Chapter 627: Stop for a Moment

Chapter 627: Stop for a Moment

Koharu is not someone without a temper. Seeing Hiruzen's attitude, she turned to leave the Hokage's office.

She wasn't just being whimsical. Even though she didn't understand why, she was obsessed with Danzo while she took care of him. Her thoughts were all about him, leading her to care excessively for him.

Even Danzo himself did not notice this! If Danzo hadn't noticed, his memories wouldn't have had many traces. Aoba wouldn't have bothered to sift through every detail of Danzo's memories to overanalyze others' concern for Danzo, thus missing this.

As Koharu reached the door, she paused momentarily, hoping Hiruzen might ask her to stay. But after waiting a few seconds without hearing any sound, she realized she was hoping for too much and decisively stepped out of the office.

"Hmph!" Koharu snorted coldly and left directly.

Up to this moment, Hiruzen did not realize what he had missed.

If only Hiruzen could have been a little more patient, he could have learned from Koharu that Danzo was indeed problematic, which could have prepared him for what would come.

Unfortunately, Hiruzen was focusing all his attention on maintaining his position as Hokage.

This becomes just a minor incident.

Even Aoba did not know that Koharu had sharply detected an issue with Danzo.

...

Outside Konoha, Land of Fire.

Ninjas were rapidly moving toward the village.

Shadows flitted quickly between the branches, like fleas, their speed fast but comparatively slow to usual.

These were the ninjas who had participated in the Third Great Ninja War!

First, they experienced the war with Iwagakure, followed by a surprise attack from Sunagakure, and finally, they encountered ninjas from Kumogakure. Although they resolved these issues without much danger, nearly everyone's physical stamina was depleted, including their leader, Minato.

They were still moving quickly, choosing not to camp on the spot mainly to avoid unnecessary complications.

Until they return to Konoha, anything could still happen on this path.

They all knew this very well.

However, Minato and Kushina still harbored a slight illusion regarding the internal conflicts within Konoha Village, believing that the villagers would not take action to intercept them.

On the other hand, Sakumo...Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

Having experienced some unfair treatment previously, he understood there was no such thing as fairness in the village.

The position of Hokage is a massive center of power!

This is not just a dream forged by village youths, dreaming that when they grow up, they can become Hokage, becoming the village's great hero, adored by countless people, fulfilling their inner vanity and sense of achievement.

But...

When they grew up, they found that their childhood dreams were just dreams, losing their original flavor.

All the innocence and charm turned into greed and self-interest, with motives no longer for the village but rather to satisfy personal desires.

Of course.

Externally, they still had to claim, "Everything is for the village!"

"Stop a moment!"

Just then, a deep voice rang out among the crowd. Although the voice was not loud and seemed weak, it reached everyone's ears in the quiet environment.

The owner of the voice was Minato!

At this moment.

Minato gestured for everyone to stop.

Immediately, Kushina, who was carrying Minato, also stopped, landing on the ground and setting down Minato. Her worried eyes flickered as she gazed at him.

Throughout the journey, Kushina took care of Minato, trusting no one else. Everyone here could be a spy from some higher-up in the village or serving those above, as there could always be extremists. After all, the first rule of a ninja is to obey orders.

Kushina had not lost any combat capability. She had only shown her Sage Mode in front of the Kumo's ninjas, and although it consumed some chakra, she had already recovered in their return journey. After all, the Uzumaki clan has a robust constitution, and now she feels even more exceptional regarding physical strength.

Such recovery was too easy for her!

Because her condition was perfectly fine, taking care of Minato was no burden. She would certainly not entrust Minato to anyone else, especially Sakumo, whom she always felt could compete with Minato for the position of Hokage.

After carrying Minato for a while, Kushina felt that Minato had somewhat recovered from his unconscious state.

If they had to choose a leader they could sincerely admire, they preferred someone who seemed positive, could get along well with them, and didn't put on airs.

Jiraiya fit this description, and so did Minato!

As for another member of the Legendary Sannin... Tsunade.

These ninjas hardly considered her for a straightforward reason: they felt that she might not be suitable to lead a village as a female ninja. This mindset was ingrained in a male-dominated society, at least initially during the formation of the ninja villages.

When will female ninjas stand up?

When they are strong enough, they naturally rise!

Momentarily.

The ninjas gathered around Minato, their gazes all on him, and by now, they all understood that Minato was indeed the undeniable choice for the Fourth Hokage.

There was almost no one who could compete with Minato for the position of the Fourth Hokage, including Sakumo.

It wasn't that Sakumo's strength or leadership was lacking, but in the direct comparison that had just occurred during the Third Great Ninja War!

Minato completely overshadowed Sakumo!

Adding to the fact that Minato was exceedingly young, he represented a future superstar with tremendous potential, and almost everyone on the scene believed that under Minato's leadership, Konoha would experience an even brighter future.

"We'll rest for a while!"

Minato's slightly deep voice slowly rose. His blue eyes swept over the people present, clearly revealing the fatigue on their faces and the weariness in their bodies.

"Now is not the time to hurry on the road!"

Minato felt that after saying this, many people looked puzzled, so he explained.

His reasoning was simple and easy to understand.

They had just gone through several battles.

Earlier, they bluff their way through those Kumo ninjas.

But...

This bluff wouldn't last long!

If they didn't seize the opportunity to withdraw properly, they might provoke a counterattack from Kumo ninjas, creating an unfavorable situation.

Now that they had left the range of those Kumo ninjas.

Konoha was a short distance away, at most a two—or three-hour journey. Opting to rest now and then continue to the village seemed a better choice.

Two or three hours of travel doesn't mean the distance isn't significant. It's just that they were running on foot. Normally, even a car ride would be exhausting, and although ninjas have stronger constitutions than ordinary people and can rely on chakra for endurance...

This is based on the ninjas being in good condition.

If they had just started a mission, then not to mention running for two or three hours, even two or three days wouldn't be much of an issue as long as they rested intermittently and ate a military ration pill.

But now they were returning from a war.

The physical exhaustion and mental fatigue put every ninja in a state of extreme stress.

Minato had noticed this condition. Returning to Konoha was not painful, nor did he think there was any danger waiting ahead. Since that was the case, why not let everyone rest before returning? Continuing to rush could keep everyone in a low state of spirit, which wasn't what he wanted to see.

Now, they were returning victoriously!

Minato wasn't entirely naive; when chatting with Aoba at the Hokage Rock, he had already decided to become the Hokage and surpass all previous Hokages in strength.

His goal had been set early on.

Now, the goal was right in front of him.

He had no reason to give up or back down, and he would not choose not to act just because his dream was within reach.

Even the Minato of the original historical timeline would have done the same.

No one who could stand at the pinnacle of power was without ambition and merely elevated there by others—that's simply impossible!

At this point.

Minato was well aware that the ultimate victory in the Third Great Ninja War would lay a solid foundation on his path to becoming Hokage, and he needed these battle-hardened ninjas to return in a spirited state, ready to celebrate their victory, not worn out.

He also understood that it was not good to keep rushing.