Yes, he really had no other choice.
Minato Namikaze knew well that to become the Fourth Hokage, he had to gain the support of the Sarutobi Clan.
However, gaining the Sarutobi Clan's support meant that, by standing on the same side as the Sarutobi Clan, he would incur the wrath of other Konoha Ninja.
And once he aroused the dissatisfaction of other Konoha Ninja, Minato Namikaze would absolutely not be able to become the Fourth Hokage.
And if he couldn't become Hokage, he wouldn't be able to be with Kushina, who was the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki.
Nor would he be able to save his future son, Naruto Uzumaki.
This series of causal relationships made Minato Namikaze's heart feel incomparably distressed and helpless at this moment.
He couldn't help but recall the previous scene: at that time, Kushina had been furious because Jiraiya had forcibly represented both of them in supporting Hiruzen Sarutobi to become the Third Hokage, and she was also very angry when he tried to mediate.
"Minato, we need to calm down," Kushina said angrily, then went home alone to hide, leaving Minato Namikaze to face this headache-inducing situation alone.
Facing this situation, Minato Namikaze showed a wry smile, sighing inwardly, "How could I not want to break free from Hiruzen Sarutobi's shackles and stop being his accomplice? However, reality makes it impossible for me to choose so easily."
He knew deeply that, putting aside the many helps Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Third Hokage, had given him, even without his, Jiraiya Sensei's, and the other Sannin's support, just relying on the 2,000 Ninja the Sarutobi Clan had already revealed and the thousands of Ninja secretly hidden, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, even if he stepped down from the Third Hokage position, absolutely no one would be able to launch any effective attack against him in a short period of time.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation was already notorious, he still possessed enough strength and resources to protect himself.
"But we are different!" Minato Namikaze thought helplessly, "As Konoha Ninja, we simply cannot resist the righteousness represented by the new Hokage."
Once the support of the Sarutobi Clan was lost, the probability of Danzo becoming Hokage was almost certain.
And looking at Danzo Shimura's consistent character, he would absolutely not easily let go of Hiruzen Sarutobi's former confidants, especially himself and Kushina; one was a Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, and the other mastered the space-time Ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God, both of whom he coveted.
At that time, Danzo would certainly try every means to turn the two of them into sharp blades in his hands, to be used by him.
In this situation, becoming Hokage seemed to be their only choice, and a choice without a choice.
Otherwise, facing Danzo Shimura's open and covert coercion...
Perhaps, the only outcome would be to become a rogue Ninja!
"Sigh! What should I do next!"
Minato Namikaze frowned slightly, clenching his fists. He thought meticulously, untouched by Jiraiya's comfort beside him.
At this moment, he made an internal summary of the current situation, clearly understanding his predicament and realizing that his future path to Hokage faced immense difficulties.
At least, for the position of Hokage, he already felt that hope was so slim as to be almost impossible to achieve.
This slim hope was not only due to his own abilities or opportunities but also due to the negative impact brought by his relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Sarutobi Clan.
Even if he rendered more merits in the future Third Shinobi World War that might erupt, it would be difficult to change this fact.
All of this stemmed from his involvement with the Sarutobi Clan and the various consequences they brought.
As the Sarutobi Clan truly brought those more than two thousand Ninja back to Konoha Ninja Village and closely guarded the Sarutobi Clan, protecting themselves and their family firmly, this undoubtedly confirmed that everything Danzo Shimura said was an obvious fact.
The Sarutobi Clan was such a notorious, wicked, evil, and utterly shameless family, simply a stinking pile of dog shit. They were inherently full of evil schemes, a sinful family that grew by sucking the blood of Konoha Ninja.
In Konoha, even a five-year-old child now knew that Konoha under Hiruzen Sarutobi's leadership was a cancerous tumor of the entire Konoha, an existence that absolutely should not be approached.
And those who were associated with such a family, like himself, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and others, now found their prestige in Konoha becoming delicate, no longer receiving the same praise and acclaim as in the past, filled with thoughts of regret.
It seemed that everyone in Konoha Village was pondering the same question: Why were the excellent Ninja of Konoha Village so close to this wicked family?
This was not just a question for ordinary villagers; even Kushina Uzumaki was no exception.
Among the many scandals exposed about Hiruzen Sarutobi, one thing particularly angered and disappointed her: Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually allowed the Land of Whirlpools to be destroyed, and prevented the Land of Whirlpools from requesting reinforcements from Konoha Village, even refusing to provide any rescue to the heavily suffering people of the Land of Whirlpools.
