This Hokage's Name Was Minato, Minato Namikaze!

Late at night, dark clouds covered the sky, which was pitch black as if it were shrouded by a huge black curtain.

The tense atmosphere of the impending battle forced the villagers of Konoha to reduce their time spent outdoors.

At this hour, Konoha, which was usually brightly lit, was unusually deserted today, as everyone had turned off their lights and gone to sleep early, waiting for dawn.

A rustling sound rang out from the Forest.

It sounded like the wind rustling through leaves, or like the sound of pedestrians walking by.

The rustling sound grew closer, and a figure appeared on the dark road. As the figure approached Konoha, its outline became clearer.

It was none other than Tōka, who hadn't appeared for a long time!

Konoha, which is currently at war, immediately went into a state of highest alert.

Hidden in the shadows, Konoha's Sensor Ninja discovered something strange: nine-year-old Tōka was registered as Chunin in Konoha, but the Tōka before them did not possess the chakra level of Chunin.

Tōka's clothes were neat and clean, and he looked relaxed and in good spirits, not like someone who had just experienced a major battle. So why was his chakra level reduced by more than half?

As soon as Tōka reached the gate of Konoha, he was blocked at the entrance by an Anbu of Konoha's Anbu.

Tōka's lips twitched slightly, and he helplessly shrugged to indicate that he was not an enemy.

"Chunin Tōka, where have you been all this time?"

Tōka's official ninja record in Konoha is that of Chunin, and it's clear that many people in the Anbu recognize him.

After all, it was Tōka's strategy, which united the Four Great Nations, that almost killed the Two-Tails Jinchūriki of Kumogakure during the Forest of Death test.

If the Raikage hadn't intervened against the rules, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki would likely be someone else by now.

"Can I see the Hokage? I'll explain to Hokage," Tōka said calmly, showing no concern whatsoever for the scene before him.

"Hmph, not showing up for so long is enough to be considered Rogue Ninja. You still want to see the Hokage?" One of the Anbu stared at Tōka with a cold gaze, speaking with hostility.

Tōka's expression hardened slightly. Only then did he notice that the dozen or so members of the Anbu nearby had actually split into two factions.

One faction was led by the Cat-Faced Anbu in front of them, while the other faction was led by the ANBU member with a face covered in tortoise shell Anbu.

In Konoha, only the Root ninjas wore more complex masks, resembling demon masks.

They're putting even the Roots out in the open to guard the gates? How desperate is Konoha for manpower? It's Danzo for that old man Danzo to be so generous as to lend people out.

"Let's take him to the Root and hand him over to Danzo for thorough interrogation!" someone suddenly said, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became oppressive.

The Anbu of the Hokage Faction would naturally not allow the Root members to bring Tōka to Danzo.

However, the people from the Root seized upon the reason why Tōka hadn't appeared for so long as an excuse, and for a time, the two sides were deadlocked.

As a result, Tōka ended up being the only one who was unaffected and stood aside to watch the show.

If you had a bag of Sunflower Seeds and a bottle of Cola in your hand at that moment...

Tōka was daydreaming, wondering if these two groups would start fighting.

This is not impossible.

Root is neither under the control of the Hokage nor under the jurisdiction of the Anbu. They act extremely cruelly and arrogantly, and many Anbu who know them well are quite disgusted with Root members.

Tōka is just a pretext; the conflict between the two sides has been going on for a long time, and they might actually end up fighting.

The atmosphere was heavy, and tensions were palpable at the Konoha Gate.

Sudden!

A figure descended with a whoosh, appearing between the two groups of people, carrying a Scroll that seemed to be someone's command.

"Danzo has ordered that Tōka be taken to Root for questioning." The Mask-faced Ninja held up the Scroll, gesturing for the Anbu to step back.

Danzo considerable influence in Konoha, and the Root ninjas felt even more confident upon witnessing this scene.

"What should we do? Should we let the Root people take Tōka away?" one of the Anbu next to the Cat-Faced Anbu asked in a low voice, "Root is a place like that..."

Even without him finishing speaking, the Cat-Faced Anbu knew what he wanted to say.

Once you go into a place like that, it's very difficult to come out alive...

"I know even if you don't say it, but they have Danzo's warrant," the Cat-Faced Anbu said hesitantly.

"Hmph, take Tōka away!" the Mask-faced Ninja hissed, and two Root ninjas immediately leaped forward.

They stood on either side of Tōka, reaching out to grab him.

Tōka raised an eyebrow, about to make a move.

A gust of wind whistled through the air, a sharp blade sliced through the air, tearing it apart and emitting a piercing buzzing sound!

