Relax, This Is Just a Chat

As long as war continued, people would keep making sacrifices.

Those words were like a curse, echoing over and over in Obito Uchiha's mind.

He had never considered such things, never thought that far ahead.

At that moment, he blankly turned to look at Madara Uchiha.

Madara Uchiha continued, "You, your friends and companions—countless people like you will lose their loved ones and even their own lives because of war."

"B-but..."

The young Obito Uchiha had no way of seeing through Madara Uchiha's scheme.

His words had left him completely at a loss.

"But even if the war continues, I still have to save my companion!"

"That's Rin. She's my..."

Obito Uchiha trailed off, unable to continue.

Madara Uchiha silently took it all in.

He had already suspected the boy's feelings for that young girl, and now his judgment was further confirmed.

In an instant, a plan targeting this Uchiha brat took shape in his mind.

"If you want to leave, then stay here and properly recover from your injuries."

"Once you can truly move freely, you will naturally be allowed to leave."

With that, Madara Uchiha turned and vanished into the darkness.

Minato Namikaze escorted Hiruzen Sarutobi out of Konoha and toward the Daimyo Capital of the Land of Fire to meet the daimyo.

On one hand, they were going to attend the peace talks between the five great nations, so they could bring this years-long war—which had caused severe losses to all sides—to a complete end.

On the other hand, they were going to report to the Land of Fire daimyo.

Although Konoha Village was powerful, its economy depended heavily on support from the Land of Fire Daimyo Government.

In fact, the other ninja villages were no different.

Without the financial aid provided by their daimyo governments, not only would the other ninja villages be unable to maintain normal operations, but even Konoha could not manage it.

Therefore, in theory, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, also had to obey the Land of Fire daimyo.

The daimyo even possessed the authority to appoint the Hokage.

This was also one of the important reasons Hiruzen Sarutobi had brought Minato Namikaze to meet the Land of Fire daimyo.

The two walked side by side along the road.

Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Years of war have severely affected everything in Konoha. Now that the village needs rebuilding in every aspect, Minato, where do you think we should start to help it recover as quickly as possible?"

Caught off guard by the question, Minato Namikaze paused. He frowned and thought carefully for a moment before answering without hesitation, "Now that the war is over, we can reasonably ease the village's restrictions and encourage more merchants and travelers to come to Konoha for business, promoting economic recovery and development."

"On the other hand, we must properly handle the aftermath for the ninja who were killed or injured. Only then can we quickly stabilize the hearts of those who have begun to waver."

"We should also encourage the villagers to have children and further expand the Ninja Academy, allowing more children to receive a proper ninja education and bringing enough fresh blood into the village..."

Minato Namikaze proposed many suggestions in succession.

These were all ideas he had thought through carefully.

Moreover, he had considered them from the perspective of becoming Hokage, genuinely putting himself in Konoha's position and thinking about how it could emerge from its predicament and regain its vitality.

After hearing his answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in great satisfaction.

"What are your thoughts on handling the issues between the village and its various clans?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked again.

This was a rather sensitive question.

Minato Namikaze's heart stirred slightly at the words.

The first thing that came to mind was the Uchiha Clan.

Among all the prominent clans in Konoha, if there was one that made the village wary and guarded, it was undoubtedly the Uchiha Clan.

Not only were they one of Konoha's most powerful ninja clans, but they also seemed to possess a certain degree of ambition.

As a result, Konoha had continuously raised its level of vigilance against their clan over the years.

So is the Third Hokage trying to imply something with this question?

Minato Namikaze swiftly emerged from his thoughts as countless ideas flashed through his mind.

He immediately replied, "Protecting Konoha Village, allowing the people of the village to live and work in peace and contentment, and enabling them to survive in a peaceful and stable environment are responsibilities every Konoha ninja should fulfill."

"At the same time, this is also the duty of every ninja clan that has taken root in Konoha and regards this land as its homeland."

"Hahahahaha..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly laughed heartily, then reached out and lightly patted Minato Namikaze on the shoulder. "It seems Jiraiya taught you very well, Minato. But relax, you do not need to be so serious."

"We're only chatting."

"Yes, Third Hokage."

Minato Namikaze remained as meticulous as ever.

In truth, how could he possibly fail to understand the meaning behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's questions?

By bringing him to the Daimyo Capital for the peace negotiations between the five great nations, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not only giving him the opportunity to learn many things, but also allowing him to make an appearance before the leaders of the various nations and the Land of Fire daimyo.

At that moment, Minato Namikaze could not help recalling the wager he had made with Uchiha Daiki.

Could he really have guessed right? Does the Third Hokage intend for me to succeed him as Hokage?

Minato Namikaze had his suspicions when Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked, "Jiraiya told me long ago that your childhood dream was to become Hokage. But Minato, do you know what the word Hokage means to a ninja?"

At that question, Minato Namikaze was instantly energized.

He had wanted to become Hokage since childhood, and he had already seriously and deeply considered this question and related ones more than once.

This time, he truly did not need to think before answering immediately, "The word Hokage means responsibility."

"A Kage is not only the strongest person in a ninja village, but also the one with the greatest prestige, the one best able to represent the interests of all the villagers."

"To protect the village and its people, they can even sacrifice themselves when necessary."

"Therefore, to become a village's Kage, one must first be a great and selfless person. A person's character is the most important thing; only after that come their strength and their ability to handle problems..."

Minato Namikaze's earnest answer once again struck deeply at Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.

This disciple of his beloved student Jiraiya could be considered his grand-disciple.

Whether in terms of personal closeness or the results of this verbal assessment, Minato Namikaze was clearly the successor he had always wanted to find.