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Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage, and the villagers cheered. Danzō’s face was dark as he watched the scene.
He had lost to Hiruzen Sarutobi before, and now he’d lost to Hiruzen’s student’s student? This was a disgrace. He didn’t want to stay here and be humiliated, so he left.
No one noticed his departure. All eyes were on Minato. Who would care about a loser like Danzō?
Orochimaru, another contender for the Hokage position, also shook his head.
“So you chose Minato after all, Sensei.”
Though Minato was popular, Orochimaru knew that without Hiruzen Sarutobi’s influence, he wouldn’t have won by such a landslide.
“The Hokage position…” Orochimaru scoffed.
He used to care about the Hokage position, but not anymore. If he’d become Hokage, it would have been nice, but he wasn’t disappointed. He had other goals now. He also left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Orochimaru leave and sighed.
He used to consider Orochimaru his most prized disciple, even grooming him to be the Fourth Hokage. But now, he couldn’t understand Orochimaru, who seemed to be walking a dark path. Hiruzen suspected something, but he had no proof yet.
He hoped his suspicions were wrong.
….
Shin also watched Orochimaru leave, sensing a hint of loneliness in his retreating figure.
The Hokage inauguration ceremony began.
Hiruzen Sarutobi officially stepped down—and Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage.
“As a former classmate, I should congratulate him.”
Shin walked towards Minato, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
“Shin?” Minato looked at him, surprised.
“Minato, congratulations on becoming the Fourth Hokage. You’ve finally achieved your dream,” Shin said with a smile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face darkened.
What was Uzumaki Shin doing in Konoha? Was he planning something?
Shin didn’t know what Hiruzen was thinking. If he did, he would have laughed. If he wanted to harm Konoha, a single Shinra Tensei would be enough to level the entire village.
“Thank you for your congratulations. But you’re not here just for that, are you?” Minato looked at Shin warily.
“Why is everyone so wary of me? I’m not a bad guy. And I have no interest in Konoha,” Shin said, though he wasn’t exactly a good person either. With his terrifying strength—it was natural for them to be cautious.
And Minato didn’t have a good impression of Shin.
The reason was that during the Third Shinobi World War, Shin had Konan train on the battlefield, and she killed many Konoha Shinobi. Minato hadn’t forgotten that.
“Since I’m not welcome, I’ll be going.” Shin turned to leave, sensing Minato’s hostility.
“Uzumaki Shin’s presence in Konoha… I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing,” Hiruzen said worriedly.
“Sandaime, I will protect Konoha. Even if it’s Uzumaki Shin. I will defend this village with my life!” Minato said.
Whoosh!
A kunai flew past Minato’s cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.
“Can you protect everything by dying? And I’m not here to destroy Konoha. Don’t make me sound like some kind of villain.”
Shin hadn’t gone far.
Although Hiruzen and Minato’s voices weren’t loud, he could still hear them. Their words had annoyed him—they’d made him sound like a villain.
“He attacked the Hokage?!”
The surrounding Shinobi, after a moment of stunned silence, moved to apprehend Shin.
“DON’T ATTACK!!!” Hiruzen yelled. He didn’t want to provoke Shin; Konoha couldn’t afford the consequences!
Though he believed Konoha could defeat Shin with their combined strength, this was Konoha. If a battle occurred here, even if they won, the village would be destroyed. Though he’d stepped down as Hokage, his orders still held weight.
“A wise choice.” Shin glanced at the Shinobi who had stopped, then left.
Some of the Konoha Shinobi felt humiliated. Who was this guy? How dare he injure their new Hokage and act arrogant?
Many had forgotten about Shin, and the younger generation didn’t even know him.
“Minato, are you alright?” Hiruzen asked Minato.
“Thank you for your concern, Sandaime-sama. I’m fine. He probably didn’t intend to kill me,” Minato said with a wry smile.
If Shin had wanted him dead, the kunai wouldn’t have just grazed his cheek; it would have pierced his skull.
“He’s stronger than I imagined.”
Minato looked at the Hokage Tower, which had been pierced by the kunai. It had been so fast he hadn’t even reacted. If Shin had wanted to kill him, a single kunai would have been enough.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent. He didn’t know the extent of Shin’s power; he could only guess.
“Shin is so different from how he was in the Academy. He’s changed so much,” Chōza Akimichi remarked.
“Perhaps this is his true self. He might have been low-key in the Academy, but he was never a pushover,” Shikaku Nara said. He had seen through Shin’s facade back in the Academy.
“The power to threaten an entire village alone… I wonder when I’ll be able to achieve that,” Inoichi Yamanaka said enviously, watching Shin leave.
Shikaku Nara and Chōza Akimichi looked at him. If he wanted that kind of power, he could just dream about it.
They thought Yamanaka Inoichi was daydreaming. Well, Yamanaka Inoichi also knew he was daydreaming. He knew his own limits.
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