Upon seeing this, the two Root members quickly withdrew their hands and moved aside.

"Who?!" the Mask-faced Ninja shouted coldly, and the members of Root immediately made attack moves.

"The Lord Hokage requests to see Tōka."

Those eight short words instantly dispelled the tense atmosphere in the room.

Seeing that the members of Root cowered at the mere mention of the Hokage's name, the Dog-Faced Anbu sneered disdainfully.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings." The Dog-Faced Anbu lifted a corner of his mask, spat on the ground, and cursed sarcastically.

"You!" The Mask-faced Ninja was furious, and the members of Root drew their weapons.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'? You're not convinced? Go find the Lord Hokage and reason with him!" the Dog-Faced Anbu retorted even more arrogantly.

Upon hearing this, the Mask-faced Ninja immediately fell silent.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was still alright in the past, but as time went by, his Shinobi Hero presence was long since eroded by time.

And the current Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze...

That's a guy who can easily handle the Raikage, the Tsuchikage, and dozens of Elite Jonin, and can even take down one or two Elite Jonin without you noticing!

Even if the Mask-faced Ninja had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to provoke Minato Namikaze.

"Let's go, Tōka." The Dog-Faced Anbu turned to leave, gesturing for Tōka to follow.

"Okay." Tōka quickly followed the steps of the Dog-Faced Anbu. Both the Root and the Anbu members moved aside, and no one dared to stop him.

This is the Yellow Flash that illuminates Konoha, the might of Minato Namikaze!

The mere title of the Lord Hokage was enough to intimidate everyone in Root.

Tōka followed behind the Dog-Faced Anbu, disappearing into the depths of Konoha in a few leaps. He tilted his head, staring at the Dog-Faced Anbu's back.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Cat-Faced Anbu should be that guy..."

Tōka, Dog-Faced Anbu, and Cat-Faced Anbu once worked with White Fang on a plan to infiltrate the Land of Wind.

He could tell who the Cat-Faced Anbu members were, but Tōka couldn't guess who the Dog-Faced Anbu were.

There aren't many ninjas in Konoha who are proficient in Water Release, so who exactly is this guy?

With this question in mind, Tōka followed the Dog-Faced Anbu into the Hokage Building.

Because the Konoha Main Camp and Konoha are not far apart, Minato Namikaze could arrive in an instant at his speed.

Therefore, as long as the Raikage and Tsuchikage don't make a move, Minato Namikaze will oversee everything within Konoha.

Thump thump thump!!

A knock on the door interrupted Tōka's thoughts.

"Come in," Minato Namikaze's voice came from inside the house.

Dog-Faced Anbu made a gesture of invitation, then vanished in a Body Flicker Technique.

Tōka pushed open the door Budong and immediately felt three burning gazes directed at her.

I instinctively looked up and saw that there were actually three other people inside!

The three immortal elders of Konoha!

Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu.

"Lord Hokage," Tōka greeted respectfully, standing properly in the hall.

As for the three immortal old men? They were naturally completely ignored by Tōka.

Minato's eye twitched. Why did this impeccable etiquette, which seemed flawless, make him feel so uneasy?

Minato glanced at the three Advisor, who were now even more awkwardly Minato, and exhaled a breath of stale air, immediately feeling much better.

"Chunin Tōka, can you explain to us why you've been gone for so long?"

The one who spoke up was Utatane Koharu, a stern-looking old woman with squinty eyes like Minato.

Tōka remained unmoved, her head bowed, facing the direction of the Minato, as if she hadn't heard her words.

Utatane Koharu frowned slightly, about to reprimand him, but was stopped by Mitokado Homura was standing to the side.

He gestured for Utatane Koharu, to look into Tōka's eyes.

"Hmm? That brat..."

Utatane Koharu noticed that Tōka's gaze was fixed on the direction of Minato, and immediately understood what he meant.

Interesting kid...

After glancing at Danzo Utatane Koharu narrowed her eyes again and sat calmly to the side, remaining silent.

"Tōka, where have you been all this time? The Third Hokage was very worried about you." Minato scratched his cheek awkwardly, then said with a smile.

The warmth of the sunlight instantly filled the entire room, making Tōka's heart feel cozy...

How could that be!

Tōka looked up at Minato expressionlessly. The Third Hokage, that old man, would be worried? Worried he hadn't actually died, right?

"I've been recovering from my injuries. I fought the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and the Third Hokage witnessed it firsthand." Tōka looked like he was still recovering from serious injuries, and he was even panting as he spoke.

"Lord Hokage, you can't just leave me without treatment when I'm seriously injured."

