There Are No Ifs in This World

He knew exactly how strong Danzo was. How could Danzo have fought him to a standstill and taken a Rasengan head-on without a scratch?

Besides, he could still sense the Flying Thunder God Mark he had left on the mastermind back then. That meant the man was still alive.

And if the mastermind was still alive, Danzo had to have been framed.

Orochimaru gave Minato an intrigued look.

"Does the truth matter now? The blame has been pinned firmly on Danzo."

"As for the real mastermind... if you want to hunt him down, I won't stop you. But there's a good chance you'll run into someone you never expected."

Orochimaru didn't know Obito's true identity. He was talking about Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He had the highest level of access to Anbu intelligence, so of course he knew Sarutobi Hiruzen had joined the Akatsuki Organization.

That organization was full of remarkable people. The man impersonating Uchiha Madara was among them, and he seemed to hold a fairly high position.

For a moment, Minato couldn't tell whom Orochimaru meant.

But whoever it was, if he stood with the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident, he was an enemy of Konoha.

Such a person had undoubtedly betrayed Konoha. No matter who he was, Minato would not hesitate to strike.

Orochimaru watched Minato's expression, genuinely curious what it would look like when he heard the name.

"Not long after Danzo died, Sarutobi Hiruzen committed a whole string of offenses. In the end, he was impeached and removed from office, and Uchiha Genya became the Fifth Hokage. No one could dispute his claim to the title."

"If you set his methods aside, Uchiha Genya has been a far more capable Hokage than either you or old man Sarutobi."

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew how to maneuver, but he was