get too involved in this matter.

"This has been a huge help!"

Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

If it's to prepare a gift, that's a perfectly legitimate reason!

Uchiha Jin shook his head and said, "Alright, let's not waste any more time. Tell me what happened first."

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze's expression turned serious, and he immediately recounted what Hiruzen Sarutobi had told him in the Hokage's office.

Finally, Minato Namikaze frowned and said, "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that the Third Hokage is a bit too hasty! Just like you said, something is definitely amiss when things are not going well, and I'm a little uneasy!"

After pondering for a moment, Uchiha Jin sneered and said, "Heh, Minato, you're overthinking it. Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to retreat; he had no choice but to!"