Originally, Kushina might have reluctantly endured Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions because she needed to rescue Naruto Uzumaki. However, as Hiruzen Sarutobi showed hesitation and fear as the Third Hokage, she finally could no longer tolerate it. She completely lost patience with Hiruzen Sarutobi, no longer having the slightest tolerance, and resolutely turned and left.
For all of this, his slight attempts at persuasion also made him suffer collateral damage, and he had not received her forgiveness for many days.
"Fortunately, although Kushina is angry with me because I didn't bring Naruto back, and she despises the actions of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, unwilling to help the exposed Hiruzen Sarutobi stand on the same side, at least she didn't go to help Danzo and still stands with me!" Minato Namikaze muttered to himself, slowly closing his eyes.
In his mind, like a memory, the image of that red-haired woman with tomato-colored hair—Kushina—kept flashing. Her feisty yet adorable appearance made Minato Namikaze's lips involuntarily curve upwards, revealing a slight smile.
In this smile, there was both affection for Kushina and relief at her stance. Although Kushina was dissatisfied with him because of Naruto's matter, she still chose to stand with him at the critical moment, which made Minato Namikaze feel incredibly warm.
"My future self indeed got together with Kushina..." Minato Namikaze sighed softly, his heart full of anticipation. He hoped that his current self could also get together with Kushina smoothly, just like in the future, and experience the joys and sorrows of life together. For this goal, even if he could never become Hokage, he would never give up.
Even if it meant leaving Konoha and becoming a rogue Ninja!
He would not hesitate!
Minato Namikaze thought firmly in his heart. The fire will was indeed very important to him, but compared to Kushina, all of this seemed to become less important.
However, Minato Namikaze did not know that everything he was thinking about at the moment was nothing more than an illusory bubble.
Just as Minato Namikaze was immersed in beautiful visions of the future, Jiraiya had quietly departed.
And not long after Jiraiya left, the newly promoted clan heads of Ino–Shika–Chō, as if by agreement, all came to Minato Namikaze's home.
Minato Namikaze gazed at Shikaku Nara, his eyes meeting the other's firm gaze, as if he could feel the profound meaning contained within it.
At this moment, Shikaku Nara's expression was serious and earnest, making Minato Namikaze feel a sense of doubt.
"Minato, can we talk? A serious talk, about the Fourth Hokage!" Shikaku Nara's words struck Minato Namikaze's heart like a heavy hammer. His brows furrowed slightly, realizing that this conversation might be extraordinary.
Minato Namikaze's gaze swept over Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Chōza Akimichi. Their faces were equally serious, as if they all held important matters. He pondered inwardly, what exactly was going on?
Facing Shikaku Nara's request, Minato Namikaze hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, follow me!" He turned and led the three into the room, the door slowly closing behind them.
Upon entering the room, Shikaku Nara suddenly spoke, "Please set up a barrier!" His voice was low and decisive, revealing an unquestionable determination.
Minato Namikaze was slightly startled, but without much hesitation, he nodded lightly and responded, "Mm!" Then he quickly formed hand signs, and a pale blue barrier, like a thin veil, enveloped the entire room.
The reason Minato Namikaze readily agreed to set up the barrier was, on one hand, his trust in these old friends, as they had known each other for many years. On the other hand, he also understood that since they made such a request, they must have something important to discuss, and it might involve some secrets.
However, although Minato Namikaze was not overly guarded against them, deep down, he couldn't help but feel a hint of worry about the content of this conversation. After all, with the Sarutobi Clan's scandal, many things had become confusing, and he didn't know if these old friends could still maintain their friendliness and trust towards him as before.
With the protection of this barrier, the few of them no longer had to worry that their conversation would be exposed to the outside world.
Only then did they converse with ease.
"Very well, Minato, we are here to ask you, are you willing to become the new Hokage of Konoha?" Shikaku Nara asked, his pupils fixed on Minato Namikaze, his words without any pretense.
"What!" Minato Namikaze was startled and looked at him.
"If you are willing, our Ino–Shika–Chō, the three clans, can go all out to help you. Our three clans will send a thousand Ninja to work for you, and by the way, help you contact those hesitant clans and neutral individuals to win them over!" Shikaku Nara paused here, seemingly having thought it over in his mind, and continued, "According to my calculations, besides the more than a thousand Ninja in Danzo's hands and the more than two thousand Ninja in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands, not to mention the Ninja legions stationed at the borders and other small countries, there are still hundreds of Ninja within Konoha Village that can be won over..."
"And all of these can be won over by you."
Shikaku Nara looked at Minato Namikaze, offering his biggest chip.