Hiruzen Sarutobi did not press the matter.
Since Minato Namikaze had refused, he wouldn't push too hard.
After all, there was no need to rush when it came to maneuvering Obito.
What mattered most at this stage was ensuring Minato ascended as the Fourth Hokage.
Committing a blunder over something minor would be sheer folly.
And Hiruzen was no fool—not like Danzo.
When it came to future schemes, he knew well how to weigh priorities.
Guaranteeing Minato's succession, while smoothing over the tension between them so he could still secretly control Konoha from the shadows after retirement—
That was the real objective.
Everything else had to give way.
So, after briefly bringing it up, and hearing Minato's refusal, Hiruzen wisely dropped the subject.
He chatted a little longer, subtly reminding Minato: I'm the one backing you, don't forget who your benefactor is.
Then he adjusted his Hokage hat, lit his pipe, and took his leave, heading home.
Of course, not to rest.
Though exhaustion weighed on him, the village had been in nonstop turmoil these past two days.
The arrangements for Shisui and the other Uchiha weren't even halfway done yet.
But with tonight's crisis blowing up, he'd had no choice but to drop everything to deal with it.
Now that Minato's side was stabilized, he had to hurry back and clean up the Shisui mess.
Hiruzen felt like crying.
Being Hokage was suffocating.
Every single day brought endless trouble.
And ever since Uchiha Kai's rise, he had barely had a moment's rest.
Damn it all!
At this point, he didn't even want the Hokage position anymore.
All he wished for was to wrap up the Third Shinobi War with a clean finish, secure his legacy, and then run.
As for the village's messes—
Let Minato, the puppet Hokage, worry about those.
Hiruzen only needed to keep control of the bigger picture from the shadows, steering the village according to his vision.
"..."
Minato Namikaze watched Hiruzen's retreating back, eyes narrowing slightly.
His expression flickered with thoughts no one could read.
At last, glancing briefly at the busy Anbu, he dismissed his musings.
Turning away, he headed home.
Five minutes later.
Back inside his house, Minato let out a long, weary sigh.
Yes—he was truly exhausted.
Every time he stepped outside, he had to wear a false smile.
Only here, at home, could he return to being his real self.
Thankfully...
Though Kushina had lost her temper earlier, at least home itself hadn't been shaken.
It seemed he might actually get a good night's sleep.
As for everything else...
With Hiruzen still holding the reins, there was no need for him to worry.
"Minato, you're back!" Uzumaki Kushina came over at once. "Sit down and rest. I'll give you a shoulder rub."
"Rin, go pour some tea for your sensei!"
Yes—
Seeing her husband's fatigue, Kushina's heart ached.
Fiery-tempered as she was, she still came over to massage his shoulders and legs herself, even calling on Rin to hurry and bring tea.
Nohara Rin moved quickly, brewing a cup and offering it respectfully.
"Sensei, please have some tea!"
Even Obito and Kakashi came over, both wearing worried faces.
No one here was a fool.
Tonight's chaos had been huge.
And with elders of the village—and even the Hokage himself—involved, how could they not worry?
Minato forced a bitter smile.
This "being waited on" lifestyle didn't suit him at all.
He gave up enjoying it after only a moment.
"Alright, that's enough. Kushina, don't fuss over me. I'm not as tired as you all must be."
"Especially you, Obito, Kakashi—your performance just now was excellent."
"Rin is our comrade. No matter how strong the enemy, we must never back down."
"And you, Kushina—"
"Thank you. If not for you, I don't dare imagine how things would've turned out."
"But thankfully, it's all over now."
"I spoke with Hokage-sama earlier. This wasn't our fault—everything was Danzo bringing ruin upon himself."
"The Hokage has already decided to strip him of both his elder seat and his position as Root's leader."
"But considering his past contributions, he'll keep his Jounin status."
"So relax. This matter is settled—it has nothing to do with us anymore."
Minato smiled reassuringly.
But at his words, everyone instantly fell silent.
Yes—unbelievable.
None of them could quite accept it.
The destruction had been immense, dozens of civilian houses reduced to rubble...
Even if they hadn't been the primary culprits, surely it couldn't be brushed off so lightly?
Especially Kushina.
When she had first become the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, unable to control the beast's power, she had caused plenty of property damage during moments of loss of control.
Back then, though there had been no casualties, she was still locked up, interrogated, and subjected to "lessons."
Treated like a criminal.
But this time—
The damage was far greater than ever before.
And yet she was let off with nothing more than a wave of the hand?
Why?
Uzumaki Kushina couldn't understand it.
After thinking hard and still finding no answer, her eyes naturally turned to Minato.
"Minato—why?"
"This time I caused even more damage, so why would the Hokage just forgive me?"
"What kind of logic is that?"
Her face was solemn.
Fiery as her temper was, she was also stubborn about matters of principle.
But hearing her, Minato could only give a wry smile.
Why?
Once, he might not have known.
But now... he understood all too well.
It was just the village's scheming, nothing more.
And he truly didn't want Kushina, nor his students, caught up in that mire.
But—
Since he was destined to become Hokage, and perhaps even clash with Hiruzen for power...
And since his three disciples, for various reasons, were already being pulled into the whirlpool...
Then so be it.
Better to let them glimpse the cruelty of reality now, so they wouldn't be easily deceived later.
At the very least, they'd learn caution.
Taking a deep breath, Minato's gaze grew solemn.
He looked at everyone seriously before slowly speaking:
"Kushina, Kakashi, Obito, Rin..."
"What I'm about to say is very important to each of us."
"So listen carefully. But remember—what you hear tonight must be kept absolutely secret."
"You must not breathe a word of it to anyone!"
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