A Moment for Competing Acting Skills (Seeking Recommendation Tickets!)

Although he didn't plan to punish severely, Minato felt it was necessary to make this brat realize the seriousness of the situation and use this lesson to teach him a good one!

Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause in the future.

This time, he privately carved his own portrait on the Hokage Rock. If he let it go so easily, wouldn't he burn down his office next time?

Thinking this, Minato's expression suddenly turned serious. He was about to put on an act!

"Before you came, I asked for the opinions of others. They all believed that the impact of this incident was extremely severe and that you must be punished without mercy! You can choose between being imprisoned or directly exiled."

Imprisoned?

Exiled?

Jonin Mikawa's expression changed immediately. He hadn't expected the punishment to be so severe, yet it was within reason.

He instinctively wanted to speak up for Qingyu, even if it meant taking on some of the blame.

However, Minato's calm expression made him stammer a few times, and in the end, he couldn't say anything.

If you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility and accept the punishment. There's nothing more to say.

So, Jonin Mikawa finally sighed and closed his eyes, standing to the side. No matter the outcome, he had no right to persuade the Hokage to change his mind.

However, in his heart, he hoped Qingyu would choose exile. Although leaving Konoha would have a significant impact on his future life, with his help, he could at least find a place for him to settle down. He had truly done his best, alas!

However, things didn't go as planned. After Qingyu thought calmly for a moment, he asked in a deep voice, "How long would I be imprisoned? And where would I be exiled to?"

"It won't be very long, maybe three to five years, and you'll be out. As for the place of exile, considering your past contributions to the village, you can choose, as long as it's far from Konoha."

Qingyu, with his brows furrowed, didn't notice Minato's lips curling slightly. "So, which choice will you make next? I'm very curious."

But what Minato didn't know was that for Qingyu, the choice had never really existed from the beginning.

Firstly, saving his own life was the most basic requirement. Secondly, due to the undercover mission, choosing exile would likely mean his mission failure.

So, only one path remained: being imprisoned!

However, three to five years was too long, and Minato's attitude was not what he had anticipated. Was the value of the previous formula not significant enough?

He began to regret not preparing more in advance. If he had added a few more layers of insurance, perhaps he would have been released in a month or two, which would have been harmless.

Now, it was difficult...

"Imprison me."

Minato was clearly a little surprised. The hint in his words should have been obvious. Exile, in plain terms, meant moving to a different place to continue living. This was already showing leniency. A smart person should know how to choose, but this brat chose the most difficult first option.

Konoha's prison was no pleasant place. Few who entered came out whole. And several years of their youth would be wasted just like that...

"Why? You know that five years in prison could completely ruin your life. Wouldn't it be better to start over somewhere else?" Minato asked, even more curious.

"No reason. A true man doesn't run away; that's what cowards do! Since I made a mistake, I shouldn't evade this responsibility, no matter how severe the punishment! What's three to five years? It'll pass in a flash. When I get out, I'll be the new Fifth Hokage!"

Qingyu shouted loudly, full of youthful, chuunibyou energy.

Since he had already fallen into this trap, he had to cut his losses immediately!

Not only could he not leave an impression of being afraid of death, but he also had to embody the so-called "Will of Fire" as much as possible and find ways to maximize his impression points!

This way, the persona of a reckless, brainless hothead who always talked about becoming Hokage would basically be established. When he caused trouble in the future, people would become accustomed to it and wouldn't find it strange, which would also serve as a protective lock for his undercover identity.

Perhaps after imprisoning him for a while, Minato might suddenly remember him and let him go. That wasn't impossible.

As Qingyu's boisterous shouts echoed in his ears, Minato didn't feel offended this time. Instead, he found this brat increasingly interesting.

"Even if imprisoned for three to five years, the dream of becoming Hokage remains unshaken, not retreating..."

Minato suddenly became a little lost in thought. He had been successfully fooled by Qingyu's sudden burst of acting.

Qingyu's current mindset was that of a gambler. As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes; just charge forward!

After all, things couldn't get any worse from this point on.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The Anbu member who had gone to investigate the entire matter had returned.

"Hokage-sama, the entire matter has been investigated. The culprit, Shimiya Aoba, had no accomplices. The tools used for the crime were all found at his home, and the source of the merchants was also found. These individuals did not know what the culprit Shimiya Aoba was buying these items for. Additionally, Chief Engineer Yamashita wishes to see Hokage-sama, saying he is here to confess his guilt."

Minato, snapping back to reality, nodded. "Have Chief Engineer Yamashita come in. Also, take these two to the adjoining lounge and don't let them wander off."

Minato said the last sentence while staring at Qingyu...

This made Qingyu extremely awkward. As the saying goes, one always ends up becoming the person they hated the most.

As expected, he, who once hated bratty children the most, now had to pretend to be one to disguise himself. He was truly fed up!

After Jonin Mikawa and Qingyu were led to the adjoining room by the Anbu personnel to wait, Old Man Yamashita appeared in the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama, as the leader of the entire artisan team, I bear undeniable responsibility for the incident that occurred. If I had noticed anything unusual during the cleanup work, this accident would not have happened today. The responsibility lies entirely with me. I beg Hokage-sama to punish me."

If Qingyu were here now, he would surely notice that Old Man Yamashita usually spoke with crude words like "I" and "this old man," but now, in front of the Hokage, he spoke refinedly, using "this old man" as a self-address. It was clearly an appeal to emotion, constantly reminding the other party that he was an old man.

Although Minato didn't know these details, he didn't intend to pursue the responsibility of Old Man Yamashita or the other artisans. The fault wasn't theirs; they were artisans, not investigators. Furthermore, Qingyu's plan was very novel, so it was understandable that they didn't discover it.

PS: Thanks to Shi Tu for the reward. Esteemed sirs, are there any more votes? If not, I'll ask again later.