The struggle between the Anbu's two factions

Konoha is harmonious because it is composed of several factions that check and balance each other, thus maintaining relative harmony.

Within the Konoha's Anbu), they can be divided into two factions.

Radicals and Stabilizers: if we're talking about the leader of the radicals, then Danzo is the Danzo.

The "stable faction" leans towards the Hokage; simply put, it's the faction controlled by the person holding the title of Hokage.

Now, these two factions have begun to clash.

This conflict occurred so suddenly that it made the Third Hokage, who was already troubled by the Land of Earth's attack, feel uneasy.

At this moment, in the Hokage's office building.

As evening approached, Minato Namikaze to the small office, not expecting to be summoned here by the Third Hokage.

"Lord Third, what brings you here?"

"Yes, Minato, you've come at the right time. I just wanted to discuss something with you." Upon seeing the visitor, the Third Hokage forced a smile, his haggard expression making him appear several years older.

"Discuss?" Minato Namikaze was even more surprised to see the Third Hokage use this word, especially since the usually calm Third Hokage looked troubled.

Unable to contain a hint of nervousness, he approached the Third Hokage and asked, "I wonder if this is an internal problem within Konoha?"

The Third Hokage glanced at Minato Namikaze with approval, then rested his chin on his hands, his expression turning serious. "Hmm, you're right. It is indeed a problem within Konoha's Anbu."

Upon hearing this, Minato's expression turned surprised again. "Anbu, what happened to the Anbu?"

"You may not know this, but the real power in the Anbu is actually held by the Council of Elders."

"I've heard that, but in recent years, the Council of Elders hasn't been doing anything; they've all been resting at home."

"That's true, but there are still members of the Council of Elders, as you should know, right?"

"That Danzo." Minato Namikaze frowned as he recalled the man. "I vaguely remember him as the Council of Elders' representative."

"Yes." The Third Hokage's expression instantly turned stern, and he raised his head to stare silently at Minato Namikaze, saying, "Some unpleasant rumors have begun regarding him."

"You don't mean to say that there's something wrong with Danzo, do you?"

"Minato, you are indeed very clever. What I wanted to say is about this... actually..."

Knock knock!

The Third Hokage didn't speak; instead, there was a knock on the door.

The Third Hokage elder, who had stopped speaking, didn't think twice and simply called out, "Come in."

"The Lord Third and the Lord Fourth Hokage are here too, perfect timing." A ninja who rushed in, seeing both Hokage, said nervously, "The Anbu Special Jōnin Ibiki Morino, is missing."

"What?!" Minato Namikaze was taken aback when he heard this.

"Furthermore, more than ten Anbu ninjas have also disappeared."

"What do you mean?" The Third Hokage frowned, and it seemed he realized that things were not going well.

Knock knock!

And before the visitor could finish speaking, there was another knock on the door.

Minato Namikaze could no longer remain calm, and his voice deepened as he asked, "What exactly happened?"

"Lord Third, no, something terrible has happened!" The newcomer was even more flustered, almost stumbling as he scrambled in. Seeing that both the Third Hokage and Fourth Hokage were there, he quickly steadied himself and hurriedly said, "The Anbu investigation team, both teams lost contact just now!"

"What do you mean? What exactly happened?" Minato Namikaze was anxious. He realized that things were not going well, but he just couldn't understand what went wrong.

What exactly caused such a significant change in the Anbu?

"Has it begun?" The Third Hokage, on the other hand, was more composed. He sighed slightly, gazing out the window with a touch of wistfulness, and said, "Well, I just didn't expect this day to come so soon."

"What happened to the Third Hokage?"

"You should know that the Anbu is divided into two factions. Both factions share the same goal: protecting Konoha. This has kept things relatively peaceful until now." The Third Hokage finished speaking calmly, then frowned and said in a deep voice, "Unfortunately, it seems that someone has instigated this conflict between the two factions, leading to internal strife."

"Internal war, at a time like this?"

"Yes." The Third Hokage nodded, his expression grim. "This is troublesome, even worse than the invasion of the Land of Earth. Who is behind this? Is it the Uchiha Clan, or have other clans stirred things up? No, that's impossible. No clan would incite the Anbu and get away with it without my notice. Who is this person?"

The Third Hokage looked on, deep in thought, seemingly unable to understand what was going on.

Minato Namikaze's expression was equally serious. In that moment of deep thought, he suddenly thought of someone and something that had happened a few days ago.

His eyes trembled slightly as he muttered, "No way, it couldn't be that kid's."

"Minato, do you know anything?" Seeing the strange look in Minato Namikaze's eyes, the Third Hokage raised his head, his gaze piercing.

"Yes, but I can't tell the Third Hokage who it is. Leave this to me, I'll handle it properly," Minato Namikaze said earnestly.

The Third Hokage looked at Minato Namikaze didn't want to talk, he didn't insist.

"I understand. But Minato, don't make the same mistake I did. Remember, Konoha the Hokage should protect the most."

"I... I understand." Minato Namikaze nodded heavily, Minato Namikaze face grave. He turned and quickly left the Hokage's office, heading towards a certain place.

The Third Hokage remained calm as he watched Minato Namikaze's retreating figure.

He believed that Minato Namikaze would give him a satisfactory answer to this matter.

Early morning, Konoha, slightly to the west.

Yang Xing was on his way to the Inuzuka Clan when Rin Nohara suddenly invited him to lunch that morning. Yang Xing had no choice but to go, since he was planning to eat out anyway. Getting a free meal at Rin's house wouldn't be a bad idea.

Yang Xing had just stepped out of the door and hadn't taken more than a few steps when he saw Minato Namikaze rushing towards him.

Yang Xing was taken aback by the serious expression on his face. He immediately touched his nose, chuckled wryly, and muttered, "Have I been found out? Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

Without giving it much thought, Yang Xing raised his hand and exclaimed in feigned delight, "Ah, Minato-sensei, out shopping and picking up girls so early? Aren't you afraid your wife will find out?"

The moment he saw Yang Xing, Minato Namikaze leaped over at top speed, leaving Yang Xing no time to react.

In the blink of an eye, Minato Namikaze had grabbed his arm. Seeing Minato Namikaze's unusually serious expression, he said nervously, "I have something to ask you. Come with me for a moment."

"Okay, that's fine." Yang Xing said with a troubled expression, "However, I have something to do right now. I want to go to Rin Nohara's place, Minato-sensei. This is my chance to get rid of my single status. You should know how important this is to me."

Before Yang Xing could finish speaking, Minato Namikaze gritted his teeth and emphasized again, "Yang Xing, I'll say it again, I'm speaking to you now as the Fourth Hokage. Come with me, I have something I want to ask you."

"Well, don't take it so seriously. Since Minato-sensei wants to speak as the Fourth Hokage, then I, as Minato-sensei's cute and handsome disciple, can give you half an hour to answer all your questions." Yang Xing smiled, his smile very peaceful.

For some reason, seeing that smile, Minato Namikaze couldn't tense up; a wry smile Kakuzu: "You rascal!"