Weightlifting Champion Minato Namikaze

Minato Namikaze walked home, the information his teacher Jiraiya had shared with him echoing constantly in his mind.

The village had already begun peace talks with the Hidden Stone, and the Third Hokage was preparing to step down voluntarily to appease the villagers' resentment.

As for the candidate for the next Hokage, Jiraiya had recommended him, and the Third Hokage also favored him.

Hokage! This had always been Minato's dream, and it was the dream of his wife, Kushina, as well.

If Kushina knew this news, she would surely be very happy!

Thinking of this, a smile appeared involuntarily on Minato's fresh, clean face.

"Minato Namikaze." A slightly cold voice pulled Minato's thoughts back to reality.

Minato stopped and looked to his side, discovering a strange ninja dressed in Anbu attire and wearing a mask, standing at the mouth of an alley a few steps away, most of his body hidden in the shadows.

An Anbu ninja? No... that's not right! This is a Root ninja!

After observing carefully, Minato became somewhat vigilant. He knew that the leader of Root, Elder Danzo, was a hawk within the village and held political views at odds with the Third Hokage.

The Root ninja standing at the alley entrance was none other than Shiraishi. He looked at Minato and beckoned for him to come over.

Minato hesitated for a moment, but still walked over until he stood before Shiraishi.

"Lord Minato, would you mind having a chat with me?" Shiraishi asked, sizing Minato up.

"Who are you?" Minato's expression turned serious.

"The village is currently facing trouble, and there are some things that only you, Lord Minato, can resolve right now." Shiraishi replied.

"If you've discovered a problem, why not report it to the Hokage?" Minato demanded.

"What if the Third Hokage is part of the problem?" Shiraishi countered.

Minato's eyes turned sharp in an instant, like a blade hidden in its sheath, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

"Don't look at me like that, it's truly terrifying, Lord Minato." Shiraishi teased with a tone of "fear," then continued, "I took a great risk to see you this time."

"Who exactly are you?" Minato asked with a heavier tone.

"I am an attendant to Lord Danzo." This time, Shiraishi answered.

Hearing the reply, Minato thought to himself, As expected, he's one of Danzo's men! What is he trying to do?

"Please come with me. This meeting has nothing to do with Lord Danzo; I have important intelligence that I personally wish to disclose to you."

Without waiting for Minato's answer, Shiraishi turned and walked into the depths of the alley.

Minato stood where he was, frowning as he watched Shiraishi's back, but ultimately chose to follow.

The two walked one after the other into the dark depths of the alley, stopping at the end before a moss-covered stone wall.

"At ten o'clock tonight, inside the secret passage of the Hokage Rock, Lord Danzo intends to meet with the Third Hokage." Shiraishi turned to look at Minato and spoke.

"What is Elder Danzo planning to do?" Although he was only in his early twenties and his teacher was Jiraiya, Minato's political sensitivity was quite high.

"The terms offered by the Hidden Stone for these peace talks are simply too insulting! Lord Danzo is extremely dissatisfied. He does not agree with the peace talks." Shiraishi said, laying the groundwork.

"But the village has suffered heavy losses in this war; we no longer have the strength to continue fighting." Minato hoped from the bottom of his heart that the war would end, as too many people had already died.

"Konoha has suffered heavy losses, but are the other villages unscathed?" Shiraishi countered.

"But..." Minato wanted to argue.

"Enough. I didn't meet you to debate this matter. What I am about to tell you is of great importance. You must promise me that you will not reveal it to anyone, and especially not leak my existence." Shiraishi warned with a serious tone.

Minato promised earnestly: "I promise!"

"Lord Danzo is extremely dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's decision. He has already steeled himself for death regarding tonight's meeting. If he cannot persuade the Third Hokage, he will issue a challenge—a fight to the death. Only one of them will walk out of that passage."

Shiraishi's words left Minato looking shocked, then increasingly anxious. He did not doubt what Shiraishi said, because the Elder Danzo in his impression was exactly the type of extremist who would do such a thing.

"No, we must stop Elder Danzo." Minato said anxiously.

"This matter can only be entrusted to you." Shiraishi said.

"Why don't we go tell the Third Hokage right now?" Minato asked, puzzled.

Shiraishi explained: "Once the matter is exposed, given Lord Danzo's personality, he will never choose to give up. He would lead Root to a mutual destruction with the Third Hokage, sparking a civil war within the village. By then, the fallout would be even greater. The village can no longer afford such losses."

Minato fell into deep thought, and after a few seconds, he nodded in agreement.

"I understand. You want me to step in and stop the fight between Elder Danzo and the Hokage." Minato said, looking at Shiraishi.

"Yes. Among the ninjas in the village, only you can do it." Shiraishi admitted.

Minato looked at Shiraishi, feeling as if a thousand-pound weight had been placed on his shoulders. Konoha could no longer withstand any further losses.

"I will do it!" Minato promised with a solemn expression.

"Then I leave it to you, Lord Minato! The hope of the village rests on you." Shiraishi said solemnly.

Minato took a deep breath, his eyes bright as he looked directly at Shiraishi and nodded firmly.

"Can you tell me your name?" In Minato's eyes, this Root ninja before him was a true ninja who held the Will of Fire in his heart.

"Shiraishi. My name is Shiraishi." Shiraishi said in a low voice.

"Shiraishi, I will remember this." Minato etched the name deep into his heart.

"At ten o'clock tonight, I will wait for you at the entrance of the secret passage by the Hokage Rock," Shiraishi said in parting.

"I won't tell a soul," Minato promised once more.

With the matter settled, Shiraishi vanished in a Body Flicker, leaving Minato behind, alone and burdened with heavy anxiety.

Back at the Root base, Danzo was already waiting when Shiraishi returned.

"Why did you tell Minato Namikaze about tonight's events?" Danzo looked at Shiraishi, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.

Shiraishi removed his mask and replied with a calm expression, "Once the Reincarnation Technique is cast, your body will become a living corpse due to the loss of your soul, and the body of the Third Hokage you inhabit will fall into a three-day coma. With both the Hokage and an elder of Konoha incapacitated simultaneously, are you not worried about causing a massive stir?"

Danzo fell into deep thought, his mind brimming with dark schemes. "You mean to pin the blame on Minato Namikaze when the time comes, and announce to the public that he attacked the Hokage and me?"

As he spoke, Danzo found the idea increasingly brilliant.

That bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi had already revealed at a high-level meeting that he intended to step down as Hokage and pass the position to Minato Namikaze.

If his own attitude were to change drastically after the reincarnation, it might arouse suspicion in some.

By dragging Minato Namikaze into tonight's events, he could claim that Minato had attacked him once the reincarnation was complete, branding him with the crime of assaulting the Hokage and permanently eliminating his threat.

"Next time you do something like this, you must consult with me first. You cannot act on your own authority." Danzo was satisfied with Shiraishi's plan, yet remained displeased by his unauthorized actions.

Shiraishi looked at Danzo with utter speechlessness, his gaze as if he were staring at a pile of dung.

How on earth did this guy manage to extrapolate a plan to frame Minato Namikaze and label him a rogue ninja?

If they framed Minato as a rogue, Konoha wouldn't just lose the strongest ninja of the new generation; they would also lose the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Kushina, who was tied to him, and his teacher, Jiraiya.

Could this guy Danzo really be capable of being Hokage?

Shiraishi felt blind for having praised Danzo earlier that afternoon!