Seriously injured...

Minato almost jumped up and slapped him. The Third Hokage told Tōka in detail about his condition and everything that happened that day in the Konoha Back Mountain.

Tōka wasn't seriously injured at all; no, she wasn't even scratched.

In the battle against the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Tōka only used up some chakra at most.

"Hmph, utter nonsense! There's no record of you being hospitalized at Konoha Hospital!" Danzo sneered, slamming his cane heavily on the floor.

Tōka squinted at Danzo, Danzo stared back coldly at Tōka.

They're all schemers, but we're all on the same side!

Why are you trying to sabotage me?

"My Medical Ninjutsu is pretty good, so I didn't go to the hospital," Tōka said vaguely, even his excuse was so lame.

Everyone present was shrewd; upon hearing Tōka's excuse, they nearly lost their temper!

If Tōka isn't an idiot, then he's treating them like idiots!

"Ahem... Tōka, you should go back and rest." Minato's lips twitched, and he waved his hand helplessly.

Although Tōka was a little puzzled as to how easily he had passed the test, he was too lazy to think about it and turned around and left the Hokage Building in a flash.

The room fell silent, and the three Advisor all wore grim expressions.

"Minato, you must give us an explanation!" Danzo his cane, making a loud thumping sound, expressing his extreme dissatisfaction.

"Minato, you handled this matter poorly." Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also sided with Danzo.

The three Advisor stood in front of Minato, looking down at him as if they were usurping his position.

"What else do you think you can get out of them?" Minato said calmly, his eyes opening dangerously.

"And you're questioning my decision?"

Minato suppressed the Minato smile that was always on his face and stared expressionlessly at the trio of old men.

Don't mistake him for the Third Hokage, someone who would care about the friendship between teammates and let you cause trouble openly or secretly!

Sensing the chill in the air, the three Advisor were momentarily speechless.

The difference between the Third Hokage and Fourth Hokage is obvious: a senile monkey versus a fully grown ferocious beast!

Undoubtedly, the ferocious beast will lead Konoha to become even stronger.

At the same time, the ferocious beast will not allow a second voice to emerge in Konoha!

The three of them then realized with a start that the person sitting in front of them was no longer the elderly Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Instead, it was a ferocious beast that had grown into adulthood— Minato Namikaze!

"Lord Hokage, at least the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force should question Tōka Ge." Mitokado Homura's tone softened, and his voice became much quieter.

"This matter, Lord Hokage... is ill-considered." Utatane Koharu's attitude became much more respectful; perhaps Minato Namikaze would have handled it better than Sarutobi.

Danzo silent with a cold expression, his exposed eyes glaring fiercely at his two cowardly teammates.

The two Advisor' conciliatory attitude made Minato feel quite good, and his imposing aura vanished in an instant.

A sunny, boyish smile returned to his lips, revealing a kind and approachable demeanor.

The stagnant air in the room dissipated, and everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Battlefield needs Tōka's abilities." Seeing the three old fogies back down, Minato slowly explained, "Besides, I've already sent people to monitor Tōka."

"What does the Lord Hokage mean..." As expected of a master of political maneuvering, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu immediately sensed a conspiracy.

"I will take Tōka to the Battlefield. The Raikage and Tsuchikage have come from afar without complaint; as their hosts, it's time we served them a grand feast!"

Minato was still smiling, but everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Do All-Killing Ash Bones...?

The three Advisor exchanged glances, four words flashing through their minds. Even Danzo, who was most dissatisfied with the Fourth Hokage, chose to remain silent this time.

Danzo, who always advocated a hawkish approach, was definitely the happiest person in Konoha for being able to make the Raikage and Tsuchikage suffer a Danzo.

Tōka returned to her room, thinking that there was no place like her own little nest.

Feeling the familiar presence, Tōka immediately relaxed, sat on the edge of the bed, and ran her hand along the edge of the bed.

The house, uninhabited for half a month, was covered with a thin layer of dust.

"How about we clean it up?" Tōka suddenly had this idea. He rarely tidied up this room, at most he would just wipe the table a little.

In just half a month, Tōka felt as if they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Is it just my imagination?

No, it's a feeling of longing. When exactly did it begin that this ordinary room started to evoke such a feeling of longing in me?

Without hesitation, Tōka rolled up his sleeves, picked up the plate, and prepared to go to the bathroom to fetch water.

A faint, elusive aura suddenly appeared, and Tōka paused in his tracks. "Anbu? Surveillance? Idiot."

"You'll have your day when you beg me!"

Tōka snorted coldly, turned around, and walked into the bathroom.