As Minato Namikaze's words fell, everyone present revealed looks of astonishment!
Inuzuka E spoke up, saying, "Jin, this matter is no joke! If not handled well, it could be seized upon as a handle to make trouble!"
You must know that they are shinobi, and even leaving the Village normally requires reporting!
Not to mention that it is still wartime, and the Village's scrutiny is even stricter!
Uchiha Jin's unauthorized actions without permission, putting it lightly, are desertion. Putting it seriously, it can be treated as defecting from the Village!
Given Uchiha Jin's identity as a member of the Uchiha Clan, it is almost impossible for the matter to be handled lightly!
If Third Hokage and the others discovered Uchiha Jin's whereabouts, this matter would definitely not end well!
"Don't be nervous, the Hidden Mist Village frontline main camp is basically filled with people from the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan. Someone is covering for me; they won't find out!" Uchiha Jin explained with a smile, "Moreover, I have a reason I had to come out this time!"
Everyone present was a member of Minato's team, and they were all trustworthy insiders! That's why Uchiha Jin appeared before them so fearlessly!
"A reason you had to come out?"
Minato Namikaze felt a faint sense of something in his heart, looking at Uchiha Jin with burning eyes!
"Sit down and talk!"
Uchiha Jin scanned everyone present and raised a hand to signal.
Minato Namikaze and the others also did not object, each finding a comfortable spot to sit on the ground.
Uchiha Jin waited until everyone was seated before speaking, "This war has already lasted for nearly eight years, and we are all physically and mentally exhausted!"
"No matter what the final outcome of this war is, Konoha has suffered heavy losses!"
"And Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the Hokage, is undeniably responsible for some decision-making errors. His time as Hokage is coming to an end!"
"I believe you have all heard some rumors about this, more or less!"
In the early stages of the war, facing the provocation from the Sand Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was worried and pursued peace, did not respond immediately, allowing the Sand Village's arrogant attitude to grow, leading the war into a stalemate phase, causing Iwagakure, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden Mist Village to enter the fray one after another!
You must know that the Sand Village is the weakest shinobi Village among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, while Konoha Village is the number one shinobi Village recognized in the Shinobi World!
If Sarutobi Hiruzen had concentrated Konoha's superior forces at the beginning and crippled the Sand Village in one fell swoop, perhaps this war would not have developed into what it became later!
At least it wouldn't have lasted this long!
And after the Sand Village was defeated, in order to appease them, Sarutobi Hiruzen not only did not demand any war reparations from the Sand Village but even made concessions in some areas!
This also caused many Konoha shinobi to feel dissatisfied!
Sarutobi Hiruzen made many wrong decisions during this war due to his mindset of blindly seeking peace, and the resentment in the Village is also growing day by day!
In order to give an explanation to the villagers of Konoha Village, rumors have spread within Konoha Village that Sarutobi Hiruzen will step down as Hokage after this war ends!
And this was also deliberately released by Sarutobi Hiruzen to appease the people of Konoha!
Uchiha Jin continued, "Originally, even if I didn't come, this war was already entering its final stage!"
"Perhaps Hidden Cloud Village and Iwagakure wouldn't stop fighting so quickly, but under the circumstances of our three sides mutually restraining each other, large-scale wars would no longer be initiated!"
"At most, there would be some minor skirmishes along the border!"
Although Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud Village both still had the strength to fight, the Third Raikage died in Iwagakure, which is a blood feud!
And Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud Village both simultaneously declared war on Konoha, leading to the current situation which is basically a three-way free-for-all, where no one trusts anyone else!
If either Iwagakure or Hidden Cloud Village wanted to launch a large-scale war against Konoha, they would have to consider whether the other side would stab them in the back and reap the benefits!
So the war has basically ended at this point!
Minato Namikaze nodded and said, "Indeed! I have received the Third's deployment order and will return to Konoha for rest and recuperation soon!"
"At the same time, the Third also hinted in his private message to me that he would support me to become the Fourth Hokage after I return!"
Uchiha Jin smiled upon hearing this and said, "It seems our Hokage still values you quite a bit, Minato!"
Minato Namikaze gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said, "How could he value me? He just values that power and wants to treat me as a puppet!"
"Just like it says in the book you wrote, 'Holding the Son of Heaven to command the feudal lords'!"
If it were the original Minato Namikaze, upon receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's private message, he would probably already be happily preparing to become the Fourth Hokage!
But under Uchiha Jin's deliberate indoctrination over the years, Minato Namikaze is no longer what he used to be. He is no longer the political novice from the original work and naturally can see through Sarutobi Hiruzen's true intentions!
For this, Uchiha Jin even deliberately transcribed some of his past life's books on political strategy, such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Thick Black Theory," for Minato Namikaze to study!
"Not bad, Minato, your progress is getting bigger and bigger!" Uchiha Jin first praised him, and then said, "Logically speaking, the best candidate for the Fourth Hokage should be Orochimaru!"
"Orochimaru is calm, has excellent vision, is not only powerful but also made outstanding contributions during the Second Shinobi World War and the Third Shinobi World War!"
"From any perspective, Orochimaru is capable of holding the position of Hokage!"
"But unfortunately, he is too suitable, so suitable that the Third can no longer control him, so the Third can only give him up!"
In terms of strength alone, the current Minato Namikaze is definitely not weaker than Orochimaru.
But in terms of foundation, Minato Namikaze, who has just risen in this war, is absolutely incomparable to Orochimaru!
For example, the positions they hold now are vastly different!
In this war, Minato Namikaze was like a firefighter, going wherever he was needed!
And Orochimaru first served as a commander on the Sand Village front, and now he is serving as a commander on the Hidden Cloud Village front, he is Minato Namikaze's direct superior!
If it really came down to contention, Minato Namikaze would be completely unable to compete with Orochimaru!
Minato Namikaze did not refute upon hearing this, and nodded seriously, saying, "Indeed, Senior Orochimaru, aside from being a bit cold in personality, is capable of holding the position of Hokage in all other aspects!"
"Let's put Orochimaru aside for now, he no longer has a chance!" Uchiha Jin continued, "Minato, after you return this time, the Third will definitely test you further!"
"Before everything is settled, it is not advisable for you to get too close to people from our Uchiha Clan, so there are some things I can only tell you here!"
Minato Namikaze showed a serious expression, waiting for Uchiha Jin to continue!